I stared after her, my heart racing. First Kira and now Chloe? Was the rest of my cheering life going to involve constantly looking over my uniformed shoulder to see who was trying to sneak up on me? I put my palm to my forehead. It was so overwhelming.
“You all right?”
I looked up at Leona holding out a paper cup of water. I exhaled, taking it from her. “Not really. Chloe told me she’s going to be captain.”
Leona pursed her lips. “I could see that.”
I choked on the water, drops of it dribbling onto my uniform. “What?”
“She’s good, Tess. I mean, sure, she’s unbalanced and homicidal, but she has real natural talent.”
“I’m not sure I agree.” Had the world gone Looney Tunes? Chloe as a Smitten Kitten? It was crazy.
“Well,” Leona said, folding her arms across her chest, “unless you can break her in the next few days, she’s in. Hey, who knows? Maybe she’ll turn sweet.”
Leona and I stared at each other for a second before busting up laughing. Chloe turning sweet was like water turning into wine. It’d have to be a flippin’ miracle.
The candidates began filing back in the room, fawning over Chloe’s amazing high kick, and I chewed on the corner of my lip. I was all for giving second chances. Heck, I was letting Chloe try out, and she’d tried to steal my boyfriend and had hit me in the head with an alarm clock last year. But letting her take over my post as head of the Smitten Kittens? No way in tarnation I’d let that happen.
I glanced at the wooden bleachers where Kira was sitting, talking on the phone. I wondered if she’d be interested in Chloe’s takeover plan. But then I wondered with both of their histories if Kira wasn’t already in on it.
Kira caught me looking and raised her hand in a wave, a slight grin on her lips. I quickly darted my gaze over to Izzie, trying to shake off my paranoia. She was sitting, her bag in her lap as she stared toward the gymnasium windows near the ceiling. Her eyes were glassy as if she were about to cry. She looked lonely.
“Are we going to start or are you too tired?” Chloe called out to me from center court.
I nearly imploded. Instead, I straightened my posture and took a cleansing breath. “Let’s take it from the top,” I said in my strongest captain’s voice. The other girls groaned, but Chloe smirked.
I was going to break her.
From: Kira Reynolds <[email protected]>
To: Tessa Crimson <[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, October 7, 2:45 PM
Subject: btw
I think your cheer lineup is all aerobics and no skill. I know you think you’re the supreme leader of all things SK, but I’ve been working on a routine that I think will fit better.
Unless of course you want to steal that too.
K
From: Tessa Crimson <[email protected]>
To: Kira Reynolds <[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, October 7, 3:15 PM
Subject: Re: btw
My cheers are a test in endurance, K. I don’t expect you to understand since you haven’t properly trained in months. And I didn’t steal anything. Unlike you, who stole my black one-piece kitten suit.
See you at tryouts.
Tessa
Chapter 3
When practice ended, I was aching in places where I didn’t even know I had muscles. I could tell Chloe was hurting, too, but she kept a brave face. And well-paced breathing. The other girls had to stop a half hour before practice ended, but I wouldn’t hold it against them. I was working them hard.
After we dismissed the candidates, the squad gathered on the front bleacher to discuss the practice. I paused to stretch out my throbbing hamstrings.
“I have to say,” Kira announced, “Chloe’s doing a spectacular job.”
“Figures.” Leona began to chew on her thumbnail. “You nominated her.”
I looked down at the wood floor, not wanting to really talk about Chloe or her quest for my crown. “How about the other girls?”
“I don’t know, Tess,” Izzie said. “Chloe seems to be the only one that can keep up.”
Suddenly, the doors of the gymnasium cranked open and Coach Taylor stomped in. I didn’t mind Coach T, especially since he let us manage ourselves, but as he hiked his pants up around his considerable waist, I tensed. That was a sure sign of something important.
“Afternoon, Coach T,” I said, smoothing my ponytail. “Everything okay?”
He stopped short, his lips pressed together under his bushy mustache. “Tessa, would I be here if everything was okay?”
Good point. Coach T made a habit of avoiding our practices when he could. Something about “too much estrogen” for him to handle.
“Just got a call about our upcoming game against the Ducks,” he said.
“Biggest football game of the year,” I added. The Ducks were the Wildcats’ rival team. Cocky and obnoxious, they beat us every game no matter what. But this year, with Blaze Harmon leading the pack, we had a chance. Unless, of course, he was distracted. Hm …
“Now Principal Pelli just called me into his office with some news. And it’s big.” Coach T nodded his head and looked around at us so we could feel the gravity of his statement. Mostly, we just blankly stared back at him.
He sighed heavily. “The game is going to be televised,” he said, sounding annoyed. “ESPN is coming here as part of their high school spotlight program.”
“Oh. My. Word.” Kira stood up, clutching her chest. “We are going to be so famous!” The other Kittens squealed but I saw Coach T roll his eyes.
“So what do you need from us?” I asked, sensing that this wasn’t just a social visit.
“I need you to fill the stands. I need you to make this game exciting. I’m not sure we can beat the Ducks—”
“Why would the Wildcats start winning now? Suck much?” Leona mumbled. Coach T shot her a look, and she apologized before he continued.
“Like I was saying, the Ducks are a tough team. And with ESPN coming, we need to look like contenders. We do that by having an excited, raucous crowd. That’s your job. And those are my orders.”
I nodded. It seemed simple, cheering for a big game, but I could read between the lines. Coach T wanted something special. He wanted a sellout stadium. And the Wildcats football team hadn’t sold out a game since Phil Collins played our halftime show, like, eighty years ago.