“Thank you, Ashleigh! Have you considered being a beautician?” I asked, dabbing on lip gloss and swiping on a couple brush strokes of mascara.
Ashleigh shrugged. “Not really,” she said shyly, smiling at my reflection in the mirror.
“I feel bad for not asking you this before…are you sad this season is over for you? I mean, I know this was your senior year…”
Ashleigh’s mouth tightened. “I am,” she admitted, leaning next to me with her back against the sink. “But I’m thankful I got to have this last hoorah with you guys, and I enjoyed every minute of high school even though not many people liked me. At least I finally accomplished my goal of cheering for the Harrow Dragons…”
“Yes, you did. And you’ve done a great job, Ashleigh. The team is going to miss you next year,” I told her, offering her my tube of mascara. She shook her head. “No, thanks. I enjoy doing other people’s makeup, not my own.”
“Get dressed,” I ordered, suddenly hit with a brilliant idea.
“But our food! We can’t go out now…” Ashleigh whined.
“Oh, we’re not going anywhere! The party is coming to us,” I said, smiling at her slyly.
I pulled out my iPhone and texted Jordan. It was time to invite some boys over and have a little fun. Ashleigh deserved a going away party for her last competition with the Harrow Dragons.
Chapter Six
I was sporting one of the hotel robes when Coach Davis came to our room to tell us good night. “Get some shut eye, girls! We have a big day tomorrow and I need everybody on their A game.”
We nodded our consent and crawled in our beds, counting down the minutes till eleven. A few minutes after, someone lightly tapped on our door. We rushed to open it, smiling at my brother and Ronnie Becklar.
They weren’t more than a foot in the door when I asked, “Where’s the rest of the guys? Did you call Andy?”
Jordan put a finger to his lips, leading me over to the bed. “Ronnie here,” he said, pointing at his teammate, “has some connections at the Rainbow Lounge, and they’re letting us in tonight. As for the other guys, well…sorry, but they weren’t too thrilled about a cheerleading competition. I did talk Andy into coming, though.” My eyes widened, shaking my head at my brother.
“What? How do you have connections here?” I asked, looking at Ronnie.
“My uncle owns the Rainbow Lounge in that town close to ours—Flocksdale. You know it? He called a few of his buddies that run the Chattanooga branch, and they agreed to let me and all of my friends inside.” Ronnie was popping gum. “Come if you want.” He shrugged. I don’t think he cared one way or the other.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” I asked, directing the question at my brother. “I thought we were just going to party here…”
“Yes!” Ashleigh jumped into the conversation, surprising me. “This is essentially my last weekend as a Harrow Dragon cheerleader, and I want to make the best of it.”
I looked from her to my brother, then finally agreed to go. “Wait. What about Andy?”
“He’s meeting us downstairs in the lobby. And there’s something else, Winter. On the way in, we ran into some familiar faces. The girls from Crimson…”
“No!” I shouted, louder than I planned to. Ashleigh, Ronnie, and Jordan shushed me all at once.
“I don’t want to hang out with those girls!” I shout-whispered, angrily poking at my brother’s chest. “I don’t go to Crimson anymore, and none of the girls there like me! Plus, we’re competing against them tomorrow…”
“Who cares? We’re going to kick their asses,” Ashleigh said. She was already standing by the hotel door, gathering her purse and putting on her slip shoes.
“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly.
***
With Dakota, Sydney, Lauren, and Gabi next door, and Coach Davis a few doors away, we had to be quiet as we slipped outside our hotel room, pulling our door closed, careful not to make it bang. The four of us tiptoed down the hallway, darting through an exit door at the end of the hallway.
I almost screamed when we entered the stairwell and saw a tall male figure in the dark. “Oh my god!” I hissed, just as Andy stepped out of the shadows.
Andy stared at me like a deer in headlights. “What is she doing here?” He shot dirty looks at Jordan and Ronnie. “They have a competition in the morning! Coach Davis will kill me if she finds out I let them go! Dakota will kill me…”
“She won’t know if I don’t tell her,” I said, giggling as I remembered our talk at the rest stop.
“What does that mean?” Andy narrowed his eyes at me.
I suddenly felt really stupid.
But then Jordan nudged his arm. “It’ll be all right, dude. They’re big enough to make their own decisions. You’re not their keeper.”
“Okay,” Andy said reluctantly, looking away from me. My heart fell. I’d obviously misinterpreted his behavior earlier, and now I felt silly for even being here. What’s the point?
But Ashleigh was smiling so big; the only time I’d seen a smile like that was when she was wearing her cheerleading uniform on game night. We went down two flights of stairs, where we—unfortunately—met up with three other girls, all from Crimson County High School. I avoided even making eye contact.
Before I switched schools to Harrow Hill, I used to go to Crimson. I also used to cheer on the JV squad, so I was more than a little familiar with the two blondes and brunette standing by the front entrance to the hotel.
Mia, Tatiana, and Brandy—they were three girls I used to cheer with, but they weren’t what I’d call my friends.
Mia—the mocha princess of Crimson High—was standing in the middle, hands on hips, smiling at me slyly.
“Long time no see, Summer.”
“Winter! Her name is Winter,” Ashleigh spoke up, defending me.
“She knows what my name is,” I said through clenched teeth, returning Mia’s nasty glare.
“Yeah, whatever. You guys ready to go to the Rainbow Lounge? If we wait around much longer, someone’s going to see us and report us to the coaches,” Mia warned.
“Let’s go.” Jordan slipped his hand in hers and led her out the doorway. Tatiana and Brandy smiled at me apologetically. They were always hanging out in Mia’s shadow—her resident lapdogs.
Ashleigh and I followed the group outside, turning right on East Main Street and heading further into downtown Chattanooga. Rows of brightly lit restaurants, small shops, and bars lined both sides of the street, music pouring out and people coming and going. It was a Saturday night, but still—the town seemed to be booming and busy for the late night hour.
As excited as I’d been at first, I wasn’t so sure now. I watched the hotel get smaller and smaller behind us—I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. Jordan and Ronnie were flirting with the Crimson girls, so I caught up with Andy. “You know the way back, right? I don’t want to get lost in some strange city, and I’m not sure if this is even a good idea…”
Andy’s hands were tucked in his blue jean pockets as he walked, and as usual, he seemed calm and relaxed. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, flashing that familiar smile of his. So, he does want me here, I thought, a small glimmer of hope reemerging inside me.
***
The Rainbow Lounge was a two-story brick building that looked like a rundown warehouse. I shivered as we stood in the line outside, wondering again if I’d made a smart choice. If Coach Davis realizes we’re out of our hotel room…well, Ashleigh couldn’t really get in trouble. She was graduated now. But for me, getting caught might mean never cheering on the squad again, and so much more…
“Identification, Miss.” An enormous bouncer stared down at me, holding up a tiny flashlight. What am I going to do? Mia and her lapdogs started giggling behind me.
“She’s with me. They all are,” Ronnie said, pushing his way to the front of our group.
Thank goodness. I never thought I’d be thankful f
or Ronnie Becklar’s help, but I am now.
The bouncer turned his back to us, mumbled in his walkie talkie, and then finally stepped aside so we could go in.
The small space we walked into was poorly lit and cramped. An old-fashioned ticket window sat empty, haunted. “Through those double doors!” the bouncer urged us, giving us an exasperated look.
Ronnie led the way through the second set of doors, and that’s when we were hit with the loud, thumping sounds of techno music and bright, blinding strobe lights from the inner workings of the bar.
“See ya later, alligator,” Mia said in a raspy voice, pulling my brother and her cronies toward a jam-packed dance floor. The deep bass rumbled in my chest as I struggled to see where they disappeared to. They were lost somewhere in a creepy cloud of fog produced by machines in the corner.
Graffiti glow paint spotted the walls, and people with glow light necklaces danced wildly on the floor, waving their arms spastically in tune with the wild, sporadic beats, as though they were in a trance.
“Well, this is awkward,” I said, glancing over at Ashleigh. It was me and her, and Andy and Ronnie. Almost like a double date…maybe this won’t be so bad after all…
“I’m going to find a bathroom and grab a drink of soda,” Andy muttered, taking off across the dance floor before I could even think to stop him. He was swallowed up in a sea of crazed dancers and fog, and I felt my heart fall in disappointment.
Whatever we had before, it’s gone now. This was a total waste of time.
“Will you dance with me?” Ashleigh asked, her voice meek and low. At first, I thought she was talking to me, but then Ronnie took her hand, leading her toward the busy dance floor.
And then there was one…great.
I stood there nervously, not sure what to do with my hands. Ashleigh and Ronnie were still in sight, but I was pretty much left alone. I watched them wiggle and jerk, their bodies swaying side by side in the dark.
After about ten minutes, I couldn’t take anymore. “Screw this,” I shouted, but the music was so loud it swallowed up the sounds of my cursing.
Shoving my way through the double doors we came in through, I made my way back out past the bouncer and walked alone down East Main Street.
Chapter Seven
Sydney
Competition day! I tossed covers and sheets aside, sitting up in my hotel bed. Gabi and Lauren lay beside me, a mess of tangled legs and sweaty hair. Dakota slept alone in the other hotel bed, stretched out and comfortable, smiling in her sleep.
I rolled my eyes and stood up, squinting against the blinding morning sun peeking through a gap in the curtains. I should be excited. I want to be excited.
But I couldn’t get the image out of my mind…
Moonlight and steel…a hooded figure in the dark, mouth moving to form the words that served as a warning—warning me not to come to the competition.
“One of you will die,” the gravelly-voiced, faceless stranger had warned me. And then he was gone—evaporating like a ghost.
Wow. I really am cracking up. Mariella is dead and gone, but somehow she’s still here—psyching me out of the competition and finding ways to ruin my life…
I didn’t tell anyone what I saw, afraid they’d all think I was crazy. I’d debated coming to the competition at all, but finally…I shook it off and made the decision to go. If I hadn’t come, the whole squad would have been disqualified because of the numbers.
It’s all in your head. You’ve been through a seriously traumatic event, I reminded myself.
“Come on, girls! Time to get up and get ready!” Using my foot, I nudged Dakota’s lifeless, sleepy form. Then I shook Gabi and Lauren. “Girls, it’s time,” I cooed.
“Yes! Let’s do this,” Dakota mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
A half an hour later, we were crammed side by side in the hotel bathroom, bumping hips as we struggled to get ready for the day’s competition.
“That’s it,” I said, shaking my head in frustration. I set my wand of mascara on the sink. “I’m going next door to use Ashleigh and Winter’s bathroom.”
Dakota was alternating between straightening and crimping her hair, while Gabi and Lauren’s faces were pressed to the mirror, trying to paste false eyelashes to their lids. “Why don’t you help each other put them on? You don’t seem to be doing very well on your own,” Dakota snapped at the younger girls, pointing her hot straightening iron at them.
“I’m going.” I gathered up my makeup and hairbrush.
“Suit yourself,” Lauren said, scooting over to use the extra space I’d been taking up in front of the mirror. I gathered up more loose makeup, bobby pins, and ribbons. I was planning to put my straight black hair in a sleek ponytail. Curling it was pointless; I didn’t care how I looked—only how I cheered.
I opened up the door to our hotel room, barely paying attention as I struggled to manage all of the stuff in my hands…I ran smack dab into a figure standing in the hallway.
My mouth fell open in surprise. I don’t believe it!
Amanda Loxx was standing in the hall.
Chapter Eight
“What are you doing here, Amanda?” I didn’t mean for the question to sound rude, but I was Amanda’s alternate. And I was supposed to be filling in for her today. Did this mean I wouldn’t get to cheer? I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.
Amanda smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, Syd. I’m not competing. I missed all of the practices, anyway. Grandma and I are going to Lookout Mountain. But we thought we’d stop by first, to watch our favorite cheer team in action.”
“Aww!” I grabbed my friend in a tight hug. It’d been so long since I’d seen her last.
That’s when I noticed Grandma Mimi standing in the hallway behind her, tiredly leaning against the wall. “Hello, dear,” she said to me, giving me a tiny wave. She smiled, and I could see where Amanda got her joker smile from.
Despite the summer heat, Mimi was cloaked in a shawl and fancy beret, her hands adorned with shiny diamond rings and gold bracelets. A former Vegas showgirl, Mimi was quite a showboat in her day. But now she had stage four cancer.
Instead of seeking treatment, she’d chosen to spend the last remaining months of her life traveling with her granddaughter, Amanda.
I’ll be honest. I was a little surprised she’d made it this long. She’d received the diagnosis nearly nine months ago, but here she was…still standing.
But if anyone could kick cancer’s ass, it would be Grandma Mimi.
Coach Davis joined us in the hall. She smiled affectionately at Amanda. “We’ve missed you,” she said, reaching up to hug her.
Coach Davis looked at me and the rest of the girls, who were now perched in the hotel doorway gaping at Amanda.
“Reunions are fun, but now it’s time to get to work, girls. I want everyone out here in twenty minutes. We need to head over to the convention center so we can get our muscles stretched and ready to nail to this thing.”
Coach Davis always had a way of commanding a room. Dakota, Gabi, and Lauren hugged Amanda, then rushed back inside to finish getting ready. I stayed, smiling at my friend. “I really missed you,” I told her.
“I know! I kind of missed you too,” she said, poking my arm. “We’ll see you there. We’re going to go grab our seats and some snacks.” She winked over her shoulder as she led Mimi back down the hall.
Standing in front of Ashleigh and Winter’s hotel room, I knocked quietly. Then after a few moments, I knocked louder. With all the talking and commotion in the hallway, I was surprised they hadn’t already come to the door.
“Winter, I hope like hell you girls aren’t still asleep! It’s almost time—”
The door swung open, Ashleigh’s face looking swollen with sleep…and something else.
“Wow. Do you have a hangover?” I hissed, looking over her shoulder for Winter.
What were they thinking? Drinking the night before a competition was idiotic, not to mention dangerous at o
ur age, especially in an unfamiliar town…
Ashleigh grimaced, moving aside to let me in the room. “Well, I need to use your mirror to get ready and—”
I took a few steps inside the room, then spun around, staring at Ashleigh in horror. “Where in the heck is Winter?”
Her hotel bed was neatly made like she’d never slept in it at all. Ashleigh’s bed, on the other hand, had clearly been slept in. I peeked inside the bathroom, but still there was no Winter. She was nowhere to be found in the tiny hotel room.
Chapter Nine
“What’s going on, Ashleigh?” I stared at her, my expression a mixture of anger and disbelief. Where could Winter possibly be? I don’t trust Ashleigh—never have, never will. “What did you do to her?” I shouted. By this time, the other girls had heard me through the open hotel door.
Dakota, Lauren, and Gabi squeezed in the room, looking bewildered. “What’s going on in here?” Dakota asked, looking from me to Ashleigh.
“Girls, are you almost ready?” I heard Coach Davis shout from the hallway. The wheels were spinning on her wheelchair; she was on her way to the room.
Ashleigh looked strangely calm. “She’s not with you guys? I thought maybe she came back with Andy last night, and either stayed with you all or…with him.”
“Andy? Why would Winter be in Andy’s room?” Dakota asked. The color drained from her face as realization kicked in.
Chapter Ten
There was no stopping Dakota. She pushed past the other girls, stomping down the hallway toward Andy’s room. “Dakota!” Coach Davis tried to shout after her.
“Move,” I told Lauren, who was standing in my way.
I followed my best friend down the hallway. If Winter was in Andy’s room, someone would need to be there to stop Dakota from trying to kill her—or him.
Killer Moves (Horror High Series Book 3) Page 3