I could see the finish line. I could feel my heart pounding. It was as though it was going to thump through my shirt. There was no one ahead of me.
"Go, Jasmine!" I heard people screaming.
And then I saw it.A wave of blonde hair blowing past me. Alice Parker fell over the finish line. I collapsed on top of her. My breath escaped in short gasping pants. "Alice Parker! School champ!" roared the crowd.
Alice pulled herself away from me and made a face. "You heard them - loser!"
She swished her long ponytail in the air and trotted off to greet her fans. She acted like a young horse showing off.
"It's all right Jasmine - you'll beat her next time!" I turned. Mr Keith stood behind me. He was a great coach. He never put anyone down. He was always there for us if we won - or lost. The sun filtered through his copper hair and tried to burn his heavily sunblocked nose.
"Look, I know that both of you will be going on to regional competitions. And you've got just as much of a chance to win as she has," he said.
I somehow got the impression that he wanted me to win.
