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An Afternoon in the Gym (Closed)
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:37 pm
by FrancisCross
Francis did her best to stifle a yawn. Getting up at 7 in the morning for A.P. English would certainly not be in her itinerary if it wasn't for Sister Mary Moltar. At least today, there was something interesting on the table.
The gym was quiet as the newly bottle-blonde goth shouldered the door, her cheersquad outfit slung through the crook of her arm. It would be at least ten minutes before the new recruit was expected to arrive, so she took the time to change, fix her shoelaces, and apply a generous amount of eyeliner. No sense in looking like a complete valley girl.
The clipboard was dusty but the cheer roster still in place as Franky sat calmly at the small table near the bleachers.
She glanced down at the name. Ekaterina Gordieva.
Well. This should be interesting.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:17 pm
by Ekaterina Gordieva
Kat ran toward the gym at full speed and glanced at her watch. She had gone back to the dorms to take a nap, and completely slept through her alarm. Now, after a couple of weeks of waiting, she was going to be almost ten minutes late for her cheerleading tryout. "Oh, man..." Kat hoisted her gym bag strap up on her shoulder again and knocked the doors open a good three feet before she reached them.
Once inside, she looked around and noticed a single person at a table near the bleachers. Kat walked over, trying to calm her nerves and the undo the knot in her stomach. "Hey, Franky. I'm really sorry I'm late." She unzipped track jacket, revealing a royal blue gymnast uniform with white stars across it. Kat tossed her jacket across her gym bag and began stretching. "I've never really cheered before, but... I'm a fast learner." Kat grinned sheepishly and struggled to push her heart out of her throat.
She stood in front of the table and tried her best to look confident as she waited for Franky's instructions.
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:03 pm
by FrancisCross
Ok. At least the girl was enthusiastic.
For a moment she had a flashback to Jade Rooster busting a groove thanks to Eric's irrepressible crowd speed boosting, which soon involved several broken bleachers and a missing basketball hoop. Somehow, deep down, she was thankful that Ekaterina would be spared that.
She smiled up at the girl from her station at the table.
"Ekaterina, right?" The pronunciation was almost correct.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Franky. Any music preference?"
She produced what was probably the oldest surviving boombox the school had ever seen. It's battered, red, plastic housing belied a time when leg warmers and Flash Dance were the next best thing to big hair and acid-washed jeans.
With a small amount of fumbling, Franky managed to get the cassette door open.
"Sorry, I forgot my CD player."
Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:37 pm
by Ekaterina Gordieva
"Music? Oh, umm..." Kat dug into the bottom of her bag and produced a cassette tape. It looked about as battered as the boombox, but she handed it over.
"It's not really cheering music." Kat walked to a corner of the floor as Franky pressed play and closed her eyes. Slowly, as the classical melodies washed over her, everything faded away again. Kat knew that the gym floor would not be designed for her floor routine, so she immediately began replacing steps in her head. No falls. She would have to watch the tumbling passes. She wouldn't get as much height on the flips.
When she opened her eyes again, her face was a mask of determination. As she took off running, she lifted her arms over her head. A few feet later, she pushed off. She repeated the steps in her head. Handspring. Step out. Back handspring. Step out. Back tuck. Turn.
Three minutes of flips and twists later, Kat completed her final full twisting layout and landed in front of the table. A smile spread across her face as the gym faded back in around her. Out of habit, she raised her hands in a salute to Franky.
As she brought her hands back down, she tried to catch her breath. "Well?"
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:35 am
by FrancisCross
Francis did the only thing she could think of at that moment.
She applauded.
"Well slap my hand and call me Gardenia."
The thought of the pyramid the cheersquad had been working on for the past several weeks came forefront to Franky's mind.
She looked up at the waiting girl with a glint in her eye.
"So..." She smiled mischievously as she leaned across the table.
"What do you think of pom poms?"
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:51 am
by Ekaterina Gordieva
Kat could barely contain her enthusiasm. She balled her hands up in front of her chest and laughed. "Really?! I love pom poms! Thank you so much!" Kat almost couldn't believe it. Three years of being told no, and now she would be performing again. No beam or bars but it didn't matter. She could be a gymnast again. She grabbed Franky hand and shook it vigorously.
"Thank you."
After she had put her jacket back on, she turned to Franky, her smile undiminished. "So when is practice?"
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:02 am
by FrancisCross
Wow. Girl had a grip.
Once Francis was able to ensure that her eyes were in fact seeing a stable horizon again she smiled.
"Well, first of all. Let's find you a uniform. I'll dig through the athletics locker and get you one. Looks like you're about the same size as me...or Stasis maybe..."
She eyed Ekaterina, sizing her up.
"And practice is usually every Thursday afternoon on the quad. We practice opposite the football on most days."
She sat back.
"We've been working on some formations. Our boys are generally pretty good about it. Just watch out for Eric. If you're not watching, he'll speed boost you and the next thing you know, you've passed the football team and possibly the entire quad with one sprint."
With a wry smile, "Welcome aboard."