In Over Her Head (10 page)

“Straight As? No, my dear. Her revolving door of tutors would say otherwise. And as for novels, I've never seen her with one. I know she likes
Archie
comics, though.”

“I don't get it, Massimo. Why does she lie so much?”

“It's a lot of pressure trying to be perfect.”

“Why does she need to be perfect?”

“Have you met her father?” Massimo frowns.

“Oh yeah.” I nod.

“He pushes her too much. Anything less than the best is failure in his eyes.”

“What about her mother?”

“Her mother is an Olympic gold medalist, and even worse than Captain Steele, always insisting Piper try harder, work longer, make more sacrifices, and so on, and so on.”

“Where is she now?”

“She's in Rio coaching the women's Olympic sailing team.”

“Wow! That's why they must push her so hard; they're getting her ready for the Olympics.”

“Exactly. It's too bad that the poor girl is sick of sailing.”

“But she's won all of those races and she coaches a team … or is that a lie, too?”

“No, that's true. She is a very talented sailor, but I think she is just tired. The pressure to
never lose
can be exhausting.”

I shrug. “Yeah, I thought it was kind of weird that she goes to bed so early.”

“And she's up early, too: 4:45 a.m., when she starts her two hours of training before breakfast.”

“Yikes. That's intense.”

“It is when she does it. Lately, she has been a little off her game.”

“Urgh. Sounds like a hard game.”

“And the diet they have her on …” A sad expression registers on Massimo's face. “It's very strict. I feel so bad for the poor girl that sometimes, in the morning, I sneak a cup of hot chocolate onto her dresser. A nice little treat for when she wakes up.”

“She drinks it?”

“Of course! Have you not tasted Massimo's hot chocolate?”

“Yeah.” I smile.

“It's yummy.”

“Listen, don't waste any energy feeling jealous of that girl. Trust me; as wonderful as it looks from the outside, you wouldn't want her life.”

“I'm starting to see that.”

“So, enough talking, I have a job for you,” Massimo says, reaching into his pocket.

“Sure, what else have I got to do?” I laugh.

“Take this to Piper's room, would you?” Massimo pulls a cellphone out of his pocket and places it in my hand. “Just put it on her dresser.” He winks. “Oh, and you'll need this.” He reaches into his other pocket and pulls out a key. “She keeps her room locked.”

“Are you sure she won't mind me going in?”

“
Bella
, I have to make lunch. Please, as a favour to an old man.”

I grin. “You're not that old.”

He laughs. “Just go!”

The closer I get to Piper's room, the more uneasy I feel. What if she flips when she finds out I was in her room? That would mean drama, and drama equals strikes, and I only have one left.

But, on the other hand, I don't think Massimo would ask me to do anything that would get me into trouble, and really, I'm doing her a favour by returning her phone, right? Plus, I hate to admit it, but I'm super curious to see her room.

I turn the key, push open the door, and step inside. Her room is exactly like mine, except it's neat as a pin, which is so
not
exactly like mine. Neatness — probably another one of her father's rules.

On her bed I see a ball of yarn connected to what looks like the start of a very badly knit scarf. On her nightstand is a book —
A Beginner's Guide to Knitting
.

How could she have knit her entire class mittens, when she can barely knit a scarf?

Call it nosiness, or maybe just plain curiosity, but I open the book. On the inside cover, written in beautiful cursive, I read:

My darling Piper,

Since you were a little girl, I've dreamed of teaching you how to knit. Your schedule is just so jam-packed, there never seems to be any time. I hope you are finding a few moments to relax, and when you do, please give this a try. Wouldn't it be fun to knit together? I think so, and I hope you do, too!

Love and kisses,

Grandma

Just as I am about to close the book, the captain's voice booms across the loud speaker: “Hannah Smart, please report to the bridge immediately!” Startled, I drop it on the floor.

What? Does he know I'm in Piper's room, going through her things? How could he?
OMG
… he's the captain! He knows everything! I may as well pack my bags right now!

I place the book in exactly the same position it was before, and head for the door. After I've relocked it, I remember the phone. Crap! How could I have forgotten to do what I came here to do in the first place? I unlock the door and place the phone on top of a small stack of
Betty and Veronica
comics on her dresser. Beside the stack of
Betty and Veronica
s is a dirty mug with chocolate sludge in the bottom (the only thing out of place in the room). Beside that is a cute little stuffed bear wearing an adorable little sailor's uniform. It's so precious I can't help but pick it up.

“Hannah Smart,
REPORT TO THE BRIDGE IMMEDIATELY
!” the captain's voice blares over the intercom, scaring the begeebers out of me
again
. Of course, the bear goes flying.

I hear footsteps outside the door.

Is it the captain? No, he's up on the bridge. Piper? She couldn't be back already! Whoever you are please just keep walking, just keep walking …

Thank goodness, they kept walking.

I run to the other side of Piper's bed, grab the bear off of the floor, and sprint back to her dresser. I place it exactly where it was before, beside the dirty mug. I turn to leave when I notice a clear piece of plastic sticking out from his uniform.

Great! I broke the bear!

When I check under sailor-bear's shirt, I find out that he's not broken after all. That piece of plastic is nothing other than my missing mouthpiece, attached to his belly with — you'll never guess,
or
maybe you will … my missing wristbands.

 

An Unbearably Happy Turn of Events

“Y
es
, Captain Steele,” I say, tearing onto the bridge.

“Hmm … promptness is not your strong suit, is it?”

“I'm sorry, Captain. I was running an errand for Massimo and …”

“Hannah, stop making excuses! Understand that you are in control of your own life, and also that your decisions have an impact on others. Think about that the next time you decide to dilly-dally when your superior has summoned you, and furthermore … blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah —”

“— Captain, if you wouldn't mind,” Val daringly interrupts him mid-blah. “Patrice wanted me to get this shot right away.”

“Far be it from me to stand in the way of …”

Val throws a stern look at the captain (who shuts up immediately), and then turns her eyes back to me and smiles. “Hannah, Phillip asked us to get your weekly check-in done for
Be Awesome with Hannah.
How does that sound?
”

“Great! What's the plan?”

“Well, since this is our first treasure-hunting day, and you weren't able to do the dive, we thought we'd get a shot of you up here on the bridge. Then, after lunch, when the kids go back down, we'll get you into the water. Even though you can't officially do the dive, we'll edit it so it'll look like you did. Cool?”

“Well, well, well. You seem to squirm your way out of everything, don't you Miss Smart?”

“Um … actually, I …”

He scowls. “Thank god for the magic of television.”

“Actually, I just found my mouthpiece,” I say, pulling it out of my pocket.

“Should I even ask where?”

“No, probably, not.”

“You found it!” Val exclaims. “That's wonderful!”

“Yeah, it is.” I smile.

“Okay, let's get some shots on the bridge, and then go down and tell Patrice the good news! He'll be thrilled!”

Thankfully, Patrice didn't ask where I'd found my mouthpiece. He's so focused on making every scene
magique,
that he has no time to
sweat the little things
, as he puts it.

Patrice asks Carlos, our treasure-hunting expert, to take me down to the site so he can bring me up to speed while the others are off having lunch.

“Hannah,” Patrice calls from his spot behind camera two. “Just like Piper did this morning, two thumbs-up and a smile!”

As instructed, I flip my thumbs up, smile, and push myself off the dive deck into the water. Carlos gives the signal and then we dive to the bottom.

I am amazed at how peaceful it is down here. Three pretty fish swim by and suddenly I feel like a fish myself, swimming in my very own personal aquarium.

Carlos swims over with my metal detector, reminding me that we are on a mission. We're here to find treasure. I turn on my detector and start skimming the bottom. It starts beeping almost immediately. I motion for Carlos to come back, and then swish my hand over the sand. I quickly catch a glimpse of something silver! Eager to find out what treasure I've found, I wave my hand faster and faster until it comes into full view. Turns out, it is not treasure after all. It's a soda can, probably thrown off one of the local boats. Carlos, obviously not nearly as disappointed as I am, shrugs, and motions for me to keep looking.

As I continue scanning the bottom, I find three rusty nails, four more pop cans, and a big old tubular-shaped thing covered in barnacles. Big deal. Carlos motions that it is time for us to head to the surface.

“So did you see anything interesting?” Carlos asks as we climb back on board the dive deck.

“No, just some rusty nails, a few tin cans and some weird, hollow rock covered in barnacles.”

“What!” Carlos exclaims.

“What, what?”

“How big?” Carlos demands.

“What?”

“How big was that weird, hollow rock?”

“I dunno,” I say, spreading my hands apart. “This big, I guess.”

“Patrice! We need a camera crew down there now!” Carlos yells.

“What's going on?” I whisper.

“You found a cannon! That means we're close!”

“Hannah, we need you and Carlos back down there,” Patrice says. “The camera crew is suiting up. They will join you shortly.”

“What's going on?” Piper asks, as she saunters onto the dive deck with A.J. and Henry.

“Hannah found a cannon!” Carlos exclaims.

Piper snorts, dismissively. “How could she have found a cannon, Carlos? She didn't even dive.”

“She did dive,” Carlos sneers.

“Ha!” Piper laughs. “With no mouthpiece?”

Carlos shrugs. “She had a mouthpiece.”

Piper smirks. “Where'd she get it?”

“I don't know, Piper. Maybe she found one, or maybe she borrowed it.” Carlos growls, sounding more annoyed by the second. “What's it to you, anyway?”

Piper leans in to A.J. and whispers (loudly enough for everyone to hear), “It's reality TV; they're just making it look like she did the dive.”

“I did the dive, Piper,” I correct her.

“Impossible.” She laughs. “You can't wear somebody else's custom mouthpiece.”

“True.” I nod in agreement. “But you see, I didn't have to borrow one, Piper. I found mine.”

“That's awesome!” Henry cries.

“What?” Piper says, gawking. “How? Where?”

I smile and answer, “Well, after an un
bear
able morning, just when I though I couldn't
bear
missing out any longer, I could
bear
ly believe my eyes when my mouthpiece finally
bear
ed itself.”

“Are you okay, Hannah?” A.J. looks at me strangely.

Henry laughs. “She's just
bear
y happy.”

“I don't get it.” A.J. scratches his head.

Piper, however, is another story. She understands exactly what I mean. It's plain to see (by the livid expression on her face) that even though I may have won this battle, she plans on winning the war.