Ryndy Drew (short for Kathryn) is the youngest of four sisters and feels perpetually in the shadow of her three successful sisters; a beauty queen, an atomic scientist, and a cheerleading captain. As her junior year in high school is coming to an end she feels making the senior cheerleading team is her only chance to match up to her sisters. She also sees it as an "in" to the popular crowd and to Brad, her long-time crush.
Despite her parents certainty that the naturally athletic Ryn wouldn't make the cheer squad, she does in fact become their first choice, beating out 50 other girls including Allyson, a conceited and stuck-up bully who also likes Brad.
Upon her acceptance as a cheerleader Ryn social rank sores and to her delight Brad starts hanging around her, although Allyson is always near by to drag him away.
At a party held by the graduating cheer captain Ryn notices a lone figure sitting off by himself, he's football player Dirk and he quickly and rudely dismisses Ryndy's attempts at friendly conversation leaving her embarrassed and with a deep grudge.
Ryndy runs into Dirk a few days later when she's at the mall shopping for supplies to make campaign buttons for Brad's student President campaign. Another shopper shoves her in the crowded walkways and she lands face first in-front of Dirk. Despite her open hostility towards him he insists on driving her home as her ankle is hurt from the fall. He apologizes for his rude attitude at the party but becomes rude again when he learns Ryndy is helping Brad.
As the summer vacation starts Ryndy goes out waterskiing with her best friend Gogo (short for Gloria) in Go's fathers rundown old boat. As Ryndy is out on the water the steering mechanism breaks causing Go to lose control of the boat. It makes a u-turn and crashes headfirst into Ryndy's legs, breaking them terribly.
Ryndy wakes up in the hospital with her legs in traction and an estimated recovery of 4 months meaning she wont be able to take on her cheerleading responsibilities when the school year starts. To make matters worse Allyson will be filling in for her.
Despite daily visits from her parents and Go, and a personal TV set, Ryndy becomes depressed and restless in the hospital. She receives infrequent visits from school friends including one from Brad who announces he will be hosting a radio show on WCCF, a radio station owned by Allyson's father.
After two months Ryn is out of tractions and able to move around the hospital in a wheelchair but this makes her more impatient to be up on her feet.
Down the hall from her hospital room is a room of little boys, one of them is four-year-old Pieter whom Ryndy takes a liking, feeling a bond with him due to his inability to walk.
Ryn spends her last month of recover at home where she remains restless and depressed. She's also gained weight from there being "nothing to do but eat and watch tv."
The day for her casts to be removed finally arrives and Ryn is eager to make her fantasies about gracefully walking into school, all eyes on her, a reality. However once the casts are removed it is quickly learned she has developed osteochondrosis which will require her to stay off her feet for 2 more months. Unable to put off returning to school any longer Ryn returns in a wheelchair. Despite the kindness of her school mates, except Allyson who points out her weight gain, Ryn feels depressed, bitter, and angry.
On her first day back Dirk approaches her in the cafeteria to give his condolences on her accident and tells her she's lucky she will be able to walk again someday. This triggers Ryn which causes Dirk to tell her to "stop feeling sorry for herself". Deeply insulted Ryn decides to prove Dirk wrong and begins using the schools swimming pool for physical therapy.
Gogo, who is on the school swim team, encourages Ryn to do her swimming with the team during practice and luckily for swim team member Nancy, Ryn agrees. It's while Ryn is at their practice that she sees Nancy hit her head on the diving board and makes a quick race across the pool to rescue her, saving her life. Seeing her speed, the swim coach encourages Ryn to join the team. However Ryndy wants to quit swimming all together and only continues on because team member Tom gives her rides to the hospital to visit Pieter after practice.
Pieter has become very depressed from being in the hospital so long. His parents work full time to pay for his care causing him to be alone on his own for most of the day. Ryndy's has become a source of happiness for Pieter and his awe over her being able to swim despite being in a wheelchair encourages her to keep swimming and join the swim team.
One day while visiting Pieter Dirk shows up and Ryndy learns they are brothers. It was Pieter's condition that led to Dirk being so rude at the party and his remarks in the cafeteria.
Soon Ryndy is back on her feet and makes her walking debut at the Christmas school dance. There she sees Brad dancing with an unfamiliar girl and a forlorn Allyson tells her the girl is the daughter of a television studio owner. It's become clear to both girls that Brad is an opportunist.
Dirk soon approaches Ryn and tells her how much she has done for Pieter. The two are soon on good terms and begin dating. Ryn participates in her first swim competition where she sets a new record, and Pieter is to come home from the hospital.
- The names in this book are awful. Ryndy, Gogo, Pieter...what was Jan Washburn smoking.
- There's big skips in time which are understandable but also a little jarring. It goes from the Christmas party to the swim competition weeks later and suddenly Dirk and Ryn are dating.
- Ryndy was very annoying at first. She wallows in self pity even before the accident and whines about her sisters being successful while she doesn't try to be successful at anything herself. However she does mellow out later.
- Ryndy went from wanting to be a cheerleader more than anything, crying herself to sleep every night because her injuries keep her from cheerleading, and then suddenly realizes she actually doesn't want to be a cheerleader like the flip of a switch.
- Interesting enough Ryndy wouldn't have been in traction for 2 months in current times. Modern surgery and methods for broken bones has made traction outdated. It could also lead to increased recovery times. She would have been home much earlier for sure.
Overall it's alright. The first part was quite boring and I thought about abandoning the book but it picked up after the accident and I read the rest in one sitting after that.
