Ann Martin - Jessi's Gold Medal

It was disgusting. But that's Alan.

Unfortunately, you could tell he was in good shape. His legs seemed strong, his push-ups were perfect, and in track clothes he just looked like a jock.

"If he wins, I'll die," Stacey said over my shoulder.

"I'll hit him with my crutch," added Mal.

"I just hope this wasn't a dumb idea," Stacey said.

I looked back at her. "Kristy? Have a dumb idea?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Stacey said.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Mr. Taylor's voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "These two brave eighth-graders are the first to take the challenge — and in that sense, they're both winners already!"

Stacey leaned over to me and Mal again. "Yeah, but the real winner gets to have a personal servant all week!"

"Can you imagine Kristy being a servant?" I asked.

Stacey rolled her eyes. "Not in a million years!"

Kristy was strolling to the starting line, still waving and smiling.

"On your marks!" Mr. Taylor boomed.

"What is she doing?" Stacey asked.

"I hope she's not too confident!" Mal said.

"Get set!"

Kristy and Alan crouched by their starting tapes. Alan said something to her, and Kristy just laughed at him.

"Don't get distracted, Kristy!" I said under my breath.

"Go!"

Bang!

Kristy stumbled.

I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Mal and Stacey gasped.

Alan shot forward. His legs pumped away at full speed.

Kristy recovered right away. She'd lost only a split second, but that cost her a lot of ground.

She started running like crazy. She reached the sandpit just as Alan was jumping over it.

Whump! He landed off-balance on his rear end, then fell to his right — and Kristy came flying over the pit!

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Kristy and Alan were tangled on the ground, frantically pushing each other away.

They scrambled to their feet and took off again. The hurdles were next. Kristy reached hers first. She leaped — and kicked it flat on the ground. Alan cleared his with room to spare.

"Ohhhhhh," I moaned.

Kristy and Alan both sailed over the second hurdle, then the third . . . almost. Alan's sneaker caught the hurdle after he was over it, and that one tumbled to the ground.

And then Alan looked over his shoulder to see what had happened. That slowed him down, and Kristy pulled ahead.

"Yaaaayyy!" we yelled.

Next was the high jump. Kristy plunged forward, headfirst. Her shoulders went over, her waist, her knees . . . but her sneakers clipped the bar.

She landed in a heap. The bar wobbled . . . and wobbled . . . and stopped wobbling. It had stayed!

But Kristy spent a second or two watching the bar, and Alan just dove over his, no problem.

Alan pulled ahead. Next came the traffic cones. Kristy and Alan ran around them, taking small, quick steps.

Kristy must have been a little flustered, because she kicked over the first two while Alan ran around his perfectly.

Then he stepped into the open center of the first car tire. Lifting his legs high, he stepped into the second, the third . . .

And his foot got stuck in the fourth. He lost his balance but broke his fall with his hands.

Kristy passed him, taking slow, high steps.

Alan's face turned bright red.

After the tires, it was a sprint to the finish line. Alan picked himself up and ran through the last two tires.

Kristy reached the open field first — but not by much. She dug in with her legs, put her head down, and ran.

Alan was about two steps behind her, but he closed that distance right away. He looked furious.

"Yeeaaaaaaaahhhhh!" We were on our feet, screaming our lungs out. All around us, people were standing and screaming with us.

Kristy and Alan were neck and neck for a few yards. But Alan moved ahead, and you could tell he was picking up speed.

My stomach sank. He was going to win. Mal and Stacey were frozen with shock.

But Kristy must have been saving some energy. All at once, her legs actually seemed to grow longer. She pulled up even with Alan.

And he did a double take! He was so sure he'd win, he couldn't believe Kristy had caught up with him. You could see the shock in his face.

That was all Kristy needed. She kept her eyes forward, sped ahead . . . and they crossed the finish line together!

At least that was what it looked like from

where we were sitting. By the finish line, people were cheering wildly. They could see something we couldn't from our angle.

But what was it?

The festival officials (teachers) were talking seriously with one another, looking at a stopwatch and gesturing toward the finish line. Kristy and Alan were circling around by themselves, huffing and puffing and ignoring each other.

The officials nodded in agreement, then one of them signaled something to Mr. Taylor.

"We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Taylor announced.

I held my breath. Mal was clutching my hand and Stacey had a grip on my shoulder.

"The winner of the first installment of the Great SMS Coed Obstacle Challenge is ... Kristy Thomas!"

Well, I yelled so loudly I thought my lungs were going to collapse. Stacey and I hugged each other and jumped up and down. Then we bent over and included Mal in our hug.

As for Kristy — well, she was eating it up. She was leaping around in the end zone, pumping her arms and whooping. Not exactly modest, but that's Kristy.

I never thought I'd feel sorry for Alan Gray, but the look on his face was pathetic. He was crushed. His shoulders were slumped and his

mouth was puckered as if he'd just bitten into a lemon.

Then, with a grand sweep of her arms, Kristy snapped her fingers at Alan and pointed to a spot right next to her.,Alan stared at her, stunned. Then he said something to her. But Kristy shot him a hard look.

He fumed and sputtered, but I guess even he realized a deal was a deal. Red-faced, he stood at Kristy's side.

His week as Kristy's servant had just begun.

The rest of the track and field events seemed to fly by. Before long Mr. Taylor announced that the swimming events would be starting in twenty minutes.

It was Sweating Time for me. And I mean sweating — this was not glow and not perspiration. Kristy and Alan's race had taken my mind off my own event, but that was over now.

Half of me hoped everyone would just go home. Then I wouldn't have to embarrass myself.

But no such luck. The crowd, including us, filed through the gate and made a left turn toward the pool complex.

"Hey, Jessi!" I heard Elise's voice call.

I turned around and saw her running toward me. "There you are!" she said. "I didn't see you in the stands!"

Boy, did I feel relieved. I introduced Elise to Mal and Stacey. Soon Mary Anne and Dawn caught up to us, then Claudia did — and finally Kristy did, with Alan tagging behind.

Congratulations and hugs were flying around. People in the crowd seemed to swarm around Kristy especially. Everyone (except Alan) seemed so carefree — laughing and joking and talking a mile a minute.

I felt ill.

Stacey ran ahead of us, because the regular swimming events were going to take place first. When Elise and I arrived at the pool complex, we went straight to the locker room to change.

I'm afraid to say I didn't even see Stacey's event. I was too busy pantomiming our routine over and over with Elise in the locker room.

We were in the middle of what must have been the twentieth time, when Ms. Cox came in and shouted, "Okay, we're next, girls! Let's go for it!"

Everyone jumped up. I froze.

"Come on," Elise said. "It's almost over."

I exhaled. "It hasn't even begun."

"Hey, I have an idea. If we're awful, I'll buy you an ice cream cone. If we're just mediocre, you buy me one."