EIGHT

ÒNoel! Wait up!Ó

I turned around, noticing the more than familiar voice. ÒHi Josh!Ó I closed my locker gently, noticing how much taller he was. Probably three inches taller.

ÒHi! IÕm sorry about last night,Ó he said, a glitter in his eyes. ÒIÕm not much of the telephone type.Ó

ÒIt doesnÕt matter. I like people who say things to you in person.Ó

ÒWell, I just wanted to say that IÕm very glad you straightened out your life.Ó

ÒLetÕs just say itÕs getting a whole lot better. Thanks to you.Ó

ÒThanks to me, this whole thing started.Ó

ÒNo, thanks to me, I never gave you a chance to speak. IÕm not shy or anything, but I didnÕt know what to do after I ignored you once. I kept on regretting later that I should have listened to what you wanted to get across to me.Ó

ÒIÕve had tons of reality checks. I know you arenÕt shy. ThatÕs why I like you. You can always carry a conversation. No one can possibly get bored,Ó he said playfully.

I giggled. ÒNow, youÕre one boy who actually likes that quality.Ó

ÒWell, I know you still like Chris, but can you give me just one chance? I really like you.Ó

ÒOf course I can! You think IÕll ever pass a guy up like you?Ó

ÒIf you donÕt, then you could go back to having a crush on Chris, but I donÕt think I can stand falling for Leah. I know you donÕt like Leah. I canÕt stand her anymore. Actually, I never did.Ó

ÒYou know, Josh. As much as I liked Chris, I turned down an offer to go to the movies with him. I guess I never realized how cute you are until recently. I thought of you, but every time I do, I see myself making a fool out of myself, so I just kick back those thoughts along with my memories of you. But they kept on coming back. As I found out, some things I should keep to myself.Ó

ÒWell, can you tell me if you would like to go to the movies with me sometime when youÕre not busy?Ó

ÒYou know IÕll never be too busy to be with you.Ó

ÒThanks a lot, Noel. I guess this time, itÕs me who has to go. See you around!Ó He smiled and left down the hall, just as the bell to start school rang.

ÒSee ya!Ó

I better not blow this chance with Josh, or IÕll really kill myself. I guess I made it harder for him to talk to me with all those excuses I was making. If I do, IÕd never forgive myself.

* * *

I plopped down in a seat next to Aaron. I let out a sigh of relief. He must have noticed it.

ÒHas Prince Charming found his princess?Ó

ÒYeah, but this time, it was me who had to leave her.Ó

ÒWhat? You gave up on her?Ó he said, astounded.

ÒNo! Are you crazy?Ó

ÒWell, you said you had to leave her.Ó

ÒYeah. You know. I didnÕt want to be tardy for the third time this month. ItÕll look bad on my report card.Ó

ÒOh. So, you guys going somewhere?Ó

ÒI donÕt know. She has a meet Saturday. IÕm planning to go.Ó

ÒThatÕs a start.Ó

ÒI wish we could double date. But of course, you wouldnÕt want to.Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒDonÕt you even think one girl is cute?Ó I inquired, trying to get the truth out of him.

ÒUh!Ó he groaned.

ÒIÕm not kidding, Aaron.Ó

ÒWell, uh, itÕs probably hard to believe this, but I think your sister is kindaÕ cute.Ó ÒHmm, thereÕs a start. The two people I know who have sworn not to date until they graduate, and the only two people I know who constantly debate against each other.Ó

ÒPretty lame of me, isnÕt it?Ó

ÒNo. You never know. You might change you mind.Ó

ÒBut for now, I donÕt have my sight set on anyone. Maybe IÕll think about it more once you show me that you can get Noel to go out with you.Ó

ÒAaron, Josh! ItÕs quiet reading time!Ó Mr. Carn said, looking up from the New Yorker magazine he was in the middle of reading.

ÒSorry.Ó I took out a science fiction book I was reading. I couldnÕt concentrate on any of it. I kept on thinking about Noel and how beautiful she looked when she was preforming her gymnastic routines.

* * *

I felt ice-cold shivers run up my spine as Eva and I walked up to Leah. Jolene and Megan were with her, laughing. They stopped as soon as they saw us.

ÒLeah, why did you cheat on the test?Ó

ÒI didnÕt!Ó

ÒYou know you did!Ó

ÒYou know I didnÕt!Ó

ÒDonÕt lie to me, Leah.Ó

ÒYouÕre the one lying, Noel!Ó

ÒGet this once and for all. IÕm not trying to get you in trouble, or to kill you. I just want to know the truth.Ó I was beginning to become frustrated.

ÒDo you really want the truth?Ó

ÒYes, I do.Ó I stated.

ÒWell, youÕre out of luck,Ó she said and shoved me to the side, making me lose my balance. Eva grabbed my arm and stepped up to Leah.

ÒLeah, we just want to know why you had to cheat, just to get a good grade. And why cheat off of Noel?Ó

The relentlessness was going away from Leah as Jolene and Megan glared at her, transfixed.

ÒLeah, you donÕt have to cheat or lie in getting what you want. You canÕt always have what you want, but I would have helped you study if you needed it.Ó

ÒYeah, so please tell me why you were trying to ruin my life?Ó

ÒOkay, IÕll tell you why,Ó she said, tears in her eyes. ÒItÕs because you have everything. Everything anyone can possibly want.Ó

ÒWhat do you mean by that?Ó

ÒLook. You have all those friends, youÕre popular, you have blond hair and get good grades.Ó

ÒYou do too.Ó

ÒNo. I donÕt have any friends. No one cares about me.Ó

ÒIÕll be your friend if you will let me.Ó

ÒMe too,Ó Eva supported.

ÒBut you hate me.Ó Even more tears welled-up in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

Just at that moment, the tardy bell rang, and I knew I was late for class.

ÒTalk to you later, okay?Ó

ÒAlright.Ó

After class, Josh was waiting at my locker. I hurried to meet him, my eyes glued to his evenly tanned face with the most gorgeous eyes IÕve ever seen.

ÒNoel! I saw you and Leah in the hall during passing period. IÕm really glad you arenÕt trying to gang up on her.Ó

ÒNo, IÕm not. I think sheÕll make a great friend once we really get to know her.Ó ÒThatÕs a fact. Maybe I shouldnÕt have been too hard on her.Ó

ÒI think she understands.Ó

I tried my combination five times, and couldnÕt get it opened. I think the presence of Josh right next me had a lot to do with it. I couldnÕt even read the numbers right.

ÒWant me to open it? IÕll promise not to tell anyone your combination.Ó

ÒCould you? I canÕt seem to get it right today. Twenty nine, eleven, eighteen.Ó

ÒThere. You donÕt keep anything in you locker?Ó

ÒNo, only my books. ThereÕs nothing to keep in it anyways.Ó I used to keep my diary in there during lunch, but now that I donÕt have one, thereÕs nothing worth stealing.

ÒSo, are you grounded again this week?Ó

ÒDo you think I was really grounded?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

ÒDo you think my mom would do that to me?Ó

ÒYes.Ó he said, his hands on his hips.

ÒOkay, you win. But no, IÕm not grounded this week. Why?Ó

ÒBecause I was planing to go to your meet. I need someone else I can cheer for other than your teammates.Ó

ÒIÕm sure IÕll be there. But donÕt plan on seeing anything spectacular.Ó

ÒEverything you do is spectacular.Ó I felt my cheeks flush. We walked into the cafeteria, then headed in the opposite direction. I spotted Eva in the lunch line, and Leah, walking out the side door.

ÒIÕll catch her later. Right now, IÕm famished! Oh no! I forgot my lunch!Ó I said to myself as I realized my backpack was all empty except for my binder.

Eva and I sat down at a table in the right corner of the room in fifth period, History. We waited for Leah to come in.

ÒLeah!Ó

ÒNoel, IÕm very sorry about your diary and stuff. I explained to your friends that IÕm the one who should be abandoned.Ó

ÒOh Leah! You didnÕt have to do that. If they like me after what I wrote, then they can talk to me. If not, I donÕt need anyone who doesnÕt like me.Ó

ÒAfter all that IÕve done to you, I donÕt know how you can actually want to be friends with me.Ó

ÒBecause I can see that all you need is a true friend.Ó

ÒThanks a lot, Noel, Eva.Ó

ÒItÕs the least I can do.Ó I said.

ÒLeah, I need to interview you for the paper next week,Ó Chris interrupted.

ÒOh, sure.Ó She winked to me and turned around to face Chris.

I started to tell Eva what I hadnÕt told her about Josh.

ÒSo I wasnÕt lying, huh?Ó

ÒYeah, you were right. I wish you had a boyfriend.Ó

ÒI donÕt. IÕve seen how much trouble youÕve gone through. I donÕt want to end up in detention two times in one week.Ó

ÒThatÕs not because of Josh. It was because of someone else that was bothering me.Ó

ÒSo what does Chris need to interview Leah for?Ó

ÒOh, itÕs for the newspaper. Remember, he did that to me, too.Ó

ÒMaybe sheÕll go to the movies with him. SheÕll probably wonÕt make a lame excuse not to.Ó

ÒOh, just shut it, would you?Ó

When Leah finished talking, I asked, ÒLeah, come sit with us! ArenÕt you lonely sitting by yourself?Ó

ÒNot really.Ó

ÒAdmit it. You are.Ó

ÒYouÕre right. You guys are the best!Ó She exclaimed.

ÒNo, no oneÕs the best.Ó

ÒAll men are created equally.Ó

ÒYes, but what if youÕre poor. YouÕre not equal.Ó Leah said.

ÒWeÕre all equally talented in our own ways.Ó Eva corrected.

ÒYou know, itÕs Òall men are created equally, but all women are created better!Ó

You got the phrase all wrong.Ó I joked, quoting a T.V. commercial I heard the other day.

ÒYou got it!Ó they agreed.

ÒThatÕs not true,Ó Chris said from the table next to ours.

ÒYes it is!Ó the three of us said.

ÒThen you wonÕt mind if I tell Josh that you think youÕre better than he is?Ó

Michael, his friend, a teammate of JoshÕs said.

ÒNo, I donÕt mind. He wonÕt care.Ó I crossed my legs under the table, resting my arms on the table.

ÒJosh is crazy about her,Ó Leah justified. ÒHe wouldnÕt give her up for anything.Ó

ÒYeah. My brother thinks NoelÕs better anyways,Ó Eva defended.

ÒOh, youÕre all impossible!Ó Chris shook his head and turned away.

Josh was already at the gym when I walked through the door. ÒHi Noel, Leah! Ready for the meet tomorrow?Ó

ÒYou bet I am!Ó I exclaimed, pulling the straps on my bag to keep them from falling down.

ÒSame with me.Ó Leah chorused.

ÒGreat. IÕm expecting to see you both win over Pinecrest. TheyÕve had enough victories already.Ó

ÒDonÕt expect too much,Ó I teased.

ÒYeah. WeÕll do so bad we wonÕt even score.Ó

ÒThatÕs impossible. Good luck with practice, and see you later!Ó He ran over to where Dominic and his team-mates were grouped.

ÒIÕm so glad he didnÕt like me.Ó LeahÕs eyes were sparkling.

ÒWhy is that?Ó

She winked. ÒBecause heÕs perfect for you.Ó

ÒIs that supposed to mean something?Ó

ÒYes. It means that you two go together. I never knew he was EvaÕs brother.Ó

ÒI know, he doesnÕt look like her. She has three brothers. One of them has brown hair, and Josh and the other has blond hair.Ó

ÒI guess thatÕs why Eva is a tomboy.Ó

ÒYup. She can even out-run her second oldest brother, Tim.Ó

ÒThatÕs great. Do you have any siblings?Ó

ÒNo. Do you?Ó I asked, slamming the gym locker shut.

ÒA sister. SheÕs in the Navy.Ó

ÒWow! In the Navy?Ó

ÒUh-huh. She loves football,Ó she replied, tieing her hair up in a ponytail.

ÒReally?Ó

ÒYup.Ó

ÒYou know, I though you liked Josh. I canÕt get why you donÕt anymore.Ó

ÒIt was just another way to mess up your life.Ó

I punched open the door out of the locker room. ÒYeah right. Tell me the truth.Ó ÒWell, itÕs because IÕve found another boy who I have a chance at actually going on a date with.Ó

ÒAnd who happens to be the lucky boy?Ó

ÒYour ex-crush.Ó

ÒOh, he must have asked you to the movies.Ó

ÒHow did you know?Ó she asked, baffled.

ÒOh, I just happened to turn him down before he asked you.Ó

ÒYou?Ó She scattered chalk all over the place. I turned away, but Leah got some in her eye. ÒBut didnÕt you like him?Ó

ÒYeah, but I didnÕt feel like it. He got too boring. Besides, I started thinking Josh was cuter.Ó

ÒSo you turned down Chris for Josh?Ó she inquired, dusting off her leotard.

ÒYou could say that.Ó

ÒLeah, Noel! Start practicing!Ó Mary barked out.

ÒOh no, not again!Ó I growled.

ÒCome on!Ó Leah pulled me along. ÒWhatÕs a great gymnast like you doing whining?Ó

ÒI am not.Ó

ÒThen what are you doing, sleeping?Ó

ÒNo, IÕm hungry!Ó My stomach rumbled as if on cue.

ÒNoel, didnÕt you eat anything for lunch? I saw you in the cafeteria.Ó

ÒNo. Forgot it at home.Ó

ÒOh, the forgetful Noel strikes again!Ó

Nine

So, I finally settled it with Leah. I hope Mrs. Carson calls tonight. She always forgets to do stuff. I hope we can win over Pinecrest. I hope my parents wonÕt fight anymore. I hope Josh still likes me. Do I hope for too much?

ÒGuess what, Noel?Ó

ÒWhat, Dad?Ó

ÒYour mom got the call just before I left to pick you up.Ó

ÒShe did?Ó

ÒYes, and she was so surprised. She wonÕt be home tonight because she has another staff training to go to, but IÕll tell you that sheÕs been wanting to see you ever since the call.Ó

ÒShe does?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

ÒHopefully, everything will work out.Ó

ÒEverything?Ó

ÒYes, everything.Ó

I got into the car and waved to Leah as she stepped into her dadÕs convertible.

ÒYour new friend?Ó

ÒSheÕs not new, but she is a new friend.Ó

ÒI didnÕt quite get that.Ó

ÒIÕve known her for a while, but sheÕs just now my friend.Ó

ÒI think I got a little bit of that.Ó

ÒOh, letÕs just say she is a new friend.Ó I summed up.

ÒThatÕs what I asked in the first place.Ó

I woke up early Saturday morning to get ready. I was supposed to be at the gym by ten thirty in the morning. My parents wake up at around nine, but today, my mom had gone grocery shopping. ThatÕs weird, because she usually does that in the afternoon. Maybe she had something important to do, and weÕve run out of food. Yesterday, I was asleep when my mom came back. I needed my share of rest and energy. My dad promised to take me to the gym, but I didnÕt wake up early enough. My alarm clock was broken. (Okay, lame excuse.)

I packed a light lunch and an apple for dinner. Usually, IÕm hungry when it comes to meets, but that makes me conquer my nervousness.

My dad was in weekend clothes when he came down, a t-shirt from Boston and a pair of old jeans. ÒReady?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

He drove me to the gym, and I noticed Leah waiting for me outside the locker rooms.

ÒThe slow Noel strikes again!Ó

ÒReally?Ó My words dragged out as I fell on the floor in a heap.

ÒHey, Noel! Are you that tired?Ó I pretended not to hear. ÒNoel! I know youÕre awake.Ó

ÒBarely. Tell Mary IÕm too tired to practice.Ó

ÒAnd miss out on a chance to win over the Pineheads? Oh, and IÕll tell Josh that thereÕs no use coming because youÕre not preforming. You know how much he loves to see you preform.Ó

ÒAlright, I give in. IÕm fine.Ó

ÒYou donÕt have much energy today, do you?Ó She asked.

ÒYeah.Ó I pushed myself up.

ÒThat doesnÕt sound like energy.Ó

ÒYes, Leah, IÕm ready to do a million push-ups!Ó I shouted at the top of my lungs.

ÒIÕm certainly not.Ó I slammed LeahÕs locker shut. ÒNow look what youÕve done!Ó

ÒI closed your locker for you. You should be greatful!Ó I retorted.

I already had my leotard on when I came. In the morning, all we do is light exercises, just to loosen our muscles. Some other classes were already in session. I like to use Saturday mornings on the giant trampoline and foam pool. My muscles are tenser on weekends than weekdays, so I need to loosen them up.

ÒMy body is so stiff! I canÕt even do a back-bend.Ó

ÒI canÕt either.Ó

I started bouncing on the trampoline set up next to the pool. I started by one somersault, then gradually making it to three. On the last one, I fell into the pool. I went over to where Leah was practicing her vault. On the other side of the horse awaited a soft, foam pit.

ÒLeah, try adding an extra twist to your vault. ItÕll raise your starting value.Ó

ÒBut I canÕt.Ó

ÒYou have to try. YouÕre ready to try something other than what you can already do.Ó

ÒOkay, whatever you say.Ó She took a deep breath and ran down the runway at full speed, hitting the springboard, then pushing off of the horse, bent her knees, and hitting the floor like a nail.

ÒLeah! That had great form!Ó I turned around, noticing MaryÕs voice.

ÒYou think so?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

ÒBut I didnÕt land it straight. I under-rotated.Ó

ÒYou have just enough rotation to pull it off. Maybe we can practice this one today.Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒYou live to learn. You learn to live. You have to do both,Ó I said as Leah took off down the run-way.

ÒSee. Your feet touch the mats, and thatÕs the important part. If you hit the springboard more towards the end, you can get enough rotation. Noel, the floorÕs open.Ó Mary pointed her finger to the other end of the floor, where another group was leaving the floor.

ÒRight.Ó I headed towards one of the empty floor.

The rest of the morning, I added flares to my floor routine. I played the song over and over in my head. When the gym was nearly empty before lunch, except for the people who I was competing with, I tried the routine again with the music.

ÒI love that extra step you put in, adding to the disco music. It really makes you want to clap and dance along,Ó Leah complimented.

ÒYeah,Ó Vallory agreed, my friend on my team.

ÒItÕll get the crowd going.Ó

ÒRight now, all IÕm thinking of doing is eating.Ó

ÒMe too. That vault thing is hard. Mary always says to do it one more time, but I ended up doing it a million times,Ó Leah complained, rubbing her stomach.

ÒThatÕs how she is.Ó

Josh came up to me just before the meet started that afternoon. ÒNoel! I saw your parents in the stands.Ó

ÒMy parents?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

ÒLike, my dad and mom?Ó

He nodded. ÒYes.Ó

ÒMy dad probably begged her to come watch. Thanks for telling me, just so I will get nervous and break a leg.Ó

ÒThe last time Aaron said Òbreak a legÓ to me before a meet, I almost broke my leg.Ó

ÒIÕll remember to say that before you preform.Ó

ÒOh, thatÕs fine, because you wonÕt be allowed in the gym during my meets.Ó

ÒIÕm just kidding. IÕll never say that to you. ItÕs like a curse.Ó

ÒWell, have a great time!Ó He wished me good luck and left for the stands where Eva was sitting with her seven year old neighbor, Janie. She was babysitting Janie today.

ÒLet this be the best meet I have so far,Ó I prayed.

I felt my muscles tense up, like I was competing in front of a million people. Leah must have noticed it, too, and tried to start a conversation to ease up whatever time we had to kill.

ÒSo, are you excited about this competition?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒI bet youÕre really psyched about beating them, arenÕt you?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒAre you ready?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó I think you can guess who was doing most of the talking.

ÒIs Ò donÕt knowÓ the answer to all of my questions?Ó

I shrugged. ÒI donÕt know.Ó

She looked at me, then asked, ÒWhatÕs you name?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒDo you know anything?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

ÒIs that all you can say?Ó

ÒI donÕt know.Ó

Vallory turned around in her seat. ÒWhat are you two doing?Ó

ÒI donÕt know,Ó we answered simultaneously.

ÒYou have to know.Ó

ÒHey! DonÕt leave me out of the conversation! What are they doing, Vallory?Ó Emily asked.

ÒI donÕt know,Ó Vallory responded. The three of us cracked up in laughter.

ÒWhat are you laughing at?Ó Emily retorted.

ÒI donÕt know,Ó I replied between gasps of breath.

ÒDonÕt you guys have anything better than to laugh over nothing?Ó She shook her head in dismay and headed towards Beth.

ÒCÕmon, Emily! DonÕt you have any sense of humor? I guess she doesnÕt.Ó Vallory shrugged and took off after her. They were best friends ever since they entered in gymnastics, but their personalities differed greatly.

Once again, when we settled down, we were back to being nervous. I had to stop myself more than twenty times to keep myself from biting my nails off.

ÒBoo!Ó

I jumped up from my seat, extremely startled. ÒWho did that?Ó I turned around, embarrassed that it was only Janie. Behind her, Eva and Josh were laughing like a hyena. So was Leah.

ÒDonÕt ever do that again! IÕm nervous enough as it is already.Ó I patted Janie on her hair. ÒI think I was going to have a heart attack!Ó

ÒReally?Ó she asked, quite amused.

ÒNow, Janie, Noel has to concentrate.Ó Josh smiled to me. ÒI know how it feels.Ó

ÒYouÕre a gymnastics person, too?Ó

ÒYes.Ó

ÒBut youÕre a boy,Ó she looked up to him, Òor do you look like one and have a boy name?Ó

ÒBoys are gymnasts, too, Janie.Ó

ÒOh. Next time, can I come see one of your meets, Josh?Ó

ÒWell,Ó he staggered.

ÒPuh-lease! Pretty please with a cherry on top!Ó

ÒYouÕre making me hungry!Ó My stomach rumbled. ÒIÕm dying for a triple scoop, hot fudge sundae right now! Even if I can never eat all of it.Ó

ÒOh, donÕt remind me!Ó Leah slumped down in the hard plastic chairs. ÒIÕm dying for one of those, too!Ó

ÒFor once, Leah is hungry! I thought you never got hungry!Ó

ÒHey! YouÕre the one whoÕs always hungry, but never gain a pound!Ó

ÒYes I do.Ó

ÒOh no! YouÕre one pound heavier!Ó She got up and headed to Mary, who was motioning for us to huddle.

ÒSee you after you win!Ó Josh waved bye as I ran over to the group.

ÒNothing is impossible,Ó I reminded myself. ÒNothing.Ó

Finally, after what seemed days, we were into our first rotation, the vault.

ÒGet the worst over,Ó Leah mumbled as she slowly walked up to salute the judges.

ÒCome on, Leah! Stick it! Leah! Stick it! You can do it!Ó

Just like she heard me, she soared over the horse, tucking her legs in for the double twist, and landing impressively. Her starting value was pretty high to start with, so even if she had made a tiny mistake, she would have scored high.

ÒLeah! You did it!Ó

The judges flashed a 9.735. The highest vault so far. Her second one was like a rerun of the first vault.

I was the last one to go for the team. I was on my toes, pacing back and forth, back and fort, imagining every move in my head. Even Leah couldnÕt stop me. But MaryÕs touch brought me back to the present.

ÒItÕs your turn.Ó

ÒStick it, Noel!Ó Leah and Emily reminded as I stepped up to the runway.

When I looked up, I saw my parents. My mom caught my glance and smiled brightly. My dad always smiles. I saluted the judges and ran to the springboard. I hit it right where I could get the maximum bounce. My hands hit the horse with lots of power, feeling the hard leather, and all I remember is that I over rotated. I landed, but I had to take a giant step forwards to keep myself from falling. Right then, I knew I had to do it perfectly. For me, my team, my parents, and friends. There was only one more chance left for me to prove myself that I can master this vault. Luckily, they only take the higher of the two vaults.

ÒYou can do it!Ó I heard Leah say. ÒYou can do it, Noel!Ó

I saluted the judges once again. Whatever happened between that and the landing was lost to the chanting of the crowd. I stuck it clean. I had my feet together and pointed my toes just like a pencil. There wasnÕt the slightest bounce in the landing. I didnÕt let anyone down this time.

ÒYou did it!Ó

ÒThat was the best one you ever did!Ó Mary hugged me tightly.

ÒI knew I had to do it.Ó

ÒHey Noel! Way to go!Ó

I looked to the bleachers. Eva, Josh, and Janie were there, clapping and cheering for me. Leah had a huge grin on her face which told me IÕve got everything it takes to be a winner.

ÒPur-r-fect!Ó Janie screamed.

The score came out. A 10.0! The best I ever had in the vault. I felt weak to my knees and collapsed in LeahÕs arms. I had done it! Finally, at last! We supported each other from plummeting to the ground. It was weird because I was taller, but she was the one holding me up.

ÒI never knew you were so good!Ó

ÒIÕm not! We are!Ó I straightened out, trying to regain my composure again. I didnÕt want to give in on the next three events. ÒReady for the uneven bars?Ó

ÒYou bet I am! ItÕs my best event!Ó Leah quickly packed her stuff and waited for me to pack the rest of my equipment.

ÒI should have guessed.Ó

We gathered up our bags and moved to the uneven bars. They werenÕt my best apparatus, but it wasnÕt my worst, either. The worst, IÕd already gotten over. And IÕd gotten over it good.

ÒHere we go!Ó

ÒMission impossible has become possible!Ó

ÒYes! WeÕre in striking distance to the Pineheads!Ó