A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker

Author:Kristin Walker
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-10-01T08:48:17+00:00

CHAPTER 16

141

“I bet.” After a few beats, I said, “So I guess practice is canceled then?” I wasn’t being selfish. It just popped into my head. I swear.

“No way,” Simone said, straightening up. “Next Friday is homecoming. We’ve got the pep rally at the bonfire before.

We’re supposed to showcase Catch the Fever. You’ve seen it. You know, the one with the mount at the end? That big pyramid stunt? Well, there was a pyramid. Not anymore, I guess. We’ll have to figure something out.”

“Bummer,” I said. “But I’m sure you guys will fix it.” I tipped the cooler onto its edge, rolled it over to the bleachers, hoisted it up onto the bench, and sat next to it. There was no need for cups. The cheerleaders just refilled their water bottles.

Once the ambulance left, Mrs. O’Toole muttered something about the damn dangerous modern mounts these days and hobbled off to call Judith’s parents and Principal Miller.

Everyone else started darting around the basketball court, squawking and gobbling about what to do about the homecoming pep rally. They needed all twelve bodies to pull off the stunt at the end of Catch the Fever. It had taken them all season to get it right.

Takisha King said, “What about pulling someone up from JV?”

“We can’t,” Amanda said. “Junior varsity’s got an away game that night.”

Todd stepped toward the middle of the group and waved them in for a huddle. They all flocked around him. I could see Todd talking, but couldn’t hear him. Whatever he said must 142 Kristin Walker

have been pretty funny, though, because everyone suddenly burst into hysterics. Ponytails and boobs bouncing all over the place; bawks and even a few whinnies echoing through the gym. Then Todd said something else that had the same effect as a bucket of liquid nitrogen thrown at them. The girls got as still as ice and gave Todd these bewildered looks.

Then, one by one, they turned and looked at me.

Holy crap. What were they up to?

Amanda became visibly upset. Well, horrified and revolted would be more accurate. She stomped her feet and shook her head back and forth. Todd whispered something else in her perky pink ear and she calmed down slightly.

She threw her hands up like she was surrendering to alien invaders and stalked off to the locker room.

Todd came toward me with the squad trailing behind him like a street gang of angry thugs with breasts. He stood in front of me and put his hands on his hips. As if on cue, and in perfect synchrony, the other cheerleaders put their hands on their hips too. Bunch of animatronic robot turkeys.

I would have laughed, but something about the scene suddenly turned the air in my lungs to glue.

“Welcome to the squad, Fiona,” Takisha said.

“Huh?” I squeaked. My mind raced forward, and the awful truth of what she meant filtered out of all the possible interpretations. “No.”

“Yes,” Todd said. “You’re Judith’s replacement.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are.”

This was a joke. Some kind of setup. Surely, this had to CHAPTER 16

143

be an elaborate prank Todd was pulling.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.