Turn It Up

by Melanie Spring

  Which had made it all the more satisfying when Northside came in second place at Regionals in November, and Breckenridge came in third. But that didn’t mean Chloe and her teammates could coast on that victory. No doubt Breckenridge had been training extra-hard since Regionals. Chloe had noticed how clean their routine was at their recent basketball game—they’d been scary good.

  “Hey… Chloe, right?”

  Chloe glanced up to see Karen Gelb walking toward her.

  “Yup, that’s me. You’re Karen, right? I think we met at camp,” Chloe replied, not sure what else to say.

  “Uh-huh. It’s nice to see you guys here.” Karen lifted her phone in the air and aimed it at Chloe and several other Northside girls who were standing around. “Smile!”

  Chloe smiled automatically. Why was Karen taking their picture?

  “This is going on my Tumblr,” Karen explained. “Hashtag loserteams. What do you think?”

  Really? “I think that if that’s the best you can come up with, my team has nothing to be afraid of,” Chloe shot back.

  Karen’s eyes widened. She shrugged and tucked her phone into her pocket, as though she couldn’t come up with a suitable response.

  Score one for Northside, Chloe thought triumphantly.

  The next morning, after a light breakfast, Coach Steele led the girls to the sign-in and registration area, which was a short walk from their hotel. It consisted of three large tents and a red carpet, just like the ones celebrities had for their premieres and parties.

  “We’re famous!” Emily announced as she stepped onto the red carpet.

  Chloe giggled. She’d never been on a red carpet before.

  There were cheerleaders everywhere they looked. Many of them sported temporary tattoos of their school mascots on their cheeks. Some of their chaperones had mani-pedis that matched their school colors.

  Chloe spotted Di Paige, the captain of the Madison High Spartans JV squad, coming out of one of the tents. The Spartans, who were from Akron, Ohio, were on the same floor at the hotel. In fact, the two teams had shared a row of tables at the food court last night and traded stories about their respective cheer programs.

  “Hi, Chloe!” Di waved energetically. “Isn’t Disney amazing? Don’t you just want to live here?”

  “Definitely!” Chloe was glad to see Di, who seemed really nice.

  “Gotta hit the gift shop. See you later!” Di waved again and took off.

  Just then, a blond girl with a clipboard came up to the Northside group. She wore a black polo shirt and khaki pants, and her name tag indicated that she was Katelyn from UCA, the Universal Cheerleaders Association. “Welcome to Nationals!” she told the NHS squad in a friendly voice.

  “We’re glad to be here. Where can we sign in?” Coach Steele asked.

  “You can start at the tent on your right,” Katelyn replied, nodding her head. “Someone will check in your team and explain all the rules about your stay here at Disney. Afterward, be sure to visit the tent on your left. That’s the Family Zone, which features a bunch of free goodies from our sponsors, plus jewelry-making and other fun crafts. Finally, the tent up ahead is literally the most awesome gift shop for cheer gear! Enjoy!”

  “Best. Vacation. Ever,” Jenn remarked breathlessly to Chloe. Marcy, Kalyn, and Wren nodded in agreement as they stared wide-eyed at the scene around them.

  “I know, right? But don’t forget what Coach said. We need to stay focused,” Chloe reminded her teammates.

  Nearby, Devin raised her arms in the air. “Go, Timberwolves!” she cried out.

  “GO, TIMBERWOLVES!” the other seventeen girls repeated loudly.

  Inside the first tent, Coach Steele took charge of the registration process. Another black-and-khaki-clad girl—this one’s name tag said ANN-MARIE—explained the rules to Chloe and the rest of the squad. They included quiet hours from ten PM to ten AM, always traveling with a buddy, and no hanging posters on the hotel room walls.

  “And, most important, there’s no stunting on concrete, especially the sidewalks, parking lots, and streets,” Ann-Marie finished. “During your time here, you’ll see a lot of the teams stunting on the grassy areas. That’s okay. We understand that practice space is not easy to come by. And, of course, you’ll get a chance to warm up inside the Field House or one of the other arenas before you compete. Just remember: safety first.”

  Next, Coach Steele led the Northside girls across the red carpet to the Family Zone tent. Booth after booth offered free goodies like lip gloss, hair bows, and cute pins. Chattering excitedly, the girls grabbed their swag bags and began going from booth to booth to fill them up.

  Chloe noticed Kate lingering by a potted palm tree, checking her phone with a worried expression. Chloe walked over to her. “Hey, Kate. What’s up? Are you ready to do some ‘shopping’?” she joked.

  Kate glanced up. “What? I was just checking my messages.”

  “More texts from Adam?” Chloe asked her gently. On the plane ride, Kate had filled Chloe in on her awful conversation with Willow.

  Kate nodded unhappily. “He keeps calling, too. He wants to know why I’m not answering.”

  “Why aren’t you?”

  “Maybe because I never want to see him or speak to him again?” Kate pointed out. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. “Sorry. I’m still not over the cold Sasha gave me. As if my life wasn’t complicated enough already. I’ve been drinking orange juice and tea nonstop.”

  “Awww.” Chloe gazed at her friend sympathetically. “I really think you should talk to Adam and get his side of the story first,” she suggested. “What if Willow’s lying? From everything you’ve told me before, Adam sounds like a great guy. Are you willing to break up with him forever based on some random girl’s lies?”

  “She’s not some random girl. She’s, like, one of his best friends from when they were little,” Kate mumbled.

  “That doesn’t mean she’s not lying about their relationship now. Please talk to Adam before you drive yourself any crazier. I hate to see you so miserable. Plus, we have a big weekend ahead of us. You need to be in a good place mentally,” Chloe pointed out.

  “I know, I know,” Kate said with a sigh. “I can’t talk to Adam right now. I just can’t. But I’ll check out the free stuff with you. Maybe that’ll cheer me up.”

  As they headed for the first booth, Chloe sneaked a worried glance at Kate. Was she really okay? It wasn’t always easy for Chloe to balance being a friend with being the team’s cocaptain. On the one hand, she wanted to help Kate because she cared about her. That’s what friends did for each other. On the other hand, Chloe needed Kate to shake her bad mood and her boy problems so she could perform her best on Saturday.

  Which was tomorrow.

  Chloe blinked and took a deep breath as Kate picked up a tube of lip gloss and tucked it into her swag bag. Kate made a comment about the peachy color, but Chloe wasn’t listening. She was already thinking ahead to tomorrow. At exactly nine AM, the JV squad would be fanning out on the Field House floor and performing their routine in front of thousands of people. And, more important, in front of the judges who would advance them to the finals—or not.

  Were they ready?

  CHAPTER 18

  Emily was silent as she sat on the bus heading over to the Field House on Saturday morning. She was practicing a visualization technique Devin had taught her recently. She closed her eyes and mentally went through the entire Nationals routine. She imagined herself running through the first tumbling pass, then the second. She imagined herself executing a perfect liberty.

  Emily’s eyes fluttered open. She felt more serene now, not as nervous as she had when she’d woken up and realized that today was the day.

  Emily’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. It was a text from Travis:

  Yo, Ems! Good luck today. BTW we made some changes to “You’re the One for Me.”

  Emily read the message once, twice, three times… then tucked her p
hone back in her duffel bag without composing a reply. She couldn’t face Travis at the moment.

  After the fashion show, she’d told her parents about joining Hashtag, and they hadn’t been happy. They’d reminded her how important high school was and how important cheering had always been to her; did she really want to put those priorities aside to pursue a professional music career? They said that there would be a family discussion once Emily returned from Nationals.

  And with that, Emily had gone right back to questioning her decision to join Hashtag. She wanted her parents’ support. Maybe they would come around. Maybe Emily would have a brilliant epiphany and everything would become crystal clear. In the meantime, she didn’t want to disappoint her new boyfriend. Technically, she and Travis hadn’t DTR’d, but things were heading in that direction. And she definitely didn’t want the musical opportunity of a lifetime to slip through her fingers.

  But none of that was important right now: not Travis, not Hashtag, not Jacinta Cruz, not her parents… and not the fact that once the squad returned to Sunny Valley, Emily would have exactly five days to help organize the entire Valentine’s Day dance. Her focus had to be on the competition.

  The bus stopped at a circular driveway. Coach Steele got out first, followed by the rest of the squad. Everyone’s blue-and-gold uniforms looked perfectly fresh and crisp, and their high ponies, white ribbons, and temporary Timberwolf paw tattoos were pristine, too.

  Dozens of other buses were parked nearby. Cheerleaders in their matching uniforms moved as one toward the competition arenas.

  This is it, Emily thought.

  The inside of the Field House was massive, and it buzzed with energy from the crowd. As the NHS squad trailed behind Coach Steele onto the second-floor balcony that overlooked the arena, they were met by an overwhelming wall of sound. A large JV team from Kentucky performed their routine on the floor as a Rihanna mix blasted over the speakers. Huge monitors hung above the girls, flashing GOODRICH GOPHERS, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY in tall black letters. There were TV cameras everywhere. Two rows of judges sat way in the back at long tables, their heads bent low as they took notes on the Gophers’ routine.

  Behind the Goodrich cheerleaders was a giant backdrop shaped like a castle, which Emily remembered from the pictures Chloe had shown her online. Thousands of fans filled the stands, waving banners and foam fingers in the air. The Gophers’ hometown fans were seated in a special section on the floor. During the cheer part of the routine, they shouted back at the tops of their lungs. Other Gophers fans who were seated up in the bleachers shouted back as well. Emily knew that the judges would be scoring partly on how well the squad was able to rev up the crowd. It seemed unfair that the Gophers could bring so many fans to the competition; after all, Kentucky was way closer to Orlando than Sunny Valley, California! Chloe’s parents would be in the audience, along with Leila’s and Jenn’s—but that would be it for the Timberwolves’ fan section.

  “This… is… crazy,” Devin whispered, glancing around the arena.

  Emily nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  “They’re really, really good,” Kate spoke up, pointing to the Goodrich squad.

  “Yeah, their stunts are amazing,” Chloe added with an anxious edge in her voice.

  “Don’t worry about them. Our routine rocks! We should stay positive,” Devin reminded Chloe.

  Chloe grinned. “Thanks, cocaptain! I needed that.”

  Coach Steele put her hands on Devin’s and Chloe’s shoulders. “I’m counting on both my cocaptains to lead our team to victory today,” she said proudly.

  “Yes, Coach!” Chloe and Devin replied in unison.

  The NHS squad proceeded down a set of stairs and through heavy curtains to a backstage area the size of a gymnasium. In one corner, a photographer was shooting team photos against a large white backdrop. The rest of the gym was taken up by teams running their routines on side-by-side mats—each team had ten minutes to warm up.

  Emily noticed several adults in matching light blue shirts carefully watching the warm-ups. “Who are they?” she asked Coach Steele, pointing.

  “They’re rules officials. They’re making sure the squads are doing the routines correctly,” the coach explained. “If not, they can force a team to change their routine last-minute or even disqualify them. They’re very strict about that here.”

  Gulp! “Our routine is okay, though, right?” Emily said worriedly.

  “Yes, of course,” the coach replied tersely.

  The Timberwolves watched as an official approached one of the teams and asked them to repeat their pyramid sequence. Emily wondered why; it had looked perfect.

  A few minutes later, it was the Northside squad’s turn to get their team picture taken. Then it was time to hit the mats for their warm-up!

  The girls fanned out on one section of the floor. Chloe nodded to give the signal to start the routine. Spotters, all wearing navy shirts, assumed their positions at the backs of the mats to ensure the safety of the cheerleaders.

  A minute into their practice, Emily briefly glimpsed one of the rules officials making some notes on his clipboard. As soon as the squad finished, the official hurried up to Coach Steele and spoke to her.

  After the official left, Coach Steele turned to the team. “He asked our back spots to make sure they’re catching the necks and shoulders of the top girls. Also, please don’t step to the side on cradles. That’s against the rules,” she announced. “These are small but important technique reminders. Back spots, are you listening?”

  “Yes!” the girls replied.

  “Good. Are we all ready to compete?”

  “Yes!” the entire squad shouted.

  It was their turn to go out on the real floor.

  Coach Steele gathered the squad in a close huddle as they stood in a long hallway with their signs and poms, waiting for the announcer to call the team’s name. Kalyn, Marcy, Arianna, and several other team members were praying quietly. Others, like Phoebe, Wren, and Carley, looked queasy. Emily reached over to squeeze Chloe’s hand. Chloe squeezed back.

  “This is it, ladies,” Coach Steele said in a solemn voice. “You’ve worked very, very hard to get to this place. Remember what you’ve accomplished. Remember who you are. Remember your family. Your family is this team. Go, Timberwolves!”

  “GO, TIMBERWOLVES!” the girls shouted.

  Then Coach Steele left the squad as they headed down a tunnel toward the performance arena, and suddenly the whole thing felt very real. Emily heard the announcer call for Northside. Chloe and Devin led the way through the heavy black curtains that separated the backstage area from the arena. All eighteen girls spilled out in front of the giant castle, set their signs and poms down in a neat line, and scattered to their positions on the floor.

  The lights were blindingly bright. Emily could barely see the audience or judges. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that her squad execute their routine with every ounce of strength, grace, and spirit they had—and then some.

  The music began. Chloe turned and nodded once with a dazzling, confident smile. The squad launched into their toe touch handsprings, losing themselves in the sheer power and magic of moving as one.

  Several hours later, the announcer named the JV teams who would be proceeding to finals later that day. All forty competing teams spread out on the floor in a wide semicircle, holding hands and bowing their heads.

  “… and the last team to go to finals is… the Northside Timberwolves from Sunny Valley, California!” the announcer’s voice boomed.

  The team went crazy, jumping up and down. Emily, Chloe, Kate, and Devin fell against one another in an exhausted and ecstatic group hug. Sarah and Maya burst into tears. Coach Steele looked pleased at first, then grim.

  “Listen up, ladies. Congratulations. You all deserved this,” the coach told the girls. “But I’m cutting our celebration short. The final sequence needs work. Grab some Gatorade. Then let’s hit the grass outside!”

  Emily lean
ed over to Chloe. “What does she mean, the final sequence needs work?” she whispered in a low, anxious voice.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she just wants to fine-tune?” Chloe guessed.

  Emily frowned. Her muscles hurt, and she was tired. And Kate looked as though she was ready to pass out; her cold was obviously getting worse.

  Could the squad keep up their momentum and repeat their incredible performance?

  CHAPTER 19

  Half an hour before the NHS JV team was due back out on the floor for finals, Devin retreated into the ladies’ room and locked herself in one of the stalls.

  She sat down on the toilet, just thinking. And worrying. Their semifinal round had been practically flawless that morning. She knew because they had watched their routine on a video monitor backstage right after leaving the floor. The team had never nailed the stunts so well or executed such seamless tumbling passes.

  But Devin wasn’t so sure they’d be able to repeat that epic performance for the final round. For one thing, Kate’s cold was quickly getting worse. She’d been drinking tons of orange juice and hot tea and taking echinacea as well, but she hadn’t improved.

  And, bottom line, Devin had a bad feeling that something would go wrong during finals. She’d tried to shake it, but she wasn’t succeeding. Part of it had to do with the fact that she’d forgotten to pack her lucky socks. She knew it was stupid to dwell on a superstition like that. But Sage always wore her lucky socks during meets and competitions. Devin had started the same tradition last fall, with her first game cheering for the Timberwolves.

  Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her duffel bag and realized quickly that she had two texts: one from Josh and one from Mateo. They’d obviously seen the Nationals news on Twitter. Both wished her good luck, though Josh added Os and Xs.