After Jill left, Lily ran back to her room. She logged onto her computer and immediately started messaging Amy.
Lily: OMG I am so dumb. All the dance girls thought I hated them!
Amy: What? How?
Lily: Jill came over to practice and told me. She said I never talk to anyone and that I run away after practice, which is true. How do I fix this with the rest of the team? I’m such a dork.
Amy: You are not! You can totally fix this. Why don’t you have a party and invite everyone?
Lily: Yikes. Do you think anyone would come?
Amy: Stop it! You’re doing it again.
Lily: Ugh, you’re right! Okay, a party. I have to start planning.
Amy: That’s the spirit! :) Can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Lily decided to invite her new teammates over the following Saturday. The weather was supposed to be beautiful, so they would be able to hang out and play games in the backyard. Lily’s mom was so happy that she was finally making friends, she agreed to the party right away. Now all that was left to do was invite her new teammates.
On Tuesday, Lily didn’t go home right after practice. Instead, she went into the locker room with all the other girls. Lily waited nervously for a break in the conversation. As Emily finished a long speech about how she was never going to figure out a back handspring, Lily finally broke in.
“So I was thinking about having a party on Saturday. For the team. If you guys want to come over . . .” Lily trailed off as everyone turned to look at her. Her stomach fluttered in the silence.
But Jill spoke up happily. “Awesome! What time?” she said. Then the other girls started chiming in.
“Hey, that’s great! Where do you live?” Emily asked.
“Oh,” Lily said. “Um, it’s at two o’clock, and I can write down my address.”
“Can I get a ride?” Hannah was asking Alison.
“Yeah, text me . . .”
Lily was flooded with relief. It was actually working!
* * *
The girls started arriving a little after two o’clock on Saturday. Lily hovered anxiously near the door to greet each guest. But her nerves began to melt away as the backyard filled with happy laughter.
By the time Jill arrived with Emily, Lily had given up her post by the door and headed out back. Her teammates filled the yard. Some chatted by the snack table. Others danced to the music that was playing. A few climbed on the tire swing that hung from a giant oak tree.
“Great party, Lily!” Jill exclaimed, coming over to her.
“Thanks!” Lily said. She gave a big grin. “It feels really good to be hanging out with everyone.”
Lily and Jill walked over to the swing, and they watched as Nora and Alison balanced on opposite sides of the big tire. Soon the two began leaning back and forth in unison, making it swing crazily.
Lily gave the tire a push when it swung near her, adding a spin. Nora shrieked with laughter. Soon all the other girls started shouting for a turn.
It took them all a while to notice that Mia had come in through the back gate. She was watching everyone with a frown on her face. Lily was the first to spot her.
“Hey, Mia!” she said, swallowing her nerves and walking over. Mia was a teammate too, after all. “Want a snack or anything?”
“I’m good,” Mia said, barely glancing at the table of food.
Jill hopped off the tire swing. “Hey, Mia, want a turn on this thing?” she called. “It’s ridiculous, but it’s fun.”
Mia shrugged and walked over. Seeming bored, she climbed on the tire swing. She stood in the inner ring, holding onto the rope. “Anyone going to push?” she asked.
Hannah stepped forward and gave the tire a shove. As it swung back and forth in a wide arc, Mia pulled herself up to sit on the top of the tire, legs around the rope. She hooked her feet inside the rim of the tire and slowly leaned back until her long hair brushed the grass.
“Ooooh,” Hannah said, impressed.
All eyes were on Mia now. She let her arms fall out to the sides like a tightrope walker. As she began to sit up, one of her feet suddenly slipped from its grip inside the tire. Her legs flew up in the air, and she tumbled from the top of the swing.
Mia landed flat on her back in the grass with a loud “Oof!” There was a long moment of total silence.
Lily ran forward. She bent next to Mia and offered her a hand. “Mia, are you okay?” she asked.
Mia lay still for a few moments, just looking at her. She slowly took Lily’s hand and sat up. “Fine,” Mia whispered hoarsely. Her face was red, and she was taking shaky breaths.
The other girls started to gather around, but Lily waved them back. “She’s okay, just give her a little room,” she said. “She needs to catch her breath.”
Mia wouldn’t look at anyone. She just sat on the ground. Lily sat with her, a gentle arm around her shoulders.
Finally, Mia shrugged her off. Lily looked at her flushed face, then at the circle of girls standing around, staring.
“Do you know I did that once at a school picnic?” Lily announced. Mia looked at her. So did everyone else. “In front of a guy I liked? I was trying to impress him with my new back walkover skills. But the ground was muddy. I slipped and knocked the breath right out of myself. It was horrible. Plus I was covered in mud.”
A small smile crept onto Mia’s face. “What a nerd,” she said softly.
“Yeah, a total nerd. I couldn’t even look at him after that,” Lily added, smiling back.
Jill spoke up. “I kicked a hacky sack into my own eye last week,” she offered.
“I broke my elbow dancing at a wedding,” Alison said. “All my cousins laughed at me.”
Mia’s face began to go back to its usual color as most of the team started wandering off toward the snack table. Each girl was now trying to tell the most embarrassing story. Mia finally stood, and Lily followed.
“That was nice of you,” Mia said, sounding surprised. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Lily shrugged. “We’re a team, right?”
“Yeah, I guess we are,” Mia agreed. “Thanks, teammate.”
“Anytime, Captain,” Lily replied.