Chapter 10
“Meg!” Jill screamed. “Meg!”
Meg didn’t turn around. Jill watched as Meg’s strong arms cut sharp, solid strokes across the ocean. Her body rose and fell with the waves.
Jill ran in after her. Jill was a good swimmer, but under these conditions, she realized Meg had something she didn’t.
Confidence. And courage.
Wes dove into the water too. Jill’s arms started to get tired as she tried to catch up with Wes and reach Meg.
Suddenly, Wes and Meg were right in front of her. Meg had Abby under one arm, and Wes was holding Sara.
Jill grabbed Abby’s other arm to help support her. Abby wasn’t unconscious. That was a good sign. But she was obviously in pain. She moaned, and Jill could tell that she would need to see a doctor.
Meg and Jill dragged Abby onto the beach. They laid her gently in the sand.
When Jill looked up, she saw Wes close behind them. Sara’s arm was flung over his shoulder.
Sara fell next to Abby. She was coughing and sputtering.
Jill heard sirens in the distance. The ambulances were coming.
Krista ran over to Jill and Meg. “What happened?” she asked. “Who can tell me what happened?”
Jill shook her head, too stunned to speak. Other voices rose around her, explaining what had happened.
Jill turned to Meg, who was kneeling next to her. “I take it back,” she gasped.
Meg shivered, and someone put a towel around her shoulders. “Take what back?” Meg asked through chattering teeth.
“You have more confidence and courage than anyone I know,” Jill told her.
Meg smiled. She threw her arms around Jill and hugged her. “So do you, partner! So do you!” she said.
Jill hugged Meg back. Then she looked at Abby and Sara. Paramedics were checking them out.
“Do you think they’ve learned their lesson?” Meg asked.
“I hope so,” Jill said.
She looked back at the ocean. Suddenly, the competition didn’t seem that important anymore. In fact, it didn’t seem important at all.
Jill turned back to Meg. “Let’s forget about the competition next week,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”
“No way!” Meg said. “We’re partners, right? We’ll give it a shot.”
“Only if you want to,” Jill said. “It’s really no big deal.”
“If you can dive into the ocean in the middle of a hurricane, then I can definitely try to stand on a surfboard,” Meg said, smiling. “Deal?”
“Deal!” Jill said happily.
The girls helped each other up, and together, they walked down the beach.