Starcrossed Read Online Free PDF Page A

table and her head cradled in her hands,
    rubbing her temples.
    “Lennie?” Matt said, sitting down next to her. “Does your head
    hurt?” He reached out to touch her shoulder. She stood up abruptly,
    muttering an excuse, and hurried away.
    By the time she got to the girls’ room she felt better, but she
    splashed a little cold water on her face for good measure. Then she
    remembered that she had put mascara on that morning in an attempt
    to make an effort. She looked at her raccoon eyes in the mirror
    and burst out laughing. This was the worst first day of school
    ever.
    Somehow she made it through the last three periods, and when
    the bell finally rang she gratefully made her way to the girls’ locker
    room to change for track practice.
    Coach Tar was all fired up. She gave an embarrassingly optimistic
    speech about their chances to win races that year and told them
    how much she believed in them, both as athletes and as young women.
    Then she turned to Helen.
    “Hamilton. You’ll be running with the boys this year,” Coach said
    bluntly. She told everyone to hit the trail.
    Helen sat on the bench for a moment, debating her options while
    everyone else filed out the door. She didn’t want to make a fuss,
    but she was mortified by the thought of having to cross the gender
    line. The muscles in her lower abdomen started to spasm.
    “Go talk to her! Don’t let her push you around,” Claire said indignantly
    as she left.
    Confused and afraid she was going to get a bellyache, Helen nodded
    and stood up.
    “Coach Tar? Can’t we just do it the way we always do?” she called
    out. Coach Tar stopped and turned around to listen, but she didn’t
    look happy about it. “I mean, why can’t I just train with the rest of
    the girls? Because I am a girl,” Helen finished lamely.
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    “We’ve decided that you need to start pushing yourself more,”
    Coach Tar responded in a cold voice. Helen had always gotten the
    feeling that Coach didn’t like her much, and now she was sure of it.
    “But I’m not a boy. It’s not fair to make me run cross-country
    with them,” Helen tried to argue. She jabbed two fingers into the
    spot between her belly button and her pubic bone.
    “Cramps?” Coach Tar asked, a touch of sympathy creeping into
    her voice. Helen nodded and Coach continued. “Coach Brant and I
    have noticed something interesting about your times, Helen. No
    matter who you’re running against, no matter how fast or slow
    your opponents are, you always come in either second or third.
    How can that be? Do you have an answer?”
    “No. I don’t know. I just run, okay? I try my best.”
    “No, you don’t,” Coach said harshly. “And if you want a scholarship
    you’re going to have to start winning races. I talked to Mr.
    Hergeshimer. . . .” Helen groaned out loud, but Coach Tar continued,
    undeterred. “It’s a small school, Hamilton, get used to it. Mr.
    Hergeshimer told me that you were hoping for an athletic scholarship,
    but if you want one you’re going to have to earn it. Maybe forcing
    you to match the boys will teach you to take your talent
    seriously.”
    The thought of displaying her speed for the world to see had a
    physical effect on Helen. She was so afraid that she was going to
    get some kind of cramp or bellyache that she started to have a mini
    panic attack. She began to babble. “I’ll do it, I’ll win races, just
    please don’t single me out like that,” she pleaded, the words tumbling
    out in a rush as she held her breath to hold back the pain.
    Coach Tar was a hard-ass, but she wasn’t cruel. “Are you okay?”
    she asked anxiously, rubbing Helen between her shoulder blades.
    “Put your head between your legs.”
    “I’m okay, it’s just nerves,” Helen explained through gritted
    teeth. After catching her breath she continued, “If I swear to win
    more races, will you let me run with the girls?”
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    Coach Tar studied Helen’s desperate face and nodded, a bit
    shaken from witnessing such an intense panic attack. She let