Golden Girl by Mari Mancusi Page A

silence, the whispers and giggles would erupt like a volcano, flooding the hall and forcing me to flee the scene, retreating back to my dorm room in shame. At least that’s how this kind of thing usually played out in the movies.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re doing, young lady?”
    I dropped my hand from the door, whirling around guiltily, though, of course, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. My eyes fell upon none other than Olivia’s father, Cy Masters, owner of Green Mountain Resort, fast on approach, a furious look on his jowly face. I took a hesitant step back as he lumbered past, seeming not even to notice me as he passed the rec center, his eyes locked on something ahead.
    Make that someone. As I peered around the corner, I recognized Olivia standing over by one of the empty ski racks, dressed in an absurdly huge white fur coat and eating a chocolate bar. I watched as she looked up to see her father, startled, then dropped the candy immediately, as if it were a hot potato.
    â€œOh, hi, Daddy,” she chirped nervously, her trademark saccharine-sweet voice cracking at the edges. “I didn’t know you were on campus tonight. What a great surprise.”
    Her father didn’t answer, reaching down to pick up the discarded candy bar and holding it up for observation. He raised a bushy eyebrow at his daughter, and I almost laughed at the expression on Olivia’s face. So busted!
    â€œIt’s not mine!” she protested, her voice rising into a panicked squeak. “I was just holding it for a friend.”
    Her father walked over to a nearby trash can and discarded the bar. “How many times have we talked about this, Olivia?” he demanded. “An athlete treats her body as a temple. You keep filling it with junk food and your performance will continue to suffer. You’re already third to last on the team. You want to get cut altogether?”
    Olivia’s face crumbled. “You know I’m doing the best I can.”
    But her father wasn’t finished. “To think I was under the impression that this would be our year. Our chance to pull ahead, with Alexis Miller out of the running. But no, you’re too busy hanging out with your friends and poisoning your body with processed food to take advantage of this opportunity.” He shook his head. “And now Alexis is back. And any chance you had to slip ahead is over.”
    Olivia’s face twisted into a scowl at the mention of my name. “Please,” she spit out, regaining some of her bravado. “You should have seen her on the slopes today. I hardly think she’ll be a threat.”
    â€œThat’s your problem, isn’t it?” her father shot back. “You hardly think! Alexis Miller is the best snowboarder at Mountain Academy—maybe the best in the world, in her age group. If you underestimate her for even a second, you’ll find yourself in second place for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”
    â€œNo, Dad, but—”
    He shook his head, looking tired and defeated. “What would your mom say if she could see you now?”
    Olivia’s face went stark white, her words seemingly stolen from her lips. For a moment they just stared at one another. Then her father humphed, as if he’d proven some point, before turning and barreling off, his heavy boots kicking up quite a snowstorm in their wake.
    Olivia watched him go, her face a tangle of emotions. Then she swiped her wet cheek with the sleeve of her fur coat and started plodding toward the rec hall. I tried to duck away, but I was too slow. Her eyes fell upon me, a look of horror flashing across her face before she could mask it. She knew I’d heard everything. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to change her mind.
    â€œI’m sorry,” I found myself saying, at a loss for anything else.
    But Olivia just lifted her chin up high and pushed her way past me into the