Best of Women

Pippa

Eva was a mess the next few days, and her resentment towards Mia was on full display. It was disappointing to see her acting so coldly towards her sister. Thank goodness they now had separate rooms. Mia didn't gloat about her 3rd place finish. She knew how disappointed her sister was and would never rub it in.

On Monday, the girls had practice after school as usual, but when I met Mia at the gym to pick her up, Eva wasn't there.

"Where's your sister?"

"She skipped practice today," Mia informed me.

"Why?"

Mia shrugged. "She just didn't feel like it, I guess. Still disappointed from Saturday."

"That's ridiculous," I said as we headed for the door. "Lin pays a lot for these lessons."

I texted Eva and asked where she was. Apparently she and a few friends from school had gone shopping. Lin gave the kids a weekly allowance and the girls especially were really good about saving it up. I told her to come home.

When she arrived, she was laughing and happy, which I guess was a good thing. She'd been terribly down the last couple days, so some time with friends had apparently helped. I was cooking dinner and decided to question her.

"Eva, why'd you skip practice today?"

She was still looking at her phone. "I needed a break," she said.

"I understand you're disappointed," I said. "But your dad pays good money for those lessons. He doesn't want you missing."

"One day won't hurt," she said, which was unlike her. Both girls were super-committed to their sport and knew that even a day away could affect them.

"You're going back tomorrow then?" I asked.

"Probably," she told me, then disappeared to her room. I sighed as I continued. Eva was on her phone all evening, giggling and smiling. I figured it was probably a boy. I asked Mia if she knew anything. Apparently there was a boy named Xavier who'd been part of the group she'd been out with today. She'd had a crush on him for a while.

"Eva, put the phone away please," Lin told her when she had it out at dinner.

"Sorry," she said, tucking it in her pocket.

"How was practice?" he asked the girls. Mia and Eva met eyes.

"It was good," Mia said. "The other girl who made the team and I were paired up together. We're working on sukaharas for vault."

Eva just didn't say anything. I wouldn't bring it up with Lin if he didn't ask. If it became a regular thing, though, it would.

Eva skipped practice again the next day. She was hanging out with the Xavier kid again. When she arrived home, I again questioned her and she was playing on the phone.

"Put the phone away when I'm talking to you," I told her, annoyed.

"Okay," she said. "Jeez."

"You need to tell your father you've missed two days," I told her. It was starting to get a bit dishonest and sneaky.

"Why?"

"Because he thinks you're there and instead you're wandering around New York City."

"I'm not wandering. We're just hanging out at Starbucks," she countered.

"Still," I said. "You need to tell him. Don't you want to go to gymnastics? Don't you want to get better?"

"I missed the team. What's the point," she said.