Holiday Spirit

by Zoe Evans

  Beth laughed, and Dad shook his head. “Rookie mistake,” said Dad. “New York Rule Number One: Don’t take anything from strangers on the street. Nothing is free.”

  “Thanks for letting me know in advance,” I quipped.

  We went inside the most adorbs French bakery for walnut bread and croissants-but again, I was stuck standing superclose to the person in line in front of me. Maybe New Yorkers have a special need to be in extremely close physical contact with each other? Must have something to do with what they say about city life being lonely.

  But seriously, Soho was so cool. I can’t believe that I ever thought of myself as “in the know,” when it came to trends and stuff. This part of New York went WAY beyond my wildest dreams with all its amazing clothes. All the styles I had been salivating over from magazines and street style blogs were right there in the windows of nearly every boutique on the side streets we walked down. I went inside one store where everything was handmade by the designer who owns it. I was like, “Can I have your life?” I bought a pair of uh-mazing over-the-knee boots in suede in one of the last stores we went into. Sigh.

  I was so inspired by the amazing shoes, skirts, jewelry, and cute hats that when we finally sat down to lunch I just couldn’t stop sketching in my journal. I wanted to capture it all before I could forget. So far, I’ve sketched all my favorite styles from the day so that I’ll be able to look them up when I go back to Port Angeles and try to recreate them at home. (Oh, because as FABULOUS as all the clothes here are, they are mucho dinero.) As I was sketching, I realized that I haven’t actually sewn anything in forever. I can’t even remember the last time I sat down at my sewing machine. There must be dust piled up to three feet on top of that thing.

  I could hear Katie’s voice in my head as I sketched away: “Dance is my passion. But I haven’t been able to keep up with it.” I think the reason that Katie being here is so shocking to me is that I just can’t imagine someone like her, who is at the top of her game, wanting to do something ELSE more than cheer. For me at least, cheer has become, like, the most important thing EVER. I’ve always loved creating my own clothes, but I’ve let that passion die down since I’ve been so busy with the Grizzlies. I guess there’s no way you can do both at 100%. In a way, I’m kind of like Katie. If I’m going to do something, I have to give it my all-so that’s probably why I’ve let the design stuff sit on the back burner. I wonder what would happen if I decided to go back to fashion design? Could I ever leave cheer if I had the chance to do fashion stuff seriously?

  I was mid-sketch when Dad said, “Hon, I know you’re busy drawing, but can Beth and I interrupt you for a minute?”

  (PS-I get annoyed when Dad calls what I do “drawing.” Like I’m some five-year-old with crayons, doodling on a place mat.)

  “Yeah. Sure,” I said, closing my journal.

  Dad took a deep breath and looked over at Beth. She put her hand over his, and then they gave each other these big, gooey smiles. “So,” said Dad. “Beth and I have some news to share with you.”

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God. Please no!” I thought. “Please do not be engaged!!!”

  I was completely bulldozed over the last time he said he wanted to talk to me-but luckily, that time he just wanted to invite me on this trip. Suddenly, it was all making sense. He must have invited me so he could tell me that he and Beth were tying the ol’ knot. My worst nightmare coming true. I was seriously about to barf up my yummy sandwich right there, all over my sketchbook. And, if I do say so myself, those sketches were pretty sweet. I could just see Dad being like, “And the best part is: You’re going to be the flower girl!” Ha-ha. That would be hysterical. I’d do a little cheer down the aisle, complete with backflips, as I threw the flower petals around. Just perrrfect.

  “We are moving to New York City!” he announced proudly. Then he looked at Beth and back at me. “That’s why we brought you here on this vacation, actually.”

  Ohhhhhhh. Huh?

  I wanted to be like, “Excuse me? Need a little more info here, please. And what does this have to do with me? Way to keep me in the loop before you made this ginormous decision.” But all I said was, “Wha-huh?”

  “Your father got an amazing job offer here,” Beth said, beaming. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. In fact, I’ve never seen Business Beth so filled with joy. “I’ve asked to be transferred to our sister company here. They’re paying for the move and everything!” she exclaimed.

  Dad looked at Beth again, and then at me. “And we wanted you to see what it was like here. In case, you know . . .” He looked down at his lap almost shyly, like he was afraid how I would react. “In case you wanted to come here too,” he continued.

  Talk about being bulldozed. I was flat as a pancake. “As in, move here with you? To New York?”

  Dad nodded. “Yes, we’d love you to just consider it. Beth and I even picked up some brochures for you about schools that specialize in the arts. But no pressure. It’s just an option you have now.”

  I looked around at all the amazingly cool-looking people sitting in the maroon-colored banquettes all along the walls, clinking glasses with each other, and eating oysters from towers that were five feet tall. All this could be MY life?

  I could tell that Dad and Beth were waiting for me to respond. But out of nowhere, a horrible, horrible feeling rushed over me. I was suddenly furious at Dad for springing this on me. How long had he been waiting to tell me something this important? And he had to take me on vacation to do it?

  The words poured out of my mouth before I could stop them. “You already left Mom and me once. Now you want to run away again? All the way to New York? And you’re telling me it’s an ‘option’ for me to come too? C’mon, Dad! You know Mom would never go for it. My whole life is in Port Angeles. Maybe you can pick up and leave behind things that are important to you. But me? I can’t do that.”

  I regretted the words as soon as I said them. Wasn’t I the one just fantasizing about bringing fashion design back into my life? And now that I was being given the opportunity, I was freaking out about it.

  I noticed that the people from the next table over were looking at us.

  Dad looked totally deflated. “Honey, I’m not leaving you,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “This is a good step for my career. And Beth and I truly would love for you to live with us. But I understand if it’s too much to take in at once.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to . . . I just . . . need to think about all this. Can you excuse me?” I said, getting up from the table, and trying not to knock over the glasses on the table next to ours as I slid past them. I needed a little break, so I went downstairs to the bathroom to pull myself back together.

  As I neared the ladies’ room, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

  It was a text from Bevan (which kind of annoyed me, because secretly I was hoping it was E). “Heeeeyyy u. Haven’t heard from u in a while. How’s city life? Did u pierce your nose + start going to poetry readings yet?”

  “Heyyyy!” I texted back. “NYC is awesome. I heart it. But my dad and Beth are driving me crazy!”

  “ .”

  “I’ll tell u all abt it ltr. V-chat 2nite?”

  “Yeppers. Later skater.”

  By the time I was done chatting with Bevan, I felt slightly better. But Bevan doesn’t really get everything that’s gone down in my family-not like Evan does. He would totally understand why I’m so upset with my dad. (Probably even better than I understand it myself.) Well, at least the ladies’ room had some nice rose-scented hand lotion and After Eight mints. Free stuff always makes me happy.

  AFTERNOON, MUSEUM GIFT SHOP

  After THE FIGHT, we went to an awesome little museum that was actually in an old mansion on Fifth Avenue. I know that Beth and Dad were bothered by how quiet I’d been since lunch, and probably wanted to talk about what I’d said earlier. But lucky moi, I didn’t have to explain myself because we each had these great little walkie-talkies that we listened to
on our tour of the museum. It was so cool-you just pressed a button corresponding to the number on the painting, and the whole history of the painting came pouring into your ear! Can someone PLEASE start making these things for boys, too? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could point a walkie-talkie at your best guy friend and press a button to find out why he’s been acting so weird lately? (But seriously, why has he not written to me AT ALL???)

  My absolute favorite part of the museum was this one room called the Fragonard Room, which was a re-created version of a lady’s parlor from waaaaaay back when. All the furniture looked like it was covered in gold, from the edges of the chairs to the legs of the tables. And all over the walls there were these beautiful paintings by this Fragonard guy, which basically showed a man and a woman flirting with each other. The whole room was colored in pastels. According to my super-duper walkie-talkie, the style of the room and the art was called “rococo.” Which to me, is basically as super girly as it gets in terms of style. I think Lanie would freak out if she saw this room-it is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the kind of room she would ever want to live in. Not a goth object in sight here! (Except now that her room has turned into a teenybopper-inspired Dustin Barker shrine, maybe she would like this after all!) What I do know? I would have totally A-DORED living in that room if I had been alive during that time period. Except for the giant dresses that everyone wore back then. Just imagine cheering in one of those things!

  NIGHTTIME, HOTEL LOBBY

  Whoa. Intense meeting with my Grizzly clan this afternoon. I signed onto chat just in time-I had to practically sprint upstairs to my room because it took us FOREVER to get back from the museum. When I signed on, the entire team was already there waiting for me in front of the little window of my chat screen. As soon as the video came on, Matt and Ian made stupid faces at me and yelled, “Hiiii, Madison.” But Jared and Tabitha Sue looked worried. Katarina looked downright nervous. I guess they didn’t take the news of our “emergency meeting” lightly.

  Before we got down to business, I gave them the “grand tour” of my room and showed them the view from my window (I didn’t even have to move the computer-I just tilted the screen. Ha-ha!). Gotta impress the team with my digs.

  “It looks so New York-y over there!” said Tabitha Sue.

  “Well, that’s cuz it is.” I smiled. “Look, over there is Central Park. Can you see it?” I pointed my computer to the corner of the window that would give them the best view.

  When I turned the computer back around, Ian’s face took up the screen. He was shaking his head. “Didn’t see anything.”

  “Hmm,” I said. “Probably hard to see over the computer.”

  “Take pictures!” said Jared, from the back of the crowd.

  “All right, everyone,” said Jacqui, pushing Ian out of the frame. “Madison and I have something to tell you, and we didn’t want to do this without Maddy being here, so . . .”

  “I know, I know,” said Matt. “You’re both in love with me and don’t know how to decide who gets me. It’s all right, there’s enough of me for each of you,” he said smugly.

  “Thanks for that, Matt,” I said. “But that won’t be necessary. This problem has to do with the squad.”

  “Awww, but Madison, you’re on vacation!” said Tabitha Sue sweetly. “You should be enjoying yourself. Not worrying about us Grizzlies. I’m sure Jacqui could have done the meeting without you.”

  “Thanks, Tabitha Sue. But as your co-captain, it’s important for me to be present. At least in some way.”

  She nodded.

  “And trust me, I’m having cheer withdrawal for sure,” I assured her. “I like thinking about cheer stuff while I’m here. It’s totally no prob.”

  Katarina already knew that she was the subject of the meeting. It would have been über awkward (and mean!) to just bring that up in front of the whole team (kind of like how Dad dumped his little news on me at lunch). But she hadn’t told anyone yet-not even Tabitha Sue. Big virtual high five to good ol’ Katarina.

  “Here’s the deal,” said Jacqui. “You know how each squad member has to get at least a B- in each class in order for the team to qualify for the Get Up and Cheer Competition?”

  There was a chorus of “yeahs” and “uh-huhs” from the different squad members.

  “Well, unfortunately, one of us didn’t make that cut.”

  Everyone looked at one another suspiciously. Katarina looked down at her toes. Then she lifted her head and spoke up. “It vas me,” she said softly. “I didn’t gain ze good grades.” She covered her face with her hands.

  Jacqui patted Katarina on the back. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’ll all work out.”

  I explained to the team that not only were we in danger of being cut from the competition, but Katarina might have to leave the squad if her grades didn’t improve.

  “Nice going, Katarina,” said Matt. “Way to learn the English language.”

  “Yeah, thanks, Katarina,” said Jared. “I’ve been looking forward to this forever! This was going to be my big debut!” He looked out into the distance, as if he were seeing some imaginary audience applauding.

  “Don’t be so selfish,” Jacqui said, looking at Jared and Matt. “Both of you, apologize. We don’t talk that way to our teammates.”

  “Yes, Mom,” said Matt, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, Katarina.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” said Jared, just as insincerely.

  “You are ok,” said Katarina gloomily.

  I knew I needed to get the team’s collective mind off the blame game and into “can do” mode. STAT.

  “All right guys, here’s the plan,” I said. “We’re going to help Katarina study for the big test coming up so that she can ace it and raise her grade. If we get her grade up before the competition, we’re safe. We have to work together, though.”

  “Hey, I didn’t sign up to be anyone’s tutor,” said Ian defensively.

  “You didn’t sign up for cheerleading, period,” barked Jacqui. “You don’t have a choice, remember? Your football coach made you a Grizzly. Now act like someone who’s actually part of a team.”

  Ian blushed with embarrassment. Both he and Matt hate when we bring up the whole getting-kicked-off-the-football-team thing. But Jacqui and I know it’s always a good way to get them to be respectful.

  “We’re going to make sure you rock that next test,” Jacqui told Katarina confidently.

  Tabitha Sue smiled encouragingly. “I’m in,” she said, raising her hand like she was in class.

  “Good,” I said, relieved. “We were hoping you could share some of your social studies geniusness with Katarina.”

  Katarina smiled at Tabitha Sue.

  “And you,” said Jacqui, pointing to Matt. “You’re going to help her memorize facts. We know that’s a secret skill of yours.” She winked.

  Matt sighed, but nodded “ok.”

  “And we’ll all take turns teaching Katarina the chapters on the test,” I said.

  “It will help you guys study too,” said Jacqui. “So it’s a win-win!”

  I could tell Jacqui was trying to be Miss Positive. It worked-mostly.

  Jared pushed his way in front of the team so his face took up my entire screen. “No offense, Katarina,” he said, looking over his shoulder at her, then back to the screen. “I love you, but me being a drama king and all . . . well, like I said, I’m dying to get into this competition and show off how amazing I’ve gotten at cheer. Right now everyone thinks we’re a joke. But we’re not-and this competition is our one chance to prove it. But if this ‘plan’ doesn’t work out, and you don’t pass your test, I think we need to have a backup person. Just in case.”

  I hadn’t even considered that option-and I know Jacqui hadn’t either. I think we come from the same “stand by your teammate” school of thought. In my mind, either Katarina would pass and we’d all go to the competition together, or she wouldn’t, and we’d have to wait for another one-maybe one with different regulations. But it look
ed like Jared went to a different school of thought: The Jared Handler Is the Most Important Person in the World School.

  “What do you mean, backup person?” asked Tabitha Sue warily.

  Jared nodded patiently. “Like an understudy. Who we bring in and train, and if Katarina doesn’t pass, then we still get to go to this competition.”

  I know that as a captain, I have to be open-minded to each squad member’s ideas. I didn’t want to come across as just favoring Katarina. Even though I’m not thrilled with the idea, Jared definitely had a good point. If there is a way we can still go to the Get Up and Cheer! competition, then we need to consider it.

  “It’s not a bad idea,” I said slowly. “But our first priority should be to our teammate. And everyone needs to pitch in.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Tabitha Sue, patting Katarina on the shoulder. “I won’t let you fail. Trust me, with my help we won’t need an ‘understudy,’” she said, making quote marks in the air.

  “Katarina, are you ok with this plan?” Jacqui asked.

  Katarina shrugged.

  “Paging Captain Not-So-Obvious,” said Ian. “Exactly who are we going to find as a backup cheerleader over winter break? The whole school is on vacation, and whoever isn’t on vacation is on some sports team.”

  “Ahem,” said Jared, puffing out his chest proudly. “Jared to the rescue, again. I already have someone in mind from drama class. And they’re around practicing for the school play. She’s actually been a gymnast her whole life, and has some great dance moves.”

  “If they’re anything like yours, then we’re in trouble,” quipped Matt.

  “Ha-ha,” said Jared sarcastically.

  We decided to have another meeting tomorrow to meet Jared’s friend and have her try out for the team.

  “Then we’ll all take a vote,” said Jacqui.