Ocean Pearl (21 page)

Two and a half days to go until the team was announced
and I was scared I'd blown it. And if Laura's theory was
right, then I'd blown it for the others too. All those gym
sessions and Swiss ball classes, nutrition talks, wave
selection lectures, 'You can do it' pep-up programs,
video analyses until my eyes were popping out of my
head. And that wasn't even counting the hours and
hours and hours with crinkled, numb fingers and toes in
the freezing surf.

Jake, Carla and Shyan ushered the four of us into
Carla's office. All the signs said 'bad bad bad'. Carla's
office was where Megan was given the news.

'I suppose I should ask you first why the four of you
think you're here?' Carla had the I'm-mad-but-I'm-going-to-keep-it-together voice in operation. 'That's
what I would ask adults. Not that I think your behaviour
has been very adultlike.'

I volunteered the obvious. 'Is it about the . . . scene,
in the bungalow last night?'

'That's correct, Georgie,' Carla said. 'Would any of
you like to say anything about it?'

'It won't happen again,' whispered Kia.

'No, it won't happen again,' Carla repeated.
'Because we will not tolerate animal antics here! This is
an elite sports institute. Some kids bust their guts every
year to make it here but never will. You three have been
picked twice now.' She pointed to Ace. 'Three times for
Courtney. We expect one hundred and ten per cent
focus and application from you. Especially now, at the
highest level – a chance to be selected for the national
team and to represent your country. Do you girls
understand that?'

'Yes, Carla' mumbled and muttered from our mouths.

Every now and then I caught a glimpse of Kia's
profile as she rocked back and forth on the soles of
her feet.

'I really hope you do, girls,' Carla continued,
'because it would be a terrible loss to everyone if you
don't. By everyone I don't mean just us and yourselves,
but all those kids who will never be good enough to
make it here but will keep trying.'

Carla was putting us through a total guilt trip but I
was sucking it up. It would've been fine with me if
she'd slapped me across the face and given me a
thousand push-ups. In fact, I'd have welcomed it. It
might have even made me feel better. At this moment I
was feeling like it was all my fault.

'Shyan, did you want to say anything to the girls?'

'No, Carla. I just hope the girls are hearing you
because they've all been given very special gifts.'

'Jake, I know you want to speak.'

It was like the four of us suddenly stood up
straighter. I'm sure the floorboards creaked. This was
the talk that was really going to hurt. Jake wouldn't
focus on the general waffle. He'd go straight to the
home truths.

'I don't care what's going on in your personal lives.
That's not why you're here. Four other girls could've
taken these spots, you know. Remember Natasha? She
was close to being here. So was Jaime. As for you, Ace,
you came in as a reserve. If anyone should be focusing
on the job it's you.'

I waited to hear Ace pipe up and defend herself.
She'd probably been dying for an opportunity to tell
the adults what the fight had been about.

But she didn't. She just kept staring at her feet.

'You girls do whatever you have to do in your
private lives – scratch each other's eyes out for all I care
– but here at this camp you will behave as a team and
respect one another. Is that clear?'

'Yes,' chimed down the line.

'It was very disappointing that last night occurred.
We know you're all under a lot of pressure and stress,
and believe me, we are trying to be understanding
about it. Some girls we wouldn't bother with but it's
different with you Starfish Sisters.'

I felt myself flinch at Jake's last two words.

'Do you know why? Ace, do you?'

'No.'

'As a team of surfers, you girls are exceptional.' I
expected Jake to smile but he didn't. Instead he looked
at us like we were the biggest brats he'd ever met. 'So
Starfish Sisters,' he spat. 'I suggest you start getting on.
Show us what you're really made of.'

Kia and Micki stomped up the walkway. Behind
them was me. Behind me was Ace. Part of me wanted
to turn around and tell her how sorry I was. But was I
sorry? Really? I was sorry Ace was hurt. I wasn't sorry
I had Jules.

Megan had cheated, but did what I'd done make
me like Megan? Megan had cheated intentionally. I
hadn't. Jules had fallen for me. Ace had to learn
that she couldn't just treat people the way she did
and expect them to hang around like obedient lap
dogs.

Carla had given us fifteen minutes to get ourselves
together. Then it was down to the beach for one big,
happy team surf.

'Right.' Kia was straight into it. I knew she would be.
'We better get some kind of plan in action or we're all
stuffed. Thanks for letting them know that Micki and I
had nothing to do with it. You do realise that you two
are taking us down with you?'

'Kia, I don't think starting a fight is a good idea,' Ace
said. 'Do you? And by the way, I had nothing to do
with this either. I wasn't the one playing my friend's
boyfriend. I'm just as innocent as you and Micki.'

This was part of my punishment. Not being able to
tell Ace how it had happened. That Jules had made the
first move. That he was going to dump her anyway. I
had no choice but to stand here and listen to anything
Ace wanted to throw at me.

'Ace is right,' Micki said, furiously rubbing
Kia's back, probably in the hope that it would keep
Kia's voice down at an acceptable level. 'Fighting is
only going to get us in more trouble and we can't afford
that. It's serious now. The camp is almost over.'

'Can I just say something?' I asked the girls. I shoved
my hands in my pockets and concentrated on getting it
right 'cause they were looking at me like whatever I was
about to say better be good. 'Maybe the rumour that
Laura spun is true.' Three pairs of eyes were giving me
the death stare. 'Did – did anyone else get the impression
that Jake was saying it's going to be them or us
when the selections are announced on Friday morning?
'Cause I did. He kept referring to us as a team.'

'Actually, that's the impression I got too,' answered
Micki. 'And I don't know about you three, but I really
want this. The only thing I have focused on for the last
six months is making the national team. Nothing else
has mattered and nothing else will.'

'I'm sorry, Micki,' I whispered.

'I don't care, Georgie. You and Jules. Ace and Jules.
Whatever. But I do care about making the team and if it
means us or them then we – I mean you, you and Ace,
have got to get your acts together.'

'Georgie,' Kia said, scowling, 'do you understand
what Micki's saying?'

Did Kia think I was an idiot? Of course I knew what
Micki was saying. Just having to look at Micki's face
made me feel about one centimetre tall and about half a
centimetre wide.

'I want to make the team too.' I offered the words to
Micki. But Micki didn't smile. She was right. It was
serious now. Ace and I had to get our acts together.

'Ace?' Kia asked.

'You'll get cooperation from me. I'm not being left
out again. Not like last time. That'll never happen to me
again.'

Twelve months with a person who hates you is a hell
of a long time. But I had known what I was getting
myself into.

'Ace, if we make the team that means we're going to
see a heap of each other,' I uttered.

'Well, that's too bad for you and Ace!' Kia spat it back
in my face. 'You guys don't get to decide this. Jake said
our private lives have to butt out; that – that while
we're a team and surfing –'

'Exactly,' Ace said, looking at me like I was something
her cat had regurgitated. 'We only have to speak to each
other when we're in the surf or having a team meeting.'

'Let's make the team first,' I suggested.

Ace flashed me a narrow-eyed 'drop dead' smile.
This was going to be tough.

'Our fifteen minutes is up,' Micki said and walked
out the door with Kia following behind her.

Ace was wearing her Kelly Slater hat again. She was
down at the water's edge waiting for Micki to finish
her round in the surf. It was hard not to watch Ace's tall
and regal frame as she stretched from side to side, a
long graceful arm extending over her head, cutting
such a perfect figure that you wanted to draw it in the
sand, measure its angles, admire its form.

Ace was beautiful – the golden hair, the pearl-like
teeth, the sparkling eyes and flawless, bronzed skin.
She was perfection. Jules and she were like a couple out
of a Calvin Klein ad. They made girls like me want to
vomit with envy and find the nearest cliff.

But Jules wanted more. He'd told me. He'd said,
'Georgie, you have to believe that.'

Being sent off on my errand to collect Ace's photo
album and tell Jules he was 'a dickhead' had started off
as quite a challenge. I was so excited about seeing him
it'd been hard to coordinate breathing and walking at
the same time. It was like my bottle of water had been
spiked with some drug that had me hypnotised in a
giddy love daze. I probably would've walked past my
own mother and not noticed her.

But then the brick landed in my guts with a thud
and I suddenly came to. Across the road, sitting on the
wall next to the shops, was Jules. He was turning the
pages of Ace's photo album. It was different to how
he'd done it the first time. That day he'd almost flicked
through the photos in disgust. Now he was lingering
on each page, staring just that second too long.

Run away. Just run!
my head instructed. Stuff getting
Ace's album. Have some self- respect.

Too late. Jules had seen me and had tucked the
album under his arm and was crossing the road. My
shoulders straightened. I took a deep breath and
walked towards him. Whatever he was going to say I'd
have to handle. My dreams, or rather my delusions,
were about to come crashing down. At least we'd
hooked up. That'd be some comfort for all the nights
I'd be stuck with the creeps in late-night chat rooms.

'Georgie!' Jules's perfect mouth smiled and then,
before I knew it, it was pressing up against mine. 'I just
had to do that!' He laughed. 'Are you okay? You're
looking stressed. Is Ace being horrible?'

'I'm . . . fine.'

'So, here's my plan,' he said, taking my hand and
crossing back over to the shops. 'We could buy a lighter
and burn the album or slip it in with the
Playboy
magazines
and see if some pervert finds it.'

'You're joking, aren't you?'

'No.' Then those beautiful white teeth flashed at me.
'Yeees.'

'Ace said I had to check that all twenty-seven photos
are there.'

'I promise you there are twenty-seven photos in
there,' Jules said.

'So, you haven't taken just one?' I grinned and
winked. I wanted Jules to think I was joking. I wasn't.
But I didn't know how to ask him why he liked this
excuse for a girl standing next to him and not the totally
hot babe in the photographs.

But do you know what Jules did? He whipped his
mobile out of his pocket and took a picture of me. 'This
is the only photo I want to look at,' he said, checking
out the image. 'I love those dimples in your cheeks.'

My hand brushed across my face. I'd always
thought my dimples made me look like a clown or the
fat girl in a comic book.

Jules bought us both a smoothie. We wrapped our
arms around each other and walked to a park around
the corner from the house he lived in. Jules had Ace's
photo album in a plastic bag. He had it slung over one
shoulder. Every now and then it'd swing over to my side
and whack me on the back, reminding me of my deceit.

'Do you feel bad about this?' I had to ask Jules even
if it risked us deciding we both felt so bad that we
couldn't go on. 'Jules?'

'Of course I do.' He shrugged. 'But it's happened.'

'I just – I – what are you doing with me?'

Jules bent down to pick up a handful of dried
autumn leaves. They made a crunching noise as his fist
tightened around them. 'I love that sound,' he told me.
'It reminds me of home. We've got this driveway up to
our house and in the fall it gets covered so thick with
leaves like these. When you walk through it your boots
make that crunching sound.' Jules opened his fist and
fragments of gold and orange sprinkled across the
ground. 'I can say that stuff to you. I couldn't to Ace.
She wasn't really that interested in me. Not who I really
am. You know what else, Georgie? She didn't want me
to know who she was either.'

That was the sad bit. Ace was so busy trying to be
this person she thought she had to be that no one got to
see the real Ace.

'I tried so hard to be supportive when she didn't
make the team,' Jules told me. 'I play sport. I know all
that stuff, how bad it feels when you don't get selected.
I tried to help her but Ace didn't want to know. She
kind of closed down on me instead, making excuses for
why she couldn't see me. I guess I just lost interest. She
was pretty. So what!'

'You don't, you know' – with each word I heard my
voice getting higher and higher – 'regret breaking up
with her and being with me?'

Jules dropped the bag on the ground and put his
hands on my shoulders. 'Georgie,' he said, 'it feels
totally different being with you. It's like . . . it's like
being home. Yeah, that's what it's like when I'm with
you. It's kind of like I've known you forever. Georgie,
you've got to believe that.'

Now Ace was touching her toes while Zena jogged up
and down on the sand. They were in their zone, keeping
warm and focused while they waited for the siren to blast
for their heat. They had twenty minutes to show what
they could do for their team. Cutties, reos, back-side
barrels, whatever they could pull out of the hat.