Rivalry at Silver Spires Read Online Free PDF Page B

laughter hit me like an alarm clock going off.
    This time I took a proper look around and was surprised to see no sign of Felissia and her friends. Bibi and Hannah were still practising tumble turns near the deep end. I decided to try one myself, so I swam to the side about halfway up the pool and pushed hard down into the somersault. It worked really well and I managed to keep swimming underwater right up to the other side of the pool. I came up gasping and happy, then turned to see both Bibi and Hannah staring at me, so I quickly looked away. A moment later they got out too and after a while there was only me and a few Year Eights left. I felt much more comfortable without anyone from my year in the pool, and even better when I saw through the massive window behind the lifeguard’s tall chair that Felissia and her friends were rushing off somewhere, swinging their bags and laughing. It’s funny how easily you can see out from the inside. If the sun’s shining and you’re looking in from outside you can’t see anything except reflections.
    I enjoyed myself for the next twenty minutes, swimming up and down and timing myself by the giant clock on the wall, and by the time I got out of the pool I had that lovely satisfied feeling I always get after training. I couldn’t say I was looking forward to swimming squad, but at least I wasn’t worried any more, because Felissia hadn’t done anything horrible to me in the pool. Okay, she hadn’t exactly been friendly, but then we didn’t know each other particularly well and, anyway, she’d just been messing about with her friends, and there was nothing wrong with that.
    When I got up to the dorm it was a lovely surprise to find Jess there, looking at photos on her digital camera.
    â€œI’ve taken some really good ones,” she said, in what I call her faraway voice. “I’m going to edit them on the computer later.” Then she looked at me properly and saw my wet hair. “Oh! Sorry! How was swimming? Was Felissia there?”
    â€œYes, but she was fine. She didn’t say anything or give me any funny looks or spoil my training at all, so I’m not worried any more. I think I’ve got a bit faster at front crawl, too, but I want to get much much faster by the time it’s the gala. Hannah’s brilliant at it.”
    Jess’s dreamy look changed to a sparkly one and I could tell she was relieved that nothing awful had happened to me. When the others got back from shopping we all went to make hot chocolate in the kitchen, then took it up to the dorm and played twenty questions sitting on the round rug. It was pouring down outside, which always gives me a lovely cosy feeling. Katy had bought a big red shift dress in a charity shop, but she was being rather secretive about it.
    â€œI don’t get what you want it for,” said Georgie, wrinkling her nose. “It’s ten times too big for you.”
    Katy smiled. “Aha! You shall see!”
    Everyone seemed pleased to hear that my swimming training had been fine, and after we’d watched a bit of TV and had supper, Jess and I went to look at her photos on one of the computers. The first one was of a sash window that was just a bit open, and showed the bottom of a net curtain that had blown underneath the window and got dirty with the rain and the dust from the window. Then, as she showed me the rest, I realized they were all of windows, but every one was completely different, some looking out and some looking in.
    â€œI like thinking about this,” she told me, with a distant look in her eyes. “Are we the outsiders looking in, or are the outsiders the ones inside, looking out like prisoners?”
    It’s great talking with Jess about things like that and I asked her if she’d ever thought of photographing the swimming-pool window.
    â€œThat’s a good idea,” she said thoughtfully. “I’d probably get some