“Keep those legs straight! Hands steady, deep breaths, concentration!” Ms. Gonzalez’s steady commands flowed into Kim’s ears. Trying to keep her balance at the same time, Kim obeyed the swift orders. She finished her balance beam routine with a perfect salto.

“¡Muy bien!” Ms. Gonzalez’s smile radiated towards Kim. Kim flashed a bright and grateful smile towards her gymnastics teacher. Ms. Gonzalez was a beautiful lady, with a slim figure and light brown eyes. Her black hair was always pulled up into a neat bun. Her smile was encouraging, with two pretty dimples besides. Finishing the beautiful picture, her attire was perfect, with a light blue shirt and jeans.

“Alright girls! That’s all for today! Hannah, practice keeping your balance for your floor routine. Jess, slow down a bit on the bars. Kim, concentrate on the balance beam. Thelma, you need to work on keeping steady. Esther, breathe! And Rebecca, practice your endings. That’s all!” Ms. Gonzalez smiled as she led them through the hallway towards the exit. “Oh, yes, and remember that the competition is in two weeks! Please, girls, practice!”

“I can’t wait to be in a real competition!” Rebecca said as they waited for their moms to pick them up.

“We all got to practice- a lot!” Thelma put emphasis on the last words.

“Oh, there’s my mom. Bye, y’all!”

In the car, Kim talked on and on about the competition. After Mom seemed tired of hearing the same story over and over, Kim imagined herself on the bars, swinging like a monkey. She didn’t even know that Mom had pulled into the garage. She slowly got out the car, moving like a sleep walker. She walked towards the steps, imagining the crowd cheering for her. “Kimberly! Kimberly! KIMBERLY!” they cheered.

Then Kim felt herself falling to the ground. Off the balance beam. Wait- off the balance beam?

Then everything went black.