As the school day progressed, Mandy grew more and more fearful that her powers were not going to return. Her entire self-worth was based on the adoration of others. Without her admirers, who was she?
At lunchtime, Mandy sat at her usual table. Boys that usually idolized her passed by without a second glance. Even among her own friends, she felt invisible. No one noticed her doleful expression. Penny chattered animatedly with Sharon Miller. "So, today, Eric said I was looking good. I'm hoping he's going to ask me to the spring formal."
"I heard he already asked Paige Hopewell," Sharon said.
"You can't be serious!" Penny's mouth hung open. "She's an art geek! What could he possibly see in her?"
"Beats me."
Giselle flipped through a teen magazine as she picked at her salad. "I'm trying to decide how to wear my hair to the spring formal. Do you remember how I wore it last year? In that up-do?"
Mandy chuckled inside her head. Who could forget that disaster? It had looked as if a bird had nested and laid eggs on top of Giselle's head. Everyone had laughed behind her back all evening. "I remember," Mandy said.
Chad and two of his football teammates stopped by the girls' table.
"There you are," Mandy greeted her boyfriend.
"Hey, baby." Chad leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Hey, Chad, have you been working out?" Giselle batted her long, seductive lashes and flashed her movie star smile.
"Yes, I have."
"I've noticed. You look amazing."
"Thanks." Chad and his friends headed toward the lunch line.
"Anyway, back to my hair." Giselle held up a picture of a model sporting an attractive half-up hairstyle with long, romantic curls flowing down her back. "What do you think? Or should do it the same as last year?"
Mandy didn't hesitate. "I have to be honest. Your hairdo was phenomenal last year." Penny nodded.
"You look great in any hairstyle, Giselle." Penny said. "Ugh, can you guys believe the amount of homework Miss Martinez assigned today?"
Penny's words jogged Mandy's memory. She had three pages of math homework due next period that she hadn't even attempted. Linear inequalities boggled her mind.
As if on cue, Jack Williams, the boy who always offered to do her math homework, walked by their table. "Hey, Jack!" Mandy tilted her head and flipped her hair over her shoulders.
The skinny blond boy spun around. Jack peered at Mandy thoughtfully, as though he recognized her from somewhere but wasn't sure where. He readjusted his glasses as if that might help.
"Hi, Jack," Mandy said again, her voice soft and sultry. Her best dazzling smile was a cheap imitation of her previous allure. "I could use some help on my math homework today. I'll even let you sit with us for the whole week."
Jack burst out laughing at the offer. "Nah, I think I'll pass." Her former idolizer strode away.
"Wow, guess you have lost your touch," Penny giggled.
Giselle doubled over with laughter. "Jack Williams! Jack 'Loser' Williams dissed you!"
"Whatev." Mandy swallowed back tears of humiliation.
"Hey.” She felt a rush of relief and warmth when she heard the familiar voice. Logan stood next to her lunch table, his oversized glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. “I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was just passing by. I'm on my way to the library to do some homework. If you want to join me, we could work on math together."
"I'd love to." Mandy beamed at her rescuer.
A few minutes later, the childhood friends were seated at a table in the back of the library, puzzling over equations. After twenty minutes of trial and error, they were finally demystified.
"Oh, okay, I get it now! We make a good team," Mandy said.
"We always have," Logan said.
When they finished the assignment, he said, "Mandy…"
"What is it?" she asked.
Logan hesitated. "I was just thinking about what we were talking about the other day. Why do you hang out with those girls? You deserve better friends."
No, I don't. I'm not a good friend either, Mandy thought, tears springing into her eyes. "I stopped being friends with Valerie. Besides, who else would I hang out with?"
"There are lots of other girls in school. Nice girls."
She shrugged, a lump forming in her throat. "Whatev. They aren't that bad."
"I guess." Logan didn’t look convinced. "Are you still dating that jock guy?"
Mandy nodded.
"How's that going?"
"It's going…good."
"Okay, I'm glad to hear that." Logan's big caramel-colored eyes were sincere. "I just want you to be happy."
The bell rang, interrupting their conversation.
"See you later," Mandy said as she headed toward the exit. "Thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Sure you could have. You helped me just as much as I helped you."
****
Her time in the library with Logan turned out to be the highlight of her day. From then on, things got worse and worse. Several people commented that she didn't look too good today. Chad was not at her locker at the end of the day.
Mandy pinched herself several times. Please let me wake up from this nightmare.
"What's your problem?" Giselle stared at the purple blotch of skin crushed between Mandy's thumb and forefinger.
"I don't know," Mandy grumbled. "I'm just not myself today." Internally, she laughed at the irony of her statement. This was the first day she was her true self. That was the real problem.
"I hope this isn't about before. We were all just joking around."
Mandy shrugged. "Whatev." That was the closest Giselle would ever come to an apology.
"Snap out of it!" Giselle said. "We have to get on the bus. It's game time."
"I can't play today…"
"You can't be serious! This is an important game. We need you. The Raiders are the toughest team in our division. If we win tonight, we clinch our spot in the playoffs." Giselle grabbed Mandy's upper arm and pulled her toward the front doors.
As Mandy climbed onto the bus, she decided she would play the best she could. She couldn't be that bad at softball, right? She might not be as good as usual, but she would do okay. She hoped so.
****
When the Panthers arrived at the field, Mandy was plagued with self-doubt. "Hey, Sara," she addressed the catcher. "I want to warm up today."
Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Sure." She squatted along the edge of right field. Mandy rotated her arm in a windmill and released the softball. The pitch flew over Sara's head.
"Sorry!" Mandy called as the catcher jogged to retrieve the ball. Her next few pitches were just as wild. The umpire announced the beginning of the game. As the Panthers jogged to the dugout, Sara approached Mandy. "Are you feeling okay today?" she asked, brow furrowed in concern.
Mandy choked back tears. "No, I feel awful."
Mandy was fourth to bat. There were already two outs. Dizzy from fear, she approached the plate. As anxiety raised her blood pressure, Mandy's palms sweated and her ears burned. The bat felt much heavier than she remembered. She held it unsteadily above her shoulders.
The pitcher wound up and released the first pitch. Mandy swung and missed.
"Strike one!" the umpire announced.
The second pitch was fast and right down the middle. Mandy swung embarrassingly late.
"Strike two!"
The pressure building up in Mandy's chest suffocated her. She struggled to take a deep breath. The pitcher threw the third pitch. Mandy swung and heard the satisfying clang of metal hitting cork and leather. I did it!
She dropped the bat and sprinted toward first base. The softball rolled toward the pitcher's mound. With leisure, the pitcher picked up the ball barehanded and tossed it to the first baseman.
"Out!" The umpire made the call.
"What's going on today, McKinney?" Couch Nelson asked as Mandy threw her helmet onto the dugout floor.
"I don't know, Coach," Mandy said, her tone glum.
"Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself." Valerie said, smirking up at Mandy from the dugout bench. Mandy glared at her.
"Shake it off," Coach Nelson said. "We need you out there pitching your best."
She couldn't pitch. Frantic thoughts raced through her head. What was she going to do? She was never going to live this down.
"Get out there!" Coach Nelson said.
"Please," Mandy whispered as she took her place on the pitcher's mound. "Whatever I did to deserve this, I'm sorry. I've learned my lesson. Please, please. I need my powers."
Her first pitch bounced in front of the plate. "Ball one," announced the umpire. Mandy decided she wasn't going to worry about speed. She needed to focus on throwing in the strike zone.
Her second pitch was medium speed and right down the center. The batter drove the ball into right center field. Unprepared for an actual hit, the outfielders were caught off guard as the ball flew by them. As the center fielder chased the ball, the batter ran to third base.
"It's okay!" Giselle shouted from shortstop. The next batter approached the plate. "Let's go, Mandy!"
Mandy walked the next two batters. Her team was shocked into silence. Then, the cleanup batter slammed a slow pitch out of the park. As the Raiders jogged triumphantly around the bases, Coach Nelson called a time out.
"What's going on today, McKinney?" she asked again.
"I'm not feeling well today, Coach."
Her coach nodded, her kind eyes full of sympathy. "Everyone has their off days. This is the first one you've ever had in your entire high school softball career. It happens. Do you want to sit out?"
Relieved, Mandy dropped to the bench. She put her head down and wished she would disappear. Or maybe she already had.
"Giselle, you take the mound." Coach Nelson rearranged her players.
Without their star pitcher, the Panthers were annihilated. On the ride back to Montmorrow, Mandy slid into a seat alone.
"She ruined everything for us."
"I can't believe she screwed up the most important game."
Mandy recognized Valerie's voice. "I always knew she would crack one day. Mandy reached her peak a long time ago. She's only going to go downhill from here."
The other girls murmured in agreement.
Mandy pretended she couldn't hear the irritated whispers. When she got home, she collapsed into bed and cried herself to sleep.