by Zoe Evans
Katie went up to Jacqui and put an arm on her shoulder. “I’m really sorry, Jacqs. We let things go overboard. We were so caught up in getting to Nationals, we let ourselves get convinced that you had a problem. Also, to be honest, I think we were all intimidated by you. You got so much better over the summer, the rumor made us feel a little better about ourselves,” she said, looking pointedly at Clementine.
Clementine just turned her back on the scene.
“As Titan captain, I apologize on behalf of the rest of the team for our behavior. And I’d like to offer you a place back on the team. That is, if you’ll take it,” she said, looking at Jacqui imploringly.
I got a little nervous because I wasn’t really sure what she’d say. For a second I was thinking, “Hey, that was a nice apology,” and maybe she’d go back to them. I wouldn’t blame her at all. It was my dream to be a Titan, too, and if they had actually asked me to join instead of asking me to design their uniforms, I totally would have jumped at the chance. But as long as I’m a Grizzly, I (selfishly, I admit) want Jacqui on my side.
Jacqui was smiling from ear to ear. “No, thanks.
” Hurrah!!!
“The Grizzlies need me right now. I’m happy where I am. But I appreciate your asking.”
Katie nodded, understanding.
I did little cartwheels in my head.
Meanwhile, Clementine’s head was about to blow off. “This is all very heartwarming, but has everyone forgotten that we have a game on Friday night and no uniforms? Someone had the bright idea to donate our old ones to charity-ahem, Hilary—and now we have a whole team of cheerleaders without anything to wear. Unless, of course, you think shoulder pads are, um, ‘totally in,’” she said in a mock Valley girl voice.
“What about wearing our uniforms?” I blurted out without even thinking. It was like someone had taken over my body and just vomited out words. Weird. But suddenly, I had a whole Titan brigade looking at me. Ahhhh! “I mean, you guys like them so much. And I know they don’t say ‘Titans,’ but we do represent the school. . . . It’s better than nothing, right?”
Radio silence. I was speaking English, wasn’t I?
“This is so not happening,” said Clementine, turning away again. Interesting strategy, BTW. (Mental note: Perhaps I should try this at future dining experiences with Dad and Beth.)
“I don’t know . . . it’s not such a bad idea,” said Katie matter-of-factly. “We can say we’re doing it on purpose to support the Grizzlies. No one would question it. No one questions anything we do.” She looked back at the rest of her teammates. “C’mon, guys. We’re Titans. We can do whatever we want.”
Of course the rest of the team agreed with their fearless leader (even Clementine, although she wasn’t thrilled). I did little backflips in my head, I was so happy my idea went over well. I didn’t really want to think about what would have happened if the Titans didn’t have uniforms for their next game. They probably would have still somehow blamed me, and then my shot at ever having a spot on the team would be zilch. Zero. Nada.
After practice, Katie, Jacqui, and I hung out in the gym to talk about the details of the Grizzly—Titan uniform switch. It actually was going to work out perfectly. We’d ended up having enough money to order two uniforms per person, so we even had enough boy uniforms for the Titan guys. (And luckily, by the time we had ordered uniforms for Ian and Matt, they’d lost some of their bulk from football season, so their uniforms would just about fit the Titan guys’ lean frames.) It was nice to hang out with Katie and get to talk to her without Clementine and Hilary around. I mean, we didn’t, like, get to bond over mud masks and scary movies, but I’d never had a whole conversation with her before. She definitely seemed to appreciate my helping out with her team’s problem.
And it seemed like Jacqui was off the hook, too, T.G. From the way Katie and Jacqui were practically holding hands and walking down memory lane, it seemed like they were on their way to repairing their old friendship.
“Hey, remember when you were a flyer that one time,” said Katie, “and you were about to do a cradle and then lost your balance and landed in Jenny’s hair?”
“Ohmigod, and then we all fell on top of the back bases?” said Jacqui, her eyes wide at the memory. “That was hilarious!”
“And painful!” added Katie.
“How about that time when you fell out of the basket and everyone just walked away?” said Jacqui.
“That was just plain mean,” said Katie, scowling. “You’re lucky I’m a forgiving person.” She smiled.
I half—expected them to start crying and hugging and planning trips to the mall. I was psyched to see that everything was cool between them—and that the Titans no longer have me on their Wanted Dead or Alive list. So, I’m back on track. I still have a shot, maybe, of one day making it to my favorite team. Even if it means having to stand being next to someone as horrible and conniving as Clementine Prescott.
Tonight when I came home, Mom was reading some magazines in the living room, so I hung out with her for a bit. I explained why Jacqui and I left practice early, and the whole Titan uniform thing.
“Get out of here!” Mom said, slapping the arm of the couch. “That Jacqui.” She laughed. “I could tell she had a wild streak in her.”
I think I expected Mom to be a little disappointed or angry with Jacqui at what she did to the Titans. She takes cheer SO seriously, I would have thought she would say destroying a cheer uniform is next to, like, graffiti—ing the American flag. But she was laughing when I told her how ridiculous the uniforms looked and how the Titans reacted when they saw them. And she was glad that Jacqui came clean so that the Titans know I had nothing to do with messing up their uniforms.
“It was the ultimate in team spirit, you know, sharing the Grizzly uniforms with the Titans,” Mom said approvingly.
“Aw thanks, Mom.” She thinks everything has to do with team spirit, LOL.
“Although I have to say, I wish I got to see what your design looked like. I mean, before it got . . . altered.”
“I can show you,” I said, reaching into my gym bag for my journal. “I have the sketches right here.” It wasn’t the same as seeing it rendered in fabric, but at least I was able to show her my idea.
“You’re really something, Madington,” said Mom, admiring the sketches. “Ever since you could hold a pencil, you’ve been drawing clothes. You used to design outfits for your teddy bears. Do you know that?”
“No, I don’t remember that,” I said, flipping through my journal to show her another outfit I was working on.
“Oooh. Adorable!” she exclaimed. “You know, Mads, cheering isn’t forever. Your future has so much in it, lots more than just cheerleading,” she said, nodding toward the design on the page.
I looked at her face and saw it had gotten a little far—off looking.
“I might not have outgrown my cheering phase, as you may have noticed.” She laughed. “I’ll admit it. But sometimes I think there are other things I should have pursued,” she said with a faraway look in her eye.
Whoa! Who flipped the serious button?
“I get that, Mom. And I know there are other things out there for me, but right now, I’m really into cheer. It’s my life.” I shrugged. I don’t really want to think about a future without cheering in it just yet.
Mom just looked at me kind of funny in that adult “you’ll understand when you’re older” kind of way. Whatever. Parents.
I jogged up to my bedroom and signed on to see who was on chat. Lanes was on, but Evan wasn’t.
“Whuddup, chica?” said Lanie.
I gave Lanes the lowdown on the afternoon, and when she was done cackling maniacally over the part when the Titans first saw their horrible uniforms, she offered up, “Mads, you totally should have made them wear those. We could have taken pics! We would have always had something to brighten our bad days!”
“Thanks, Lanie, that’s really helpful. Remember, I’m trying to one day beco
me a member of that team?”
“Oh, right,” said Lanie. “But maybe you could just go back to your original idea of having an awesome uniform for everyone but Clementine?” said Lanie.
“Ha-ha-ha. Hey, what’s Evan up to?”
Lanie shrugged. “Dunno. Prolly geeking out and writing some more SuperBoys. Hey, we were thinking of just selling some at the game. Not, like, for cheer fund—raising purposes but, um, fund—raising for just us. That ok with you?”
I’m more than happy for my buds to continue with the fund—raiser idea without fund—raising for cheer. It’s Evan’s creation, after all.
“Of course! Go nuts!”
I can share the wealth. It’s been a big sharing day, after all.
Later on, Dad called. Apparently he wants to come watch the soccer game on Friday. So, he’s coming with me and Mom (Without Beth! Yippie!!), which hopefully won’t end in World War III, but at least he’s not insisting on watching me cheer at next week’s chess club tournament. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Hurrah!! Our team kicked butt and won-AGAIN!-and the Titan cheerleaders stole the show with the Grizzly Bears’ uniforms! When they came running out onto the field, everyone went crazy. At first people didn’t know what to make of it, and they were laughing and whistling, “Yeah, Titans! Yeah, Grizzlies!” The crowd thought it was hysterical. Katie even inserted a little nod to the Bears into their routine by doing our signature pencil jump with a little bear claw at the end of it. (Yes, we have a signature move now!!)
Dad even seemed to enjoy the game—and didn’t say anything negative about cheerleading, which was nice. He and Mom didn’t fight AT ALL, which was a miracle but also due to the fact that I strategically placed Evan next to me, Lanie on my other side, and Dad and Mom on either end.
One downer: It was hard to fantasize about my future wedding to Bevan with Mom and Dad so close by. I’d be having a perfectly nice daydream in which Bevan was down on bended knee—socked knee and asking for my hand in eternal wedded bliss (or at least asking me to, like, a movie), and then Dad would ask a question about what kind of stunt the Titans had just done, or Mom would poke my leg and say, “Let’s remember to try that one!” Ugh. Parents. Don’t they have their own lives??
“I gotta admit, they wear those uniforms well,” said Evan appreciatively.
“Ahem, I think I’ll take that as a compliment to my work,” I said. I don’t know why it bothers me when he says stuff like that, but seeing Evan look at the cheerleaders like that, like, totally skeeves me out. I know it’s weird, but seriously? BLECH!
“Did you keep the other uniforms for Halloween?” asked Lanie. “I’d wear one.”
“Oh, yeah, like you’d wear a skirt ever,” I told her.
“I said ‘for Halloween’,” Lanie replied, rolling her eyes.
Dad wanted to take me for ice cream after the game (an old tradition), but before we left I wanted to catch up with Jacqui in the gym lobby to say hi. Dad and Mom walked off on their own to talk, which I tried not to worry too much about. You never know when a talk might end up with them flinging piles of dirt at each other.
Jacqui was by the water fountains.
“So, thank goodness that didn’t end up in disaster, huh?” I said.
“Ohmigod, I know. When they first came onto the field, my heart was pounding. Like, I know they’re the Titans and all that, but even this might go over everyone’s heads.”
“They pulled it off, like they always do,” I said, shaking my head.
Just then, Jacqui got a funny look on her face, like someone was behind me. I turned and to my complete surprise saw Bevan standing there. In those adorable soccer cleats and shorts!!!
As Jacqui turned to walk away, she gave me this look like, “Watch out, girl,” which I tried desperately to ignore.
I smiled at her and gave a little wave, suddenly feeling a million times more awkward than I had two seconds ago, before my true love was standing in front of me.
“Gr-gr-great game tonight,” I stuttered. Why am I always so challenged around this guy?
“Thanks,” he said. “So what was up with the Titans wearing your Grizzly getups?”
“Oh, that? It’s a loooong story.”
A couple of seconds passed. “Well, is it a long story you might want to tell me, like, next Friday night maybe?” A slight blush entered his cheeks.
“What’s happening Friday night?” I asked. Like the total nerd that I am. Ding dong. Hello! Bevan was asking me on a date. Last time I checked, my big Friday night plans had been video chat three—way with Evan and Lanes. Which, don’t get me wrong, is absolutely thrilling. Especially because that means we can hang out AND watch our favorite TV shows without having to compromise on a TV channel. But that’s beside the point. . . .
“Sorry,” said Bevan, pushing his hair out of his face with the back of his hand. “I meant, do you want to go somewhere Friday together? Like, a movie or something?”
“Oh.” I blushed. “Yeah, sure. Definitely.” I tried to play it cool and not smile from ear to ear. But I’m sure I looked something like this:
“Cool,” he said, showing those amazing dimples of his.
“Cool,” I said.
“Cool,” he said again.
We both laughed at the same time.
Yay! I’m not the only one around here who’s a little challenged, I guess.
We said we’d figure out the deets sometime next week. I cannot WAIT to tell Lanes about this. She is going to freak out. Never in a million years did either of us think a superadorbs guy like Bevan would look at me twice, let alone ask me out on a date. But a lot of surprising things have been happening lately. Speaking of which . . .
I was about to leave the gym to go find Dad when I felt someone slap me on the butt. I whizzed around, expecting it to be, like, Ian or Matt being their usually jerky selves. Instead, it was Katie and Hilary.
“Hey, girlie!” said Katie, going in for a high-five.
Girlie?
“That was uh-mazing! Everyone loved your idea—could you hear the crowd?”
Katie’s eyes were gleaming. Guess the girl was in a good mood. “I think we really took the crowd by surprise.”
“Totally,” said Hilary, adjusting the waistband on her skirt so even more of her perfectly toned midriff showed.
“But seriously, though, we still need new uniforms—which is why we need your help.” Her voice got really grave and serious, as it always did when she talked about cheer stuff. You’d think we were talking about top—secret Pentagon things.
“Do you think you could submit your uniform design for us again? For real this time?” Katie winked.
“Of course,” I agreed. Duh. First of all, I’d love to see another one of my designs come to life. Second of all, I kind of owe it to them after they’d just given the Grizzlies some good press.
“You’re awesome,” said Katie, squeezing my shoulder. “I told you we could rely on her,” Katie said to Hilary, who just smiled back in that blank way of hers.
As I walked out of the gym into the cool fall air, I felt the best I’d felt in . . . well, ever. I’d helped Jacqui get back on track with the Titans. The Grizzlies are no longer the biggest school losers-well, not as big as we used to be. I am “in” with Katie Parker and her teammates. And the icing on the cake? Bevan Ramsey asked me out on a date! Me!
Wait a minute.
Oh no. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I stopped dead in my tracks. I remembered what Jacqui had told me a few weeks ago and that funny look she gave me when Bevan had walked up to me moments before. Katie Parker and Bevan Ramsey used to date, and HE dumped her. She still isn’t over him. Which means if I go out with Bevan, I’ll be Enemy #1 of the Titans.
And I’ll never have a chance in a million years of ever wearing that prided Titans—or “Tight Ends”-uniform. Back to the point at hand . . .
My choice is plain and simple. I’ll have to call off the date with Bevan if I ever want to fulfill
my dream of one day being a Titan.
Sigh.
Oh, well. Who needs love, anyway, when you have a perfectly good (Ok, ratty old) pom—pom to kiss good night?
And cheer, lots and lots of . . .
and now an excerpt from the next book in the series . . .
The gym at Port Angeles School was even noisier than usual this afternoon when I met up with my cheer co-captain, Jacqueline Sawyer, to lug the boxes that had arrived at my house earlier this morning over to the rowdy group of cheerleaders in their designated corner. I couldn’t wait to show the Titans the new uniforms I designed for their team—for REALZ this time. Well, I mean, I DID design them the last time-it’s just that there was an itsy—bitsy mix—up when Jacqui submitted the designs to the uniform company. See, she kinda put her own spin on them so that when the Titans got their new uniforms, instead of saying “Titans” on the shirts, it read “Tight Ends.” This was Jacqui’s way of getting back at her old teammates for kicking her off the squad, but it also put me in a totally awkward position.
Ridiculous!! It looked like a football uniform married a cheerleader uniform and then had a baby uniform that went onto the discount rack at Filene’s Basement. Total fashion faux pas.
Anyway, I made good on my promise to get the uniforms right this time, and thankfully, Jacqui stayed out of my way. Well, the truth is, she’s back to (kinda) being friends again with Katie Parker, Titan head cheerleader and all—around Miss Perfect.
“Watch out, Grizzlies coming through!” cried Hilary Cho when she spotted us. Then she did a little roar, like a bear. Ha-ha. Get it? Grizzly Bears? Like I haven’t heard that one before.
So, Hilary is the third girl in what my friends and I like to call the “Triumvirate” of the Titan cheerleaders: Katie Parker, Clementine Prescott, and Hilary Cho. Hilary pretty much just goes along with whatever Katie and Clementine think is cool. She’s a total sheep. Baa, baa.
