by Lee, S. G.
“OH MY GOD! Jillian, stop the car!”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Jillian stomped sharply on the brakes.
“That guy back there is being attacked. We have to help him.”
“Emma, that’s what the police are for. We are not stopping because some stranger is being mugged by a crackhead. See, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier. You lack street smarts. A woman alone should never put herself in harm’s way.”
“But I’m not alone. I’m with you. Couldn’t you at least use your cell phone to call the police?”
“No! We are not stopping. Now focus. First thing tomorrow morning you need to find the hottest guy in the school, preferably a senior, and talk to him. Compliment him, flirt, and make him notice you, Emma. With a spot on the team and a new boyfriend, no one will remember your fiasco with Evan.”
Emma couldn’t help thinking that the so-called mugging was more than just a crackhead looking for his next fix like Jillian claimed. There was something peculiar about the way that homeless guy had moved. He seemed so uncoordinated, yet the businessman couldn’t fight him off. It weighed heavily on Emma’s mind for the rest of the night and when she fell asleep she dreamt about the zombie movie she’d seen with Matt and Evan.
***
The next morning, Emma rose at the crack of dawn to get ready. She wasn’t accustomed to applying makeup or straightening her hair so she had no idea how long it would take. Matt pounded impatiently on the bathroom door, trying to get her to hurry up.
“You’ve been in there for hours! What’s taking so long?”
Groaning, Jillian stormed out of her bedroom and down the hall. “Quit making so much noise and go use the guest bath. Oh, and you’d better hurry, Matt. You don’t want to miss the bus.”
“Huh? Why would I take the bus?”
“Emma is going to need the car, and after what you did to her I doubt she’ll want to give you a ride,” Jillian gloated. “And if I were you, I’d forget about using the car anytime soon.”
Her reflection in the mirror left Emma feeling queasy. The revealing clothing Jillian had picked out made her uncomfortable. Although she had applied less makeup than the lady from the salon, Emma couldn’t help thinking she looked slutty. More than anything she wanted to crawl back under the covers and stay there. At Jillian’s insistence, however, Emma made her way to the car and drove slowly toward her doom.
Evan was pulling into the parking lot just as Matt stepped off the bus. In response to Evan’s puzzled look, Matt just muttered, “Jillian.”
“Sorry, man, I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Emma is supposed to be here today,” Matt said, just loud enough for Evan to hear.
***
Emma pulled into the parking lot, certain that she would never be able to endure the humiliation. She moved in slow motion, putting her car into park then stuffing the keys into her bag. Reaching for her iPod, which had become her security blanket, she set the control to shuffle and turned up the volume. Taking a deep breath, Emma opened the car door and stepped out. Crossing the parking lot, she could feel dozens of pairs of eyes watching her. Matt and Evan stared in shock.
“What the hell happened to her?” Evan snarled.
“I can’t believe she let Jillian do that to her! Why the hell did my dad have to marry that witch?”
Nervously, Emma hurried to her locker. She was still digging through her bag when she felt someone hovering over her. Whipping around, she saw Jake Cole, captain of the football team, checking her out.
“Hi there … you must be new here. I’m Jake.”
“Yes, I know. Jake Cole, captain of the football team if I’m not mistaken. I think that’s the first thing I learned here.” Emma gently placed her hand on his arm and flashed a killer smile. Flirt with the hottest guy, preferably a senior. Objective one completed.
She was so caught up in trying to flirt that she hadn’t noticed Matt and Evan heading her way.
“Emma, we really need to talk,” Evan pleaded, tugging on her arm.
“Get lost, Stone,” Jake snarled. “We’re busy.”
“I was talking to Emma, not you,” Evan shot back.
“Why would she wanna talk to you when she’s got me instead?”
Jake’s wingmen, two large defensive linesmen, moved forward. Responding to Jake’s gesture, they stepped in front of Evan and blocked him while Jake escorted Emma to homeroom.
“If he bothers you again, just let me know.”
“My hero,” Emma replied, but her twinge of sarcasm went unnoticed.
Fuming, Evan stalked off to class. He tried to calm down, thinking that he would have his chance to talk to her in history class.
First period seemed to last forever and Evan bolted out the door when the bell rang. Though he sprinted through the hall, Jake thwarted him again. Emma’s escort leaned against the doorway, sneering at Evan, until Emma took her seat.
Emma tried to ignore the hushed whispers and giggling she heard from Whitney and her pals. Her confidence was shaken, though Evan found it hard to tell through the makeup she’d spackled all over her face. When he tried to make eye contact, Emma wouldn’t look up from her notebook. If Mr. Stringer had been in class, Evan wouldn’t have hesitated to call out her name but the substitute did not tolerate talking during his class. As the clock on the wall ticked on, Evan’s attempts to catch her attention were ignored. In desperation, he scribbled a note and attempted to pass it over.
“Mr. Stone! I’ll take that,” the teacher demanded. “Let’s see what was so important that it couldn’t wait until after class.” Ceremoniously unfolding the paper and clearing his throat, the substitute continued, “Emma. Miss Wexley, it appears this note is for you, so please listen up. Emma, please, we need to talk. It’s not what you think. Whitney and Jessica are a couple of backstabbing …Whoa! Congratulations, Mr. Stone, you’ve just earned yourself a trip to the principal’s office.”
The tittering turned to outright laughter as Evan gathered up his books and trudged off to the office. Freaking cosmic forces are against me, I swear, Evan’s inner voice ranted. He crossed his fingers and hoped for better luck talking to her later in biology class.
***
Emma walked to the cafeteria alone. For the first time since kindergarten, she and Matt would not be sitting together at lunch. Her stomach, imitating an Olympic gymnast, had been doing flip-flops all day so Emma bought a soda and opted to skip food altogether. She was stuffing change from the machine into her pocket when a perky blonde approached her.
“You’re Emma, right?”
She recognized the girl as Tiffany Thomas, captain of the cheerleading squad and reigning homecoming queen. Assuming that Whitney had set her up again, Emma was hesitant to reply.
“We’re sitting over there with Jake. Why don’t you come join us? Jake said you’re new here.”
Relieved, Emma followed her to Jake’s table, trying to make small talk. Tiffany introduced Emma to her boyfriend.
“S’up,” he grunted, then pressed his lips to Tiffany’s.
“Awe, c’mon. Some of us are trying to eat,” one of the hulking linebackers groaned through a mouthful of food.
Emma stood there awkwardly wondering when Tiffany would come up for air. Jake smiled at her and, shoving one of his friends out of the way, made room for Emma to sit.
“Move over and give the girl some room.”
Emma’s five-foot-three frame seemed miniscule next to the freakishly large bodies surrounding her. She wondered if someone put Miracle Grow in their food or if high school athletes were tested for steroids.
Sipping her cola, Emma said little. If her new acquaintances learned about the prank Matt and Evan had played, they would surely kick her out. Though their conversation bordered on tedium, she felt there was safety in numbers.
“So, Emma, what are you doing after school today?” Tiffany asked.
“Um, I’m not sure. Why?”
“We’re having open tryout
s for the cheerleading squad today. You should definitely try out.”
“Really? You think so?” Emma was dumbfounded. Everything was going even better than Jillian had planned.
Not only was she hanging out with the coolest seniors in the school, the captain of the cheerleading squad just asked her to try out. Maybe Jillian isn’t as stupid as I thought. Who knew?
To Emma’s surprise, Jake continued to meet her in the hallways between classes and introduced her to more of his friends, still under the impression she was a new student. Though it was a comfort to have him watching over her, she knew he wouldn’t be there for her in biology class and she’d have to face Evan alone. Waiting for the last possible moment, Emma rushed through the biology lab door just as the bell rang. She stopped short, nearly crashing into a pimply-faced boy. The entire class was lined up against the wall instead of sitting in their seats.
“What’s going on?”
“Dunno,” the boy shrugged.
Mr. Raybach waited until everyone was silent before speaking.
“It appears that not everyone heeded my warning when choosing their lab partners.” Glowering at his students, Mr. Raybach continued, “I received several complaints from your parents so I’m assigning lab partners and seats.”
Emma kept her eyes on the floor. She suspected that Jillian was behind the changes and gained a newfound respect for her stepmother.
Emma was assigned to a seat in the front corner, furthest from the door, with Christy as her new partner. She was relieved; unlike the other uniforms, Christy had always been friendly to her.
Matt, Evan, Whitney, and Emma were each assigned to separate corners of the room, as far from each other as possible. Evan’s heart sank as he took his seat, knowing his best chance to reconcile was gone.
As soon as the bell rang, Emma charged from the room and raced down the hallway. Evan chased after her but Jake and his buddies blocked the path.
“You don’t give up, do you, Stone? I thought I made myself clear earlier but if you need a reminder …”
With a nod, Jake’s lackeys circled Evan but Matt rushed to his defense.
“Come on guys; leave him alone, would ya?”
“Tell your friend to leave the new chick alone. She’s mine,” Jake sneered before he took off after Emma.
“What new chick?” Matt asked, dumbfounded.
Evan rolled his eyes and gestured toward Jake’s diminishing frame.
“Genius thinks Emma is a new student. He’s been following her around like a starving zombie all day. You know what kind of reputation he has, Matt. She can’t get involved with him!”
“It’s not like she’ll listen to me. She’s been avoiding me like the plague. Since Monday, she’s said a grand total of two words to me … get and out.”
***
At the end of the day, Jake walked Emma to the locker room. The butterflies in her stomach had morphed into an angry hive of mutant insects. Jake’s presence did little to allay her fears but she was glad to have someone on her side.
“I’ll see you in there,” Jake called over his shoulder as Emma opened the locker room door.
“What do you mean?”
“Coach said the field is being treated with chemicals so we can’t practice outside today. If you ask me, I think he just wants to watch.”
In truth, Coach Rollins believed watching cheerleading tryouts was better than most of the junk on TV. It had a little bit of everything—some laughs, lots of tears, and more than its fair share of drama. His team wasn’t complaining either.
***
Emma ducked into one of the bathroom stalls and changed clothes. The ensemble Jillian had selected seemed even skimpier on than it did at the store. Her low cut top barely covered her midriff and the matching Capri-length bottoms were skin tight, but Emma hadn’t packed an alternative. Clutching her iPod, she took a deep breath and entered the gymnasium.
There was an odd collection of girls milling around waiting for someone to give them direction. Emma signed her name to the clipboard and found a seat on the bleachers.
“No way!” Whitney cackled loudly while pointing at Emma.
A mixture of gasps and giggles reverberated through the gym following Whitney’s mocking. Emma fought the urge to run or just punch Whitney in the mouth and was thankful when Tiffany called for everyone’s attention.
The current cheerleaders and their coach were seated behind a folding table, each with notepads and pens at the ready. It looks like a scene out of some lame teen chick flick, Emma thought to herself.
Once the crowd had quieted, Tiffany explained how things would proceed.
“When I call your name, come forward and tell us a little about yourself. Then we’d like you to perform your favorite cheer. O-kaaay?”
As if being scrutinized by a panel of cheerleaders wasn’t bad enough, the entire football team had congregated in the doorway to watch. The first girl up was a lanky freshman wearing too much makeup. Her voice wavered nervously and when she forgot her words halfway through the cheer, the boys heckled her relentlessly. Bursting into tears, she ran out of the gym.
***
While Emma was waiting for her name to be called, Evan was outside looking for her. Determined to finally have his say, he had bolted out to the parking lot the second the final bell rang. If he stood in front of her car, she would have to hear him out. He checked his watch and decided he’d better go find her. Poking his head into the gym, he flagged down Matt.
“Do you have any idea where Emma is?”
Matt shrugged his shoulders and shook his head no. When Tiffany called out the next name, the boys stared in disbelief.
“Emma Wexley.”
Thinking there must have been a mistake; they both watched as Emma climbed down from the bleachers and approached the judges’ table.
“Um, Matt, what is she doing?” Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Emma trying out for the cheerleading team.
“I have no idea, but I’ll bet Jillian is behind it.”
“What the hell is she wearing?” Evan demanded. “Or should I say not wearing.”
Matt merely shrugged. He was too stunned to speak. Catcalls from the football team earned them a scathing glare from the cheer coach as Emma crossed the floor. Evan heard Tyler breathe “Wow” as he leered at her exposed flesh. A sly smile spread across Jake’s face as he looked her up and down. Her outfit didn’t leave much to the imagination.
“Give me a break!” Whitney huffed, unable to contain her outrage any longer.
Tiffany threw Whitney a warning look before giving Emma the thumbs up signal. Bolstered by Tiffany’s show of support, Emma was ready to begin.
“I don’t really have a favorite cheer. I mean, really, you could shave a monkey and teach it to chant. Isn’t that right, Whitney?”
Several “ooohs” and gasps responded to Emma’s taunt. A hushed “Oh no, she didn’t” was uttered from the crowd.
Beginning to regret her invitation, Tiffany glared at Emma and patiently said, “Then what are you planning to do for your audition?”
Emma hooked her iPod into the gym’s sound system as she muttered, “Hold on a sec.”
At Jillian’s recommendation, Emma was performing the provocative floor routine from her last year of gymnastics competition. That same routine heralded the end of Emma’s training after her father saw the performance. It was finally time to put it to good use.
Emma waved Tyler over and asked him to hit play when she gave him the signal. Practically drooling, he was quick to agree. On Emma’s command, her music blasted through the speakers. Knowing she was a bit rusty, Emma toned down the complexity of the tumbling passes. She did, however, leave all of the racy dance moves in the routine.
When the music stopped, the gymnasium was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. As Emma’s chest heaved from the exertion, she realized how lucky she was that there had been no wardrobe malfunctions. Then Tiffany burst into applause and most of the girls
joined in.
Evan leaned over to Matt and whispered, “What was that?”
“That was hot,” Jake replied crudely. Then, just for spite, he added, “God, I love gymnasts. They’re so lumber.”
“That’s limber, you moron,” Evan spat back.
Laughter erupted from Jake’s pals but neither Matt nor Evan got the joke.
“No, I meant lumber, as in ready to be nailed.”
Evan turned to confront Jake but Matt beat him there. He already had Jake by the throat and jacked up against the wall.
“That’s my sister, you …”
Before Matt could throw in an expletive, Coach Rollins pulled him away from Jake and ordered him to hit the showers and cool off.
“And Stone, what are you doing here? Beat it,” Coach barked.
Once the applause died down, Emma explained to the coach that her routine could be modified for the team if they wanted to use it for the upcoming competition. Tiffany’s eyes lit up as she pictured her squad finally beating the snobs at Plymouth-Whitemarsh.
“Girls, can I have your attention,” Tiffany shouted. “We appreciate everyone taking the time to come out. We found one new member of the team.
“Now please, for the second opening, if you don’t have the gymnastics training to do that,” she said, pointing to Emma, “then I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Hold it!” Whitney shrieked. “There’s no way we can let her on this team.”
“In case you forgot, Whitney, I’m the captain of this team and I say she’s in!” Tiffany’s catty reply generated even more ‘ooohs’ from the crowd.
“Well, it’s either her or me ‘cause there’s not a chance in hell that I’m gonna be on a team with her!”
“Fine! Turn in your uniform, pom-poms, and any other team equipment you have. You’re off the team,” Tiffany said coolly before looking back down at her clipboard.
Whitney desperately looked to their coach but she was already taking Emma’s measurements. As reality hit, her eyes began to fill with tears.
“Fine! C’mon, Jess, this team sucks anyway.”
“No way, Whitney, I’m not quitting the team. I like Emma. I’ve always liked Emma. It’s you who has the problem with her,” Jessica proclaimed as she glanced at Tiffany. She hoped she sounded sincere enough to be believed.
