Girls Only! by Beverly Lewis

today. Her thoughts were on the baby who was coming to upset her house. Would she get her required sleep? Or would the baby howl and fuss all night? Babies made lots of racket, she knew. Her aunt and unclehad just had a new baby. Most of the time they looked wiped out. Being sleep deprived was not an option for a gymnast!
    Worried, Jenna taped her hands, then began her stretching exercises and aerobics with the team. After forty minutes, her muscles felt pliable, like warm honey. She started work on her individual routine, aware of the soft-crash pads beneath her bare feet. Waiting for the musical cue, she practiced her salute for the judge, who today happened to be her coach, Benjamin Kim.
    “Push . . . push to perfection,” Coach Kim called, his hands high in the air.
    Jenna focused her attention on her tumbling moves, especially the salto, front pike somersault, and aerial walkover. “Okay, time to show your stuff,” she whispered to herself.
    Impatiently, she bounced on her toes, anxious to start. She waited . . . and waited. But she heard no music floating through the speakers. Coach went to investigate.
    While she waited, Jenna performed several back walkovers. All the while, she thought of the startling email. The one from the Denver adoption agency. The one that might change the outcome of her entire gymnastics future!
    She’d made an attempt to talk to her parents last night—after Livvy Hudson left. But by the time Jenna printed out the important email, her dad was already busywith Sunday sermon notes. And her mother was talking on the phone to a sick church member.
    Jenna had gone to bed without saying a word to either of them. As long as it was her secret, maybe it might not happen, she reasoned. Feeling terribly left out, she’d tried to tell God about her worries but didn’t get very far before falling into a nightmarish sleep.
    Now, as she anticipated the jazz melody to her floor routine, she knew she couldn’t put off talking to her parents. She’d go right home and tell them about the baby. If she waited too long, the certified letter would arrive anyway. It was do or die!
    Finally the musical selection began with the smooth, clear sound of the saxophone. Though Jenna had practiced the routine hundreds of times, she hesitated at the take-off point, arms out, chin up, toes pointed.
    “You can do it, Jen!” shouted Coach Kim from the outside edge of the mat.
    “We’re rooting for you!” her teammates cheered and clapped.
    “Go, girl!” shouted Cassie.
    But hard as she tried, Jenna froze up on her tumbling pass and didn’t go far enough on her somi-and-a-half. Her back handsprings were sloppy, and she tilted the landing on her aerial cartwheel.
    All Jenna wanted to do was cry.

Only the Best
    Chapter Three
    Jenna confessed to her parents about the information she’d kept secret. “An email for Dad came through from the adoption agency,” she said at supper, glancing at each of them. “You’re getting a baby . . . very soon.”
    Her mother’s eyes were wide with delight. And when she tried to talk, she nearly blubbered. “Oh, we had no idea . . . no idea at all that something would happen this quickly. My goodness! What wonderful news!”
    Yeah , wonderful , thought Jenna.
    Her father spoke up. “The caseworker told us we were in for a fairly long wait. So far, it’s only been ten months since the initial application was approved.”
    “I’ll call the agency first thing Monday,” her mom added quickly. “They’ll tell us if the baby is a boy or girl.”
    “We requested a boy ,” Dad spoke up. His face was actually glowing, like it was Christmas Eve or something.
    Jenna couldn’t stand it any longer. She stared down at her plate, a lump growing in her throat.
    “What’s wrong, honey?” asked her mother. “Are you all right?”
    She could hardly speak. “I . . . I thought you were happy with just me.” Her words came out all squeaky.
    “Oh, honey, we are . . . we’re very