The music started, a high-energy pop track that pounded through the speakers.I took one deep breath, then launched into my routine.I started with the toe touch first. Arms up, jump, legs extending into a split mid-air. I landed and immediately transitioned into the herkie Noah had drilled into me yesterday, one leg bent, the other straight, arms in a sharp V.The crowd was still loud, jeering, laughing, and recording me with their phones, waiting for me to fail.But as I moved into the tumbling pass, something changed.I started with a cartwheel then did a round-off, then the back handspring I’d practised over and over until my arms shook. I landed it, although not perfectly by any means, because my form was really sloppy, but I landed it anyway.Little by little, the noise began to die down.By the time I hit the midway point of my routine, the gym had gone completely quiet.I could hear my own heavy breathing, the squeak of my sneakers on the mat, and the loud music filling the air
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