Girls Only! (16 page)

Jenna was glad she’d gone to the bluffs. Especially because Natalie had shown up. She wasn’t positively sure why her ballet coach had gone hiking in the first place. Jenna hadn’t asked her that question. Yet she felt Natalie had come looking for her.

The sunrise experience had been a turning point. That, and the nightmare of a showdown at the dorm. Thank goodness she hadn’t lost her cool and lashed out at Cassie. Her first instinct was to do just that. In the end, making peace and telling the truth was the better way.

“Better than best
,” Lara had said of her.

Well, she wasn’t going to let that give her a big head. There was only one reason why she had been able to pull it off. And in front of all the girls. Only one. God had helped her. Just like Mom had said.

She could hardly wait to get it all down in her journal. Tonight, for sure.

After ballet class, Nels followed her out the door. He fell into step with her. “Mind if I walk with you?”

She smiled. Typically, she might’ve said, “You’re walking, aren’t you?” But she wanted to bridge the gap of friendship, if that was possible. She wouldn’t know till she tried. “Sure, let’s walk,” she said, not looking at him. “I was hoping we could talk.”

“So was I.”

His comment puzzled her. “Really?”

“Why is that surprising?” he asked.

“I thought—”

“You thought I was angry with you,” he interrupted.

She nodded. “You have every right to be.” They followed the narrow roadway, taking the long way to the gymnasium. “I lied to you, Nels.”

“I know,” he said softly.

They stopped walking and stood under a tree.

“You do?”

His smile warmed her heart. “I’m not blind, am I?” He leaned on the tree trunk. “I saw your floor exercise at my uncle’s gym. You were a perfect ten.”

“Thanks.” This was a switch, coming from Nels.

“You’re very good, Jenna.”

“Wait a minute.” Her breath caught in her throat. “Did you say your uncle?”

Nels ran his hand through his hair. “Coach Kim is my uncle because his brother-in-law—my father—adopted me.”

This was too much information all at once. A total surprise to her. “Wow,” she said. “I had no idea.”

“Nobody at the gym knows, except Coach Kim and Tasya, of course.”

She hardly knew what to say. “My baby brother’s adopted. Adoption is very cool.”

Nels grinned at her. “Someday he’ll be proud to call you his sister.”

“That’s nice of you to say.”

“I mean it, Jenna.”

They walked across the wide lawn in front of the gymnasium. The sun, having risen only a few hours before, shone brilliantly. Not a single cloud in the sky. The day was exceptionally warm for April in the mountains.

“I’m sorry I deceived you,” she got up the courage to say. At last. “I don’t know why I didn’t just tell you my best skills.”

“Probably my fault for being such an odious bore.”

She laughed. “The last thing you are is boring.” Then she caught herself. “I mean—”

“What
do
you mean, Captain Song?”

She turned to face him. “Will you please stop calling me that?”

“Only if you’ll agree to call me your friend.”

This was exactly what she’d hoped for. Prayed for. But she’d never dreamed a conversation with Nels Ansgar would turn out like this.

“Call you friend? Sure, why not?”

He held the door for her as they entered the gym.

“Before I forget, my father wants to speak with you.”

His father?

She was completely baffled. “What?”

“My father, Sandy Williamson, is the national team coach.”

Gasping, she clutched her throat. “Coach Williamson is your dad?”

He nodded, grinning as they climbed the stairs. “Has been for ten years now.”

She made the mental calculation. Nels must’ve been adopted around age three. Maybe that was the reason for his different last name. She rejected the urge to know. She would not ask nosy questions. “This is so unbelievable!”

“Well, you can believe it, Jenna, because my father is very impressed with you.”

“With me?”

“I should let
him
tell you,” Nels said, waving to her.

They headed in opposite directions. Nels to the men’s locker room, and Jenna to the women’s. She scarcely knew what to think. So many surprises in one morning. And such an early morning at that.

She kept the news to herself. It wouldn’t be the coolest thing to blurt out this info to her teammates. Not after everything they’d just been through. And survived!

No, she wouldn’t breathe a word. Not to Cassie or Lara. Not even to Livvy and the rest of the Girls Only club members. She had to hold this close to her heart for now.

Changing into her warm-up suit, she thought of her chat with Nels. He was the adopted son of the well-known national team coach. And both of them were related to Coach Kim and Tasya. Wow!

She hadn’t thought to ask Nels if he was planning to stay in Alpine Lake after camp. Or if he had enrolled in school for the rest of the semester. Surely not, because school would be over in less than two months.

So many questions, yet she didn’t want to pry. Maybe Nels would tell her on his own. Now that they were friends, maybe he would.

She had to make herself walk and not fly across the gym floor. Coach Williamson wanted to speak with her. His
son
had said so.

Better Than Best

Chapter Nineteen

Jenna took the lead in helping unify the team during warm-ups. Instead of taking a tough approach as captain, she decided to think of herself as an extension of the group.

Coach must’ve noticed. “Nice job today, Jenna,” he said, wearing his AAG shirt. “By the way, Coach Williamson wants to chat with you after this next session.”

She couldn’t help but grin.

“Tasya and I will sit in on the meeting with you.”

The meeting?

She could hardly wait. What was this all about?

Tasya demonstrated a point by hanging from the uneven parallel bars. “Tuck up very tightly to make the turn,” she said, following through with a visual presentation.

Jenna watched carefully, memorizing every move Tasya made. She was eager to try the skill but waited her turn. While she did, she stood with Cassie and Lara. “How’re we doing?” she aked softly.

“We’re pulling together,” Cassie said, wearing her red-and-white leotard.

“Yeah, we really are,” Lara added.

“It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?” Jenna said, reaching around and hugging her teammates.

“Actually, I’m glad you stole my leotard,” Cassie said.

“Hid
, don’t you mean?” said Jenna.

“Well . . . you know.” Cassie grinned. “We cleared the air.”

“Big time!” Lara said, laughing.

“We sure did,” Jenna said. As strong a competitor as she was, she was beginning to feel like part of the team again. She would never stop comparing herself with the others. With Tasya, Kim, and the outstanding Olympic gymnasts—Nadia and Mary Lou Retton. Even with someone like Nels, who had such agility, as well as explosive movements. She wanted to observe and learn from
everyone
.

“Coach Williamson is very interested in you,” Coach Kim said as she walked with him across the gym.

“I can’t believe this. I’m still so young.”

Coach grinned, patting her on the back. “Just wait till you hear what he has to say.”

She stood in a little circle with the two coaches and Tasya, her eyes dancing. Jenna had a hard time standing still, she was so excited.

Coach Williamson had some big ideas. He wanted to help her with consistency in performance, building on her physical abilities, as well. “Jenna, I believe you have amazing potential. I can see you going very far in this sport,” he told her. “You’ll have to continue to work hard.”

Coach Kim nodded. “Jenna never quits,” he said, grinning at her. “She has nerves of steel.”

“And she’s the perfect size for a first-class gymnast,” Tasya said.

Jenna’s spirits soared. Yes, being small was very cool!

Coach Williamson continued. “On recommendation from your coach, I’d like to refer you to the University of Arizona. They’re offering a terrific short-term program for gymnasts of your stature.”

The way he talked, she felt tall! It was happening. Her dreams were coming true.

“I think you’re much too talented not to stretch yourself, Jenna.”

“And I agree,” Coach Kim said as Tasya winked at

her.

“Thank you very much,” Jenna replied softly. But inside she was shouting for joy.

Photo Perfect

I wish to thank my daughter Julie for her help with the modeling-agency scene in this book. Thanks so much, honey!

Also, my great appreciation to the U.S. Figure Skating Association and the International Skating Union (
http://www.usfsa.org
and
http://www.isu.org
for additional information about ice dancing and free skating).

To

Janell Hall,

a faithful fan

(and homeschooler!)

in Fortson, Georgia
.

Photo Perfect

Chapter One

It all started at Dottie Forster’s Boutique, situated across from the skating rink in Alpine Lake’s shopping mall. Heather Bock sat waiting for her mother, who was getting another one of her funky, too-curly perms. Eager to pass the time, Heather reached for a teen magazine and began paging through until she came to the fashion and trends section. Her gaze zeroed in on an article titled, “Pin Thin: The Stick Clique.”

She peered closely at the young and glamorous models featured on the two-page spread. “Wow, that
is
skinny,” she whispered.

“What’s up?” asked Mom from the beautician’s chair.

“Oh, it’s just these pencil-thin jeans,” she replied, absorbed in the new spring styles. “I think it’s time
I
get some new clothes.”

“Well, save your pennies,” Dottie Forster piped up from her salon cabinet, where hair-color concoctions and clean combs and brushes were stored. “That’s what
my
mother always used to say.”

Yeah . . . back during the Great Depression
, thought Heather, dismissing the beautician’s offhanded remark.

But the mental picture of tall and super-lean girls smiling back from the pages of the fashion magazine stayed with Heather the rest of the day. Even as she dusted and vacuumed her bedroom, and later worked at her computer, doing research for a homeschool project, thoughts of the ultra-thin models lingered in her mind.

Writing the final paragraphs of her paper, Heather stopped for a moment and stared up at her poster of world-renowned British ice dancers, Olympic stars Torvili and Dean. She daydreamed about her own athletic goals, well within reach. With every ounce of zip and vigor, she longed to be a skating sensation, right along with her older brother and ice-dancing partner, Kevin, who was just as blond and nearly as focused. No, he was as
equally
caught up in the sport as she.

Sometimes, though, she convinced herself that between the two of them,
she
was the skater most eager for Olympic gold. The sound of boisterous applause thrilled her, as well as the unmistakable echo of the loudspeaker broadcasting her name—with Kevin’s, of course.

Finished with her assignment—the history of the Olympics—she stood and stretched at her desk. Then, turning toward her calendar, she flipped it to the month of July, counting the weeks and months until the next big skate contest. She circled the second Saturday and wrote in big letters:
Summer Ice Spectacular
.

Only four more months. If she and Kevin could land a first-place medal for that event, they’d have a good shot at the Junior Olympics. She hugged herself, ready to take on the world of ice dancing.

Joanne, Heather’s six-year-old adopted sister, came in without knocking. The chubby brunette sat down hard on Heather’s bed, her feet dangling. “Can you help me?”

“With what?” Heather went and sprawled out on the bed, waiting to hear what Joanne had to say. “What’s spinning around in your little head tonight?”

“Nothin’s spinning,” came the quick reply. “And my head’s not little!”