And as if on cue, Charlie and his boys roll by on their skateboards! They nearly fall over themselves checking us out. I keep my cool, although I am doing backflips in my mind. Perfect timing! We look their way as we continue walking. Charlie smiles and then winks at me. What? As much as I want to stop and catch up since our artsy fight, I turn away and keep moving. I have no time for distractions. I’m in double Dutch mode.
—
The gym is filled with double Dutch teams from what seems like all over North Carolina. All I can see is Carolina blue everywhere, on every team’s outfits including ours. I guess it’s part of the pride here. Cool. Parents and kids are in the stands watching. It feels more like a party with a DJ included. Suddenly I have a vision of my parents in the audience, but just as I start to smile from the obvious daydream, a loud whistle snaps me back to reality. And before we take our places, we drop our written program at the judges’ table and Sally hustles over to give an extra copy to the DJ just in case.
“This is awesome!” Melissa says excitedly. “I had no idea this was so friggin’ popular.”
“Me neither,” admits Tina. “This is like some underground hip-hop-type stuff. I love it.” I look at her peculiarly. What does a Latina know about underground hip-hop? Isn’t that for city kids to know and country kids to find out? I guess she has.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Sally blurts out.
“You went to the bathroom three times before we left. Are you just nervous?” I ask.
“What if I mess up? What if the Belles laugh at me again?” Sally says.
“Look at me, Sally,” I say as I put my hands on her shoulders and look right into her eyes. She looks away. “Look at me!” She does. “You’re not going to do anything but go out there and have fun. We’ve practiced our routine, and even with new double Dutchers on our team, we got this!”
“Yeah, Sally,” Melissa says. “Even if we don’t win. We’re good. But if they laugh at you—or any of us—I’ll punch them right in the nose.”
“Okay, Melissa.” I have to stop her. “There won’t be any need for that. We’ll do just fine if we stick to the routine.”
“But how do you know?” asks Sally.
“Because I know!” I insist. “Look, I never said this to you before, but I think you are incredible at double Dutch, and you’re probably an even better ballerina. I couldn’t be that graceful if I tried. But once you lock into something you love doing, you are fierce, li’l cuz! Those Belles, those bullies, just caught you on a bad day at that last competition. Maybe you just weren’t sure of yourself, I don’t know. But today you’re even better than before, and I think as a team, we’re really good. So stop worrying!”
“That’s right! We may be new, but we’re good,” Tina chimes in. “Sally, sometimes you have to let people know you’re a force to be reckoned with! And today, like Gabriella told us, we’re working together as one team, one force!” Yes, go, Tina!
“One team, one force!” says Melissa as she puts her hand out, expecting us to join in. Sally thinks about it for a second and then stacks her hand on top of Melissa’s.
“One team, one force!” exclaims Sally. Tina and I add our hands to the stack.
“Let’s show all these double Dutch teams 4-D just stepped into the building,” I say confidently. “Double Deuces on three! One-two-three!”
“Double Deuces!” we shout.
Here the judges are serious. In New York, the judges would at least look you in the eye and wish you luck, but not here. Your team has to be ready to turn as soon as they come around. All they say is “Ready? Jump!” And we do. To start, we have to pass the compulsory test. Tina and Melissa turn while Sally and I jump first. We want to show Tina and Melissa how easy it is, and then we can cheer them on as we turn for them. I have confidence they can do it. The plan works. Tina and Melissa do it! Flawless. The second test: speed. My specialty. And of course as soon as I get in the ropes, the judges struggle to keep count each time my left foot hits the floor. Thank goodness there are two judges for comparison. They count 333 steps in two minutes. Yes! Better than my last record.
—
There’s another whistle. I guess this means break time to clear the stage for freestyle. We all run to the restroom to clear out the jitters and change outfits, and that’s when we collide with the Bouncing Belles, aka the double Dutch bullies. They are all BeDazzled from head to toe like disco balls. As expected, they step in our way.
“Just because you and your made-up crew made it into the competition doesn’t mean you’re going to win,” Ivy snarls at Sally.
“And just because you look like a glitter bomb exploded on your clothes doesn’t mean you’re going to shine,” snaps Melissa. Okay, Melissa is corny, but she’s no pushover.
“Yeah, why don’t you guys keep it moving,” adds Sally. “You smell like you need some freshening up.” Wow! Go, Sally! The Belles slyly check their pits. They shake off their embarrassment. Maybe getting through the first two portions of the competition has given Sally a boost. Now hopefully she will think we have a shot at winning.
“Whatever, you’re the one who’s going to be sweating once you see our freestyle routine,” says Ivy. Before they continue walking away, Brie lunges at Sally. She flinches.
“Yeah, don’t freeze,” says Brie. No, she didn’t. Melissa and I
