Turn It Up

by Melanie Spring

  So why did Mateo’s message make her heart beat faster?

  Devin tucked her phone away. She couldn’t be thinking about her crazy, complicated love life now, when she had much bigger issues.

  “Devin? Are you in here?”

  Devin’s head jerked up as she recognized Emily’s voice just outside the stall.

  “Yes!” Devin unlocked the door and pushed it open with her shoe.

  Emily stood there and stared at Devin curiously. “You’re obviously not peeing. So what’s up?”

  “I’m thinking,” Devin replied.

  “About…?”

  “About how to follow an amazing performance with another amazing performance,” Devin replied.

  “Yeah, I’ve been worried about that, too. But we have a bigger problem. Kalyn lost her sign. And if we don’t find it soon, we’re going to be out there spelling ‘GO, OLVES’ in front of everybody,” Emily said.

  “What?” Devin jumped up from the toilet. “What do you mean, she lost her sign? Where did she leave it?”

  “If we knew that, it wouldn’t be lost, now, would it?” Emily said. “Come on!”

  Devin sighed and followed Emily out of the ladies’ room. She couldn’t help but think that none of this would be happening if she’d just remembered her lucky socks.

  “And next… please give it up for the Northside High School cheerleaders from Sunny Valley, California!” the announcer boomed over the speakers.

  Devin and Chloe trotted out to the main floor of the Field House, waving and smiling, as the sixteen other girls followed behind. Kalyn set her sign down next to the others before assuming her position at the edge of the mat. Fortunately, Chloe had found it in the hallway at the last minute, mixed up with blue-and-yellow signs from another high school.

  As Devin took her place, she noticed that the special area where the Timberwolves fans were supposed to sit wasn’t just occupied by Chloe’s, Leila’s, and Jenn’s parents. The Madison High Spartans JV squad from Akron, Ohio, sat there as well, waving their poms in the air and rooting for the Timberwolves.

  Devin couldn’t believe it. The Spartans hadn’t made it to the finals. Their captain, Di, and the other girls could have chosen to sit in some random spot in the audience or not to be in the Field House at all. But instead, they’d elected to fill in for the missing NHS fans who couldn’t make it all the way out to Orlando.

  Talk about true spirit, Devin thought.

  The music started. Chloe turned and gave her nod to cue the others.

  The Spartan squad’s kind gesture gave Devin all the confidence she’d been missing just a few hours ago. Smiling and waving happily at them, she launched into her first tumbling pass with renewed faith and energy.

  It was nearly ten PM when the NHS JV squad returned to the semicircle on the floor to await the final results. The judges and other officials were taking an unusually long time to tally the scores. During the break, music played on the loudspeakers—a bunch of cheerleaders were standing up and dancing to the song “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” while others remained in their tight huddles.

  When the announcer was finally handed the list of winners, Devin turned to Chloe. “This is it,” she whispered.

  “I know,” Chloe replied. “But guess what? Whatever happens, you were a hero tonight. Arianna told me that she spaced and lost count at one point, and that you got her back on track. If you hadn’t done that, our entire squad would have been out of sync. We’re lucky to have you.”

  “Thanks, Chloe,” Devin said, pleased. She and Chloe had come so far since they first met five months ago. “It really was a team effort, though. You found the missing sign. Kate came through, even though she’s sick. The other top girls nailed their liberties. Those girls from Akron, Ohio, rocked! And all this happened without my lucky socks!”

  “You have lucky socks?” Chloe said with a laugh.

  Devin nodded, blushing.

  The two of them fell silent as the announcer began naming teams from the twentieth position on up. Posada High School from Posada, Texas, was in the number twenty spot. George Washington High School from Memphis, Tennessee, had placed at number nineteen. Scott Allen High School from Fort Myers, Florida, was number eighteen.

  The names continued, and Northside wasn’t among them.

  And then…

  “Let’s make some noise for our fifth-place winners, Northside High School from Sunny Valley, Califoooornia!” the announcer shouted.

  Pandemonium ensued as Devin, Chloe, and the rest of their team jumped to their feet and began screaming. They collapsed against one another in a massive group hug, laughing and crying.

  Devin and Chloe found each other and shared a high five. Their cocaptaining had paid off.

  “Best. Day. Ever,” Chloe said as she dabbed at her eyes.

  Devin nodded, unable to find her voice. She couldn’t imagine a better moment than this.

  CHAPTER 20

  For Kate, being back in school on Tuesday was surreal. As she walked to her locker before homeroom, total strangers came up to her in the hallway to congratulate her. Glittery hand-painted banners stretched across the halls with messages like CONGRATULATIONS, NHS JV GIRLS! and WAY TO GO, JV CHEERLEADERS! Was it just three days ago that the JV squad had finished in fifth place at Nationals? Fifth place in the entire country. The idea still boggled Kate’s mind. Their routine hadn’t been perfect, and there was room for improvement. Still, fifth place was amazing! Plus, they’d placed just two spots shy of their rivals Breckenridge, who had come in third. The team they’d watched when they first walked into the Field House, Goodrich High from Lexington, Kentucky, had won the national championship.

  On Sunday, the NHS squad had watched the Varsity finals the entire day. That night, they’d celebrated at a private party in Hollywood Studios for all the cheerleaders who’d competed at Nationals. Kate normally didn’t go for scary rides or roller coasters, but Chloe, Emily, and Devin had persuaded her to try the Tower of Terror and the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. Kate had kept her eyes squeezed shut and screamed through both rides. Still, a part of her—a very small part of her—had enjoyed them. Maybe she was getting braver?

  As Kate reached her locker, Emily rushed up, waving excitedly. Kate could tell from her friend’s bug-eyed expression that she was already on caffeine overload.

  “Hi, Kate! Isn’t it a beautiful morning?” Emily called out in a way-too-fast voice. “I didn’t sleep at all last night because I was still revved up about Nationals! Plus, I had to make a shopping list for the Valentine’s Day dance decorations! Plus, I treated myself to an iced mocha!” She lifted her Disney travel mug to her lips and took a swig.

  “Emily, calm down. You should totally pace yourself with that stuff,” Kate warned her. “Remember that time you had a massive caffeine crash in third-period bio and fell asleep facedown in a petri dish?”

  Emily wrinkled her nose. “Oh, yeah. That wasn’t pretty,” she murmured. “Which reminds me! You’re coming over tonight to make centerpieces, right? Some of the other girls from the Valentine’s Day dance committee will be there,” she said eagerly.

  Kate smiled in confusion. Emily’s train of thought was hard to follow. “You mean tonight after practice? I think so.” The coach had scheduled a short session in order to “switch gears” from Nationals and get ready for the basketball game against Corning on Friday. “I just have to check with my dad to make sure he doesn’t need help with the kids. Otherwise, I should be free,” Kate added.

  “Awesome! I’ll text you to remind you! Oh, hey, there’s your boyfriend! Or should I say ex-boyfriend! What’s going on between you two these days, anyway?” Emily asked, lowering her voice.

  Kate whirled around. Adam stood a few feet away, obviously waiting to talk to her. She noticed that he’d gotten a haircut over the long weekend and that he wasn’t wearing his glasses.

  “Okey-dokey, then. Three’s a crowd! Besides, I have a million things to do! See you at practice!” Emily fluttere
d her fingers and took off.

  Alone, Kate and Adam stared at each other for a long moment.

  “Hey,” Adam said.

  Kate didn’t respond.

  “Contacts,” Adam blurted out awkwardly, apparently to explain the absence of his glasses. “I’m not sure I like them, though. It feels like someone’s touching my eyeballs.”

  “Why’d you get them, then?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. But I’m glad I did, because at the least it gives us something to talk about,” Adam replied.

  “Actually, I need to run. I’ve got this thing I have to do for Emily before first period,” Kate fibbed, glancing over her shoulder.

  “Hey, wait a second. What’s going on, Kate? Why have you been avoiding me this past week?” Adam asked. “I’ve texted, e-mailed, and left a billion voice-mail messages. I even left flowers on your doorstep.”

  Kate had been surprised and pleased to see the bouquet of yellow tulips on her front porch when she got home from the airport yesterday. But her excitement had quickly turned to suspicion. Wasn’t that what boys did—make empty gestures to cover up their mistakes? The bouquet had come with a note congratulating her on Nationals and asking her to go to the Valentine’s Day dance with him.

  “I gave the flowers to your biggest fan, Sasha,” she said out loud. “They’re on her nightstand, right next to the picture she drew of you with ketchup and green crayon.”

  “Please. Just answer my question. Why are you avoiding me?”

  Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe I’m avoiding you because I can’t always tell when you’re lying to me,” she blurted out.

  Adam frowned. “Is that supposed to be some kind of riddle? Because if it is, I don’t know the answer.”

  “Maybe you should ask Willow. She can explain,” Kate said coldly.

  “What? What does Willow have to do with this?” Adam demanded.

  Kate’s lip trembled, and she felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes. No. She wouldn’t cry in front of him.

  “I really do have to go. Please stop bothering me, okay?” Kate told him.

  “Kate!”

  “And no, I absolutely do not want to go to the Valentine’s Day dance with you!”

  She didn’t wait for his reaction. Instead, she turned and hurried down the hall, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t follow her.

  He didn’t.

  CHAPTER 21

  “Okay, so the cupcakes, sodas, and bottles of water are a dollar. The big cookies are fifty cents. Those little cookie things are twenty-five cents. Did I forget anything?” Daniel asked Chloe, pointing to the items on the table.

  “Those, um, ‘little cookie things’ aren’t actually cookies. They’re mini-tarts,” Chloe explained. “You know, this totally takes me back to my first day at Hearts Heal, when you were explaining sorting to me.”

  Daniel laughed. “Yeah, you were a complete newb back then.”

  It was Saturday night, and the Valentine’s Day dance was about to begin in the Northside High gym. Chloe and Daniel were running the concession table to benefit Hearts Heal. The idea had been Daniel’s, and he’d only asked Chloe for some advice about how to arrange the food, but she’d ended up offering to work the table with him for the entire evening. She’d even worn jeans and a HEARTS HEAL T-shirt in lieu of one of her pretty dresses.

  Chloe glanced around the gym. She couldn’t believe she, Emily, and the other volunteers had managed to transform it into a true-love-themed space in less than a day. The night before, the JV basketball team had played their game against Corning High in here, with Chloe and the rest of the squad cheering Northside on to a 65–42 victory. At seven AM this morning, Emily had dragged Chloe, Devin, Kate, Emily’s brother Chris, and a couple of Chris’s friends to help set up tables, chairs, and decorations. They’d covered the tables with white crepe paper, pink sequins, flameless candles, and jelly jars filled with frilly red carnations. Mr. Viscardi from the entertainment-equipment rental company had donated a disco ball. Finally, they’d improvised a mini-stage for the DJ and draped it with strings of sparkly lights and big construction-paper hearts.

  Emily rushed over to the concession table, waving her clipboard in the air. Her scruffy sneakers and messy ponytail were in stark contrast to her silky black tank dress and strands of faux pearls.

  “I know, I know. I need to change into my ballet flats and brush my hair,” Emily said, noticing Chloe’s curious look. “But I’m in the middle of an emergency. The DJ’s not here yet. I’ve called him and left, like, six messages. What if he doesn’t show?”

  “Who’s the DJ?” Daniel asked curiously.

  “My brother Eddie’s friend—they call him Mad Dog. They work together at the Mighty Cup. He DJs part-time and also plays keyboard for a band in Torrance Heights.” Emily glanced impatiently at her watch. “Ugh! Why are musicians so unreliable? No offense, Daniel. Oh, there he is! Gotta go!” She hurried off.

  “I get dizzy just listening to her,” Daniel remarked to Chloe.

  Chloe giggled. “I know. She’s amazing and she always gets the job done.”

  “Hey, speaking of which… I’m okay doing the concessions by myself tonight. You probably want to hang out with your friends. Or dance with your boyfriend or whatever.” Daniel dropped his gaze to the table and switched two trays of cupcakes around, then switched them back again.

  “Um… I don’t have a boyfriend. And I like hanging out with you. Besides, how can I leave you alone? You don’t know the difference between cookies and mini-tarts,” Chloe teased him.

  “Ha-ha. So how is it that someone as smart and pretty as you doesn’t have a boyfriend?” Daniel grinned and shook his head. “Sorry, that sounded like a total pickup line, didn’t it? I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Chloe blushed, secretly pleased by the compliment. “That’s okay. I’m not sure. Maybe because I’ve been too busy for boys?”

  “Yeah. I’ve kind of been too busy for girls. I guess we have a lot in common that way,” Daniel told her.

  Chloe gazed up at him. He was so cute. And nice. And passionate about what he believed in, just like her. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to ask her out.…

  “Mini-tart?” he said, offering her a plate.

  Or not. “Only if you’re paying,” she joked.

  Daniel dropped a quarter into the cash jar, then split one of the mini-tarts and handed half to Chloe. She thought: What if Daniel did ask me out? Would I say yes? They were from such different worlds. She was a cheerleader at Northside. He was a violin prodigy at Sunny Valley Performing Arts.

  “Yeah, so I was wondering if you were free next—” Daniel began.

  “Yes!” Chloe said immediately.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Chloe couldn’t wait to tell Emily and the others.

  By seven thirty, the event was in full swing. Emily looked on as a mob of students danced on the floor to one of Mad Dog’s excellent hip-hop mixes. The disco ball spun slowly and shimmered like silver stardust. Couples sat at the tables holding hands and eating pink cupcakes and heart-shaped cookies.

  “Ems!”

  Emily turned around and saw Travis walking toward her. He looked especially hot tonight in a vintage black tuxedo jacket and faded gray Soul Alignment T-shirt over his usual skinny jeans.

  Travis put his hands on Emily’s shoulders and kissed her lightly on the lips. He tasted yummy, like peppermint. “Great dance. You really know how to throw a party,” he told her, brushing his long blond bangs out of his eyes.

  “Thanks! I’ve been nonstop since Tuesday pulling it together. I’m sorry I missed rehearsal yesterday,” Emily apologized.

  “No worries. You’re totally ready for tomorrow’s recording session. Alex and I changed this one section on ‘Blue,’ but we can go over it with you on the car ride there. Oh, and Jacinta moved back the start time, so I’ll be picking you up at eleven AM, not ten.”

  Emily hesitated. “
About that…” she began.

  Travis frowned. “What? Is the later time going to be a problem?”

  “Noooo.” Emily took a deep breath. “So there’s something I have to tell you. Before I left for Nationals, I talked to my parents about joining Hashtag, the meeting with Jacinta, everything.”

  “And?”

  “They were totally not cool with it. They were okay with me singing with you guys once in a while, for fun. But they didn’t want me to even think about doing it professionally until I’m older.”

  Travis stared at her incredulously. “Wait, what? You’re telling me this now? On the eve of the most important recording session of our lives? Rampage is deciding whether to sign us based on our performance tomorrow,” he snapped.

  Emily held up her hands. “I know, I know. But listen, Travis… I’m not finished. At first, I was desperately trying to find a way to make my mom and dad change their minds. Or figure out a compromise that would make them and you and me happy. And I think I came up with a solution.”

  “What?” Travis asked suspiciously.

  “I’ll sing with you guys tomorrow. That way, you can show off Hashtag’s songwriting and performance skills with a female vocalist in the mix,” Emily explained. “After tomorrow, I’ll step aside, and you can find another female vocalist to sing with Hashtag. In fact, I had an idea. Did you know that Serena Davenport has a little cousin who goes to Sunny Valley Performing Arts? Her name is Sophie Davenport. I found her online. She’s sixteen, and she sings. I watched some of her home videos on YouTube, and she’s really good. She has exactly the sort of soulful, edgy sound you’re looking for. And she has the Davenport name.”

  Travis didn’t respond. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and exhaled angrily.

  “I really love singing. But I’m not ready to decide if that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Emily went on, trying to make him understand. “I also realized something else, while I was at Nationals. I’m not ready to give up cheering. I only have three years left to cheer for the Timberwolves, assuming I make it through tryouts in April, and then maybe another four years in college. If I’m still interested in a singing career then, I can always pursue it after I graduate.”