Chapter 337: Jana VI—The Other Blonde
Jana put her hands on her hips and turned a little in front of her mirror. Mom had bought her a new outfit to wear for today, and Jana admitted she liked it but still… She liked how soft and cozy the sweater was, and the pants were cool cause they were BLACK which meant they were stylish, but something was missing. She grabbed her pale pink mittens and put them on. She twisted her hand around in the mirror, looked at the peach slip of skin from her wrists when she turned them. She wiggled her fingers and pin pointed the problem.
“I think I need Daddy’s Smittens, Mom, those will make it perfect.” Jana looked at Mom’s reflection in the mirror. Mom squinted and then picked up her hair brush.
“Non baby,” Mom said, “You can’t have Daddy’s Smittens.”
Jana’s lips tightened and she curled her fingers into fists. Before saying anything however, she weighed how much of a fight this would be worth. One… two… three, she swallowed. Staying calm would probably be the better idea. “Mom,” she turned around to face Mom. “Daddy’s Smittens are good luck, and they smell so nice, and he says they make him play better. So don’t you think he would want me to wear them today, for Good Luck?” There, reasonable enough, Mom should see it.
“You’re talented enough without them,” Mom said sweetly. “You’ll see.”
Jana stomped and caught her temper just barely. “No I’m not! I need those!”
“Ask one more time and you will not leave this house today.”
Jana crossed her arms. “Fine, then how come I can’t have a figure skating dress with all the sparkles? The other girls will laugh at me. Shouldn’t I look like a princess? Daddy thinks I should.”
“You will wear a dress when the time comes,” Mom replied. “Now come here so I can put up your hair.”
Jana tilted her head to one side. “If I can’t have a dress you can’t put up my hair.” There that should get her something at least.
Mom lifted an eyebrow. “If I can’t put up your hair, you will not leave this house.”
Dang, square one. Jana went to Mom and sat on the bed letting Mom grab her long hair and run the hairbrush through it. “You drive a hard bargain, woman.” She remembered Jonathan saying that to Mom yesterday, it made him seem tough. Jana wanted to show Mom she was tough.
“All mommies do Angel,” Mom said sweetly. “When you have your own daughter you will see.”
Jana sighed. “What if I don’t want a daughter?”
“Oh calm down,” Mom said. “Your cheeks are red.”
Jana held her brand new figure skating bag close to her lap. It still smelled new, and it contained her best Christmas present ever, a pair of gleaming white, tailored figure skates. She had put them on and worn them around her bedroom earlier that morning, admiring the glisten of the polished, honey colored wooden soles and the fluffy pink of the blade protectors. Elena had white skates, Jana felt proud to be just like Elena.
“Mom are you going to stay and watch?” Jana asked as she followed Mom over the icy parking lot into the ice arena. The sun reflected brightly off the ice and pavement, but there wasn’t really any snow, just the dirty mush kicked up from cars. Jana stepped carefully over that so her pants wouldn’t get splashed.
“Of course I am,” Mom said, “You know I always stay with you.”
“And cheer for me even if I fall,” Jana gasped, “So everyone won’t laugh at me.”
“No one is going to laugh at you,” Mom replied, “Don’t be so silly.”
“Mom…” Jana exclaimed and Mom stopped walking, and kneeled down to her kissing her on the cheek.
“It’s going to be okay,” Mom whispered. “This is what you want, baby, isn’t it?”
Jana made sure to stride a good few lengths in front of Mom as they went downstairs to the ice arena; she wanted to show everyone that she wasn’t a little baby who needed to hang onto Mommy. Even though, inside, her stomach boiled so nervously, that’s all she wanted to do.
All of the girls were there, getting ready for the class. The second she saw them, leaning over the bench, lacing their dingy skates, and fixing their tights, she inwardly thanked Mom for not letting her wear a glitter outfit. All of the girls here wore sweaters, and mittens and leggings, a few in woolen skirts with colored tights. If she would have come in a costume everyone would have laughed. Jana patted her tightly braided bun on her head, and fingered the ribbon trailing down it, Mom had got that right too. All the girls here had their hair in coils and braids.
She took a deep breath and glanced at Mom who leaned against a far wall and smiled. “Go on,” she mouthed out. Jana nodded and marched with confidence to the closest empty seat she could find.
“Hello,” Jana said to the little girl who had finished lacing her soft tan skates. “I’m Jana Roy, I’m new. Who are you?”
The girl
smiled and smoothed her hands over her black hair. It glistened with gel and
styling and she had cut bangs that were curled over her forehead. Her eyes were
slanted like a cat’s and dark brown. Jana wondered if she should have her bangs
cut and curled too. “I’m
Jana nodded solemnly. “I’m nine so I’ll have to practice more. I want to be as good as Elena.”
An-Mei grinned. “No one here will ever be good as her except for me, because I’m gonna be better than Michelle Kwan. But Ember thinks she’s gonna be better than everyone,” An-Mei glanced over her shoulder and leaned forward, “But Mom says Ember’s full of it. She’s mean too, she thinks she can be the boss just cause she’s tall, but Mom says if Ember keeps getting tall then she won’t make it anywhere except road shows in Vegas.”
Jana felt her mouth water with the prospect of whispered secrets and alliances. “Which one is Ember?” she asked, feeling her breast gird for battle.
“The blond one over there,” An-Mei whispered. “And I bet she already don’t like you because you’re really blond and she likes being the only one with yellow hair. She don’t like me cause I’m mostly Chinese and she thinks it makes my eyes creepy.”
“But your eyes are beautiful!” Jana gasped noting that An-Mei’s eyes weren’t just brown, they had reddish flecks in them, and that made them COOL.
Jana pursed her lips and squinted at the girl with the butter blond curls and pink mittens who laughed loudly with the other girls. The first thing one should always do when in a new environment, Jana had learned, was find out who the enemy was.
“She thinks she’s so cool just cause she’s the governor’s niece, ew. I’m not jealous of her. Mom says being related to the Governor of Colorado is like having to smile when you clean toilets.”
Jana frowned. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
An-Mei narrowed her eyes to slits. “Exactly. Now are you gonna get your skates on? Cause Jadzia doesn’t wait for slowpokes, she just gets us on the ice or we snooze we lose.”
Jana’s eyes widened. “Elena doesn’t teach us?”
“Elena helps out,” An-Mei said. “But she’s not the teacher-teacher that’s up to Jad. And, if you’re lazy, Jad lets you know!”
“Is she mean?” Jana asked, wondering how much of a battle she would have to put up to defend her rights.
“Not really,” An-Mei said.
“Is Jad here yet?” Jana asked. She saw Mom talking with another Mommy they seemed to be smiling. “Do I need to rush?”
“She’s on the ice with her other class, you have time.”
Jana wasted no more time in pulling her skates out of the bag and ripping off the blade protectors. The silver of them glinted and Jana felt satisfied to see Ember staring at her now with her arms crossed. Jana knew Ember was prizing her up, snaking the competition. She made sure to lace slowly and deliberately now, so Ember could take a good long look at these pretty, brand new skates.
“You should tighten wrap the extra lacing around your ankles,” An-Mei leaned over and helped Jana with the lacing. Although Jana appreciated the help, she also felt irritated that Ember had to see she was new to everything.
Ember smirked, Jana glared back and then suddenly, Ember jumped up from the bench with loud squeals. “EEEE Elena, Elena! EEEE!”
Elena?
Jana’s heart hopped and she stumbled to her feet and tottered to Elena who had just come into the room with a duffel bag hung over her shoulder. Elena’s mom waved and then hugged Mommy. Jana could see Ember would reach Elena first and then she grinned when she saw Elena move past Ember and go to her instead.
“Hey there Punk,” Elena said and Jana was buried in her hug. “Are ya ready?”
Jana peeked through the crook of Elena’s arm at Ember who had her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. “Ooo yeah!” Jana grinned. “I’m totally ready!” This blond is ready!