confident as he stepped onto the start mat. He waved to his parents and teammates, who were all standing together in the viewing alley. Then he turned to watch the big screen beside the course as his package started to play.
All the finalists had filmed new packages, since the producers didn’t want to show the exact same videos that viewers had already seen in the semis. This time Noah had told his mother about it. He’d been afraid she might try to take over, maybe make the whole thing about his future Broadway career or something. But she seemed to have taken their talk to heart. True, she’d fussed with his hair forever and kept gesturing for him to smile, but she’d mostly let Noah and the producers decide what to include. Because of that, the package felt like the real Noah.
I hope Mom notices that this is the real me, too, he thought as the final shot focused in on him powering up the Fit Kidz climbing wall. Not the me she’s been imagining all these years. I think she’s finally starting to get it.
He shot a look toward his parents, who smiled and waved. Then the PA told him he could begin, and Noah immediately turned all his focus onto the course in front of him.
Stepping Out and Monkey Business went smoothly. Bar None was a little trickier—the bars didn’t move at all, and Noah was surprised by how far apart they really were once he was up there. But he called upon his trapeze experience again and made it safely to the landing mat.
Next came Touch and Go, which was actually fun. Skipping across from block to block, jumping a little higher when there was a vase in the way—it reminded Noah of some choreography he’d done in his jazz class a year or two ago. The boys in the number had had to jump over the girls, and the girls were sure to threaten the boys with horrible things if they landed on any part of their bodies!
After that, this is a piece of cake, Noah told himself with a secret smile.
Then he got serious again because the Loco Ladder came next. He took a few deep breaths, pausing on the mat to make sure he was ready. One of the pegs missed its mark halfway up, but he managed to recover without losing his grip, shoving it in on the second try. Before he knew it, he was at the top!
“Climb that Cliff! Climb that Cliff!” the crowd chanted as Noah approached the next obstacle. He barely hesitated, pushing off into a run. Both hands grabbed the lip, and he swung himself up.
“Go, Noah!” someone shrieked as he hopped down the steps on the far side of the wall—he was pretty sure it was Mackenzie, though he didn’t look. He was studying the next obstacle, Round and Round. It was another balance obstacle, but it looked trickier than most, since the steps he had to leap across were round balls of varying sizes.
I can do this, he told himself. It’s just like hitting a mark onstage.
He hit the first three balls just right. But the fourth one was smaller and set a little lower than the rest, and he landed on it crooked.
“Oooh!” the crowd moaned as Noah slipped, windmilling his arms but unable to stop himself from tumbling into the safety net.
For a second, Noah’s heart clenched with disappointment. He glanced at the final three obstacles. He’d come so close . . .
Then he saw Ty waiting for him with a bottle of water at the edge of the course. That reminded him of his teammate’s new, improved attitude about not making the finals. Ty was determined to come back better and stronger next year—and so was Noah.
He climbed out of the net. “Thanks,” he said, accepting the water Ty handed him.
“Good run, buddy,” Ty said. “That ball thing looks brutal.”
“Yeah.” Noah grinned. “I’ll be ready for it next year, though. Hope you are, too, if you want to have any chance of beating me.”
“Oh, it’s on,” Ty said with a smirk. He raised his hand, and Noah laughed and gave him a high-five, glad that they were finally friends.