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“Your turn!” I said, presenting the open scale for Anna’s use. The official reset the counterweights and made sure it was correctly zeroed.

“Wish me luck!” she said, discarding her own sandals and stepping on.

“Annabeth Starr,” Anna said to the official, who searched through her spreadsheet for the correct row.

The official moved the weights until they matched that of Anna’s. An old school, simple, device in today’s digital world, somewhat like wrestling itself.

“102,” said the official again, similarly scribing 1-0-2 on Anna’s left shoulder.

Wait … what? That wasn’t right.

“You mean 110?” I said out loud to the official. “Anna’s at 110 pounds.”

The official looked at her spreadsheet, then at Anna, and then to me.

“No,” the official said, shaking her head, “Annabeth is at 102.”

…

Anna stepped off and to the side to allow other girls to weigh in, and we were joined by Mariah.

“Excuse me?” I said, my mind racing to rectify the confusion.

“Karli,” Anna said, embarrassed, “I was going to tell you … I should’ve told you, I’m entering at 102.”

My face must’ve looked like a French bulldog’s, wrinkled in heavy thought. “But … I’m at 102, how can you be?”

“A new state rule,” she said, looking at the numbers written on her arm. “Individual qualifiers are chosen independent of school, and since our team didn’t make it …,” she trailed off.

“But,” I said, “don’t you have to qualify?” I was getting frustrated now. Mariah turned on her heel and walked away, knowing something I didn’t.

She shifted from side to side, sensing my irritation. “I did qualify … you know that optional early-season tournament, I went by myself and won that at 102. And another optional tournament right before regionals.”

My jaw dropped. Diabolical. That’s the fucking reason she had lost at our last dual, and at regionals … she was underweight for 110, cutting down to 102.

…

I put on my sweats and left the locker room, ignoring Anna’s pleas to listen.
“We probably won’t even face each other,” she called after me. “We’re on different sides of the bracket!”

Description

“Your turn!” I said, presenting the open scale for Anna’s use. The official reset the counterweights and made sure it was correctly zeroed.

“Wish me luck!” she said, discarding her own sandals and stepping on.

“Annabeth Starr,” Anna said to the official, who searched through her spreadsheet for the correct row.

The official moved the weights until they matched that of Anna’s. An old school, simple, device in today’s digital world, somewhat like wrestling itself.

“102,” said the official again, similarly scribing 1-0-2 on Anna’s left shoulder.

Wait … what? That wasn’t right.

“You mean 110?” I said out loud to the official. “Anna’s at 110 pounds.”

The official looked at her spreadsheet, then at Anna, and then to me.

“No,” the official said, shaking her head, “Annabeth is at 102.”

…

Anna stepped off and to the side to allow other girls to weigh in, and we were joined by Mariah.

“Excuse me?” I said, my mind racing to rectify the confusion.

“Karli,” Anna said, embarrassed, “I was going to tell you … I should’ve told you, I’m entering at 102.”

My face must’ve looked like a French bulldog’s, wrinkled in heavy thought. “But … I’m at 102, how can you be?”

“A new state rule,” she said, looking at the numbers written on her arm. “Individual qualifiers are chosen independent of school, and since our team didn’t make it …,” she trailed off.

“But,” I said, “don’t you have to qualify?” I was getting frustrated now. Mariah turned on her heel and walked away, knowing something I didn’t.

She shifted from side to side, sensing my irritation. “I did qualify … you know that optional early-season tournament, I went by myself and won that at 102. And another optional tournament right before regionals.”

My jaw dropped. Diabolical. That’s the fucking reason she had lost at our last dual, and at regionals … she was underweight for 110, cutting down to 102.

…

I put on my sweats and left the locker room, ignoring Anna’s pleas to listen.
“We probably won’t even face each other,” she called after me. “We’re on different sides of the bracket!”