Page 23 of Jump on Three

Evelyn

My limbs were loose and languid after our first official practice of the season, but my stomach was a sharp knot. We had a meet next week, and my relay team was a mess.

This was due to Layla. From what I had observed, she was only on the swim team so she could prance around looking hot in her swimsuit. Just like with academics, she was a mediocre swimmer at best. Yet, when she requested me to be on her relay team, the option to turn her down wasn’t open to me.

I wasn’t a team swimmer. I liked the independent aspect of this sport.

But I was trapped on a four-girl relay team. The anchor, of course.

Fortunately, Clarice and Isadora were adequate, so we stood a chance of not coming in dead last, but there was a lot of pressure on me to make up for Layla’s plodding breaststroke.

“Nice practice, Creepelyn.”

I didn’t need to turn around to recognize Layla’s taunting voice, nor did I want to give her any kind of reaction. She would love that far too much.

I finished buttoning my uniform top and picked up my wet bathing suit from the locker room bench.

“I’m talking to you, Creepelyn. It’s rude to ignore your superiors.”

I scoffed. I wasn’t certain what she thought made her superior. Certainly not her intellect or athleticism. Probably her persistence. She wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave in. Using the path of least resistance, I spun away from my locker to face her.

There was a girl standing next to her, Layla’s arm around her shoulders.

“Finally.” Layla rolled her eyes. “This is my sister, Chantel. Chantel, this is Creepelyn. We call her that because she has creepy, dead eyes. Trust me, you’ll see, then you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

The girl was a slightly younger, smaller version of Layla. Her sneer wasn’t quite as vicious, but I suspected she could perfect it with time.

I waited for her next insult, hoping it would come quickly so I could leave.

“Anyway, now that introductions have been made, Chantel has a paper on Animal Farm due Monday. She won’t have time to do it herself, of course—you know, since she has a life. She’ll be sending it to you as soon as we’re out of here.”

In my mind, I said no. In reality, I stood there. Fighting Layla was pointless. If I tried, she would become more ruthless. Right then, the status quo was bearable. Adding her sister’s assignments would be maddening, but it wouldn’t kill me.

“She’s not saying anything,” Chantel whispered. “Are you sure this is okay?”

Layla snickered. “Didn’t I just say she has dead eyes? If I hadn’t seen her grades for myself, I’d assume she wasn’t very bright. That’s not it, though. She’s just an autistic weirdo.”

The sister shifted back and forth. “I don’t know…I can do the paper. I don’t have to go to the concert, and even if I do—”

Layla hissed viciously. “Enough with the conscience. It’s embarrassing. Truly, Evelyn loves lending a helping hand. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?”

I blinked at her, considering whether she was actually delusional and believed her own story. Was this the first peek of mental illness?

Chantel tugged on the end of her long hair. “Um, I’ll email you soon. But let me know if it’s too much and—”

Layla gave her sister a sharp elbow in the side, cutting her off midsentence, and marched her away from me. Once they were out of sight, I sank down on the wooden bench in front of my locker, hanging my face in my hands.

This did not have to be a setback. I could handle ninth-grade classwork. It wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t like doing it, and it wasn’t fair I was being forced to, but I’d done many things I didn’t like, and life wasn’t fair.

When the swim season was over, I would tell Layla no more. I could stand up for myself…probably. And if I couldn’t, we’d be graduating in a few months. I’d be free from Layla, Clarice, and all the others.

My hands were still shaking when I exited the locker room. Ivan Sokolov was leaning against the wall opposite the door, his foot kicked up, arms crossed. When he spotted me, he fell into step beside me.

“Hello, Evelyn.”

“Hello, Ivan. Are you waiting for me?”

“I am.”

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