Free Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby Page A

vault over?” Katrina asks.
    I moan again. “Who cares?” I can vault and somersault with the best of them to get a great shot, but in a gym? What’s the point? Just to say you can do it?
    The minibus pulls up at the front door of the gym, and as we exit I’m pleased to see at least half the people leaving the bus obviously have the same feeling about this as I do—
    especially Jamie, the three- school dropout, who still has his hood up, shading his entire face. Looks like he feels the same way about the gym as he seems to feel about . . . well, about his entire life, really. (I’m guessing the hiding- in- the- hoodie thing has been going on for a while now.) Brad herds us quickly inside the gym, and as three instructors walk up to us, it only takes me a second or two to work out exactly what’s going on here.
    Maybe it’s the ribbons hanging from the ceiling, or the plates and sticks on the fl oor, or the trapeze.
    Or maybe it’s because all three instructors are wearing red noses.
    “Welcome to your circus skills workshop, everyone!” one 71
    212-47604_ch01_1P.indd 71
    212-47604_ch01_1P.indd 71
    5/5/11 4:25 PM
    5/5/11 4:25 PM

    of the instructors says a tad too cheerily and takes off his red nose with a laugh. “I’m Trent and this is Hope and Laura, and we’ll be leading you today. You’ll be split up into three groups and learning a variety of skills, both individual and in teams . . .” I tune out around this point and my brain clicks over into work mode, scoping out the stage I’ve been given and how I’m going to get the shots I need. It will be diffi cult with just the fauxPod, but at least there’s half- decent lighting in here and—
    “Jo!” Katrina drags me over a few steps to stand beside her. “Hello?! Dividing up time. You’re in our group.”
    “Oh, sorry.”
    “Hey, again.” I get a wave from one of the other group members— Ned. He’s wearing gray sweatpants and a tight-ish gray T-shirt, and it’s all I can do not to go over and grab one of those silky ribbons, tie him up in a big bow, and take some shots.
    Yikes. Sometimes I scare even myself.
    “Hey,” I try to say calmly.
    “Have you met Seth yet?” Ned asks me, and I shake my head.
    “Jo, Seth. Seth, Jo.”
    “Hey,” Seth says fl atly, waving the most disinterested wave I’ve ever seen, which is fi ne by me, of course. Now that I see him up close, I remember he was the guy with his back turned to the group in the foyer of the retreat.
    “Hey,” I wave back.
    72
    212-47604_ch01_1P.indd 72
    212-47604_ch01_1P.indd 72
    5/5/11 4:25 PM
    5/5/11 4:25 PM

    One of the trainers, Hope, guides the group to our fi rst activity. “We’re starting today with acrobatics, which is always tons of fun. We’re going to learn how to form a pyramid and also a leaning tower.”
    The elusive Ned in pyramid formation. Now that I want a shot of.
    “Okay.” Hope sizes us up and reads the name tags Brad had slapped onto us in the minibus. “Jo and Seth.” She looks at us both in turn. “You’re the two smallest . . . ,” she hesitates when Katrina grunts, “so let’s get you two at the back. Katrina, Ned . . .” She pauses again, really looking at Ned now and realizing he’s not just Ned, but Ned and then a second expression falls over her face that reads “Ah, so this is what I’m supposed to be discreet about.” “You’ll be at the front with me.” We all move into position, albeit some of us reluctantly.
    “Now,” Hope continues, “the three of us at the front will bend our knees slightly and brace ourselves while standing up. Jo and Seth, you’ll start by jumping up from behind us and placing your right foot on one of our thighs and your left foot on the next person’s thigh. So you’ll be facing front, same as us, and you’ll have one foot on two different people’s thighs. Make sense? We’ll hold you in place with our hands so that you don’t fall, then you’ll reach your hands to the ceiling in a star