Holiday Spirit

by Zoe Evans

  Everyone agreed. I could tell Tabitha Sue was the least on board about this alternate cheerleader idea. Even less so than Katarina. Tabitha Sue is a loyal friend and teammate to the core. I heart her.

  Before signing off, Jacqui told the rest of the team to start stretching without her. She got up real close to the speaker so she could whisper. “So, any developments with that thing we were talking about before?” she said with a wink, referring to the Katie sighting.

  I really wasn’t feeling so good about lying to my friend and co-captain, but I felt like I should keep Katie’s business a secret. At least for now. I could always tell Jacqui when I got home.

  “Nope!” I said, with probably a little too much enthusiasm. “Haven’t seen her since that last time. Must have been my imagination. I doubt it’s her.”

  Even though I’m one terrible liar, Jacqui actually seemed to believe me. Probs because the whole sitch is completely INSANE and totally unlikely to EVER occur in real life.

  “Oh, too bad,” she said. “I wouldn’t have minded hearing some dirt about my old captain.”

  As soon as I signed off, Mom called me. She isn’t attending every winter break practice, so I filled her in on Jared’s big idea.

  “Oh, don’t worry about Jared,” said Mom. “I spoke to Mrs. Tuttle today, and she says if Katarina scores a B+ or more on that next test, and comes to extra helps over break, she’ll drop her worst grade.”

  “That’s amazing, Mom! You’re awesome!” My mom really is the bomb diggity sometimes.

  “I think it’s great how you guys are all coming together to help your teammate out,” said Mom.

  “Of course,” I said. “She’s our girl. Too bad Jared doesn’t feel the same way.”

  “Well, you know Jared,” said Mom. “He still has a lot to learn about teamwork. It’ll come to him at some point. At least the rest of the team is supportive.” Mom is always Mrs. Bright Side.

  “I didn’t like his idea, but I felt bad just saying no to it, you know?”

  “I understand,” she said. “You’ll figure out the right thing to do.”

  I hope so.

  I wasn’t in the mood to tell her about the life-changing announcement Dad had made earlier today. I’m pretty sure that he hasn’t mentioned his plans to her-otherwise she DEF would have said something to me. She knows I don’t like surprises. Especially when it comes to Dad. It’s just, I know she’ll completely lose it if she thinks I’m considering moving away from her (not that I am, because I’m totally not . . . right?). She’ll think I’m, like, choosing him over her, and I SOOOOO can’t deal with that right now. Not to mention the fact that the second she finds out, she’ll call him and completely decimate him for not discussing something as crazy important as this with her first. Therefore, I’ve decided there’s no need to freak her out while I’m here. After we caught up, I told her I had to get ready for dinner. Which I did, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

  On the way to the restaurant I called Lanie.

  “’Sup, chica?” asked Lanes.

  “Let me just say it has been quite a day.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked, with concern in her voice.

  “Well, first of all, I spoke to Katie this morning.”

  “So I guess the whole hiding-in-your-room-all-week thing didn’t quite work out?” said Lanie.

  “No, not so much.” I told Lanie about my convo with Katie and how she totally lied about visiting her grandparents. “Turns out Katie has a secret dance passion. She’s auditioning to go to school here.”

  “Shut up!” cried Lanie. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Wow. That is pretty out there. Huh, who knew you’d go to New York and get a backstage pass to ‘The Secret Life of Katie Parker,’” Lanie mused.

  “Apparently her being here is a ginormous secret from the Titans. We can’t tell anyone, got it?”

  “Who am I going to tell? All my cheerleader friends?” Lanie asked sarcastically.

  “Just don’t write about it in the Daily Angeles,” I joked. “I’m sworn to secrecy.

  “Secret’s safe,” said Lanie. “Besides, even if I wanted to dish this, you have way too much on me. Imagine what this whole secret romance with Dustin Barker would do to my rep at school?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it a romance, since he doesn’t know it’s happening.”

  “Details, details.”

  “Hey, Lanes. Have you heard anything from E?”

  “You mean, have I spoken to him? Yeah. He’s bored out of his mind.” She chuckled. “Like most of us who aren’t on snazzy New York vacations.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” I said glumly. “He’s so busy being bored out of his mind he can’t even e-mail me?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Lanie.

  I remembered then that I haven’t told Lanie about the awkward night at E’s house, or how he seemed to be avoiding me since. I could have told her right then, but I decided I don’t want to put her in the middle of the two of us again. It didn’t work out too well that time when E had me starring as an evil villain fighting against the fabulous Katie Parker SuperGirl in an installment of his SuperBoy comic and I begged Lanes to dish all the dirt on why. Lanie HATES being in the middle (who can blame her??). Besides, he obviously didn’t tell her anything either.

  “Oh, never mind,” I said. “So, dare I ask . . . how was the book signing?”

  “Ohmigod, he is even cuuuuuter in person!” Lanie gushed.

  “Oh, boo. I was hoping you’d discover he didn’t actually write his book and get over him,” I sighed.

  “Seriously, Mads,” she squealed. “I almost couldn’t talk when I brought my book over for him to sign!”

  “Might that be because you waited on line for eight hours before you got up to him, and were parched?”

  Lanie laughed. “Um. Yeah. That might have had something to do with it.”

  “So? What happened?” I asked. We were almost at the restaurant, so I had to speed the convo up.

  “Get this. He wrote, ‘Dear Lanie Marks. You are a sweet girl. Stay cute!’”

  “Awww. True love.”

  “I know!”

  “I was joking!” I said. But it was no use. This Dustin Barker thing had gotten into all the sane circuits of her brain and rewired them. “Ok, now that you’ve seen him and gotten his autograph, you realize that the two of you are just not going to happen, right?”

  “No!” she protested. “I’m more in luuurve than ever.”

  “Lanie, the boy wears pink shirts. You hate pink.”

  “I’m making an exception.”

  I made a note that as soon as I got back to Port Angeles, we’d have to cruise some poetry readings or something more Lanie-ish for cute boys so she could move on from this Dustin thing.

  When I woke up, it was actually SNOWING outside. Right outside my window, there were these huuuuge, fat flakes falling on all the buildings. How magical! Just like Bevan said it would be.

  Just then the phone rang, and I almost just picked up the phone and said, “Dad, give me, like, five minutes!” (Because he’s an early birdie and likes to hit the pavement when it’s still dark out.) But it wasn’t Dad.

  “Hey, it’s Katie,” said the very un-Dad-like voice on the phone.

  “Uh . . . ,” was all I could say. Katie Parker? Calling ME? Insanity.

  “I was just was wondering if . . . maybe you’d want to chill for a bit?”

  “Uh, with me?” I asked stupidly.

  And this, folks, is what happens when I try to talk to popular cheerleaders before I’ve eaten my breakfast. Actually, let’s be honest-this probably would have happened to me even on a full stomach of sustenance. Why, oh why, am I so low IQ sometimes?

  “Uh, yes. You,” she said.

  I didn’t have any plans for breakfast, so I said yes. (Also, I was a little intrigued . . . Katie Parker wanted to hang out with ME. Weird.) I told Dad I was meeting up with a school friend who happ
ened to be in the hotel, and he was super happy.

  “Oh, how nice!” he exclaimed to Beth over the phone (rather loudly). “Maddy has a friend in this very hotel!”

  Yeah. That’s code for, “Did you hear that, Beth darling, my daughter actually isn’t a giant loser with no friends like we’d originally thought.” Awesome. Ok, maybe my interpretation of him is a slight exaggeration, but there’s definitely some truth to it.

  Anyway, Dad and I decided to meet in an hour or so, so I went downstairs, grabbed a bagel, and met Katie in the hotel library (the only place where there’s some actual privacy in this teensy hotel). When I got there, Katie was sprawled out on a love seat like she owned the place. She was dressed in another dance outfit: This time she had a ripped oversize T-shirt over a tank top, and baggy sweatpants.

  “Oh, hey,” she said, barely looking up from the magazine on her lap when I walked in. Like SHE was surprised that I was there, as if I had followed her in there like one of her adoring fans. I wanted to be like, “Um, you were the one who asked to hang with me. Not the other way around.”

  But all I said was, “Hey.”

  “It is so boring here,” she said, throwing her head back dramatically. “There’s, like, nothing to do.”

  I walked over to the bookshelves to see if there was anything interesting to read. Even though I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be any books about cheerleading or fashion design .

  “Really? I don’t feel like that at all,” I said. “We’ve been doing tons of stuff, but I’m sure we’ve, like, barely scratched the surface of amazing things to do in New York. I can’t imagine being bored here.”

  “Oh, like, touristy stuff,” said Katie, all snottily. “I’m so over that. I’ve been here, like, a million times.” She picked up her magazine again.

  “Well, I haven’t.” I shrugged. Nice. So Katie basically invited me down here so she could boast about what a real New Yorker she is.

  “So, how’d the audition go?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  I could see Katie’s expression change from totally under control to kind of unsteady. Guess I found her weakness.

  “Actually, my first audition is later today,” she said, suddenly chewing on a nail. “I’m kind of nervous. The auditions this week will pretty much make or break me getting into the Dance and Music Academy.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  Katie placed her chin on her hands. “It’s crazy. Basically, I have two chances to impress the school. The first audition is ballet. And the second is modern. I’m really nervous for ballet, though. I’m not that into it. It’s just never been my thing, and I’m worried the judges will be able to tell.”

  “Oh, come on!” I replied. “You’re, like, a ridiculously amazing dancer. I’m sure you’re going to blow those judges’ minds. I mean, now that I think about it, haven’t you brought some ballet moves into your Titan routines? That’s pretty awesome.”

  Katie smiled. “Thanks. It’s really nice of you to say all that. I guess I’m good at ballet. But since it’s not my fave type of dance, it makes me nervous. It just doesn’t feel as natural.”

  “I get it. But honestly, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be awesome at whatever dance you do.” I wasn’t just trying to be nice, either. Katie is an amazing dancer, and it shows through her cheerleading. Whenever I get a chance to glimpse the Titans practicing, I’m always TOTALLY blown away by how graceful she is. It’s like she’s completely weightless or something. It’s weird that after all the time I’ve spent watching her, I never wondered where all that dance ability came from.

  Katie threw up her hands. “Thanks, Madison. I just wish I wasn’t so freaked out. And my mom is, like, no help at all. She makes me even more nervous-which is almost impossible at this point. I’ve literally never been this nervous in my life. Not even for Nationals! Maybe it’s because in cheer, you have a whole team to rely on, you know? You’re not alone. And if something goes wrong, it’s not all on one person. But here? It’s like, they’re judging me and me alone. If I don’t get it, there’s only one reason.”

  “Ah . . . I see. So that’s why you invited me down here,” I joked. “Because you have no one else to talk to!” (Um, I can’t believe I actually had the nerve to say that out loud! Sure I was joking, but normally I would never have the guts to be like that! Guess being on vacation lets you let go a little.)

  “No, it’s not like that at all.” She buried her head in her hands. “I figured you’d understand, since you’re a cheerleader too. You know what it’s like to psych yourself out of something.”

  SO . . . I know it’s kind of dorky of me (not that that’s surprising), but the fact that she actually acknowledged me as a fellow cheerleader made me feel pretty good. Also, it was good to know she wasn’t just using me as a sounding board because I’m not her mom. She actually seems to care about what I think.

  “Listen, whenever I’ve doubted my ability is when I’ve messed up an audition. I mean, you saw me at cheer tryouts. I was so nervous, I ended up messing up big-time.”

  Katie laughed.

  “So, you just have to go in there knowing that you’re going to own it. You have the skills. You just need to believe in them. You’re going to be awesome.”

  “You’re just being nice,” said Katie.

  “Um, not really,” I said. “I’ve watched you more times than I’d like to admit at practice. You just have that extra something that the other girls don’t. I know you’re going to ace these auditions. You just have to stop psyching yourself out.”

  Katie shook her head. “No one’s ever said anything like that to me. Not even my best friends.”

  I just shrugged. I mean, it doesn’t surprise me. Her best friends are Clementine and Hilary-of course they’d never say anything like that. Still, I couldn’t exactly bash them at that moment. I didn’t really know what else to say. “Just being honest,” I said.

  We looked through some magazines Katie had brought with her, and tried to find something to read that didn’t say “Economics Today” or “World News” on it. Before I knew it, Dad came by looking for me.

  “You ready?” he asked. Then he registered Katie. “You must be Madison’s friend. Hi, I’m Mr. Hays.”

  Katie introduced herself to Dad. Awkward! Wouldn’t it be awesome if parents could just go about their lives without ever having to talk to our friends?

  “Good luck today,” I told Katie as I left. “Let me know how it goes.”

  “Totally,” she said.

  After my unexpected morning, I went with Beth and Dad to ogle the Macy’s windows. It turns out that Beth is obsessed with them. “I’ve gone to see them every year since I was a little girl. It used to be this tradition I had with my dad,” she said.

  The windows didn’t look that magical to me-they just looked like a good excuse to advertise fancy designer brands. I’m not big into labels, I guess. I’d much rather find something that no one else has. Or make it myself.

  But we had to go into the store anyway because Beth wanted perfume and a new handbag. Normally I would never say no to a shopping spree, but the crowds there made it less than fun. Another sardine experience for Maddy! I’d much rather go back to Soho and shop in the smaller boutiques. They have stuff that I could never find at home. But I will say that Beth chose a cool bag. Maybe she has pretty decent taste after all.

  After we left Macy’s, we passed a Barnes & Noble and I saw an ad for this new graphic novel that Evan was talking about nonstop a couple weeks ago. Actually, I haven’t asked Evan how SuperBoy is going in a long time, now that I think about it. Is he working on a new one? Is he still even interested in making more SuperBoys? How do I NOT know these things? Sure, he has been pretty bad about being in touch with me, but I guess I haven’t been the best of friends either. In his mind it must look like I lost interest once the funds from SuperBoy stopped benefiting the Grizzlies’ uniforms anymore. Ugh. That’s just great. I’m so glad my best friend thinks I us
ed him for his talents and then threw him away. I MUST talk to him about this when I get back.

  “Do you guys mind if I go in for a sec?” I asked Beth and Dad.

  In the meantime, perhaps a little “I’m sorry” gift will help our friendship. Maybe it will show him that he’s still a big part of my life and that I’m thinking about him. Grrr. Why is everything so complicated?

  As soon as I handed over my moola to the cashier, I texted Evan.

  “So guess who’s the proud owner of a much-aniticipated new graphic novel?”

  “Ur kidding. They’re not on sale yet at the Book Worm.”

  I was so relieved that he wrote back right away.

  A part of me was worried he would take, like, a day to respond.

  “Aaaannnd it’s signed!”

  “Whoa. Thanks Maddy !” he wrote back. “Heyyyy. U havin’ fun?”

  “Yah,” I wrote. I didn’t want him to know that I was upset that he hadn’t contacted me at all since I got here. Or that it was kind of affecting my good time. “Havin’ a blast.”

  “Cool,” he wrote back.

  But now? I’m, like, checking my phone every two minutes to see if he’ll write anything more but so far, NOTHING. ZIP. NADA. Complete cell phone silence. Seriously. WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH?

  Anyway, more later. Right now I gotta jet back to the hotel. Virtual Grizzly meeting awaits!

  LATER, HOTEL LOBBY

  T.G. I made sure we had enough time to get back before my Grizzly meeting. This public transportation situation is not a good way to get somewhere on time. I have to hand it to Dad and Beth-it’s like anything I ask for they say yes to. Maybe they’re trying to sweet-talk me into coming to New York for good. Ever since my little outburst yesterday at the restaurant, Dad has been super-duper nice to me.

  The big thing on my mind as soon as we started the meeting was how things were going with Katarina and the tutoring.

  “Yo, yo, yo!” shouted Jacqui as soon as the video came on. I couldn’t see her, though, just Jared absentmindedly scratching his butt because he didn’t know he was facing the screen.