Love Double Dutch!

by Doreen Spicer-Dannelly

  “We kicked you off the team because you messed up our chance to go to New York last summer,” says Ivy.

  “So you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have to work with me and my new team?”

  “Maybe not,” Ivy says, still acting smug. Sally steps closer to Ivy, who backs up from the entrance. Suddenly Sally seems different: tougher, stronger, and definitely braver. It’s like she’s even standing taller.

  “Well, if you were really my friend from the beginning, you would’ve had my back. You would’ve helped me, you would’ve told me, ‘It’s okay, there’s always next year,’ something, anything. But instead you chose to treat me like I had no feelings, like we hadn’t known each other since second grade. I was the first kid to make friends with you. You were my best friend in the whole world, and I thought you were a good person, but you’re not. You’re a fraud, because good friends don’t bully friends!” Sally turns to walk away with tears falling from her eyes. I guess all those hurt feelings finally came out right there at the front door.

  “Wait!” calls Ivy, holding back tears. Sally slowly turns around. Ivy looks for permission to enter the house. Sally tilts her head to the side, I guess to show it’s okay. Ivy looks at me as she passes, and I stare right at her as if to say, That’s right, I still have my eyes on you, girl. She then looks back to Sally.

  “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry,” insists Ivy. “I was so mad at you because I know how good you are and we really wanted to go to New York to compete. But once we started making fun of you and everyone else started making fun, I couldn’t stop. I guess I didn’t want anyone to think I was weak.”

  “So you’re a follower and you pretended to be mean?” asks Sally. “Don’t you know being mean to someone doesn’t make you look strong or cool? It makes you look weak and stupid.”

  “Okay, maybe I was mad or jealous because the coach gave you the solo and not me!” Ivy confesses. “I thought I deserved it, but she gave it to you, and then you froze like a block of ice.”

  “I don’t know what happened. I freaked out because I thought I couldn’t do it,” Sally admits. “The pressure of everyone expecting me to be so good got to me.” There’s a silence as they both think about that moment, I suppose. Then Sally lightens up. “But it was pretty funny.”

  “When you think about it, it really was funny,” says Ivy. “You stood there like an ice sculpture. Seriously.” Ivy pretends to be frozen. Sally gives her a blank stare, but seconds later they both bust out laughing.

  “And what’s worse is that I couldn’t hear a thing. All those eyes on me, I almost fainted! It was so crazy.” They keep laughing.

  “So are we cool again?” Ivy asks sheepishly.

  “It depends. Are you, Brie, and your whole team going to stop bullying me?” Sally asks boldly and loudly. Ivy looks at her friends and they all shamefully nod. “So you promise I won’t have any problem in or out of school?” Again, they all nod. “Good. Now we’re good.” Sally smiles and holds out her hand to shake on it, but to her surprise Ivy gives her a hug. Maybe all that fronting she was doing for her friends was exhausting. Suddenly Melissa and Tina burst into the kitchen.

  “She said yes!” Tina exclaims.

  “Gabriella’s going to coach us!” shouts Melissa, then notices the Belles. “What are they doing here?”

  “They’re here for the party.” Sally smiles at Ivy. Well, I guess now we’re one big team. The Belles rush through the door, straight out to the pool. I hope Ivy and her friends were telling the truth, but we’ll see how things go when we finally get to work to prepare for the competition. We’re going to New York together! Then I remember I left my brother on the phone with my parents. Oh no! I run to Cameron, who’s just hanging up.

  “They said they’ll call back later,” says Cameron as he hands me a dead phone. But I didn’t get to ask them if they’re going to get a divorce. I guess I’ll just have to forget about it and wait until the time comes. Like Charlie said, everything will work out. I can only hope.

  * * *

  —

  After we eat, the pool calls to us to jump back in, so we do. Without all the tension between us and the Belles, we’re able to get along like nothing ever happened. Music plays as Aunt Jeanie enjoys a glass of wine, the way my mom does after a hard day’s work, smiling out of the side of her mouth. I think she is happy to see Sally and her old friends getting along again. She’s probably especially happy for Sally. Aunt Jeanie knows what a relief it must be to have her best friend back. As for me, I’m glad I didn’t get in a fight with anyone. Now that I think about it, fighting would’ve just been plain stupid. My mother will be happy to know that I’ve learned to keep my cool and not get in trouble, let things work themselves out. I hope they call back tonight. I have so much to talk to my mom about. And I want to know: are we still a family or not?

  By the time the sun goes down, some of the Belles and others leave, but nothing takes my attention away from Charlie. He is teaching me how not to flop around like a fish out of water, to really swim. We are in the pool for so long our fingers are beginning to look like shriveled raisins. Then: Flash! We jump as if we saw a shark, but it is just the pool lights.

  “Like that?” Uncle Larry boasts. “You guys weren’t ready for it, but bam! There it is!” Uncle Larry laughs like maybe he’s had too much wine. These lights are so bright you probably can see them from outer space. Charlie and I get out of the pool and sit in the only seat available. I call it a snuggle seat, because it’s round and if two people get in, the only thing you can do is snuggle. I glance over to see if my aunt or uncle might have something to say about me being snuggly with a boy, but they seem too busy playing some kind of card game with Gabriella and Marc. And my little cousins are teaching Cameron how to catch fireflies. They’re so pretty when they light up at night, but if one crawled near me, I’d freak out.

  “So you’ll be leaving pretty soon?” Charlie asks.

  “Yeah, I can’t say I’m happy about going home,” I say. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

  “Maybe you’ll come back next summer,” says Charlie. “Or maybe I’ll see you in Brooklyn.” Did he just say that?

  “Seriously?” I ask. “When?”

  “I don’t know,” responds Charlie. “My mom hasn’t figured out which holiday she wants me to spend with her. I don’t think she even knows what she’ll be doing next. It’s hard to explain, so I don’t say much about my mother. I just visit without expecting anything to be the same or different.”

  “I thought you liked your mom,” I say.

  “I love my mother,” Charlie says. “Let’s just say I go with the flow when it comes to my mom.” If I wasn’t mystified by him before, I am now. The way he looks at life is so intriguing. Maybe that’s what happens with divorced kids; they grow up a little faster than others and learn more because they have two separate families teaching them different things. “But I go and eat all the pizza I can. Brooklyn has the best pizza,” he adds.

  “That’s very true. Well, there’s good pizza in Manhattan too.” I laugh. “And Queens…you’ll just have to come to New York! I’ll take you to this place in Queens that has the best, best pizza you’ll ever have! My dad took us there once.”

  “I think I know a place in Queens too,” Charlie says. “I was kind of small, so I’m not sure if I remember. Anyway, going to New York will be more exciting now that I know you’ll be there.” I can’t help but blush.

  “Thanks,” I say as I look away, unable to meet his eyes.

  “Well, I have to get going. My stepmom doesn’t like me riding my skateboard late at night.” My heart sinks. This will probably be the last time I see him unless he comes to Brooklyn next summer. Wishful thinking.

  We must have been sitting there for a long time, because all of Charlie’s friends have left. My little brother and cousins are back in the pool
, and Sally and Ivy are hanging out on the swings, probably catching up. As Charlie gathers his things and says good night to my aunt and uncle, I head inside to the “powder room,” as my aunt calls it. I check the mirror to make sure the last time Charlie looks at my face I won’t have something crawling out of my nose or that my skin doesn’t look ashy. Just to be safe, I pump some sweet-smelling lotion from the hand soap set that sits on the counter and rub it all over my face, then check my breath to make sure I don’t smell like the onions on my burger. I read in some magazine that the biggest turnoff to boys is stinky breath.

  Uncle Larry is walking Charlie to the door. Oh, Uncle Larry! I hope he’s not going to make sure he leaves without letting me say good-bye.

  “Good seeing you, son,” says Uncle Larry. “And tell your father I said to stop by sometime—take a dip in the pool.”

  “I will, Mr. Walker,” says Charlie, who sees me standing behind my uncle. Uncle Larry turns around to find me.

  “Oh, uh, I’ll leave you two.” Uncle Larry tiptoes away. “But I’m not too far. I’m watching y’all.” I smile at him. I love that he trusts me enough to give me at least a little privacy.

  As soon as I close the door behind me, Charlie plants a kiss right on my lips. I wasn’t ready, but I see fireworks again, even though there aren’t any real ones this time.

  “Whoa,” I say as he backs up and stares into my eyes. “That was…”

  “I like you,” says Charlie. “And I don’t like saying good-bye.” I try to catch my breath before I can say anything.

  “So…say you’ll see me after practice tomorrow,” I say cleverly.

  “I can’t,” Charlie says, disappointed. “My team is going to Raleigh to compete at this crazy skateboard park. It’s going to be awesome.” Skateboarder, right.

  “Well, say you’ll see me in New York and that we’ll have pizza in Brooklyn, or Manhattan, or in Queens,” I plead.

  “Now, that would be cool, but I don’t like making promises,” says Charlie. I hang my head. Does he want to see me again or not? “But if I’m in New York anytime soon, I will definitely call you.” Well, maybe he does.

  “Okay,” I sigh. I really want him to come to New York. I want him to be there when I get back. “I’m gonna miss you.” There, I admitted it out loud.

  “No, you’re not, because you’re going to call me as soon as you get home,” he says as he puts one foot on his board. I can’t help it. I practically leap into his arms and kiss him again and again and again. I want to absorb his smell, his energy, anything I can remember him by. Porch light! I see a shadow, but I can’t make out who it is; I think someone’s trying to tell me my boyfriend time is up.

  “I better get inside,” I say as I hug him one more time, then back away.

  Charlie takes one long look at me, then takes off. Right, no good-byes. I watch him until he disappears under the streetlights. Letting out a big sigh helps me get my breathing back to normal again, but my heart? Well, that’s going to take some time.

  With the Belles and 4-D meeting for the first time as friends at practice, it feels weird, but cool, I guess. However, for our two coaches, Kirsten and Gabriella, it isn’t smooth sailing right away. I was right when I had a feeling these two had a hatchet to bury.

  “Well, well, well,” says Gabriella as she sets eyes on Kirsten.

  “Well, well, well, yourself, Gabriella Upton,” Kirsten says with crossed arms.

  “Kirsten Dunlap, how have you been?” Gabriella asks as she stretches out her hand. Kirsten looks at us, the new double Dutch team before her, and hesitates. Then she shakes Gabriella’s hand.

  “I’ve been well since we last met and my team took home the state championship trophy for best cheer squad,” Kirsten says through gritted teeth.

  “Of course you did, after stealing our routine,” Gabriella says, also through gritted teeth. “Of course you did.”

  The rest of us girls look at each other like, What? Feeling the thick and familiar tension, I see Sally and Ivy whispering to each other. While Kirsten and Gabriella obviously have flashbacks of their high school rivalry, Sally and Ivy stand up.

  “Hey! We have an idea,” Ivy says.

  “Yeah, since we’re a new team, why don’t we come up with a new name and start over,” suggests Sally.

  “This way we all can have a fresh start,” says Ivy. “You know, like put all the bad stuff behind us and work together?” It’s like Sally and Ivy are attempting to act like adults, telling Kirsten and Gabriella to do the right thing. Not to mention it is weird seeing them be real friends and on the same team again.

  “Yeah, there’re going to be a lot of great teams there, and we won’t have a chance unless we really work hard together,” Sally adds.

  For whatever it’s worth, Kirsten and Gabriella roll their eyes and look at one another. Kirsten extends her hand first this time.

  “Truce?” asks Kirsten.

  “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out,” answers Gabriella. Kirsten smiles as they shake hands.

  “You heard her, ladies,” Kirsten announces. “On your feet!”

  Yes! Finally we get to combine our ideas and collaborate on the best routine we can possibly put together! We have lots of decisions to make…who’s turning, who’s jumping, who can do anything extra, like acrobatics, what music we are going to use, what’s our dance, can they dance, do we do a chant or not, when does the music start and stop and start again, what are our costumes going to look like, and then, most important…who’s going to do a solo? That’s when time seems to slow down.

  “Well, let’s think about this one,” suggests Kirsten.

  “Count me out,” says Sally. “I don’t want that kind of pressure again. No thank you.”

  “Now, wait a minute, Sally,” says Gabriella. “Are you sure? I mean, just because you messed up before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again.”

  “I don’t know,” Brie chimes in. “I’m all for second chances, but we’re going to be in New York. It’s not an easy crowd.”

  “You’ve got a point there,” agrees Kirsten.

  “Thanks, Gabriella,” says Sally. “I thought I could do it last time, but I don’t want to mess up again and let everyone down. I vote for Ivy to have the solo.”

  “Okay,” says Gabriella. “But there’s nothing like proving to yourself that you can do it.” If I was Sally, I would fight to redeem myself, but as my mother told me, you can’t force people to act the way you want them to act. I know Sally can do it, but I’m not going to pressure her.

  “What about Kayla?” suggests Melissa. “It’s her hometown, and she’s good too. I mean really good.” Aw!

  “Thanks, Melissa!” I smile wide. “But I think I’ll stick to speed. Maybe Ivy should have the solo this time, like Sally said.” I just don’t want to get on my cousin’s bad side again. It’s bad enough Charlie likes me, not Sally. I don’t want to chance showing her up at double Dutch too. Not a good idea. Besides, Sally is the one who has to see these girls every day at school, so I can see why she would want to keep the peace and hand it over to Ivy. Double Dutch politics, I guess.

  “Okay, Ivy, you’re it!” Kirsten confirms. Ivy jumps and cheers for herself. I’ve seen her jump and she’s got talent, but this national competition is going to be on a whole other level, especially since it’s really an international competition. She can talk the talk, but can she walk the walk…in New York?

  * * *

  —

  Finally Cameron and I are going home! I am so ready for this! But I’m not sure I’m ready for the verdict from my parents. Are they still together, or are they really going to split up? What will happen to me and Cameron? Why didn’t they call back? They didn’t even congratulate me for getting into the double Dutch finals. As I get back to Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Larry’s house, I run upstairs to my room and grab
the phone. I can’t take it anymore! All this time I have been telling Sally how she needs to stand up to her bullies and not let things get in the way of her happiness. But what about me? What about my happiness? What about what I want? I want my family to stay together!

  The phone rings and, typically, no one answers. I try my mom’s cell. She doesn’t answer. I call my dad’s cell. He doesn’t answer. Where are they? Why aren’t they answering? What if it was an emergency? My heart is beating so hard and tears are welling up in my eyes. I dial the house again. Beep!

  “Mom and Dad, it’s me, MaKayla,” I say. “Cameron and I have been down here for almost a month and you haven’t told us anything. You sent us down here because you’ve been fighting, but you haven’t even told us what’s going to happen. You guys act like we don’t matter! Cam and I matter! I made it to the double Dutch finals and you didn’t even say anything about it. You didn’t even say congratulations! You never come to my double Dutch competitions and you never spend time with Cameron. This isn’t just about you! It’s about us!” I cry. “I’m going to be at Madison Square Garden and if you don’t show up, I will never…”

  Beep! “Thank you for your message. Good-bye,” the machine says. Uuuugh! I can’t stop crying. I just want us to be together, a family like Sally’s. Is that so difficult? I lie on the bed, crying and writing like crazy in my diary. I wonder if they’re going to even care about how I feel. I wish I could stop caring, but I just can’t.

  * * *

  —

  By morning I feel a little relieved, even though the voice mail cut me off. I don’t even know if they got the message, but for now I have to put my parents in the back of my mind. I have the big double Dutch show, and I don’t want my new team to see my sad side. We are on our way, and I won’t let anything take away how happy I am about it, not even them.