“Don’t be sorry, Travis. I’m not. But I’m glad you told me you knew. Now there are no secrets between us.”
“Good. I feel better already.” Travis leaned against the stall door. He had on the navy blue shirt she’d picked out. It did look amazing on him. No wonder Sophie was jealous.
“You better burn those clothes if you plan on dating Sophie anymore,” Rachael suggested.
“No. We broke up after I left Gabe’s tonight. Besides, I need some single time for a while—to move past Misty and all.”
“Oh, now I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything at all.”
“No don’t be. No secrets, right?”
“No secrets. So, speaking of that, my mom is going to go back and forth between here and Palm Beach for a while. I guess my dad is a little depressed and she thinks having some company will help.”
He gazed at her with admiration. “You guys are an amazing family. I can imagine he misses you all very much.”
“He does. The weird thing is, he and I talk now about much deeper stuff than we ever discussed before.”
“Like what?”
I wasn’t expecting him to ask me that. Do I lie? No. The truth will be best. “Oh. Just stuff.”
“Like?”
“You certainly are persistent, Travis Baxter.”
“You haven’t even begun to see persistent. It can’t be that awful.”
“No. It’s just embarrassing—like the first day you were going to take me out on your airboat. I thought Colten would be mad or jealous. So I called my dad to get his opinion on whether or not a girl could have a close guy friend.”
“What did he say?”
“That it was possible. But…”
“But what?”
“But that was it. I can’t remember the rest.”
“Well it sounds like you are really close. Good for you. I’ve gotta run. See you tomorrow, Rachael.”
Boy, that was a close call. Rachael had come very close to confessing everything, like…I am trying to avoid you because I think you are cute and the distancing myself isn’t working so well because you keep popping up.
Rachael finished her chores and went inside to call Colten. They had spoken yesterday, but it seemed like she had a million things to tell him.
First she shared with him about her class schedule and her lunch with Amber, Shannah, and Maysie. Next she told him about the Intro to Weightlifting class.
Colten laughed. “That’s great, baby! Just don’t go getting all thick on me,” he warned.
“Definitely not. I don’t want to be bench-pressing 150 pounds or anything. I merely want to get stronger and be toned.”
“Sounds good to me. But I don’t think you have to worry about benching much. You’ll be lucky if you can do three sets of ten with just the bar! It weighs forty-five pounds.”
“Oh, ye of little faith! I think lifting the bar will be a cinch.”
“Okay. Call and tell me that tomorrow after you’ve actually done it. I’ll be interested to hear about this weightlifting adventure you’ve begun. I bet you’ll be really sore by Friday!”
Rachael ended the call to Colten’s chuckles.
13
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS PASSED QUICKLY. Rachael found her groove both at home and at school. Her days mostly consisted of Taffy chores, riding to and from school with her friends, after school dance practice at Maysie’s, and homework. She was relieved when the weekend finally arrived. She didn’t have any big plans since Colten didn’t have a scheduled visit and her mother would be away visiting her father.
Rachael spent her weekend truly relaxing and maintaining her deep, dark tan. She laid out behind the house with Shannah. They dragged lawn chairs off of the back porch, had a radio playing, and drank ice-cold lemonade. When they got too hot they turned on the sprinklers. By the end of the weekend Rachael was beginning to feel more like herself.
The dance audition would be on Tuesday after school. Rachael was excited but nervous. Dancing at a real school was something she had always wanted to do. Now it looked like it might be a possibility. If anyone had told her last year she’d be attending public high school the following year with a real homecoming game, prom, and a dance team, Rachael wouldn’t have believed them.
Public high school was turning out to be nothing like she had expected. Her school wasn’t scary and didn’t have gangs prowling the halls or guns in the bathrooms or bullies. For the most part, it was pretty enjoyable. In fact she was enjoying it so much she wasn’t sure she wanted to return to prep school or could. Now that she’d experienced the culture of a big high school, prep school seemed pretty dull. Or maybe it was just the newness of it all and, in time, that newness would wear off. Rachael would find out. She didn’t have to make a decision today. It wasn’t even an option for her to return to prep school at this time, so why borrow trouble and worry about it? Rachael decided to push it to the back of her mind, for now anyhow.
*
On Tuesday morning, she woke up early enough to even straighten her hair. That was a rarity for her anymore. It just seemed she had a lot more to do now in the mornings with Taffy. She decided to wear her new jean shorts and a cute pink top that had lace trim around the bottom and sleeves. She put on some black flats and was all ready to go. Rachael had packed a bag for the dance tryout. In it she had her favorite dance tights, a pair of dance shorts and matching top, a hair tie, and her jazz boots. Maysie pulled up and honked on the horn. As usual, she was right on time.
When Rachael ran out and jumped in the backseat, she could see Maysie looked excited and Shannah appeared sick.
“What’s wrong, Shannah?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just the fact I’ve never done a dance audition before.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be right with you. It will be easy. We’ve shown you everything you need to know. You’ll probably be better prepared than most of the girls there today. Just remember to smile the entire time. Showmanship is very important to any dance team,” Rachael reassured her.
“Besides,” Maysie added, “Amber told me everything that usually is in the audition. First they have us line up in two lines. They ask us to do single pirouettes, then doubles. There won’t be any triples, so don’t worry. Next we learn a short routine that combines mostly jazz, hip-hop, and some ballet—not too much ballet, though. Finally they’ll ask us to do some leaps—grand jete and such, just to see how well we can move down the field. You know all of these things. It will be a cinch! You’ll see.”
“I’ll feel better when it’s over,” Shannah confessed.
“Me too.” Rachael sighed.
The girls went through the motions of their day. Class after class, lunch, and then two more classes. When the final bell rang, they all headed to the locker room to change. Then it was down to the dance room. When they got there, they couldn’t believe there were twenty girls there, mostly freshman who hadn’t known about the dance auditions last year. The girls sat on the floor and began stretching. At a table at the back of the room were five judges. Maysie recognized them as the captain, co-captain, dance coach, Varsity cheer coach, and band director. She pointed them out to Rachael and Shannah and explained who each one was.
The co-captain got up and came over to lead everyone through a series of stretches. Rachael hadn’t been stretching enough this summer and realized just how much she had missed it and needed it.
Then, just as Maysie had described this morning, the girls were lined up in two rows where they were asked to do single and double pirouettes on both sides. Rachael could see the judges taking notes and watching how well the girls were spotting.
Rachael was smiling so hard her face hurt, but she still kept smiling.
Next they learned a three-minute routine. The captain and co-captain taught the routine in less than fifteen minutes. They then gave the girls ten minutes to run through it on their own and then one time with the music. Next came the real thing.
The girls went through the routine one last time
with music for the judges. Now the hard part was over, and there was the one final step. The leaps, turns, and kicks.
First the girls did their grand jete crossing the floor in diagonals. Next they were asked to do pique and chaines turns across the floor, followed by stepping high kicks.
When it was all over, the captain, Trisha who was a senior, made a few announcements: “Thank you, ladies, for coming out to the audition. We will be making our selections this evening and will post the names of the four dancers we’ve chosen by tomorrow morning. The list will be posted on the outside of the dance room doors located there behind you. The four dancers will be chosen based on their overall scores of technique and showmanship.
“Also, please be aware that for the dancers who make the team, we begin practices this week on Thursday evening at seven o’clock. After this week, practice is every week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from seven to nine here in the dance room. We also practice on Wednesday, immediately after school, for one hour. Does anyone have any questions?”
When no one raised their hands or asked any questions, everyone was dismissed. Trisha uttered a final, “Good luck!”
The room cleared very quickly. As the girls walked to the locker room to get their book bags and dance bags, it was Maysie who spoke first.
“That was so much fun!”
“How do you feel things went?” Rachael asked Shannah. She was in the front row, while Shannah was in the back row. She therefore hadn’t been able to watch her during the routine portion of the dance tryout. She only hoped she had nailed the routine.
“I did great! I couldn’t believe it. I was so nervous going in there, but after doing the routine, I realized you two were right. I was totally prepared! It couldn’t have gone any better than it did. Now whether I can sleep tonight while waiting for the list to be posted…that’s a different story.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t you guys stay the night at my house?” Maysie suggested. “That way we can get up bright and early. We can drive to the coffee shop near school and have breakfast. Then we’ll be there bright and early to check the list.”
“My dad will never go for it,” Shannah said. “Especially not on a school night. Can we do it this weekend instead, as kind of a celebration of making the team? That is, if we all make it.”
“Good idea,” Rachael said. “Let’s stay at Shannah’s house. We can practice some more Taekwondo while we’re there. Who knows when we’ll need to use it?”
All of the friends started laughing. By now the girls had pulled up to Rachael’s house.
Aunt Margaret was smiling when she opened the front door. Before Rachael could ask what was going on, Aunt Margaret blurted out, “You got a call from a girl by the name of Trisha with the dance team. She left a number and wants you to call her back.”
“Oh. She said the names of the girls who made the team would be posted tomorrow morning before school. I wonder what she wants.”
Rachael took the note from her aunt and dialed Trisha’s cell phone.
“Hi, this is Trisha.”
“Hi, Trisha, this is Rachael Harte, returning your phone call.”
“Hi, Rachael. I know we said we would post the list tomorrow morning, but we usually go ahead and call the girls who made the team the same day.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So congratulations! You made the team!”
“Yay!” Rachael was elated.
“So pack a bag,” Trisha continued. “Part of the tradition is a slumber party. I have already spoken with your aunt and she said okay. We will be by to pick you up around 6:00 p.m.”
“Okay.”
“And Rachael, please don’t tell anyone else. It needs to be a surprise.”
“Gotcha.” Rachael disconnected the call and hugged her aunt. She was jumping up and down squealing.
“I already packed your bag. Go feed Taffy so you can get cleaned up and be ready to go,” her aunt ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rachael said with a smile.
On her way out to the barn Rachael was so nervous for Shannah and Maysie she couldn’t stand it. Had they received the same call she had? She gave her word that she wouldn’t call, and she only had an hour until Trisha arrived. But she was on pins and needles the entire time and could think of nothing else.
After feeding Taffy, she ran inside and took a really fast shower. With her hair still wet, she dabbed on mascara and lip gloss. Just the basics would have to do. Grabbing her overnight bag, she ran down the hall just in time for the doorbell to ring.
Trisha and the co-captain, Sabrina, were standing in the doorway.
“First, we’ll explain the rules,” Trisha said. “Rule #1: You must wear this blindfold until we arrive at Sabrina’s house and instruct you to remove it. Rule #2: There can be no talking in the van on the ride to Sabrina’s house. We don’t want you to give away your identity. Rule #3: You must have fun! Okay, are you ready?”
Rachael nodded. Her aunt came over and gave her a kiss.
Trisha put the blindfold in place and walked her outside. Trisha told her when to step up in the van and assisted her in finding her seat.
Next they were on their way to pick up someone else. Rachael could hear a girl seated somewhere in the back of the mini-van. She only knew she was there because she could hear her breathing.
A few minutes later they made a turn and went down a very bumpy road.
Can this be Shannah’s driveway? Rachael hoped so!
The mini-van stopped, and Trisha and Sabrina jumped out. They were gone about five minutes. When they came back, they were giving someone the same instructions they had given her. That someone climbed in and was carefully seated next to Rachael.
Next the van continued on its journey to another house, somewhere nearby. This must be Maysie.
Trisha and Sabrina jumped out again. While the doors of the mini-van were open, Rachael heard the rumble of a large diesel pickup in the driveway.
Travis’s truck. This has to be Maysie’s house.
Just then she heard another girl being seated in the minivan. The doors were closed, and they were on their way again.
“No talking,” Trisha said with a hint of laughter.
They drove for what seemed like an eternity. Sabrina must live somewhere in town—maybe Bradenton.
When they arrived, half an hour or so later, Trisha repeated her earlier instructions. The restrictions on talking were still in place.
Trisha and Sabrina had the girls hold hands and led them inside. At the front door they stopped and knocked three times, obviously signaling the girls inside they had arrived.
Rachael heard a lot of commotion on the other side of the door—giggling and shushing mostly. The door opened. The girls were guided in, still blindfolded.
“You may remove your blindfolds,” Sabrina stated.
When they removed their blindfolds all of the other dancers jumped out and yelled, “Surprise!”
Rachael looked around her and saw she was standing beside Maysie and Shannah, as well as a freshman she remembered from the audition named Alex. They all hugged each other.
“Come on in. We have pizza, cake, and ice cream to celebrate. Later there will be Karaoke and dancing!” Sabrina announced.
The girls introduced themselves to the other girls. The dance team was quite large with twenty girls in all. Two of the dancers weren’t at the slumber party, but everyone else wasted no time in getting to know the new girls.
“So let’s talk boys,” Trisha said.
This started a huge conversation about who had boyfriends and who didn’t, how long they had been dating, what grade they were in, etc.
Maysie admitted to having a crush on Jason. Shannah wouldn’t admit to liking or being interested in anybody in particular. Rachael told them all about Colten, her super cute boyfriend with the British accent. They all couldn’t wait to see him.
Trisha had gone through a break-up with her senior boyfriend of one year this summer. Turn
s out it was the ever-popular Ben Grayson. No wonder Rachael had already heard his name all over campus. A guy like him came back on the market and every girl was interested. Ben Grayson had quite the reputation for dating a lot of girls.
He must be making up for lost time.
Trisha didn’t seem bothered by the fact she and Ben had broken up. She admitted she had a crush on a new guy, an underclassman.
Now all the girls in the room set out to guess who it was. Trisha decided to make a game of it. All of the girls started throwing out their questions. Trisha could only give them a yes or a no answer. Each girl was allowed to ask one question. Trisha figured that in seventeen questions they should have it figured out.
“Is he a freshman?” Jody asked.
“No.”
“Sophomore?” Tina asked.
“Yes.”
“Is he tall?” Marcey asked.
“Yes.”
“Blond?” Lisa asked.
“No.”
“Is his hair dark brown?” Jen asked.
“Yes.”
“Long?” Alex asked.
“No.”
“Short and spiky?” Gina asked.
“Yes.”
“Does he play football?” Selena asked.
“Yes.”
“Is he on defense?” Shannon asked.
“No.”
“Is he the quarterback?” Caitlin asked.
“No.”
Although Shannah would never admit it, Rachael was sure she looked relieved. Gabe was the quarterback. Hmmm. Maybe she did like Gabe after all. Only time would tell.
“Is he on the offensive line?” Melissa asked.
“No.”
“Is he a tight end?” Savannah asked.
“Technically no.” Laughing, she added, “But he does have a ‘tight end.’ ” She emphasized the “tight end” part by making hinged quotation marks in the air with her fingers.
“Is he a running back?” Rachael asked.
“No.”
Rachael was sure she saw Maysie breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone knew Maysie liked Jason and he was a running back. But he was also a junior, and Trisha had said the guy was a sophomore.
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