New Girl

by Joan B. Flood

  “Hi.”

  A girl plonked down beside me. She had a bottle of water with a blue top in her hand. She uncorked it and took a swig.

  “Hi,” I said.

  “I saw you at the big meet. Man, you’re fast. I’m Fern.”

  She had short hair that curled out behind her ears like springs. Her eyes were an odd blue-gray, and she had a huge dimple on her right cheek, even when she wasn’t smiling. She settled in beside me and leaned against the tree.

  “I saw your sticker on the locker. Brave.”

  I shrugged.

  “Wish I could do that. But it makes me too nervous. Not that I am ashamed, or anything, but you know how it can be.”

  She took another slug of water. I watched Miss Copperhead stroll across the park, her head swiveling left and right as she took in the scene.

  “I didn’t do it to be brave or cool,” I muttered.

  “Doesn’t matter why you did. It’s just great. Really.”

  Jane jumped up and jogged across to meet Miss Copperhead. I tried to listen to Fern, but most of what she said went in one ear and out the other as I watched Miss Copperhead and Jane talk, their heads close together.

  “Looks like it might rain,” Fern said.

  A glance at the sky showed the thunder clouds had darkened and moved in close. The air was clammy, like the town was holding its breath just before having a tantrum. Just then Tommy came by.

  “Hey, Tommy,” Fern said. “You look pretty good.”

  Tommy did look good. He still wore his jeans and a shirt, and he still looked pink and shiny but he was a bit sleeker. More than that, he was more at ease. Not that he had ever seemed not at ease to me, but now he laughed more. And he talked more too, not just chit-chat. Fern and Tommy chatted a bit. Then Corinne came over, a beer clutched in her hand.

  “Looks like we’ll be rained out,” she said. “Want another?”

  She nodded toward my empty beer cup. I didn’t, so she settled beside me.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  “Around.” She gave a shrug, a jerk of her shoulder so fast that if you blinked you’d miss it.

  A heavy, tight headache was starting a tattoo over my left eye. The sun was gone now, and the heat hadn’t let up. Just then Bart showed up. He sauntered across the grass and made a detour around Jane and Miss Copperhead. He stood by one of the benches and looked around.

  “Christ,” Corinne said when she caught sight of him, “what now?”

  “Is it a problem he’s here?”

  “Oh, no more than any other problem. This is turning into quite the party.”

  She slugged her beer and closed her eyes. Miss Copperhead and Jane were dancing. Their bodies dipped and twirled, flirted and teased, like they spoke to each other within the dance. The way old friends might, without words. Jane looked graceful and strong, and I envied that she could scorn working out and stay that way. Behind me Fern and Tommy laughed out loud about something.

  “Glad someone’s happy,” Corinne said.

  Corinne wasn’t usually snappy.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  She flicked her shoulder again, and watched as Bart grabbed a beer out of the cooler by the bench. He didn’t put it in a cup like the rest of us did to hide the fact we were drinking.

  “Yeah. No. Later, okay? Oh God, that’s all I need.”

  He was headed our way. Corinne scrambled up and took off. Tommy Mack and Fern were gone too by the time Bart got to my spot under the tree.

  “Well, hello again, Ms. Big Eyes,” he said. He leaned against the tree next to me, sipped his beer, and watched everyone milling around. By now the group was bigger and the music louder. A small group danced wildly on the grass. They stomped and twirled, spun and gyrated like dervishes. I caught sight of Corinne and Jack through the crowd. Corinne’s shoulders were up around her ears as she talked to Jack. I couldn’t see their faces, but both of them looked tense and stiff. Jane and Miss Copperhead laughed with a group on the far side of the park.

  “Want to dance?” Bart asked.

  I didn’t. At least not with him. Before I had a chance to answer a clap of thunder made me jump. Huge raindrops spattered down. They hit the leaves in a light patter that gathered speed until the rain came down in sheets. People grabbed their stuff and ran for shelter under the trees. Soon Bart and I were jammed together next to the tree trunk. Another clap of thunder, and the rain intensified. Even under the canopy of leaves we got wet. Lightening flashed in the distance.

  “Let’s make a run for it, to the café.”

  I didn’t know who suggested it, but right away, in little groups of two or three, people set off. Corinne appeared and grabbed my arm.

  “Let’s go, come on.”

  I looked around for Jane, but couldn’t see her. By now everyone was doing their best to get out of the rain, and we jogged in single file toward the coffee shop.

  Corinne pulled me along in a different direction.

  “Wait, it’s the other way,” I yelled over the rain.

  She just dragged me harder.

  “We’re not going there, come on. We’re getting soaked.”

  We kept under the store awnings as she hauled me a couple of blocks to the mall. Finally, we ducked into the shelter of the foyer. I wiped my face on my sleeve, which didn’t help much. We huddled inside the door and listened to the rain that was one big hiss, like air leaking out of a hole in a giant balloon.

  “The others will be looking for us.”

  “Fuck the others,” Corinne said.

  “Hey, what’s up? What do you mean?”

  Corinne burst into tears. I hugged her, and she leaned against me and sniffled. Then she blew her nose and said, “Shit.”

  “What’s up? What’s happened?”

  “Nothing. Really, nothing. Well, I just…”

  She blew her nose again.

  “Damn, I can’t believe I’m crying about this. See, Jack promised to come with me to this goth party, and now he’s not coming because Kendra wants him to do something else.”

  “That sucks!”

  “Yeah. I just so wanted him to come with me. And he did say yes. God, must be my time of the month, or something. I can’t believe I’m crying about this.”

  She straightened up and watched the rain lash down outside. Just then the little tune I’d assigned to Jane played on my phone. When she heard Corinne was upset, she said she’d be over right away. We waited just inside the doors. The rain had lightened up and one more rumble of thunder rolled away into the distance just as Jane turned the corner and ran toward us, a newspaper held over her head. She came inside and threw it into the trash.

  “Wow, what a downpour. Now, what’s up?” she asked.

  Corinne’s eyes filled with tears again as she told Jane. We were all quiet for a while.

  “That’s a mean thing to do,” Jane said. “Just mean.”

  “Well, yeah. It’s not like we hadn’t planned it for a while. Then again, if he doesn’t want to go, why should he?”

  That sounded more like Corinne. Jane snorted.

  “We all do stuff we’re not so keen on for our friends now and again,” she said. I almost snorted myself at that. “Besides, he had already said he would go with you. That’s the thing, he said so. He should go.”

  They debated back and forth as I kept my thoughts to myself. The throb at my left eye was now a full on drumming as I waffled back and forth with the arguments and tamped down the indignation that burned me up with each self-righteous declaration from Jane.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Two days before the meet with Milton High, Tony Cardero, Astoria’s best long distance guy, broke his leg. He jumped off a wall about three feet high, twisted his ankle, and cracked his tibia. It was an important meet for us. If we won there, we would go into the regional finals with a great psychological advantage and a big roster of athletes, not to mention better odds for the school gamblers. Coach Eagan had no great hopeful to put into Tony’s plac
e, but wanted to fill the space on the team. I was sure Tommy Mack would be a good sub. No sprinter, he had plenty of endurance, and with several weeks to prepare for the qualifying meet for the Regionals, he could do okay.

  “Oh no, oh no,” Tommy said when I suggested it to him.

  “Why not? You’re better conditioned now, and that distance will be a cinch. You might not win, but I bet you can place. Or just keep another spot in the finals for us. A win either way.”

  Tommy’s eyes jumped around, completely avoiding mine, yet with a gleam that said some small part of him was into it.

  “It’s your way onto the team. Take it,” I told him.

  Tommy jumped up and paced back and forth, running his hands over his face as if he were trying to get rid of a bad vision. We were sitting in the stands after practice. Everyone else huddled in little groups taking in the disaster of Tony’s broken leg. Coach Eagan was looking through the guys trying to reconfigure the distance runners. She decided on a race between the most likely guys to select who would get a team spot to fill the roster.

  “Look, Tommy, you can do it. I know you can. You are fast enough to have a chance to at least place, and you can go the distance in okay time. Not too many others here can. Do it.”

  “Coach would never consider me. I didn’t even make the team.” His shoulders sagged. “I can’t, I just can’t.”

  “Don’t be an idiot. Come on.”

  I set off toward the coach and realized Tommy still stood where I’d left him, his whole body rigid.

  “Come on. Nothing to lose. The worst is she’ll say no. The best is she’ll give you a tryout. Come on.”

  By the time I reached Miss Eagan, he had caught up.

  Coach was surprised I was championing him. I explained about our training, and how he had improved. Well, I begged, really.

  “Maybe. Yes. A longer distance would probably suit him. Tommy, you’ve got to be able to handle it. Emotionally, too. It’s not just all about the running. It’s a big meet, important. Can you do that?”

  Tommy looked at the sky, then turned and eyed up the runners that Coach had lined up to try out.

  “Yes, I can. I can handle that.”

  “Right. No harm in a tryout. Get changed and get in line.”

  Tommy ran for the gym and was back in flash. Before he joined the others, I grabbed him by the arm and looked right into his eyes.

  “Pace yourself. Don’t forget that. And remember, Tommy, believing you can do it is the most important thing. Get to that place, then go.”

  He gave me a half salute and took his place with the others. Five of them in all. Only one stood a chance to beat Tommy. If Tommy could get his head into it. I wasn’t certain he could do that in this one moment he had to prepare. A long race takes strategy and self-control. Positioning. No going hell for leather right off the blocks. I found a spot at the last straight near the finish line.

  “Keep to the edges,” I yelled at him as he went by. A thousand things I should have said to him went through my mind and out again. As he came up the stretch toward me, I watched his form the way a cheerleader watches a zit develop. Four laps from the finish, Tommy was tucked into fourth behind a teammate who I knew didn’t have a finishing kick. Three laps left and Tommy was third, a gap opening between himself and the team runner he dropped.

  “Turn it on, turn it on,” I yelled.

  He had never raced this distance. Certain as I was that he could make the finish, I had no idea whether he had enough left to pick it up. Or whether he would do it too soon and blow up. As he hit the final bend I closed my eyes for second, afraid to look. The yelling of the rest of the team was too much to resist. I opened my eyes to see him edge up to second. I screamed encouragement. Heart in my mouth, I watched his arms pump faster. It took me a moment to realize when it was all over that by the slimmest of margins he edged out the guy most likely to win. Tommy would run distance in the regional finals.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The whole school was talking about Tommy Mack making it to Regionals. The bets were flying, and odds on a win or a place for him were good. In other words, no one thought he could even place in the finals. Corinne thought it was brilliant that he got on the team and interviewed him for the school paper. She sashayed up to me after the interview.

  “Dark horse, you,” she said, “coaching Tommy on the sly.”

  I shrugged, a bad imitation of her quick shoulder lift. She grabbed my arm and jumped up and down.

  “Hey, why didn’t you tell me? It’s so awesome. How could you not tell me?”

  “Well, he just wanted to make the team next year. I thought I could help, that’s all.”

  “Well, Caro, he’s in now. Tell me everything. I didn’t even know you were friends like that.”

  Too embarrassed to say that I only had the courage to do it because I was mad at Jane, I said nothing. Then it hit me that an article would be plastered all over school saying Tommy and I worked out together.

  “Hey, Caro, you okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. See, Corrine, I didn’t tell anyone what we were doing.”

  “No one? Like, no one?”

  “No one.”

  “Uh-oh.” She rolled her eyes and grinned. “You and Jane will have one interesting conversation when she hears. I’d like to be a fly on that wall.”

  Although I laughed about it with Corinne, I wasn’t at all sure how that conversation with Jane would go. Then I remembered the moment Tommy crossed the line and won his place, and didn’t care much.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Monday morning, Bart lounged against the school gate again. He spotted me when I was about halfway down the block, peeled himself upright, and sauntered to meet me.

  “Hi, Carly, I’ve been waiting for you.” He gave me that smile of his turned up a few watts more watts than usual. We walked towards the school. He cleared his throat a few times.

  “There is a dance. On Friday. I was wondering if you would come with me.”

  Astonished, I almost asked if I heard right. For a second, the idea of going with him grabbed me. I had been a loner and an outsider long enough to be flattered, to think I should grab this invite because I might not get another. Then I came to my senses. One, I didn’t want to go out with him, and two—no way Mom would let me. Most important, I had a date with Jane that night. And I truly preferred to be with Jane than anybody else.

  “Sorry, I’ve got something else on then.”

  “Ah, you sure? Maybe you can put that off? It’ll be a great dance. Not just one of those school things.”

  “No, I can’t. Sorry. I’ve got a commitment.” The stress was on commitment.

  Bart wheedled a bit more, until I said I needed to get to class. He gave me a bow and said another time. Embarrassed, I turned my back on him and walked the rest of the way to school alone.

  As I made my way to my locker, I had a million different feelings running riot inside, because even though I knew enough to want to stay away from Bart, I was flattered. No one had ever tried so hard to get me to go out with them before. I had more on my mind too, because the school paper would be out today with Tommy’s story. It could be that I would be free Friday night! As I made my way to the classroom, a text message came in. Without thinking, I opened it.

  Slut girl, watch your back

  It had been so long since I got one, I’d thought it had all gone away. Instead of being shocked about this new one, I was mad. Really mad. It wasn’t about kissing girls or anything else even. It was just mean. And cowardly. Somehow I would find out who was doing this. How, I had no idea. But I would.

  By break the paper was out. Tommy looked splendid in the photo and the article was good. It also said that Tommy had Caroline Nealon work out with him to get him in shape.

  Lunchtime. Jane grabbed a copy from a pile inside the door as we headed to our usual spot in the shade by the back fence. I unwrapped my sandwich and watched her out of the corner of my eye as she read. Corinne wal
ked toward us, saw Jane with the paper, mouthed oh my god at me, and fled. By the time Jane hit the bottom of the page, her eyebrows were almost at the tip of her nose. She put the paper down for a moment, but then picked it up and read through it again.

  “So, you’ve been training with Tommy Mack,” she said when she was done.

  “Yep.”

  “You never mentioned that.”

  “Didn’t think I needed to.”

  “Well, you didn’t need to, but why not tell me?”

  “Jane, you hate him. Every time I mention him we fight. Why would I tell you?”

  She turned to look at me. If looks could kill it would be end of one Caroline Nealon.

  “Because I’m your girlfriend, for one thing. Because I’m interested in what you do, for another.”

  Across the yard the basketball guys were slapping Tommy on the back. He had this smile on, a mile wide, embarrassed and brash at the same time.

  “Jane, would it occur to you to say, ‘Well done’ or ‘way to go’ or anything encouraging? I did a good thing here.”

  She snorted and rattled the paper on her lap.

  “No. I don’t like him. That guy is not worth the time of day. I have no idea why you are so interested in him.”

  She watched him chat with the basketball boys.

  “He’s changed. He’s not doing that drug stuff anymore.”

  I was trying to keep my temper, but it was pushing hard to get out.

  “That’s what he says. I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  “Well I would.”

  “Oh, yes. You would. You believe anything.”

  Blood rushed to my head. Or maybe it was away from it, I wasn’t sure. All that stuff Jane went on about was way too hard and judgmental. People could change, they could be good and bad at the same time. They could be seen as bad or good for the same thing, depending on who was doing the looking. This I knew from my dad and aunts. Besides, people must be able to change, to clean up, and to learn. Otherwise, what was the point? Or maybe I was just mad at being as much as called a baby again.