Intro
Ellie, at the age of 3, could swim race and beat every opponent she had. Perry could swim the length of a pool and come back with out coming up for air. Iz could platform dive. Emmy specialized at spring board diving. Lizzie did synchronized swimming. What would happen when they met?
Chapter 1
I had just moved to upstate NY from California. I was in St. Michael’s School bathroom feeling the urge to puke. I had never moved before and since we moved across the country, I didn’t know anyone. This was really big for me. I finally got up and walked into homeroom. Everyone became very quiet. I walked to the teachers desk and said I was the new student they were expecting. The teacher looked at some papers and then told me to take a seat. And then a couple minutes later she called me to the front of the room and said:
“Everyone, please welcome miss Eleanor Wilson from California!” I cringed. I hated it when people said my full name.
“Eleanor, please tell us something about yourself. Like a little fun fact.” With everyone starring at me I felt pressured.
“Um… I um… I like to um… Swim?”
“Anything else you want to share?”
“Nope.”
“All right then. You may take a seat.” I went and sat next to a girl who looked about my age and opened my textbook. After a few minutes of the lesson, the girl looked at me and said:
“I’m Perry. I hate it when people say my full name too.”
“You saw me cringe?”
“Yeah. But I’m pretty sure I was the only one.”
“What’s your full name?”
“Perfect.”
“What is?”
“It’s my name. Perfect.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
“What do you like to be called?”
“Ellie.”
“Let’s walk to your house after school, ‘kay?”
“Great!”
When that class was done, and all of my fellow 8th graders were moving from classes I called my parents on my cell phone.
“Hey it’s me. I’m calling to tell you that we are going to have company so be on your best behavior. GTG. Bye!” As I slid my phone closed, I looked up to find Perry standing next to me. She was looking at my phone.
“Nice phone. Ready for History?”
“Yep. Thanks for waiting for me.”
“No prob. Hey, why don’t you tell me something about yourself. And be more specific than ‘I like to swim.'”
“I am really really fast in the water.”
“I hear that a lot from prissy cheerleaders.”
“No, I mean I’m really really fast. As in I have never lost a race since I was 3 years old fast. That includes when I swam along side a motor boat and I was at least 76 miles ahead of it. I swam the entire length of the pool in 2.7 seconds.”
“Where did you get a motor boat?”
“A distant friend.”
“Where did you get over 76 miles of water?”
“Her lake.”
“Your friend must be rich!”
“Not really. She had to move as well to upstate NY because of financial problems. I wonder if she goes to this school.”
“What’s her name? I know everyone that goes here.”
“Isabella Spark.”
“Yeah, I know her. She is the class president. The big boss. The tribe leader. The big daddy. The—”
“I get it!”
“Sorry! I just love saying things like that about people I don’t like.”
“Why don’t you like her? What has Iz done to you?”
“She didn’t do anything to me specifically, but she made decisions some students did not approve of. One of those students is me.”
“Like what?”
“Like putting a platform diving board in the pool for swim club of which I am a member and cut back our hours of swim practice so that she could start a platform diving club.”
“Iz always was kind of pushy. But I never thought of her as mean. I mean, she could be manipulative and deceiving, but not exactly mean.”
“You just categorized her as ‘the face of mean’.”
“I guess I did. Well, we really should get to History. I want to meet the teacher.”
“Yeah. I think you’ll like Mr. Schmidt. He’s into swimming too.”
Chapter 2
“And tell me something besides you like to swim,” said Mr. Schmidt, a kind old man who had a curly gray beard and soft blue eyes hidden behind huge glasses that magnified his eyes by 10!
When he was about 21 he was in the Olympics for swimming but no one remembers him because he didn’t get a medal. Mr.Schmidt was now 79 years of age and had actually experienced a lot of historic events in person. That was why he was such a great history teacher.
“I like pie,”I said.
“Interesting. Well, I’d better get on with class then,” and he continued with the lesson.
Me and Perry were walking to math. “You were right Perry. I do like Mr. Schmidt a lot. He seemed so happy when I came in and said I liked to swim. I wonder if he is lonely.”
“He is. His wife died a long time ago. How did you know?”
“My grandfather is exactly like him because my grandma died. So happy to see someone who understands what it’s like to lose someone who you love,” I said.
“Who have you lost?”
“My older sister.”
“How?”
“I haven’t exactly lost her, like she hasn’t passed away or anything like that. But I have not seen her in 10 years because she is in jail for murdering someone when she was drunk and driving. Even if she is a killer, which she isn’t, I still love her, and want to see her because I haven’t seen her since I was 3.”
“That’s terrible! How much older is she than you?”
“13 years.”
“Well, do you want to know what I’d tell the cops? I’d say go to hell!”
“Perry!”
“What? It’s what I would have done!” Perry said.
“You should not go around swearing like that about the police.”
“Why not? Its true!”
“I don’t mind my sister being in jail, Perry! And you shouldn’t either! Now let’s go to math and learn some stuff so we can be smarter, kay?”
“Fine. But we will continue this conversation at your house.”
“I am fine with that. Now come on! We’re going to be late!”
Ms. Night was not the friendliest person I had met. She looked about 24 and had a pointy nose and jet black hair that curled around in ringlets. She yelled at people who talked and said we were just a bunch of stupid water buffaloes.
“I would rather be teaching how to potty train your puppy than teach you babies. You! Go to the principal’s office!”
“Why Ms. Night?”
“Because you talked during class!”
“No I did not.”
“You just did! Now don’t argue with me or I will put you in detention!”
The girl got up and walked out the door, and as she did I saw her look helplessly at me. Or was it Perry? Anyway, she looked in our direction and then just as she was about to walk out the door, she stuck her tongue out at Ms. Night.
After math class was over and we were dismissed and going to lunch, I asked Perry who the girl was.
“She is in my swim club. Her name is Emmy. I don’t know her that well, but she seems pretty nice.”
“I want to talk to her and Iz at lunch. Do you want me to tell them to sit with us or will you?”
“I’ll do it, since I know them better.”
“All right. Go find them and tell them to come and sit at the very back on the left.”
“Got it.” And as Perry walked away, I felt sure that I had just made 3 new friends.
Chapter 3
“Do you know why me and Perry have gathered you two here? No, you do not, so I will tell you. You are here because I would like to meet you. I already know your names, but remind me of what they are please?”
“My name is Emmy.”
“And something about yourself is?” I asked.
“I love to dive off spring boards.”
“Perfect. Now what is your name?”
“I’ll have you know that I am the class president and I will tell a teacher to put you in detention if I do not find out what the meaning of this is this instant!”
“That is a very long name. May I call you Isabella Spark?”
“How do you know my name?”
“I have my ways and means. Now tell me something about yourself.”
“Never!”
“All right. I will tell something I know about you. You love to platform dive. The higher the better, am I correct? You love it so much, that you will sacrifice others’ time in the pool so you can have it with others who love platform diving.”
“You are most certainly not correct. I don’t sacrifice anyone else’s time in the water!”
“You wanna bet sister?” said Perry standing up from her seat. “You wanna bet how much you have taken away from the swim club? Well? Do you?”
“Perfect Perry. Stop or I will tell the principal to call your parents and tell them you started a fight,” Iz said.
“I’m warning you!” Perry said, grinding her teeth.
“Perry she isn’t worth it.” I said starting to worry. What if they did start a fight? I needed everyone to work with each other to make this work!
“Oh yes she is!” Perry lunged at Iz and started punching and kicking
“Help! Help me! Someone get her away from me!” Iz scream horrified.
“Perfect! Get off of her right now!” said Mr. Schmidt, but Perry didn’t stop. She kept hurting Iz.
“Help! Ah!”
“PERRY!!!! STOP!!!!!!” I yelled as loud as I could. She seemed to have finally snapped out of it. Iz was bruised and bleeding and crying.
“Perfect, go to Ms. Night,” said Mr. Schmidt. When Perry didn’t move, he yelled at her.
“NOW!” Perry got up and ran. Mr. Schmidt, with the help of another teacher carried Iz to the nurses office.
“Are you okay Isabella? Isabella?” Mr. Schmidt said. Iz had passed out with all the pain and yelling. Her parents got there as soon as they could. The nurse was on vacation, but she had trained her daughter for this exact reason.
“Iz, how many fingers?” She held up 2.
“Two?” Iz said, not completely trusting her eyes.
“Yes. What does this noise sound like?” she mooed like a cow.
“A cow.”
“Yes. What is 50 divided by 2?”
“25.”
“Good,” she turned away from Iz to talk to her parents, “she seems pretty good. Her eyes, ears and brain are still working well, so now I think she just needs some time to recover.”
“Thank you.” said Iz’s mom.
“Yes,” said Iz’s dad, “we got here as soon as we could to our little baby’s side. You could have saved her life!”
“All that is wrong with her is that she has cuts and bruises. Even if I wasn’t here, she wouldn’t have died.” the girl said.
“How can we repay you?” asked the mom.
“Yes, how?” asked the dad.
“I’m the nurses daughter. I don’t need to be re-payed. It is my job to be helpful.” she noticed me looking in the window, and asked if I was a friend of Iz’s that she knew from school.
“No, I don’t believe Iz knows that girl. But why else would she be looking to see if she is okay?” asked Iz’s mom. The girl came out and asked me what I was doing.
“Is she okay?” I asked ignoring her question. I looked at Iz and prayed that Perry didn’t do permanent damage.
“She’s fine. But what are you doing here? Her parents said they don’t know you.”
“I knew her a long time ago, but we weren’t really friends, so that explains why the parents don’t know me. But what I am doing here is a different story. See, the girl who attacked her is my best friend, and we were going to start a club that has to do with a pool, like diving, swimming, stuff like that. But apparently Iz has made decisions that Perry does not a prove of and that make her mad, so when I sat them down to talk about the club, Iz pushed Perry too far, so she started the fight.” I spoke very fast so when I ended, The daughter looked confused. “In other words, I need Iz to feel better fast, or the club won’t work.”
“Can I be in the club?” the daughter asked softly.
“What?”
“Can I swim with you and your friends in the club?”
“Sure! What is your name?”
“Lizzie.”
“That is a beautiful name.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you know how soon Iz will be fixed?”
“About a week.”
“Perfect!”
“What is?”
“Nothing, I just am happy that she isn’t permanently damaged. She seemed pretty hurt in the lunch room. And she is the one who is going to make this happen! A long with Mr. Schmidt.”
“What does Mr. Schmidt have to do with anything?” asked Lizzie.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Chapter 4
8 days later Iz was feeling much better and she was back in school. Perry had apologized to Iz and said she didn’t know what came over her. That day was the day that we were going to tell Mr. Schmidt our idea. If he said no, then our whole plan would collapse. If he said yes, then he would be our coach and he would talk to the principal.
As we walked as a group (me, Perry, Iz, Emmy, and Lizzie) to history we were all very nervous. What if he did say no? Even if he said yes, would the principal give us the money to start the club? What if everything went fine, but no one came for the club? All these questions buzzed in each of our heads like a pesky fly. We finally got to the history classroom. We opened the door. All of us went up to his desk and we asked in unison: “Will you be our coach?”
“Excuse me?” he asked, flustered.
“We all want you to be our aquatics coach. We want to start a club. We know you have Olympic experience that no other person here does. Please?” I said.
“I don’t know what to say. Yes of course I’ll be your aquatics coach! It will be an honor! But we don’t have the authority to start a club on our own. We would need the principals approval and…” he looked up at up at us and said, “but of course you probably figured that out by now, so why don’t we go to the principals office and ask her?”
Chapter 5
“An aquatics club, eh? And Schmidt would coach? I love it. But you have to organize the entire thing.”
“Of course, of course.” said Mr. Schmidt.
“All right. Now, I’ll give you a start. A bit of money to get started. But you have to do the rest. Got it? Good. Now get out of here. I have important principal things to attend to.”
We beat a hasty retreat from the principals lair, and then started to celebrate. The 5 of us. As 13 year olds.
By: Isabella Brisa Arrow Phillis Carmencita Toll Hill (aka Blueberry Hill)
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