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Brianna took a deep breath before yelling,  Ready? Okay!
and then she launched into the cheer.
Wait, what was the first line? Avalon attempted to keep
up, but every time she tried to get the words right, her
steps fell behind a beat. And what was wrong with her hand
claps?
 Great job, ladies! Just a couple more run-throughs, and
you ll have it! Brianna s cheery voice sent a nervous trickle
of sweat down Avalon s back.
Okay, focus. You can do this, Avalon told herself. Taking
a deep breath, she made her arms as rigid as she could and
willed herself to stay on beat.
This was harder than it looked. Avalon clapped so hard,
her hands hurt. Not making the squad isn t an option. You
gave up gymnastics for this. The little voice inside Avalon s
head was beginning to drown out the cheer she was yelling
at the top of her lungs. She glanced around her. At least the
rest of the hopefuls seemed to be struggling, too. And she
had Brianna on her side.
 All right, girls. Let s see what you ve got! Brianna gath-
ered all the potential cheerleaders around her.  Grab a num-
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ber from the bowl on the table. Number one, meet us on the
field. Number two, you re on deck. Good luck, everyone!
Avalon breathed a giant sigh of relief when she drew her
tryout number: ten. Last. She jogged over to the bleachers.
Avalon had never understood people who don t watch their
competitors. She needed to know exactly which girls she had
to beat.
There was:
1. Kitty Jenkins, who was really loud and had super-
crisp moves, but Avalon was distracted by her
dark-rimmed glasses and the massive, frizzy
brown ponytail that repeatedly whipped Kitty in
the face.
2. Laura Mortenson, with her long blond ponytail
and sparkling blue eyes. She looked the part, but
her deep, breathy voice sounded more Marilyn
Monroe intense than cheerleader-happy.
3. Ximena du Pont, who claimed to be from the du Pont
dynasty, but really just adopted the name when her
mom divorced her dad, the NFL coach. The one
thing she had inherited was his physique.
As Avalon looked around the emerald-green field over-
looking the Pacific Ocean, she decided that this was going to
be easier than she expected. No one else even posed a threat.
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By the time Brianna summoned her to the field, Avalon was
ready.
She leapt up from her spot on the bleachers and ran out to
the field. Coach Carlson and the entire squad were sitting at
the table, pens in hand, ready to rate Avalon s performance.
 Whenever you re ready, Brianna yelled.
Avalon stood straight and rigid with her hands behind her
back and smiled wider than she ever had in her life. She chased
the last butterfly out of her stomach and took a deep breath.
Ready? OKAY!
L-I-O-N-S!
We re lions, we don t take no mess!
Lions, lions, hear us roar!
Lions, lions, watch us score!
Lions, lions, can t be beat!
Lions, get up off your feet!
Gooooo, Lions!
Avalon was so wrapped up in the moment that she didn t
even pause before throwing in a quick back handspring.
With a huge smile on her face, she slid down into the splits
to seal the deal.  Go, Lions! Number one!
 Great job! Brianna smiled, glancing over at Coach Carl-
son, who offered a thumbs-up. A few cheerleaders at the
table clapped and grinned. Kitty, Laura, and Ximena looked
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crestfallen. Avalon silently thanked every gymnastics coach
she d ever had.
 Okay, everyone. Brianna turned toward the bleachers as
Avalon rejoined the other hopefuls and swallowed down the
nervous lump in her throat.  Go ahead and hang out while
we calculate your scores.
Brianna, Coach Carlson, and the rest of the cheerleaders
huddled around the table.
 So, where s the other half of Halvalon? asked Kitty,
sidling up next to Avalon.
 Oh, she s sticking with gymnastics this semester, Avalon
explained nonchalantly.  But I decided it was time for a
change.
 Right on, Kitty said, taking off her glasses and cleaning
them on her baby-pink tank top. A breeze rustled her puffy
hair.  You did really well.
 Thanks! So did you, Avalon assured her.
 Your back handspring was awesome, Laura said softly,
joining the conversation.  I bet you get the spot.
 We ll see . . . , Avalon said, hoping Laura was right.
 It is a lot like gymnastics, but way harder than I thought it
would be.
 Totally harder! agreed Justine Zimmermann, a petite
brunette with asparagus-green eyes who was sitting to
Avalon s left, scratching at a grass stain on her beige shorts.
She didn t have a shot.
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Avalon didn t have time to respond. The circle of cheer-
leaders had broken up.
 Okay! Brianna placed her hands on her hips and struck
a wide-legged stance as if she were about to launch into a
cheer.  We ve calculated the scores, and it was really, really
close. But, our new squad member is  The cheerleaders
ran into a V-formation.
 A-V-A-L-O-N! Avalon! Avalon! Avalon!
 Ohmygod, you guys, thank you so much, Avalon practi-
cally screamed.
After Avalon joined her new team for a few long seconds
of squealing and jumping up and down on the field, Coach
Carlson called Brianna over to discuss uniforms. Avalon fol-
lowed the rest of the squad back to the locker room. She
breathed in the salty air and looked out at the waves crash-
ing toward the cliffs. The grassy hills of the SMS campus
seemed even greener today than usual.
 You did really well today. Congrats! said the squad s
co-captain, Sydney McDowell, as they headed inside.
With purple terry-cloth Juicy shorts on her Tootsie Roll
Midgee-esque legs and hoodie that matched her violet
eyes, Sydney looked like a pigtailed grape. And though
her words were nice, the expression on her face was not.
 Thanks. Avalon tried to ignore Sydney and focus
instead on the fact that she was now a full-fledged cheer-
leader. She was one of them. Hello, short skirts and tai-
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lored sweaters and cute football and baseball and water
polo players!
 Hey, guys, didn t Avalon remind you of that herkie-jerky
girl at camp? Sydney asked the others as they all stood at
their lockers.
The herkie-jerky girl? What is that supposed to mean? It
doesn t sound like a compliment. . . .
 Hey, yeah, I totally forgot about her, replied Tanya Wil-
liams, her stretchy white vest and shorts accentuating her
muscular Louis Vuitton brown limbs.
 Oooh! And remember how her squad did that skit with
the giant, scary-looking teddy bear? chimed in Andi Lynch,
a perky, curly-haired brunette who apparently felt the need
to yell even when she was only a few inches away.
 Ugh, they were so lame. Sydney laughed, turning to face
the rest of the squad.  They didn t even know the difference
between a half-elevator and a full-elevator. And when they
choked on the free liberty, herkie-jerky almost broke her leg!
 Ohmygod! That was so seriously insane! Andi squealed.
Avalon stared blankly into her locker as the girls giggled
about cheer camp and last year s games and bus rides with
the boys. She thought hanging out with Bree this summer
would give her an in but she d never felt more out. There
was so much to being a cheerleader that Avalon hadn t real-
ized. She d already come this far, though. And it wasn t like
she could turn back now . . . even if she wanted to.
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I m with the band
alley stood in the doorway of the music room,
H trying to time her entrance perfectly. Big silver
notes were painted on the blue walls and all the furniture [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]