DJ just smiled and looked directly forward.
Finally, Grandmother seemed to have run out of hot air. But not before she pulled out the Carter House rules and slowly and painfully read them.
“All girls must attend school, maintain above average grades, and respect the school district rules.
All girls must respect house curfew, which, unless otherwise agreed upon, is nine o’clock on school nights and eleven o’clock on non-school nights.
All girls are welcome to use the public areas of the house (living room, library, dining room, kitchen, and observatory) until ten o’clock on school nights and midnight on non-school nights.
All girls will refrain from smoking, drinking, or any form of substance abuse or other illegal activity.
All girls will refrain from unsavory speech, swearing, and general crudeness.
All girls will maintain their appearances and practice good etiquette at all times.
All girls will treat each other with respect.
All girls will conduct themselves with modesty and respectability both in private and public.
All girls will be responsible for their personal belongings and keep their bedrooms relatively neat.
All girls are expected to participate in fashion, etiquette, and style training sessions.
Any girl who breaks these rules is subject to loss of privileges and possible expulsion from the Carter House.”
She folded the paper in half and looked evenly at the bored group of girls. “Have I made myself clear?” The girls all said yes and nodded once again. And finally, it seemed they were done.
“Good grief,” said Eliza as they were going upstairs. “It’s almost ten o’clock, and I still have homework to do.”
“That was the most boring two hours of my life,” complained Casey. “She’s even worse than the pastor of my parents’ church.”
“I had a nice little nap,” said Taylor smugly. “Well, until DJ had to go and spoil it.”
“Who knew the old gal could go for so long?” said Eliza.
“It’s her form of punishment,” DJ pointed out. “And if you don’t like it, why not just obey the rules.”
“Or don’t get caught,” said Taylor as they reached the landing.
“You’re the one who got caught,” said DJ.
“What?” Taylor frowned at her. “I did not.”
DJ rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”
But once they were in their room, Taylor didn’t let that comment go. “What do you mean I got caught?”
So DJ told her about the vodka bottle.
“Well, that’s your fault. I would’ve tossed it out if it had been on my side of the room. I can’t believe you left it just sitting out like that.” Taylor laughed. “It’s probably a good thing you’re not a drinker, DJ. You’re not very sneaky.”
“Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Whatever.” Taylor narrowed her eyes now. “Hey, back up the truck a minute. You said that I was the one who got caught, DJ. But you’re the one who got called into your grandmother’s office. What do you really mean?”
DJ just shrugged and headed for the bathroom. But before she could open the door, Taylor was blocking it. “Did you rat me out?”
“What difference would it make if I did? My grandmother obviously isn’t terribly concerned.”
“She was concerned enough to give us a long lecture.”
“A lecture that you slept through.”
“I was tired …” Taylor sighed and held her hand to her forehead dramatically. “I had a rough night last night.”
“Look,” said DJ. “It’s not like I want to see you getting into trouble, Taylor. But I am worried about you. Did you and Seth split that whole bottle of vodka between the two of you?”
“Of course not.”
“It was almost empty when I found it.”
“Almost? Meaning you finished it off yourself?” Taylor gave DJ a wicked grin. “You little sneak, you.”
“No, I did not finish it off. I poured it down the sink.”
“Too bad. That was the good stuff.”
“But, seriously, Taylor. Did you and Seth drink all of that?”
“No, of course not. You don’t think it was a full bottle, do you?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“It wasn’t full, DJ.”
“Where did you get it?” DJ knew that was a dumb question. All the girls knew that Taylor had a phony ID. She could’ve gotten it anywhere.
“Seth brought it. And, if you must know, he sneaked it from his parents’ liquor cabinet. And it was only about half full.”
Okay, that sounded pretty convincing. But DJ knew that Taylor could lie her way out of anything. And, this was one of those times when DJ did not believe her.
“May I please use the bathroom now?” she asked Taylor in an impatient voice.
“I suppose … but no more ratting out your roommate, DJ.”
“Why would I even need to?” she tossed back as she pushed passed Taylor and went into the bathroom.
“Why indeed.”
DJ shut the door and sighed. How long would she have to put up with Taylor’s tricks? On one hand, she’d almost started to like the girl and on some levels even trusted her. But on the other hand, Taylor was maddening. And she was unpredictable. A real loose cannon. DJ knew that unless Grandmother caught Taylor with a bottle of booze in her hands, or unless Taylor got into some serious trouble at school or with the law, which seemed unlikely, Grandmother would probably continue to play oblivious. And DJ knew why. Grandmother’s highest hopes for grooming one of the girls into a professional model rested in Taylor. For that reason, DJ suspected that Grandmother would turn a blind eye to most anything.
To aggravate Taylor, DJ took a long time in the bathroom. She knew that Taylor had her “beauty routines” and would probably be sitting out there fuming at DJ. But DJ did not care. Let her fume.
Finally, when DJ couldn’t think of one more reason to remain in the bathroom and was actually feeling a bit silly, she went out to find that Taylor was sound asleep—on top of her bed, with her clothes on. Well, she really must’ve been worn out from last night. Feeling a little guilty, DJ dug out a soft wool blanket and draped it over her roommate, then turned out the light. Poor Taylor … she really was her own worst enemy. But why?
The next day, DJ and Conner sat together at lunch. Of course, they were with their other friends too. But even so, DJ could feel the stares they were getting. And, naturally, Haley was nowhere to be seen. Who could blame her?
DJ didn’t see Haley anywhere until Wednesday when she spotted her at the pool. But she was already in the water and never even looked up as DJ walked past. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with Haley’s friends. They had no problem staring at DJ and, DJ suspected, gossiping behind her back. Well, let them, she thought. It wasn’t as if she’d done anything wrong. Still, she felt bad for Haley.
“Have you talked to Haley at all?” DJ asked Conner when he picked her up for youth group on Saturday.
“No, why?”
“I just wondered. Do you think she’ll be at youth group?”
“I don’t know why not. She seemed to like going before. But that might’ve just been because we were together then.”
But, as it turned out, Haley wasn’t there. That made DJ feel even worse. And so she decided that she would make an attempt to speak to Haley on Monday. She remembered how Haley had taken the time to smooth things out with DJ when the tables had been turned. Maybe it was DJ’s turn now.
But when Monday came, DJ didn’t see Haley around. And when she went to the pool after school, she discovered that Haley had switched over to doing the early morning practice.
“Not that she likes getting up that early,” said Amy, one of Haley’s less hostile friends, which wasn’t saying much. “I mean who does?”
“Then why is she doing it?” Of course, DJ instantly regretted this when Amy tossed her a
withering look.
“Why do you think she’s doing it?” snipped Amy as she continued to towel dry her hair.
“To avoid me?”
“Duh.”
“But I don’t see why she’d—”
“Because you are poison,” spewed a chunky girl named Bethany as she stepped right into DJ’s space. She was one of Haley’s toughest protectors, and DJ suspected that this girl might want to punch her right now. DJ took a cautious step back, holding her towel in front of herself in a defensive stance.
“I didn’t do anything,” said DJ calmly.
“Yeah, right,” said Amy.
“Nothing besides stealing Haley’s boyfriend,” added Bethany. “And that’s after Haley thought you were her friend. I can’t believe I let Haley talk me into voting for you for homecoming queen. You are such a phony.”
“A phony?”
“Yeah, a real hypocrite.”
“A hypocrite?”
“You act like you’re this nicey-nice Christian girl, and then you go and do that to Haley—just stab her behind her back. But then all you Carter House girls are like that. Haley should’ve known better than to trust you.”
DJ blinked. “I didn’t do anything to Haley. Conner and I are just friends. Ask anyone.”
“We don’t need to ask anyone,” said Bethany. “Everyone knows what you are, DJ. Poison.”
DJ knew there was no point in continuing this. She also knew she didn’t want it to escalate into something really crazy. So she simply walked away. But as she went into the locker room, she could hear them talking about her. Calling her “poison” and “backstabber” and ridiculous things like that. Even so, it hurt. DJ couldn’t wait to get out of there. In fact, she decided as she hurried to dress, maybe this would be her last swimming day. Her leg was actually starting to feel pretty good now. Maybe she could find another form of strengthening exercise to continue her physical therapy.
She was just heading out of the building when she heard someone calling her name. Thankfully, it was a guy’s voice or she might’ve taken off running. Seriously, she wasn’t too sure about that Bethany girl.
“Hey, DJ,” called the guy who coached swim team. He was waving and jogging toward her like he needed to tell her something important. Hopefully, he wasn’t going to get on her case over Haley too.
“What?” she turned and looked at him with a slightly defensive expression. Seriously, what was wrong with these people?
“I know that you’re DJ Lane. And I’m Coach Reynolds. Anyway, I’ve been watching you swim lately.” He broke into a friendly smile. “You’re looking really good out there.”
“Oh … thanks.”
“And I think you could be a real asset to our team.”
“Oh, I don’t know …”
“I realize you were swimming just to strengthen your broken leg, but I’m thinking anyone who can swim like that, just barely out of a cast … Well, you’re a natural, DJ. I’d love to have you join the team.”
Okay, DJ was seriously flattered now. “Really?”
“Yep. And because you’ve been swimming most of the season, I think I can make the exception and let you join. The season is half over, but there are still some important meets left. And I’ll bet you could pick up some medals.”
“Oh, I don’t know about—”
“Trust me, DJ. I was watching. You’ve got the right stuff.” “Wow … well, thanks. But I haven’t swum competitively since I was thirteen.”
“But at least you’ve done it. That’s great to hear. So you’ll join us then?”
“I’ll give it some thought.”
He patted her on the shoulder now. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
She smiled. “Anyway, I appreciate you thinking I could do it.”
“Sure you can do it. But you’ll have to start coming to practice every day. That alone might take you to the next level. Plus it’ll keep you in shape for soccer. I know you’re a good soccer player too.”
She thanked him and felt surprisingly encouraged as she walked to her car. The fact was she had been enjoying swimming lately. And she really didn’t want to quit. Plus, Coach Reynolds was right about the need to train and get in shape for spring soccer. She knew that basketball was out of the question. And sports were still important to her. It was also important to stand up for herself. She couldn’t just slink away if a girl like Bethany trashed her in the locker room. That wasn’t like DJ at all. So she decided she would do it. She would accept the challenge and go for it. Maybe somewhere along the way, she could straighten things out with Haley.
9
“I THINK THAT’S GREAT,” said Conner. DJ had just told him about her decision to join the swim team.
Today would be her first day to actually practice with them, and suddenly she was feeling a little uneasy. “I wonder what Haley will think.”
Conner frowned. “I think you spend way too much time worrying about what Haley will think, DJ. You’re a good athlete and from what I recall, our swim team is in need. Haley said they haven’t won a meet yet. I’m sure she and the others will be glad to have you on the team.”
DJ wasn’t so sure. “I hope you’re right.”
Conner patted her on the back. “Of course I’m right. You’ll be fine.”
But as DJ drove toward the pool, she was still feeling uneasy. It was bad enough that she was being blamed for “stealing” Haley’s boyfriend, but to trespass onto Haley’s turf by joining the swim team might be asking for real trouble. She just hoped that no one would try to drown her.
As she walked across the pool parking lot, she was having some serious misgivings. Maybe this was a big fat mistake.
“Hey, DJ,” called a voice from behind her. She turned to see Coach Reynolds jogging her way again, only this time he had a big grin. “Why don’t you make my day and tell me you’re here to join the team.”
“Actually, I think I am.”
“Fantastic!” He gave her a high five. “See ya inside.” Then he jogged on ahead of her.
Okay … so there was no turning back now. She’d told him she was on board, and DJ wasn’t the kind of girl to say one thing and do another. Still, she felt uneasy as she got into her suit.
“Hey, I heard the good news about you joining the team,” said Caleb as DJ hovered nervously around the swim team area, watching as other team members did stretches and began getting into the water. “Coach Reynolds is stoked.”
“I hope the rest of the team is okay with it.”
“Oh, you mean because you’re the newcomer?”
She shrugged as she adjusted the strap on her goggles. “Yeah … something like that.”
“Hey, there she is,” said Coach Reynolds as he joined them. “Our new star.”
“Well, that’s an overstatement,” said DJ.
Coach Reynolds grinned then turned serious. “I guess we’ll see about that. Now get into the pool and get warmed up. I want to do some timing today.”
DJ chose the outside lane and tried not to look at anyone as she got into the water and began to swim. Just focus on your stroke, she told herself as she started to do the crawl, her strongest. First she swam slowly and evenly, then after a couple of laps she began to speed up. It felt good to slice through the water. She felt strong as she blocked out everything but the movement of her arms and legs. This was great.
The shrill sound of a whistle got her attention, and she realized that the coach was calling the team together. She quickly made her way to the pool’s edge and climbed out.
“First of all, I want to introduce everyone to our newest team member, DJ Lane. I realize she’s a latecomer, and I expect everyone here to help her to get with the program.”
“Amy,” he said, pointing his clipboard in her direction. “You work on starts and turns with DJ. She’s a good enough swimmer and she’s competed before, but it’s been awhile, and my guess is she’s a little rusty. Most of all, we need her to be ready for next weekend’s meet.”
“Time for drills,” he said, then blew his whistle, and everyone began jumping into the pool. DJ followed suit. At least Amy got into the same lane with her. Maybe that was a good sign.
After about fifteen minutes of drills, Amy told DJ that her turns were all wrong.
“That might be because of my bad leg,” said DJ as they clung to the edge of the pool.
“Or maybe you just don’t know how to do them right,” said Amy in a slightly haughty tone.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s possible. How about if you show me the right way?”
So Amy demonstrated and then watched as DJ practiced.
“That’s a little better, but you’re still slow.”
DJ forced a smile. “Guess I’ll just have to keep working on it.”
Then they worked on dives, which fortunately DJ was still pretty good at. After about a dozen, she felt confident.
“But you still need to practice your turns,” said Amy.
“I will.” DJ forced another smile. “I appreciate you helping me.”
Amy didn’t respond, just dove into the water and continued with her own practice.
“Okay, DJ,” said the coach. He had his stopwatch ready now. “Let’s get some times down for you. How about you start with freestyle?”
DJ got on the starter block and waited for the sound of his whistle then dove. Okay, it wasn’t as smooth as she’d have liked, but she didn’t let that distract her as she swam hard. She knew that her times probably wouldn’t meet the coach’s expectations, but she’d give it her best shot.
He timed her in all the events, and, not to her surprise, she was slow in butterfly and breaststroke. Her strengths were crawl and backstroke.
“I want you to work on butterfly and breaststroke for the rest of practice,” the coach told her.
She nodded, but felt disappointed. Those were her least favorite events. It seemed a waste of time to work on them. Still, after years of competitive sports, DJ knew better than to argue with a coach.
“Hey, Turtle Girl,” said Bethany after DJ climbed out of the pool and removed her goggles and cap. “You’re not moving too fast. You sure you can cut it on the team? Maybe you should go back to the handicapped lane before you totally humiliate yourself.”
Viva Vermont! Page 7