Chapter 19

"Okay, Trace, you're up."

Traci frowned but stood up. "I don't know why you signed me up for this. I've been vaulting like shit."

That was the truth. Since her fight with Peter almost a month ago, she hadn't been worth much of anything, in gymnastics or school. I'd told Mom about the fight with Peter, though not what it was about, and convinced her to give Traci some space to work it out.

Now I was ignoring my own advice.

I ignored her comment, smiled at her, then walked up to the vaulting table and announced her vault to the judges.

Traci's run reminded me of a bull moose after a twelve-pack of beer. Not that I've ever seen a bull moose after a twelve-pack of beer. She hit the board, flew in the air, and somehow managed to get upside down. Then instead of hitting the vaulting table and popping up to finish her vault, she kind of landed on it and fell off, though she did finish on her feet.

"I told you," she said after she'd saluted the judges.

"No, I'm going to tell you. This is our last meet. The district championship, and a lot of our girls want to finish better than fifth like we did last year. I signed you up for this event because you're a damn good vaulter. But if you'd rather mope about Peter than help your team, you might as well go sit down.

"I know what you felt for Peter. And I know what's going on now is hurting, but ditching the rest of your life is not an option. You can go talk to him and see if you can make it better, or you can forget about him, but this feeling sorry for yourself is done. Now get out of my face, and go sit down. I'll tell the judges you're scratching." Traci glared at me, but I turned my back on her.

When I turned back, Traci was at the end of the runway looking determined. I didn't smile no matter how much I wanted to. I signaled Traci to throw her new vault, then told the judges.

This time Traci's run still reminded me of a bull moose, but a bull moose that wasn't going to get stopped by anything short of a bigger bull moose. Traci did a roundoff onto the springboard and exploded into the air. She landed on her hands on the table, exploded again and twisted a complete rotation before her perfect landing. Now I smiled.

"Bastard," she said between clenched teeth after saluting the judges. "I never want to talk to you again.

I nodded, though she'd already turned her back to walk away. She disappeared into a small mob of girls full of congratulations, hugs and kisses. I could live with not talking to Traci as long as she rejoined the rest of the world.

"How come you're not in the middle of that?" I asked Kelly as she stood off the side and stretched her wrists and neck.

"I need to focus on my vault."

"Okaaaayyyyy."

Kelly gave me a dirty look, then glanced at the judges table where they were just putting up a nine point six five for Traci's vault. Her best ever.

She glanced at my sister, who hadn't noticed yet. A smile snuck onto her face, then quickly disappeared.

'Now what?' I wondered as Suzie got ready to vault

It had been a rough month. Not even my birthday last week could cheer it up. Of course, seventeen is kind of a blah year. I mean, turn fifteen and you get your learner's permit. Sixteen and you get your license. Eighteen and you can vote. But seventeen is just kind of there.

Mostly, Traci sat in her room and listened to music. Kelly was around the first week, but after that it was Ann, and she hadn't changed much.

I tried to talk to Traci a couple of times, but no luck.

I was kind of surprised that it kept going on. I could understand Peter getting upset. I mean, it was a lot to handle all at once. Especially the part about Traci and me. Hell, I still don't handle that part very well. But he and Trace seemed so natural together that I thought he would get over it.

Of course, Tami and I were pretty natural together, and our fights always lasted way too long.

"Traci, awesome vault. I saw your score," I said as I rejoined the team after vault was over. I have never been so thoroughly ignored in my life.

"You were a little rough on her," Cheyenne said quietly.

I bit my tongue to stifle the first response that came to mind. "Cheyenne, I really appreciate that you're trying to be more about the team, but trust me, this is one you don't want to get in the middle of."

Cheyenne looked like she had to reject her first thought too. "Okay."

"Cheyenne!"

She looked startled. We were just getting ready for our one-touch on floor. In long meets, like districts, they give the next four or five gymnasts in a rotation a one-touch warm-up just before they competed. On vault, bars, and beam, that meant exactly like it sounded. The gymnast got to touch the apparatus one time. That's one vault or one sequence of three or four moves on beam and bars. On floor, three or four tumbling passes.

"Coach?" she said tentatively as she walked over.

"You feeling your double?"

Her face lit up. "You mean it?"

"Gary said if you were having a good day, you could throw it. You want to do it today or save it for the club meet next week?"

"Are you kidding?"

I took that as a yes. "Okay, we're going to throw it on your first tumbling pass when you've got lots of energy."

The judge signaled we could start one-touch.

"Right now, I want your second pass first, then your third pass, then we'll try two doubles and decide from there."

Cheyenne nodded and ran to the corner to wait her turn.

Cheyenne's second tumbling pass was a front handspring into a front flip, walking out into a roundoff Shusanova. A Shusanova is where she rebounds out of the roundoff, does a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree straddle jump, but lands with her whole body flat on the ground. "Too much knees," I said when she finished.

Her third tumbling pass was her easiest. For her anyway. A double-twisting back flip.

"Good height, but you over-rotated a little."

Cheyenne nodded, probably having already figured that out.

"You ready for this?"

She nodded again.

As Kelly finished her third pass, I walked out onto the floor, then nodded to Cheyenne. She nodded back, looked down at the floor for a second, then exploded in her run. Roundoff, back handspring, then punch into the air. I was there when she punched, but saw she didn't need any extra power. Cheyenne pulled her knees up sharply and started her rotation, one, she was looking good, two, I was set up under her, saw her open up and knew she had it. I backed off.

"I nailed it," Cheyenne said with a huge grin as she ran to the corner to wait her last practice pass.

"You did," I agreed. "Do it like that in the meet and the judges may have to figure out what comes after ten."