Fly Away by Nora Rock Read Free Book Online

to calm the girls down either; in fact, she had a huge smile on her face.
    I was glad to see her so happy. She had seemed distant lately. She wasn’t nearly as psyched about competition season this year as she had been in the past. I’d wondered if it was because of the pressure to win provincials. In the past, when she was under pressure, Arielle got more involved, not less. This year she seemed to be pulling back from cheerleading a little bit. It was reassuring to see her as excited as the others on this trip.
    A camera flash blinded me. When I could see again, Keri was leaning over the seat, checking out my picture in her cell phone.
    â€œWow, Marnie, not so flattering!” she laughed. I looked and saw that my eyes were closed, and my mouth was hanging open.
    â€œErase it!” I said.
    â€œSure thing,” she said, frantically punching keys while trying to keep the phone out of reach of my grabbing hands. “But it’s already on Facebook.”
    â€œYou’re kidding, right?” I asked.
    Arielle shook her head. “She’s bluffing.”
    â€œI am not!” Keri said.
    â€œKeri,” said Lucy, “don’t forget. You and I are sharing a room. Just hope you don’t drool or anything in your sleep…” Lucy mimed snapping a picture.
    Keri laughed and turned around in her seat. I reached across Arielle toward Lucy’s bag of chips.
    â€œUh-uh!” Lucy said. “No chips for you. I have to lift you over my head, remember?”
    I grabbed some chips anyway. I don’t gain weight no matter what I eat. Too much nervous energy.
    But today it was the good, excited kind of nervousness. My performance had improved steadily over the previous two weeks, and I was feeling better about myself. I’d taken Arielle’s advice, and I’d practiced the entire routines—not just the stunt parts—all the way through, over and over. Arielle told me that knowing the routine so well you could do it in your sleep was the best thing you could do for your nerves. Then, even if you were really freaking out, your body could perform on autopilot.
    The Great Lakes Championship required two routines. First there was a three-minute qualifier, which we would perform on Friday afternoon. Then there was a longer freestyle event on Saturday. The short routine was “Midsummer.” The long routine was “Groovy.” I knew both routines solid. Whether I could execute them perfectly was another matter. But I could stick all the stunts in practice at least 90 percent of the time, which was the best you could ask for. Level-five stunts are tough. Once in a while they fall apart. But if you don’t attempt the tough stunts, you can’t get the top scores. You need to take the risks if you want the glory.
    We made great time and arrived in Toronto two hours too early to check in to our hotel. Coach Saylor rounded us up in the lobby for a head count.
    â€œAll here,” she said. “Good. We have until three. What do you girls want to do?”
    We ended up going shopping at the Eaton Centre. We split up into groups of three or four, with instructions to meet up at three o’clock at a coffee place we’d spotted. Arielle, Lucy, Ashleigh and I were the first ones at the meeting spot. We bought fancy hot chocolates and then stood looking around for a big enough table.
    There was one near the front, but a trio of guys had backed their chairs into one side of it so that they could look out the window. Arielle moved toward them.
    â€œMay I?” she asked.
    The closest guy was the hottest. He had dark blond hair, straight white teeth and a tan that suggested he’d recently been away somewhere warm. He smiled and moved his chair, making a sweeping gesture toward the table, like he was the host of the place.
    Arielle smiled, but sat down with her back to him. The rest of us joined her, talking in hushed tones.
    â€œUh, good seats,” said