Ocean Pearl (17 page)

'Although Ace knows there are going to be changes I
would've preferred to have discussed this change with
her first. However, I have to go overseas tomorrow and
I'll be away a few weeks. The contracts need to be
sorted while I'm gone. That's why I'm talking to you
now and not in two weeks,' Andy told me. 'What I'm
concerned about is that Ace is here at camp and I didn't
expect her to be. Can you see how it makes things
complicated? I don't want her to become . . . distracted
by this.'

'Yes.' How the sound was coming out of my mouth
was a miracle to me. I was virtually having one of those
out-of-body experiences. Me, the new Ocean Pearl girl?

'I want to give Ace every chance to succeed and be
selected for the team. I don't want to bum her out
beforehand. Do you know what I'm saying?'

Andy was right. Ace would be shocked, devastated.
She'd hardly coped with not being selected for this
camp. Her hair had even fallen out with the stress. But
being dropped as the Ocean Pearl girl – that had to be
worse. Heaps worse.

I tried to swallow but my mouth was suddenly too
dry. 'So, um.' I gulped. 'You don't want me to say
anything?' I didn't think Andy Wallace would be interested
in the no lies, no secrets policy Georgie, Kia and I
had sworn to.

'You can say OP are sponsoring you,' Andy
answered. 'I would hope it's exciting news.'

'Exciting? You have no idea how exciting this is.'

'We're really delighted to have you on board.'

I said goodbye and a few more thank yous then
glided out, leaving Andy and Jake in the office.

The corridor was empty. The only sound was my
trainers scuffing across the carpet. The girls were
surfing. Carla and the selection panel were down at
the beach watching them. Brian must've been in the
kitchen 'cause the smell of ginger and soy sauce was
wafting through the walls. Through the glass doors at
the very end of the hallway, I could see one of the
cleaners mopping the walkway, while another emptied
a garbage bin. There was no one in this big building
except me.

Me – the Ocean Pearl girl!

In a panel of the door I caught the reflection of my
arm in my faded blue hoodie. My stitches sat along the
sleeve where I'd tried to mend it.

I stopped, almost tripping into the glass.

I couldn't possibly be the OP girl.

The interview had me chucking down the toilet. What a
shame I hadn't pigged out at lunch. But I could hardly
eat I'd felt so nervous. The thing was, weren't you meant
to be sick before an interview and not after? This could
not be a good sign.

I had come so far. I was back in the running. There
was no reason to be nervous.

But when the interview finished, I shook each of the
selection panel members' hands and said thank you
with my biggest smile, then walked out the door and
straight to the bathroom, where the entire contents of
my stomach plus half my throat tumbled out in one
huge roar. I hope they didn't hear.

What with Kia and everything, I had spent a bit too
much time in bathrooms today.

I splashed my face with the freezing tap water and
rinsed my mouth. I really needed to brush my teeth but
I didn't have time to go up to the bungalow.

Maybe I'd had too much time to think before my
interview and I'd worked myself up into a stressed-out
idiot. Because why was it that when the panel asked
me 'What do you see yourself doing in five years'
time?' my brain seized up? I couldn't think of anything
to say.

For a second I'd wondered if it was a trick question.
Maybe they were trying to quiz my knowledge on the
environment and climate change. Maybe the right
answer was 'None of us will be here, only the cockroaches.'
But that was totally ridiculous.

The table of faces were looking at me, waiting, eyes
glazed. Someone was tapping a pen and one of them
even yawned. But my mind was still blank. Blank
blank blank.

The only thing I could think of were the contestants
in the Miss Universe contest as they stood in the glass
booth with headphones on. They had all kinds of
random questions thrown at them and they had a
standard answer that managed to fit around anything.

'In five years' time I'll be on the Women's Dream
Tour, surfing all over the world,' I'd heard myself say.
'Working for world peace among all peoples and being
a role model for all young women in Australia regardless
of their race or religion.'

Even thinking about it made me want to vomit again.
Yet another story I wouldn't be sharing with Jules.

Watching the bathroom mirror, I fixed up the pins in
my hair and gave my mouth another rinse. It was
4.50 pm and I'd arranged to meet Jules at the rock at
five. That was why I wanted some toothpaste.

We had free time till dinner at 6.30 pm. So meeting
up with Jules wasn't technically breaking the rules.

Jules had sent me a text that simply said, 'I need to
c u.' Poor baby, he was missing me. I was missing him
too. I was just trying to be a good girl.

Luckily I still had slob clothes on. Well, slob for me but
dressed up for others – meaning Laura, who seemed to
think pyjama pants were daywear. But the important
thing was that I just looked like I was cruising around the
place, not going for a secret meeting with my boyfriend.

We were all exhausted. The girls who weren't
having a rest were watching a DVD in the rec room.
Slipping off to the beach could not have been easier.

My hair was under control. I had an hour and a half
with Jules all to myself. If I hadn't had such a horrible
interview I'd say life was almost back to normal.

Jules was sitting at the very top of the rock, which
was annoying and embarrassing as I had to shout a few
times before he actually realised I was there. Usually
Jules waited down the bottom so he could help me
climb to the top. But now he was standing up there,
yelling at me to come up by myself.

'I can't get up there on my own!' I called back.

'Try.'

'What is this Jules, a test?'

'Hang on.'

Jules scaled down the face of the rock. I reached out
my hand for him to grab but instead he jumped down
to the sand and said, 'Let's just stay here.'

'Owh?' I meowed like a pussy cat. I wanted to climb
to the top. Once we'd sat up there and watched the
sunset. It was soooo romantic.

'I actually don't have much time,' Jules told me.

'I thought we had an hour and a half!' I whined.
'Didn't you read my text? I don't have to get back till
six-thirty.'

'Sorry, Ace!' Jules almost bit my head off. 'I've got
training in half an hour. We have a big game on the
weekend, at Palm Meadows, near your house.'

'That's helpful!'

'Ace, this isn't working out.'

'Excuse me?'

'You and me,' Jules said, staring at his foot, which
was kicking at the sand. 'It's not working out.'

'We just haven't had a chance to see each other.
Jules?'

Jules still wouldn't look at me. His toes dug into the
sand, further and further, like he was trying to build a
tunnel to get away from me.

'How long have you been feeling like this?'

He shrugged. 'A while.'

'What? Hours, days, months?'

'Weeks,' he replied.

My brain frantically tried to calculate how many
weeks he could mean. It was only about eight or nine
days since Georgie had delivered the photo album. So
his answer couldn't be right.

Maybe I needed to talk him through it. Then he'd
realise he didn't really mean what he was saying. He
was just confused. He'd been playing too much
baseball. Maybe the ball had hit him on the head and
he was a bit concussed? Concussion can make you do
strange things like dump your girlfriend when you
don't actually mean to.

'Babe, you're being silly,' I explained. 'You only got
the photo book last week and you loved it.'

'No, you loved it!' Jules's voice cracked. 'Remember,
you were pissed that I hadn't gone on about it enough.
It was you saying how fantastic it was, not me.'

'So?' I took a step towards Jules. How I wanted to
get my finger and poke it at his chin so he'd look at me.
I wasn't sure how much longer I could bear him staring
at the ground. 'Are you saying you hated it?'

'I didn't particularly want your modelling portfolio,
Ace.' At last Jules's eyes locked on mine. If I could hold
his stare long enough then I was certain I could make
him melt and take his words back. 'You told Georgie to
say how it was a book of memories. Memories of who?
Memories of you, in twenty different bikinis.'

'Well, sorreee!' I snapped. 'I'm sure there are plenty
of guys who'd want it.'

Jules ignored the comment. He was being the king
of cool.

'Ace, we tried – or I tried – to make it work. But every
time we made an arrangement for me to come up
to your place you'd give me some excuse about a
modelling shoot you had to do. I was cool about it. I
understood you had those commitments . . .' Keeping
eye contact with Jules was tough. His stare was boring
a hole between my eyes. Jules once told me I had a
beautiful mouth. Slowly I ran my tongue along my lips.
That'd make him blink. That'd make him stumble in his
sentence. '. . . I can't remember you ever once asking
me how I was doing. You only talked about you and I
got tired of it. I don't want a relationship like that. I'm a
long way from home, Ace. I don't need to feel any more
alone than I already do.'

'I didn't know you felt alone.' It wasn't concussion.
Jules was lonely. He didn't know anyone around here.
That's all it was. 'Oh, I had no idea, Jules. Now I understand
–'

'Of course you didn't have any idea!' Jules shouted.
Luckily there was no one on the beach watching. 'You
never asked if I was feeling homesick.'

'Are you homesick?'

'Like you care!' He glared.

Now it was me that couldn't look at Jules. We were
over. His eyes had just confirmed that. I kept mine on
the sand, willing them not to explode into tears.

'So, that's it?'

'Bye, Ace.' Jules patted my shoulder like I was the
family dog.

'So, you don't have anything else to say?' I'd give
him one last chance.

'No.'

'Nothing?'

'If I stay here, Ace, I might end up saying something
I don't want to.'

'Your choice.' It was my turn to be cold; I switched
the Ice Queen on. If I wasn't leaving with a boyfriend
then I was leaving with my dignity. 'By the way, I'd like
the photo album back. I don't want to see my pictures
for sale on eBay.'

Jules nodded.

'I'll send Georgie to get it from you.'

'Okay.' Jules laughed. 'I look forward to it.'

Jules's king of cool was beating my queen. Who
would've known he had it in him?

Yet it was always like this. You meet someone, you
get to know them, you really like them, you even fall in
love with them. But you never know how horrible they
really are until this exact moment.

'I know how many photos are in the album. So I'll
know if any are missing,' I spat. 'I'll get Georgie to
arrange a time to get it from you.'

Jules was so nasty. He was even grinning.

I'd come to meet Jules with a bad taste in my mouth.
But I'd left with an even worse one. So why was I
trudging along the sand back to camp crying my eyes
out? Jules had been mean. He'd enjoyed it too. Even
smiling at me just then, like I was some sort of joke!

So I didn't make enough effort to see him or
whatever his problem was. But I don't think he
would've been too thrilled about meeting up with his
bald girlfriend!

He'd be sorry when he came crying to me tomorrow
or next week or the week after, begging for me to take
him back. And he would. He'd made a rushed decision
based on nothing. He'd realise that too. I wasn't that
loser anymore.

It was almost dark by the time I got back. Kia was
still outside waxing her boards.

I needed a hug. I needed my Starfish Sisters.

'Ace? What is it?'

'Jules just dumped me,' I cried, throwing my arms
around her.

'What?' Kia almost pushed me away. She gripped
my shoulders. 'Did he say why?'

''Cause I didn't ask him enough about being homesick.'

'Is that all he said?'

'Pathetic, isn't it?' I sniffed. My bottom lip was quivering.
'He was so mean. You have got no idea how mean
he was. How – how
dare
he!'

'Ace, I'm sorry,' Kia said. 'He shouldn't have
dumped you, not when you've got all this pressure on
you at the moment.'

'I didn't even think of that.' I began to howl. 'That
makes him even nastier. If that's actually possible.'

Kia hugged me. 'I'm so sorry, Ace.'

'It's not your fault,' I said. 'You know what? I really
didn't see it coming. I think I'm in shock.'

'You probably are.'

'He'll be crawling back to me tomorrow. I just know
it. He'd hardly even thought about it.'

'Just say he doesn't?'

'He will.' I gulped. 'I mean, if you're supposedly so
lonely and homesick then why would you ditch your
girlfriend?'

Kia sighed but said nothing. Not that I blamed her. I
was rabbiting on. I wasn't making any sense.

'Are you coming up with me or are you going to
finish your boards?' I asked.

'I want to get this last one done.'

'I'm going to find Georgie. I want to –'

'She's asleep,' Kia blurted.

'I'll wake her. It's dinner soon anyway.'

'I – I wouldn't. I think she's exhausted. She – she
said she might even sleep through dinner and not to
wake her under – under any circumstances.'

'Hang on, Kia.' Now I remembered Georgie was in
the rec room watching
Juno
when I snuck out. Even
though she was inside she was wearing her coat and
I'd almost asked if I could borrow it. I didn't 'cause the
others would've asked where I was going. 'She must've
changed her mind about the sleep. Anyway, I need to
find her.'

Lauren, Zena, Micki and Shyan were lounging around
the rec room as the credits for
Juno
rolled up the screen.

'That was so good,' Shyan was saying. 'Not that I
want you girls to think that having a baby when you're
a teenager is that simple.'

I crept out of the doorway. Luckily for me, I wasn't
spotted. I was not up to an interrogation on why I'd
been crying. All I'd have to say was 'I've been dumped'
and I knew the tears would turn back on like the automatic
sprinklers at Dad's house.

Georgie wasn't in the bungalow either. The place
looked like it'd been ransacked. There were clothes,
most of them mine or Georgie's, piled up on the floor,
thrown over chairs, hanging off the beds, bursting out
of the wardrobes and peeking out of the drawers. It
actually put a smile on my face and for that second I
didn't feel so sad. But it also made me want to find
Georgie all the more.

We'd had a bad start since I'd arrived at camp.
Georgie was unbelievably angry with me for reading
Micki's diary. She felt like she'd been set up, like I'd
used her. But I didn't tell her how I'd found out about
Micki living with Kia's family 'cause I knew I'd done a
low, low thing. Maybe if I'd told Georgie the truth right
from the start then none of this would've happened.
But I didn't and it had happened. The important thing
was that Georgie and I were falling back into place.
Slower than I would've liked but it was happening.

It was hard to believe I'd only known Georgie six
months because I couldn't imagine my life without her.
She was the greatest friend I'd ever had. I had told
her stuff that I wouldn't ever, ever tell anyone else. Just
the idea of other people knowing anything about me
made goose bumps crawl up my scalp.

Right at the top of the grass, near the tennis courts, I
could see a figure in a green coat. It was Georgie. Before
I knew it I was running across the lawn shouting from
the bottom of my lungs, 'Georgie! Georgie!'

The wind had the tears flying off my face, getting
tangled in my hair, spilling into my mouth. 'Jules
dumped me!' I cried, throwing my arms around her
shoulders. 'He was horrible.'

Georgie patted my back. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered.
'I'm really sorry, Ace.'