Authors: J.C. Burke
'You owe us, Ace,' she panted, tipping Kia's hand for
the changeover. In return, Ace grabbed Georgie in a
hug. 'You did it!'
'Paddle out where Tahlia is,' Georgie called from the
headlock Ace had her in.
Kia was off. We watched her paddle out like a girl on
a mission.
'She's super-fit,' Ace said.
'Out of all of us, I think Kia's taken this camp the
most serious,' Georgie told us. 'I'm not dissing her,
either. I mean that in a good way.'
'And Micki.' Ace put her arm around my shoulder.
'You've worked hard too.'
'Oh no!' Georgie's hands covered her face.
Ace and I looked over to where Kia was paddling for
some close-out wave.
'What's she doing?' Georgie groaned.
'What an idiot,' Ace squealed, as we watched Kia
nosedive on the take-off.
When Kia surfaced, peering over to where we were,
Georgie gave her a thumbs up.
'Come on, team.' She gestured to us to do the same.
'You know Kia takes it really bad when she stuffs up.
Believe me, she doesn't need her team mates making
her feel any worse.'
'Why's she trying to paddle out that way?' Ace
turned her back on the ocean. 'She's going to waste so
much time and energy. Why doesn't she go the other
way? Christ!'
'It's tough out there, Ace,' Georgie said. 'It's holding
us down like mad. Look at it. You try and get through
that. It's your go next. You'll be exactly the same.'
*
By lunchtime we were stuffed. Most of us sat there in
silence, all our energy taken on feeding our faces. We
were starving!
'Do you reckon Brian will flip out if I go into the
kitchen and ask for more?' Georgie mumbled through
her last mouthful. 'Like one of the kids from
Oliver Twist
.'
'Hey, Kia,' Ace began, 'your dad didn't show up?'
'No.' Kia shrugged.
'You could've worn a bikini after all.'
Kia didn't reply.
Ace pulled a 'What did I say?' face to us while Kia
kept her eyes on her plate.
'Kia,' Georgie said, 'none of us had a good session
out there. The conditions were crap.'
'It's okay.' Kia shrugged again, still not looking up.
'Anyway, it's Micki's birthday so who cares about that
stuff.'
But Kia did. She may as well have been saying that
today was my funeral.
Jake stood up to make an announcement. 'That was
hard work out there this morning but well done. You
all rose to the challenge and that's what counts. There's
free time this afternoon –'
'Yes!' Ace punched the air, saw we were watching
and blushed.
'– for all of you except the following girls: Tahlia,
Megan and Georgie.'
'What's that about?' Georgie frowned.
'You three have made the team.' Kia's voice was flat
and lifeless. 'That's what it's about.'
'Tahlia?' Ace squawked. 'I don't think so, Kia.'
*
There was so much to record tonight. I'd already
written seven pages and I hadn't even got to after
dinner when they gave me a cake and we played
games like a real birthday party. Nobody knew that
was the first birthday party I'd ever had.
The cake was shaped like a surfboard and even had a
leg-rope made with a long piece of licorice. Everyone
signed a card but my favourite comment was from
Jake. He wrote, 'Miss Micki, Aren't we lucky to have
you here! You're going places! Your number one fan
Jakexo.' I wonder what he meant by that???? Hee
hee hee! He told me today he rated my backhand
snaps as the best here! I had to run into the board
shed and have a little scream I waz so happy. I'm
getting stronger to o. I felt it paddling out in that
mess today. But sometimes I think I feel stronger
coz of other things too – like being here with all
these girls. Especially my Starfish Sisters. They rock!!
Time to say goodnight and adios (is dat how u spell
it?) to the bestest bestest day of my life.
Micki aka 'Miss Micki' !! xoxoxoxoxo
'Feel this.' My fingers were making an outline of the
lump on my forehead. 'It's like a golf ball.'
No one answered.
'Hello?' I called. 'Are any of you going to get out of
bed to look at my musical-chairs-inflicted injury?'
Kia's voice rose from under her covers. 'Are you
going to sue?'
'Who?' I replied. 'Megan or Surf Oz?'
'That was one of the funniest things I have ever
seen. You and Megan both diving for that last chair,
crashing down on the floor like a couple of elephants.'
Georgie started to piss herself laughing. 'Aggh, I wish
I had a camera. Your face was classic.'
Yes, I was almost seventeen and Megan was seventeen
but there was no way I was going to let her beat
me at musical chairs. Not after her team won yesterday
by one and a half points.
'I think it was unfinished business,' yawned Micki.
'Between both of them.'
'I used to always win musical chairs,' I told them. 'It
was pin the tail on the donkey that I sucked at.'
'I was awesome at piñata, wasn't I, Kia?' Georgie
said.
'Why doesn't that surprise me?' I scoffed.
'That was heaps fun last night,' Micki said to us.
'Thanks, guys.'
'I have a tummy ache I ate so much watermelon.'
Georgie groaned and rolled over onto her back.
We all started laughing at that. Seeing Georgie
compete in the fruit-eating contest, demolishing half a
watermelon in five seconds tops, was an image I
wouldn't forget.
'I think you ate too much of the green bit,' Micki
offered.
'Ooooh, and my arms are killing me after all that
paddling yesterday.' Georgie added that to her list of
woes. 'I can hardly move them.'
'I can't believe they made you go out again in the
afternoon,' Ace said.
'Believe it, baby.' Georgie groaned again as she
swung her legs out of bed. 'I am never surfing again. I
don't even hurt this much after a big soccer weekend.'
'What did they say to you again?' Kia asked Georgie.
'Kia, I have told you that ten times already!' Georgie
spat. 'But one more time for the idiots,' she stirred. 'Jake
said the scouts felt like they hadn't assessed our skills as
closely as the rest of you. Some crap like that. Okay?
That's why we had to surf again in the afternoon,
nothing more than that. No need to get paranoid!'
'Sorry,' Kia muttered.
'So what punishment do they have planned for us
today?' Now I was only interested in the squares that
said 'free time'. 'I hope they remember it's a Saturday.'
'Megan's requested a kickboxing session,' Kia
started.
'What!' I squealed. 'That girl's like she's on steroids
or something.'
'It's the session before lunch,' Micki told us. 'It's
better on an empty stomach.'
'Can we not talk about stomachs, please,' Georgie
whined.
'So when's' – every time I asked this I had to make my
voice sound super-casual – 'when's free time, Micki?'
'There's not really any free time,' Micki replied.
'Even the free-surf sessions are marked compulsory.'
'Yeah. Same with tomorrow,' added Kia.
I sat up in bed. The golf ball on my forehead told
me moving anywhere fast was not a good idea. I
closed my eyes and concentrated on my words. 'So –
are – you saying – there's no free time today or
tomorrow?'
'I don't think so,' Micki replied. 'At least that's what
the timetables say.'
'Is this boot camp or what!' I spat, reaching under
my mattress for my mobile. I stomped to the bathroom.
'Who's she ringing?' I heard Kia say.
There was no reply.
'Georgie?' Kia asked. 'Is Tim back already? Is that
who she's calling?'
Who cares what they said after that? I slammed the
bathroom door and started to text Jules. This weekend
was not working out as I had planned.
'This place sux. No free time 2day. I need 2 c u!'
Straightaway Jules's message came back. 'Me 2.'
'Wat about 2nite?' I sent.
'Isn't dat 2 rsky?' he replied.
'I don't care! I miss u soooo much.'
'Me 2. xxxx. hey did u look at the moon last night??
I did.'
I had looked at the moon on our way back from
Micki's party.
It's strange 'cause when I looked at it I knew inside
that Jules was looking at it too. I never felt that with
Tim. Ever!
I was meeting Jules tonight and no boot camp or
timetable was going to get in my way.
My fingers slammed the buttons as I wrote: 'Midnite
at south end of beach?'
'C u then,' Jules replied.
Then a second later he sent: 'If 2 risky don't do it.'
Every time Jules said something caring like that it
made me want to spin around and jump in the air.
When I walked out of the bathroom, I held my phone
out, acting like I wasn't trying to hide that I'd made a
call.
Three faces looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
'Smile!' I clicked, then lied, 'I just rang my coach. Is
that a problem?'
'Did you?' Kia answered. 'Why?'
'I thought I better check that I could box with my
shoulder.'
As soon as I said it I realised I'd made a mistake – it
was kickboxing we were doing. It was going to be a
long day. I was going to have to be careful every time
I opened my mouth.
*
Georgie wasn't around at lunchtime, which for her was
unusual, suspicious even.
I was rostered on the after-lunch clean-up.
Purposely I went slow to see if she would come in later.
She did.
'Hey,' I said.
'Hey.' She waved, making her way to the kitchen
door.
'Here's your lunch,' I heard Brian say, as a plate
heaped with salad miraculously appeared from the
doorway.
'Thanks, Brian,' she replied.
Hmm, there was something going on.
I pulled out the chair next to Georgie's and turned it
around so I was facing her, watching her as she hoed
into her rice.
Georgie started laughing. 'You are so not subtle,
Ace.'
'So?'
'So?' Georgie was hiding a smile.
'So, why are you so late for lunch?'
'Very unlike me, hey?'
'Very unlike you.' I flicked her with the tea towel I
was still holding. 'Out with it. Where have you been?'
'I can't talk about it here,' she mumbled through her
glass of water.
'So you weren't talking to Carla about the fashion
parade?'
'No.' Georgie put down her fork and looked at me.
'We really have to get our acts together about that.
We've only got this week.'
But the fashion parade could wait. I wanted info now.
'So was it to do with why they called you, Tahlia and
Megan back for a second surf yesterday?'
Georgie shook her head.
'You got in the team, didn't you?' I heard my voice
gasp and felt my heart almost skyrocket out of my
mouth. 'Oh my God, that's what it was about!'
'No!' Georgie squealed, then she whispered, 'Shh.
I'll tell you later. Okay?'
My foot was tapping on the floor. If there was
one thing I wasn't, it was patient. Now there were two
things to be impatient about.
'Just give me a hint,' I whispered. 'A teeny-weeny
one.'
'Come on,' Georgie said, standing up and taking my
arm. 'I can't eat with you in my face.'
I followed Georgie up towards the bungalow. Every
one of her steps equalled two of mine. 'Why are you
walking so fast?' I panted. 'Slow down.'
'We've got to be quick, Ace,' Georgie said. 'We have
the sports psychologist's session now and we're
already late.'
'What sports psychologist's session?' How did
Georgie know all this stuff? 'Georgie?'
'The sports psychologist's session that's written on
the timetable,' she told me. I'm sure I caught Georgie
rolling her eyeballs. But how was I supposed to know!
'Get with it, Ace! I know you're only tuned in to the free
periods at the moment but there are other things
happening. You're making me worried.'
'Okay. Okay.' I now was almost jogging to keep up
with her strides. 'I'll pay better attention to the
timetable, I promise. Now tell us.'
Georgie stepped into our bungalow then closed the
door behind me. She even went into the bathroom and
checked no one was there.
'All right,' she puffed. 'You can't tell anyone.'
'I won't.'
'I've just had a long, like the longest ever, interview
with the sports psychologist.'
I looked at Georgie; she looked at me. I waited for
more. 'Just a one on one,' she added. 'Me, talking to a
sports psychologist!'
'So?'
'So?' Georgie repeated. 'What do you think? Can
you believe it?'
I blurted: 'Is that what's so top secret?'
'Well, no one else has had one. An interview with
the sports pyschologist, I mean,' Georgie explained.
'They had me sussed. They knew I was beginning to
freak out with the pressure. Can you believe it? Jake
organised it.'
I knew my head was wobbling from side to side. But
I couldn't help it. Was that really all she had to tell me?
'You were the only one I'd told about how confused I
was about the whole competitive thing,' she went on. 'I
had never ever, ever spoken to anyone about it. But Jake
said he figured it out straightaway. He said the girl who
surfed in front of the scouts was not the same girl
who scored that eight-point-five.' Georgie clapped her
hands and did a weird little stamping thing that
reminded me of the seven dwarfs. 'You don't know
how good this feels.'
'Settle,' I told her.
'No, I'm, I'm really happy.' She hugged me and of
course I hugged her back. 'I feel like I'm getting my fire
back. You don't know how good that feels.'
Georgie was pacing around the room wearing the
biggest smile across her chubby cheeks. It was like she
was high.
'We went through that strategy, like you were telling
me about, using team loyalty like in my soccer, but on
myself, like I'm my own team.'
Tell me something I didn't know. Did Georgie really
think this was some groundbreaking discovery?
'Say something, Ace.'
'I'm really pleased for you. I am,' I offered. I'd sound
like a spoilsport if I said what was wanting to leap off
the tip of my tongue: 'I really don't get the big deal
about talking to a sports psychologist. Nerves and
pressure – duh!'
Georgie linked her arm through mine as we walked
down to the rec room.
'It's like this thing in my tummy – I always imagine
it to be a brick – has just gone. I feel lighter.'
'Oh yeah, you always feel better after you talk to
them,' I answered. Again I swallowed what wanted
to leap off the tip of my tongue: 'The relief doesn't last
for long.'
The rest of the afternoon was scheduled for our
coaching groups.
'You're late, Ace.' Jake didn't look up from studying
one of the many dings on Micki's board. Of course, he
didn't say anything to Georgie about being late too.
'You're not showing the right attitude.'
So many times, especially in the last week, I'd wanted
to tell Jake where to go. However, I'd managed some
self-control, which was more than I could say about him!
He was obviously one of those guys who, when they
get the hots for you, knowing that they could never get
you, resort to being mean and picking on you.
Jake didn't know Tim and I were over but even then
I would never go there. Firstly because he's a coach and
secondly because the ackers on his neck would make
me spew!
Kia went straight over to Georgie and started
hassling her about where she'd been at lunchtime.
Georgie couldn't answer, not truthfully that is, so the
questioning went back and forth, back and forth until I
wanted to slap Kia and tell her to give up.
Jake had us surfing until our lips were blue and we
were so stuffed and over it that Kia started crying,
saying she just 'couldn't do it anymore'.
Kia had been having a shocker, though. She was
putting too much of her weight on the front rail and
bogging the board. But Jake pushed and pushed her
until she got it right. If it had been me, I would've told
him where to go. Instead, Kia looked at him like her life
depended on every word he said. She'd paddle back
out and get burnt all over again.
I was having fun and looking good. My shoulder felt
strong and I was cutting up the waves. Even Georgie
said she would've scored me an 8.5 for one of them.
Every time I got out and ran back down to the rip I
thought:
I'm another minute closer to seeing Jules
.
I was nervous about sneaking out thanks to Georgie
going on about how I could be raped and murdered.
Jules had told me to take my phone and just keep
texting him so he'd know I was safe. He'd suggested he
walk up and meet me near our bungalow but that plan
made me the most nervous of all.
By the time we turned the lights off at 9.40 pm, everyone
was ready for sleep. Luckily the adrenaline was
pumping or I would've been out in three minutes flat.
Instead, I lay there feeling my heart beating against
the mobile phone that was sitting inside my singlet. It
was set to vibrate at 11.40 pm. I wasn't leaving anything
to chance. Tonight I was going. Nothing could stop me.
Kia, Micki, Georgie and I were standing outside my old
house on Mornington Peninsula waiting for a cab to take
us to the airport. I was down on my knees going through
a huge red bag looking for my plane ticket. Georgie was
saying, 'We're going to have to leave you behind.'
'No, I can hear it.' Panic was creeping up my legs. 'I
can hear it,' I said again. 'It has to be here. Can't you
wait for me?'
My eyes opened and for a second I couldn't work
out where the sound was coming from. Then I realised
it was the mobile vibrating around my shoulder. Everything
became clear. What I had to do and where I had
to be.
I lay still, listening to three steady breaths – well, two
steady breaths and one snore. It was safe. The others
were far away in their dreamlands.