Chapter 7—Jen's POV

My first swim meet was probably the most humiliating night of my life.

I got there early, with my usual swim things and a bottle of water. I was feeling optimistic about the night. I mean, working with Rick, I'd almost completely gotten diving down. So that was good, right?

Well, apparently not good enough.

My first race, the butterfly, went relatively well…oh, who am I kidding? It was TERRIBLE. My mom cheering like a madwoman just made it all the worse. Nobody else cheered for me. When I got out of the pool, Dell and her crew looked disgusted.

I didn't know what I'd gotten myself into. Swim team? Sounds so harmless. But don't be fooled.

Also, something sort of odd happened about halfway through the meet.

After my second race, the freestyle, which wasn't much better than the first, I was coming out of the bathroom when I saw Dell's friend, Chris, hanging out by the boys' bathroom. I couldn't help noticing that he was cute. Sorry, but I just couldn't. Trust me, it freaked me out, too. I do not have time for silly little indulgences like cute boys, and that's never bothered me before. Why should it start now?

Out of the swim team people, Chris is definitely the nicest. As in, he doesn't taunt me and snigger when I swim, and he doesn't make stage-whisper comments about me behind my back. He doesn't actually talk to me, but he doesn't seem to totally detest me.

I walked by him, not really paying any attention to him, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped. It was Chris.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, grinning slightly.

"No." I tossed my hair over my shoulder and kept walking. I'm not exactly a social butterfly.

"Hey, wait up," he said, coming up beside me.

"I know, Chris, I swim like a drowning bumblebee. I've heard it before, okay? So just go away." Wow. Three whole sentences. Practically a record for me.

His expression softened. "I…um…well, yeah, I wanted to give you some pointers."

I suppose he was trying to be nice, but my cheeks were positively flaming. "Please don't."

"But—I could help you—"

"No, thanks," I said, more forcefully. "I'm fine, okay?" We both knew, though, that I was not fine.

"Well, okay then," he said, frowning. "Uh…see you around."

"Whatever," I said, then walked purposefully away. One half of me applauded myself for avoiding an opportunity for extreme embarrassment.

But another part of me wondered if maybe Chris had been serious. He hadn't ever teased me before, and he actually seemed pretty sincere. But still…he was good friends with Dell and all the rest of them. He probably just wanted to see make a fool of myself even more…if, of course, that was even possible.

My hair felt like straw. My legs felt like jelly. My cheeks were on fire. I felt like crying.

Guess where I'd come from?

Yep, swim practice.

Chris had actually had the nerve to offer me help again. This time I'd evaded him more quickly, though. I had a tutoring session to get to. When I got home, I took a quick shower, got dressed, then grabbed my bag and headed off to the library.

Today I'd be tutoring two different kids. First was an eight-year-old boy named Timmy, then his twin sister, Tammy. No joke—they really were twins named Timmy and Tammy. Incredibly cruel.

Timmy's session would begin at 11:30. I got to the library at 10:45, giving me plenty of time to browse. I waved to the librarian, Mrs. Eccles, then set down my bag at the table I'd claim for tutoring today. Not coincidentally, it was situated right next to the library café. (I hadn't eaten lunch, and I was starving.)

By 11:10, I'd checked out 10 books to take home and read. I still had twenty minutes, so I bought a turkey sub, a bag of chips, and a water bottle from the café and sat down to eat.

I finished right at 11:30, then threw my trash away and sat down, waiting for Timmy and Tammy. I'd never met either of them, but their mom was paying me ten dollars an hour for each of the kids, meaning I'd bring in twenty bucks today. Not bad for two lousy hours of teaching kids double-digit multiplication.

They were late. At 11:45, nobody had showed up. I scanned the library for twins but saw nothing.

Then at noon, two kids rushed in together, a blond boy and a blond girl. They were followed by a taller blond girl…and then another, way too familiar blond girl…

Laura.

Here.

I stood up, hoping and praying that those blond kids weren't Timmy and Tammy. Please, please, please. Let Timmy and Tammy just be sick or something…

But no.

The taller blond girl, not Laura, approached me. "Hey. You know somebody named Jen Something-Or-Other? 'Cuz I need to find her."

"Um, I'm Jen," I said. "Hi. Are you, uh, Timmy and Tammy's sister or something?"

"Cousin," she replied, looking bored. "I'm Lainey. This is my friend Laura," she said, indicating, of course, Laura, who'd drawn up beside her.

Laura pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. "No. Way," she said, not exactly kindly.

"Um…hi Laura," I said.

"Jen?" She eyed me with her hip cocked out, dislike written all over her face. "You're tutoring Lainey's cousins?" She pushed her sunglasses back over her eyes and smirked. "Figures, I guess. Who else would spend their summers teaching little kids?"

"Um, what?" I asked, although I had a pretty good idea what she meant.

"I think it's great, actually," she said. "You know. It's great that you aren't just moping around because you don't have any friends. You're, you know, getting out and doing stuff. Good for you." She and Lainey both smiled at me, sickening-sweet and totally fake.

"Yeah," I muttered. But somehow I couldn't get righteously angry. Somehow I couldn't come up with a biting retort.

Because, well, Laura was right. Stupid Laura, with her long, tan legs and streaked blond hair and tiny skirt and tank top. She was totally, completely right. I didn't have friends. I didn't.

So I just stood there while Lainey called over her cousins. "This is Timmy," Lainey said, pushing the boy towards me. "And that's Tammy." She pointed to the girl. "Teach them. Do whatever. Here's ten bucks my aunt gave me for you."

"I'm supposed to get paid ten an hour," I said. "And I tutor them each for one hour. That's twenty dollars."

Lainey shrugged. "My aunt gave me ten. Get over it."

"Yeah," added Laura. "It's not like you need the money. You know, you're not going to go to a movie with your friends or something."

"I'll be back in two hours to pick up my cousins," Lainey called over her shoulder, as she and Laura exited the library.

For the second time that day, I wanted to cry. But I couldn't, not in front of Timmy. Swallowing, I pocketed the money and sat down.

"So, Timmy," I said. "When I talked to your mom on the phone, she said you needed help in science?"

Timmy gave me a look that said he didn't care one bit about science. Or reading, math, or social studies, for that matter.

"She doesn't know anything," he muttered. "I'm plenty smart. I don't need tutoring."

"Do you want to start with math, then?"

Timmy threw me a look of utter loathing.

I sighed. This was not shaping up to be a good day.

Lucky for me, Tammy turned out to be a whole lot cooler than her twin brother. The hour I spent with Timmy was the most unproductive—not to mention frustrating and aggravating—of my life. And I hadn't even gotten paid full wages for it.

By the time Timmy's hour was up, I wanted to go straight home, grab the carton of ice cream, and spend the rest of the day in my room. But Tammy's session, like I said, went way better.

The first thing she said to me when she sat down was, "Here, take this."

I looked down at her little hand, which was scrunched around a ten-dollar bill.

"My cousin didn't give you enough money," she said. "Right?"

I was touched. "She didn't," I replied, "but I can't take your money. Keep it."

"No," she insisted. "It's only fair."

"Look," I said, because I really didn't want to take Tammy's ten bucks, "why don't we use this money to buy a treat, okay? That way we both win."

Her little face brightened immediately. "Okay!" Using the bill, we each got a piece of chocolate cake and a Coke from the café.

"Alright, now down to business," I said, as Tammy polished off the last of her Coke. She was pretty cute, with a small, thin face, and mousy hair that brushed her shoulders.

"Okay," she agreed, pushing the cup aside. "I'm not a very good reader. That's why my mom signed me up for this."

"Well, that's no problem," I said. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll be the best reader in your class."

This inspirational little comment didn't have the effect I'd hoped for. Instead of getting happy and motivated, little Tammy slumped down in her chair. "No, I don't think so," she mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because Ariel is the best reader in our class, that's why," Tammy replied matter-of-factly. "And that's all there is to it."

"Oh, come on," I said. "Ariel can't be that good."

"Never mind," she said. "Let's just get started, 'kay?"

"Uh…sure," I said, following Tammy's lead.

When I left the library after Tammy's session ended, I was relatively happy. Tammy had been much more cooperative than her brother. I was actually looking forward to her next session. Lainey had been halfway bearable when she picked up the twins. So, all was good.

Sort of.