Katy's Debate (Katy Lambright Series, The) Read online

  Katy’s knees began to quake.

  “So you’re going to have to learn to get along with her. You might as well start now.” Dad strode from the room.

  Katy turned slowly and went back to washing dishes. The water was tepid, the scented suds a murky smear across the water’s surface. Her chest ached. Dad officially courting Mrs. Graber? Marrying Mrs. Graber? Then that meant the woman would move into Katy’s house. Be Dad’s wife. Be Katy’s mother.

  Tears stung behind Katy’s nose. She drained the unpleasant water and refilled the sink to finish the dishes. She hurried, eager to complete the task so she could run up to her room, shut herself away, and pour her thoughts into her journal. They wouldn’t be good thoughts. She’d probably have to tear the paper to shreds and stuff the pieces into the wood-burning stove so no one would ever glimpse even a smidgen of the words running through her mind. But if she didn’t put them on paper, they’d explode out of her mouth. And then she’d really be in trouble.

  “Hey, Katy.” Bryce tapped Katy’s shoulder. She turned sideways in the van’s middle seat to peer back at him. “How about we do a practice debate on the way to Dodge City?” He used his fist to bump Paul, who sat slumped in his seat with one knee raised. “You and me against Paul and Marlys—one final run before the real deal.”

  Paul dropped his foot and sat up eagerly. “Yeah! You could use the practice. So could Marlys.”

  Marlys huffed and spun to shoot a glare into the backseat. “Like you couldn’t!”

  Paul laughed and flipped Marlys’s hair over her face. “Just messin’ with you. We know we rock.” He held up his fist, and Marlys bumped her fist against it. They grinned at each other.

  Katy shook her head. Sometimes Paul and Marlys sparred like enemies; other times, they acted like best friends. She couldn’t figure them out. But she supposed it didn’t matter. “I don’t mind practicing again.”

  After yesterday afternoon’s practice, Mr. Gorsky had deemed her ready to compete. His confidence gave her confidence in herself, but Gramma Ruthie liked to say, “Practice makes perfect.” Katy wanted to be at her very best for the tournament. Besides, practicing would get her mind off the fact that she wouldn’t be home to prevent Dad from taking Mrs. Graber to Salina for dinner.

  “Great!” Bryce dragged the debate briefcases from the storage area behind the seat and handed them out. “Let’s not keep flow sheets. I get carsick if I try to write in a moving vehicle. We can just talk it through.”

  “Good thinking,” Paul said, “’cause I don’t want you spewing your guts out all over back here and hitting me.”

  Marlys laughed as if Paul had said something hilarious. Katy rolled her eyes.

  “But we ought to trade places.” Paul unhooked his seat belt. “I need to sit by Marlys, and you need to sit by Kathleen.”

  “Paul, stay put.” Mr. Gorsky’s eyes flitted to the rearview mirror. “No changing seats while the van’s in motion. You can practice just fine without sitting beside your partner.”

  Katy sighed. She wouldn’t have minded sitting beside Bryce. At least he talked to her. So far, the debate squad had managed to load their overnight bags and equipment, climb into the van, and drive several miles without Marlys so much as looking at Katy, let alone talking to her.

  Katy listened to Paul present the affirmative plan, called the prima facie case—Katy relished the unique term—then Bryce questioned him. Marlys kept track of the time on her silver wristwatch, hollering, “Stop!” in place of flashing a red time card. Then it was Katy’s turn to refute Paul’s case. She noticed Mr. Gorsky’s eyes flitting to the rearview mirror as she spoke, and she read his approval. The look boosted her confidence again, and her voice rose with fervor as she defended the present system.

  Time flew quickly as they continued with Paul and Marlys as the affirmative team then switched to allow Bryce and Katy time to present their plan for building greener prison facilities. Katy didn’t particularly care for the plan—the idea that prisons were needed made her uncomfortable—but as a substitute, she didn’t have any choice in the matter. She had to try to convince the judge of the sensibility of the plan.

  Being enthusiastic about something that didn’t thrill her taxed her acting abilities, but when they finished, Mr. Gorsky called from the front seat, “Good job! Quick assessment. Bryce, check your research concerning the energy source. I think you may have misrepresented how many watts of power can be pulled from one wind turbine.”

  Bryce immediately began riffling through his notes.

  “Paul, remember to watch the tone you use. Try not to sneer.”

  Paul twisted his face into a mock snarl. Marlys giggled.

  “Marlys, during cross-examination, don’t be afraid to push a little harder. Rattle your opponent.”

  Marlys leaned forward, holding out her hands in silent protest. “I’m trying to go easy on poor Kathleen here.”

  “You don’t need to go easy on Kathleen.” Mr. Gorsky flashed an encouraging smile in the rearview mirror. “Kathleen, you get better every time. Hold your ground. I think you’re going to do well at the tournament. Now, get some rest. We’ll have two rounds this evening, and you’ll need your energy.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. G,” Paul said. Bryce flipped the briefcases back into the storage area, and the two boys leaned into opposite corners. Marlys flopped back into the seat with her arms crossed and closed her eyes. Katy wriggled into the corner and tried to relax, but excitement kept her alert and restless for the remainder of the drive.

  When they reached Dodge City, Mr. Gorsky parked beside a row of vans and buses from several schools. He turned off the ignition, and Bryce, Paul, and Marlys came to life. They bounced out of the van. Katy quickly followed. Mr. Gorsky met them at the rear of the van and began handing out their cases of research materials and briefcases. Katy’s hands trembled as she caught hold of Vicki’s case.

  Mr. Gorsky frowned. “Are you all right?”

  Her stomach turned cartwheels. “I’m okay. It’s just kind of cold out here.”

  The teacher nodded. “Well then, let’s hurry and get inside.”

  Katy trailed behind the others, but Bryce slowed his steps and fell in beside her. He shot her a grin. “Nervous?”

  Katy hunched her shoulders. “I think so.” Either that or she was coming down with the flu. Her stomach didn’t feel right at all.

  “Don’t worry.” Bryce brushed against her with his elbow. By accident or on purpose? She hoped he’d done it on purpose, even though the thought made her stomach turn another swirl. “I’m always nervous right before I start a round, but once we get going, I forget all about it because I’m so caught up in the challenge. It’ll be that way for you too. You’ll see.”

  Katy hoped he was right. On her first day of school at Salina High North, she’d had to run to the bathroom to throw up. She didn’t want to do that her first day of debating. Bryce was depending on her as his partner. She couldn’t let him—or Mr. Gorsky—down.

  Mr. Gorsky directed them to the cafeteria where all of the teams huddled in little groups while waiting for the rounds to start. “I’ll go register you and get your team numbers. Wait here.”

  Katy glanced around at the various groups, her pulse skipping at twice its regular pace. She twirled a ribbon from her cap around her finger. The boys all wore shirts and ties. Some wore suits. The girls wore skirts and jackets or suits similar to ones worn by the boys, only with high-heeled, girly shoes. She smoothed the skirt of her best dress and glanced down at her black oxfords. At least she’d put on pantyhose instead of anklets, but her clothes still stuck out.

  She noticed a few people looking at her in curiosity. Even though she was used to people staring at her clothes, she didn’t like it. She turned her back on the room, and her gaze collided with Marlys’s bold fuchsia skirt and jacket with quarter-sized black buttons. She bit down on her lower lip. She even stuck out with her own teammates. So far Bryce hadn’t seemed to care that she dressed diffe
rently—but now that they were away from Salina and mixing with kids from other schools, would he be embarrassed to be seen with her? Clutching her hands at her waist, she wished Dad would let her wear a suit like the other girls. Just for tournaments.

  Mr. Gorsky approached at a brisk pace, carrying a large yellow envelope. He opened it, flipped through the pages, and distributed their schedules. She scanned the paper. She and Bryce were team 4B, and they’d start in room 312.

  Bryce traced his finger on the map provided by the tournament coordinators. “Okay, here’s where we go.” He grinned teasingly. “Look. It’s right next to the bathrooms, so we’re good.”

  Katy’s ears burned hot, and she sent up a silent prayer that she wouldn’t need to escape to the bathroom. Suddenly, she realized she was overly warm, and so she unbuttoned her sweater. Just as she removed it, the loudspeaker clicked on, and an announcement blared.

  “All debaters, make your way to your first round locations. Round One will begin in five minutes.”

  Bryce pulled up the handle on his rolling case and flashed a bright smile. “This is it! Let’s go.”

  Katy squared her shoulders. “I’m ready.” But her stomach continued to churn.

  Chapter Four

  “You should have seen her.”

  Katy hunched her shoulders and giggled as Bryce paused in eating and launched into a description of her cross-examination during their final round of the day. The first round had gone so smoothly, her stomach hadn’t even bothered her during the second round. She’d been able to fully focus on debating. And it had been fun!

  Bryce stabbed his fork into his baked potato and shook his head. “There she stood, looking all innocent but firing off question after question with hardly a breath in between. She had the kid squirming in his pants!”

  Katy squirmed in her own seat, her ears warming. Usually, when her ears grew hot, it meant she was embarrassed or irritated…usually because of Caleb Penner. But getting flustered over Bryce’s praise was a good feeling.

  Paul laughed. “Huh! Who’d have guessed? Kathleen a tiger.” He pointed his steak knife at her. “Maybe we’ll have to pair up sometime—could be interesting.”

  Marlys shot a glare at Paul, and Katy quickly said, “Oh, that’s all right. I’ll stay with Bryce.” Marlys’s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything.

  Mr. Gorsky said, “All of you did well today. I stopped by the tab room and checked our record. Right now, as a team we’re up three to one, with sixteen speaker points.”

  Bryce and Paul did a double high-five and Marlys crowed, “Ooo, snap!” Katy remained silent, but pleasure zinged through her middle. Although she still found the speaker point system a bit confusing, she knew three to one meant they’d won three rounds and lost only one. Winning more than losing was a good thing.

  Paul paused with his knife and fork over his steak. “So what about Marlys and me? How many of those wins are ours?”

  Mr. Gorsky shook his head. “Nope. You know better than to ask. We’re here as a team. You’ll get your individual stats at the end of the tournament.”

  Paul shrugged and began cutting into his steak with his elbows high. “Think about it, though.” He flashed a knowing look around the table. “If we do that well tomorrow, we could be one of the trophy winners.”

  Katy gasped. Wouldn’t that be something? Her first tournament, and to come home with a trophy!

  “It’s possible,” Mr. Gorsky confirmed, “but don’t get overconfident. It can affect your performance.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. G.” Paul popped a piece of steak into his mouth and spoke around it. “I’ll be givin’ my all tomorrow. And so will everybody else, right?”

  Katy added her “Right!” to the chorus, and then she focused on her meal. She was surprisingly hungry, considering her uneasy stomach earlier in the day. The chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes weren’t as good as Gramma Ruthie’s—the potatoes had a funny flavor and a gritty texture—but Katy ate everything on her plate. The school paid for it, so she wouldn’t be wasteful.

  After dinner, Mr. Gorsky drove the team to the hotel where they’d spend the night. As she suspected, she and Marlys would share a room. When Mr. Gorsky held out the room card, Marlys snatched it from his hand without giving Katy an opportunity to take it. Then she charged toward the elevators without a backward glance.

  With a little jerk, Katy grabbed her small overnight bag and trotted after her. They rode in silence to the third floor, and Katy followed Marlys to a door on the left. Marlys swiped the card through a slot, a little green light flashed, and she swung open the door. Only then did she glance back and acknowledge Katy’s presence.

  “I want the bed closest to the bathroom.”

  Katy didn’t care. She nodded and plopped her bag on the bed near the window. Marlys disappeared into the bathroom, and Katy turned a slow circle, admiring the room. Ceiling-to-floor draperies in a bold geometric print matched the bedspreads. Each bed held four big, plump pillows. She could create a nest if she wanted to. A large painting of a field of flowers hung above her bed, reflected in a huge mirror across the room. A dresser, tall cabinet, and a desk stood in a line facing the beds. Although the room was a bit crowded with all of the furnishings, it felt cozy rather than cluttered.

  She looked down at the wall-to-wall carpeting and, without hesitation, sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her shoes. Then she ran her soles over the plush, light brown carpet. It was like walking barefoot on thick moss. She giggled.

  Marlys zipped around the corner and caught her. Her lips formed a snide grin. “Don’t tell me—you’ve never stayed in a hotel before.”

  Katy bounced up, clasping her hands in front of her. She shook her head, making the ribbons on her cap dance.

  “Well, as far as accommodations go, this is hardly firstclass.” Marlys gave the room a quick, unsmiling perusal. “But it’s only one night, so I’ll survive.” She tugged at the hem of her lime green pajama top. “Bathroom’s open—change if you want to. I’ll shower in the morning.”

  Katy usually took her bath at bedtime, so she grabbed her bag and scuttled into the bathroom. For a moment she gawked at the sleek, floating countertop that stretched from one side of the bathroom to the other and the mirror that rose clear to the ceiling. She couldn’t resist running her fingers along the smooth, speckled top of the counter, so different from the simple pedestal sink in her bathroom at home.

  Then, realizing she was wasting time, she gave herself a little shake and ran the bathwater. A half hour later, she slipped into her cotton nightgown and brushed out her hair. Then, with her damp hair trailing down her back in a loose braid, she joined Marlys. The other girl lounged on her bed, propped up by a pile of pillows, including one from Katy’s bed. The door of the tall cabinet stood open, revealing a television set, which mumbled softly into the room.

  Katy averted her gaze as she quickly darted past the television set. She needed to tell Marlys that she wasn’t allowed to watch television, but she sensed Marlys wouldn’t really care about Katy’s rules. She might be a debater now, but she had no desire to debate with Marlys. So she threw the covers back and curled up on her side on the bed, keeping the television behind her and out of sight.

  After a moment, Marlys said, “You going to sleep? ’Cause I can turn the TV down if it bothers you.”

  Surprised by Marlys’s consideration, Katy admitted, “I’m not really sleepy.”

  “Then sit up and watch. This show is a rerun, but it’s pretty good.”

  Katy didn’t budge. “I—I can’t.”

  “Can’t what? Sit up?” Sarcasm laced Marlys’s words.

  Katy sucked on a breath. “No, I can’t watch television. I’m not supposed to. My dad wouldn’t be pleased.” For several seconds, Katy waited for Marlys to reply. Marlys didn’t say a word, but suddenly the television fell silent. Katy shifted slightly to peek over her shoulder. Marlys had her arms crossed, but she met Katy’s gaze and she didn’t appear too
upset.

  “Okay, it’s off. Go ahead and sit up.”

  Katy scooted into a sitting position and leaned against the pillows. Her nightgown rode up above her knees, and she smoothed it back to mid-calf. Marlys watched, one eyebrow raised. Katy could imagine what the other girl was thinking. Her ears felt hot. To make amends, she said, “I’m sorry you had to turn it off.”

  Marlys yawned and ran her hands through her hair. “No biggie. Like I said, it was a rerun.” She scrunched her brow and looked across the room toward Katy. “But what do you do all evening if you don’t watch TV?”

  Katy shrugged slowly. “My chores, my homework, read…” Saying it all out loud made it sound terribly boring. She wanted to turn the focus back on Marlys. “Do you watch a lot of TV?”

  “Yeah.” Marlys lifted the covers with her feet and then snuggled underneath. “It’s either that or listen to my mom and stepdad fight.”

  “What do they fight about?” Katy blurted the question without thinking. It was nosy. She should have held it inside.

  But Marlys laughed, so she couldn’t have been offended. “Mostly me.” She grinned. “But I bet you don’t have that problem, do you? Fighting is probably against the rules.”

  Katy didn’t know that it was against the rules, but her Mennonite sect tried to practice peaceful resolution. She said, “No, we don’t fight much. But then, it’s just Dad and me.” They’d never fought much. Until Mrs. Graber came along…

  Marlys wriggled into her pillows. “Well, for my whole life, off and on, it’s been Mom, my brother, and me. And we find plenty to fight about. It’s kind of nice when Mom marries, ’cause then she fights with somebody else for a while.” She snorted. “Believe it or not, I’m on my third stepfather and my second stepmother since my folks divorced. You could say I’m a pro at fighting.”

  Katy pressed her palms to the mattress and sat straight up. “You have a stepmother?”

  Marlys huffed. “Yeah. I just said that.”

  “Do you like her?”