by J. C. Burke
Ace blushed and took a step back.
Georgie was on a downer and it was polluting the atmosphere. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of: her ability to rock everyone's world because hers was rocking.
Georgie's arms were folded but underneath her elbows I could see her hands clenched into fists as if they were about to explode and take us all with her like a suicide bomber.
Breathe, breathe, I told myself. This is important. Focus. Don't even look at Georgie.
'Twenty minutes each, your two best scores taken,' Jake continued. 'Then before morning tea, once your brekkie's settled, we'll do heat two. Then after lunch there are the interviews for those girls who weren't done yesterday.'
I could recite the interview list word for word I'd checked it that many times. Zena – 1.30 – 1.50 pm; Jussie – 2.00 – 2.20 pm; Steph – 2.45 – 3.05 pm; then lucky (I hoped) last was me – 3.15 – 3.35 pm.
'Have a stretch. Look at the surf and discuss some strategies with your team,' Jake told us all. 'The siren goes in five minutes.'
Georgie and Zena hit the water and began battling it out for the same take-off zone way out the back. The high tide that had been killing the barrels had begun to drop off and some nice waves were starting to come through, if you were patient enough to wait for them.
'Come on, Georgie. Come on, Georgie', the three of us chanted. The only good thing about Georgie being in our team and being captain was that she was first out. It was hard, if not verging on impossible, to beat Georgie in a paddle battle. That said, Zena was putting on plenty of pressure. But not quite enough.
'Yes!' Ace punched the air. Georgie had possession of the left peak. It would be hard for the other team to keep up unless we stuffed up our wave selection. They knew too 'cause the sounds coming from their camp were 'No!' and 'What?' and Laura was doing a bit of kickboxing with the sand.
'Pressure's on,' I said. 'Let's keep it up.'
Without time for Georgie to catch her breath, a quality set loomed and she spun around, digging her arms through the water again, picking off the best that was there. She pulled in on her backhand, came out and pulled in again. On the wave behind was Zena and she'd got an even longer barrel.
'Yes!' Laura yelled.
The war was on!
Ten minutes to go. There'd been a lull in the sets and both girls still only had one score on the board. But way out on the horizon a rogue set was on its way.
'Come on, Georgie, spin around. Spin around,' Micki said, holding my arm, virtually giving me a Chinese burn. 'Come on!'
Zena was paddling back from the second ride, which hadn't been that spectacular. But Georgie was still sitting out there.
'What's she doing?' Micki groaned, squeezing my arm even tighter.
'Trust her, Micki,' Ace answered as Georgie let the fourth wave roll through. 'She's waiting. Just trust her. Trust her.'
I wanted to put my hand over Ace's mouth and smother the word that kept spilling from her mouth.
But in this case Georgie could be trusted.
A wave – clean, hollow and sectioning up beautifully – was charging through. Without a second of panic, Georgie was on it, tearing it to shreds.
'Woooo! That girl can surf,' Ace hollered. 'I'd want to be in her team any day.'
The Starfish Sisters tag team slaughtered the other team. They had a combined score of forty-eight points, versus our sixty-three. Micki and Georgie each got a near-perfect score for one of their waves – Georgie a 9.0 and Micki an 8.5.
As the morning progressed we'd got more and more pumped and determined to win. We talked each other up and discussed psych-out strategies between heats and how to pull the advantage. We were like a well-oiled machine, primed for victory.
The other team argued about not fighting for priority and not paddling hard enough. They were having trouble even looking at one another.
But now we were sitting around the table eating lunch, the roles had reversed. Our unity vibe from the beach had been zapped off the face off the earth.
At least Ace was filling the silence. 'I wish Andy Wallace had been there. If he could've seen how good I was surfing . . . I mean, everything's cool between us – he pretty much told me himself that my contract's fine but sometimes I think he just sees me as a bikini model and not a real surfer.'
Micki began to choke on her juice. Ace patted her back. 'Micki, did he mention anything about me?'
'No.'
'Nothing?'
'Nothing.'
'Well, what did Andy say? You haven't told us anything about it.'
Ace was right. Micki had said virtually zero. If it was me, I wouldn't be able to shut up.
'There's really not that much to tell,' Micki replied, pushing away her plate, which was still half-piled with food.
'Oh, Georgie,' Ace said, 'have you sent a message to Jules yet about getting my photo album back?'
Georgie's chair moaned as she slid it backwards and stood up.
'I – I can get the album if you want,' I offered to Ace. 'It's fine.'
'I said I'd get it,' Georgie answered, pulling her coat around her. 'I'm just waiting to hear back from him with a time.'
'Just don't forget to tell him he's a dickhead,' Ace said. 'Georgie?'
Georgie was walking away.
'She is seriously strange again today.' Ace sighed. 'I'm now starting to wonder if she's not feeling rejected 'cause out of us four she's still the only one without a sponsor. But that attitude is not helping her.'
My tummy was cramping up. I didn't know if it was Brian's cooking or Ace's conversation. I looked over at Micki but she was busy studying her fingernails.
What was wrong with everyone?
'Micki, did Andy say anything about them sponsoring other girls? 'Cause Ocean Pearl's about to explode into this massive brand,' Ace told us. She stamped her feet on the ground. 'It's going to be so exciting! I can't wait.'
'Well, I'm happy with Seahorse Girl,' I said.
'So you should be,' Ace replied. 'So, Micki, did he?'
'No.'
'You're making it sound like Andy didn't say anything.'
Micki shrugged. 'I hope Georgie gets a sponsor.'
'Look, I know I've said this before to you, Kia,' Ace whispered, leaning across the table towards us. 'And please, Micki, don't think I'm saying that Georgie's ugly, 'cause I'm not, but I don't think she's . . . presentable enough. You have to be marketable and something the media likes, or it just doesn't happen.' Ace sat back and nodded. 'There are a couple of high-profile women surfers, pro surfers too, that don't have financial sponsorship. I've asked Andy about it before and do you know what he said?'
I shook my head. Micki was practically chewing her fingertips off.
'They don't have the right look and you never know what's going to come out of their mouth. They're stuffed with attitude. They're not marketable. True!'
Micki stood up. 'I'm going to the bathroom.'
'I'll go with you,' I said.
'Kia?' Micki whispered to me from her toilet cubicle. 'I have – I have to tell you something.'
I turned off the tap. 'What?'
'I know we made the no secrets, no lies policy but I can't keep this to myself anymore.'
My heart popped. How did Micki know about Jules and Georgie?
'It's okay,' I answered. 'I think the only one sticking to the no secrets, no lies policy is Ace. But then she wasn't with us when we made the pact, so it doesn't count.' The stars must've been off duty the night we'd made our promise or maybe they were sulking and not listening. I groaned. 'Oh, Micki, why is everything so messed up?'
Micki came out of the cubicle. 'What do you mean?'
'What do you reckon? Georgie and –' I caught myself mid-sentence. In the mirror I had just seen Micki's face and she had no idea what I was on about. 'Why? What are you talking about?'
Micki crouched down on the tiled floor, pulling me with her. She cupped her hands over my ears and whispered, 'Andy Wallace has asked me to be
the new Ocean Pearl girl.'
My bum dropped to the ground. 'What?'
'He asked me not to say anything.'
I felt my hand wrap itself around my neck, my second finger rubbing against my chin. This piece of news was almost worse than Georgie and Jules.
But the worst thing of all – and this I was sure of – was that now I was the keeper of two filthy secrets. How had I landed myself this role?
'Kia?' Micki gulped. Her throat jumped like it had a frog trapped inside it. 'Kia, I'm scared. I think they've asked the wrong girl.'
'What do you mean?'
'Me?' Micki whispered. 'I'm not the Ocean Pearl girl. I'm all . . . wrong.'
Micki left the bathroom. Maybe because I couldn't think of the right thing to say back, so I didn't say anything. Instead, I said that I still needed the toilet – another lie, just one more, what did it matter now? Everything was a disaster anyway.
My face glared at me in the mirror. 'I've been trying to be a good friend to everyone,' I told it. 'I'm the normal one, even Ace said that. It's my job to keep the Starfish Sisters together. Action. I'm into action, that's me.'
But I was doing a pathetic job. We were falling apart and I couldn't stick us back together.
My hands slid inside my tracksuit pants. Up and over they ran, across the scars on my thighs, till the heat began to burn off my skin.
I left the bathroom, telling myself, 'Breathe.'
The girls were wandering into a meeting room for the after-lunch session on injury management.
Ace spotted me standing at the doorway. 'Kia,' she called, 'I'll get the comfy couch.'
But I couldn't go in there. I couldn't just go and sit next to Ace. I knew too much. Georgie and Jules. Micki and Ocean Pearl.
All the lying and sneaking around. I could taste it. The filth was pasted all over my skin. My nails scratched up and down my arms but I couldn't get it off.
Breathe. Breathe. Just make it to the next minute. In. Out. In. Out. My feet were marching, taking me somewhere. I think I knew where. It was the only place to go. Breathe. A few more minutes and the pain will go away. Breathe. Iiiin. Oooout. Down the corridor. Out the glass doors. It's the only way to make the pain go away. Up the walkway. You know that. One foot in front of the other. Breathe. Breathe . . . Make it to the next . . . It's taking me. Taking control. Faster and faster I went. I want it. I want it. I don't want to feel like this. My hand pushing open the bungalow door. Breathe. In . . . Outside the bathroom door. Turning the handle. Breathe . . . It's open. Starfish tiles, crawling all over the walls. One foot. One foot inside. My hand reaching over to my toiletry bag. Make it go away. It'll make it go away. It's the only . . .
'No!' I shouted.
I was running out of the bungalow. Back down the walkway. Across the lawn. My hands pulled at my clothes, tore off my jumper, my feet kicked off my ugg boots – a trail of me dotted along the grass and stopping at the board shed. I grabbed my wetsuit off its peg and wrestled my body into it.
'Kia?' Jake appeared at the entrance. 'What are you doing?'
'I – I really –' My throat was so dry the words were catching at the sides. 'I really need to get in the water.'
'But there's a session on now.'
'Please, Jake?'
'Kia, are you all right?'
'I just need to get in the water.'
'Okay.' Jake nodded. 'Okay.'
I charged into the surf as though the rest of the world was on fire. My hands gripped my board as I rolled along the white water. Over and under I somersaulted through the waves, feeling the water wash over me, through my hair, on my face, across my arms, down my back and legs, to the soles of my feet, washing every piece of me, while inside, my head screeched with joy: 'I made it.'
MICKI
. . . Kia didn't say anything back. So I felt kinda awkward and just left. Since then, Kia's been in a funny mood so it's not really the right time to bring it up again. But I will. So on. At least I got to say that I think Ocean Pearl's got the wrong girl coz if, or rather when, I get the guts to tell Andy Wallace I can't do it then maybe Kia won't be totally shocked. Coz I know the others will.
But how can I be the Ocean Pearl girl?? I can't have some reporter following me while I take Dad to the clinic, to social security and IMAGINE if it's the one day the 'department' makes their surprise visit to our place to check Dad's looking after me okay???????? I can't I can't I can't. I am ALL WRONG!!
Here at camp Andy Wallace met Miss Micki but what kind of an idiot was I even playing at being Miss Micki!!!!!!!!!!!! Miss Micki was a joke, she didn't exist in my normal life, and now everybody will know.
I've thought about talking to Jake. He knows about Dad and he's pretty easy to talk to. But then whenever I think about what I'd say it sounds so stupid and basically it's just a dumb idea. Miss Micki was okay at the first camp but now she's a walking disaster!
A lazy rumbling of thunder that'd been growling in the distance was creeping closer, which meant soon the girls would wake up. Besides, it was almost five am.
Maybe OP will agree to be a regular sponsor?? Or will they dump me completely when they find out who I really am??????? Anyway betta go. No offence, but talking to you isn't helping!
Mx
I tiptoed back to bed and snuggled under the doona. I would give myself another twenty four-hours before I told whoever I was meant to tell that I couldn't be the OP girl.
By the time the storm arrived at the Starfish Bungalow, it was a raging, psychotic monster that wanted everyone to know how bad it felt.
Crack! The thunder almost lifted the roof.
'Aaaaaggghhhh!'
The lightning flashed, illuminating the figure of Kia running across the room and diving into bed with me.
'That storm is right on top of us!' Kia squealed.
'Yay, no early morning surf,' Georgie mumbled as she shuffled towards the bathroom.
The thunder roared again and Georgie broke into a jog.
'You know what I reckon thunder sounds like?' Kia said.
'What?'
'It sounds like there's a man in the sky with this humungous axe and he's smashing up pianos, one after the other, and there are mammoth pieces of wood flying everywhere.'
'Cool,' Ace said. 'What about lightning?'
'Dunno,' answered Kia.
'Lightning reminds me of the paparazzi,' Ace told us. 'Like the camera flashes going off in your face. Tim and I went to a few television things together. It's so much fun; the photographers call out – "Tim! Tim!" – and then there's this frenzy and a million cameras start clicking away. It's the best feeling.'
'Wow,' Kia crooned. 'Why didn't they call out your name?'
'Sometimes they did,' Ace answered. 'But this was in the very beginning of Tim's and my relationship and I'd only just become the Ocean Pearl girl.'
Maybe I should tell them today.
The rain had grown from being a constant patter to now sounding like a tiptruck was pouring a load of sand onto the tin roof. When it rained like this it made me feel that it would rain forever.
'Lucky you got my album yesterday, hey, Georgie?' Ace said.
'Lucky.'
'I still can't believe Jules didn't like it. Tim collected just about every picture of me. He was always showing them to his mates.'
'Obviously Jules isn't like Tim,' Georgie replied.
'That's for sure,' Ace answered. 'Tim wouldn't have dumped me like that.'
'What are you talking about?' Georgie snapped. 'Tim dumped you via a text message. At least Jules did it to your face.'
'I'm talking about the reasons, Georgie. At least Tim had a decent excuse.'
'I don't remember you feeling like that at the time.' Georgie turned over on her side and pulled the pillow over her head. 'I'm going back to sleep.'
'Me too,' Kia said, going back to her own bed. 'Goodnight, everyone.'
'You won't be able to sleep for long,' Ace told us. 'They'll still make us get up at six-twenty and do some
activity. As if they're going to let us stay in bed just 'cause it's raining.'
'Three and a half days and counting,' Georgie moaned from under her pillow.
It was answered with a big long sigh from Ace. 'Don't say that, Georgie. You've been so, so grumpy lately. I don't see that you've got any reason to be.' Ace cleared her throat. 'I – I mean not anymore. We're over that. Aren't we?' Ace glanced my way.
I tried to smile but it felt lopsided.
'I'm not grumpy,' Georgie groaned. 'What do I have to be grumpy about? Hey? Everything's good, Micki's got a sponsor, the interviews are finished, the –'
'Can you be quiet please!' Kia snapped. 'I would like to get a bit more sleep.'
Georgie had given me a rib-crushing bear hug when I told her about OP. She'd meant it too. But Ace was right. Georgie had been grumpy and maybe a tiny weeny bit of it was 'cause she was the only one out of us who didn't have a sponsor. But I don't think it was the only reason.
Not that I knew what the other reason was, but like with the Megan situation, I had a theory. As with my Megan theory, I didn't have any actual facts – just feelings and bits that I'd heard or seen.
The first thing that had got me wondering was the morning Georgie turned up in the board shed after Jules had been a no show at the beach. She was understandably pissed off and embarrassed, but more than that, she was gutted. It'd even made her admit to me that she thought there may've been a spark between them. But then she'd shut up about it and suddenly her reason for being upset was that Ace would be gloating and loving it.
Georgie was hiding behind that excuse. She felt rotten 'cause Jules stood her up and if he'd liked her the way she thought he did, then he wouldn't have. That had to be the real reason.
Yesterday, my theory earnt a big tick. Georgie had arranged to meet Jules in the free time after arvo tea. The reason was to get Ace's photo album back from him.
Luckily for Georgie, Ace didn't see her tiptoeing out almost an hour earlier than planned.
I did. I was looking for Kia 'cause Jake told me he'd let her go for an afternoon surf and he wanted me to check that she'd remembered about her interview.
Georgie snuck out through the back tennis court gate unaware that anyone had seen her. Her hair was in a cute little high ponytail. But when she turned up to the bungalow with the photo album in her hand, her hair was back to its normal messy self.