“Well, isn’t that just wonderful?” Mrs Ingram said, putting her hands together. “What an amazing achievement.”
I looked over at Ed, who, like me, had also turned bright red.
The thought of not having Mum and Chloe there to support me became overwhelming in my head. My heart began thumping and my eyes began filling with tears again.
“Why don’t we give them a big round of appl—” Mr Davidson said, but before he finished, the words just fell out of my mouth.
“I’m not going,” I said, loudly and abruptly.
Mr Davidson looked at me. In fact, the whole class turned to look at me.
“What do you mean?” Mr Davidson said, laughing nervously as people turned to stare. Neada and Jess looked taken aback and confused.
“I said I’m not going!” I replied. I stood up. “I’m sick of this stupid swimming contest. I didn’t even want to do it anyway!”
“You know that’s not true,” Mr Davidson said. “Sit back down, Molly.”
“Just leave me alone!” I yelled. “All of you, just leave me alone!”
I ran out the classroom as fast as I could, my shoes squeaking on the corridor floor. I ran and ran until I reached the school entrance, then flung the doors open for breath.
Everything I’d been feeling came to the surface and I began wailing. I’d never cried so much before. I didn’t know I had that many tears inside me to cry out.
Mrs Ingram and Mr Davidson appeared not long after. Mrs Ingram was panting as if she’d never run before in her life.
“What on earth is going on with you?” she said in between breaths.
“I could ask you the same question!” Mr Davidson said.
I couldn’t hold it in much longer.
“Everything!” I sobbed. “Everything is wrong.”
“Well, tell us,” Mrs Ingram said.
“I’ve had the worst weekend ever,” I replied, wiping my eyes. “I really can’t compete. There’s just no point. I can’t do it.”
“Now, you listen to me,” Mr Davidson said, kneeling down so he was on my level. “There’s no such thing as ‘can’t’.” He looked me in the eye. “You’re the best swimmer on the team, Mol. Why would you want to waste such a great opportunity?”
“The two people I want there the most won’t show up,” I sniffed. “My mum’s left me once again. And I had a falling-out with Chloe and made her cry, so she won’t show up either.”
Mr Davidson and Mrs Ingram looked at one another.
“Chloe’s got a few problems at home,” Mrs Ingram said. “I know she’s been difficult recently – everyone’s picked up on it. But you do know you’ll make up with her eventually, don’t you?”
No matter how hard I tried to think positively, I wasn’t sure we ever would.
“I really don’t want to be seen in my swimming costume again. Not in front of hundreds of people. I’m sick of being made fun of for my weight.”
“You think you’re fat?” Mrs Ingram said. “You? You’re strong, Molly. You’re a swimmer. You look like all the Olympic swimmers you see on TV. What’s wrong with that body shape?”
“If you’re going to let two people not turning up ruin a fantastic opportunity for you, then you’re not the Molly I thought you were,” Mr Davidson said. “Look at the friends you’ve got back in there who will show up. Ed would be devastated if you didn’t compete. And so would the rest of the team.”
He paused, then put his hand on my shoulder.
“You’re a really special girl, Molly. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.”
19
On Monday night Mr Davidson had rung Nan and Grandad and told them what had happened.
I was now the talk of the school for other reasons. People thought I was crazy for running out of the classroom and for yelling at a teacher. Some people said I was a rebel, which couldn’t have been further from the truth, really. But I suppose being called rebellious was better than being a laughing stock. I didn’t want to be known as a whale any more, or for being Chloe’s ugly friend. I wanted to disappear from people’s view and never come back.
No matter how much Mr Davidson tried to convince me, by Thursday I still hadn’t changed my mind. Neada and Jess weren’t sure what to say to me. Ed seemed sad, and I knew it was because I was letting him down. But if Tom and the Sheep thought I looked like a pig, then why wouldn’t he?
I hated the fact that I was bigger than Neada, Jess and Chloe. I hated being the odd one out in the group.
I refused to go to the early-morning swimming lessons. Instead, Nan drove me to school at the usual time like everyone else. Eventually, I thought, I wouldn’t have this pressure about the swimming contest and could blend into school like all the other girls did.
Nan was getting angrier with me every day for being stubborn, but I didn’t care.
“Why are you letting your mum and some stupid boys get the better of you?” she asked.
But no matter what she said, I stayed quiet.
Grandad was awfully quiet too. He barely spoke to me, and if he did, it felt forced – like he was trying to say something else but couldn’t quite get it out. I knew I was hurting him by not competing, and I felt bad for letting him down. But I also knew that, like most things, he’d get over it.
Chloe hadn’t shown up for school that week at all. Nan tried ringing her mum to see how they were doing but they never called her back. Mr Davidson spotted me in the school corridor and walked the other way. I felt miserable, and I wanted this stupid swimming contest to be over so that I never had to think about it again.
Nan tried to get me out of bed on Saturday morning. She was still acting funny with me and shook my duvet a bit more roughly than usual.
I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table. In less than an hour and a half I was meant to be at the swimming contest I’d trained so hard for.
I glanced up at the ceiling and sighed loudly. Just one more day and this would all be over. I rolled out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen, pouring myself a bowl of Coco Pops. Grandad was in the living room watching the early-morning cooking shows, and Nan was upstairs in her room.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the house felt strange and unhappy, like someone had died in it. I just wanted things to go back to how they were before Mum had ruined it for us.
I began wondering where she and Matt were. I pictured Matt squeezing her bum again (yuck!) and her laughing hysterically at his seriously unfunny jokes. I bet they’d moved into their new flat by now and painted the walls the colours she wanted. I bet they were both so happy that I wasn’t there to spoil their fun.
Ed’s dolphin ring clinked against my spoon. I bet he was at the swimming contest already with the others. I pictured the team having fun together and Ed making them all laugh. They’d all be standing round wearing their costumes with pride by now. And yet here I was, sitting in the kitchen on my own.
As I glanced down to look at the ring in more detail, the silver twinkling in the morning sunlight, I began thinking of the words Mr Davidson had said to me.
If you’re going to let two people not turning up ruin a fantastic opportunity for you, then you’re not the Molly I thought you were.
You’re a really special girl, Molly. Don’t ever forget that.
Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.
For God’s sake! Why was I worried about what Mum was doing? Why was I going to let someone who didn’t care enough about me ruin my big day? And why did I care if she didn’t show up, when all the people in my life that cared about me the most were going to be there?
This was my chance to shine.
I wasn’t going to let anyone down. And I certainly wasn’t going to let anyone else ruin it.
I sprang off my seat and quickly ran upstairs, opening my cabinet drawer and pulling out the special swimming costume that Alice and Mr Davidson had given me. I pulled the Lycra over my strong legs and over my squishy tummy, adjusting the straps over
and under my muscly arms.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked strong and powerful. Tom and his gang of Sheep didn’t know what they were talking about. Alice was right. I was the one who made the team. Not him.
I grabbed my goggles and swimming kit and rushed to the top of the stairs, pulling my tracksuit bottoms on as quickly as I could.
“NAN! GRANDAD!” I yelled as loudly as I could. “Get me to the swimming contest! We haven’t got much time!”
We bundled ourselves into the car – Grandad, Nan and me. We’d never been to this swimming centre before, so finding the address on the satnav was taking more time than expected.
“Hurry up!” Nan said to Grandad.
“I’m trying!” he said.
Nan pulled out of the driveway and we sped down the road, faster than Nan had ever driven before. No one needed to say anything, but I could tell my stubbornness was forgiven.
The wheels of the car screeched as we pulled into the swimming centre. Nan drove around trying to find a parking spot. The car park was full of other kids from other teams, all wearing their different school colours.
Grandad couldn’t run, obviously, but Nan and I did. He told us he’d meet us in there. I rushed through the leisure centre doors and to the main pool area, trying desperately hard to find my teammates among the crowd of people from other schools.
Then I spotted Alice’s tall frame in the crowd.
“Molly!” Alice yelled, spotting me, and everyone in the team turned to look. I spotted Ed and Mr Davidson, whose faces turned into large grins.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said, pulling my tracksuit bottoms off and flinging them on the floor. I looked at Mr Davidson. “I’m sor—”
“You’re here,” Mr Davidson said. “That’s all that matters. Give us your stuff and get to the side of the pool. You’re almost ready to go.”
Alice grabbed my belongings from me and started leading me to the side of the pool. I saw Nan and Grandad find their places in the audience. By this point almost all the seats were taken.
Best of all, Neada, Jess and Gabby Morris were sitting there too. Neada nudged Jess and they both cheered and waved at me. I was so happy they were there.
“I knew you’d make it!” Jess mouthed.
“Molly!” I heard someone yell from behind.
It was Ed, rushing over to me as quickly as he could without slipping on the tiles. “I knew you’d show up. You’re going to be amazing.”
“Thanks, Ed,” I said, turning pink.
And then, without warning, Ed leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
“Good luck,” he said, then turned and walked the other way.
I couldn’t believe it. Alice changed the subject quickly, not knowing where to look.
“Err … OK. Concentrate for a second. This race is exactly what you’ve done before in practice,” she said. “It’s four lengths of front crawl. Just focus on yourself, not anybody else. You’ve got this.”
I looked up at her.
“Alice,” I said. “Thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”
She smiled down at me.
“You’ve got this,” she repeated, smiling, and left me standing next to the three girls I was competing against.
That’s when I noticed something. All the girls I was swimming against had the same body shape as mine. They didn’t look petite and small like Neada, or thin like Chloe and Jess. They were strong, with broad shoulders and legs. We may not have looked like the girls in magazines but we still looked great in our own way.
Looks aside, we were all clearly nervous about the race.
We put our goggles on. I took in a deep breath and looked at the end of the pool ahead of me.
“You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself.
I watched the team take their seats on the sidelines. Mr Davidson waved at me to show me he was there. Everyone in the crowd was waiting anxiously for the horn to go off, their excited mumbles echoing around the room.
I glanced up one last time and spotted Nan, Grandad, Neada, Jess and Ed waving at me, their arms a blur with excitement. Their faces were covered in huge grins and they were chanting my name:
“Mol-ly! Mol-ly! Mol-ly!”
If this was what being an Olympic swimmer felt like, this is how I wanted to feel forever.
Three…
Two…
One!
The horn rang and I threw myself head first into the water, pushing my arms and legs forward like I was a motorboat. I didn’t look at the girls racing on either side of me. Instead, I just pushed and pushed myself, coming up for air when I needed to.
I swam for Nan and all the times she’d stuck up for me. I swam for Grandad, Alice and Mr Davidson, who believed I was the best swimmer out there. I swam for Ed, who I knew cared about me deeply. And I put all the anger I had towards Mum, Chloe and Tom into driving me forward.
My arms quickly began to ache, but I just didn’t stop.
“Mol-ly! Mol-ly! Mol-ly!”
Before I knew it, the first lap was done. I took a big kick at the end of the pool and swam back the other way, splashing my legs as hard as I could.
By lap three my legs were aching badly. My arms were heavy and I wanted to stop. But the cheers around me meant I was far from finishing.
“Come on!” I thought to myself, coming up for air. “You never have to swim again after this if you don’t want to!”
I clenched my jaw together in pain. My arms were burning in pain by this point. Just one lap to go, and I’d be finished…
I slammed my hand on the wall in front of me and let out a sigh of relief.
A man yelled my name, and the cheers grew louder and louder. Mr Davidson and Alice rushed over to me, helping me out of the pool and wrapping me in a towel. My arms and legs still ached but the smiles on their faces made it all worthwhile.
“You came second!” Mr Davidson yelled. “You did it! You got a silver medal, Molly!”
20
Nan wouldn’t stop crying and saying how proud she was of me. Grandad’s face was beaming with a smile I hadn’t seen in a long time. Mr Davidson and Alice were hugging each other. Neada, Jess and Ed were jumping around in excitement, cheering my name.
I couldn’t believe how much me entering this contest meant to other people. And I couldn’t believe I’d almost jeopardised it over what people thought about me, or by worrying about Mum not being there.
She didn’t need to be. I had the people I cared about most around me.
“Come on,” Grandad said to Nan, who was blowing her nose. “Let’s go and get you a cup of tea.”
“See!” Ed said as they walked away, jokingly poking my arm. “I told you you could do it!”
All of a sudden, Neada’s face dropped. She pointed behind me and we all turned to look.
It was Chloe, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail and a sad look on her face. She was dressed in a pink tracksuit, but her expression wasn’t as bright as the colour she was wearing.
Her mum was standing next to her, a hand on her shoulder and a huge scowl on her face.
“Chloe has a few words she wants to say,” she said, and nudged Chloe forward.
There was an awkward silence, with no one knowing where to look. Jess glanced at her feet and Neada folded her arms. Mr Davidson and Alice slowly moved away so they wouldn’t interfere.
“I’m so sorry,” Chloe blurted out. “I have been the worst friend to you and I am so ashamed of myself.”
I couldn’t believe it. In all the years I’d known Chloe, she’d never apologised – not once.
I hated Chloe for the horrible things she’d said and done to us all, but I did know it would’ve taken her a lot of guts to say sorry. I noticed Neada’s and Jess’s crumpled expressions slowly soften.
“Keep going,” Chloe’s mum said, squeezing her shoulder. She did not look pleased with Chloe at all.
“I’ve been the worst person in the world to you all
and said some dreadful things. I know my dad leaving us doesn’t excuse anything, but I don’t know what’s come over me. This just isn’t the person I am.”
She turned to Ed.
“I’m so sorry, Ed,” she said. He brushed the hair out of his eyes to look at her properly. “I was just really jealous of you and Molly being friends and was worried about you taking Molly away from me.” Then she turned to Neada and Jess. “I’ve been awful to you too. And to Gabby Morris. I’m going to apologise to her properly when I see her.”
Her eyes began welling up. She couldn’t have been more sorry if she’d tried, and I really didn’t want to see her any more upset than she clearly was.
“It’s OK,” Ed said, his mouth turning into a crooked smile. “I don’t want us to fall out.”
“Me neither,” said Neada.
“Nor me,” Jess agreed. “I just want the gang to be back to how it once was.”
Chloe looked at me for approval. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, all the boys fancied her and she had a mum who spoiled her rotten. But I had something she didn’t have – a nan and grandad who weren’t split down the middle. I was spoiled in other ways. And Chloe would never be strong enough to win a swimming medal like I just had.
“I don’t ever, ever, ever want us to fall out again,” I said, and all five of us fell into a massive hug, like nothing had ever happened.
“There,” Chloe’s mum said. “That wasn’t difficult, now, was it?”
She wandered off, leaving us still hugging. I knew it would take time, but I was glad our gang could slowly go back to being how we once were.
It was time for me to go home. I’d received my medal and had my photo taken with the other finalists, with my fans (OK – friends and family) gazing adoringly at me. It quite possibly could have been the best day of my life.
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