Perfect Balance Gymnastics

Chapter Six - Alexis

I limp over to the changing room, Drew in tow. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asks? "I'm fine, and this is for girls, you can't come in." I say. Drew rolls his eyes. Today I packed a light pink sweatshirt with a gymnast twisting in the air and white lacy shorts with yellow flowers. I lightly glossed my lips and had a pink headband on. I know it sounds extra but if I want to become one of the popular kids I have to always look pretty. Drew slowly walks away to the boys cubbies. I gently open my gym bag. Inside I have a water bottle, headbands, scrunchies, grips, wristbands, and ankle tape. I take off my sweatshirt and shorts and under it is my PBG leotard. I fold my clothes and put them in my bag. I slip my headband off and put it in my bag. I take out my ankle tape and wrap my ankle in it. I gingerly put weight on it. 

I place my bag in my cubby then limp downstairs to the gym. James is working on bars with Trista, Carmen, Paige and Savannah are on beam and Marissa is on vault. I watch as she does her vault. She does a roundoff onto the springboard and a back handspring into a layout. She takes a small step instead of landing on her ankle like I did. I quickly avert my eyes from the vault. I decide to go to the empty floor. A bunch of level tens are hogging the tumbling strips with their fancy double backs and stuff. I notice Trista beginning to finish up on bars so I rush through my routine. "Save your tears" by the weekend starts playing. I do a one hand forwards flick than a sassy move and a point of my finger into a roundoff back handspring back layout. I land with no steps, wincing on my ankle. I do a switch leap into a half turn pirouette. I complete the dance sequence. I do a front handspring front layout ½ twist. I take a giant jumping step out of bounds. I quickly stumble backwards into a turn. I do an aerial into front aerial. I roll down to the ground with a leg kick into my pose. I sloppily sit up. And walk away as Trista begins her routine. I head over to bars. I put my grips on and sigh. At least this event doesn't require hurting my ankle besides the dismount. I kip up into a cast handstand. As I come down I attempt to smoothly press my feet against the bar but end up banging them and hurting my ankle. 

As I bang them against the bar I swing down until I'm upside down with my feet on the bar. I shift my wrists and slowly pull up and jump to the next bar. I kip up into a straddled cast handstand, slowly turning and jumping into my overshoot. My hands connect with the low bar but I have to bend my legs to stop them from hitting the ground. I slowly press my legs up to the bar and unevenly pull myself into a support position. I quickly cast into a sloppy cast handstand. I press my legs back into a sole circle and jump up to the high bar. I do a smooth clean long hang kip into cast handstand. I do a clean clear hip and then I complete two giants before doing a layout dismount. My landing is clean with no steps. I salute. My hands fall down, slapping my thighs. Girls, let's see some tumbling!" James calls. I follow the rest of my team over to the edge of the mat. "Let's see some clean roundoff back handspring layout ½ twist." He says. 

Paige goes first, hurdling faster than I've seen her run into a clean tumbling pass. When it's my turn I step onto the runway nervously. I run sluggishly into my roundoff and my back handspring ends without me pushing off. I quickly bounce into a layout ½ twist with three steps. After practice, I get changed and attempt to pat down my sweaty bob. I pile into the car with mom, Drew, and Ethan. Josh is at a basketball game with dad and William. "Hey, is Marissa your friend?" Asks Ethan. "Yeah. Why?" I ask. "No reason,'' he says, burying himself in his phone again. I shove earbuds into my ears and turn on my floor music, "Save your tears' ' by the weekend. As soon as I get home I run to my bedroom. On my laptop I google "cute outfit contemplation". I go to the same school as Trista and Savannah and everyone really. We transferred for sixth grade. Savannah is in seventh grade, Me, Carmen, Trista, and Marissa are in eighth grade, luckily the school we go to has a highschool. Paige is a sophomore and so is Drew. My brother Ethan is a Junior, William is a Senior and Josh is in a local college. 

I close my eyes as some chatty teen girl explains color blocking and the importance of makeup with a cute look.