I'm at the gym again, on Wednesday. I walked this time. I just got back from cheerleading practice because we have a football game on Friday.

"Katniss, Madge, we need to talk." Clove says. We follow her over to the beams. "Next Friday we have a competition. It's at a high school. It isn't really far from here. It's two level ten's around the country. You two are representing Maine, and then there will be two people from each state attending."

"What high school?" I ask.

"Andover High School." She says.

"Fuck," I mutter. "And it's during the school day?"

"Yes. The students will be attending, and the parents of the competitors, and there will be judges and all of that. The football field will be renovated, and it's supposed to be chilly, so I recommend you wear a long sleeve leotard. Now, you girls need to be there every day after your cheerleading practice. We need to make sure you are star material. You will be excused from school next Thursday. I've already spoken to your parents."

…a...

My whole body aches as I walk home on Friday. Peeta, Marvel, Johanna, Annie and Finn are spending the night at my house. After the football game, which ended at ten, I went to the gym and I was there with Madge and Clove until three in the morning. Now I'm walking home.

Every step I take hurts, but I suck up the pain and walk into the house. "How was practice?" Dad asks. He always stays up when I'm going to be out late. My whole family is attending this event, and my friends are still awake.

"Exhausting," I walk into the kitchen and get some water, and wash the chalk off of my hands.

"Are you excited though?" Finn asks.

"Yeah, I suppose." I get an ice pack and lie down on the couch and ice my thighs.

"Do you have your routine memorized?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah."

"That's good."

I yawn. "Yeah." And then I fall asleep.

….a….

I actually stayed the night at the gym on Saturday and I was there all week. Now it's Friday.

I'm so nervous. I'm in my leotard that Dad bought me for my competition. It's red, and it looks like fire when I move. I have on a jacket that says Maine and matching pants, and Nikes. All of us, the competitors, are in the locker rooms. I can hear everyone screaming outside, because that's where this is at. The students weren't really required to come to school today, and they're not going to get marked absent, but they get in free to see the competition, so everyone is here. I have my bag that comes out with me, that has my inhaler and three water bottles.

"Alright girls! It's show time!"

We get in a huge line, me in front and Madge behind me, because we are in our state so we go first.

We walk in a straight line out to the football field, which has been completely renovated.

Vaults are first. There are one hundred of us competing, and they introduce our names and we all have to wave and smile and turn in a circle. I take off my sweats and my jacket that I need, and I'm shocked at how cold it really is. I cover my hands in the chalk that someone hands to me, and then I pass it back to Madge. They have us get in the line, and they do the introducing and we do the turning and waving and smiling. I notice though, and I can't help it, but the screams for Madge and I are much louder than they are for any of the other girls.

Maine competes last though, so Madge and I sit and watch the girls on the vaults.

No offense to them, but for level tens, they suck. People mess up, and one girl from Utah lands on her head and gets rushed to the hospital.

I'm thinking about how everyone is messing up and I need to do perfect, that I don't hear my name called until Madge elbows me in the ribs. I look up in confusion. She stands up and gives me a hug. "Good luck."

I stand at the front of the path to the vault. The cameras are zoomed in on me and they're going over my history of gymnastics. Someone tells me to begin. I look at Clove to see if there are any last minute pointers. She just gives me a thumbs up.

I take a deep breath and shut my eyes, and the stadium is silent. We get to go on the vault two times, that's how it is. My hair is up in a bun, out of the way.

I take another deep breath and break into a run, but I'm off to the side, and I realize too late, because my left hand lands on the vault, but my right hand slips, and I completely fuck up, and when I land, I fall, because my ankle twists, and it hurts like a motherfucker. The audience gasps, and I hear the announcers talking in the microphone about how I am going to get points deducted for that. Then they go on talking about how I'm not getting up and how I'm injured.

Then I hear a familiar scream. "KATNISS GET UP!"

Johanna? I look up, and I see all my friends and family pleading with me to get up. Peeta's family even came today.

I'm not going to give up. I won't give anyone the satisfactions of seeing me just give up.

Especially not Glimmer, because she's here.

Madge and Clove are watching me and I think they're thinking about getting me to the hospital, but I force myself to get up.

I didn't break it, I know that I didn't, but it's going to be tough for me to finish. Everyone is leaning forward in their seats to see what I'm going to do, but I ignore the pain and walk to the podium, about 76 feet away from the vault.

They don't tell me to start the second time around. I look at Cove again and she makes a notion to straight myself before I start to run. I do as she says and look at her. She just nods and gives me a thumb up.

"OH COME ON KITTY KICK ASS!" Finn screams and I feel my confidence rise. I start to run at full speed, and block out everyone. I do a round off back hand spring, and the when I'm in the air, I twist three times. I land it without losing my footing, and I put my hands in the air like how you do after you a trick, and I walk off the mat and drop down next to Madge. Clove gives me a hug.

"Did you break it?"

"No, I twisted it, but it's fine. The pain is going away. I'll be fine."

Madge goes, and she does perfectly both times, and sits down next to me. I think it was nerves that messed me up, because this is televised, and I'm representing the entire state of Maine.

But I need to make sure I'm not nervous. I ice down my ankle as I wait, with my head down and my hands holding my head up, because I'm freaking out.

I have no reason to be nervous, I'm going to do fine. I'll be fine.

I keep telling myself this, and then I feel Madge tap me. "Floors. You're up." I look up.

"Are you going to be able to do this?" Clove asks.

"I'm not going to quit." I hand her the ice pack and walk over to the floor, adding more chalk to my hands and wiping off my forehead with my arm. Where I am standing, I am right in front of my family. "Come Sweetheart! Make me proud!" Dad cheers and I almost laugh. I break into a run and complete my routine.

...a….

Some girl from Florida won the god for vault, and me…well…I won the gold for beam, bars and floor.

Clove is freaking out. She keeps kissing my cheeks. I put my pants and jacket back on. The competition is over and I'm just exhausted. All I want is to go home and just sleep, but I know my friends and family have other plans.

I accept all the thanks and shit and walk off the field.

"KATNISS! KATNISS!" they come running and screaming. Finn lifts me up onto his shoulders and they insist we go out to dinner and a movie and then dessert.

This is going to be a wild night.