Viva Vermont! (12 page)

Casey snickered, and DJ felt like screaming. What was wrong with these girls? Instead, she picked up her bag and fished out her keys.

“I'm tired,” she told them as she stood up. “I'm going home. If you want a ride, you better behave yourselves.”

12

BY WEDNESDAY OF THE FOLLOWING
week, DJ had received thirty-seven anonymous text messages—not that she was counting exactly—each one sounding more hateful and threatening than the previous one. It was starting to get disturbing.

“Taylor said if I ignored them, it would stop,” she told Conner as they sat waiting for their order at the Hammerhead.

“I think you should tell the police,” he said solemnly.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah … it's wrong for them to do this to you, DJ. And I'm sure it's illegal.”

“But who would I accuse? The messages are anonymous.”

“I don't think you have to accuse anyone. You just let them know what's going down, and maybe they can figure it out.”

“You don't think that's like making a mountain out of a molehill?”

“I just think it's going too far.” Conner looked seriously concerned now. “And it's making me remember something.”

“What?”

“Well, Haley told me that she'd been treated for this thing. I can't remember what she called it—some initials—but it had to do with an inability to let things go. Kind of like she obsesses over stuff. You know?”

“Obsessive-compulsive disorder?”

“Yeah. That's it. OCD.”

“Haley has that?”

He nodded. “I wouldn't even tell you, but what if she's behind this?”

“But Bethany seems to be the one—”

“ “Bethany is just doing Haley's dirty work.”

“But why?”

He held up his hands. “Good question. Probably because Bethany feels honored to be Haley's friend. I mean, look at them—can you imagine a more unlikely pair?”

DJ considered this. “So Haley actually told you she had OCD?”

“She trusted me.” Conner frowned.

“That probably makes you feel even worse now …”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Well, it's not like you would've told anyone … I mean, if this hadn't happened. In a way she's asked for it. Not that I'll tell anyone else … I mean, what would be the point?” DJ folded the napkin in half. “So did she say how having OCD affects her? Like why did she need to get help?”

“For one thing she struggles with anorexia.” Conner sighed. “She thinks she needs to keep her weight down for diving and gymnastics.”

“She's already tiny,” DJ pointed out. “I can't imagine why she'd be concerned about her weight.”

“Exactly. She obsesses.”

“Oh …”

“And she's this real perfectionist. Kind of a control freak, you know?”

“That's got to be hard.”

“Oh, yeah …”

“And losing you, Conner. That was probably very frustrating for her. No wonder she's taking it so hard. I wish I'd known this.”

“Why?” He looked slightly hurt now. “What would you have done differently?”

“I don't know,” she admitted. “I mean, it's not like we're doing anything wrong. I mean, we're just friends. And anyone who's paying attention should realize that.”

He nodded. “You'd think so.”

“But back to your suggestion … do you really think I should call the police?”

“I don't know, DJ. I guess I just want it to stop.”

“Well, Taylor felt certain that if I ignored it, it would stop.”

“But it hasn't.”

“Well, maybe I need to give it more time. The texts have only been coming for less than a week. If I just let it go …” The truth was that DJ was suddenly feeling sorry for Haley. She'd had no idea that she struggled with something like that. No wonder she'd been so weird about everything.

“I guess it can't hurt,” said Conner as their food came. “As long as you don't let it go too far.”

“And watch my backside,” she teased.

“Did you hear the good news?” asked Taylor later that evening.

“What good news?” DJ tugged on a pair of wooly socks then hopped into bed. It had been cold lately, and the forecast for the weekend was more snow in the higher elevations. Perfect for the ski trip.

“The general has offered to drive us all to Vermont in his motor home.”

“He has a motor home?”

“Apparently, it was just delivered yesterday. He stopped by at dinnertime to show it off. It's huge—like forty feet long—and totally awesome with a big flat-screen TV, leather chairs and sofa, gorgeous kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, a full bathroom, and a bedroom with a king-sized bed with another flat-screen TV. Really swanky in a cheesy sort of way.” Taylor rubbed moisturizer onto her face and neck, her regular nighttime beauty routine.

“And he's going to let us ride in it?”

“He called it the model-mobile. He was going on about how he was taking his harem of beautiful girls on a road trip.”

“And Grandmother too, right?”

Taylor laughed. “Of course.”

“Wow, that's really nice of him. I thought we were going to be taking the train.”

“No way. The plan is to leave at three thirty on Friday after school. That way we'll be at his lodge in time for dinner, which is, by the way, being catered. Not bad, eh?”

“On Friday?” DJ sat up in bed. “I thought we were going early on Saturday morning.”

“Not now. This will give us almost three full days of skiing and snowboarding. Pretty cool, huh?”

“But I can't go.”

Taylor frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We have a swim meet on Friday afternoon.”

“Well, ditch it.”

“I can't.”

“Sure you can. You just don't go.”

“No, they're counting on me.”

Taylor didn't look convinced. “I'm sure that Haley and her thugs will be totally brokenhearted if you don't show.”

“That's not it.”

“Well, what then?”

“The coach is counting on me. My times have gotten better this week.”

“So?”

“So … and there's the team too.”

“Oh, yeah, like Haley and Amy and the adorable Bethany Bruiser. You don't want to disappoint them.”

“No. I've made some friends. Monica and Daisy and Kara. In fact, we've decided to do a relay team together. But without me, they can't. It feels like I've just started to make some headway. If I don't go—”

“I can't believe you'd choose the swim meet over the ski trip.”

DJ sighed and leaned back into her pillow. This was a disaster. “Why can't the general wait until Saturday morning?” she said almost to herself.

“You can't have your cake and eat it too,” said Taylor in her grumpy voice.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“That wanting it both ways isn't fair to the rest of us,” she snipped. “Come on, DJ. Get with the program. It's just a stupid swim meet.”

“I can drive you up there,” offered Conner at lunch on Thursday. DJ had just dumped on him about being bummed because she had to choose between the swim meet and the ski weekend.

“Really?”

“Sure. I was going to ride with Harry. He's going up right after school too. But I know that Garrison would gladly take my place. Bradford is driving too, but he's already got a full car.”

“How many guys are going up there anyway?” asked DJ.

“I don't know. You'd have to ask Harry. But the word leaked out, and my guess is there'll be at least a dozen of us. Harry told some of the guys to bring sleeping bags so they could crash on the floor.”

“You really wouldn't mind taking me?”

He laughed. “What do you think?”

She thought she'd like to throw her arms around him and give him a great big kiss, but knew that it would be stupid not only because one of Haley's spies was probably watching, it would be breaking their pact to remain friends. So she just thanked him.

“How about if I come by your house tonight and pick up your stuff,” he offered. “Then we can leave as soon as the meet ends tomorrow. Any idea when that'll be?”

She frowned. “Like around six?”

“Well, Harry said that it takes about three hours to get up there. So, even if we stop to get a bite, we should be there before ten. That's not too bad.”

“Not bad at all.” She grinned at him.

So it was set. She
could
have her cake and eat it too. She couldn't wait to inform Taylor.

“Any new text messages?” he asked in a lowered tone.

“Just two today.” She sighed. “I deleted them without reading them.”

“You sure that's wise? I mean, what if there was something specific?”

She shrugged. “It's more for my sanity's sake than anything.”

“Well, just think,” he told her. “You'll have three days in Vermont to put all that behind you. Maybe it'll blow over by the time we get back.”

“Viva Vermont!” she said, and Conner echoed her. Naturally, several others at the table heard them, and now they were all laughing and lifting their soda cups as if to make a toast, yelling, “Viva Vermont!”

She rolled her eyes. “Look what we started.”

“So, you decided to go then?” said Taylor as they were exiting the cafeteria.

DJ explained her plan with a happy grin. “See, I can have it both ways. You were wrong.”

Taylor slapped her on the back. “Well, whatever, DJ. I'm just glad you won't be missing out.”

“Me too.”

Taylor held up her forefinger. “Although, you will be missing out on the general's motor home ride. Too bad.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“You looked awesome today, DJ,” said Monica as they got dressed after practice.

“Yeah,” agreed Daisy. “Your leg of the medley was the fastest.”

“Well, that's because I was doing the crawl,” DJ admitted. “That's my best event.”

“Well, your backstroke has really gotten better too,” pointed out Kara.

“I think we have a chance to win the meet tomorrow,” said Monica.

DJ nodded. More than ever she was thankful that she hadn't allowed Taylor or the others talk her into ditching the meet.

“Our relay team might even be good enough to beat Haley's,” said Kara with confidence.

DJ frowned. “Well, even a second place wouldn't hurt.”

“No, it wouldn't hurt,” agreed Monica.

“But wouldn't you love to beat Haley?” asked Kara.

“Oh, I don't know …” DJ almost felt as if the locker room could be bugged. Sure, Haley and her friends were still doing morning practices, but who knew? “We need to remember that we're a team,” she finally said. “We need to support each other.”

“DJ's right,” said Daisy.

“But a little healthy competition within the team is okay,” said Kara hopefully. “Right?”

DJ grinned. “Right.”

And DJ knew that Kara was right. But at the same time, DJ did not want to rock Haley's boat. It's not that she was afraid of her … more like she was concerned. Since Conner had told her about Haley's “little secret,” DJ really had been praying for Haley. She hoped that at some point, she'd be able to talk to her and even invite her back to youth group.

When DJ got home, Conner's pickup was already there. “Am I too early to get your stuff for tomorrow?” he asked.

DJ slapped her forehead. “Oh, yeah, I nearly forgot.”

“I don't mind waiting,” he told her.

“Great.” She led the way into the house. “Make yourself at home while I throw my stuff together.”

“Then, if you want, we could sneak out for a burger.”

DJ glanced around. That would make two nights in a row. Not that anyone was counting. Missing another low-cal, low-fat meal wasn't the least bit disturbing. “Sounds good,” she told him. “I'll be down in a few minutes.”

DJ raced up the stairs and began pulling out her ski clothes and stuffing them into her duffle bag.

“Is that how we pack?” asked Taylor as she emerged from the bathroom to discover DJ in a frenzy.

“That's how we pack when we're in a hurry,” said DJ. “Conner's picking up my stuff so I can be ready to go tomorrow.”

“You could just send your stuff with us,” suggested Taylor, displaying once again just how smart she was. “The general's motor home has plenty of storage space. Don't you have a snowboard too?”

“He can take everything?”

Taylor smiled smugly. “That's what I'm saying.”

“Cool.” DJ dropped her duffle bag onto the floor. “In that case, I'm grabbing a burger with Conner.”

Taylor looked slightly jealous now. Or maybe she was simply hungry. “I guess there are some perks to all your athletic obsessions.”

DJ nodded, but just hearing the word
obsession
made her think of Haley. And that made her feel bad.

“Want me to express your regrets to your grandmother for not dining with the rest of us?” offered Taylor.

“Sure.” DJ smiled. “Thanks!” Of course, as DJ dashed back down the stairs, she had to wonder why Taylor was so nice to her sometimes. Well, nice for Taylor anyway. Anyone else would probably consider that to be normal.

13

DJ AND CONNER HAD JUST STARTED
to eat when the door to the diner swung open and Haley, Amy, and Bethany walked in.

“Oh, great,” said DJ with a mouthful of cheeseburger. “This is like a déjà vu all over again.”

“Huh?”

“Haley and friends.”

“Just ignore them,” said Conner.

DJ focused her attention on slowly opening a bottle of ketchup and dumping a neat little heap right next to her fries. Then she carefully replaced the lid and set it back by the napkin holder. From the corner of her eye she could see the girls taking a booth near the front of the diner.

“Looks like they're not going to make an attack,” said DJ.

“See,” he told her. “Maybe it is going to blow over.”

“One can only hope.”

Even so, DJ and Conner took their time eating. The plan was to wait for Haley and friends to leave first. That way they could avoid any confrontations.

“You all ready for the big meet tomorrow?” asked Conner.

“I'm actually looking forward to it.”

“Cool.”

“I know. If anyone had told me last summer that I'd be swimming on swim team this year, I'd have told them they were nuts. But here I am doing it … and enjoying it too.” Then she told him about her swim team friends Monica, Daisy, and Kara.

“Yeah, I've known Monica for years. She's okay.”

“Kara seems kind of intent on beating Haley,” admitted DJ. “But I reminded her that we're supposed to be a team.” Then she told Conner how she'd really been praying for Haley. “I'd like to invite her back to youth group … you know … when it feels right.”

“That'd be cool.”

“She really does seem unhappy,” said DJ, glancing up just in time to see Haley's little pixie face looking their way with a sad sort of longing. Of course, she then quickly looked away.

“I was thinking that this whole experience might actually be good for her,” said Conner.

“How's that?”

“Well, sooner or later, she has to accept that she can't control every detail of her life.”

“That's true,” said DJ. “I've had to learn that one myself.” “So, let's just hope for the best.”

DJ nodded. “And pray that God will get hold of her heart.”

He gave her a thumbs-up. Then, to DJ's relief, the three girls finally left … with no confrontation. That seemed to suggest real progress. As Conner and DJ went out to the truck, she felt hopeful.

“Good luck,” said Monica as she slapped hands with DJ. They were both in the holding pen for the backstroke event. So was Haley, but as usual she was keeping her distance. When DJ attempted to give her what she hoped was an encouraging smile, Haley simply frowned and looked away.

DJ knew enough about sports and competition to know that some things had to be blocked out. And today she would have to block out Haley. Simply do your best, she told herself, and let the rest of it sort out later.

That's exactly what she did in the backstroke event—her best. And it just felt right. Oh, she had no idea which place she was in, but she knew she was swimming at her peak, and that felt good. But when she touched the edge of the pool and turned around, she was stunned to hear people cheering and clapping, and even more stunned to see that she had won that race. Haley had come in a close second.

Once she was deck side, she held out her hand to shake Haley's, almost expecting to be rejected, but to her surprise, Haley shook her hand. She gave DJ a small smile. Sure, it was forced, but it was better than nothing.

“Good race,” said Haley quietly.

As the meet progressed, DJ thought that Haley shouldn't feel too badly since she was cleaning up in the diving competition. Not that there was much competition, since Haley was far and above the best diver.

But then it came time for the relays, and DJ could see that Haley and her friends were feeling nervous. In fact, DJ felt nervous too. But she tried to appear confident as she huddled with her relay team, each of them encouraging the others to do their best.

“Go for it!” said Kara. And then they went over to line up at the starting box. DJ made sure to keep her eyes on her own team, her own lane, and simply focus on her own swim—the last leg of the relay, and the same leg as Haley. She knew it was unlikely that her team would beat Haley's, but the truth was she hoped that they would. And why shouldn't she? She was an athlete. This was a competition. It was natural to want to win.

Her leg of the medley was, of course, crawl stroke, and she once again felt like everything was working, like she was giving this event her best effort and she would have no regrets. And, once again, she didn't allow herself to look into the other lanes, especially Haley's. She simply swam as if she were the only one in the pool, and going for her own personal record.

At the end, she looked up, and her teammates were all grinning and reaching down to pull her out of the water. Then they were slapping her on the back and announcing that they had just taken first place.

“That was awesome,” said Kara.

DJ glanced over to where Haley's team was now helping her out of the water. “We really beat them?” DJ asked Kara quietly.

“Oh, yeah …” Kara nodded happily.

Haley looked unhappy as she toweled off her face, and DJ considered doing the handshake thing again. But due to the icy looks she was getting from Bethany, she decided it might not be such a good idea this time.

As it turned out, Crescent Cove High won the entire meet, and everyone on the team, or almost, was ecstatic.

“We've turned a corner,” said Coach Reynolds as he gathered everyone for a little victory party, complete with snacks and some sparkling apple juice and plastic champagne glasses all ready to toast. “Here's to finishing the season strong.”

DJ quickly lifted her glass, drinking to the toast. And just as quickly, she excused herself, hurrying to the locker room. It was already past six, and Conner was waiting on the sidelines. She was eager to get on the road. She hurried to shower, dress, and partially dry her hair, managing to get out of there before the others began trickling in.

“Wow,” said Conner. “That was quick.”

She laughed as she threw her duffle into his cab. “Record breaking all around.”

“Yeah, you were something out there, DJ. Really great meet.”

“Thanks.”

He grinned and started the engine. “And you don't look too bad in your swimsuit either.”

She punched his arm playfully. “Thanks, I think.”

“Did Haley say anything to you?”

“Not exactly. I mean, she said good race when I shook her hand, but it was kind of like she had to … you know … with people looking.”

“Gotta be a good sport.”

DJ sighed. “I actually felt kind of bad when I beat her in backstroke and then again in the relay.”

“But kind of good too?”

“I guess. I don't mean the beating her part. Not really. But it did feel good to win.”

“I think Haley kind of beat herself today.”

“How's that?”

“Well, I was trying not to be too obvious, but I was watching her. She was really uptight. I mean, I've seen her at other meets, back when we were together, and she was more relaxed. More in charge, you know?”

“Yeah, I remember watching her with the team … back when I was ‘the handicapped girl' swimming laps in the handicapped lane, as Bethany called it.”

“She said that?”

“Well, not until after you broke up with Haley and I became the number-one target on their hit list. Anyway, I do remember thinking that Haley was kind of like Queen of the Swim Team. Seriously, it was like she ruled.”

“Now you're dethroning her.”

“No, that's not true. She still rules in the diving pool. And she did take first in butterfly, if you were watching.”

“But it's not the same, is it?”

“Is that bad?” asked DJ. “I mean, am I wrong to have joined the—”

“No, of course not. That's not what I'm saying. I actually think it's good for Haley to figure this stuff out. Obviously, she can't rule everything forever. She needs to learn to be a gracious loser.”

“I guess …”

“Well, can you believe it?”

“What?”

“We're on our way to Vermont.”

“Yay!” Now DJ's stomach growled. “But not until we get something to eat.”

“I hear ya!”

The cab of the pickup was warm and cozy. After a big meal and a tiring day, DJ knew she couldn't keep her eyes open. “Do you mind if I take a little nap?” she asked Conner after they'd been on the road about an hour.

“Go ahead. It's a nice clear night … perfect for driving. We should be there just a little after ten.”

“The general's motor home is probably already there now.” She felt a slight twinge of envy as she considered how the other girls were traveling in such comfort and style. Still, she wouldn't have traded it for anything. Participating in the meet and getting to ride with Conner, well, that made up for luxury.

She settled her duffle bag like a pillow between them, curled up, and placed her head on top. Sure, it smelled like chlorine and was slightly damp from the pool, but in no time she was asleep.

DJ awoke suddenly. All was quiet, and Conner was gently tapping her on the shoulder. “Wake up.”

“What?” She sat up and blinked in the darkness, trying to figure out where she was, and then realizing she was still in the pickup.

“Are we there?”

“No.” Conner sounded slightly worried.

“Huh?”

“It's the pickup.”

She frowned. “Out of gas?”

“No, I filled the tank in town.”

“What then?”

“I'm not sure. But there was this loud noise and this grinding sound, and I knew I'd better stop before it got worse.”

“You mean we're broken down?” DJ felt a small rush of fear. “Out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“That's what it looks like.”