Starfish Sisters

by J. C. Burke

  Kia didn't reply.

  Ace pulled a 'What did I say?' face to us while Kia kept her eyes on her plate.

  'Kia,' Georgie said, 'none of us had a good session out there. The conditions were crap.'

  'It's okay.' Kia shrugged again, still not looking up. 'Anyway, it's Micki's birthday so who cares about that stuff.'

  But Kia did. She may as well have been saying that today was my funeral.

  Jake stood up to make an announcement. 'That was hard work out there this morning but well done. You all rose to the challenge and that's what counts. There's free time this afternoon –'

  'Yes!' Ace punched the air, saw we were watching and blushed.

  '– for all of you except the following girls: Tahlia, Megan and Georgie.'

  'What's that about?' Georgie frowned.

  'You three have made the team.' Kia's voice was flat and lifeless. 'That's what it's about.'

  'Tahlia?' Ace squawked. 'I don't think so, Kia.'

  *

  There was so much to record tonight. I'd already written seven pages and I hadn't even got to after dinner when they gave me a cake and we played games like a real birthday party. Nobody knew that was the first birthday party I'd ever had.

  The cake was shaped like a surfboard and even had a leg-rope made with a long piece of licorice. Everyone signed a card but my favourite comment was from Jake. He wrote, 'Miss Micki, Aren't we lucky to have you here! You're going places! Your number one fan Jakexo.' I wonder what he meant by that???? Hee hee hee! He told me today he rated my backhand snaps as the best here! I had to run into the board shed and have a little scream I waz so happy. I'm getting stronger to o. I felt it paddling out in that mess today. But sometimes I think I feel stronger coz of other things too – like being here with all these girls. Especially my Starfish Sisters. They rock!!

  Time to say goodnight and adios (is dat how u spell it?) to the bestest bestest day of my life.

  Micki aka 'Miss Micki' !! xoxoxoxoxo

  ACE

  'Feel this.' My fingers were making an outline of the lump on my forehead. 'It's like a golf ball.'

  No one answered.

  'Hello?' I called. 'Are any of you going to get out of bed to look at my musical-chairs-inflicted injury?'

  Kia's voice rose from under her covers. 'Are you going to sue?'

  'Who?' I replied. 'Megan or Surf Oz?'

  'That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. You and Megan both diving for that last chair, crashing down on the floor like a couple of elephants.' Georgie started to piss herself laughing. 'Aggh, I wish I had a camera. Your face was classic.'

  Yes, I was almost seventeen and Megan was seventeen but there was no way I was going to let her beat me at musical chairs. Not after her team won yesterday by one and a half points.

  'I think it was unfinished business,' yawned Micki. 'Between both of them.'

  'I used to always win musical chairs,' I told them. 'It was pin the tail on the donkey that I sucked at.'

  'I was awesome at piñata, wasn't I, Kia?' Georgie said.

  'Why doesn't that surprise me?' I scoffed.

  'That was heaps fun last night,' Micki said to us. 'Thanks, guys.'

  'I have a tummy ache I ate so much watermelon.' Georgie groaned and rolled over onto her back.

  We all started laughing at that. Seeing Georgie compete in the fruit-eating contest, demolishing half a watermelon in five seconds tops, was an image I wouldn't forget.

  'I think you ate too much of the green bit,' Micki offered.

  'Ooooh, and my arms are killing me after all that paddling yesterday.' Georgie added that to her list of woes. 'I can hardly move them.'

  'I can't believe they made you go out again in the afternoon,' Ace said.

  'Believe it, baby.' Georgie groaned again as she swung her legs out of bed. 'I am never surfing again. I don't even hurt this much after a big soccer weekend.'

  'What did they say to you again?' Kia asked Georgie.

  'Kia, I have told you that ten times already!' Georgie spat. 'But one more time for the idiots,' she stirred. 'Jake said the scouts felt like they hadn't assessed our skills as closely as the rest of you. Some crap like that. Okay? That's why we had to surf again in the afternoon, nothing more than that. No need to get paranoid!'

  'Sorry,' Kia muttered.

  'So what punishment do they have planned for us today?' Now I was only interested in the squares that said 'free time'. 'I hope they remember it's a Saturday.'

  'Megan's requested a kickboxing session,' Kia started.

  'What!' I squealed. 'That girl's like she's on steroids or something.'

  'It's the session before lunch,' Micki told us. 'It's better on an empty stomach.'

  'Can we not talk about stomachs, please,' Georgie whined.

  'So when's' – every time I asked this I had to make my voice sound super-casual – 'when's free time, Micki?'

  'There's not really any free time,' Micki replied. 'Even the free-surf sessions are marked compulsory.'

  'Yeah. Same with tomorrow,' added Kia.

  I sat up in bed. The golf ball on my forehead told me moving anywhere fast was not a good idea. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my words. 'So – are – you saying – there's no free time today or tomorrow?'

  'I don't think so,' Micki replied. 'At least that's what the timetables say.'

  'Is this boot camp or what!' I spat, reaching under my mattress for my mobile. I stomped to the bathroom.

  'Who's she ringing?' I heard Kia say.

  There was no reply.

  'Georgie?' Kia asked. 'Is Tim back already? Is that who she's calling?'

  Who cares what they said after that? I slammed the bathroom door and started to text Jules. This weekend was not working out as I had planned.

  'This place sux. No free time 2day. I need 2 c u!'

  Straightaway Jules's message came back. 'Me 2.'

  'Wat about 2nite?' I sent.

  'Isn't dat 2 rsky?' he replied.

  'I don't care! I miss u soooo much.'

  'Me 2. xxxx. hey did u look at the moon last night?? I did.'

  I had looked at the moon on our way back from Micki's party.

  It's strange 'cause when I looked at it I knew inside that Jules was looking at it too. I never felt that with Tim. Ever!

  I was meeting Jules tonight and no boot camp or timetable was going to get in my way.

  My fingers slammed the buttons as I wrote: 'Midnite at south end of beach?'

  'C u then,' Jules replied.

  Then a second later he sent: 'If 2 risky don't do it.'

  Every time Jules said something caring like that it made me want to spin around and jump in the air.

  When I walked out of the bathroom, I held my phone out, acting like I wasn't trying to hide that I'd made a call.

  Three faces looked at me, waiting for an explanation.

  'Smile!' I clicked, then lied, 'I just rang my coach. Is that a problem?'

  'Did you?' Kia answered. 'Why?'

  'I thought I better check that I could box with my shoulder.'

  As soon as I said it I realised I'd made a mistake – it was kickboxing we were doing. It was going to be a long day. I was going to have to be careful every time I opened my mouth.

  *

  Georgie wasn't around at lunchtime, which for her was unusual, suspicious even.

  I was rostered on the after-lunch clean-up. Purposely I went slow to see if she would come in later. She did.

  'Hey,' I said.

  'Hey.' She waved, making her way to the kitchen door.

  'Here's your lunch,' I heard Brian say, as a plate heaped with salad miraculously appeared from the doorway.

  'Thanks, Brian,' she replied.

  Hmm, there was something going on.

  I pulled out the chair next to Georgie's and turned it around so I was facing her, watching her as she hoed into her rice.

  Georgie started laughing. 'You are so not subtle, Ace.'

  'So
?'

  'So?' Georgie was hiding a smile.

  'So, why are you so late for lunch?'

  'Very unlike me, hey?'

  'Very unlike you.' I flicked her with the tea towel I was still holding. 'Out with it. Where have you been?'

  'I can't talk about it here,' she mumbled through her glass of water.

  'So you weren't talking to Carla about the fashion parade?'

  'No.' Georgie put down her fork and looked at me. 'We really have to get our acts together about that. We've only got this week.'

  But the fashion parade could wait. I wanted info now.

  'So was it to do with why they called you, Tahlia and Megan back for a second surf yesterday?'

  Georgie shook her head.

  'You got in the team, didn't you?' I heard my voice gasp and felt my heart almost skyrocket out of my mouth. 'Oh my God, that's what it was about!'

  'No!' Georgie squealed, then she whispered, 'Shh. I'll tell you later. Okay?'

  My foot was tapping on the floor. If there was one thing I wasn't, it was patient. Now there were two things to be impatient about.

  'Just give me a hint,' I whispered. 'A teeny-weeny one.'

  'Come on,' Georgie said, standing up and taking my arm. 'I can't eat with you in my face.'

  I followed Georgie up towards the bungalow. Every one of her steps equalled two of mine. 'Why are you walking so fast?' I panted. 'Slow down.'

  'We've got to be quick, Ace,' Georgie said. 'We have the sports psychologist's session now and we're already late.'

  'What sports psychologist's session?' How did Georgie know all this stuff? 'Georgie?'

  'The sports psychologist's session that's written on the timetable,' she told me. I'm sure I caught Georgie rolling her eyeballs. But how was I supposed to know! 'Get with it, Ace! I know you're only tuned in to the free periods at the moment but there are other things happening. You're making me worried.'

  'Okay. Okay.' I now was almost jogging to keep up with her strides. 'I'll pay better attention to the timetable, I promise. Now tell us.'

  Georgie stepped into our bungalow then closed the door behind me. She even went into the bathroom and checked no one was there.

  'All right,' she puffed. 'You can't tell anyone.'

  'I won't.'

  'I've just had a long, like the longest ever, interview with the sports psychologist.'

  I looked at Georgie; she looked at me. I waited for more. 'Just a one on one,' she added. 'Me, talking to a sports psychologist!'

  'So?'

  'So?' Georgie repeated. 'What do you think? Can you believe it?'

  I blurted: 'Is that what's so top secret?'

  'Well, no one else has had one. An interview with the sports pyschologist, I mean,' Georgie explained. 'They had me sussed. They knew I was beginning to freak out with the pressure. Can you believe it? Jake organised it.'

  I knew my head was wobbling from side to side. But I couldn't help it. Was that really all she had to tell me?

  'You were the only one I'd told about how confused I was about the whole competitive thing,' she went on. 'I had never ever, ever spoken to anyone about it. But Jake said he figured it out straightaway. He said the girl who surfed in front of the scouts was not the same girl who scored that eight-point-five.' Georgie clapped her hands and did a weird little stamping thing that reminded me of the seven dwarfs. 'You don't know how good this feels.'

  'Settle,' I told her.

  'No, I'm, I'm really happy.' She hugged me and of course I hugged her back. 'I feel like I'm getting my fire back. You don't know how good that feels.'

  Georgie was pacing around the room wearing the biggest smile across her chubby cheeks. It was like she was high.

  'We went through that strategy, like you were telling me about, using team loyalty like in my soccer, but on myself, like I'm my own team.'

  Tell me something I didn't know. Did Georgie really think this was some groundbreaking discovery?

  'Say something, Ace.'

  'I'm really pleased for you. I am,' I offered. I'd sound like a spoilsport if I said what was wanting to leap off the tip of my tongue: 'I really don't get the big deal about talking to a sports psychologist. Nerves and pressure – duh!'

  Georgie linked her arm through mine as we walked down to the rec room.

  'It's like this thing in my tummy – I always imagine it to be a brick – has just gone. I feel lighter.'

  'Oh yeah, you always feel better after you talk to them,' I answered. Again I swallowed what wanted to leap off the tip of my tongue: 'The relief doesn't last for long.'

  The rest of the afternoon was scheduled for our coaching groups.

  'You're late, Ace.' Jake didn't look up from studying one of the many dings on Micki's board. Of course, he didn't say anything to Georgie about being late too. 'You're not showing the right attitude.'

  So many times, especially in the last week, I'd wanted to tell Jake where to go. However, I'd managed some self-control, which was more than I could say about him!

  He was obviously one of those guys who, when they get the hots for you, knowing that they could never get you, resort to being mean and picking on you.

  Jake didn't know Tim and I were over but even then I would never go there. Firstly because he's a coach and secondly because the ackers on his neck would make me spew!

  Kia went straight over to Georgie and started hassling her about where she'd been at lunchtime. Georgie couldn't answer, not truthfully that is, so the questioning went back and forth, back and forth until I wanted to slap Kia and tell her to give up.

  Jake had us surfing until our lips were blue and we were so stuffed and over it that Kia started crying, saying she just 'couldn't do it anymore'.

  Kia had been having a shocker, though. She was putting too much of her weight on the front rail and bogging the board. But Jake pushed and pushed her until she got it right. If it had been me, I would've told him where to go. Instead, Kia looked at him like her life depended on every word he said. She'd paddle back out and get burnt all over again.

  I was having fun and looking good. My shoulder felt strong and I was cutting up the waves. Even Georgie said she would've scored me an 8.5 for one of them.

  Every time I got out and ran back down to the rip I thought: I'm another minute closer to seeing Jules.

  I was nervous about sneaking out thanks to Georgie going on about how I could be raped and murdered. Jules had told me to take my phone and just keep texting him so he'd know I was safe. He'd suggested he walk up and meet me near our bungalow but that plan made me the most nervous of all.

  By the time we turned the lights off at 9.40 pm, everyone was ready for sleep. Luckily the adrenaline was pumping or I would've been out in three minutes flat.

  Instead, I lay there feeling my heart beating against the mobile phone that was sitting inside my singlet. It was set to vibrate at 11.40 pm. I wasn't leaving anything to chance. Tonight I was going. Nothing could stop me.

  Kia, Micki, Georgie and I were standing outside my old house on Mornington Peninsula waiting for a cab to take us to the airport. I was down on my knees going through a huge red bag looking for my plane ticket. Georgie was saying, 'We're going to have to leave you behind.'

  'No, I can hear it.' Panic was creeping up my legs. 'I can hear it,' I said again. 'It has to be here. Can't you wait for me?'

  My eyes opened and for a second I couldn't work out where the sound was coming from. Then I realised it was the mobile vibrating around my shoulder. Everything became clear. What I had to do and where I had to be.

  I lay still, listening to three steady breaths – well, two steady breaths and one snore. It was safe. The others were far away in their dreamlands.

  I reached under my bed for my cardigan and thongs. I held my stomach muscles tight and stood straight up, without even letting a creak escape from the bed. That was a trick I'd learnt at a school camp when we'd snuck out to visit the boys' dorm. Little did I know that manouevre would come in handy.


  Twelve steps from my bed to the door. I counted each one as my toe left the floor. At the doorway, I took one last look at the three lumps in their beds. I was sure, I was positive, they hadn't heard a thing. Carefully, I closed the door, tiptoed across the path until I felt the grass under my feet – then I ran.

  The silhouette of Jules was perched up on a rock that marked the furthest point south of the beach. Seeing him made my body feel heavy, but a good heavy, like I was suddenly weighed down with the excitement of finally being with him.

  As I walked across the sand I thought, No one could've told me that surf camp was going to be this good. It made me want to laugh out loud and spin around in circles. I didn't, though. Who knows what Jules would've thought!

  As soon as he saw me he jumped up and started waving.

  'I was thinking this might've been a dumb idea,' he called, climbing down to meet me. 'I was half expecting you not to show.'

  I grinned back. Hearing his sexy Canadian accent made me want to grab him and start kissing him.

  'Oh, I see what you mean about your head,' he said, shining the torch on my forehead to get a better look. 'It was worth winning the game, though?'

  'Totally!'

  'Do you have games every night?'

  'No,' I answered. 'Usually we're so stuffed from surfing and training that we just watch a DVD then crash.'

  'So, you still haven't played truth or dare with Micki?'

  'No,' I said, smirking, 'but I'm going to make sure we do before camp ends on Friday.'

  Jules took my hand and pulled me down on the sand next to him. We sat in silence watching a golden half-moon shine on the horizon.

  'It's perfect, hey?' he whispered. 'It looks better though when I'm looking at it with you.' His hand squeezed mine. 'It's almost like you could swim out and touch it.'

  'Do you want to?' I giggled.

  'What, and get eaten by a shark?'

  For a bit we didn't talk. But it wasn't like one of those uncomfortable silences. There was just nothing uncomfortable about us.

  'I'm glad you escaped,' Jules said, his perfect lips breaking into a smile. 'I thought maybe you'd chicken out. Which would've been cool.'

  'Actually, it was pretty easy,' I told him. 'We had such a crap day. The others were asleep by about ten.' I lay down, hoping that'd make him do the same. 'We could do this every night.'