Illustration by Scott Ritchie
A peek inside the troubled mind of a mother who deals with being estranged from her daughter in a creative, though possibly criminal, way.
An excerpt for your reading pleasure:
Tina sees herself in the mirror and wonders if she looks older than her age because her upper lip needs waxing or because she has bigger breasts than even Coach does. Tina adjusts her one piece but her breasts don’t get any smaller. Tina really doesn’t want to stand out. Tina just wants to be like the other girls. Tina just wants the other girls to like her. Tina needs to get back to the pool before they wonder what’s taking her so long in the bathroom, but she delays because she wants to say something inspiring to her reflection. Tina doesn’t have anything and tries not to freak. Tina really wishes she and her mother had come up with a cheer last night.
Tina’s glad the stereo is louder than she is opening the sliding glass door and stepping out onto Coach’s back patio. Tina can hide behind the wall of music and watch the other girls without being watched herself. Tina sees them in the pool playing volleyball: Gaby, Sarah, Tracy versus Rachel, Tory, Jill, each side using all three hits to get the ball over the net unless it’s absolutely unavoidable or to make the other girls laugh, like when Jill returns Gaby’s serve with her head. Tina laughs too and knows she’s going to learn a lot about teamwork and having fun from the other girls. Tina wonders why most people think cheerleaders are bitches when these girls are the complete opposite of bitches.
Tina thinks she hears Coach say “Tina” but then isn’t sure if it was Coach or the singer on the stereo. Tina listens to the song more closely and realizes the singer’s singing about Sabrina, the cute girl next door who caught him watching her through her bedroom window. Tina’s embarrassed because even though Coach’s voice is kind of low it’s not a man’s voice, and because Tina realizes she wouldn’t be at all mad like Sabrina in the song if a boy watched her through her bedroom window.