Shoot for the Team

Chapter 8: Rich girls

Two weeks later, Ms. Menville came back with 2 perfect-looking little girls, one who you could definitely tell was her niece.
"This is my niece McKenzie, and her friend Lilah." McKenzie stood there with a big smile on her face. She had perfectly straight white-blonde hair, and the same dark blue eyes as Ms. Menville.
Lilah, on the other hand, seemed kinda shy. She looked a little scared, but she was beautiful. She had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. She seemed hid behind Ms. Menville.
But the girls did have one thing in common. They were both rich. They were dressed in brand name workout suits and brand name tennis shoes. I would kill for a pair of shoes like that. I had been saving up for a pair of jump rope shoes like those forever, but they were just so expensive, and I always got fed up and spent the money before I had enough to buy them.
I was guessing that neither of these girls had ever jumped before, so I got out some double dutch ropes and started turning with Rosie. "Just start in the middle and start jumping," I told them. Lilah took a step back, looking scared. McKenzie, on the other hand, jumped in immediately. We started turning for her, and pretty soon she was doing double dutch double unders. Then we had Lilah jump. She seemed scared. "Do you wanna jump in?" I asked her. She shook her head no. I knew what I had to do. I ran across the room and got Lexi. "Lexi," I asked, "Would you mind turning double dutch for a second?" "Of course I'll turn," she replied. "Thanks," I said. I brought her over to where we were practicing. Rosie and Lexi started turning.
"How about we jump in together?" I asked Lilah. I didn't wait for her to answer. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the ropes. She was actually pretty good. We started jumping together, and soon we were both laughing. "This is fun!" she said. These were the first words I ever heard her say.
I started teaching the girls single rope tricks, but then I let some other kids teach them. Everyone wanted a turn, and I wanted a break.
I decided to work on my pairs routine with Rosie. Our routine is really cool. We have a bunch of gymnastics tricks and dance moves. It's fun to be pairs partners with your close friend. We have tons of fun working on our routine.
After we finished working on pairs, I went back to help the girls again. I was happy to see that Jenny was there too. Jenny is really nice. She's super organized. She's the type of person who's always has a band aid when you need one, and is always in the right place at the right time. She's really friendly and good at teaching too, so it was no surprise that she was helping the girls.
Jenny and I started teaching the girls traveler, where you have one rope with two people, and one person turns and both people jump. Jenny worked with Lilah, and I worked with McKenzie. Wow, that little girl has some spunk. I don't know how to put it. What's the word? Fearless. She wasn't afraid to try anything.
"McKenzie?" I asked, "How old are you?" "I just turned ten," she said. "I'm a fifth grader." She was small for ten. it was hard to believe that she was the same age as me. I felt bad for treating her like a little kid earlier, but I guess that I treat everyone that I teach how to jump rope like a little kid.
After a while, McKenzie got the hang of traveler, and so did Lilah, so we let them try it together. Then Jenny and I just watched them and talked. It felt nice to take a break. We talked about school and our routines and teachers. Jenny lives pretty far away from me, and it was nice to talk to her about stuff besides jump rope. I only see her at practice, anyways.
Before I knew it, practice was over. I said goodbye to McKenzie and Lilah. I gave them hugs. I had fun working with them, but it is a lot of work to teach new jumpers. "I'm gonna miss you guys," I said. "Bye Julie!" McKenzie said. "Bye!" said Lilah.
Right before they left, Miss Menville came up to me and said,"Thank you for working with the girls. They had so much fun tonight." "I'm gonna miss them," I said. "Maybe you won't have to," she said. "We'll be back very soon. Bye!"
What's that supposed to mean? I thought. Oh well. These girls might be rich and spoiled and related to Hollywood producers, but they were nice.