Holiday Spirit

by Zoe Evans

  As I was stretching on the mat, someone practically pummeled me from behind. “Tabitha Sue!” I exclaimed, when I realized who it was.

  She gave me a giant bear hug. “I missed you, Mads!”

  “I missed you, too!” I said.

  Jared came running up to me. “I heard you saw Spider-Man,” he said. “Did you just die? How great is the choreography?” He brought his hand to his forehead like he was fainting. “Best musical of the year,” he said.

  “It was great,” I agreed. “The music was great.”

  The team showed me what they did last week-and how much they improved the new routine. They rocked! Diane is just as great as Jacqui said-she was practically leading everyone else through the more advanced moves. Jared was smiling at her the whole time like a proud parent. Katarina did cast a lot of nervous glances at Diane, though. I know she is dying to know if she passed and if she’ll be getting replaced or not. We all were. I wanted to talk to Jacqui about just telling the team that Diane could compete with us either way, but the timing wasn’t quite right. I just got back, so I figured I should wait at least one practice before making any major announcements.

  But practicing and leading the team today with Jacqui felt so good-like when we’d first started training together. I almost forgot what it was like to train with her. How we can challenge each other to our limits, and hours can go by without us realizing it because we’re having so much fun. While I was in New York, it was so easy to see myself going to school there and hanging with all the city kids talking art 24/7. But now that I’m back, it feels like, “What was I thinking? Cheer is so your thing.” Maybe there are small things I can do to work fashion design back into my life. Like subscribing to a super-fashion-focused mag or signing up for a fun design course at the Cultural Center. And I need to keep expanding my knowledge by trying new patterns and making stuff other than cheer uniforms. But at least being home has shown me that I’m not ready to leave cheer completely. EVEN for a super-snazzy arts school and a super-cool New York Life. Not yet, at least.

  NIGHT, MY ROOM

  Ok, so I finally saw Evan. Yeah, I literally ran smack into him on my way out of the gym after practice. He was just about to open the doors himself. It was, like, an “OUCH, is your head ok?” kind of smack. I have a habit of doing that, I guess-running into people. Anyway, he was in the library doing some research for another edition of SuperBoy, but decided to leave and come find me after practice.

  “I was wondering when I’d see you,” I said, feeling a little flustered (and bruised ).

  He was wearing a cute flannel shirt and too-small-for-his-frame jeans. He was smiling from ear to ear. In other words, he looked ADORBS in his odd little way.

  “Really? I was looking for you all day.”

  When he said that, I felt my face get red and hot. It was so weird to go from wondering if he even wanted to be my friend anymore to having him say something like that.

  “No, you weren’t.”

  “Uh. Yes I was. Ask Lanie.”

  I hadn’t seen Lanie since the morning.

  So I had to believe him.

  “Ok, you win,” I said, smiling.

  “So how was New York?” he asked.

  I sighed heavily. “It was fun, but it was exhausting. I’m happy to be home.”

  “Me too,” Evan said. Then he shook his head. “I mean, I’m glad you’re back.”

  We stood there awkwardly for a few moments, and then I remembered the book I bought him. I kneeled down to get it out of my bag. When I looked back at him, he was looking at me funny.

  “Here,” I said, to break the silence.

  Evan opened the book to the title page, where the author had written his autograph. The next thing I knew, Evan’s arms were around me. “Thanks, Mads,” he said softly into my neck, then quickly pulled away.

  “Sorry,” he said, blushing. “I just . . . uh . . . I really wanted that book.”

  Just then Jacqui burst through the gym doors. “Hey, Evan,” she said, completely oblivious to what was going on between us. Not that THAT much was going on. Just, you know, that she interrupted a hug, or whatever.

  “Mads, you want a ride home?” she asked, stretching her triceps over her head. She looked from me to Evan. “We can drop you off too, Evan.”

  Evan backed away. “No, I’m ok. My mom’s on her way,” he said. “But thanks. Talk to you later, Mads?” he asked.

  I nodded. I hadn’t said a word since the hug.

  “Cool,” he said, walking backward a few steps with his hands in his pockets, before sprinting down the hall.

  I realized I’d been holding my breath since the moment he’d hugged me.

  “You ok there?” asked Jacqui.

  “Yeah,” I said, picking my backpack up off the floor. “Just tired from practice. It’s been a while, you know?”

  Jacqui looked at me funny but didn’t ask any questions. I was totally relieved.

  When I got home, Mom was sitting at the kitchen table with the cordless phone. “Ok, thanks so much,” I heard her say as I put my coat away. “That’s great news.”

  I took a seat next to her, where there was a place setting for one. She’d already eaten but had made me one of her favorite “easy dinners”: a TLT (turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato). I took a big bite and realized how hungry I was.

  When she hung up the phone, I was like, “So? What’s great news?”

  She didn’t hesitate before telling me that Katarina had passed the test. Woohoo!! That makes one less complicated thing in my life. The Grizzlies will be back in the Get Up and Cheer Competition, and Katarina is safe. Hooray!

  We gave each other a high five.

  “That’s awesome!” I said. “Ooh, I’m going to call her.” I picked up my phone.

  “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow,” said Mom, grabbing the phone from me playfully. “We’re not supposed to know. I literally begged her teacher to tell me.”

  “Mom! That’s pretty nosy of you,” I said.

  “I know, I know. But I couldn’t wait. And guess what? She got an A-!” Mom said, shaking her fists like she was waving two pom-poms. “You have to keep it a secret. I promised I wouldn’t tell Katarina.”

  “Secret’s safe,” I promised. If there’s a skill I’ve gotten a lot of practice with lately, it’s secret keeping.

  “Guess if Diane wants to stay, we’ll just have an extra person on the team,” I said.

  Mom nodded. “She’s a nice addition, though, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah. She’s great at stunts. I mean, it will be weird to have someone else on the team, but I guess things always work out the way they’re supposed to,” I said, taking the last bite of my sandwich.

  “Hmm, that’s quite a mature attitude,” Mom said. “It’s very Zen.”

  “One of the many things I learned on vacation,” I replied.

  After I did the dishes, I went up to my room to call Lanes, but she wasn’t around. I saw that Evan was on chat, and so was Bevan. Both of them wrote to me at the exact same second! They must have been waiting for me to get online, I guess. I sat and stared at both message boxes, trying to decide who to talk to first.

  But you know what? I am SO SICK of making decisions right now. So instead, I just signed off chat altogether. I collapsed onto my bed and grabbed my lucky pom-pom, curling the strands around my fingers as I stared up at the ceiling. I thought about that hug earlier today. When Evan wrapped his arms around me, I got all tingly. I did! There’s no denying it. I felt like little particles of electricity were jumping all over my skin. It was definitely more intense than what I felt when I saw Bevan earlier today. No matter how cute he is.

  I mean, I obviously like Bevan. But . . . the way I feel about Evan is something . . . deeper. Like he knows me inside and out. Well, of course I feel that way-he’s my BEST FRIEND. Or . . .

  This can’t really be happening. Am I going crazy? Or has my BFF Evan become NOT just my BFF anymore? Can he really be . . . a certi
fied CRUSH?

  Rah, rah, aaaaaahhhhhhhh!

  Whoa. I’m soooooooooooo in trouble.

  And something tells me SuperBoy can’t fix this one. Or can he???

  And now, an excerpt from the next book in the series, Bevan vs. Evan (And Other School Rivalries)

  OMG, I just had an MEM (mega embarrassing moment). There I was, innocently sitting at my desk in Mr. Cooper’s class. I had my notes open on my desk (because I’m studious! Ha-ha) and my eyes were totally focused on what Mr. Cooper was writing on the board. I mean, I even noticed when he tried to pick a booger out of his nose but pretended he was just scratching an itch.

  Well, the thing is, I was TRYING to be totally focused on Mr. Cooper. But there was a tiny problemo: I was totally exhausted! My eyes kept doing that droopy thing and my body would start to sway, and then I’d pinch myself to get alert again.

  “Can someone describe some of the ways in which Boo Radley’s character represents the theme of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird?” asked Mr. Cooper. He looked around the classroom expectantly. Luckily, he didn’t look at me.

  Jeremiah Ramirez waved his hand in the air frantically. Typical. He looked like he was straining to give his answer. Like if he wasn’t picked, he might actually pass out.

  “Has anyone besides Jeremiah done their homework?” Mr. Cooper asked wearily. He let out a big sigh. “Ok, Jeremiah, yes?”

  And just as Jeremiah was giving his answer, I must have passed out because suddenly I wasn’t in class anymore. I wasn’t even ME anymore. I was Boo Radley (Yikes! A dude!), sitting in a courtroom dressed in a Titans uniform.

  Tabitha Sue Stevens (one of my Grizzly teammates) was the prosecutor, and she was pointing at me and yelling something. Then I realized that the whole jury was made up of the Grizzlies, who were shouting at me.

  “Traitor!” the crowd yelled. “How dare you switch teams!”

  “But you don’t understand!” I said (not as myself but as Boo Radley, of course). “I can explain!”

  And here is the mega embarrassing part: I must have been talking in my sleep because when I opened my eyes, Mr. Cooper was standing right over me, hairy nostrils flaring, and saying, “Madison Hays, would you like to explain specifically what the rest of us ‘don’t understand’?”

  Oh no. I said that OUT LOUD?

  I wiped the drool from the side of my mouth and heard some snickers echo around me. The ENTIRE CLASS was staring at me!!!

  “Um, sorry, Mr. Cooper,” I said, hoping the redness in my face wasn’t too obvious.

  He gave me an angry “hmph” and walked back to the front of the classroom. T.G.

  Then Sylvie Harris was like, “Nice dream, Sleeping Beauty?”

  Ugh. Wanted 2 die.

  I should have known better than to have stayed up practically all night last night. No, I wasn’t watching She’s the Man for the millionth time or catching up on my Teen Vogues. Instead I was glued to YouTube, watching a gazillion cheer videos. Titan spring tryouts will be here before I know it. In a month, to be exact, and I need to be on point this time—I mean, if I do decide to audition.

  It’s not like I’m 100% ready to go to the Dark Side. I’m still torn about trying out at all, and what I would do if I even made the team. But ever since my New York trip, when Katie Parker (capitán of los Titans!) planted the idea in my head that I’m some kind of super awesome cheerleader—Titan material even—I’ve been thinking about trying out for the Titans. Like, a lot.

  Here’s the major unfortunate thing: Katie had been all, “I’ll train you when we get back home!” when we were in New York, but now that we’re back, she’s been treating me like I have the bubonic plague. (See? I pay attention in class.)

  Just the other day I passed her sitting with Clementine Prescott (Titan Triumvirate #2) and Hilary Cho (Titan Triumvirate #3) on the way to my table in the caf, and even though she hasn’t been so nice since we got back from New York, I couldn’t help but give her a smile as I walked by. The entire table was SILENT as I made my way past them. The kind of silent that makes you feel like maybe they’ve been talking about you (and PS—it wasn’t about how great your outfit looked that day). And as soon as I passed them, they all burst out laughing. Luckily, I didn’t have to slink away like a giant loser to sit by myself. My BFFs Lanie and Evan were already at our table, so I hightailed it to them, trying to hide my beet-red face behind my lunch tray.

  So anyway, Katie’s ’tude means that my tryout for the Titans is all on me. Well, obviously whether I make the team or not is my problem, but it would have been nice if Katie decided to live up to her promise of training me. In the meantime I’ve been secretly studying up on the Titans: rereading their Spirit Rules book, watching videos of Titan practices and competitions, and dropping by some of their practices. Last night I watched their Regionals routine for about the thousandth time. If I’m going to have a chance of kicking butt at tryouts, I know I’ll have to be able to do everything on that video. That is, if I do end up trying out. I haven’t even told anyone I’m thinking about it yet. And I CANNOT tell the Grizzlies, like, ever. I feel terrible keeping this big secret from my team. This secret makes me feel, like, the opposite of being a team player. It is sooooo hard going to Grizzly practices knowing that my mind is slightly focused on another team. Talk about NOT being a team player, how about being a traitor co-captain! Wonder what Mr. Cooper would have had to say about my problem had I actually answered his question earlier today?

  LATER THAT DAY, SNARKING IN THE PARKING LOT

  Um. Yeah. So let’s just say I wasn’t at my best today during practice. I feel like dog poop. By my last class of the day I could feel myself slipping into dreamland again, so I spent most of class pinching my arm and stabbing my hand with the tip of my pencil (works like a charm, BTW). I couldn’t imagine how I’d make it through practice. I went over to the vending machine and bought one of those crazy energy drinks that claim to turn you into Road Runner (meep meep!) for five hours. “Yeah,” I said to myself. “That’s exactly what I need to get through practice.”

  It worked for, like, five minutes. For five whole minutes (basically, the time it took me to get ready for Grizzly practice), I felt a blast of energy course through my veins. I tore open my locker while untying my hot pink Cons, and at the same time started doing a leg stretch.

  “Hey, Maddy, you ok?” asked Tabitha Sue. She was looking at me funny (I’m sensing a pattern here . . . more on that later).

  “Yeah!” I exclaimed. I practically ripped off the cute Empire waist top I was wearing and started to put on my shorts. “Never been better!”

  Tabitha Sue pointed at my legs. “You sure?”

  I looked down. Oops. Forgot to take my pants off. That would help, huh?

  I blushed, embarrassed. “Thanks, Tabitha Sue. I just had an energy drink, and I feel like I can’t do anything fast enough.”

  Tabitha Sue tightened a shoelace and shook her head. “Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Those things can make you crash. Hard.”

  Tabitha Sue was sooooooo right. By the time I moseyed into the gym, I could feel my energy draining out of me like a leaky faucet. I was dragging my feet by the time I reached the rest of the team.

  I did my best to be perky for warm-up, but by the time we got to practicing round-offs with the team, I was yawning like it was my job. I know this isn’t, like, the biggest deal in the world. People have tired days all the time. It’s just that I ALWAYS have energy for cheer. So when I have an off day, it’s really obvious.

  Jacqui and I divided the teams into groups of two to practice round-offs. We’ve been working on them forever, but still, some peeps have been a little sloppy on the finish. I was in charge of Jared and Ian. Jared began his running start and then went into a hurdle before turning upside down. I totally should have seen it coming—his arms weren’t high enough in the hurdle, and he was going too slowly into the round-off. I also should have been spotting him, but since my brain was mush, I was standing off to the side
. Bad captain! Jared bounced on his butt and landed with his legs splayed out on the floor.

  “Ow!” he squeaked. “Someone help me up.”

  I rushed over to his side and told him not to move. Jacqui came running over too.

  “You ok?” she asked, her forehead crinkling with worry.

  Jared sighed dramatically. “I think I bruised my ego.”

  Jacqui laughed. “All right, easy getting up. Go get some water.”

  I patted Jared on the back. “Sorry, dude. That was totally my fault. I should have been spotting you.”

  “No worries,” he said, as he limped away.

  I knew Jacqui would have something to say about this. I was right.

  “Mads, what happened?” she asked. “You don’t seem yourself today.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I’m really sorry. I was up tossing and turning all night. I slept for, like, two hours.”

  “Something wrong?” she asked, searching my face for an answer.

  I laughed. “Nah.” I shrugged. “Not really. Just, you know, Bevan stuff.” It wasn’t a total lie. I had been thinking about me and Bevan a lot lately, but more on that later.

  Jacqui smiled. “Oh, totally. I hope everything’s ok with you guys.”

  When it comes to guy stuff, you don’t have to say much. Your girls just automatically understand.

  I nodded my head, hoping she’d change the subject.

  “But listen, Mads, you have to keep it together during practice. Jared could have gotten hurt.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m really sorry.”

  I forced myself to bring my A-game to the rest of practice. But I think after what happened with Jared, the rest of the team wasn’t super eager to do anything aerial without Jacqui around. I don’t exactly blame them.

  Diane somewhat saved the day when she asked if she could show us a new move she learned from a cheerleader friend back in her old town. I’m happy that she decided to stay on the team even after Katarina passed her social studies test and we didn’t end up needing a backup member after all. It’s cool having another person with a solid gymnastics background on the squad.