Beaming Through It All

Chapter Eight

I had an opportunity to fulfill my mission of getting friends with Pearl an afternoon at training. She was talking - as usual - to her friends during warm-up, and April had gone mad.

'For all our sakes!' she cried. 'Can you really not stop talking? You're such a pain in the ass!'

Pearl was so shocked she didn't say anything. She merely gaped at April, who just went on.

'We all know your boyfriend is great and your life is amazing and everything. Now just SHUT UP!'

She looked as if she was going to hit her. I found it a bit unfair, especially since I had discovered, after spying on her, that Pearl was quite a nice girl who didn't deserve to be treated that way. Besides, she perfectly had the right to talk during gymnastics.

'I'm sorry,' Pearl mumbled, half shivering. 'I didn't think...'

'Don't be sorry' I heard myself saying. 'You're not doing anything wrong.'

April turned to me, amazed.

'What are you doing? She bothers everyone here.'

'No,' I said. 'She bothers you. Maybe you're just frustrated because you've got no life, and she does. But you don't have the right to dump on her.'

Everyone was holding their breath. Surprisingly enough I felt rather at ease.

'So you're on her side, now?' April told me. And then she looked at the other girls. 'Does anyone else want to confront me?'

'Leave it,' Alison said. 'They're all stupid.'

She gave me a dark look and took April to the bars. I had just lost two friends, but I didn't care at the moment. I was on my nerves. I stared as April and Alison were starting to work on their tricks, and turned round to go to the other side of the gymnasium, where the beams were.

When I left the club a bit later, I was still irritated. I liked April, but I couldn't let her be so mean. She lost her temper so easily! And now I had lost her, and for nothing, since my relationship with Pearl was still inexistent.

'Jenny?' I heard a voice call behind me. I turned round. There was Pearl, her face serious, looking at me.

'Thank you. You know, for earlier.'

I nodded.

'No problem,' I said. 'She was being harsh on you.'

'Still,' she replied. 'You turned your friends against you... And for nothing, I mean, we never talk to each other.'

I smiled. 'It's okay. She's not such a good friend.'

'Well, thanks anyway.' She smiled awkwardly and went past me. I watched her leave, still wondering whether I had done the right thing.

'Of course you have,' Jeremy told me on the phone when I called him later that night. 'There are plenty more fish in the sea, you know that.'

'Really. I don't see that.'

'You'll see soon enough. If you get friends with Pearl, she'll introduce you to many other people.'

Jill chose that moment to burst into my room, all made up and dressed.

'We're going out!' she said.

'Hang on,' I told Jeremy on the phone. 'My sister just got crazy.'

'Out ?' I asked her. 'What's going on with you ?'

I stared at Jill, so different from the last time I had seen her. Instead of her old pants she was wearing a little black dress that enhanced her waist, and with her jewelry and makeup she just looked totally glamorous. She was smiling, which made her look even better.