Risky Business (21 page)

“Gross! I have to chug mine when I drink them. They taste terrible!” Amber, a senior, shot Kate a disgusted scowl from across the aisle.

“I used to think they were gross, but the taste has kind of grown on me. I like to drink them slowly so I can feel the energy building in me.” She waved her hands in billowing motions in front of her body.

“Do you really think it has that much of an effect, though?” Amber asked Kate, looking doubtful. She took a sip from a bottle of orange juice.

“Absolutely. I even like to mix in some coffee sometimes.”

“Hmm, I just don’t think I get that big a benefit from them, so I rarely spend the money.”

“Oh, believe me, I hear you on the cost.” Kate rolled her eyes. “I have to use half of my lunch money in order to buy enough for the week.”
Mom better never find out
.

“That’s what we do, too.” Pam spoke up from the seat right behind Kate, pointing with her thumb to include Brittany who shared her seat.

“Who needs to eat, anyway?” Brittany laughed, patting her midsection.

“That’s what I’m saying.” Kate joined in the laughter, feeling the buzz already.

The bus brakes squealed in the parking lot of a gas station. When it came to a stop and the driver opened the door, Kate stood up and raised her arms high in the air to stretch. The three girls ambled toward the door past a few rows of sleepy swimmers who were just rousing themselves.

“Come on, everyone!” Pam shouted and clapped her hands. “Up and at ‘em! Let’s see some excitement around here!” A few girls moaned, one covered her head with a pillow, and another lobbed a wadded napkin at her.

In the gas station, Kate hurried past the rows of candy bars and chips, straight to the coffee machine. She poured a large steaming cup of coffee and slid it into a sleeve before the others caught up with her. She flicked three packs of sugar against the countertop then ripped off the tops of all three packets at once and shook them into the coffee, spraying granules of sugar all over the place.

“Hey! You’re making a mess,” Brittany complained. “Simmer down.” She laughed.

Adding three tubs of cream, Kate did her best to make her coffee palatable. Blowing away the steam, she took a tiny sip. She wrinkled her nose and added another packet of sugar and one more cream to her cup.

After another sip, Kate said, “Ahhh. Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

About an hour later, almost to their destination, Coach stood in the center aisle to address the girls. “Team, this is an exciting day. For you new swimmers, as you’re probably tired of hearing me say, this is our first event on our way to Sectionals and then State.”

Kate moved to the edge of her seat.

“You’ll be making a name for yourself and setting a standard for your personal season as well as for the team. Today’s times count as records for the season. And”—she looked around the bus and made eye contact with each of the faster swimmers—”there’s a chance that some records will be set today.” She shifted her position as the bus swayed on the mountain turns.

“Some of you may feel that your contribution isn’t as exciting as some of the other swimmers’, but that’s just not true. Take everything seriously and do your very best. Even if you come in last place for a swim, the seconds you shave off can make a huge difference for the team’s morale.

“And for those of you who have your sights set on some big personal accomplishmentstoday, relax, go easy on yourself.” She pushed her glasses up. “I want you to do your very best, but more than anything, I want you to have fun.”

They pulled into the parking lot of the Oregon State Aquatic Center and the bus squealed to a stop. Kate stumbled getting off the bus, unable to tear her eyes off the massive building in front of her. Was this where she’d swim?
Wow!
Old news to the seasoned swimmers, they looked away, unimpressed.

The instant they walked through the turnstiles at the entrance, Kate breathed deeply, filling her lungs with her new favorite scent: chlorine. She could hear the sound of rhythmic splashing as teams had already taken their places in the water, warming up for the day’s events.

They walked as a team, maroon and gold duffle bags over each shoulder. Nerves set in and no one spoke as they headed toward the locker room. Kate paused at the trophy case. Did she dare dream that her name would be affixed to one of those shiny gold trophies one day?
Someday—but now I just have to get through today
. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her hands shook. She lifted her head, pulled back her shoulders, and took a deep breath.

Steamy air and the riotous clamor of voices knocked Kate back a step as she opened the locker room door.

“Where’ve you been?” Pam wondered, tucking her hair into her cap. “We’re almost ready to go out to the deck.”

“I just needed a minute. Wait for me, okay? I’ll hurry.” She didn’t want to step out onto the pool deck alone, so she put her things in a locker and changed into her racing suit in record time. She hurried around the corner, hoping they hadn’t left her. But there stood four of her teammates, leaning against the shower wall, waiting for her. As a united front, they linked arms and walked out together.

The bleachers couldn’t hold one more spectator. They came decked out in team colors, their conversations blended into one cavernous roar. Standing to the left of the bleachers, Kate scanned the crowd for signs of her mom’s red hair. She looked up and down each row at the families—children with their books and computer games settled in next to their parents, grandparents with their cameras on straps around their necks, aunts, uncles, friends, loved ones all there to cheer for someone special.

After several anxious moments, she spotted her mom’s bright red hair in the middle of the third row. As usual, her mom had gotten into a deep conversation with a stranger. Her ability to draw people out amazed Kate.
Walt!
That stranger sure looked familiar.
Could it be? No way!
It was Olivia! “Olivia? Mom? Over here!” She jumped up and down, trying to get their attention.

Olivia flashed a huge grin. “Ta-da!” She stood up and spread her arms as wide as she could, one toward the ceiling and the other pointed toward the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Kate mouthed, astonished to see her best friend.

“I wanted to surprise you!” The noise almost drowned out Olivia’s shouted response, so she cupped her hands around her mouth.

“Come here!” Kate demanded with a big grin and pointed to the pool deck at her feet.

Olivia scrambled over legs and bags as she made her way to Kate.

Kate wrapped her best friend in a bear hug. “I can’t believe you’re here!” She looked her friend up and down. “You look exactly the same.”

“Well, you don’t,” Olivia said. She held Kate back at arm’s length. “You’re all toned and muscular, like you’re ready for the Olympics. I can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about.” Her eyes twinkled.

“Well, I’ll try to make your trip worthwhile.” Kate laughed. “Hey, speaking of that—how did you get here?”

“Oh, my dad had to come to town on business, so he let me use some of his frequent-flier miles. I’m staying at your house until Tuesday.”

“Perfect! We’re off school on Monday.”

“I know, silly. I arranged this trip, remember?” Olivia poked Kate in her side just as the warning bell sounded the start of the meet.

“I’m so excited you’re here.” She turned, in a hurry to get to her team. “I’ve gotta go now. But meet me in the hallway outside the locker room after it’s over. I hope you don’t get too bored.” Kate gave a teasing smile.

“I’ll be fine,” Olivia assured. “You just swim your heart out. I’m rooting for you.”

“Swimmers take your mark….”

Kate shook her arms to keep them loose for her favorite swim, the 100-meter freestyle. An hour before, she swam with her relay team to take first place. She could still feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins—the Red Dragon surely helped with that, too.

“Get set …,” the announcer continued.

She bent down and grabbed the starting block, poised to pounce. In those last seconds before the starting gun went off, she made a mental list of what she needed to do to make this a record race and looked ahead at the serene water. Even though the pressure was on, the water beckoned, and she couldn’t wait to swim.

Bang!

Kate sailed off the starting block and flew through the air toward the water. She sliced through the surface with ease. Already off to an amazing start, she swam with all her might, reaching like a little girl with her sights set on a cookie jar—just a little more … a little more … And she pulled through the water with strength even she hadn’t known she possessed.

It came time for the flip turn. It still wasn’t her strongest skill, and her foot slipped just a little, which limited the force she had for the push-off. But she pressed on. Relieved that the length of the Olympic-sized pool meant that a 100-meter swim only had one flip turn, she’d sailed through the hardest part.
Home free
.

One more length of the fifty-meter pool left to swim. She looked at the lanes to her left and, with the next breath, to her right—the water rested, undisturbed. No one came close. Still buzzing from her second energy drink of the day, she pulled from all the mental, physical, and spiritual energy she had. The buzz plus her adrenaline and determination—a record-breaking combination.

Lord, please help me
.

She swam for her life. Her lungs seared and her shoulders screamed.

Stroke. Stroke. Stroke
.

She felt the speed coming out of her fingertips like lightning and heard the crowd cheering. She absorbed their energy and stroked even harder toward the end of the lane. One last big pull, she tucked her head and reached out for the timer pad and glided into it.

She looked at the clock—52.33! She did it. She broke the record.

Triumphant, she pulled off her goggles and her swim cap and floated on her back for a few seconds to cool down, still basking in the cheers. One by one the other swimmers finished their races. They took off their goggles and stared at the race results, panting to catch their breath.

“Congratulations, Kate,” another swimmer offered before getting out of the pool.

“Congratulations …”

“Good swim …” People milled around,

and Kate lost track of who said what while she reveled in the praise that flew at her from all sides.

“Amazing.”

“Congrats.”

Kate exhaled, still trying to catch her breath, and smiled as she responded, “Thanks, same to you.

She hopped out of the pool to get some water and wind down in preparation for her next swim—she didn’t have long. She dug through her gym bag to find the banana and granola bar she’d tucked in there for that purpose. Her hand brushed against something cold—her last Red Dragon. She wanted it badly but didn’t want to show weakness by drinking it right there in front of the other teams and the spectators, and she had to swim again in less than a half hour. So it would have to wait.

Immediately after she finished taking second place in her third swim of the day, she picked up her duffle bag, slipped the strap onto her shoulder, and walked to the locker room where she laid back on the bench to gather her thoughts. Towel covering her face, she tried to focus by reliving every moment of the race so she could harness it and do it all over again in a little less than an hour.

“Hey! There you are. Everyone’s looking for you. What are you doing hiding out in here alone? You should be celebrating!” Pam shouted.

“Oh, hey. I just needed some time alone to think.” She noticed that Pam’s maroon suit dripped water. “You just swim? How’d you do?”

“Oh, who cares? You’re the star these days,” Pam teased. Her voice didn’t hold a hint of malice, but her eyes looked just a little envious. Kate knew she’d probably feel the same way—or worse.

“I’m sorry I missed your swim. I’m just trying to stay in the zone for my last race. I don’t want to lose any steam.” Kate popped the top on her Red Dragon.

“Oh, believe me, I can understand that. Everyone’s talking about you.”

“Ugh. Just what I needed to hear,” Kate groaned, taking a big swig of her drink.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You’re doing all the right things. You’re staying focused. And you’ve already finished three races. Three down, two to go. Easy. But, hey, if you need a little extra confidence boost, take one of these.” Pam held out a little pack of white pills. “They’re just caffeine pills. They’ll sure give you a zing.”

Kate narrowed her eyes. “Oh, man. I don’t know. Are they even legal?”

Pam assured her, “Oh yeah. Definitely. You can buy them anywhere without a prescription. Totally legal.”

Kate recognized the pills as the ones her mom took that first year after her dad died. After being awake all night, she had needed some help functioning at work. Kate turned the sheet of pills over and read the back. If her mom had taken them and they helped her a lot, why not? She couldn’t get mad if she’d done it herself … right?

“Perfect.” Kate peeled back the silver foil backing of the sheet of pills and popped one out into her hand. “Down the hatch.”