The Sky’s the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen

Maryellen has been so friendly and nice to me, and I can’t bear to go on pretending to her that I’m someone I’m not. So when she comes back, I tell her that I have to go home. I thank her for inviting me to stay, but we might not be moving here after all. I might not be able to see her again. Maryellen’s face falls. We’re already such good friends. I tell her that I’ll always remember her. But now I have to go. I tell her to say thank you and goodbye to her family for me.

Suddenly, Maryellen’s face brightens. She says we should promise to think of each other whenever we’re scared, like whenever she has to speak in front of a group, or I face something as big as the ocean. It’ll make us feel better. I smile and promise. Then we say our goodbyes, and reluctantly, I go outside.

I wait until I’m sure Maryellen is no longer able to see me, then I step into the trailer and change back into my ski team uniform, leaving Carolyn’s pretty dress draped neatly over a seat. My finger hesitates over the stopwatch button. But then I tell myself to do it, and I make myself press the button home.

In just a swoosh, I’m back on solid ground. I blink and look around. I’m on the ski race awards platform, with Mom’s arm around me. My teammates are talking about me, frowning at me as if I’m a cheater and a liar. And then I see what Maryellen meant. It’s scary to stand up in front of a bunch of people and speak your mind. But thinking about Maryellen steadies me, so even though I feel as if I’m about to dive head-first into the ocean, I summon my courage and tell everyone to stop and listen to me. I firmly say that I did not cheat. I only made an honest mistake.

Later, after we’ve been home from the ski mountain for a while, I’m lying on my bed, looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling when Emma comes in. I sit up and we begin to talk at the same time. It usually makes us smile when we do that, but right now we’re too tense. I tell Emma to go first.

Emma apologizes. She says that she saw me take the shortcut, but she shouldn’t have assumed that I did it on purpose. She shouldn’t have accused me of cheating. Emma says she should’ve known I made an honest mistake. She asks me if I forgive her, and I say that I do. Emma sighs with relief. She was afraid that I’d never speak to her again. I think about how I’m going to tell Emma the news that I want to quit the ski team. I just grin at her and say that she should watch out. I plan to speak up a lot more from now on.