DAY FOUR
Instructor Carey blew the whistle. "All right, enough chatter. Hathaway, you know the shirts get tucked into the shorts." She held the basketball up. "Obviously you know what we're going to be doing. The focus here will be on teamwork, not trying out for the WNBA. No Harlem Globetrotter bullshit, no hanging from the hoop." She walked to the center of the basketball court. "Five girls from each squad. Let's go." She held the ball in one hand and the whistle in the other. "All right, play nice, play fair and have fun." The two squads moved into position on the court or on the benches. "Ready?"
Grace won the tip-off and the game was on. A quick pass from Jan to Campbell resulted in the first basket, but was answered quickly by a three-point shot by Lauren Grenner for Alpha Squad. Carey ignored the street talk between the two teams as the lead went back and forth with Grace and Jan scoring the most points. Unfortunately, ignoring the talk also meant she missed the comment Grenner made when she blocked Grace's shot and sent the ball down court for Rosetti to make the basket. She did notice when guarding became nudging and was just about to intervene when an elbow flew.
"Foul on Grenner," Carey said.
"I didn't do nothing," the heavyset redhead protested.
"All right, that's it," Carey said. "Grenner, drop for twenty. Jones, go get the ball."
"It was an accident, ma'am," Grenner said as she lowered herself to the ground.
"Bullshit," Grace said, rubbing her jaw.
"Waters!" Carey said, glaring at the blonde teen. "I don't need your help. Grenner, that was no accident. You owe me a two-page report on sportsmanship and fair play."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Waters, if I thought washing your mouth out with soap would help, I'd need a bar the size of Kansas. Do you think civilized young women swear like that?"
Grace rolled her eyes, knowing she was about to get a lecture. "No, ma'am."
"Drop for twenty!" Carey shouted. "I've warned you before about that stunt with your eyes." She knelt down next to the teen. "You will break that habit, do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Grenner, you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You two better get over this, and quick, or you'll be very unhappy little girls. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.
"Let's go Waters, you're holding up PT," Carey said as Grace continued to do pushups. "Now," she said when the teen finished and stood up. "Take your free throws. Grenner, I'm not going to warn you again."
ONE WEEK
Grace set her tray down on the table, then lifted her legs over the long bench and sat down. "Z-burgers again," she said, looking at the cheeseburger on her tray.
The dark-skinned girl sitting next to her chuckled. "Damn straight. I know I'm going to fall asleep in class again."
Grace smiled. "I hear you, Latisha. It doesn't help we have the most boring class right after lunch."
"Better than PT," Latisha said, popping a lukewarm French fry into her mouth.
"I don't know," Grace said. "I'm not happy about running three miles right after breakfast." As she lifted the cheeseburger to take a bite, a sharp elbow caught her in the back of the head.
"Sorry, accident," Grenner said, though the girl with her began giggling.
"Bullshit," Grace said, rising to her feet and turning to face the bully. "What's your problem, Grenner?"
"Sit down, Waters," the redhead said. '''Fore you get your ass kicked all over the floor."
"It was a basketball game, Grenner. It's not my fault you suck." The normal din of chatter stopped, replaced by the sound of the nearby girls moving their trays away.
"Is there a problem here?" Instructor Gage said, setting her hands on her hips. "Grenner and Dawson, go find a place to sit. Waters, sit down. Since you two seem to have so much energy, you can do trash detail today." Grace exchanged an angry glare with the heavyset redhead and her shorter sidekick before sitting back down on the bench.
Grace kept a wary eye on Grenner and her friends as everyone readied for bed. She exchanged a concerned look with Latisha. "Trouble," she whispered. As expected, the redhead walked down the aisle, stopping in front of Grace's bunk.
"Bitch," the redhead said. "You're lucky Gage was there."
"Go away," Grace said. "I'm not getting in any more trouble because of you."
"Oh you've got trouble, Waters," Grenner said.
"Ten hut!" Instructor Gage shouted from the doorway, causing the girls to scatter back to the foot of their own bunks. The diminutive black woman strolled down the aisle, stopping in front of Grenner. "You just don't learn, do you?"
"I wasn't doing nothing, ma'am," Grenner said.
"Obviously you must have been sleeping during English class," Gage said. "You can write a report for me on double negatives."
"Yes, ma'am."
"What were you doing by Waters's bunk?"
"Nothing, ma'am," Grenner said. "Just talking, ma'am."
"Drop and give me twenty," Gage said. "I don't tolerate lying."
Grace swallowed, knowing she was next. She contemplated what to say when it was her turn. Tell the truth and make the situation worse or lie and hope things would calm down. When the instructor stopped in front of her, Grace made her decision.
"What was Grenner doing by your bunk?" Gage asked.
"Talking, ma'am," Grace said.
"Talking about what?"
"Nothing important, ma'am."
Gage tapped her booted foot on the concrete floor. "I didn't ask you if you thought it was important or not, Waters. What did she say to you?"
"I don't remember, ma'am," Grace said, knowing Gage knew it was a lie.
"Drop," Gage said. "I'll let you know when to stop."
Grace dropped to the floor. "Yes, ma'am."
"Jeez, Gage is in a mood this morning, isn't she?" Jan said as she arrived at the table and sat down next to Grace.
"I think she sleeps on a bed of nails," Grace said. "Either that or she's not getting any."
"Well, look at her," Jan said, smothering her waffles with syrup.
"Who would fuck her?"
"Donaldson," Rosetti chimed in. "That Viking looks like a great big dyke."
"Yeah," Jan said. "Or Scary. She probably can't get any either." She brushed her shoulder against Grace's. "You gonna eat that?"
Grace stabbed one of her waffles with her fork and put it on Jan's plate. "I don't know how you can eat so many of them," she said. "Tastes like cardboard to me."
"Anything tastes good if you put enough syrup on it," Jan said, grinning before she shoved a piece of waffle into her mouth. "You sfill gomma help me wiff mulpfying factions, wight?"
"Yeah, study hall before math," Grace said, reaching for her lukewarm coffee. "You've got the homework done, right?"
"Mose of ip." Jan drained her milk carton. "I didn't get the last ten or so."