Victory Vault

by Jake Maddox

  The next morning, Kayla waited under the big oak tree at the end of her street. She and Chandra always met there to walk to school together.

  Kayla glanced at her watch. Homeroom started in five minutes. She had to leave soon, or she would be late. Kayla stared up and down the sidewalk, hoping to see Chandra heading toward her. But all she saw was the empty street.

  Kayla glanced at her watch one more time. Maybe Chandra had overslept. Kayla darted out from under the tree branches and ran as fast as she could the rest of the way to school.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes when she slid into her seat in homeroom. Chandra was already in the classroom, staring down at a notebook. She glanced up quickly and then looked down again when she saw Kayla staring at her. Kayla shot her a questioning look, but there was no time to talk before Mrs. Cameron started class.

  After class, Kayla grabbed the sleeve of Chandra’s sweatshirt as her friend tried to slip by. “Chandra, wait!” Kayla pleaded. She couldn’t hide the hurt in her voice. “Where were you this morning?” she asked. “I waited for you.”

  Chandra just stared at the gray linoleum floor. “I told you, Kayla,” she mumbled, not looking up. “I don’t want to talk to you. Not after what happened at the meet. I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” She looked up quickly. Kayla could see that her eyes were full of tears.

  Kayla reached her hand out to her friend. “Chandra, come on, it’s not that big of a deal,” Kayla started to say. But Chandra pulled away and hurried down the hall.

  Kayla dragged herself through the rest of the day. Her classes seemed way longer than usual. All she wanted to do was put her head down on the desk. She couldn’t believe Chandra wouldn’t speak to her. As soon as the final bell rang, Kayla jumped up from her desk and ran home.

  She opened the front door quietly. Mom was singing to herself in the kitchen. Kayla tried to sneak up the stairs to her room, but she heard her mom turn the radio down. “Honey, is that you?” Mom called.

  “Yeah! I’m just going upstairs for a while. I have a lot of homework,” Kayla called back. She tried to make her voice sound normal, but she could tell that it was a little shaky.

  She was lying facedown on her bed when her mom opened the door. Mom sat down and stroked Kayla’s hair. “What’s the matter, honey?” Mom asked in a quiet voice.

  Kayla rolled over. Mom passed her a box of tissues from the bedside table. “Nothing,” Kayla said, sniffling. She blew her nose loudly.

  Mom smiled and patted Kayla’s hand. “Okay,” she said, but she didn’t get up from the bed. She just sat there until Kayla sighed.

  “Well, if you really want to know, I’m in a big fight with Chandra, okay?” Kayla finally muttered. Just saying those words made her feel like she was going to cry all over again. She buried her face in the pillow.

  “What’s the problem, sweetie?” her mom asked.

  “Nothing. It’s just something that happened at the meet yesterday, okay?” Kayla said.

  “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Mom asked. “Maybe it would help if we talked about it.”

  Kayla sighed again, but she told her mom what had happened at the meet, including her argument with Chandra in the locker room. Then she finished, “And she wants me to tell Coach Steele what happened, but I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m not a liar. That trophy is mine, fair and square.”

  Mom was quiet after Kayla was done talking. “Actually, honey, I think you’re both right,” she finally said.

  “How can we both be right?” Kayla asked.

  “Well, you’re right because it really was the judges who made a mistake,” Mom explained. “They missed your landing and should have taken points off your score. But the judges are in charge. If they gave you the trophy, it’s yours, fair and square.”

  “Exactly!” Kayla exclaimed. “It’s not my fault they didn’t see it. I didn’t lie.”

  “But Chandra is right, too,” Mom continued. “Some things are more important than being ‘fair and square.’ Like being honest, even though you didn’t exactly do anything wrong. In your heart, you know you shouldn’t have won that trophy. You need to tell the coach the truth. He’ll decide if you should tell the judges.”

  Kayla was silent for a long time after her mom finished talking. She hadn’t thought about it like that. Finally, she sat up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Thanks, Mom,” she said, giving her mom a hug. “What’s for dinner?” she asked.

  Mom smiled. “Roast chicken,” she said, getting up from the bed.

  Kayla climbed out from under the comforter and stood up. “I’ll be right down,” she said. “I just have to make a phone call first.”

  • CHAPTER 7 •

  A PERFECT LANDING

  Shooom! A Newton Twister released the high bars and soared into the air in a corner of the arena. Across the gym, another girl was practicing her floor routine while spectators watched.

  The big gym was packed with all of the local teams, gathered for the regional qualifying final. The bleachers were filled, and the judges sat behind their long table on the sidelines.

  At one end, the Starz gathered around Coach Steele. He examined the list of events on his clipboard. “Okay, first up we have Madeline on uneven bars, Lauren doing the floor routine, Chandra on balance beam, and Kayla on vault,” he said. “Let’s get going, girls. Start warming up.”

  Kayla barely heard the coach’s words. This past week had been the longest of her life. Chandra still wasn’t speaking to her. All Kayla could think about was the whole mess at the last meet. Usually, she was full of nervous, bubbly energy before a meet. But this time, she felt steadier. She knew what had to be done, and she was prepared to do it.

  Hopefully, by the end of today, everything will be different, Kayla told herself.

  She glanced at Chandra. Her friend was sitting quietly at the edge of the bleachers, intently studying a scrap of paper in her hand.

  Kayla took a deep breath. It’s now or never, she told herself as she walked toward her friend. She stood in front of Chandra nervously for a second.

  “What are you reading?” Kayla finally asked. Her voice sounded small.

  “It’s my balance beam routine,” Chandra replied without looking up. “I’m up next.”

  “Oh right, that’s always hard to remember,” Kayla said.

  Chandra didn’t answer. She kept her eyes fixed on the scrap of paper in her hands.

  “So, um, there’s going to be a . . . special event . . . right after we’re all done competing. Are you going to stick around after you’re through with the balance beam?” Kayla asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She wiped her sweaty palms on the sides of her leotard.

  “I don’t know,” Chandra said, finally glancing up at Kayla. “I might have to go to a dentist appointment.”

  “Chandra Howard, balance beam,” the announcer called. Both girls jumped.

  “Well, I guess that’s me,” Chandra said, getting up from the bench. She slipped off her warm-up jacket and tucked the scrap of paper into the leg of her leotard. “See you.”

  “I hope you can stick around!” Kayla called to her friend’s back.

  * * *

  Kayla stood at the edge of the long blue mat. Everyone else had finished vaulting. Only Kayla was left. She concentrated on breathing deeply. Slowly, the whole gym melted away. Soon, all Kayla could hear was the sound of her own blood rushing through her veins. She lifted her arm to salute the table of judges.

  Kayla ran forward, pumping her arms. She hit the springboard as hard as she could. This time, the thump felt just right under her feet. She felt the smooth leather under her palms as her hands hit the vault.

  She pushed off as hard as she could, launching her body into the air. Before she could think, Kayla found herself soaring through the air, twisting and flipping before coming back to the mat.

  She could tell as soon as her feet hit the mat that the landing was going to be perfect. She brought her weight squarely ont
o the balls of her feet, then her heels, without moving even a centimeter. She’d stuck a perfect landing.

  As Kayla raised her arms to signal the end of her routine, the crowd roared. “Go, Kayla!” Mom yelled above everyone else.

  Kayla walked slowly back to the group. Chandra was still sitting on the bleachers, not looking up. The announcer’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “Thank you to all our teams today,” he said. “Please wait while the judges add up the scores.”

  The Starz buzzed with excitement. Kayla exchanged a glance with Coach Steele, then turned and walked toward the judges’ table. Coach Steele followed closely behind.

  The coach leaned over and whispered to one of the judges. The judge’s eyes widened in surprise. He thought for a minute. Then he leaned over and whispered something to the other judges.

  Kayla watched anxiously from a few feet away. She couldn’t hear what they were saying. Then the judge nodded. He held out the microphone in Kayla’s direction, and she walked slowly up to the table.

  • CHAPTER 8 •

  A TRUE STAR

  The crowd grew quiet. Kayla turned to face them. Her heart hammered in her ears. Coach gave her an encouraging nod.

  Kayla held the microphone close to her mouth. “Um . . .” she began. She took a deep breath. “This is really hard,” Kayla said. Her voice shook. She paused and swallowed. A sea of faces stared at her. “At the last meet . . .” She cleared her throat. “At the last meet, I . . . made a mistake.”

  A little murmur ran through the crowd. The Starz gasped. Kayla caught a glimpse of the Twisters in the corner. Their eyes were locked on her.

  Kayla steeled herself and went on. “I didn’t stick the landing in my vault routine, but I didn’t get points taken away.”

  The judges glanced at each other. The crowd was silent now, waiting.

  “Because of my score, the Starz won the meet, and I was given the trophy,” Kayla said. “But I know I should have said something about the mistake.” She stared down at her toes. Then she gathered her strength and looked up. “The truth is that I wanted the trophy for myself. I thought I deserved it, even though I didn’t.” She paused. In the bleachers, she could see her mother smiling.

  “I realize now that even though something is technically yours, it doesn’t always mean it’s okay to keep it,” she continued. Kayla looked right at Chandra as she spoke. Chandra’s mouth was hanging open.

  Kayla turned to the judges. “If it’s possible, my coach and I would like to return the trophy. We would like to have my score corrected to show the mistake in the routine,” she said.

  Kayla turned to her mom and waved. Her mother made her way down from the bleachers with the trophy in her hand. She gave it to Kayla, along with a little hug. Kayla put it on the judges’ table, then backed away until she bumped into Coach Steele. He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Nice work,” he whispered.

  Kayla waited nervously. For what seemed like years, the judges muttered to each other at their table. The audience was silent. Finally, one of the judges leaned forward and cleared his throat.

  “According to the rulebook, a recorded score can be changed only in the case of obvious cheating. While we’re glad Kayla Meade told the truth, her score can’t be changed,” the judge said.

  Kayla’s shoulders sagged. “It’s okay,” Coach Steele said. “All we could do is try.” Slowly, Kayla made her way back to the Starz, holding the trophy in one hand.

  As she neared the group, Chandra pushed through the crowd. She threw her arms around her friend. “That was amazing, Kayla!” she said happily. “You’re so brave. When did you tell the coach?”

  “I called him last week and told him the whole thing,” Kayla said. “But our plan didn’t work. They won’t take the trophy back.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Chandra said. “What matters is that you tried.” She linked her arm through Kayla’s. “I knew you could do it.”

  Kayla grinned back at her best friend. She was relieved they weren’t fighting anymore. “But what about this?” she asked, holding up the trophy.

  Chandra thought a minute. “I’ve got an idea,” she exclaimed. “What about giving it to them?” She pointed to the Twisters across the gym. “It would have been theirs anyway if your score had been recorded right,” she said.

  Kayla raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said. She ran her hand over the trophy. “Okay, let’s ask the rest of the team.” She turned to the Starz. Now that they had finished competing, the gymnasts were all sitting on the floor and bleachers, talking, rubbing their legs, and tying up their hair.

  “Girls!” Kayla called. “Listen up! Chandra and I have a little plan we want to run by you.” She explained what they wanted to do. Their teammates all nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s do it,” Madeline said. She got to her feet, followed by the rest of the team. With Kayla and Chandra in the lead, they marched to the other side of the gym toward the Twisters. Kayla carried the trophy with her.

  The Twisters looked up in surprise as the Starz approached. Kayla handed the trophy to the Twisters captain. “I know the judges said we couldn’t officially change the scores. But we want to give you this,” Kayla said. “It really is yours. Your team would have won if my score had been recorded right.”

  The captain smiled. “Thanks,” she said. “I can’t believe you’d do this.”

  Kayla smiled at Chandra, who stood by her side. “I can’t either,” Kayla said, throwing her arm around Chandra’s shoulders. “But I had some really good coaching.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Emma Carlson Berne has written more than a dozen books for children and young adults, including teen romance novels, biographies, and history books. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Aaron, her son, Henry, and her dog, Holly.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  Pulsar Studio is a collection of artists from Argentina who work to bring editorial projects to life. They work with companies from different parts of the world designing characters, short stories for children, textbooks, art for book covers, comics, licensed art, and more. Images are their means of expression.

  GLOSSARY

  alert (uh-LURT)—paying attention

  anxious (ANGK-shuhss)—worried

  etched (ECHD)—engraved or drawn on metal or glass

  extend (ek-STEND)—to make something longer or bigger; to stretch out

  gracefully (GRAYSS-fuh-lee)—an elegant way of moving

  obvious (OB-vee-uhss)—something that is easy to see or understand

  paramedic (pa-ruh-MED-ik)—a person trained to give emergency medical treatment but who is not a doctor or a nurse

  routine (roo-TEEN)—a regular way or pattern of doing things

  technically (TEK-nuh-kuh-lee)—according to the given rules

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  At the end of the book, the judges won’t take back the trophy, even after Kayla speaks up. Talk about how you would feel if you were a member of the opposing team, the Twisters.

  Chandra gets upset with Kayla for not telling the truth about her landing, but Kayla doesn’t think she did anything wrong. Who do you think was right and why? Talk about both sides of the argument.

  What do you think the hardest gymnastics event is? Talk about your choice. What do you think makes it so difficult?

  WRITING PROMPTS

  Kayla and Chandra get in a fight about Kayla’s mistake at the gymnastics meet. Have you ever gotten in a fight with a friend? Write about that experience. How did you resolve your argument?

  Write about a time someone helped you see the other side of an argument. What happened? How did the person help you?

  Imagine you were in Kayla’s position, and the judges gave you the trophy, even though you technically didn’t deserve it. Write about what you would have done.

  MORE ABOUT WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

  Gymnastics is a sport that requires incredible strength and flexibility. Women’s gym
nastics is made up of four events: vault, balance beam, floor exercise, and uneven bars.

  • Vault — A good vault begins with a strong run. A gymnast must sprint down a runway, jump with either feet or hands onto a springboard, and then push hard off the vault table. The best vaulters are often the strongest. They must have enough power to push high off the table and complete their rotation.

  • Balance beam — The balance beam is often considered the most difficult event. Gymnasts must have excellent balance to stay on the four-inch beam. The goal is to perform a routine that makes it seem like the gymnast is on the floor instead of the beam.

  • Floor exercise — The floor routine is often most popular, since it reflects a gymnast’s personality. The routine is set to music and must use the entire floor area. Floor exercise uses a spring floor, which lets gymnasts go higher during tumbling passes. The gymnast must use a combination of dance and tumbling elements in her routine.

  • Uneven bars — In this event, a gymnast performs a routine on two bars set at different heights. The gymnast swings from one bar to the other while performing handstands, flips, and twists. This requires concentration, coordination, and split-second timing, as well as great upper-body strength. The most difficult elements are release moves, when a gymnast releases one bar and transitions to the other.

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