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After I got to the gym, those nervous feelings came right back. I saw lots of girls I didn't know, and I saw them doing more advanced things. My stomach did a flip....My nervousness was definitely back. I took a deep breath and then headed to my locker. I opened my locker, put away my gym bag and my sweats, and hurried over to the mats. I was relieved when I saw Hannah and Dixie talking to each other. "Hi guys!" I said, I could hear the nervousness in my voice. "Hi Rose!" Hannah said. "Hey!" Dixie said, in the most relaxed tone I had heard in a while. That made me a tiny bit less nervous. I was hoping everyone else who was new was as nervous as I was, but apparently I was the only one. I looked over to the left and saw Coach Anna coming towards us. As soon as she set foot on the mat she said, "Before we begin, I would like us to tell our names, and our favorite event in Gymnastics," "Hmm.....Rose, how about you start us off." She said. Me...? Why do I have do be first... I thought. "Well....My name is Rose, and my favorite event is Uneven Bars." I said. "Alright, now just pass it down to the person to the left of you." Coach Anna added. The person left of me was someone I didn't know. "My name is Kelsey, and my favorite event is Vault. Although I think I'm good at all of them." Kelsey said. I didn't know Kelsey all to well, but I had seen her some other places around the gym, too. I had a slight feeling that I would never become close friends with her. But I didn't say anything. The person to Kelsey's left was Kara. "Hi everyone! My name is Kara, and my favorite event is....all of them!" Kara said in her usual perky tone. I liked that about her. Even in the worst situations, she still managed to have a perky tone. The person to Kara's left was someone else I didn't know. "Hello, my name is Addie, and my favorite event is floor routine." And then the person to Addie's left was someone else I didn't know.
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As soon as we went through about ten more people---a lot of a bigger group then the normal (or at least to me) seven girls. We headed over to the floor, the mats there were more bouncy then the other mats so that we could rebound easier. Rebounding is when a gymnast has just landed a move, and has to jump up again right after she or he touches the floor into a split or whatever move is required to do. First in line was Hannah, I was behind Kelsey who was second in line. Today was different in what we practiced, instead of the normal things we did, we did a move called a Salto pass. The salto pass is a move that requires a gymnast to preform two skills not using their hands. This move came easily to Hannah. I watched Hannah handspring her way across the floor. Then I watched Hannah do her Salto pass, and she nailed it. I just stood there, my jaw dropping. But as soon as it dropped I brought my jaw back up. Next it was Kelsey's turn. She has been in this more advanced class longer than I have, so she already knew most of the moves that me, Hannah, Dixie, and Kara were just beginning to learn. I saw her going her Salto pass perfectly, but then she fell on her handspring. She must have been really disappointed when she fell because I saw it. But she got right back up and did it again and stuck her landing. This part of the gym that we were in was different from where I used to train, we were in the far right corner, and in the far right corner there was barely any sunlight because of lack on the windows. But luckily, we have lights in the gym, so we could see and do our routines just fine. After Kelsey finished her routine, it was my turn. I took a deep breath, and attempted to do the Salto pass, but I fell the first time I attempted. But, nobody gets it the first time. It takes lots of practice. Coach Anna walked over to me and helped me do my Salto pass, and then I completed it good. But that was just because Coach Anna was helping me, though. Then I went into my handspring-back walkover combination, and finished my floor routine. After everyone had gone, we moved onto Uneven Bars--finally a place where I could feel at home. With all of these people around me that I barely knew, all I wanted was to be at home. It turned out that I was first up on Uneven Bars, so it had worked out perfectly. Today on Uneven Bars, Coach Anna taught us how to do a Split release instead of our normal release. I did mine in a breeze. I felt as if Uneven Bars were my secret weapon. If I was failing in a competition, I could possibly be saved by the Uneven Bars. I completed a kip, a split release, and two handstands, and then a dismount. I felt my feet reaching the mat after flipping in the air, I had stuck the landing! I smiled, imagining what that would have looked like if I were in the Olympics, then getting my gold medal... "Rose?" Hannah giggled. "Oh....Uh....Sorry..." I said. A little embarrassed that I had been caught zoning off.
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After Gymnastics that day I walked home with Hannah. On the way home, we talked about how today had gone at Gymnastics, and how we were, and simple things like that. At one point in the walk, the weather outside got so bad that we had to stop at a coffee shop for an hour, so that the weather could calm down. Then a waitress walked up to us. "How may I help you today, young ladies?" She asked, smiling. "Hmm...I'll take a hot chocolate please, and extra marshmallows!" I said, giggling a the end of my sentence. "I'll take the same." Hannah said. "Alright, coming right up!" Then the waitress dashed into the kitchen. The Coffee Shop was small, and had pictures of the town we live in since when camera's came out. The decor was at least I guessed fifty years old. But the town we lived in had been around since the early 1700's. So that wasn't old compared to some of the things here. But the house me and my mom lived in has been renovated, and was more modern. But some of the houses were build from logs in the pioneer times. I thought that was really cool because we have history on the street we lived on. A couple of minutes later, the waitress came back with our hot chocolates. "Thank you." me and Hannah said at the same time, that happens a lot with us, and I don't really know why. About an hour later after, I got a call from Mom asking where I was. My answer was. "The weather is really bad, so me and Hannah decided to stop at the Coffee shop on main street." I said. "Oh, okay. I was just getting worried. Although I had a feeling you shouldn't be walking home in that terrible weather. But thanks for stopping at the Coffee shop. Should I come get you two? Because the roads are going to close in an hour or so, so I would need to get going." Mom said. I consulted Hannah about the idea. "If the roads are closing in an hour....How would I get back to my house?" Hannah asked me. "Hmm....Maybe a sleepover!" I said excitedly. Then I replied to mom. "Yeah! That sounds great! Can Hannah sleep over tonight? if the roads are closing in an hour, how is Hannah going to get back to her house?" I asked mom. I heard silence for a minute. "Sure. Why not?" Mom said. I could tell she was smiling. About five minutes later, Mom's car pulled up in front of the Coffee Shop. And within seconds, Mom was opening the door. "Hi Mom!" I called from the booth seat I had been sitting in. "Let's get you two in the car, and then we can go home and have more hot Chocolate." Mom said. I liked that idea!
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When we got home, I rushed into the warm house and pulled off my jacket that seemed more like a snow jacket. It was snowing outside now, that was exciting, it barely snows where I live. But the bad news is, when it snows, it snows hard, and a lot. I was glad that right now for this moment it was only a foot deep or so, but I knew that would change by tomorrow. Then I glanced at my watch because I could see the sky darkening. 4:02 PM. Well..... It isn't that late. I thought. Then after 3 games of Apples to Apples, me and Hannah's favorite board game, I heard mom call us into the kitchen for Hot Chocolate. I ran into the Kitchen, Hannah about an inch behind me. "The Hot Chocolate is on the table" Mom said with a wink, and then she left the room. Before I took a sip of my Hot Chocolate, I warmed my hands on it. I looked out the cold icy window that was next to the table after warming my hands. Then I wrote 'hi' backwards to say hello to my neighbors. Then I sipped my Hot Chocolate. Boy was it nice to feel warm in this freezing weather! But that only lasted for a couple minutes.
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After about two hours or so of playing and joking around and talking, me and Hannah headed to my room for a tiny bit of time before dinner. Mom was making tomato soup for dinner, perfect for a night like this. I showed Hannah around my room, she had been to my house many times, but not recently. Nothing happened, just Hannah was really busy and all, and plus I change my room around a lot. About ten minutes later Mom called me and Hannah to dinner. Tomato soup tasted great on a freezing day like this. Hannah thought so, too.
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About an hour later we finished dinner. As we were walking back to my room, I checked my watch. 7:14 PM. When me and Hannah reached my room, I quickly went into my closet and got out my Pajamas. Hannah didn't bring any clothes, and the roads were closed because of the foot-deep snow in them. So Hannah just borrowed a pair of mine that I never wore--which I agreed that she could keep because she loved them! After we changed into our Pajamas, I helped Hannah set up a sleeping bag and a air mattress on the floor, and then I did one for me. Before I crawled into my sleeping bad, I noticed that we had spent about three hours talking about pajamas! It was 10:00, so then I finally crawled into my sleeping bag with pictures of me over the years in the gym, from three years old, to yesterday's competition. And within about an hour, we were both sleeping.
Authors note: I wrote this today! It took three hours (with a lunch break). So I hope you like it! :D
P.S. I think this was a long chapter!! :D
P.S. I think this was a long chapter!! :D
