A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

I can’t stand the idea of making a fool of myself on the court, especially if it means I might lose the game for Julie. But then, it occurs to me that even if we win a game against the boys, it still won’t earn her a place on the basketball team at school. I step between Stinger and Julie and tell Stinger that Julie doesn’t need to prove herself to him or anyone else. Girls can do anything boys can do. I feel my face reddening but I keep going. I tell Stinger that Julie deserves to be on the basketball team at school more than anybody because she’s willing to fight for it.

Stinger stammers. But before he can say anything else, Julie grins and says we should be going. We stride away without looking back.

When we get farther away, I lean close to Julie and ask if I was too hard on Stinger. She says no. Stinger is always so cocky. But Julie has never seen him speechless before! I tell her that I couldn’t stand the idea of watching that kid strut around like a peacock for much longer. We laugh.

When we pull ourselves together, Julie dribbles her basketball and says that we should do something else. I look around the park without a clue. I don’t really know where we are. And even if I did, I wouldn’t know what else is nearby. Julie asks if I’ve seen Golden Gate Park. I tell her I only moved to San Francisco a week ago. And before I know it, Julie is dragging me along the sidewalk.

We run down the sidewalk for a couple of blocks. Then Julie slows to a walk and points straight ahead. In front of us is one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. There’s a beautiful flower garden and in the middle is a magnificent white building all made of sparkling windows. Its great dome is made of window panes like an enormous faceted diamond. It’s the biggest greenhouse I’ve ever seen!

Julie says it’s the Conservatory of Flowers. We should go inside. We stroll along brick paths surrounded by lush green leaves, succulents, and brightly colored blooms. We admire the hibiscus flowers, the pink ginger blossoms, and the yellow sunny orchids. It’s so beautiful that I wish I could bring my mother and Zack here. And then, I realize that I probably can. Golden Gate Park still exists, so this place is probably still here in my time, too. For the first time, I start to think it might not be so bad living here in San Francisco. Chloe would love to see this place, too. She goes crazy for pretty flowers. Maybe she can come visit me for spring break and I can bring her here. The tropical flowers would be even more amazing after a snowy Ohio winter.

Julie interrupts my thoughts. Somebody is coming up behind me. It’s the Water Fountain Girls. I spin around and see three girls our age coming up the path. She says their names are Angela, Amanda, and Allison. Triple-A meanies from her class at school.