Later on...
"Oh my God, oh my God, I'm so nervous!" said Val, wringing her hands as she paced her bedroom floor.
Some might call the room messy, but Val didn't mind a bit of clutter. Besides, she didn't have the time or energy to clean. Two dresser drawers full of clothes lay on the floor. She wrenched open her closet, flicking frantically through the hanging garments.
Reggie and Kerri, who were sitting cross-legged on Val's waterbed, exchanged looks. Neither of them had ever seen Val so anxious.
"I have nothing to wear!" Val groaned.
"It looks like you have plenty of clothes to me," said Kerri.
"Kerri, let's face facts. My wardrobe looks...looks...It looks like I robbed the skate shop in Venice Beach!" she retorted.
"You're not auditioning to be a model," said Kerri.
"Yeah, you're trying to get a sponsorship with Birdhouse." Reggie put in.
"But the thing is, I don't wanna go in there looking like a slob, but I wanna look credible." her cousin said.
"Once they see you skate, they'll know you're no poser," said Kerri.
"Yeah, you're Lightning Girl." said Reggie. "After that tell-all article you put out, everyone knows what I knew when we were younger. You're an awesome skater. There's no way they won't pick you."
She held her chin as she examined the devastation that was the floor. Kerri held up a pair of khaki cargo pants; Reggie found a nice tank top with a Chinese symbol on it. Then Kerri handed Val one of those trendy silicon bracelets; this one said: Pride.
"What about my feet?" asked Val, looking down at her scuffed black Vans.
"Keep those shoes on," Kerri advised. "They might ask you to demo your style."
She and Reggie left so Val could change. Val opened her door a second later. A red backpack containing her gear dangled from one shoulder, her skateboard tucked under one arm.
"Let's go," said Jacob, who had been waiting in the hall.
The gang wished Val good luck as she left. They all wouldn't fit in Jacob's Blazer, but Reggie,Otto, and Kerri.were going, along with Twister. Twister had insisted on tagging along so he could document the event.
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During the drive, Val gazed out the window with a tense expression on her face. Twister placed a hand over hers in a reassuring manner. Twenty minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of a building that resembled a self-storage place.
Jacob smacked Val on the leg, not especially hard. "Yo! We're here! Outta the truck, Shorty."
She growled under her breath. Jacob knew she hated that nickname, but he still used it. Getting herself together, she said, "I'm coming, Garfield."
She had nicknamed him that because he used to wear a clingy orange muscle shirt every day, which didn't complement his pudginess.
He scowled, then sighed. "Okay, I guess I had that coming." He pointed to Otto, Reggie, and Kerri. "All of you wait in the lobby for us."
"What about me?" Twister asked.
"You stay with them." said Jacob. "Val, let's go see Timmy."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Ah, this must be the new blood," said Timmy, a rumpled-looking man with brown hair.
"Yes," Val answered shyly.
"Your parents have already signed paperwork and so forth if you decide to join." Timmy began."There's no competing unless you're wearing a Birdhouse sticker on your helmet. And of course, I'll need to be able to get in touch 24/7 for contests, promos, public appearances, and practices. You got that?"
"Yes, sir," Val saluted.
"The last step of joining is very simple. Allow Jacob to explain."
Jacob picked a stopwatch off the desk. "You have 90 seconds to do a street run."
0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0
Val balanced her board on the edge of the park's indoor bowl. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself. Normally, she never got nervous, but she had a lot on the line today.
"Go!" Jacob called,starting the stopwatch.
Swiftly, Val dropped in and began to carve to bowl. She skated to the rail, performing a 50-50 grind. Then she went across the course to launch off a wedge ramp to do a sit 360. She ollie'd over a rail, did a kickflip, then did a stalefish on the halfpipe. Her last trick was an invert, her signature move, one that few girls had the upper-body strength to pull off.
"Time's up!" said Jacob.
Val bent over to catch her breath, while her friends applauded from the sidelines. Timmy approached Val. He put a friendly arm around her shoulders.
"That was some amazing skating, young lady." he said.
"Thanks, Timmy." Val smiled.
"Welcome to the team," said Timmy as he slapped a Birdhouse sticker on her helmet.