Chapter 13

"Ladies!"

The gymnasts who had been milling around quickly took seats on the bench, Cheyenne sitting last.

"I am very disappointed. In fact, I'm down right disgusted." The girls looked at each other in surprise. In the bleachers I saw parents who were mostly used to my after-meet tirades looking surprised, too. I waited a beat. "I hate ties. Next time, win or lose, but no more ties."

Kelly stood. "On behalf of the team..." and blew me a loud raspberry before sitting back down.

"I will be taking applications for the NEW team captain right after we're done here." Predictably, Kelly stuck her tongue out. "We tied, and have I mentioned that I hate ties?

Several more tongues shot out.

"But the team we tied took third in the district last year and last week beat the team that took second, so we'll settle for a tie. This once.

"Not settling for a tie, Cheyenne and Kelly took one and two in the all-around. Looking good, girls." Kelly grinned, but Cheyenne glared. Even taking first place, she was sure she'd been underscored on beam and bars and was annoyed that her coaches hadn't protested her scores.

"And Traci, making her big brother proud set a new scoring record."

Traci turned red, several girls giggled, but Suzie and Kelly put their arms around her in a hug. Traci had scored a zero on vault. In vaulting, the girls do two vaults, declaring to the judges the vault they're going to do before starting. Traci did her full twist when she declared her handspring and vice versa. In her defense, you declare the vault by flashing a four-digit number, and she'd mixed up the cards they were printed on, not that I was going to let her live it down anytime soon. "But while Traci goofed, her team didn't, being there to support her when she finished."

First home meet and a tie, but that was better than last year when we didn't win a single meet, home or away.

"Good meet, and I'm proud to be one of your coaches. In fact, when the season is over, I may take credit for you instead of putting all the blame on Mrs. Calloway and Stephy."

Cheyenne muttered something I didn't catch, but I decided to let it go.

"Two laps and go home."

"You seem to be entirely too satisfied with yourself."

Robbie's voice pulled me back from wherever I'd been. "I have a lot to be satisfied about. The girls had their best meet yet last night, even if Trace screwed up her vault." Ten feet behind me I heard an indignant sound. Tami, Robbie and I were walking the park, even though a light snow was falling. Traci and Peter, our faithful shadows, trailed behind.

"Our play is done, except for the judging. The fourth play went off last night, and the fifth one should be finishing about now. Next week we win, they give us our check, and all we have left to do is cheat the eighth graders and Peter out of their shares."

"We heard that!"

I grinned. "And the best part, today was the last day of the grading period, so next week we should have new class standings."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself," Tami said before Robbie could make her own, probably acidic, comment.

"I am," I said confidently. "Either I win and I can rub her nose in it for another nine weeks, or she wins and we can all relax."

"You are so full of it," Robbie muttered.

"True. All too true."

"TONY SIMS, ROBBIE TATE, PLEASE COME TO THE OFFICE."

I took a moment to remind myself that Parker was long gone before breathing. I glanced at Robbie. She was already gathering her books. I copied her. Mrs. Wayne waved us away when I looked at her for homework assignments.

"Well?" I said, when we were in the hall.

Robbie smiled. "It's not the play. They would have called Tami too."

I nodded. It was Wednesday, and they were supposed to be announcing the results sometime tonight. The winner and two runner-ups had a banquet in Seattle this weekend.

"Could be class standings, I suppose. Mr. Reed wants to tell us in person the world has gone back to normal," Robbie said with a grin.

"Nope. Those come out second period tomorrow. Some of the teachers won't get their records in till four today. That's the deadline."

"Slackers," she muttered.

I grinned, trying not to let her see it. I knew how much she wanted back on top.

"Can't be about a suspension, 'cause I never get suspended."

That's the great thing about having a best friend: the support you get. "Could be football, I suppose. We were captains. But that ended a month ago."

Robbie nodded. "And if it was baseball, they would have called Ricky."

We shrugged and kept walking. We'd just have to wait.

"Hi, you sent for us?"

Mrs. Hatcher, the school secretary, was talking to Mr. Reed when we walked up to the counter.

"You have a meeting in the conference room," Mrs. Hatcher said.

"But I'd like a word in my office first," Mr. Reed added.

I nodded and held the gate open for Robbie as we followed him in. He hadn't moved from the vice principal's office to the somewhat larger principal's office until after Parker had left. I guessed it was his way of not rubbing salt in the wound,

He didn't sit or close the door. "You have a meeting next door that I won't be part of. Some of you may be tempted toward an in-your-face attitude." He wasn't subtle; he was looking straight at me. "But remember you represent this school." He looked like he wanted to add more but decided against it. We nodded.

Mr. Reed led us out of his office to the conference room next door. He didn't knock but opened the door and ushered us in. "Gentlemen," he said to the three men sitting there, "Miss Tate and Mr. Sims."

"Thank you. You can go," said the one in the middle who looked vaguely familiar.

"Why?" said Robbie quickly.

"Excuse me?" middle man said.

"She asked why you were dismissing Mr. Reed," I explained for the mentally impaired. "It's his school, and unless Mr. Butz has retired and you're his replacement, Mr. Reed doesn't work for you."

Middle man stood up. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, and suddenly I did.

"Sure, you're Mr. Spaulding, the big shot from WSAA who doesn't think teenagers can think without an adult telling them what to do."