Gymnastics Comeback by Jake Maddox

Author:Jake Maddox [Maddox, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 9781496597021;9781496597533;9781496599186;gymnastics;floor exercise;high school sports;Asian American protagonist;Stone Arch Books;sports fiction;Jake Maddox JV;fiction;chapter book;hi-lo
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2020-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

At home, the house was quieter than usual. Andy was at a friend’s house, and her mother would be coming home soon from work. Suzy took off the brace and pulled out the instructions from Dr. Wong. She held each stretch, following the detailed instructions and doing a few extra repetitions.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Suzy moved to the living room. The oak piano stood, waiting to be played.

The doctor said she could practice in one week, depending on how she felt. It hadn’t been a week yet, but Suzy’s wrist definitely felt better. Playing just one song wouldn’t hurt. In a way, she missed playing the piano. Oftentimes she found it relaxing, and she liked her recital piece.

Sheet music lay scattered on the floor and on the bench. Suzy ran her fingers across the piano keys. She sat for a moment and started to play her recital piece—“Für Elise.” She stopped playing and moved her wrist back and forth. Then she continued to play, the notes carrying her worries away.

As she finished the song, she tried to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony just for fun. She imagined herself performing her floor routine. As the music paused, she transitioned with a toe turn. She darted down the floor at full speed and flew through the air with a front handspring. Her body rotated 360 degrees. She followed with a one-and-a-half twist, her body whipping through the air. The crowd cheered.

Just then, her mom walked in. “That sounds wonderful,” she said. “Your wrist must be feeling better. I haven’t heard you play in a while.”

“I thought I’d give it a try,” said Suzy. She thought about practice and started to hear Katie and Rebecca’s voices again. Her chest grew heavy.

“You seem upset. Is something wrong?” Mom said. She was like a detective, always searching for those hidden emotions.

Suzy wanted to tell her mom about the conversation she’d overheard between Katie and Rebecca the other day, but the words were still too raw. Besides, her mom didn’t want her doing gymnastics anyway.

“I’m just tired, and practice was really hard,” replied Suzy.

“You practiced?” Mom asked, her voice tense. “What about your wrist?”

“Coach wants me to stay in shape, so I practiced with one arm,” Suzy replied.

“I hope you were careful,” said Mom. She stared at Suzy as if she were under a microscope. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” Suzy hesitated, then took a breath and said, “But I know you don’t like that I’m still doing gymnastics.”

Mom sat down next to Suzy and rubbed her shoulder. “It’s not that.”

Suzy looked her mom in the eyes. “You never come to the meets.”

“Gymnastics takes up a lot of your time,” Mom said. “I just want you to find a balance. Be sure you make time for other things.”

“The team’s counting on me,” Suzy said. “Plus I love gymnastics. I have to put in a lot of work if I want to do well at the high school level.”

“Well, you also have the piano recital coming up,” replied Mom.

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