by Robin Caroll
“I thought you had cheer practice tonight since you have a game tomorrow.” Dad wiped his mouth with the paper towel folded beside his plate.
Sam shook her head. “Mrs. Holt said we needed the break so we’d be charged and ready tomorrow for the pep rally.”
“Makes sense.”
She just couldn’t stop thinking about Nikki’s notes and texts. “Hey, Dad . . .”
“Yes?”
“What are the laws about bullying here?”
“Why? Are you being bullied?” Dad’s face turned into his bulldog look — eyebrows drawn down, lips puckered tight. His cheeks even seemed to sink in.
“No, not me. Just someone I know.” She finished off her milk, but her mouth still felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls.
“Sam, if you know someone’s being bullied, you have to report it.”
“She told her parents. I’m sure they’re handling it.” Well, maybe. Maybe Jefferson told Mr. and Mrs. Cole they needed to contact the police, if not the school.
Dad didn’t release his bulldog expression. “Bullying is very serious, Sam. That’s why there are laws to protect kids from being bullied. Here in Arkansas, bullying is a Class B Misdemeanor. People convicted of bullying, and that includes cyber-bullying, face up to ninety days in jail and fines up to a thousand dollars.”
“Oh, I know it’s serious.” But she’d have thought the punishment would be more than just a couple of months in jail and having to pay less than a thousand bucks.
“You should encourage your friend to make sure her parents not only tell Mrs. Trees and other school administrators but also the police.”
The principal of the middle school, Mrs. Trees, had zero tolerance for any type of misbehaving. Sam had no doubt she wouldn’t allow any type of bullying to go on in her school.
“Let me know if you’d like me to speak to her parents,” Dad said.
Nikki would flip her lid, and Sam would really be socially outcast then.
“I’ll let you know. Thanks, Dad.”
Even though she had no plans of telling Dad who was being bullied, Sam had every intention of finding out who was behind it.
CHAPTER TWO
Stuffiness filled the room.
The heat wave of late September in Arkansas caused the school to run the air-conditioner on high, but it never really got cool in the old building’s wings. Sam fanned herself and stared at the teacher sponsor for the school newspaper. She’d turned in her article on time, and even Aubrey had seemed satisfied.
“I’d like to see some series features on topics of interest to y’all.” Ms. Pape glanced around the classroom the Senator Speak staff used as their newsroom. “Hard topics, not just the fluff pieces.” She nodded at Samantha. “We had a great start this year with the paper’s blog on serious topics. I’d like to see that continued.”
“Right,” Aubrey tapped her pen on the notebook opened in front of her. “Let’s discuss some ideas.”
“How about a series on the lunch food?” Paul Moore, an eighth grader who was all eyes for Aubrey, asked. “It’s beyond gross.”
“Too boring.” Aubrey shook her head. “And complaining about it wouldn’t do any good.”
“Besides, we aren’t going to use the paper as a sounding board for complaints,” Ms. Pape said.
“What about a series on the dos and don’ts of dating?” Kathy Gibbs, another eighth grader, asked.
“Well . . .” Aubrey started.
“No. Mrs. Trees has been adamant about what is definitely not allowed in the paper, and dating is one topic that’s off limits,” Ms. Pape said.
Sam licked her lips. “How about a series on bullying?”
“Bullying?” Aubrey asked.
Sam nodded and glanced at Nikki, whose face turned red before she dropped her stare to the floor.
“That’s a serious topic,” Ms. Pape said.
“We could focus on different types of bullying and different punishments.” Sam sat up straighter in her chair. This was a really good idea, now that she’d just blurted it out. “I spoke with my dad about the laws against bullying. It’s a crime.”
Nikki lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Sam.
Sam didn’t want to make Nikki uncomfortable, but what happened to her was not only just plain wrong, it was also illegal. If she could figure out who was bullying Nikki, maybe she could make them stop. Even if Nikki wouldn’t let her help, the articles might be enough to make the bully leave Nikki alone.
Although, either way, Sam wouldn’t rest until the person was discovered.
“I like it.” Ms. Pape turned to Aubrey. “What do you think?”
Aubrey quickly glanced at Nikki. She didn’t stare so long that everyone would notice, but just long enough for Sam to realize Aubrey knew about the notes and texts to Nikki. Maybe Sam had been wrong, and Aubrey was getting them, too.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Aubrey finally said. “Who’d like the assignment?”
Just about every hand shot up.
“You know, Aubrey, it was Sam’s idea. And she does have a father who can give her information on the criminal side of bullying.” Ms. Pape crossed her arms.
It was entirely up to Aubrey to decide who whould write the series. Even though it was clear Ms. Pape thought Sam should get the assignment, she would let Aubrey make the decision, right or wrong. That’s how news people learned, she had lectured many times: by making the hard choices and living with the consequences.
“Well, since her dad’s a cop and can provide information, I’ll give Samantha the assignment.” Aubrey stared so hard that Sam could feel her heat. “How many articles do you anticipate including?”
Sam ignored Aubrey’s intentional use of her full name and scrambled for an answer — she hadn’t thought that far yet. “Uh . . .” Type of bullying, punishments, what to do if bullied . . . “At least five.”
Aubrey nodded. “Fine. I’ll expect you to submit your blog pieces in the mornings before school. As always, keep your articles interesting and factual. If you don’t, I’ll give the stories to someone else. Understood?”
Sam nodded, her mind already racing. She needed to talk with Nikki. She’d keep her name out of it, of course, but she really wanted to focus on how Nikki was being bullied and how it affected her.
If she could get Nikki to talk to her.
Aubrey turned the discussion to upcoming assignments, but Sam tuned the conversations out. How could she broach the subject with Nikki without ticking her off? Sam had seen just a glimpse of Nikki’s reaction when she’d been at their house and felt pretty sure Nikki didn’t want to discuss the bullying with Sam.
Was she embarrassed? Probably, but she shouldn’t be. It wasn’t Nikki’s fault — she was the victim here. Sam just needed to make her understand that and see that the last thing Sam wanted was to draw unwanted attention to Nikki.
“Ms. Pape?” the student worker’s voice over the intercom interrupted all conversation in the newspaper classroom.
“Yes?” Ms. Pape answered.
“Could you please send Sam Sanderson to Mrs. Holt’s room?”
“She’s on her way.” Ms. Pape waved at Sam.
Sam grabbed her backpack and rushed to her locker where she switched her books for the duffle containing her cheerleading uniform. Once she and the rest of the squad had changed, Mrs. Holt led them to the gym to warm up for the pep rally.
As she stretched on the mats in the gym, Sam forced herself to focus on the pep rally. She wasn’t worried about the cheers since she could practically do them in her sleep. But the stunts they were doing today were new. Because of their difficulty, Mrs. Holt ordered the mats to stay on the gym floor. She’d told the squad over and over that if they didn’t practice and concentrate, someone could get hurt. The two flyers on the squad, Remy and Bella, were nervous visibly.
The whole squad was comfortable enough with their version of the varsity hitch pyramid, but Remy and Bella were still a little shaky on the
ir stunts. They could do them fine on the ground, but once they were hoisted into the air . . . well, Sam just whispered a prayer that they wouldn’t let the flyers fall. With just nine girls on the cheer squad, they only had Grace as a spotter for the stunts.
Marcus Robertson, camera in hand, waved at Sam from across the gym. As the newspaper photographer, he’d snap shots to use as fillers for the paper’s articles. She waved back then stood and began practicing the cheer movements with the other cheerleaders.
Sam smiled to herself. They were working together great as a team, exactly the way they should be.
Like the newspaper staff was supposed to work together. Or, now that Sam thought about it, like a marriage should. She couldn’t stop thinking about Nikki being bullied, and her parents getting divorced, and now Jefferson hurt. Sam put Nikki on her mental prayer list.
“Great job,” Mrs. Holt said. “Okay, hustle up. Everyone’s starting to enter.”
Sam gathered her pom poms and moved to center floor with the other cheerleaders. They shook their poms to the rhythm of the band’s drum beat. She smiled as Makayla, her bestie for all time, entered alongside Lana and sat in the second row, right behind where the cheerleaders would sit.
Aubrey and Nikki strode into the gym like they owned the place. If Aubrey’s nose got any higher in the air, she’d drown if it rained. They walked up to the eighth grade section, midway up the bleachers. Thomas Murphy, Billy Costiff, and Kevin Haynes all sat behind them.
Lin called the first cheer, and Sam moved in sync with the rest of the girls as they cheered for a Senator win over the Little Rock Christian Warriors. After the cheer, the head coach of the eighth grade football team, Coach Harris, headed to the microphone. The cheerleaders took a seat in the front row. Sam sat right in front of Makayla.
“Looking awesome out there, girl,” Makayla whispered in Sam’s ear. “All those practices have paid off.”
“Thanks.”
“Even though cheerleading isn’t a real sport like karate.”
Sam laughed. Their ongoing argument would never end. Since Makayla was deep into karate, she claimed it took more discipline, training, and dedication than cheerleading. Sam, of course, disagreed. It was a private, good-natured debate between them.
“Yeah, you keep on believing that, but we both know the truth,” Sam whispered back as she spied Mrs. Trees standing against the wall, holding papers. Probably the names of the homecoming court nominees.
The football coach finished his we’re gonna win and win big speech, and the crowd yelled like crazy. That was the signal for the cheerleaders to rush back to the middle of the basketball court. Sam whispered a prayer, then waited for Lin to call the pyramid cheer.
“Five, six, seven, eight.”
And they were in motion.
“One, two, three, four.”
They lifted Remy up with no problem. Sam glanced across to the other side: Bella was in the air without incident as well. Grace caught Remy’s and Bella’s feet, and Celeste ran and dropped into the splits in the front of the pyramid.
“Go Senators!”
Sam smiled as she held Remy’s foot tight. Perfect! Not even a little wobble. Flawless teamwork. They broke pyramid and clapped to the formation for their stunts. Sam let out a slow breath before joining Lin and Missy to lift Bella into a full extension.
They swayed just for a second before Kate moved from back spotter to help them steady.
Bella lifted her left leg entirely above her head, grabbing her instep with her right hand. Then she pulled her left arm in front of her leg, holding it parallel to the floor.
Sam held tight but looked at the other team who had Remy up in the same position.
The crowd yelled and clapped, many of them stomping the bleachers.
They’d done it! They’d practiced hard, and they’d done it.
Sam and the other cheerleaders counted the dismounts, grabbed their pom poms, then moved into center court. Right on cue, the band started the school’s fight song, and the squad began their pom dance.
With the last note of the song, the squad split apart with jumps, kicks, and a couple of cartwheels before returning to their seats as the principal took the microphone.
“Wow, y’all were awesome,” Makayla told Sam.
Still a little out of breath, Sam smiled and nodded. All the squad’s hard work had been worth it. She couldn’t wait to see the pictures Marcus took. Maybe she could snag a copy to show Mom and Dad.
“Attention please,” Mrs. Trees said into the mic. Her voice echoed across the gym. Everyone hushed.
“I have the nominees for this year’s Robinson Middle School homecoming court.”
No one moved.
“As we’ve instructed, the nominee with the highest number of votes will be named Homecoming Queen. The other five girls on the list will serve as her court.”
Sam shifted so she could see Nikki and Aubrey. Last year, Aubrey had been the only seventh grader to make court. If Aubrey made queen this year, Sam didn’t know if she could take it.
“This year’s homecoming nominees are . . .” Mrs. Trees unfolded her paper and slipped on her reading glasses. “From the seventh grade: Bella Kelly and Lana Wilson.”
Applause filled the gym. Sam reached out her arm to nudge Bella like the other cheerleaders, then she turned and waved at Lana sitting two rows up, wearing the most surprised expression.
Mrs. Trees continued. “And the nominees from eighth grade are Remy Tucker, Lin Chang, Frannie Tully, and Nikki Cole.”
Not Aubrey?
Sam stared into the bleachers. Nikki’s face was red, but she looked excited. Aubrey’s face was red, too, but unlike Nikki, her lips were in a tight line, and her eyes were squinted into little lines. Her eyebrows were almost one straight line.
Yep, Aubrey Damas was mad at not being nominated. It didn’t even look like she could be happy for her best friend.
Sam caught her bottom lip between her teeth. This could get very interesting.
While everyone was still clapping and whistling, Aubrey shot to her feet and quickly made her way down the bleachers and out of the gym. Nikki’s eyes were wide as they followed Aubrey out.
Sam let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. Oh, yeah, this could get very interesting indeed.
CHAPTER THREE
That’s awful,” Makayla gasped. “Poor Nikki.”
Sam nodded, even though her best friend couldn’t see her over the phone connection. “I know.”
“Does she have any idea who’s behind the letters and texts?”
“I don’t think so.” Sam put her iPhone on speaker so she could brush her hair while she talked. “If she did, I don’t think she would have accused me when I was there. I emailed a local anti-bullying group with a request for some basic information for my series of articles. Maybe something will make sense.”
“Sam, who would be so mean?”
“Usually I would think Aubrey since she’s the meanest girl at our school, but she’s Nikki’s best friend.” Although, Sam remembered, Aubrey hadn’t really acted too concerned about Nikki’s parents getting divorced. “But Nikki did get a homecoming court nomination, and Aubrey didn’t this year,” Sam said.
“Surely she wouldn’t be so unkind.”
“Hello? Have you met Aubrey Damas?”
“I meant she surely wouldn’t be so mean to her best friend. Besides, Nikki got the notes before today’s announcement.”
Sam finished brushing her hair and reached for her cheer bow scrunchie. “I wonder if maybe Aubrey found out early and started the notes and texts.” Aubrey’s expression at the pep rally filled Sam’s mind. “No, wait, I saw her face. She was surprised and angry.”
“So we’re back to the question of who would do such a thing?” Makayla asked.
Sam straightened the bow at the top of her ponytail, then smoothed her cheerleading skirt. “I can’t think of anyone who has anything against Nikki Cole. Can you?”
“Billy?” Sam wrinkled her nose as she sat and pulled on her cheerleading socks. “He’s had a crush on her since fifth grade. He wouldn’t do anything like this.”
“Well, earlier this week, I was in the counselor’s office working when Mrs. Creegle called Billy in.” Makayla was a student aide during a class period.
Sam stopped tying her shoe and stared at the cell phone sitting on her desk. “About Nikki?”
“I’m not supposed to say anything about who I see in the office or anything I hear.”
“Mac, this is serious.”
Makayla remained silent.
Sam sighed. Sometimes, her best friend’s adherence to all rules was trying. “This could help us figure out who is bullying Nikki. It might be against the rules for you to tell me something you heard in the counselor’s office, but it’s illegal to bully someone. We’re trying to stop a crime here, Mac.” Yeah, that sounded good. Really good.
“Well . . . I don’t know exactly what all was said, but from what I could make out, Nikki had reported Billy’s unwanted attention to the office. A while ago, Mrs. Trees told Billy to back off.”
“What kind of unwanted attention are we talking about here?” Sam finished tying her shoes. “His following her around like a little lost puppy?”
“From what I understand, he’d become almost obsessed. Not just following her around campus, but slipping notes into her locker and stuff like that.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that.” Sam rubbed Chewy’s head, right behind her ears. The dog leaned into Sam’s hand. “So why did Mrs. Creegle call Billy to see her?”
“I’m getting to that. Be a little patient,” Makayla chuckled.
It was no secret that patience was not one of Sam’s greatest virtues.
“Mrs. Creegle called him in because she’d gotten reports that he wasn’t taking Nikki’s telling on him well at all.”
Sam stuffed her pom poms into the large end of her megaphone. “What’s that mean?”
“I don’t know all the details, but from what Mrs. Creegle heard, Billy has become withdrawn and is not participating in any of his classes, and he’s skipped the two classes he has with Nikki every day since Mrs. Trees talked to him.”