Free Spilled Milk: Based on a true story by K.L Randis Page A

in my direction. Wow, are they really going to make fun of me as
I’m standing right here?
    After our jumps
were done they called us one by one to do a chant then a cheer. I messed up the
words to the cheer but I recovered and smiled through it.
    “No matter
what,” Sonia warned, “Smile every second. Don’t stop smiling.”
    Music blared
through the speakers as the music for the dance routine started. My calves threatened
to turn to jelly as I finished and I noticed that every staff member, including
Coach, was looking at me when the routine ended. One staff member leaned in towards
Coach and whispered something in her ear. She nodded.
    “Very well, one
more thing.” Coach nodded to Lucille. “Bring your bases in here Lucille, we
want to see Brooke try a half elevator.” Lucille raised her eyebrows and looked
in my direction. “Now, Lucille.” Coach waved her off.
    “Brooke, do you
know what a flyer is?” Coach asked, not bothering to look at me.
    Blood rushed to
my face. “Uh, no, I’m sorry, I don’t.”
    Coach smirked.
“A flyer is the girl that goes up in the air.” She pointed towards the ceiling
as three girls followed Lucille into the gym.
    “Girls, I’d
like you to put Brooke into a half elevator.” The girls eyed me. “Walk her
through it, tell her what to do.”
    Lucille broke
the awkward silence. “Come on you heard her, let’s go.”
    Two girls were
on either side of me and one girl was behind me. The girl behind me clasped her
hands onto my waist. “Geeze girl, do you not eat?”
    “Okay, now put
your hands on our shoulders and go up on your toes. When we say cradle up, push
off your toes and into our hands. Lock your legs or you’ll fall, or kick us.”
    The girl to my
right was talking too fast. “Lucille will stand in front of you to make sure
you don’t fall forward. But don’t fall forward. We’ll raise our hands chest
high once your feet are in our hands. Push off hard, lock your legs, got it?” I
nodded.
    I was going to
die.
    I put my palms
on the shoulders of each girl on my side and felt the back base grip my waist.
I lifted my weight onto my toes and prayed I didn’t smash my face off the
ground with what was about to happen.
    “Cradle UP!”
Lucille bellowed.
    I jumped into
the girls hands, pushed off and looked down. I shouldn’t have looked down. My
legs flailed underneath me and the back base all but took a kick to the chest
as she caught me coming down.
    “Ah sorry, and
don’t look down either,” said the side base as she smiled at the Coach. “Put
your hands in a T when you get to the top.”
    “Again.” Coach
crossed her arms over her chest and gave a knowing look to the staff that had
whispered in her ear.
    Okay Brooke.
Push off, lock your legs, don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.
    “Cradle UP!”
    I pushed off
and landed in the side bases hands. In a swift movement I was rushed through
the air and then everything stopped. My hands out in a T at my sides, my feet were
undoubtedly planted firmly on the ground. Then I opened my eyes.
    Coach and staff
were open mouthed staring at me. I stared down at them.
    Wait, I’m
staring down at them?
    Four hands
secured my ankles in place, but I had locked my legs and was standing several
feet off the ground in a perfect half elevator. A wide grin spread across my
face. What a rush!
    “Cradle her.”
Coach flailed her hands at me. “Cradle her, then.”
    Lucille looked
up at me, eyes wide. “But Coach, we didn’t teach her- I mean she doesn’t know
how to.”
    “CRADLE HER!”
Coach bellowed.
    Lucille looked
up at me, agony in her face. She mouthed s orry .
    “Cradle!”
Lucille bellowed. “One, TWO.”
    The ground
disappeared below my feet as the side bases pushed up and sent me flying higher
into the air. Instinctively I threw my arms back and my legs dashed out in
front of me. When I opened my eyes again, the side and back bases had crazy
smiles on their faces while they held me safely