Chapter 2

"Coach Carson?" I said. I approached her when she was lunch monitor on Tuesday during the following week.

"Hi, Jack," she said. "How are you doing?"

"Um ... well, I've been thinking about what you said before about ... um ... gymnastics."

"You have?" she said with surprise. Her face lit up.

With the excitement in her face and the big smile, she looked very pretty. I could now see why some guys thought she was sexy. She stood only about five four compared to my five ten but she had a toned hot little body. A little small with the tits but that didn't matter.

"Maybe just until the end of the semester," I said.

"Oh, but the tournament events aren't until the following semester. This semester is training and practice."

"It'll let me know if I like it or not," I said. Next semester I would do whatever I could to get into Coach Parker's class instead.

"Okay," she said with less enthusiasm. "Sure."

"So how soon can I start attending your class?" I asked.

"Can you hang around after school?" she asked. "Meet me at the admin office. I'll try to hurry over after sixth period."

Not now? Couldn't they process everything in the twenty-five minutes left in lunch break?

I survived my time in Coach Johnson's P.E. class today because of my knowledge it was my last time.

Coach Carson didn't arrive until twenty minutes after school ended.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to close up," she said. "Gymnastics usually ends an hour after school but I had to cut it short and kick the girls out. I'm not allowed to leave them alone."

I didn't understand much of what she said but one thing stuck out.

"One hour?" I said. I didn't want to stay late at school.

"Didn't I mention that? Sorry. The first hour during sixth period is warming up so that in the second hour you do your best stuff."

An extra hour of school or the rest of the semester with Coach Johnson?

"Okay," I said.

"Oh, good! I was afraid this was all for nothing."

Coach Carson guided me through the process. She explained what I was doing to several of the administrative staff and to V.P. Henderson when he happened to pass by. Because I represented the restart of boys' gymnastics I was treated like a mini-celebrity which felt very awkward.

"See you tomorrow, Jack," Coach said when everything was done.

I nodded. Tomorrow was going to be uncomfortable but it was better than the alternative.

After lunch, I changed on the boys' side and then met an unexpected obstacle. The only way I knew to get to the gymnastics room was through the girls' locker room. The door from the basketball gym was always locked and I couldn't get into the gym anyway to knock on the door.

I stood outside on the girls' side for fifteen minutes without knowing what to do. I was relieved when Coach Carson came out.

"There you are," she said. "I thought you changed your mind."

"I didn't think I should come right in," I said and pointed to the word 'Girls' above the door.

"Oh, yes. Hmmm ... I'll have to come up with a solution."

She motioned me forward and said, "I told the girls that a special person was joining to bring our gymnastics team to a whole new level."

Oh, great! She made me out to be a savior or something. I didn't know the first thing about gymnastics except what I saw in the Olympics.

I followed Coach Carson into the room and immediately six pairs of eyes were on me. One pair of eyes belonged to Melissa. In a way, she was the reason I was here taking gymnastics. I didn't blame her. She was too cute so there was no way I could blame her for anything.

"Girls," Coach said. "This is Jack and he's joining the gymnastic team."

"He's a guy!" said an observant brunette.

"He's not joining the girls' team," Coach said. "He's joining the boys' team. He is the boys' team."

She proceeded to introduce the girls in grade order.

Sarah was a reddish-brown haired senior who was tall compared to the other gymnasts.

Erica and Angela were juniors. Erica was a blonde and small in height. Coach said she was number one on the team. Angela was a blonde also.

Samantha was a brunette sophomore and the girl who noticed I was a guy a few moments ago.

I knew the freshmen Melissa and Tiffany, a brunette who was one of Melissa's best friends, but I didn't say anything about it to Coach.

"Back to practice," Coach said with a double handclap for encouragement. "I need to work with Jack and then I'll help you."

I saw Erica begin a routine on the uneven bars. She was good.

"I don't think I can do that," I fumbled out of my mouth. I felt a pit in my stomach.

"That's a girls' event," she said then she realized what my fears were. "Oh, don't think you're going to be an Olympian. This is high school. You will learn a few basic things and if you do that good enough then you'll win competitions. I'm not expecting any triple back flips."

"Oh, alright," I said but didn't feel much better about it.

"Now I only have women's apparatus," she said, "so I'll work on a schedule to adjust the bar..." She pointed at the uneven bars where Erica just stuck her landing. " ... so you can practice the high bar and we'll turn the vault so you can use it like guys do. The floor is the same for boys and girls. We don't have a pommel or rings or parallel bars. If boys' gymnastics gets popular maybe I can get the school to buy them. You won't be able to participate in all-around but you can compete in three individual events."

Coach blurted out too much information. I shut down mentally and watched Sarah, the tall senior, on the mat. The girl raced from the corner, did a forward handspring, and landed hard on her ass.

Coach saw my gaze and said, "Puberty can be brutal to a girl gymnast. She was my best but she grew three inches over the last year. A late bloomer. She can't find her new balance. She'll never be the same but she tries hard and sometimes still hits it."

Sarah stood in the corner ready to try again.

"You pushed off too early," said Coach.

Sarah nodded and tried again. She sprung forward and landed on her back.

"Too late that time," said Coach. "Keep trying."

I think I'd be crying for my mommy after those two spills but Sarah got up without any expression. She pulled the back of her suit out of her crack which got my attention. I looked around. Whoa! The leotards the girls wore were essentially swimsuits. Okay, no cleavage.

"Want to give it a try?" Coach asked.

"Try what?"

"A run and front spring. You'll probably fall but the mat is soft."

Sarah fell again. If the mat was soft, it was one of those strange new definitions of soft.

"I've never done that before."

"I know," she said. "Give it a try."

Sarah looked at me with an expression that made me feel stupid. She probably wondered what I was doing here and I wondered the same thing.

"Stand in the corner," Coach Carson instructed. "Sprint out and go for it."

I stood where she asked. Apparently, Coach wasn't aware that I didn't bring a second pair of underwear. After I tried this, I would likely have soiled underwear. I would have to go home in the pair I had on.

Angela was on the balance beam in my line of sight. She stood on it and watched. Tiffany and Melissa were just past the opposite corner of the tumbling square and stood where one would start a vault run. I heard someone on the uneven bars behind me but I was sure her eyes were on me too.

I breathed in deeply. I should have stayed in Coach Johnson's class and taken my lumps. Instead I was about to demonstrate before six of my schoolmates what an idiot I was. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't expect to be a cool kid but I definitely didn't want to be one of the dopes.

I ran forward. Dope-dom here I come!

I extended my arms, leaned forward, and bounced off the mat. Uh-oh! I was in the air. My hands hit the mat and I was back in the air. The landing was going to hurt. The ceiling flashed before my eyes and then Melissa and Tiffany were in view. Angela still watched from the balance beam. One foot hit the ground and then the other. I stopped where I was on the mat.

"You need to keep your feet together," informed Angela.

I didn't care. I was alive.

Coach Carson came up to me laughing. She said, "Clumsy but you made it. We need to build up your arms. I'll arrange to get you into the weight room."

I was now overconfident and tried the tumble again. I landed on my side. I tried a few more times and was able to land on my feet two out of three times. The girls all wanted to talk to me during the break. It was cool!

The next day for the first hour, Coach Carson walked me through the tumbles and jumps. She even held onto my legs for my balance while I was upside down. She talked about form and the best way to turn. I just wanted to survive uninjured.

For the second hour, she sent me over to the weight room.

The weight room was full of football players.

"What are you doing here?" asked Matt as he lifted a heavy dumbbell with his right arm.

"Uh ... I'm here to lift. Coach sent me," I said. She talked me through what activities she wanted me to do to build up my arm muscles.

"You?" Matt scowled. He put the weight down and stepped forward. Two guys came with him.

I had a sick feeling inside.

"What are you doing here?" said Coach Johnson stepping through the boys.

I was never so happy to see him.

"Coach Carson sent me over to work out my arms and shoulders," I explained.

"You can't do it here," he said.

"But Coach Carson said..."

"I don't care what she said. This is for football players only."

Matt smirked behind Coach Johnson.

I shriveled out of the room and returned to the gymnastics room.

"Coach Johnson said what?" angrily shouted Carson when I told her about my exchange.

I followed her back to the weight room.

She gave her case and then Coach Johnson replied, "I understand but you know how teams work. You want to build camaraderie. He'll be a distraction." He gestured toward me.

"He won't bother anyone," she insisted.

"His presence will be a disruption because he's not on the team. You need to make other arrangements."

Coach Carson left fuming. I stood dumbfounded and looked into the weight room.

"Do you like it when she fucks you in the ass?" Matt asked.

I glared at him and balled up my fist.

"Go ahead. Hit me," he taunted.

I turned away.

"Whipped little poodle," Matt added.

I ran to catch up with Coach Carson.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Like Coach Johnson said 'make other arrangements'," she huffed.

"Get him in trouble?" I said hopefully. I wanted to know if that was the case. I wanted to see Coach Johnson go down.

"He's the football coach. I can't do anything."

The situation with the weight room didn't change that week.

Coach had me try the high bar. I tried to swing a loop but I kept slipping and falling.