Forget Green Gables

Girl Time

Coach suggests that I learn a few more gymnastics skills for the competitive season. I attempt to master the no-handed cartwheel, better known as the arial, during tryouts. My spot on varsity is pretty well in the bag owing to my tumbling skills, but I know that I can get a partial athletic scholarship if I make the U of M cheering squad. I smile when I wonder what my die-hard State fan dad will think of his daughter in the maize and blue of the Wolverines. At least blue does not make me look like a Christmas tree the way MSU's green does when it clashes with my hair.
Next to me, Jessie completes multiple back handsprings. Coach gave Jessie the same advice about gymnastic skills for the competitive season. I cannot clear the cartwheel and keep landing on whichever leg is the far leg. I sink into the splits to give my leg a break.

Downstairs, the girls' basketball team begins their tryouts. Jamie and Rebecca are both trying out. Jamie stopped growing the year before and is not sure she will make even JV at only 5'2" tall. Rebecca, on the other hand, is 5'6" and still growing. Owing to after school studying with Jessie, Jamie, and myself, Rebecca is eligible. In fact, she is so eligible she is in the valedictorian race.

Coach blows her whistle, and it is our turn to show off our original cheer. We are not feeling particularly creative, and use one very similar to what we did the previous spring for football tryouts. We add new parts to show off our improving tumbling skills. At the end, we both complete back handsprings outward, myself adding a back tuck and Jessie another back handspring.
"Very nice, ladies. Go do some homework before we make a decision."
Jessie pulls out her math homework, and me my Spanish. "What if we're not back on varsity?" Jessie asks as she punches numbers into her graphing calculator with more force than is strictly necessary. She hates the quadratic equation. Jamie tried explaining it to her but with no luck. I think I have a solid grasp on it, but I am not about to try Jessie's temper.
"Then we suck it up, spend a season on JV, and earn our positions back," I answer, adding accents where they belong and tildes over n's. "But I don't think we have much to worry about. Half the seniors still can't do a back tuck and no one can do as many back handsprings as you can." My speech is bravado only; I will die of shame if I have to spend a season on Junior Varsity after making varsity.
"How're things with Danny?"

I grin; I can't help it. I watch so many of my teammates make up, break up, make up, break up with a cast of boys that could fill up a basketball team, each. Danny and I are rock solid, if not a little boring. Being together without the ability to drive is a bit frustrating. We want the freedom to go out as we choose. His sister aids us as she can with rides to and from the movies or a restaurant, but it is not fair to ask her to give up her social life to be our personal driver. "He's good. Cute as ever. Got me flowers for my birthday."

Jessie smiles. I know she does not find Danny Algrim particularly cute but is happy that I have someone who complements me so perfectly. Jessie's top-secret crush on my twin brother is not common knowledge, but since Homecoming Jessie forced the feelings to the back burner. I am proud of her maturity if a little baffled as to her infatuation in the first place. Who actually like likes Felix?

"How's your mom?"

My face goes blank. "Um..."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

I am thankful. Our birthday was a nightmare for our mother. Once she realized that another woman made my cake and nurtured me, guilt seeped in with depression, and I have not seen my mother except when she leaves the master bedroom to refill her water bottle. Felix is paralyzed when it comes to doing anything, and Dad acts as though it is just an irritating flu and will soon be gone. Surely Aunt Xo could help. I contemplate calling my grandmother or tia because I do not know what to do.
The whistle sounds before I say anything further. We circle the coaches. Jessie and I are both returning to the varsity squad along with Erica. Emmy Lou moves up. Gleefully, we throw our arms around each other and squeal. From downstairs in the gym, I hear the end of basketball tryouts.

"Well?" Jessie asks as Jamie and Rebecca walk out of the gym.
"JV," both answer, sounding tired but pleased. "Beats being on the freshmen team, and this way we can get better before we try to go up against varsity," Jamie says. "You guys?"

"Varsity," we say together. More high fives.

"I better get home...my mom is making meatloaf and my dad isn't going to want to be late," Rebecca says a moment later.

"Yeah, Felix said he'd meet us at the front after wrestling tryouts. Ready, Jamie?"

Jamie nods. "Jessie, you have a ride?"

Jessie nods as well. "Dad will be outside."

"When's our next break from school?" Jamie asks as we wander toward

the exit. It is already dark outside, a chill in the night air. I hate the darkness of fall and winter; I want light and warmth. One of the few things my mom and I have in common was that we are both lizards and will find the warmest place in the room to curl up and sleep. My dad says it's our Mexican heritage, but Felix is a complete polar bear. Dad's Swedish, though, which explains Felix.

"Christmas," Jessie and I answer in unison. "But we have finals in the last week of the semester."

"Damn," Rebecca answers. "I finally got all my grades up to A's. Finals are going to kill me!"