This Is Bonkers

The day had been long, having had some of my least favourite classes and teachers today. But now I was on my way to DanceWorks, and the day would be so much better.
I was wearing a pair of dark purple joggers with my colourful Nikes, which I almost always danced in. And I had a light grey midriff, v-neck t-shirt which fit loosely and didnt go very high unless I lifted my arms. It had thin, highlighter yellow stripes on it, and I wore a lighter purple bando to match my joggers. My long hair was left naturally curly, and tied up in a very high ponytail. I even had my little bag with everything I might need in it. Of course, Mitchell's jumper and Sam's hat were in it.
I made my way down the street towards Sam, standing outside and staring at his feet. He had on a black hat today, and I wondered if he'd be wearing the red one if he had it.
"Afternoon, Sam." I said, startling him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Haz." He said when he clued in.
"Doin' some deep thinking?" I asked, pulling the door open.
"Not really." He said, following me into the entrance room and opening the door to the studio.
"Afternoon boys!" I called as I stepped into the studio, happy to see all the members of Diversity.
A bunch of voices chorused back to me their greetings and I smiled, placing my bag by the wall.
I looked at the group of boys, attempting to seek out Mitch. He was a bit hard to see at first, surrounded by atleast six boys, most of them taller than him. But I saw him before long, having a conversation with Perri.
I grabbed his jumper out of my bag and made my way over to him.
"Hi, Mitch. I've got your jumper." I said. "Thankyou again for letting me borrow it."
Perri gave me a bit of a confused look.
"It's fine." Mitch said, taking the jumper and throwing it towards the mirrors behind him.
"We were just talking about starting combos with you today." Perri said, that everpresent smile on his face and sparkle in his eyes. "But we'll start with basics again."
"Alright, right now?" I asked and Perri nodded in response. "I'll go take off my trousers then."
Perri gave me another confused look as I walked back over to my bag. I took my shoes off and pulled off my trousers, revealing my little shorts I'd worn last time. I didnt bother to put my shoes back on, as I wouldnt need them on the tumbling matt.
I ran and jumped onto the mat. My hands hit the matt and I did a somersault, landing on my back in a star position. Perri laughed cutely and joined me by the side of the mat.
"Alright, we're going to start by practicing what you learned last time. So, back handsprings and back tucks."
I nodded and stood up and into the middle of the mat. I took a breath, a little nervous since I hadnt done this in awhile. I bent my knees, threw my arms, and jumper back. My hands touched the mat and I stretched out and whipped my legs over, completing a back handspring.
Applause came from a widely smiling Perri, who had seen me do handsprings before, but not this close or anything.
"You're better than I thought."
"Thanks?" I laughed, stepping back into the middle of the mat.
I set up the same way I had before, knees bent, arms being thrown for momentum, but I jumped up more. Once high enough in the air, I tucked my knees in to get all the way around. Landing on my feet solidly, I completed a successful back tuck.
"Better than I expected, considering I havent done this since Saturday." I said.
"It's only Monday, it hasnt been that long." Perri pointed out. "You can do cartwheels right?"
"Yes."
"Can you do a roundoff?"
"Like when both legs go over at the same time?" I asked. "I think so."
I tried, putting my feet together before they hit the mat. It was a successful and none-shaky roundoff.
"Alright, good. Roundoffs are the basis of all tumbling." Perri said.
I smiled a little, noticing how much he talked with his hands. I talked with my hands quite a bit though, so it was okay.
"Try as many roundoffs in a row as you can, starting at the edge of the mat." Perri said.
I nodded, stepping backwards towards the end of the mat, making sure to watch my steps.
I started a standing roundoff, and did another, doing as many as I could. I managed about four before getting very close to the edge of the mat.
"Roundoffs are good, got pretty good momentum." Perri commented, once again making it feel like I was in gym class being graded on this. "Think you can two backhandsprings in a row?" He asked.
I made a face, not positive if I'd manage enough momentum for that.
"Can I have a spotter?" I asked.
"If you'd like." Perri said, turning away from the mat for a second to find me a spotter.
While I waited, I did a back handspring, testing how much momentum I could get.
"Tch. She doesnt need a spotter."
I glanced over to see Perri and Sam standing beside the mat.
"Yes I do, Sam. So get up here." I smiled.
"You've had Sam spot and teach you before, and you guys seem to be pretty good friends so I thought he could spot you here." Perri said.
"I seriously dont think I can help here. At all." Sam said, hopping onto the mat.
"Well just stand near me and that way I'll feel like you'll catch me if I fall."
"Get Mitch to help you, atleast he can help you with your technique." Sam said, despite walking over to where I told him.
"Well stand there for my first try and then we can get Mitch." I said, already preparing for a handspring.
I took a deep breath, and started the first handspring. When I made it over I jumped backwards again, attempting another one. I didnt fall, and I made it over better than expected.
"Alright, Sam. You can leave then." I smiled, knowing he would stay unless I told him not to.
"Want me to get Mitch?" He asked, stepping off the mat.
"He'd be helpful, but it's not important." Perri answered.
Sam nodded, heading back over to find Mitch. It didnt surprise me Sam didnt really wanna help with tumbling today, it looked like he had been working on some important choreography with Ashley.
"Alright, so what you've been doing so far will help a lot." Perri said, drawing my attention back to him. "A double back handspring will help you when we start back handsprings into back tucks. Roundoffs are important because, as I said, they're the basis of tumbling. You can do roundoffs into back handsprings, or into back tucks."
I nodded. I already had a pretty good idea of why he was making me do double backs and a lot of roundoffs before he told me, but he confirmed what I'd thought.
Mitch walked up and he and Pel exchanged in a quick fist-bump.
"Combos today?" Mitch asked, looking more towards me than Perri.
"Apparently." I said, idly bouncing on the mat.
"Where are we at?"
"Double back handsprings and as many roundoffs as she can do." Perri answered.
"Can you do a double back?" Mitch asked.
"I can, but I'd still like a spotter." I said.
Mitchell stepped onto the mat and over to me, taking his t-shirt off and throwing it somewhere. I snickered a little at how he just randomly decided to take his shirt off, but ignored it mostly.
"Go for it." Mitch said, standing close enough to be there if I fell.
I nodded, attempting another double back with success. I bounced back over to Mitchell, since he was in the middle of the mat where I started from.
"How many roundoffs did she get?" He asked, ignoring me and asking Perri.
"About four, she could probably do more on the floor."
"So, roundoff into a handspring first?" He asked.
"That's what I was gunna do, but you can teach her however you want." Perri said, idly practicing his tuts.
"Are you ready for that?" Mitch asked me. I noticed how beautiful his brown eyes were, so different from my bright blue eyes.
"If you're ready to teach, I'm ready to learn." I said, staying determined and confident.
Mitch nodded and moved away from me a little. He did a quick roundoff into a back handspring, keeping up his momentum and landing perfectly.
"Your turn."
I made the same face I always seemed to when I was a little nervous for something. But I made room to complete it, Mitch sticking close by in support. I did my roundoff, attempting to land more straight than sideways so I wouldnt have to turn before doing the handspring. Without pausing, taking the risk, knowing I couldnt learn it without trying, I launched into the handspring. I had enough momentum, and I made it over pretty well, stumbling forward a little when I landed.
"Good." Perri said.
In all honesty, I had forgotten he was even there. He was quiet, and Mitch was mostly teaching. Perri simply stood beside the mat, observing me and practicing some choreography half-heartedly.
"Pel, are you supposed to be practicing choreo?" I asked.
"Sorta." Perri said, smiling a bit sheepishly.
"Well go then, I think Mitch's got this." I said, looking to Mitch for confirmation.
"Alright, keep working then Hannah." he said, heading off somewhere to practice whatever he was supposed to.
"So, again?" I asked.
Mitchell nodded.
I made room again, going into a roundoff and a handspring a little faster this time. With the extra speed and momentum, my shirt raised up a little more than before. It wasnt really a big deal though, that's why I was wearing a bando. My landing was a little more solid, and I was excited to move onto the bigger stuff.
"Can I puh-lease try a handspring into a tuck?" I asked, moving into the middle again.
"If you think you can." Mitch said. "It's like a double back, but you've gotta go up for the tuck." he said.
"I know." I said, remembering that from when I had first been taught back tucks. "Show me?"
He just barely smiled, always happy to show off. He gave a quick demonstration, perfect in every way.
I went towards the edge of the mat more, wanting more room just in case.
"Stay there." I said.
Mitch was standing very near to where my tuck would probably be, so I made him stay. If I fell, he'd be there.
Breathing in quickly, I closed my eyes and did a back handspring. My feet just barely hit the mat before I launched into a tuck the best I could. I landed pretty solidly, amazed at myself.
I opened my eyes to see an honest smile on Mitchell's face.
"How'd I do?"
"Not bad." He said, giving me a congratulatory fist-bump.
Mitch was never one to dish out the big compliments, so something like 'not bad' actually meant a lot from him.
"You guys look busy today." I said, looking out towards the boys practicing choreo on the floor.
Sam and Ashley were practicing a tutting routine, Ian was doing floorwork, Perri was doing a little bit of tumbling on the floor. Most of the other boys were practicing something, although not quite as enthusiastically.
"We're not too busy."
"Still got time for me?" I asked in a somewhat joking tone.
"Yes, but only if you use it." he said, giving me a look which meant 'stop talking and practice combos'.
"Alright, alright." I smiled. "Do I just do the same thing again?"
He nodded, standing on the edge of the mat. Apparently, he was confident I could do it again without hurting myself.
Since I had room behind me on the mat, I just did it again from where I was standing. I made it pretty safely, landing it well. But I was close to the edge of the mat, and ending up falling off of it. The actual impact of hitting the floor wasn't too bad, it only gave me a bit of a head ache. But I landed very awkwardly, and my left wrist did not make a good noise, nor did it feel like it was okay.
"Fuck." I heard Mitchell say quietly as he ran over to me, hopping off the mat.
Suddenly I was the centre of attention in the studio, not one person was still dancing.
"Are you okay?" Mitch asked as most of the other guys came closer to see.
"Mostly," I said, despite the tears stinging my eyes. "But I think I broke my left wrist."
I tried to keep my voice steady, but it was wavering a little. My wrist hurt a lot, and judging by the pain I was almost sure I'd broken it.
"Someone's got to take her to A an' E." Ashley said, carefully helping me stand.
"I'll do it." Sam said, raising his hand a little.
"I'm coming." Mitch said, running over to get his shirt where he'd left it.
Not wanting to spend four hours in A and E in my little shorts, I walked over to my bag and grabbed my trousers. I could put them on with one hand pretty easily, although it somehow made balance a little harder. I was careful not to fall over, as that would definitely not be good for my wrist. I also slipped into my shoes.
I picked up my bag with my right hand, making sure everything was in it.
Sam and Mitch were ready to go, and as we walked out of the studio most of the guys sent good luck wishes. They were most likely hoping my wrist wasnt broken, but I was sure it was. It would definitely put a haitus on dancing and tumbling, but the boys were supposed to be busy soon anyway.
We got into the car fairly silently. Buckling a seatbelt with one hand is a little awkward. I think most people have experienced it when holding something in one hand, but this was a little different.
Sam drove quickly to the nearest hospital. Once we were in the waiting room, he spoke up.
"We should probably tell Mary what's happened." he pointed out.
I had been staring at my feet but now I looked up to him on my left.
"I know." I sighed. "But she's gunna be really overdramatic. Will you text her for me?" I asked, rummaging in my bag to find my phone.
"Yeah, I guess. But are you sure you dont want to call her?" He asked, taking my phone when I passed it to him.
"Oh she'll call." I said as the sounds of typing on an iPhone's keyboard started.
I looked over to Mitch on my right, who looked a little guilty.
"You look guilty." I said. He sighed.
"It's kinda my fault." he said, looking me in the eye.
"No, it's not." I said firmly. This was no one's fault but my own.
"I was teaching you."
"I chose where to stand."
"I didnt tell you where not to stand."
"I'm not taking it, Mitch. This wasnt your fault. It's not even a big deal, I'm right-handed anyway."
He sighed, apparently not up for fighting with me. Which was good, cuz I wasnt up for fighting with him. My head hurt a little, my wrist hurt a lot, and I wasnt going to argue with him because it wasnt his fault.
I could hear my ringtone go off.
"Is that Mary?" I asked, turning back to Sam. He nodded, and I was going to take the phone when he answered.
"Hello? Yeah, this is Sam. Yes, we're at A an' E. You can meet us here."
"Let me talk to her." I said, reaching for my phone. He handed it over, and I could hear Mary before even putting the phone to my ear. "Mary?"
"Hannah! Are you alright? What happened? How long have you been waiting? Does it hurt?"
"Yes. I fell off the tumbling mat. Only a few minutes. And yes, Mary, it hurts." I said, answering all her questions at once. "Just come down here, and bring Rick if you need to. I'll be fine. Sam and Mitch will take good care of me until youre here."
"Alright." She said, although you could tell she didnt really mean it. "I'll see you soon then, Honey."
"Alright, Mary. Bye." I said, hanging up my phone and throwing it back in my bag. "She's a bit overreactive," I said. "Nothing to worry about."
Soon I was being taken and x-rayed. They confirmed I'd broken my wrist and gave me a cast. It was supposed to heal in about four or five weeks. Which is a long time in my opinion. Mary was here, and worrying more than I was. But she'd be fine.
"C'mon Hannah, let's go home." She said, attempting to pull me along by my right wrist.
"If it's alright with them Mary, I'd like to go back to the studio. Just see the boys, watch them rehearse and stuff." I said.
"Hannah." Mary said.
"Yeah, we can take you back." Sam said while Mitchell fidgeted with his hands, that guilty expression still on his face.
"Mary, I'm going back." I said. "Go home, have some tea. You dont have to worry about me, I'm in good hands." I smiled, looking at the two boys I'd become good friends with in such a short time.
She sighed, and I knew I was the bane of her existence.
"Alright." She said. She looked tired, she was worrying more than she needed to. "I'll see you later then." She walked out of the hospital.
"Let's go boys." I said, a bright smile on my face despite the misfortune I'd had today.
They nodded and we walked back to Sam's car and drove to the studio.
As we stepped back into the studio, we were greeted with enthusiasm.
"Wahheyyy! There she is." Came Ashley's voice over everyone elses.
"Yeah, I'm alright." I said, holding up my left wrist.
"Can we sign it?" Warren asked.
"Of course, anyone who wants to sign it can!" I smiled.
All eleven boys headed out to the entrance room to grab some colourful sharpies.
"Me first." Mitch said, even though he was the only one to have returned from the entrance room so far.
He scribbled on my cast quickly, and when I looked at it, it simply said "Sorry." with his autograph underneath. I looked up at him a little sternly, trying to convince him it wasnt his fault.
All the other boys returned, and soon my cast was very colourful. It was kinda cool to have Diversity autographs all over my cast. One of my favourites was from Sam, which said "Get better soon so you can start dancing again, you div. Love, Sam." His signature was a little hard to read, but obviously it said his name, so I didnt bother trying to figure it out.
"So how long until it's healed?" Ashley asked, a little concern showing in his eyes.
"It's supposed to be about four or five weeks." I said.
"That's pretty long. You'll have to cut out on dancing and tumbling too."
"I can probably do some tutting, and I could do house routines." I said, glancing at Warren since thats his favourite. "But yeah, I probably wont be down here as much over the next few weeks."
"Can you write?" Perri asked.
It was a little funny that most of the boys were still crowded around me, asking questions as if this were show and tell. But I could feel the love they were giving me, and it felt amazing.
"Yeah, I'm right-handed." I smiled.
"That's good atleast."
"I dunno, I mightve been able to get out of school work." I winked. "Now get back to work boys, I'm not important. I'm only here to watch." I said.
"Come sit by the mirror so you're still close and can see everything." Perri said.
"Alright." I said, heading to the mirror and sitting against it where'd I been with Sam and Mitch the other day.
It was cool to just straight up watch them while they rehearsed. I watched them all the time, but usually I was doing something at the same time. I'd be dancing, or I'd be tumbling. Now I was just sitting and watching the show. I mean, it wasnt super exciting, as their rehearsals are always rather messy and not very structured, but still amazing to watch.
But, sitting also made me realize I wouldnt be able to do any of this with them for quite awhile. Meeting them at the studio is what I did. They obviously had to rehearse, and I still wanted to see them as often as I could, so meeting them during rehearsals was perfect. I could learn things, and even improve my fitness, while hanging out with people I loved.
With a broken wrist, I could certainly still come down to the studio, but I wouldnt get the chance to really enjoy it. Sitting and watching is not the most fun thing in the world. It made me want to be up there.
I sighed.
"It's really not as fun watching." I said, not really speaking to anyone in particular.
"You'll probably be going home before long anyway, it's gotta be like, atleast five thirty by now." Sam said, sitting on my right side.
"Well, what about tomorrow? Do I come down here?" I asked, looking at him.
"I dunno." He smiled. "You can come if you want, just text me and let me know."
It didnt matter how many times I'd seen that smile in the last six days, it still dazzled me.
"Alright."
"So Mitch and I met Mary for the first time." Sam brought up.
"Oh yeah! You did, didnt you?"
"She didnt seem very impressed with us."
"She was just worried about me. Under any other circumstance she'd be amazed to meet you. She loves Diversity."
"Think she blames us?" Sam asked, taking on a more serious expression.
"No! No. Definitely not. Mitch already blames himself. No one is to blame here."
"That's why he's been mopy." Sam said.
"Yep. Even look at what he wrote on my cast." I said, turning my arm around until I spotted Mitch's note.
I showed it to Sam, who sighed.
"I dont think he's ever felt this bad about anything like this."
"Does this happen often?" I laughed.
"No." Sam laughed too. "But you know what I'm saying."
"Yeah. Do you want your hat?" I asked, taking it out of my bag and holding it out to him.
He took it from me and placed it on my head a little lopsidedly.
"Keep it." He smiled. "For now atleast."
"Okay." I smiled back tiredly. "I'm tired," I said, leaning against him a little. "Take me home?"
It'd been a bit of a long day. Starting with teachers and classes I didnt like, and then breaking my wrist and spending about an hour in A and E.
"Sure." He said.
Sam stood up, and stuck out his hand to help me up, making sure to grab my right hand and be careful of my left.
"You even look tired." he noticed. "You ready, Mitch?" He called in the general direction of Mitchell.
"Yeah." answered the quiet voice of Mitchell.
Soon we were in Sam's car, and I was being driven home. Today had been eventful, that was for sure. But it had also made me realize that I did have friends in England. I had eleven of them. I even had a best friend, and his name is Samuel Craske.