Clash of the Cheerleaders

by April Marcom

  Perhaps I am being biased here, but this proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Nicole has earned her newest nickname, Nico-liar, for a good reason. Also, on a side note, if you haven’t already heard, Nicole’s suspended from school today for lying right to Principal Horawitz’s face. Double stripes for Nico-liar.

  “Wow,” I said, still staring at my phone.

  “Did you finish it?” Stephanie asked.

  “Yeah. Thank goodness Underground was the one who painted that cat picture or everyone would have blamed me.”

  “Eh, even if they did, it would have been cool.”

  “I guess so. I don’t want to end up in Principal Horawitz’s office again, though.”

  “It’s a good thing you were all so honest with him,” Mrs. Peterson said from the driver’s seat. “Honesty really is the best policy, girls.”

  “Hey, I thought Steph ixnayed the eggs,” I said.

  “I did,” she said dramatically. “Nicole took them anyway and smashed them all over the front of Bryan’s house.”

  Lavender was once again out her door before we even made it up her driveway. She seemed kind of out of breath when she got in the van. “Oh man, I barely got ready in time.” She slumped into the backseat before she pulled on her seatbelt. “So are you back with Blaine or what, Hadley?”

  “No. Not officially, anyway. He’s kind of pushing me in that direction, but—I just don’t know.”

  “Oh my goodness, Lavender,” Brittany said. “You’re like the only one of us who hasn’t posted in support of Hadley on The Clash of the Cheerleaders website.”

  Zaniah and Stephanie turned around to look at her, because the other three had posted tons of videos and comments supporting me. A lot of them said things about how Nicole’s been controlling our lives and threatening us if we didn’t do exactly what she wanted since school started back up, or how great I was for helping them break free from her, or how everything Nicole said about me was one hundred percent a lie. Brittany also promised TEAM HADLEY stickers to anyone waiting outside the school when we got there this morning.

  “Yes, she did,” I said in her defense. “Didn’t you see where she wrote ‘I support Team Hadley’?” It was a simple little thing and so totally Lavender. It meant a lot, because I knew it was hard for her to say anything that clashed with Nicole, no matter what.

  “Oh, yeah?” Stephanie took out her phone and started scrolling. “Hhmmm…Okay, I see it halfway down the page. Good for you, Lavender.”

  “What in the world?” Mrs. Peterson asked as we pulled in front of the school. Even with how freezing it was outside, it looked like half the students were waiting out front of SWH. Certainly waaay more than usual.

  “I bet they’re here for your stickers, Brit,” Zaniah said enthusiastically.

  “I hope I have enough.” Brittany turned around and held up a packed-full bag in each hand.

  “That must have taken you forever,” I said, gawking.

  “It sure felt like it. Zaniah, you and Lavender take a bag and Stephanie and I will hand out the other bag.”

  “Have a good day, girls,” Brittany’s mom said when we climbed out.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Peterson.”

  “See you later.”

  Brittany took out a handful and started handing them out. I was grateful to be right in the middle of my girls with the mad crowd swelling and squirming all around us, fighting for a sticker.

  “Hey, Hadley,” kids were saying.

  “I’m Team Hadley all the way!”

  “Down with Nico-liar.”

  They all seemed so excited to see me. It was like being famous! I just kept smiling and saying hi to everyone. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be Nicole and resolved not to let it go to my head.

  Of course, not everyone was so totally happy to see me. There were still kids standing off to the side, casting me dirty looks.

  Nicole’s van pulled up about the time we reached the school’s front doors. She stayed in the front seat as her new girls climbed out of the back and started handing out stickers. A smaller crowd than mine pressed toward her car. Even being suspended for the day, she still had to make a show of superiority, it seemed.

  My four and I left the outside world behind, walking through the halls with total cheerleader confidence.

  37

  All the confidence and stickers in the world couldn’t reverse all of Nicole’s damage. We barely made our first turn through the school hallways before some girl said, “Look out. Herd of cows coming through,” and a bunch of people started laughing.

  “Ah,” Brittany put a hand on her hip. “That was so rude.”

  Someone’s arm went around me from behind. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hey, Blaine.” I snaked my way free.

  “I think I can get her to her locker, ladies.” He pressed a hand against my back and led me away.

  “See you at lunch, Hadley,” Zaniah said, then they were lost to the group of emos looking to get TEAM HADLEY stickers.

  Three guys standing by a locker sang, “Down with Team Hadley, down with Team Hadley,” when they saw me coming.

  “What?” Blaine puffed out his chest and held up both arms. The guys looked startled. “You got a problem, you bunch of liar-lovers?”

  Two of them started shaking their heads. The third looked paralyzed.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered as we rounded the corner into my locker’s hallway.

  “What the heck’s gotten into Nicole lately, anyway?”

  “I don’t know. It started with Ty, but she’s gotten, like—scary lately.” I made the trade with my locker and slammed the door shut.

  “Well, this is where we say goodbye.” Blaine grinned and took a step toward me.

  “Bye.” I put a playful hand to his chest to stop his advances.

  He laughed and pushed past it, trying to kiss me repeatedly as I turned my head from side to side. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it so much, and I tried not to look like it, but that proved impossible.

  “See you later,” Blaine said before he went around me.

  I watched him walking away behind me for a moment. When I turned around, there was Ty at his locker. He turned his attention away when I saw him. I approached him cautiously, so he looked at me again, void of emotion.

  “I didn’t get back with Blaine, you know.”

  “It sure looks like it.”

  “He’s trying really hard, but I just want to be with you, Ty… Can’t we at least talk about it?”

  His eyebrows dipped down. He watched me thoughtfully for a moment, the high-traffic hallway of kids fading away. His hand reached for me, then withdrew. “I’ve got to get to class.”

  I watched him walking away longer than I had Blaine. This time the guy leaving me behind cut into me, making me feel miserable.

  My mood suffered all morning. By lunch, I was seriously wishing I could just blow off school to walk home again.

  “What’s up?” Brittany asked when I sat next to her with my ham sandwich tray.

  “Yeah, you look kind of awful,” Stephanie said.

  “Thanks a lot.”

  “No, I mean you look beautiful, just depressed.”

  I pushed the tray away from me with my elbows when I leaned against the table. “I miss Ty.”

  “Aw.” Brittany sideways hugged me. “I bet he misses you, too. He was asking if you were okay when we were in the office yesterday.”

  I perked up at that. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Between classes. He stopped outside the office when he saw you and mouthed out to me asking if you were okay.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I forgot about it until now, and Mrs. Ringer would have killed us if I said a word.”

  I nodded absently, thinking of the shadowy way Ty showed he still cared: riding past my house in the evening, checking on me without letting me know, watching me when I wasn’t looking. It was sweet, and it gave me
an idea.

  “Don’t let anyone touch my food, okay?” I asked, standing up.

  “Okay, but where are you going?” Stephanie asked.

  “Hey, girls,” Lavender said when she and Zaniah joined them. “Did you see Nicole’s latest video post?”

  I took the opportunity to leave them for my locker. I needed to get away before Blaine got there. Once I hit my locker, I grabbed the spiral notebook on top of everything and ripped out a page. Then I wrote a short note to Ty straight from my heart.

  * * *

  I would give anything to go back to that night when we danced together in the rain.

  -H

  * * *

  Then I slid it halfway into the top slit in Ty’s locker.

  I tossed the pen back in mine and headed for the cafeteria, feeling better and worse, excited and nervous.

  I went to the Clash of the Cheerleaders website on my phone as I walked, curious about Nicole’s latest post which Lavender mentioned. Tabitha and Zaniah both had new videos up, and there were tons of cheerleader comments. I wondered how Underground was keeping the website so up to date from school, and decided he must have somehow given the other nine cheerleaders free access to post as they pleased.

  I was the only one who hadn’t bothered to put anything on his website. That one thing I’d said at the park Sunday, about Nicole’s secrets, had spiraled so far out of control. It had turned into Clash of the Cheerleaders, for goodness sakes! I wasn’t making the same mistake twice.

  I stopped and tapped on the first video of Nicole I saw.

  “Hey Silver Wing High,” she began. She was sitting on her bed at home, obviously recording in selfie mode, just as perky and all smiles as she could be. “Just wanted to give all my faithful supporters a quick update. I’ll be dropping by school later to make sure Hadley Cane, Brittany Peterson, Lavender Harkington, Zaniah Flethchy, and Stephanie Alderman are cut from the cheer squad, so we’ll be looking for replacements. And don’t worry, all this Team Hadley crap will blow over eventually. But I’ll always be here to get Silver Wing High pumped up as your cheer captain. So, anyway, bye. Can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow.” She blew the camera a sweet kiss.

  I shook my head as I turned off my phone. This whole Clash of the Cheerleaders thing was absolutely crazy. Silently, I swore off the whole website forever, except maybe for reading Underground’s articles in the mornings.

  My phone buzzed when I entered the bleach-scented cafeteria. I reeled back slightly when I saw that it was from Ty.

  So would I.

  Was he not eating lunch at home anymore?

  So y can’t we?

  I texted back, then sent,

  I’m really really sorry Ty.

  “Hey, there you are.” Blaine was headed my way. He leaned over so he could press his shoulder into my waist, picking me up so my legs swung wildly in front of him, and carrying me to my table.

  “What are you doing?” I laughed.

  A shrill whistle blew. Most of the kids got quieter, and Blaine set me down. I caught sight of Principal Horawitz standing two tables away. He was staring at Blaine and pointing down to let him know he couldn’t carry me around.

  Blaine leaned over to whisper something in my ear as we walked. “Totally worth it.”

  I set my phone next to my tray at our table to make sure I didn’t miss any incoming texts. But not one ever came.

  38

  The nagging anxiety over how exactly Nicole planned to get us kicked off the team kept my mind somewhat preoccupied from being down about Ty. I doubted she would manage to get us all five cut, but my position was still hanging in the balance.

  The cold air blew a few last-of-autumn leaves over mine and my besties tennis shoes when we left the gym for the football field after school. Puffy, white clouds hung low in the sky, like piles of fresh popcorn.

  I noticed the pompoms shaking slightly in Lavender’s hands as we walked. The trivials were already there, whispering in a tight circle. It broke apart when we got close enough to catch anything they were saying.

  “Hey, Hadley, glad to see you back,” Ms. Nordik said when she looked up from her CD player and saw me.

  “Thanks.” I held my breath, wondering if she was about to send me away.

  “We all know Nicole won’t be here for practice or the game Friday—”

  “Wait, what?” Kerry broke in.

  “She got herself suspended. That means she’s suspended from all extracurricular activities for seven days. It’s school policy.”

  “Does she know that?”

  “She should. Principal Horawitz is the one who suspended her, though, so it’s his job to break the news.”

  The way Kerry and Tabitha looked at each other said she didn’t, and that this was going to interfere with something they had planned.

  “So we’re going to try something different,” Ms. Nordik said. “This will be the first game of the year one of our girls has missed. I’ve tailored most of your routines to include all of you, so we’re going to stand in a straight line and try as many of our cheers as we can before practice lets out. That way we’ll know which ones won’t confuse you too much if we performed that way on Friday night. And really, we should have already been doing this in case one of you gets sick. Now—” She bent over to hit play on her stereo and a familiar fast-paced techno song began to play. “—get in line and let’s see how this’ll work.”

  Like always, the music got me totally pumped up and lost in the cheer. Everything else seemed less important for those precious minutes.

  We barely got through the second cheer, however, before I saw the angry brunette crossing the parking lot on the other end of the field, headed our way. I tried to keep going, but couldn’t concentrate. I missed a step and slammed into Brittany.

  She fell over behind Stephanie, nearly knocking her over, too. I grabbed Stephanie’s arm to steady her just in time.

  The music stopped. “What was that, Hadley?” Ms. Nordik asked.

  “Sorry, I got distracted.” I looked back at Nicole. One by one, everyone turned to look at her.

  “Oh, no,” Lavender gasped. She pressed her arms together, hands over her mouth, and shoulders pressed forward.

  “What’s she doing here?” Ms. Nordik asked herself. “Girls, this might be a good time to take a quick drink break.”

  But no-one moved. We all just stood there, staring. You would have thought death was approaching.

  Nicole made it halfway around the field of football players running laps before a football came sailing from somewhere on the field—right for her!

  “Hey, LOOK OUT!” Ginger screamed, pointing at it.

  Nicole looked over a moment before it slammed into her face. She fell over and threw both arms up to cover where the ball made contact.

  Ms. Nordik ran toward her. Everyone but Lavender followed.

  What sounded like the ENTIRE football team shouted, “NICO-LIAR!” at her. A few of them even started booing.

  Coach Sanders blew a bunch of shrill bursts from his whistle and shouted at everyone to “Get back to work!”

  “Go, Team Hadley,” Blaine shouted at the top of his lungs, waving at me from the other side of the fence he ran along. A few guys echoed, so I waved back.

  Nicole picked herself up and kept walking toward us, a hand still over half her face. I hated the way she was staring me down.

  “Nicole, are you all right?” Ms. Nordik called. She ran faster and reached out for Nicole’s arm to pry it away.

  “I’m fine.” Nicole jerked her arm sideways out of our coach’s grip. “I only came to make sure you knew Lavender, Brittany, Zaniah, Stephanie, and especially Hadley are off the team.”

  “Off, off the team? Wh—I’d ask you if you hit your head if you hadn’t just hit your head. You can’t cut half the team.”

  “I’m the captain so I decide who’s on this team, and I say they’re all gone.” Nicole’s fingers slid just enough toward her hair that I could see the
tips of an ugly purple bruise forming at her jawline.

  Ms. Nordik took in a long, huge deep breath. “I can’t cut half the cheer squad. Every employee at Silver Wing High would ask questions.”

  “I don’t care.” Everyone gasped when Nicole dropped her hand to point one skinny finger at herself. She had a seriously nasty bruise on her face. “I’m in charge, so they’re off the team.”

  Wow. She had a lot of nerve. Judging by the way Ms. Nordik arched one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, I’d guess Nicole might have been the one cut from the team if her dad hadn’t put so much money in Ms. Nordik’s pockets.

  “You’re right. You are the cheer captain—”

  A rickety breath blew from my lungs as I stared at Ms. Nordik in horror.

  “With that, you were given charge over who got on this year’s team. That was the deal. You are not the coach, however. I am. And I’m the only one who gets to cut my girls from this team. No-one’s leaving today.”

  Nicole’s eyes went huge. “But—I own this team.”

  “She said you can’t cheer at the game Friday night,” Kerry burst out suddenly.

  Tabitha threw a hand over Kerry’s mouth. “Seriously? You’re bringing that up right now?”

  “Wait,” Nicole said, looking desperate. “Is she serious, Coach?”

  Ms. Nordik nodded. “It’s school policy. Anyone who’s suspended, even for a single day, is not allowed any extracurricular activities for the following week, and there’s absolutely nothing you or I can do about it.”

  “So—practice tomorrow—”

  Our coach was already shaking her head. The way one corner of her lips curved, I knew she was fighting back a smile of pleasure. “You won’t be allowed at practice either, not until next Wednesday.”

  “Take that, Nico-liar,” Stephanie said.

  “Girls, please.”

  Nicole’s eyes went murderous. They burned first into Stephanie, then turned on me. “Quit the team, or you’ll be sorry.”