The Running Dream

Surprised by the incident with the Steeles, Jessica goes in search of Fiona to share the experience with her. However, she is stopped along the way by Gavin, who is enthusiastically cheering for Merryl and the team. Jessica asks Gavin if he’s ever considered running, but he says his family isn’t athletic enough. When Merryl comes over, Jessica leaves to find Fiona. She tells Fiona about Ms. Steele and her comment about Vanessa, and Fiona says she can’t wait to spread the information around. Jessica objects, saying, “You can’t tell other people!” (168). When Fiona opposes this stance, Jessica insists that Ms. Steele was kind and earnest, and it would be wrong to humiliate Vanessa because her mother was a nice person. Fiona agrees, and the two girls head over to the track to support the hurdlers in their upcoming dash.

In the high jump, Fiona is battling for the top spot against a Langston jumper, but she doesn’t want to miss the 400-meter hurdles and become distracted. The field judge gives her permission to wait until the race ends for her next jump attempt. At the 200-meter mark, Jessica and Fiona wait for their teammates to run.