Moonglass

predictable rhythmic intervals. Each time it did, two little girls who were hanging over the edge of it screamed with delight as mist fell over them. Their mom sat a few feet away, texting, and shushed them without looking up. At least they had each other.
    The mist felt good on my skin in the heat of the day, and I tried to soak it up. When I’d gotten to the mall, Dad’s ATM card in hand, I’d perked up a bit. He’d never just handed it over like that. Definitely not with instructions to “go big.” Either he was feeling guilty or his promotion really was worth something.
    Whatever it was, the little mood lift it gave me faded when I couldn’t get ahold of Ashley and had to go shopping by myself. I thought of Shelby and Laura and how we would have made a day of it. We would’ve passed clothes back and forth over the dressing room walls, stepped out to show each outfit, critiquing all the while, and talked each other into the things we loved and wanted to borrow later on. Then we would have sat here together at this fountain with coffee drinks or ice cream cones, dissecting what the first day of school would be like—which teachers we’d end up with, who’d be completely changed over the summer, and where we’d be having lunch. As it was, I’d half heartedly picked a few sundresses off a surf store sale rack and grabbed a new pair of sandals without even trying them on, and now I sat staring at the center of the fountain, feeling pitifully alone.
    “Hey, Anna.”
    I looked up to see Jillian standing with a woman who had to be her mom. They stood next to each other, smoothie cups in hand, almost mirror images with the same slender build, long legs, and brown eyes. Her mom stepped forward, smiling. “I’m Beth, Jill y’s mom. And you must be the Anna that Jill ’s been talking about. You girls should do pretty well this season, from what I hear.”
    I smiled back, heartened a little by her immediate warmth and the fact that Jillian had mentioned me to her mom. I tried to match her cheery tone. “Hopefully. I’ve never competed before, so we’ll see.” Jillian raised an eyebrow, smiling. “I thought we competed every day at practice. You’ve been kicking my butt the last three days.” Beth leaned into me a little, her voice a half-whisper. “Good job. Keep it up. She needs a good training partner, someone to push her every now and then.” Jillian gave her a look, and Beth put a hand on each of our shoulders. “Anna, it is so good to meet you. I can’t wait to see you race. Jill y, hon, I need to run into the bookstore. Meet you back here in a few minutes?”
    She nodded without looking at her mom. “See you in a few.”
    Beth gave one more wave before she turned and headed down the cobblestone row of stores, and I watched until I couldn’t see her anymore. “Your mom’s really nice.”
    “She’s superhappy I’m running again—which I get, but she can be a little much sometimes.” Jillian sat next to me on the edge of the fountain, and I wondered if the “Again” had something to do with her sister. She motioned to my bag. “Anyway. Last-minute school shopping?”
    “Kind of. If you count sale rack sundresses. I’m not too into shopping. Or school starting.” Jillian took a sip of her smoothie. “That why you’ve been running all crazy this week? Are you stressed out about it or something?” Even she’d noticed. I watched a stream of water fly up and then separate into little droplets before raining back down. “I guess so.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. You have the team already.” She grinned and bumped my shoulder. “And you have Ashley, too.”
    I nodded, surprised at how good it felt to have someone other than my dad reassure me. “That’s true. What more do I need, really?”
    “You need to know two things—” Jillian’s phone chimed with a text. She glanced at her purse. “God, she’s quick, my mom.” Jillian grabbed her cup and stood. “I gotta go meet her.”
    “Wait—what are the two things?” I really wanted to know.
    “Oh. The first one is that tomorrow will look like a ridiculous fashion show, but nobody keeps that up past the first week. The second thing is … our school is small, and people will know you’re new so just be ready to feel like they’re sizing you up. Because they are.” The flip-flop my stomach did must have shown on my face. Jillian put her hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t tell you to make you nervous.