How It Feels to Fly(53)

“Wow,” Jenna says after a few minutes, her voice tight.

“Wow,” I agree. Of all of us, Dominic seemed the most chill, the most . . . normal. But he told us last week he needed to be here. We just hadn’t seen why.

Andrew helps Dominic to his feet. He picks up the football and holds it in front of Dominic, and Dominic nods. They jog away from each other, and Andrew fires off a pass. The ball soars high and long. Dominic runs until he’s underneath it, and it drops into his hands. He sends it flying back.

Next to me, Jenna is uncharacteristically fidgety. She smooths back her ponytail, then adjusts her tank top, then dabs at her face with a tissue, then fixes her hair again. And I remember: her challenge is next.

“How are you doing?” I ask her.

She blinks at me. “Fine.”

I hesitate. “Are you sure?”

“Mm-hmm.” She squints at me, shading her eyes. “You’re getting sunburned.”

I move the strap of my tank top to check. She’s right. “Good thing we’re going inside soon.”

“Good thing,” she echoes, running her fingers over her ponytail another time.

Dr. Lancaster comes over to us a few minutes later, Zoe trailing behind her. “Everyone okay? We’re due at the screening room in fifteen minutes.”

“We’re still going through with Jenna’s challenge?” Omar says. “After . . . that?” His voice rises to a squeak, and he clears his throat.

“Jenna, are you all right to proceed?” Dr. Lancaster asks.

“Mm-hmm.” Her throat sounds even tighter than before, but she gets to her feet.

IN THE FILM department’s screening room, Dr. Lancaster sets Jenna up at a podium in front of the giant video screen. Jenna grips the sides of the podium like it’s the only thing keeping her on her feet. Her eyes are wide and her lips are pressed into a thin line.

“Do you think she’s going to freak out like Dominic did?” Katie whispers from the seat next to me.

“I hope not.” For her sake and for ours. I feel so on edge right now, and I know I’m not the only one. Katie, Omar, and I are all in the second row together, and our nerves jangle in the air around us. Dominic and Andrew are behind us, and Yasmin and Zoe are five rows farther back, in the corner. I imagine I can feel Zoe seething and sulking from all the way back there.

The AC is blasting. I’m shivering, despite my sunburned shoulders, as I watch Dr. Lancaster fuss with the wires connecting the laptop to the projector. Finally she gets the screen to flicker to life. As it comes into focus, I see that it’s an online video site. The thumbnail image is of a skater in a royal-blue dress, bent almost in half as she spins.

Dr. Lancaster steps up to the microphone. “I’m excited to introduce today’s very special guest commentator,” she says, and Katie looks at me with raised eyebrows. “Jenna Lai is here to dissect a few skating videos for us. She’ll be telling us each and every good and correct thing the skater does, so we know what to look for when we’re watching skating in the future.”

The lights dim. The video begins. The skater takes her opening pose at center ice. Her routine is to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and she starts by skating in a slow, luxurious circle, arms floating down to her sides. Then she travels backward, building up speed.

Jenna takes in a shaky breath. The microphone picks it up. “Jackie’s known for having really solid short programs,” she says. “Her energy grows in a nice way. She has a tough jump combination coming up here. I think it’s a triple lutz, double loop. . . .”

On-screen, Jackie launches herself into the air, spins three times, lands, jumps again, spins twice, and lands in an arabesque, a triumphant look on her face.

“That was a strong landing,” Jenna tells us as Jackie does a footwork pass across the ice. “Here comes another jump combination. . . .” We all watch. “And she sticks it again. She’s skating so cleanly. And look at the fluidity in her arm movements. . . .”

Jenna talks us through the rest of the video, and then three more routines, sounding more and more at ease as she goes. She’s almost clinical, the way she breaks down what’s successful about each program. For one skater, it’s all about flexibility. “Look at how straight her knee is in that arabesque!” Jenna says. For another, it’s the passion she displays. “She wobbled there,” Jenna points out, “but you feel her fire.”

And then a video cues up that makes Jenna grab onto the podium again. “Um,” she says, a crack in her voice. “That’s me.”

I sit forward in my chair.

“It is you,” Dr. Lancaster agrees. “And I’d like you to dissect the video for us, just like you did with the others.”

“But—” Jenna breaks off, looking lost.

On-screen, Jenna takes her opening pose. And in front of us, Jenna stumbles through an introduction. “This is my—it’s Jenna’s first time skating this routine on competitive ice. I got a—she has a new choreographer, with an increased focus on ballet technique. You can tell because of the . . . because of . . .” She watches herself start to skate. “Her arm movements are much more fluid than they used to be.”

Skater-Jenna steps into a spin, her deep pink skirt fluttering behind her. She arches back, one leg lifted behind her, arms reaching for the sky. The effect is like a water lily swirling in a stream.