Disclaimer: Don't own
I walked into the gym as per usual on Monday morning. Yesterday was the last day of national championships. I had won the all-around, vault, and uneven bars. I had placed second on the balance beam and on the floor exercise. All in all it was a very good competition. Marley, my head coach, had just congratulated me on my win. "Keep this up, and this time next year, you could be an Olympic Champion." Marley had said.
The Olympics were always my dream. They were my whole family's dream. My mother wanted me to be a champion more than anything else. She's the reason I'm still a gymnast. She's the reason I'm a national and world champion.
World Championships are less than two months away. Last year was my first year eligible to compete in the Championships. Team USA won gold. I won the all-around bronze, and the golds on vault and beam. This year I wanted to add at least another gold to that list: the all-around gold.
I walked to the back of the gym toward the uneven bars.
" Nice job at nationals, Cami" said my team mate, Jenna, who won the level ten Pennsylvania State Gymnastics Championships this past June. Jenna is my training partner and best friend. She was there when my mom died, I was there when a back injury kept her from becoming an elite gymnast, like myself, three years ago.
" Thanks, Jen. So how's the Gienger coming?" I asked her as I chalked up
" Pretty good, but I'm realizing that I hate bars more and more." she said with a laugh as she fixed her blonde pony-tail.
" You'll get it. I promise. It took me FOREVER to get it. Longer than the kip even!" I said
" Well the kip took you like what? Three years to get. Boy you sucked on bars when we were little." Jenna said with a laugh
" And look at me now, the national Uneven Bars Champion." I said laughing with her. She had a point, I was the absolute worst gymnast on the bars.
" But, Cami, just to warn you, Bob's drunk again. So be careful!" Jenna said seriously for the first time as Bob came into view.
Bob was our loser of a coach. He hate every single thing about gymnastics, and every single one of us, but he was strong and needed the money. He mainly helped with the older girls, like us, because we can hold our own in the gym.
"Cambria Zales!" He yelled. Bob hated me the most out of all of us. I was the one who kept him in the gym for hours.
"Yes, Bob."
"On bars now! I want to see that winning routine!"
God, I hated when he bossed me around.
I began my mount, a simple kip-cast to handstand full. The routine was going smoothly until it was time for my Comaneci Salto, a skill I was never strong with.
All I remember was falling and then pitch blackness.
……………
" Carisle, what happened to her?" asked a bell-like female voice from above me.