Maggie Malone Makes a Splash Read Online Free Page A

Brianna.
    â€œO’Connor beat you by two seconds,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “Two seconds!” Brianna is biting her lip, looking like she’s trying not to cry. “But you’re both first heat, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to outswim her.” Brianna nods and runs off to the locker room. Coach shakes his head angrily. I move over next to Elizabeth.
    â€œNot that great of a swimmer, huh?” I say.
    â€œYeah, well, my dad is amazing. He actually won four gold medals at the Olympics…and my brother is really good too. Compared to them, I’m terrible,” she whispers with a shrug.
    â€œWow! That’s really cool! And I’d say you measure up just fine here,” I tell Elizabeth, giving her a hip bump that almost knocks her over.
    She steadies herself and says, “I really do love the water. Thanks for getting me to do this, Maggie.”
    â€œWhat are friends for?” I ask.
    â€œMargaret Malone?” Coach calls me over, looking down at his clipboard.
    â€œYes, Coach?” I answer, wrapping my towel around my waist.
    â€œYeah, what was that?” Coach asks me.
    â€œWhat was what?” I ask, confused.
    â€œYou swam under the water , Margaret,” Coach reminds me, like I don’t already know that.
    â€œYes sir, and you can call me Maggie, sir. And oh, that’s how I get around in the water the fastest and since we were racing…”
    â€œWhat’s your best stroke?” Coach asks.
    â€œStroke? You know, I don’t really like those,” I explain and Coach just keeps looking at his clipboard. “They showed us ‘the strokes’ back at Camp Itchy Bitey, but honestly, they just slowed me down. So I usually just swim under the water since I’m also amazing at holding my breath. I won first place for that—beat out Willie Westheimer, who told everybody his lungs were twice the size of any adult human, which is a total lie, but—”
    â€œWell, congratulations on your lung capacity, Margaret, er, Maggie, but that’s not an option. You’ve got to pick a stroke and get good at it,” Coach tells me.
    â€œWait, I made the team ?” I ask, shocked.
    â€œI need warm bodies out there and I’m short on those this year, so you’ll be our second alternate,” Coach tells me. “If two girls can’t make it to a meet, you swim. But you come to all of the practices and meets either way. In the meantime, you’ve got a lot of work to do. First practice is tomorrow afternoon.”
    Right about that time, Brianna comes slinking out of the locker room.
    â€œBrianna,” Coach shouts. She looks up timidly. “I want you to work with Malone here. Fifteen minutes before and after every practice. It’ll be good for you too.”
    â€œYes, Dad,” she replies, looking down.
    Dad? Brianna is the coach’s daughter?
    â€œUm, thank you?” I say, since it’s pretty clear neither of us has a choice.
    â€œI’ll take her to get a team suit,” Brianna says. “Come on, Maggie.”
    We start heading toward her dad’s office.
    â€œHey, Brianna, I really appreciate you helping me out,” I say, struggling for words. “I mean, you’re an amazing swimmer. Really great! Like, way better than me, although I do have that first-place award from Camp Itchy Bitey.” Brianna says nothing, so of course I keep talking. “Hey, you’re not upset that Elizabeth swam a little faster than you did, are you? It’s just swimming. It’s supposed to be fun, right?”
    â€œOh…yeah, Maggie,” Brianna agrees, smiling and looking around the corner. “You’re right.”
    And then just like that, sweetness and light turn to fire and brimstone.
    â€œHere’s the deal, Malone,” Brianna says, yanking me by the arm and pulling me inside her dad’s office. “I’m gonna teach you