Maggie was supposed to be sound asleep, but instead she was reliving every moment of the competition. That included standing on the podium to receive her first-place medal while Beatrice stood below her at second. Maggie had done it, and she had done it her way. As she flipped through each delicious memory, one tiny thought continued to niggle at her like a sliver that she just couldn’t remove.
She kept coming back to Beatrice.
Beatrice had acted graciously at the celebratory dinner with their family that night.
Still, Maggie couldn’t forget the look on Beatrice’s face right after Maggie had finished her routine.
Maggie couldn’t stand it anymore. She peeled her comforter off and snuck down the hall to her sister’s room. She slid open the door and peered in at Bea’s shadowed form on the bed. Beatrice turned when she saw the light from the doorway shining in.
“Scoot over,” Maggie said and crawled under the warm sheets next to her sister. Beatrice hiccupped. Her shoulders shivered.
“Are you crying?” Maggie asked, astonished. Beatrice never cried, even when hurt. She was always strong and composed.
“I don’t know why I feel so sad,” Beatrice said. Her breath was stinky, but Maggie didn’t have the heart to tell her that.
“I do,” Maggie said. “I always feel a tiny bit bad for myself when you win.” She rested her head on Beatrice’s damp shoulder, thinking guiltily about how she hadn’t even congratulated Beatrice after the last competition. “And you win, like, all the time, you know.” Maggie shoved her sister’s shoulder, trying to lighten the mood.
“You’re just so brave,” Beatrice said. “I always wish I could be more like you.” Her body shook.
“What?” Maggie said. She seized her sister’s hand. “Are you kidding me? You are the most talented skater I know. You try everything without even thinking about it. You’re the brave one.”
“I just do whatever Mom and Coach Bennett say, without even questioning them,” Beatrice said. “You turned your hair blue!” She was laughing and crying at the same time.
“Well, I don’t know if turning my hair blue was brave,” Maggie said. “I did it because I felt like I was always in your shadow.” Maggie sighed and snuggled up close. “It was my way of shouting, I guess.”
Beatrice leaned into Maggie. “I feel like we’ve been growing apart, and I don’t like it. I want us to be friends again. And teammates.”
“Me, too,” said Maggie. She held onto Beatrice’s hand as if it were a life preserver.
Beatrice stopped shaking at last.
Maggie had a flash of insight and yelled, “Bea!”
“Oh, my gosh. What?” Beatrice said, startled.
Now it was Maggie’s turn to shake — with laughter. “I have the best idea.”
* * *
Early Saturday morning, the girls sat in front of the television, chortling to themselves. They had served themselves big bowls of cereal and then piled onto the couch in a sea of blankets to watch cartoons like they used to. Maggie thought it felt so good to have her sister back, but she was a little freaked out about her mother waking up and seeing what they had done.
An hour later, their mother walked in. “Good morning, girls,” she said. She looked mother-like in her fancy silk robe, but her eyes were half-closed. She clung to her cup of coffee like it was vital to her existence.
The girls shared a sly look, wondering when she would notice.
“What are you girls watching?” their mother said, sitting down in a chair across from them and finally really looking at them. At Beatrice, especially.
A tense moment passed.
“No,” she finally said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Not you, too.” Beatrice now had a long blue streak in her blond hair, right in the front.
“Do you like it?” Beatrice asked, trying not to sound scared. Their mother paused for a long time, peering at her two daughters.
“Actually,” their mother said, sighing, “I kind of do. But I’m starting to think that we need to make more frequent trips to the salon?” Her eyes gleamed.
The three of them stared at each other and then burst into howling laughter, gripping their sides until they couldn’t breathe anymore.
“What’s going on down here, you lunatics?” their dad said, entering the living room, looking unshaven and tired.
As the laughter died down, the sisters gave each other a hug. Maggie grabbed Beatrice’s hand and said, “We’ve made a decision.”
“What’s that?” their dad said, looking at their mother for clues. Their mother shrugged her shoulders.
“We only want to continue to figure skate if we can do it together,” Beatrice said. “Here, with Coach Stone. No more driving.”
“Oh, thank heavens,” their mother said, falling over in a mock faint. “I’m so tired of that stupid drive.” The girls watched her in shock, both wondering about the strange new relaxed creature that their mother had become.
Their dad just smiled.
“Now that that’s finally settled, how about some music?” their dad said. He walked over to the stereo and pressed some buttons.
Instantly, a loud burst of rock-n-roll music shouted from the speakers. Their dad grabbed their mother, who protested. When he was finally able to pull her up from the chair, he whirled her around until she got so dizzy she fell into him.
Maggie and Beatrice both stood up. The strength of their smiles could have powered the house.
And then they started to spin, together.