A Parthan Summer - Julie Steimle (large ebook reader TXT) 📗

Michelle was screeching at Stacey who had been struggling to pass up the flag while keeping Zormna stable.

“The flag is sagging!” Michelle shouted up at Stacey. “It’s not supposed to sag!”

“Well maybe if we attached it to a stick like we did before, and then handed it up, then it wouldn’t sag!” Amanda, their mascot, snapped back in Stacey’s defense. Both girls had been bickering back and forth under their ‘pirate ship’.

“The stick would poke somebody in the eye!” Michelle barked back.

Amanda chucked down her rapier and reached up for the flag. Stacey dropped it to her, watching it flutter downward. As Amanda snatched the Jolly Roger up, she clutched it in her fist, shaking it at Michelle. “If the stick is as long as the side of the flag, it won’t poke anybody in the eye!”

Zormna hung her shoulders then crouched down to climb off Stacey’s shoulders. She hopped off, tapping Stacey on the back for her to follow suit. Grateful, Stacey climbed off of the pair of shoulders she had been standing on. Their pirate ship pyramid collapsed quickly, sinking the ship.

“Well, it got me!” Michelle bickered back at her.

Amanda picked up her rapier, lifting it as though she intended to get into a swordfight with their captain. “Oh, yeah? Maybe you just don’t know how to handle one.”

Jennifer McCabe rubbed her shoulders with a glance back at Joy who was also massaging her sore muscles. One of the other girls walked over to the CD player and changed the track to the other song they were working on—one with only floor work, no pyramids. It was obvious that Amanda and Michelle were going to be at it for a while.

“Don’t you give me that high and mighty I-was-an-award-winning-majorette garbage!” Michelle’s voice really did hit quite a pitch. Someone turned up the music to drown it out, beckoning Zormna over to practice the steps she had missed when she was at gymnastics the first day. Funny, though, her thoughts seemed to be miles away. In fact, she hardly noticed when Jeff climbed up the hill entirely and sat under the tree to comfortably watch the practice.

“Hi, stranger.” 

Jeff jerked forward, then stared at Joy who was smiling at him. He chuckled, rubbing his side. “Don’t scare me.”

“I see you got out of wrestling,” she laughed, gently touching his bruised eye.

Jeff smirked as he brushed Joy’s hand from his face. “Yeah. Well it cost me. Luckily I’ll recover.”

Joy followed Jeff’s gaze across the grassy plateau. Seeing what he was watching, she sighed. “So…when are you and Zormna hooking up?”

Jeff scowled with a smirk and shook his head. “Not happening.”

“Why not? You stare at her enough,” Joy said, wry yet playful.

He just shook his head. Though, his eyes did turn back to Zormna who was working diligently to memorize the steps to the other routine. Her diligence for a silly alibi was admirable. But she always put one hundred percent into everything.

“Come on, Jeff,” Joy said. “You can’t tell me you aren’t even the slightest bit attracted to her? Most guys are.”

Jeff shook his head with a look to the ground. “Aren’t they going to miss you?”

“Ah, I know that routine already.” Then Joy peeked at him slyly. “Besides, you’re changing the subject.”

He sucked in his cheeks, twisting his mouth in frustrated thought. Joy was not going to let him get away without answering the question. He knew her too well. Henderson tenacity was funny that way.

“Tell the truth,” Joy said, waiting on his word as if it really mattered.

Lifting his eyes to where Zormna was practicing on the grassy knoll, Jeff drew in a breath and let it out again. Attracted? What could he say? Zormna had a lousy personality. She was grouchy, proud, and sulky. She was often such a brat. Still…gazing at how she moved, the way she tilted her head with her slender neck, how her soft hair fluttered on the slightest of breeze, the colors in it glowing like fire as the light hit it, how her cheeks flushed when she grew embarrassed and her eyes lit up when she smiled, or how womanly she was shaped. Honestly, she was breathtaking. Even according to the cultural perceptions of beauty he was raised with back home, she was gorgeous. But was he attracted to her?

Swallowing, he had to honestly say yes. But he was so mad at himself for thinking that. All the years he had known her, he had told himself to hate her. He had convinced himself to despise her—to invent reasons to continue to be angry with her. And though his anger towards Zormna Clendar would have him deny it forever, he honestly liked her. She was genuine. She cared about people. And she was so fragile and yet so strong. And she understood things. The deep things. But at times when they thought so much alike, it was irritating. Perhaps that was why being near her sometimes was so disturbing.

“She’s pretty,” he said in understatement. Completing the thought, he added while his cheeks colored, “But I’m not attracted to her.”

Joy sighed loud as if she thought he was being silly. “Then why do you stare at her?”

Using his regular excuse, Jeff shrugged. “Todd asked me to look out for her, so I am.”

“Don’t give me that, Jeff.” Joy shook her head, reading him better than he realized. “It’s a lie. You aren’t just watching out for her, you watch her. You’re practically leering at her right now.”

Huffing, Jeff’s face grew even redder as he retorted, “I’m not leering.”

“You’re leering,” Joy said.

Trying to come off as nonchalant, Jeff laughed and stood up, dusting off his pants. “You are seeing what you want to see.”

“And so are you,” Joy said, but she was smiling.

He didn’t like the double meaning implied by her comment and was about to say something. Instead, he turned and walked down the green hill, gently bopping Joy on the head with his ukulele. “Think what you like.”

“I will.” Joy watched him walk down to the shore of the lake and then to the dock where the canoes were hitched. He sat down at the end of the dock and peered into the water.

Joy smiled to herself, though, while sauntering back to her group. Walking up to Zormna, she whispered. “He likes you.”

Turning and stopping from a cheer, Zormna replied, “What? Who?”

“Lover boy,” Joy said, pointing.  

Zormna followed Joy’s finger with her eyes. Scowling, she snapped back loud enough to be heard over the entire lawn. “He. Does. Not!”

Jeff turned to look up the hill, then smiled secretly as he peeked at Zormna again. She went right back to getting her steps to match with the beat of the song. It was good that she stay her usual, irritable self. It made it easier to keep focus. Because if she had thought of him as less than a jerk—as she had previously described him—he wasn’t sure what he would have done. After all, his job was to be a bodyguard—nothing more.

*

Lunch came and passed without so much as a hiccup. And despite the event-filled morning, the day continued smoothly. Perhaps it was because everyone was too tired for pranks. Or perhaps it was because many were too anxious to get going with their activities to disrupt things. After lunch, many left on the planned hike. And with the gymnasts gone, their session with Mrs. Dayes was moved to five o’clock—right before dinner.

So when the gymnasts returned, sore, tired and thirsty from their hike, they all plopped onto the mats in the lodge, guzzling the fresh water they all got out of the kitchen taps. Zormna had gone canoeing with her cheer group during the hike. And though a little pink, she was one of the few not tired.   

As soon as the Harvest team had found their places on the mat, and Billsburg and Monroe teams followed, Mrs. Dayes walked to the front of the hall leading a young black woman in exercise gear, her long cornrows tied back and pulled up into a bun. She had an ethnic print scarf on her head, eyes darker than coffee, and bronzish makeup. She gave the crowd a beautiful white-toothed smile and introduced herself as Maya Brown.

Holly glared at Zormna the entire gymnastics session, mentally willing Zormna to feel guilty about Sarah’s quick departure from the camp—or trying to. But Zormna purposely ignored it, focusing on the calm and friendly figure of their new intern—who was much more interesting anyway. After all, it was the first time she had ever seen a woman with skin that dark in real life.

Maya was the perfect replacement for Sarah. Not only was she not from Home, she was also organized and skilled. In fact, as Zormna listened, she hoped the woman would be able to teach her something new. The idea that she had peaked at twelve years old had bugged Zormna a great deal, and she hoped she would have an opportunity to grow.

Maya dutifully helped Mrs. Dayes in their brief lesson. The gymnasts warmed up and stretched on the mats, taking care to do what Sarah had instructed two days ago. And while doing it, Zormna had not taken her eyes off of Maya—At. All.

Zormna was much like a child at a zoo looking at the new species of giraffe. She had always lived in a homogenous genetic environment. She had only ever known white people with blue and green eyes before she came to Pennington. And if she was ever guilty of anything, it was that she stared at everybody who was different from her, including people with brown eyes. Thing was, Pennington Heights was a predominantly white suburb. Zormna had also been guilty of staring at those who were Asian and Hispanic. But both were very pale in comparison to the chocolate complexion of Maya, which Zormna found fascinating. But Zormna didn’t just stare at Maya’s skin color, she also eyed her face shape, her nose shape, her lip shape and her dark curly hair with cornrows braided in straight lines. Everything.

Jill Dawes, a fellow teammate, jabbed Zormna in the ribs. “Stop staring! It’s rude.”

Blushing, Zormna quickly averted her eyes, but Maya was a puzzle and wonder to her, and she found herself sneaking peeks anyway. Maya’s broad grin with perfectly white straight teeth, her rounded curves where all the white girls were flat—it even made Zormna check out the shape of her own butt to see if it was shapeless.

Finally, when the class dismissed and free time was granted to the girls, Zormna waited until all the others left so she could meet Maya personally—mostly to satisfy her swelling curiosity. Zormna watched each girl exit through the door, one by one, and waited.

That is—most of them left. Holly remained, waiting and watching her.

With a groan, Zormna guessed what Holly was thinking.

Mrs. Dayes glanced over at Zormna also, probably thinking the same thing. The woman’s stare was critically sharp.

Both Maya and Mrs. Dayes were packing up the mats into the closet. Taking a breath, Zormna mustered up the courage to at last introduce herself to Maya—but Holly beat her to it, cutting in front of her. That karate girl delivered a polite smile, titling her head with a cheerful greeting-party look on her supermodel face. “We are glad to have you here. And not matter what anyone says,” eyeing Zormna as she spoke, “you are doing great.”

Maya blinked at Holly, a little startled at the way the ‘compliment’ was phrased. She opened her mouth as if to respond, but she halted as though she wasn’t sure if she ought to thank or retort.

Holly nodded with a self-righteous grin then tramped out the lodge door.

Zormna watched Holly go, blinking after her also. Then she shook her head, dismissing the weirdness off.

Maya was still staring. “No matter what anyone says?”

Zormna chuckled, quickly covering her mouth.

Maya turned, her eyes widening as she took in the small blonde. “Do you need something?”

Zormna shook her head with a