Portal by Imogen Rose Read Free Book Online Page B

would explain my current Barbie look. This was a total deal breaker. I decided that I had to play for the varsity ice hockey team, not just try out but play.
    Still shocked at my discovery, I dried off and got dressed quickly. I called Maria and told her that I would meet her at the game. There was something I had to do first.
    Google helped me find the nearest hockey supply stores. Play It Again Sports was a mile from the high school. Perfect! I grabbed my credit cards, jumped into my Jeep, plugged the address into my GPS and rushed off. I parked and hurried into the store. The ice hockey department was limited, but I managed to grab hold of a friendly shop assistant who helped me out. And then I did something a bit (understatement of the year) strange – I bought a pink helmet. I purchased a bag and stuffed all the items into it except my new U+ stick, my new pride and joy.
    The drive to school felt different, it was thrilling glancing over at my new hockey gear. With the Jeep parked and safely locked, I ran over to the gym. I was early. There was a lot of noise coming from the gym, I opened the door, and someone shouted, “They are over in the small gym!”
    So I walked passed the weight room and went to the small gym. The girls were congregated in one corner.
    “Hey, Arizona, glad you came! How are you feeling?” a pretty brunette asked as she came running up to me.
    “Better, but I’m going to sit this one out and cheer the cheerleaders!”
    Maria walked over to me, “You sure? You still look a bit flushed.”
    “I’m ok, really, and I do want to talk to you and Ali about something. Can we grab a pizza after the game?”
    “Sure!”
    “Ok, let’s get started girls!” I heard Ali shout. I looked over at her, she was glowing with excitement, I winked at her and she winked back happily. They got into formation and started with the sequence. I zoned out thinking about Thursday’s hockey tryout. There was no doubt that I was going to have to fight all the battles I had to overcome when I did this at Princeton.
    My cell phone startled me by coming to life with a sharp tone. Strange, it never rings; even Mom uses text. It was Simla. Oh no! I had totally forgotten about her. I vaguely remembered that I was supposed to be doing something for or with her tonight, I couldn’t remember what.
    “Hey, Simla, what’s up?”
    “You were going to give me a ride to Justin’s and do my trig homework….”
    I interrupted her whining, “Simla, I have a game on. Get your mother to drop you off here. She’s not going to say ‘no’ to that, and Justin can pick you up from here. I’ll meet you early before school and I’ll do your homework then.”
    What a pain, whatever happened to Simla? What was she doing here anyway?
    “Oh, never mind, I’ll have Justin pick me up, he’ll do my homework, too,” she said as she metaphorically slammed the phone down. I could feel her disappointment and anger. I would sort it out with her tomorrow.
    The game? Well, since I’m not into basketball at all, I didn’t pay much attention. I cheered for the cheerleaders, they were awesome. There was no way I could have done any of that. No amount of instinct could have helped me out.
    The Spartans won, madness ensued, the team rushed at me and I was up on someone’s shoulder. I felt like I was riding a crazed camel. Everyone was cheering. I threw my hands up in the air and tried to follow the cheering. The camel ride seemed to last an awfully long time, and I thought I would hurl on the camel’s head when I was finally lifted down. The camel turned out to be Robert, the team captain and Ali’s boyfriend. I hoped that this wouldn’t have any repercussions as Ali came bounding up to me. Her first triumph and she was on cloud nine. Robert scooped her up and they took off.
    “Arizona, do you want to ride to the party with me?” Maria asked.
    “Sure, Maria. That would be great. Can we get some pizza first? I need to talk to you and