On a Slippery Slope

by Melody Fitzpatrick

  “Hannah,” Gabby says, finishing up her rant, “is the real deal!”

  I am the exact opposite of the real deal — I still don’t even have ski gear.

  “Whatever,” Chloe says, shaking her head.

  “So, let’s have it then.” Ivy smirks.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Your big fundraising idea, Hannah. I mean, you must have one, right? Seeing as you’re ‘the real deal.’”

  “Well … um …” I stutter, looking into Gabby’s warm eyes.

  “What about the station, Hannah?” Gabby whispers. “Would they sponsor us?”

  “My station?”

  “Yeah, Channel Nine.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe,” I answer, noticing that everyone’s eyes are suddenly set on me.

  “Hannah,” A.J. says, a smile growing on his face, “Do you think you could work your Hannah magic on all of those bigwigs at the station?”

  “Magic.” Chloe sniffs. “Forget it! My dad already asked his boss, Gwendolyn, and she said no way. End of story.”

  Everyone’s eyes dart back to me. I shrug and A.J.’s face falls.

  I can’t stand how disappointed he looks, how disappointed everyone looks.

  “Come on, Hannah,” A.J. says, lifting his sparkling eyes to meet mine. “I have faith in you. You can do it!”

  No, I can’t. I can’t do this at all! If Gwendolyn said no to Chloe’s dad, there is no way that she’ll ever say yes to me. Gwendolyn hates me!

  “Um …” I gulp.

  “Come on, Hannah,” A.J. pleads, “just try, okay?”

  Why does he have to smile like that?

  “Okay.” I shrug. “I’ll try.”

  Suddenly, sounds of whistling, clapping and cheering fill the room. Everyone, with the exception of Chloe and Ivy of course, is looking at me like I’m their hero, ready to lead them to victory.

  Why do I keep doing this to myself?

  13

  Silver Linings

  “Hannah,” Mom yells from the kitchen. “Come in here for a sec. I want to talk to you about something.”

  It’s never good when she wants to “talk about something.” Oh my gosh, she knows! It was just a matter of time before she found out.

  “Hannah!”

  I don’t move a muscle. I’m not ready to deal with this. Why did I do it? Why did I dig myself into this hole? Mom must be so mad. No, she’ll be more disappointed than mad — which is way worse. How did she find out? I never said anything. Oh no! Gabby’s mom. Oh god! All that stuff I said to Gabby about my mom being all stressed out and weird! Oh, she’s going to be SO MAD!

  “Hannah! Will you pleeeeze get in here?”

  “What?” I say from the hallway.

  “Come in the kitchen.”

  “No.”

  I hear Mom’s chair slide back from the table. She’s getting up. She’s coming to get me. I have to run!

  “Hannah,” Mom says, coming into the hallway, “what do you mean, ‘no’?”

  “I’m busy.”

  “You’re not busy. Get in here!”

  “Fine,” I growl and follow her to the kitchen table.

  “So how is work going?” Mom asks, smiling a little strangely.

  “Good,” I say suspiciously.

  “You’re doing a wonderful job. I think the station was really smart hiring you. Your father says the ratings are just going up, up, up.”

  I nod. “Yeah. I guess lots of kids are watching online too. The station is pretty stoked about it.”

  “So how do you like your boss?”

  “She’s awful and she hates me.”

  “Andy?” Mom says, her eyes wide with shock.

  “No, Gwendolyn, the mean one,” I answer. “Andy is great.”

  “Oh, I’m so glad to hear you say that.” Mom looks oddly relieved.

  “What’s going on, Mom?”

  “Well,” she says, grabbing my hands, “wonderful news, ac­tual­­ly — for your dad and me, anyway.”

  “Wonderful news? Hmm … wonderful news!” I say, excitedly. Wonderful news means she doesn’t know. This is wonderful news!

  “Yes, well, your father and I are finally going to have a honeymoon.”

  “You never had a honeymoon?”

  “Nope, we couldn’t afford one back then.”

  “So when? Where?”

  “You know your father is leaving tomorrow for a conference on climate change, right?”

  “Yeah, in Australia.”

  “Well, I’m going with him! The station agreed to let your dad take a few weeks off after the conference.

  “So, what about me? Am I going?”

  “No honey, not this time. You have school and your new job.”

  “So, who’s going to take care of me?”

  “Your boss!” Mom winks.

  “Not Gwendolyn!”

  “No.” Mom laughs. “You’ll be staying with Andy for the next four weeks. Are you okay with that?”

  “Um …”

  “I know you probably would have rather stayed with Gabby. We did consider asking, but Gabby’s grandparents are back visiting, so they have a houseful already. Plus, Andy said she would love to have you, and you two get along so well. It just makes sense. Best of all, her apartment is across the street from your school.”

  “Really, she just offered to take in some random fourteen-year-old for an entire month?”

  “Hannah, you’re not random. She loves you to bits. Andy says she looked after her niece for the entire summer last year and it was a blast. She’s actually excited that you’re coming.”

  “Well, I guess. If you’re sure it’s okay.”

  “It’s all settled.” Mom smiles. “So, get yourself upstairs and start packing. We’re dropping you off tonight!”

  “Tonight?”

  This is sudden.

  Hmmm … I’m trying to figure out how I feel about this. I mean on one hand, Mom and Dad are going on a dream vacation to Australia, a place I have always wanted to see, especially since I did a project on it in seventh grade. I mean what’s not to love about Australia? It’s warm and sunny, the people have cool accents, and they surf, and hunt crocodiles, not to mention the fact that I’m obsessed with koala bears! Who wouldn’t be? I mean they are so cute. I can’t believe my mom is going to see one before me!

  On the other hand, I’ll get to stay with Andy for a whole month. How cool is that? We’ll chill and do girl stuff. I’ll have my own little mini-vacation at Andy’s!

  “By the way,” Mom says, digging in the junk drawer. “Is there something you’re forgetting to ask me?”

  “No.” What the heck is she taking about?

  “I was talking to Lori last night.” Mom takes out a pen and her chequebook and puts them on the counter.

  “Gabby’s mom? What did she say?”

  “She asked me if I had signed the permission slip for the big ski trip you’re going on.”

  Oh no! I knew this would happen! Oh crap!

  “What did you say?” I demand.

  “Well, what do you think I said?” Mom frowns. “I told her the truth.”

  “Oh my gosh, no!” I yelp. “What did you say?”

  “Hannah, settle down. I just said I didn’t know about the trip. She was pretty surprised, She said it’s all Gabby talks about. Why didn’t you tell us about it?”

  “What else did you say?” I screech, ignoring her question.

  “Hannah, seriously. What is the deal?”

  “Nothing, just tell me exactly what you said. Okay?”

  “Well, I said you couldn’t go because —”

  “Because why?” I yell, cutting her off mid-sentence.

  “Because you’ll be working, silly.”

  “What about the fact that I can’t ski? Did you mention that?” I bark.

  “No, it never came up. Hannah, what is with you?”

  “And what about gear? Did you tell her I have none?”

  “No. It was a short con
versation, Hannah.”

  Good! Mom never spilled the beans. And even better — I can’t go on the trip because I have to work. How could I have forgotten that oh-my-gosh-fantastic piece of information? I’m off the hook. No ski trip for me! Yippee!

  “Oh no!” I cry, trying to force down the smile that’s threatening to take over my entire face. “I totally forgot about work! There is no way I can go!”

  “Yes, that’s what your dad and I thought, too,” she says, starting to write out a cheque.

  “Wait, thought?” I say, confused. Why is she writing a cheque?

  “Oh, Hannah. You’ve had to give up so much moving here. I don’t want you to miss out on this, too. Trips like these are great bonding experiences — a chance to spend some quality time with friends, you know, where you really get to know one another.”

  I don’t want them to get to know me better, ’cause then they’d find out that I’m a big, fat liar.

  “Honestly, it will ease my guilt over leaving you at home. I know how much you want to go to Australia.”

  “Well, Mom, as much as I want to go on the ski trip, work comes first. I made a commitment to Channel Nine, and I can’t let them down.”

  “Hannah,” Mom says, pointing her finger in the air. “Where there’s a will there’s a way! It’s not like you to give up on something you want!”

  “What?” My head flies up in horror.

  “Can’t you work this ski trip thing into your job?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Your dad thinks you should do a ‘Learn to Ski with Hannah’ thing for your show.”

  What a horrible idea! OMG! That would be the worst ever! I would have to learn to ski in front of all of my friends who already think I am an expert! This is getting to be too much. Why is the universe doing this to me? But then again, the universe has also given me Gwendolyn, who would never agree to this. Not in a million years!

  “Gwendolyn wouldn’t go for it,” I tell Mom, confidently. “I’m sure of it.”

  “Sure of what?” Dad asks, walking into the kitchen.

  “Um … just some ski trip to Mount Sunshine.”

  “Some ski trip?” Dad raises an eyebrow. “Your mother said it’s supposedly the trip of the year. At least that’s what Gabby’s mom told her last night on the phone.”

  “Well, it doesn’t even matter. I can’t go because of work.”

  “Never say never, Hannah. I’ll just give Andy a call. Maybe we could work it into your show!”

  “No, Gwen won’t allow it.”

  “Andy has been saying that she wants to get your show out of the studio — take it on the road.” He picks up his phone. “Don’t worry, Hannah. We’ll make this happen. I’m calling her now.”

  “No!” I yell. “Um … it’s my show and I think it’s important that I handle this on my own.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive!”

  “Well, that’s very responsible of you, Hannah,” Dad says, popping his phone back into his pocket. “I’m impressed with you, young lady.”

  “Um … thanks,” I gulp down the lump of guilt rising in my throat. “I’m just saying, Gwendolyn won’t go for it, though.”

  “Don’t worry. Andy has a way of getting what she wants,” Dad says, smiling. “So apparently, there is a permission form we need to fill out?”

  “Umm … yeah, it’s in my backpack.”

  “Well go and get it!” Dad grins. “We need to get all of this paperwork out of the way so that we can get you on that trip.”

  Should I be worried? Nah. I know Gwendolyn. She doesn’t like me, or my segments, not to mention my hair, and she’s still mad that she was forced into hiring me. I just can’t win with Gwendolyn … except for this time because this time, hearing her shout, “Absolutely not!” will be music to my ears. It’s settled then; I’ll go straight to Gwendolyn.

  My ski trip is history!

  14

  It’s My Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To

  “Hey there, guys! It’s the perfect treat to take the chill out of winter and a super-delicious drink to share with a friend,” I say, smiling at the camera. “Today we’re making Friendship Tea!”

  Andy gives me two thumbs-up which means lighting is great, sound is perfect, and she’s happy with my intro. Even though I’m here working at the station every day, I still can’t even believe it’s happening! I almost have to pinch myself. I love being under the lights, the cameras all pointing in my direction. I feel like a superstar, until I glance at Gwendolyn, who is frowning as always.

  (Speaking of Gwendolyn, as I expected, she said no to the whole “Learn to Ski With Hannah” idea. I don’t even know what I was worried about. I knew she’d never agree to spending an extra penny on my show. And it was also no big surprise when she said no to me taking a week off work to go on the trip, and no for the second time to sponsoring our club. She was like, “No, Hannah!” then, “Absolutely not, Hannah!” and lastly, “Are you kidding me, Hannah?”)

  Ignoring Gwendolyn’s angry scowl, I continue with my segment. “Before we get started, I have a little confession to make,” I whisper, grinning at the camera. “I’m a tiny bit addicted to iced tea —” I hold up a tall, frosty glass and take a delicious sip “— which is great in the summer,” I say, licking my upper lip, “but not so great in the winter.”

  Gwendolyn, looking beyond bored, motions with her hand to get on with it. Is that Chloe standing beside her? And Ivy, too? Is the entire school here?

  “In the winter you need something that will warm you up. That’s why I was so excited when I discovered this yummy wintery version of my very favourite summertime drink!”

  I continue by listing the ingredients: Tang, iced-tea mix, lemonade mix, cinnamon, hot water … etc. I explain, step by step, how to put it all together and when I’ve made two steaming mugs of orangey deliciousness, I hear in my earpiece that one of my friends will be joining me on set to share the tea.

  (I’ve found out that when you are on TV you just have to go with the flow and act like stuff was totally planned, when it was actually sprung on you at the last second.) Gabby, A.J., and Marcel came to watch me on set today. I wonder which one it will be. Probably not Gabby; she won’t leave Marcel’s side. Oh no! Don’t tell me …

  Suddenly, A.J. appears on set.

  “Hi, Hannah. Is there enough for me?” He smiles at the camera.

  “Um … sure.” I hand him a warm mug of tea. “Oh … this is my friend A.J. We go to school together.”

  “Cheers!” He clinks his mug against mine.

  We both awkwardly giggle and then take a sip.

  His eyes widen. “Wow, this is really good! Perfect for a ski trip.” A.J. winks.

  “Um … yeah. It would be,” I say, feeling a twinge of guilt. I haven’t broken the news yet that Gwendolyn said no to everything, including me even going. As awful as I feel looking at A.J.’s smiling face, I have to ignore it and the sick feeling in my stomach, and keep going. I have a show to finish.

  “So, it’s as easy as that!” I say to the camera. “A delicious cup of friendship to share with someone special.”

  A.J. pulls his head back, smiles and takes another sip of tea.

  Why did I say special? Oh my gosh! He totally knows I have a crush on him. I hate that, and his annoyingly perfect hair, and perfect smile with perfect teeth. I’m so embarrassed. Grrrrrr. But I can’t focus on that now; like I said, I have a show to finish.

  “See you next week, when I’ll be whipping up a wintery warm-up treat for the bath — some soothing, scented bath bombs! Check out my website, www.beawesomewithhannah.com, to find everything you’ll need to join in the fun!”

  Just as I think the segment is done, I see Andy coming up on set. She never comes on set. What’s going on?

  “Hi, folks. I’m Andy, in charge of production here at Channel Nine News. Please pardon the interruption, but I have a little surprise in store for our Hannah.”

 
What? What is going on? This is so random. Why is she on set? What is she talking about?

  “Huh?” is all I can manage to say.

  A.J. is wearing an ear-to-ear grin. Does he know what is going on? How could he know when I don’t! This is even more annoying than him knowing I get weak in the knees every time he looks at me.

  “A.J., why don’t I let you tell Hannah,” Andy says, pressing her palms together with excitement.

  “Tell me what?” I ask, anxiously. I don’t like surprises, especially on air surprises!

  “Channel Nine is coming with us on our ski trip!”

  “What!” I yelp. “What do you mean?”

  “Surprise!” A.J. says, grinning. “Hannah, in less than a month you’re going to be at the top of Mount Sunshine skiing and snowboarding with all of Maine!”

  “I … I … what?” I stutter.

  “Cool, huh?” A.J. says, searching my face for a smile.

  I am too stunned to give him one.

  “Yes, Hannah,” Andy cuts in, “it’s all settled. Mount Sunshine is expecting you, me, our crew, and about thirty of your friends to be carving up the slopes in a matter of weeks!”

  I glance over at Gwendolyn, who looks livid.

  “Wow, this is a surprise,” I say, trying to force a smile.

  This is awful. Beyond awful. Epic awful. I never ever, ever said I could ski! Not even once! It’s not my fault! I can’t help it that everyone assumed I could! And snowboarding, I heard, is even harder than skiing. I am going to be a laughingstock! I might even lose my job! This just keeps getting worse. I feel my breath getting shorter. Luckily, I have really been working on my breathing techniques.

  “I have one more surprise for you, Hannah!” A.J. says, smiling into the camera.

  “What’s that?” I bite my lip. I don’t need any more surprises.

  “Channel Nine is going to sponsor us and it’s all because of you!”

  “No …” I shake my head. “But … but … Gwendolyn said …”

  Suddenly, Gwendolyn appears on set. This is getting crazier by the second!

  “Hannah,” Gwendolyn says, interrupting my stammering. “Channel Nine is proud to offer Maple Ridge Middle School’s Ski and Snowboard Club our generous support by becoming your official sponsor in the upcoming Mount Sunshine Alpine Championships.”