Rivalry at Silver Spires (2 page)

Katy's pinboard was artistic too, but in a different way. Hers was covered with fashion pictures, because that's Katy's biggest passion. Naomi's had photos of elephant and deer roaming across stretches of scrubland with barely anything growing. That's because she comes from Ghana in Africa. In fact, it's easy to forget that Naomi is actually a real live African princess. She's so modest and never boasts about it at all. Her family lives in London now but she still thinks of herself as Ghanaian and I knew she'd been back to Ghana over the holidays because she mentioned a charity that she's working for called Just Water, which helps the people of Ghana to have access to clean water. Naomi and I had also talked together about how far from home we both felt, and how cold England seemed compared to our own countries. We're not the only ones who come from far away though. There are girls from all five continents at Silver Spires.

Georgie was admiring the way Mia had made photos of her pets and her family into a collage.

“When I tried to do that with my pics, I chopped off half the heads!” she said, frowning. “And what's the point of having the best actors in the world right over your bed if they're headless?”

“Do you want me to rearrange them a bit for you?” asked Mia.

But Georgie was standing in front of my bed by then, hands on hips, pretending to be disapproving. “Don't say we've got to look at a load of athletes again, Grace! Is that all you think about – sport?”

“You're only jealous, like the rest of us, Georgie!” said Jess.

Georgie's eyes shifted from my pinboard to me. “Yes, I
am
jealous! Why can't I look like Grace? I'd love to be slim and fit. I wish I could run like a deer and jump like a…like a…kangaroo.”

I laughed. “I hope I don't look like a kangaroo when I'm jumping!”

Georgie ignored me. “And I'm very jealous of your brilliant swimming too!”

Naomi put her arm round me. “Yes, we've definitely got the best swimmer in Year Seven in our house!”

Katie rubbed her hands and grinned like a cheeky little girl. “I bet the other houses are green with envy!”

“Don't say that,” I quickly told them, feeling myself getting anxious again. “I'm not all that good at swimming, you know. There are lots in Year Seven who are better than me. I'll have to train like mad.”

“Rubbish!” said Katy. “You're just as brilliant at swimming as you are at every other sport!”

All this praise was exactly what I'd been dreading. That's why I'd felt tense every time I'd thought about the swimming gala during the holidays. It was due to take place at the end of the first half of term, and with all the training I wanted to do, that didn't seem far enough away. It's a horrible pressure when people expect you to do well at something, and it's not only my friends, but my parents and the teachers here too. You see, I came to Silver Spires on a sports scholarship, which means that my fees for the school have been paid because the school thinks I'm going to do really well at sport, so that when we have inter-school competitions I'll win and that will make other schools admire Silver Spires. I don't feel so much pressure when it comes to athletics and netball and things, because I'm confident about them. But swimming's different. I'm not so good at swimming.

I had to make the others realize. “No, honestly, I'm not just saying it. At home my sports coach says that swimming is my weakest thing, so I've made a resolution to train hard. Only, it might not make much difference, you know.”

“You can only do your best, can't you?” said Naomi, who's the wise one of the group. “And remember you'll have swimming squad as well.”

I looked round hopefully. “I'm not going to be the only one doing swimming squad, am I?”

“Well, don't look at me!” Naomi laughed. “I'm allergic to cold water.”

“Me too,” said Mia, wrinkling her nose.

“The trouble is, it clashes with fashion club,” said Katy, “because it's on Wednesdays. Oh, by the way, Mrs. Mellor said there isn't a swimming squad session this coming Wednesday though, because she's away.”

Then Jess surprised me. “I might come,” she said, her eyes looking dreamy as they so often did. “I quite enjoyed floating on my back and staring at the ceiling in the lesson today. It's got an incredible pattern on it, you know, like an optical illusion.”

I had to smile. “You're such an artist, Jess! Fancy noticing the swimming-pool ceiling!”

“Right, that's enough swimming talk for one day!” Georgie suddenly announced. “I'm off to the computer room.”

Everyone decided to check their e-mails then, so we all trooped down two flights of stairs to the computer room.

“Good, we're the only ones here!” said Katy. “One computer each.”

“We've only got a few minutes before we have to get ready for bed,” said Mia, who gets even more anxious than me about rules and regulations. I don't know about Mia, but for me I think it's because my parents brought me up quite strictly and always expect me to respect my elders.

“Yay! Loads of people online!” said Georgie, who's really into the Silver Spires chat room at the moment.

The rest of us were quickly checking our e-mails. I had a long one from my mum, and although it was lovely to hear from her it made me feel a bit homesick too. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Mia had finished on her computer and was leaning on Georgie, watching her screen.

I'd almost finished reading Mum's e-mail when I suddenly heard a gasp from Mia.

“What?” I heard Katy ask.

There was no reply and I glanced round to see that Mia's eyes were wide and worried.

“What are you looking at?” Naomi wanted to know, and a few seconds later we were all bunched round trying to read the message on Georgie's screen.

Someone with the username
Torpedo Gal
had written,
Shame about the big show-off who just has to be best at everything she ever does, including swimming.

“That's not very nice. Who's written that?” asked Mia.

Georgie didn't answer at first, just started typing back.
What big show-off?

We all watched the screen as the message came back.
You should know. You'd better warn her that we don't like show-offs and it's about time she gave someone else a chance to win.

“So who
is Torpedo Gal
?” asked Naomi.

“I haven't a clue,” said Georgie, in a surprisingly quiet voice. “I've got so many people on my contact list I don't know who I'm talking to half the time.” Her voice faltered. “But whoever it is knows who
I
am.”

A horrible prickly feeling was creeping up my spine.

“But who's she talking
about
?” asked Katy.

There was a small silence, and then everyone must have clicked that it could only be me. Georgie turned round and gave me a kind of apologetic smile, at the same time as Jess's arm went round my shoulder, and the prickly feeling spread right up to the backs of my eyes.

No matter how much my friends kept telling me to forget about the stupid chat room, I simply couldn't forget it. I kept on remembering the look that Felissia had given me in the pool and I'd got it into my head that she was the person who'd sent those nasty messages, and that it was obviously me she was talking about. I was so upset that if it hadn't been for Jess and the others persuading me, I probably would never have signed up for swimming squad, and then I wouldn't have been able to take part in the gala. To make matters worse it turned out that swimming squad clashed with fashion
and
art club, so Jess wouldn't be able to come with me after all. Felissia's name wasn't on the list yet, thank goodness, but there was still plenty of time.

For days since my horrible shock in the computer room, the six of us had kept coming back to the same conversation about those chat-room messages time and time again. Well, to tell the truth,
I
was usually the one who kept coming back to it. I just wished there was a way of finding out who had written the messages and whether or not she definitely had been talking about me. I'd been planning on doing some swimming training at the weekend, but in the end I hadn't gone to the pool at all because I couldn't bear to think that there might be someone there watching me and thinking I'm a show-off, without me knowing about it.

By Thursday I'd even got myself worked up about the swimming lesson the next day. But it was Jess who brought up the subject when we were walking across to afternoon lessons.

“Couldn't you just go round asking people what their usernames are, Georgie?”

“But I've got such a massive contact list, like I said,” Georgie answered.

“Like the whole of Year Seven,” said Mia, rolling her eyes.

“Plus people change their usernames all the time,” Georgie went on. “Like if the weather suddenly got cold they might have the username
Isn't it cold?
”

I sighed a deep sigh and spoke quietly because I didn't seem to have much energy. “I can't bear to be called a show-off.”

“You're totally not a show-off!” said Jess, raising her voice and looking cross. “That's why I don't see how that message can have been about you!”

“Anyway, whoever it was is just jealous,” said Mia firmly.

Every single one of my friends had said these things lots of times already, but what Katy said next, in a low voice, hadn't actually been said by anyone, not even me.

“I bet it's Felissia Streeter.”

“I was wondering about her too,” admitted Mia, “but I didn't dare say it.”

I swallowed.

“It's true that she hates it when you beat her in athletics,” said Georgie, “like that time she pretended she'd sprained a muscle when you won the two hundred metres.”

That was exactly the thought I'd been having myself. You see, I once heard Felissia boasting to her friends that she'd got a sports bursary to Silver Spires, which means that her parents pay less fees. She said that the main reason she got the bursary was because she was easily the best swimmer at her primary school, and also because she'd once swum in the under-elevens team for her county. So I knew that swimming meant a lot to Felissia and I guessed she probably wanted to be the best. From what I'd seen in the lesson last week, I thought she probably was the best too.

“Maybe she got fed up with always coming second to Grace in athletics and things,” said Katy.

Mia nodded, but I could tell she felt a bit nervous. “And now she wants to be the very best at swimming, because that's kind of…her thing.”

“Hang on a sec,” said Naomi. “We've got no proof who
Torpedo Gal
is, or even that she's talking about Grace. I think you should just forget about it, Grace, and carry on as normal. Whoever it is, they haven't been back online since, so maybe that's the last Georgie will hear from them.”

“Yes, and whenever you want to go swimming training, you should go right ahead!” said Jess. “I might not be able to join the squad, but I can always come training with you, Grace, and do a bit of floating!”

I felt lucky to have all my friends caring so much about me. And I knew Naomi was right – it would be stupid to let some anonymous message worry me.

“Right, quick change! Chop-chop! No messing about!” said Mrs. Mellor, smiling round at everyone. “Last week I was gentle with you. This week I want action! First one in the pool gets three credits! And leave your towels in the changing room, please.” Then she went through to the pool herself and the Australian gap-year student, Miss Snow, stayed with us. I moved to the far end of the bench away from the others, as we were all a bit squashed, and there was a mad scramble to get changed quickly because credits count towards the end-of-term House Cup. “Mrs. Mellor says if anyone leaves clothes on the floor, the credits don't count, I'm afraid, girls,” said Miss Snow.

I got quite excited as I stuffed my clothes deep into my swimming bag, because I've always been quick at changing and guessed I was in with a good chance of being first. I don't usually mind not wrapping myself in my towel to go through to the pool, but right now I was wishing it was allowed. It would be good to hide under it. I wouldn't feel on view so much.

“See you in the pool!” I called to Naomi and Katy as I shot out of the changing room.

It was weird seeing the pool completely empty because even when I'd done free swimming there had always been at least one other person there. I didn't have time to think about that now, though. All I had to do was get straight in and I'd have three credits, just like that. My feet hardly touched the steps at all as I slithered in.

“Well done, Grace!” said Mrs. Mellor, as a chilly gasp surged through my body. Then immediately afterwards I heard a splash and saw that Katy and a girl called Jemima had got in at exactly the same time. “Bad luck, Katy and Jemima. Grace just beat you. But I'll give you one credit each for being so close behind. Get yourselves warmed up while the others are coming through, girls.”