Read The Corner for Free Online Page B

They’re not going to help us to get an A for ECA,”
remarked Charmine, who was from Class 1/1.
    Mandy shrugged while I nodded in
absolute agreement. Not that I cared about scoring an A for
unimportant subjects, but boys should be the last of our
concerns.
    Rachel waved it off. “Relax.
It’s okay to check them out. Just don’t gape so much until you
executed the moves improperly and get hurt.”
    We giggled, only Charmine seemed
unimpressed.
    After an introduction to
Kenneth, a man in his late twenties, not an old man with a paunch
that I had expected, we headed to the restroom nearby to get into
our sports attires.
    When in there, I made sure my
long fringe was still firmly clipped in place, just above my ear,
before tying up the rest of my hair into a ponytail. I hated to do
that, but there was no choice. The pulling force on my hair was
getting on my nerves. A slight headache started to develop at the
back of my head. I tried to ignore it because I couldn’t afford to
waste my time dwelling on it. I would get left behind if I was too
slow. Also, it was awkward if they chose to wait for me.
    T-shirt and shorts over the
gymnastics leotard—the get-up that all the girls had changed into.
I was an exception since I didn’t have a leotard, for the obvious
reason that I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay on for long in the
club. When we went back into the gymnasium, I immediately regretted
not buying one.
    A boy—should be Brian—was doing
repeated backflips across a clear area meant for floor exercise.
His shirt rode up his torso whenever he was upside down. Fiona
seemed thrilled to see his bare abs, but I was distressed by the
thought that I didn’t wear a leotard underneath to prevent wardrobe
malfunction. Then again, buying one wasn’t an option for me. That
garment was too expensive to be brought for one time use only.
    Do nothing drastic, and I’ll
be fine. The boy on the pommel horse just now had his shirt
tucked in securely under his shorts while doing the handstand …
proved the method worked.
    When we were instructed by the
second year seniors to line up and do warm-ups, my mind was already
coming up with excuses to avoid doing certain stunts. The initial
exercises appeared to be non-strenuous, so I decided to try them
out in order to reserve my excuses for more urgent situations.
Stretching my limbs and doing those splits were actually quite easy
for me.
    “You do have a talent in this,”
remarked Mandy, who was doing a graceful side spilt beside me.
    I smiled at her. If only
gymnastics consisted of stretching exercises only, I would have
enjoyed it a lot more. Then the real task came.
    Kenneth went up to Charmine who
was first in the line, then told her to follow a second year girl’s
lead. The senior stood up straight before arching backwards until
her hands touched the ground. She performed that feat with nary an
effort. Charmine followed suit.
    The horned butterflies in my
stomach were crashing into the walls with increasing speed and
intensity as the coach made his way down the line. Since I was the
last, the inside of my tummy felt like a bloody mess by the time he
reached me.
    “Your turn … eh, Lynn …” Kenneth
tried to recall my name. I was the only one whose name he had
forgotten. Though I expected him not to take note of my existence,
I still felt quite awful about it.
    “Natalie,” I corrected him in an
almost inaudible voice. The pain on the back of my head was
spreading.
    “Oh yes! Okay, try the back
arch.”
    Rachel went up to my side, ready
to guide me. Doing that stunt would pull the lower hem of my shirt
out from underneath the shorts, so I had decided not to do it.
    I didn’t try to bend backwards
at the waist in spite of Rachel’s instructions. I kept my back as
straight as possible instead. The loss of equilibrium caused me to
fall down, landing on my backside. Rachel’s last minute attempt to
prop me up did soften the impact a lot.
    “It’s okay. Let’s try