Sidetracked

by Deb Loughead

  By the time I hang up, my thoughts are spinning. Who ratted out Justin in the first place? I hope it isn’t who I think it is. How will I ever gain back Zenia’s trust and friendship? Why is Kat acting so weird now? Who is Coach going to choose to run the 100 meter? If it’s Kat, will I be able to handle it? And if it’s me, will she?

  I manage to get to sleep in spite of all my racing thoughts. The early-morning sun lights up my room when I open my eyes on Wednesday. Something feels different.

  For probably the first time, I’m not looking forward to practice this morning. I have to face Zenia, Kat, Shauna and all our problems. I dread being on the track with them.

  Luckily we don’t have to compete against one another this morning. All we do is our plyometrics and warm-up sprints. None of us has much to say, either, but I can almost hear what they’re thinking. Everyone notices our silence. Coach Reeves has an eye on us. He can see his potential relay team has some issues.

  When he calls me over, my legs go weak. I hope he isn’t going to ask about Justin and Carter. Did Zenia tell him what I saw and that I never helped her?

  “I’m not asking you girls to race today. I’m holding off. Is there something you need to tell me, Maddy?” Our coach is obviously worried about us. There’s a softness in his voice that I’ve never heard before.

  Should I confide in Coach Reeves? No, I can’t tell him anything yet. I need more time to sort things out myself.

  “Not really, Coach,” I say. “I think everyone is a bit uptight over what’s been going on this week. We’re all worried about our teammates.”

  “Maybe so,” he says. “But remember, I’m here if you need me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I offer him a weak smile, hoping it doesn’t reveal how much I’m holding inside.

  If this keeps up, some of the other sprinters may move up into our positions. And the rest of us will be left behind, wondering what just happened to our relay team.

  Coach Reeves doesn’t race us at afternoon practice on Wednesday either. He knows something nasty is going on. It’s as if he doesn’t want to make us compete when there is so much upset right now. Instead, he makes us run endlessly around the track and hop madly up and down. It’s a great distraction and burns off a lot of excess energy and worries. Matt has his eye on me. He knows something is going on with me and my friends. It’s obvious from our silence. Every time our eyes meet, he raises his eyebrows.

  Justin seems to be behaving today. Shauna shoots him invisible arrows, warning him about something. Carter is his usual arrogant self, running his butt off. When Coach isn’t watching, he fools around with some of the other guys. If only something or someone could bring Carter down a few notches. If only!

  After practice I walk home with Kat, Paige and Isabel. Zenia is long gone, and so is Shauna. As soon as Coach let us go, they didn’t stick around. They took off in opposite directions as if they had somewhere important to be. Shauna was right behind Justin when he left. She seems to be sticking to him like stink on a skunk to watch his every move and keep him in line.

  Zenia totally ignored me today. I’m getting bad vibes from her. But I don’t blame her. Problem is, I’m getting some bad vibes from my other friends now too. I’m sure it’s about what happened in the caf when Shauna sat with us. Everyone thinks my BFF loyalties are changing. Kat will always be my first and best friend. But now that I’ve gotten to know Shauna and understand her a bit better, I want to be friends with her too.

  I’m quiet as we walk home. Kat, Paige and Isabel babble away about the dance coming up on Friday night. They talk about what they’re going to wear and who they want to dance with. Every time I look up, one of them is staring at me.

  Finally Paige asks, “What is going on with you? And what’s with Shauna. I can’t believe she sat at our table in the caf yesterday. At least she didn’t try it again today.”

  “I thought you didn’t even like Shauna because she’s always giving everyone the evil eye on the track,” Isabel adds. “That’s what Kat said anyway.”

  I stop walking and stare at them, three of my oldest friends. “I never said I didn’t like her. I just wondered why she didn’t like us. And now I know what her problem is, so it’s not a big deal anymore. Shauna and I got it all straightened out.”

  “But Kat is still your best friend, right?” Paige asks. “And not Shauna. So why are you being nice to her when she’s acting like such a loser?”

  “What are you talking about?” I glare at them in disbelief. “Shauna is on our team! Don’t you think being friends with her is a good thing? We’ve hardly gotten to know any of the other kids at school this year. We’re always stuck together like some dumb snotty clique.”

  “What?” Paige and Isabel say and gasp.

  “Just let it go, you guys,” Kat says. “If that’s what you really think of us, Maddy, then whatever.”

  “Whatever is right.” I shake my head. I can’t believe they’re not even interested enough to ask what Shauna and I straightened out. I’m so furious, I make a run for it without looking back.

  chapter seventeen

  By the time I get home, I’m almost in tears. I already regret blurting out such awful things instead of trying to explain to my friends that Matt and I are trying to figure out how to help Shauna. I flop down on my bed and bury my face in a novel for English class until I get called for dinner.

  Abuelo has cooked up a paella tonight. I know Matt won’t complain. It’s one of his favorites. He would even choose it over mac and cheese.

  At dinner, Matt and I keep glancing at each other. We still haven’t had a chance to talk about what went on at practice today. Mom doesn’t seem overly concerned, even though I’m sure she notices. Abuelo always takes his cue from Mom. The two of them chat away together, completely ignoring our signals.

  Mom trusts us. I know that now. She doesn’t feel the need to snoop, to try to pry stuff out of us. I’ve heard other kids call their parents “crowbars” because of all the prying into their lives that they do. Some even creep their kids’ Facebook pages to spy.

  Awhile later, when Mom and Abuelo are relaxing in the living room and we’re cleaning up the kitchen, we finally have a chance to talk.

  “Did you see Shauna today?” Matt asks in a low voice. “She was all over Justin. Watching him all the time. Glaring whenever he goofed off.”

  “I saw that. We’ve gotta come up with a way to help,” I say. “We promised Shauna we would. The coaches are just waiting for a chance to make an example of someone so they can whip the team into shape.”

  “Zenia was watching Justin too,” Matt says, grinning. “But for totally different reasons. I’ve heard about those two. Everyone notices the way they stare at each other.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to miss,” I say.

  “What’s up with you, Zenia and Kat? Usually the three of you run laps together and never stop talking. You guys ignored each other today. Don’t deny it. And what was Coach talking with you about? Why didn’t he race you the way he always does?”

  I blink, not sure what to say. Was it so obvious that even Matt noticed?

  “Oh, it’s no big deal, Matt,” I say. “Coach still isn’t sure who’ll be running the hundred meter. So he’s holding off on racing us. He’ll be making the big decision soon though.”

  I feel a sharp little stab of guilt for not coming clean with my brother about what I saw, especially after he finally came clean with me. And I’m trying my best not to fixate on what happened with Zenia or between Kat, Paige, Isabel and me. But it’s very hard.

  When my cell phone rings, I grab it and look at the name on the display, hoping it’s Kat. But no. “It’s Shauna,” I say to Matt. “Hello?”

  Shauna starts talking right away. “Maddy. This is getting worse. I just listened in on a phone call to my brother. I was outside his room when I heard his cell phone ring.”

  “Hang on!” I repeat all this to Matt and he leans in to hear. “Okay, go on, Sh
auna.”

  She tells us she heard her brother talking about the dance Friday night. They plan on partying before and after. She’s sure she heard Justin say Carter’s name.

  “I’m scared they have something dumb planned for Friday,” Shauna says. “I’m worried they’ll do something stupid and get suspended or maybe even expelled. I don’t want Justin to be a part of this anymore. He has too much to lose, maybe even a college track scholarship!”

  Matt shakes his head and frowns. “Did you try talking to him?” he asks.

  “Matt? Is that you?” Shauna’s voice softens. She is so into my brother. “Yeah, I tried, but he totally dissed me. Told me to quit my stupid worrying and that I’m not his mother, but I can’t help it. Okay, I gotta go. He’s coming now. We need to think of something fast!”

  The line goes dead. Matt and I stare at my phone.

  “Come on, think, Matt! Justin can’t mess up his chances on the team or at school!”

  Matt shrugs. “I have to work on Friday night,” he says. “I can’t even be at the dance to try and keep Justin from hanging out with those dudes. Maybe someone else could help us?”

  A lightbulb goes on in my head. I know who could.

  “Zenia. She likes him. And he likes her,” I say.

  My brother’s face brightens. “Perfect. Do you think she’d help us out?”

  I gulp. It isn’t going to be easy. I don’t even know if she’ll talk to me right now. But I can’t tell Matt that.

  “Um…” I hesitate. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

  Matt offers me a high five. I take it and hope I won’t let a whole bunch of people down.

  chapter eighteen

  By Thursday, I can’t focus on the track or in the classroom. How can I ask Zenia for her help? I don’t even know how to approach her.

  Coach still doesn’t race us on Thursday. He has us try to improve our times individually. He won’t tell us our times either. He’s holding off on making his decision for as long as he can. He explains to me that he wants to wait until Monday now. He asks if the situation is any closer to getting straightened out. I nod quickly, even though it isn’t true.

  Kat has been acting different ever since our blowup yesterday. I know I might have made a mistake saying what I did, but it just came out. Now it’s as if our friendship is dissolving right before my eyes! She hangs out with Zenia while I run laps beside Shauna. It’s as if she’s making a point of letting me know that if I’ve found another BFF, so has she. It’s like me and Shauna against Kat and Zenia.

  What kind of relay team will that make? It’s crazy! And what’s so bad about having new friends anyway? Something is going to have to change if we ever hope to pull our relay team together. We have to find a way to trust each other again. At least I have Shauna to walk home with today. We’re still trying to find a way to keep Justin out of trouble Friday night.

  After dinner, I go to my room to study for a social studies test. Matt raps on my door and peers in.

  “So what did Zenia say, Maddy? Will she help us with Justin?”

  “Well…” I sigh. “I actually haven’t asked her yet, Matt.”

  Finally I tell him what happened to Zenia last Saturday, and how I blew it as a friend. He sinks down on my bed and puts his head in his hands. He has trouble looking at me. I can’t blame him. I can hardly look at myself in the mirror these days.

  “I’m not surprised about Carter. At all,” says Matt. “But don’t…” He pauses. “Don’t you think you’re still being a chicken by not trying to do something about it now? By not trying to talk to Zenia, at least?”

  I swallow loudly. He’s right.

  “Someone’s got to make the first move,” he says.

  “Okay.” I slap my hands on my knees. “I’ll do it. Right now.”

  “I knew you’d do the right thing, Maddy,” he says and smiles.

  Which gives me the last little nudge I need to pick up my phone. I go out and sit on the front steps. I punch in Zenia’s cell number, and she answers right away.

  “Zenia. We need your help with something,” I say. I explain how we need her help with Justin and that he might be headed for trouble with Carter and the other guys on Friday night.

  But she cuts me off. “Hold on. What does any of this have to do with me?”

  “Well, you know, you stopped him from getting suspended. We…we kind of thought maybe you cared about him, maybe more than just as a friend. If you could try to sidetrack him at the dance on Friday night… so he stays away from Carter and the other jerks. So he stays out of trouble…” My voice dwindles away.

  There. I got it out. It’s done. I tried. There’s a long pause. I’m starting to think she’s going to hang up.

  “Zenia,” I say, “I still feel awful about what happened on Saturday at the track…”

  “Maddy, it’s nobody’s business what’s going on between me and Justin,” Zenia murmurs. “And how can you call me after what you did? Anyway, I’m not even going to the dance. Bye.”

  And she hangs up. I have absolutely no idea what to do next.

  Matt is in the doorway. “What did she say?” he asks hopefully.

  I sigh. I can’t turn around to look at him. “She said she’d think about it.”

  chapter nineteen

  Everything is falling apart, and it’s my fault. Most of my friends aren’t talking to me. I have to try and fix things, at least with Kat. I have to explain why I said what I did. After Matt disappears into the house, I take a deep breath and dial Kat’s number. She answers on the first ring.

  “What’s up?” she says. Not even hello. Not a good start.

  “Kat, I know you’re still mad at me,” I say. “Can you at least let me try to explain what I meant yesterday?”

  “I’m pretty sure I know what you meant. But go ahead, Maddy,” she says. There’s an awkward pause. I don’t know where to begin.

  “Look, we have to find a way to pull this team together for everyone’s sake. For yours, for Zenia’s, and even for Shauna’s. We have to find a way to trust each other and work together, or it won’t be good.”

  “That doesn’t change what you said to me, and to Isabel and Paige too. That was a lousy thing to say. I can’t believe you really feel that way.”

  Kat’s words bite because they’re true.

  “All I was trying to say is that we need to get to know other kids too. I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. Don’t you make mistakes sometimes?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Kat says. “And my biggest one is letting you beat me on the track—just for the sake of our…friendship.”

  I gasp. I can’t help it. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. She’s actually been letting me win races!

  “Kat. Why? Why would you do that?” I ask.

  “I was faster than you last year, right? I think it bugged you, even though you said it didn’t. Am I right?” Dead silence. She’s waiting for my answer, but I can’t speak. “Well? Am I right, Maddy?”

  She is. Kat’s totally right. I never admitted it. I just sucked up the losses, the way I thought a good friend should. Good friends leave their competitiveness on the track. That’s what our coach told us last year. I murmur “Uh-huh” into my phone.

  “Okay, so don’t get mad when I tell you this.” Her voice sounds thick with emotion. “This year I wanted you to believe you were as good as me for the sake of our friendship. I wanted Coach Reeves to make the decision about who was faster. But the truth is, you still can’t beat me, Maddy. So that’s it. Now I’m in it to win it.”

  I am stunned. “Seriously? You’ve been letting me win all along?”

  “That’s right,” Kat says. “But not anymore.”

  I hang up because there’s nothing more to say. I don’t understand why she’s been doing this. Maybe I never will.

  Friday is a blur. I can barely focus. I still can’t get over what Kat admitted last night. I’m sure I blow my social studies test. The coaches cancel practice
and tell us to do some work on our own. They know that most of the team is pumped for the dance and not focused enough. I’m sure they’re fed up with all the drama. And then there’s the dance to deal with tonight. Coach Reeves is chaperoning. He’ll be there, watching us all.

  I can hardly face anyone. Not Shauna, or Zenia and Kat, who are both still giving me the cold shoulder. I don’t even want to go near the dance tonight, but I know I have to. I promised Shauna I’d help her with Justin.

  Butterflies race around in my gut all day. I can barely eat Abuelo’s dinner, let alone look at him. He knows something is up, and so does Mom, but they won’t ask. Nobody says a word when Matt takes off after he inhales his dinner. He starts work at six on Friday nights.

  After dinner, I pick out something cool to wear to the dumb dance even though I couldn’t care less about it. I’d much rather be going for a run instead. I choose a denim skirt, a lime-green Old Navy T-shirt, and sandals because it’s a warm night. I slap on a bit of makeup, not even caring how it looks, and head for the door.

  I’ve never been crazy about dances. I hate standing there hoping someone will ask me to dance. Or worse—dancing in a circle with a bunch of other girls who nervously show off because nobody has asked them to dance. The competition at a school dance is more intense than at a race!

  Before the dance, kids hang around outside the school. They gather in groups to check each other out. Some of them have a buzz on, as usual. Some others like me don’t even want to be here. But no one wants to feel like a loser and stay home to hang out in cyberspace while their friends are here.

  All my so-called friends are here. Kat’s standing with Paige and Isabel. When our eyes meet, I look the other way. I still can’t believe that she’s been letting me win races. It makes me cringe just to think about it. A bunch of our other track friends are in the gym too. Carter isn’t with them. He’s hanging with his new crew instead. Justin and a bunch of other guys are already acting like jerks.