by April Marcom
I glanced behind me to make sure she couldn’t possibly be talking to anyone else.
“Hey.” Brittany put a hand on my shoulder. Her head swayed back and forth with pure attitude. “When you threaten Hadley, you threaten all of us. And if we haven’t made you sorry yet, just wait until Friday.”
Stephanie elbowed Brittany in the side. Brittany didn’t look affected whatsoever.
Ms. Nordik waved her hands out in front of her. “No-one’s threatening anyone. Nicole, you just need to go home and enjoy your break from cheer, and the rest of you need to get back to practice.”
I turned around, feeling like—Am I psyched no-one’s off the team? Or am I terrified of how sorry Nicole might make me for not quitting?
Brittany ran ahead of us toward Lavender. Zaniah took off after her, and they both went to hug Lavender, talking excitedly. Lavender’s smile said it all.
I decided to go with being psyched rather than terrified, because at least my four besties stood immovable at my side.
39
Don’t watch Nicole’s new vid on Underground’s website. I repeat: Don’t watch Nicole’s new vid on Underground’s website!
Brittany texted me.
After practice, and a quick trip to the mall for smoothies, I was just climbing out of the shower when I saw her incoming text flash across my phone.
“Oh, Brittany,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head. I pulled on my pajamas before I texted her back.
U no I have to check it out when u txt me stuff lk that, right?
Then I got straight onto the internet to pull up clashofthecheerleaders.com. I scrolled past a comment by Brittany, an angry-looking video of Stephanie, and paused on a comment made by Lavender. She’d written, That was so mean, Nicole, even for you!
“Wow…it must be really bad.”
Another text from Brittany popped up at the top of my phone screen.
Hadley, I mean it. Don’t watch the vid.
If Brittany was this adamant, and Lavender had actually spoken against Nicole, maybe she really would make me sorry for not quitting the team. I sat on the closed toilet and crossed my legs so I could kick one foot nervously.
Then I scrolled down below Lavender’s comment and saw the frozen screenshot of Nicole sitting on her bed again, looking smug. She had on a silky blue nightgown and matching robe with poufy frills and feathers bursting all around her neck like some movie star. I clicked the play button and watched her come to life.
“Hey, Silver Wing High. I know you’re all starving for secrets, so I’m gonna drop a big one on Hadley. But first, there’s something I want to get off my chest. Sorry, but I just hate Hadley so much, I’m gonna bring someone else who hates her even more into this. Her dad hated her so much, he died three years ago. That’s right, her own father. Ha!”
My mouth opened to let out a painful, unexpected breath as I leaned over, like I’d just been kicked right in the heart.
“Oh, yeah,” Nicole added, putting her thumb and finger together at her lips like she was puffing on an invisible joint. “She’s been hitting the crack pipe, too. Maybe that will satisfy your hunger. See you tomorrow.” The screen froze at the video’s end.
I was royally ticked off at Brittany. I’d decided just that morning I wouldn’t check out Underground’s website anymore, and now she had me doing it again. An angry, cold rush went through me at the thought of what Nicole said. All my fury turned itself straight to her.
I inhaled and exhaled deep, vengeful breaths as I pulled up my texts with Underground.
Redeem my dad 4 info on Nicole?
A few more deep breaths and I made a call to Poppy. It was only eight thirty-eight, definitely not too late to be calling her. It only rang once before she was saying, “Hey, Hadley.”
“Hey. Have you been watching the Clash of the Cheerleaders website?”
“I’ve heard people talking about it at school, but I haven’t really looked it up.”
“Nicole just posted a video of herself saying the meanest thing anyone’s ever said to me. It’s so on Friday.”
“I’m sorry. What did she say?”
Another giant breath of vengeance passed through me before I answered. “I can’t repeat it without going on a total warpath.”
“You want to text me the link? Brittany texted me some of the basic information she wants in the presentation, but maybe skimming that website would help, too.”
A sliver of suffering and wrath peeled away to make room for guilt over the efforts of Ty’s sister. “Aw, Poppy. I hadn’t even thought about you having to come up with all the PowerPoint stuff by yourself. We can help you with it tomorrow night.”
“I know. I want to have a good presentation ready to build off of, though. It’ll make things a lot easier and faster tomorrow.”
“Thanks for doing that.” To some small degree, talking with Poppy was at least taking my mind off the explosive anger I felt toward Nicole. “We should be done with practice and driving over here by four forty-five. You want us to pick you up?” Maybe, just maybe, I’d get to talk to Ty.
“No thanks.” I heard a door close on her end of the line, then she whispered, “I’m going to try to get Ty to give me a ride.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah. I caught him staring at the picture of you he keeps on his phone a little while ago. I know he misses you.”
“Aw, Poppy, you’re the best.”
“Thanks.”
The idea of a cheerleader sleepover popped in my head, because it would have been such a blast to plan the ambush, spend the night together, then put it into action when we woke up. I knew most of our moms would never go for that on a school night, though. Ideas kept bouncing around inside my head for how to work it out so Poppy could stay. She was the one I wanted to talk to most, after all.
“Do you think there’s any chance your mom will let you sleepover tomorrow night?” Hopefully my mom wouldn’t be too upset.
“Uhhh, I doubt it,” she said slowly.
“I was just thinking, that way she wouldn’t have to worry about you finding us at school the next morning, or getting lost in a high school hallway or something. You and I could go over the presentation together Friday morning while we’re getting ready for school. The pep rally happens first thing, ya know.”
“Well, she has been really excited about me giving a high school presentation… I’ll ask her, but I’m not getting my hopes up.”
“So—what do you think the chances are Ty will ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know. He’s always had trust issues, and I don’t know why. I think that’s why he doesn’t get close to many people. But he’s definitely heartbroken.”
“Yeah.” At least he hasn’t moved on, I told myself.
Someone knocked at my bedroom door. The sound was somewhat dull from inside the bathroom.
“I’ll let you go so you can talk to your mom,” I said. “But will you please tell Ty that I still love him so much?” I wondered, as I asked, when too much time would have passed for me to keep having Poppy tell her brother that I loved him. Two days couldn’t be it.
“Sure. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
Deal
Underground’s text appeared as I traded my phone for the hairbrush on my bathroom counter. “I’m coooming,” I called to my mom, running the bristles through my hair on my way to the door.
It opened before I could get to it. “Hadley, honey, I just came to say goodnight. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, so I’m headed for bed. And I think Ty rode by on his bike a little while ago.”
“Really?” It felt so good to hear that. When, when, when would he break down and let us make up already?
“I’m pretty sure it was him.” She put her hand on my shoulder, looking concerned. “Honey, have you been crying?”
“Kind of.” I stopped brushing my hair. “Nicole said… um…” My eyes teared up. “She said something really mean on that website.”
; My mom pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“No, please don’t watch it in here. I don’t, I don’t want to hear it again.”
“Are you going to be all right?”
I nodded. “Eventually.”
“If you want to talk about it, just come get me, even if it’s the middle of the night and I’m asleep.”
“I know.”
My mom hugged me. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I went back to the bathroom to get my cell once I was alone.
Should have listened 2 u
I texted Brittany.
Then I pulled up my texts with Underground.
My very own hidden collection of Nicole’s secrets ran through my head. Loads of detrimental lies the whole school would probably believe mingled with the truths, but I wasn’t a liar. I thought of the studded purse she’d swung over her shoulder way too hard when she and I were walking through the school parking lot last year, and left a ton of ugly scratches on Andrea Moore’s Mercedes. Andrea swore that if she ever found out who did it, she’d scar them the way they scarred her car. The paint job still hadn’t been fixed.
No, save it for Friday.
Maybe that would be enough, Friday, I mean. I got straight to typing.
Just put in tomorrow’s article that I’ll be bombing Nicole Friday with secrets no one will ever forget.
I set my phone back down to start brushing my teeth. My screen lit with a crying emoji and a heart from Brittany. At least I’d heard about it from her and not some random kid at school, I guess.
My phone buzzed again while I washed out my mouth.
I heard my mom’s angry voice raising as she walked past my bedroom toward the stairs. “I need to talk to you about Nicole and what she’s been posting online about my daughter…” Pretty sure she was talking to Nicole’s mom. “…No, you need to see it for yourself…” Her voice faded away.
I crawled into bed with my phone and opened a message from Poppy.
Mom said she’s taking us all 2 the dentist after our presentation anyway, so I can sleep over!
Hooray!
I texted back.
Poppy’s sleeping over 2morrow night 4 Friday’s presentation
I texted to my mom, hoping she was distracted enough talking to Nicole’s mom not to object.
I got one final text from Underground before I lay down.
Already knew that from an outside source. I’ll redeem ur dad, tho.
“Outside source?” I asked myself. Well, Brittany did blurt it out in earshot of plenty of football players at practice today. Word had probably spread.
My eyes were already heavy when my head hit the pillow. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep feeling so, so lucky Underground was on my side, and not Nicole’s.
40
The first thing I did when I woke up Thursday morning was look up Underground’s new article. Groggy and half-asleep, I still couldn’t believe Nicole had said something so irreverent about my father when he’d always been wonderful to her. It was just so, so—psychopathically twisted!
Once I had it pulled up, I leaned on one elbow, laid my phone face-up on my pillow, and began to read.
* * *
UNDERGROUND
Clash of the Cheerleaders, Part IV
* * *
Today’s secret about Nicole will probably come as no surprise to anyone, but have you noticed how her nose magically became perfect over the summer after seeing a plastic surgeon? Most of you will answer yes to this question. But I promised to reveal a secret about Nicole each day of this week, and she swore those who know for a fact she’s had a nose job to secrecy, so there it is.
We all know that’s not what people will be talking about today. Any mention of the Clash of the Cheerleaders will undoubtedly bring up Nicole’s most recent video, the one where she claims Hadley’s dad hated his own daughter so much he died.
Now, I want to point out first how Hadley has refrained from getting involved in ANY of the Clash of the Cheerleaders drama. No matter what anyone’s said about her, in favor of or against her, she’s stayed out of it. Last night she got in contact with me to make a simple request: “Redeem my dad.”
I feel it’s not revealing too much to admit that I’ve known Hadley since elementary school. Her mom and dad came to every class party, every school award ceremony, and every other school event that I ever attended in full love and support of Hadley. He did love his daughter, AND Nicole, very much. So maybe today’s secret should be the true colors Nicole revealed in her video, the way she’s exposed her true, hideous self without any of my help.
This will probably be my final official Clash of the Cheerleaders article, although my website will remain present and active with cheerleader posts. And I may still post new articles next week, depending on how conclusive tomorrow’s events end up becoming.
You see, I’ve been promised that tomorrow Hadley will finally speak out. I can’t say if it will be at www.clashofthecheerleaders.com or not, but tomorrow ALL of Nicole’s secrets will be revealed, and they promise to be something more shocking than anything you or I could imagine.
* * *
A picture of my dad with his arms around me and Nicole had been added to the bottom of Underground’s article. I recognized it from an old yearbook. It was taken in the third or fourth grade; I couldn’t remember which one. He’d come to school for the Christmas assembly and play. I was a backup dancer in that one, but he couldn’t have been more proud. For all the satisfaction I should have felt over everything Underground said about Nicole, all I could do was cry again for my father. He was such a wonderful dad.
I was pretty depressed all morning, getting ready for school, and riding there with my girls. They were quieter than they’d been all week. The group outside the school for Team Hadley stickers was even bigger than yesterday morning. I struggled to get through the wave of hugs, I’m so sorrys, and Go Team Hadleys.
Yeah, it was sweet. But it was also weird. Most of them hardly knew me. It made me sick getting all their sympathy about my dad’s death, and only brought my pain closer to the surface.
I felt just a tad bit better when I got to my locker and saw Ty walking toward his. He smiled at me, so I ignored my locker and took a step toward him.
Blaine practically fell into the lockers when he came around my backside and threw himself in front of me. “Hey, babe.” He put a hand behind my neck to hug me, creating a wall between Ty and me. Ty was already walking away when I took a step back from Blaine.
At least Blaine knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t want to talk about what Nicole said. Instead, he kept trying to pump me for information on how things were going down tomorrow. He even risked being late to his first hour to walk me to mine.
Clouds darkened the world outside as the morning went on. I kept my head down between classes and tried to block out everyone’s comments and questions about tomorrow. It felt like the storm clouds followed me every step of the way, raining sadness all over me.
I tried telling myself to look on the bright side. This was the first morning Amethyst hadn’t fired a spitball at me. It was a complete waste of energy.
Nicole and I passed each other once in the hallway. She looked awful with a black bruise on her jaw and deep shades of purple bleeding away from it in every direction.
“Cow,” she said to me.
“Tomorrow,” I shot back, shaking my head. Five lockers past her, I turned around when she squealed.
She was laying on her side with her books spilling all over the floor. Someone kicked her in the back of the head on their way past. This girl I’d never noticed before nodded to me from beside Nicole. I got the feeling she was the one responsible for Nicole’s fall. I turned away and kept going, because watching Nicole was too much like staring through a mirror at myself last Monday.
Then, at lunch, I saw again how bad things were getting for her.
I met my girls at Stephanie’s locker, as usual. “Hadl
ey!” Brittany threw her arms around my neck when I showed up. “Everyone in every single one of my classes has been talking about you all day. They totally love you again.”
“I hope you’re exaggerating—that everyone’s talking about me, I mean.” Any other day, I would have been flattered, but not when it was at the expense of my late father.
“Maybe a little, but how’s it feel to be the new queen of Silver Wing High School?”
I burst into laughter. I couldn’t help it. The new queen? “Come on, girls. Let’s get something to eat.”
Zaniah was walking toward us, which meant we were all there.
“Heads up, Hadley.” Stephanie pointed to Blaine when we walked into the cafeteria.
He was weaving through students as he walked toward us with a tray in each hand. “Hey, Hads.” He handed me one. “I thought I’d buy you lunch today.”
“Aw.” I gave him a soft hug. “You’ve been so sweet all week, Blaine.”
“Just trying to prove what a good boyfriend I could be.”
“We’re gonna get lunch and meet you at our table,” Stephanie said.
Amethyst brushed against my side when she walked around me, followed by about ten girls. Half of them had black lipstick and one or more facial piercings. I stopped and watched them when I realized they were headed for Nicole’s table.
“What’s up?” Blaine asked me.
I nodded toward the tiny army of scary-looking girls, and watched as Amethyst reached out and swung half her arm across the tabletop right into Nicole’s tray, throwing it all over the front of her.
Tabitha scrambled to get away from her. I gasped.
Nicole screamed and stood up. Spaghetti noodles clung to her hair and slid down her neck. A meatball rolled over her chest onto the table. “What the heck?!” she shrieked, gaping at Amethyst.
