Quarterbacks Don’t Fall For Invisible Girls (Invisible Girls Club, Book 1)

by Emma Dalton

  I shake my head firmly. “I’m not ready. I’ll never be. Because it’s not me. I can’t try to keep my mom’s memory alive by doing something that’s not for me.”

  “I think you can do it,” Ally says. “No, I know you can do it.”

  “But I’m the invisible girl.”

  “All the more reason to do it!” Charlie says. “Why can’t girls like us be cheerleaders? Why can’t we have fun?”

  We all exchange looks.

  “Yeah,” Dani says, pumping her fist in the air. “Power to the nobodies!”

  “That might work if said nobody can actually cheer.”

  “Who said you can’t?” Dani asks.

  “I know I can’t. Whatever, it was just a silly thought. There are other ways for me to feel connected to my mom. And um…” I laugh lightly. “I thought that maybe if I become a cheerleader, Brayden and I could date for real. Ugh, another silly thought. I don’t want to change. I want to be me.”

  “But popular,” Dani teases with a smile.

  I roll my eyes. “Like that could ever happen.” I pick up Wuthering Heights. “Let’s continue dissecting Heathcliff.”

  “You sure you’re okay?” Ally asks.

  I wave my hand. “Yeah, totally. I mean, come on. Me a cheerleader? I want to hang out with you guys at our awesome club.”

  “You can do both, you know,” Ally says.

  “Actually, it would be a little difficult,” Charlie says. “Cheer practice is always at the same time as the book club.”

  “So we’d change our schedule around,” Dani says. “Just like we do for Ally’s choir practice.”

  “Yeah, we can do that.”

  “Guys! I told you I don’t want to be a cheerleader. Just forget it.”

  “You can at least try,” Dani says. “Maybe you inherited your mom’s genes.”

  “You heard what happened to Clarrie. Not only would I break all my limbs, I’d beak everyone else’s, too. And then the whole school would hate me for breaking the poor cheerleaders.”

  “At least you would have been a cheerleader for five minutes,” Dani jokes.

  I throw my eraser at her.

  As we continue discussing the book, every part of me fills with warmth. Calm, comfort. The complete opposite of how I felt only ten minutes ago. All because I have friends. Friends who understand me and care about me. I don’t know if Dani’s wish will come true and we’ll marry quadruplets and raise our kids together (that is a heck of a reach), but I do know that we’ll be friends forever.

  That brings me more comfort than anything else possibly can.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Why is my locker crammed with so much junk when it’s so early in the school year? I stick my head and shoulders as far as I can, searching for my history notes. I dumped them in here yesterday after Dani used them to study for a test, and they completely vanished. Or got devoured by all the useless junk in here.

  “Oh no!” a deep voice says from behind me. “The locker’s eating my girlfriend.”

  I yank my head out and turn around, coming face to face with Brayden.

  He laughs like he’s embarrassed. “That sounded better in my head. Sorry.”

  “No, it was funny. Cute. Hi, boyfriend.”

  “Hi, girlfriend. Did you lose something?”

  “My history notes.”

  “Need help?”

  “That’s okay,” I start to say, but his head is already buried in my locker. “Wow. You’ve got a lot of stuff.”

  “You mean junk,” I say, my face heating up with embarrassment. “Sorry, you don’t have to look through it.”

  “I’m very good at finding lost things. You have no idea how many times my sister loses her toys and I have to search through all her stuff…is this it?” He pulls his head out and hands me some papers.

  My eyes widen when I realize it is indeed my history notes. “My hero,” I say with a laugh.

  He grins. “Anything for my girl.”

  How I wish he really means those words.

  We both stand there awkwardly looking at one another.

  “So,” I say the same time he starts to say something. “You go ahead,” I tell him.

  “No, you go.”

  “Oh, um…I didn’t really have anything to say.” I laugh lightly. “We were just standing in this awkward silence…”

  He chuckles. “Yeah.”

  “What were you going to say?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “Nothing really.”

  “Oh.”

  And we’re quiet again.

  “It’s a bad sign if the boyfriend and girlfriend run out of things to talk about,” I joke.

  He slides his hands into his pockets. “I guess we need to work on our communication,” he says with another chuckle.

  I wonder if we’d be this awkward if we were dating for real, or if we wouldn’t shut up because we’d have so much to share with each other. Oh my gosh, what if it were the complete opposite and we didn’t have a single thing to talk about? Would that mean we’re not compatible?

  I want to kick myself. Why am I even worrying about this when Brayden and I will never date for real?

  One of the cheerleaders marches up to the bulletin board that’s only a few feet away from my locker and pins a notice on the board. Cheerleading tryouts after school.

  I stare at the words, lifting my fingers to trace the letters. If only I were good enough and could make Mom proud of me.

  “Hey, you okay?” Brayden asks.

  I drop my hand. “What? Oh no. I mean yeah. I’m fine. It’s just that…never mind.”

  He glances from me, to the sign, back to me. “Does it have anything to do with cheerleading tryouts?”

  I sigh. “I was thinking of trying out and my friends encouraged me, but I don’t know.”

  “I think you’d be great at it.”

  I gape at him. “You really think I could be good at it?”

  “For sure,” he says with a full smile. “You’re fun and very supportive of the football team. And you’d look really cute in the uniform.”

  I just stand there, frozen, his words playing over and over in my head. But not settling in my mind. Because there’s no way he was talking about me. No way.

  “Kara?” he asks, placing his hand on my elbow.

  I blink and look at him. “No one has ever…I mean, I never thought…” I take a deep breath to regulate my racing heart. “The truth is, I’ve always wondered…but I never thought I could actually do it.”

  I want that connection to my mom so badly…

  “What makes you think you can’t do it? You never know what you’re capable of until you try. The sky’s the limit and all that. Just believe in yourself. Like I believe in you.”

  I gape at him again. “You do?”

  “Of course. Girlfriend.” He playfully punches my arm.

  Right, he’s supposed to believe in me, since he’s supposedly my boyfriend. Are his words sincere or is he just telling me what he thinks he’s supposed to say?

  As if reading my mind, he leans closer so only I can hear his next words. “I’m not feeding you a pile of BS because I’m supposed to. I meant what I said.”

  I think I might have died and floated up to heaven.

  My friends tried to talk me into giving cheerleading a shot yesterday at the club meeting, but I didn’t have the confidence to actually go through with it. But it’s different with Brayden. He makes me feel like I really can do this. That I can conquer the world. And not because he’s supposed to say it—his words are genuine.

  “I…I think I want to do this,” I hear myself say.

  His eyes light up. “Really?”

  “You have me convinced,” I say with a nervous laugh.

  He laughs, too. “I think that’s a first. You have no idea how many times I try to get Bailey to eat her vegetables when I’m babysitting her. Maybe I’m not a total loss in the convincing department.”

  “Just flash her that smile o
f yours and she’s sold,” I say. Then my eyes widen. “I m-mean, no, that wouldn’t work on your sister. That would be weird.” Ugh!

  He laughs again. “More like all she has to do is flash her toothy smile and I’m sold. Do you have any siblings?”

  I shake my head. “No, just me. I asked my parents for a little sister for my eighth birthday, though. It was a definite no.”

  “I hear it’s fun to be an only child, but it can be lonely, too.”

  “Yeah,” I say. Especially now when it’s just Dad and me. I clear my throat. “Anyway, um…”

  “I’ll walk you to class.”

  Once I’m settled in my seat, I shoot off a text to the girls, asking them to meet me in the gym during lunch. I need to have a killer routine if I’m to win the spot on the cheerleading squad. I can already feel my mom smiling down at me.

  ***

  Coordination and I are not a good fit at all, but my friends don’t give up on me. Luckily, Ally’s older sister tried out for the cheerleading team during her sophomore year and taught Ally the routine. So we somehow manage to put together something that seems semi-good. Good enough to win that spot? No clue. But at least it’s something. And my mom’s talent must have been passed down to me, even if it’s just a little. And maybe that will be enough to snag me the spot.

  Somehow, I make it through the rest of school. When the final bell rings, my heart nearly catapults out of my chest. The time has arrived. Oh my gosh, I think I might faint.

  Dani, Ally, and Charlie are waiting outside my classroom, each of their cheeks flushed with excitement. Just having them here with me eases my nerves.

  “Ready to be a cheerleader?” Charlie asks.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  We head to the gym. I don’t know why I assumed no one would be here. At least thirty girls are waiting to try out. I swallow hard as I take in their perfect cheerleader bodies. There’s no way I can do this.

  “We’re losing her.” Dani puts her hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “Forget everyone else. You’ve got this.”

  “I…I don’t know.” My breathing is irregular.

  “Your mom is here with you,” she whispers. “You can do this.”

  I do feel my mom. I know she’s looking down at me and is super proud. Even if I don’t get the spot, I know she’s happy for me.

  “We’ll be in the stands,” Ally says as she rubs my arm. “Good luck.”

  “You’ll do great,” Charlie adds.

  “As we say in show business, break a leg,” Dani says. Then she cringes. “Wow, that is so not a good thing to say to someone about to try out for cheerleading. Because if you break a leg, you’re screwed.”

  I laugh, and some of the tension leaves my body. “No, it’s perfect. Thanks, guys.”

  They wave and find a spot on the bleachers.

  “Kara!”

  I turn around and find Brayden racing toward me. “What are you doing here?” I ask. “Don’t you have practice?”

  “Told Coach I’m not feeling well. Can’t miss your big day. Good luck!” He playfully slaps my shoulder before finding a spot on the bleachers.

  I just stare at him. Thee Brayden Barrington is going to watch me try out for cheerleading? What if I make a total fool of myself?

  No, he’s here to support me. His presence should make me strive to do well. After all, he was the one who pushed me to do this. Because I was too afraid to push myself.

  “I’m going to call out all the names I have here,” Teagyn says, from where she sits at a table with two other cheerleaders. “Just say here when I call your name.”

  She starts to list them off. But she doesn’t mention my name.

  “Okay, everyone on the list is here,” she says. “Let’s start.”

  I raise my hand. “You didn’t call my name.”

  She squints at me, looking me over from top to bottom like she’s never seen me before in her life. “What’s your name again?”

  It takes everything I have not to roll my eyes. She sure as heck knows my name. “Kara Gander,” I say.

  “Kara, Kara, Kara.” She runs her pen down the list. “I don’t have your name here. Sorry, you didn’t sign up in time.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demand as I move a little closer. “I put my name on the sign-up sheet during lunch period.”

  She shrugs. “It’s not here. Maybe try out next year? Okay, let’s start.”

  “You can’t do that!” I nearly explode. “I signed up—”

  “First up is Felicia Montgomery!” Macy calls out.

  My lips snap shut. My eyes rove over my friends. How could this be happening?

  “Excuse me.” Charlie marches over and stands before the table with her hands resting furiously on her hips. “I saw Kara sign up. And I have two other girls who can verify the same.”

  Teagyn keeps her eyes on her for a few seconds before stating, “You all must be blind because her name isn’t on any of the sign-up sheets.”

  “What a load of bull—”

  “It must just be a misunderstanding,” Brayden says as he comes to stand next to me. “I also saw Kara sign up.”

  Teagyn glances at him before narrowing her eyes at me.

  “Come on, Teagyn,” Brayden says. “She’s just one person. I’m sure you can squeeze her in.”

  She presses her lips together so tightly they turn white. “Fine. Only as a favor to you, Brayden.”

  He grins. “Great.” Then he touches my arm. “Good luck, Kara.”

  I fist my hands at my sides as I walk off to the side so Felicia can start her routine. Yeah, I admit it feels good to have a guy like Brayden stand up for me, but it also doesn’t feel good for two reasons. One, I should be able to stand up for myself. And two, Brayden isn’t even my real boyfriend. So would he have stood up for me had we not made his arrangement? Definitely not. I know, I agreed to this. But man, the more time passes, the more I realize how difficult this is. But I’m not backing out. I made a commitment, and I want Brayden to follow his dreams. Even if I may get hurt in the process.

  Some of the other girls have amazing routines. I swallow as one by one they wow Teagyn and her crew. I need to tell myself to believe in myself. This may be my only shot at bridging this connection to my mom.

  I can’t help but glance at my fake boyfriend every time a new girl does a routine. Can’t help but wonder if he’ll compare me to them once it’s my turn to shine. But then I remind myself it doesn’t matter—I don’t need to impress him. He’ll never see me as real girlfriend material.

  “Okay,” Teagyn says with a scowl. “It’s Gander’s turn.”

  My heart starts ramming against my ribcage. This is it. This is my moment. After the next few minutes, I will either be a cheerleader or a cheerloser.

  “Are you even here?” she asks, nothing but pure irritation in her tone.

  I rush to the center of the gym. “I’m here.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Don’t waste our time. What we do is serious. Not useless like your pathetic book club.”

  Ouch. Did she just diss our book club? I glance at the others and see that Charlie looks like she wants to bound off the bleachers and slap her hard across the face. Dani looks livid and Ally hurt.

  I’m about to try to stand up for myself and tell her she has no right to talk about the club that way, but I’m not exactly in a position to yell at the head cheerleader, am I? I do want to get on the team after all. So without a word, I start my routine.

  I admit, the nerves get the better of me. I forget a few steps and stumble a few times. I don’t have to look out at the audience and see the expressions on my friends and on Brayden to know this is a train wreck. Even if I did a flawless routine, it would still be a disaster. Because Mom’s cheerleading genes have passed over me. Not just passed over—they took one look at me and said, “Nope.”

  When it’s over, I can barely look at Teagyn and the other girls’ faces. I don’t need to see their
mockery. But I have no choice. Macy’s covering her mouth, obviously trying to hide giggles, and Teagyn has such a satisfied smirk on her face that I want to get sucked into the ground.

  She glances back at the papers in her hands. “Looks like that was everyone,” she announces. “Give us a few minutes to deliberate.”

  I walk to the side and fold my arms over my chest, facing my back to the bleachers. I don’t want to look at my friends and see the sympathetic looks in their eyes. Because it’ll make me cry. And I definitely don’t want to see Brayden’s face. I wish he hadn’t come to watch me.

  “Okay!” Teagyn says as she claps her hands. I reluctantly turn around to face her, my heart fluttering in my chest. “The girls and I discussed it and…Felicia Montgomery, welcome to the Edenbury High cheer team!”

  With a squeal, she barrels over to them, hugging them. “Thank you so much!”

  “You were great,” Teagyn says, with what looks like an actual genuine smile. “Can’t wait to have you on the team.”

  I knew I didn’t make it. Even if I did have a good routine, Felicia was amazing. And she’s got the perfect cheerleader look.

  “Gander?” Teagyn calls.

  I look at her.

  “Can you come here for a sec? We want to talk to you about something.”

  My heart starts racing in my chest again. Could it be…? Maybe they want to offer me a spot, too? Maybe I hadn’t performed so terribly after all? With shaky knees, I make my way over to them.

  “Cute routine,” Macy says. “Where did you learn it?”

  “A friend taught it to me.”

  “Would that be a friend from your little club?” Teagyn asks as she studies her nails.

  “Yeah,” I say, not sure where she’s going with this.

  Her eyes snap to mine. “And you thought you and your loser friends could put together some routine and you’ll magically land on the team?”

  “What?” I stammer. “I don’t—”

  “And you thought someone like you could actually be a cheerleader?” She chortles. “Don’t you know your place, freak? We?” She motions to herself and the other cheerleaders. “Are up here.” She hovers her hand over her head. “And you?” She stretches her hand as low as it can go. “Are down here. Don’t think for one second that you could ever play with the big girls. Because you are a loser and you will always be a loser. Okay, sweetie? So next time try not to embarrass yourself and don’t waste our time.”