Silly girl. Who does she think she is anyway?
Scarlett muttered to herself in the locker room, clapping her hands together and dusting chalk from her palms and forearms.
Her jumps were clean and her landings perfectly controlled, yet the coach complained about every move. Worse, Becka and her clique stared at her, pulling faces the entire time, making her uncomfortable. That cost her a shaky landing, then the humiliating fall.
She ran from the gym floor, ignoring the coach calling her back to the line.
A few girls roamed around the locker room, changing into their leotards in readiness for their rotation.
Just then the door burst open and Lizzy rushed in. She paused in the middle, scanning the room until she spotted Scarlett, her teammate and friend.
She approached her, hands raised in disbelief. “What was that? Why did you leave in the middle of practice like that?”
Scarlett sighed, her shoulders slumping, her lower lip pushed out slightly. “I was embarrassed. And it was that girl's fault!” She inhaled, trying to calm herself.
Lizzy groaned and palmed her forehead. “C'mon, Scarlett. Why do you let Becka get under your skin every time?” She reached for her hands. “You are the better gymnast. Everyone knows this. So what if she's the coach's daughter?”
Scarlett looked away. Lizzy shook her and added with a mischievous grin. “And for the record, I think your fall was elegant. Don't be embarrassed.”
Scarlett flushed, about to protest but Lizzy tugged her towards the door. “Let's go back. Becka will get what's coming to her. ”
They slipped back into the gym hall just as a heavy thud shook the floor followed by a sharp cry. Becka was down, clutching her ankle, her face twisted in pain.
The two girls exchanged a look. Lizzy's eyes widened, her hand flying to cover her mouth. “I - I didn't do that. I didn't even mean it.” Then she burst into laughter and Scarlett couldn't help but snicker beside her.
“What's funny, you two?” The assistant coach, Miss Kennedy, stood behind them.
The girls straightened instantly. “Uh...nothing Miss Kennedy.” The woman stared at the girls for a moment then nodded toward the floor. “Get back in line. We are running that sequence again. Chop-chop!”
She clapped sharply and the girls hurried back to join their teammates.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "elegant fall".
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Image credit: Pixabay