Surviving High School

mom holding a coffee mug.
    “I brought you some ‘tea,’ ” she said with a wink, handing the mug to Emily, who took it in both hands. The ceramic was cold to the touch, and Emily looked down to see not tea but ice cream.
    “I figured a few hundred calories couldn’t hurt,” Emily’s mom said. “Besides, conditioning is an art, not a science. Even your father says that.”
    Emily looked down at the ice cream, wanting it more than anything. She pressed the top of a scoop with her index finger and brought it to her lips. The entire focus of her being suddenly centered at the tip of her tongue and the sensation of chocolaty sweetness.
    She took a deep breath and handed the mug back to her mother.
    “Mom—I can’t.”
    “But—”
    “Sara wouldn’t have eaten a mug of ice cream,” said Emily, and her mother looked away.
    “Right,” she said. “Of course.” She hesitated for a moment, watching the melting ice cream, as if hoping Emily would change her mind. After a few seconds had passed and Emily stayed silent, her mother said good night.
    She turned down the hall, dipping a spoon into the mug and eating as she went. Emily closed the door behind her. She felt bad for her mom—she was always trying stuff like that. She’d been the one who insisted Sara and Emily go to public school instead of the private swim academy their father had wanted them to attend. In the end, they’d compromised on Twin Branches High, which had a good pool and was located close to Las Playas, where Junior Nationals was held each year.
    What Emily’s mom didn’t seem to realize was that deep down Emily and Sara wanted to follow their dad’s strict regimen. If anything, their desire to win was even stronger thanhis. Or at least that’s what Emily told herself. She had to admit, that ice cream had tasted even better than she remembered.
    Later that night, Emily checked her phone and texted Kimi to see if she was up. When no response came, she opened her laptop and decided to check her G-Chat. The cell and the computer, Emily’s two most prized possessions, were hers thanks to her mom.
    Although Emily’s dad had initially resisted them as “unnecessary gadgets” that would only serve as temptations to talk to strange boys, Emily’s parents had eventually struck a bargain: As long as Emily kept her GPA above 3.5 and stuck to her training regimen, she was allowed to have the phone and the laptop—as well as a monthly sleepover with Kimi.
    As Emily signed on to her IM account, she thought back over the events of the day. After the locker-room encounter with Dominique and Samantha and that stupid race, she’d almost forgotten her earlier run-in with Nick Brown.
    She flashed back to the astonished look on his face and the way he’d called her Sara. She winced as if in physical pain every time the incident played in her head.
    As she waited for her log-in to complete, Emily tried to think of something pleasant, and Ben immediately came to mind. She remembered Dominique’s story about the party, about the way he’d totally ditched her and headed back to his room to sleep. Other guys were powerless against Dominique’ssupposed charms, but not him. She wondered what he’d thought of as he went to bed that night. For a moment, Emily let herself fantasize that it was her.
    She absently checked her in-box (nothing but junk mail) and her Facebook feed (no new invites, posts of interest, hookups, or breakups). According to the site, she had thirty friends. In real life, all she had was Kimi, who she hoped was still online.
    EmilyK14: Kimi? You there?
    ChEnigma22: Hey! Sorry I missed u at lunch! Was totally hiding out from Amir Singh!
    EmilyK14: Who?
    ChEnigma22: Ugh. You remember him from when he tried to recruit us for his hypernerdy role-playing game, right? TOTAL stalker. Wants to be my homecoming date. NOT gonna happen. I’ve got a list of like ten other guys who I want to ask me tho. I’m doing pro/con spreadsheets for all of them.
    EmilyK14: ?
    ChEnigma22: I’ll e-mail the one for Phil Ramirez. He’s my top choice.
    ChEnigma22: Sending… NOW!
     
    Candidate: Phil Ramirez
  Pros 
  Cons 
 HOT (10/10!). 
 Possible Axe Bodyspray user. 
 Plays guitar (electric!). 
 2.32 GPA (might lower future $ potential). 
 Owns/drives Mustang convertible. 
 Crazy exes (at least three!). 
 DJ skills. Plays at lots of parties. 
 Soul patch (could be shaved). 
 Six-pack abs. Sexy. 
 Uses the term