In a strange way, for the first time Christy felt relieved that she wasn’t going to the prom with Rick. Cheerleading tryouts presented enough pressure for one week, not to mention the algebra quiz.
The makeup quiz turned out to be harder than the first test. Christy handed it in and left class with a terrible headache. The last thing she wanted was to face Renee and be behind the rest of the girls who were trying out. If it hadn’t been for Teri’s offer to stay after and help, Christy probably would have given up the whole dream then and there.
“What are you doing here?” Renee said through clenched teeth as Christy slid into place as a routine ended.
Teri turned to Renee. “You know what, Renee? The rest of us are getting sick of your comments. We’re supposed to be building a team here. If you’re so set on slamming somebody, why don’t you slam me for being Hispanic?”
“I would never do that, Teri!” Renee looked indignant. Her friends gathered around her, and Renee went on defending herself. “I’m not prejudiced against Mexicans or anybody!”
“Oh really? Then why are you against Christy just because she’s a sophomore and the rest of us are juniors? It’s the same thing as slamming me because the color of my skin is different from yours. I can’t change my skin. Christy can’t change her age. You’re the only one who can change, Renee. You can change your attitude.”
Mrs. James stepped in and told the girls to sit down. They complied but spaced themselves out and took turns glancing at Renee, who sat with her arms crossed in front of her.
“I should have said something earlier,” Mrs. James said with a concerned look. “I don’t know what has gone on over the last few weeks of practice, but I can tell you what will go on during the next few days of practice and then once the team is formed. We will be a team: working together, looking out for each other, helping each other. Each of you will have equal value to me and to each other. Understand?”
The girls quietly nodded.
“There will be absolutely no more of these bad attitudes or cruel remarks. I don’t know what all has been said, and I don’t want to know, but I think now is the time for apologies. If any of you need to apologize to anyone else here, I’ll wait and let you do that before we go into the next practice set.”
No one moved. Christy searched her mind for something she could apologize for, but she saw herself as the victim who should be apologized to.
“Sorry,” Teri said to the group. “I shouldn’t have blown up like that. I apologize if I came on too strong, Renee.”
Renee neither acknowledged Teri’s apology nor offered hers to anyone.
“Okay,” Mrs. James said, breaking the tension. “I can’t make you apologize, but I will form this group into a team. Let’s get going, and remember, I want you to work together on this.”
They practiced the next routine for twenty minutes; then Mrs. James dismissed them. No one had much to say to anyone else. Christy stayed on the field with Teri, and they went right into the moves Christy had missed at the beginning of practice.
“Thanks for what you said, Teri. I really appreciate it.”
Teri batted her long braid of dark hair off her shoulder and shook her head. “I didn’t say it very nicely.”
“But you got the point across.”
“Maybe. But if I didn’t do it with love, it counts for nothing.”
Christy froze. She had heard that phrase before. From Todd? “Is that in the Bible?”
“Yes, in 1 Corinthians.”
“The love chapter,” Christy added excitedly. “My boy—I mean, this guy I know said it to me last week. He’s memorizing it. The whole chapter.”
“Then he’s a Christian?” Teri asked.
“Slightly! I mean, yes. So am I! Are you?”
“Yes!” Teri said, nodding enthusiastically.
The two gave each other a hug as if they had just found out they were related. Then chattering quickly, Teri filled Christy in on the details of how she went to a church in which only Spanish was spoken and her dad was one of the pastors. With all the eager sharing between the two girls, they failed to get much practice in but decided to stay after on Wednesday and Thursday to help each other.
On her way home, Christy thought of how differently this day had ended than it had begun. She started by nearly losing Katie as her friend, and she ended with a new friend, Teri.
Wednesday and Thursday flew by, and Christy improved a lot as Teri coached her. But Christy realized that Teri was the better of the two of them. She had a certain grace and a vibrant smile that could be spotted halfway up the bleachers.
Christy’s plan to beat out all the other girls had fueled her with angry energy for more than a week now. But getting so close to Teri made it hard, because she wouldn’t want to make the team if Teri was the one who didn’t.
It wasn’t much of a prayer, but the only scrawny bit of communication Christy had with God on the day of tryouts was, Please let us both make it. Together we could be a much better witness for You.
She added the last part, thinking God might be more apt to do what she wanted if there was something in it for Him. Even as she thought the scrawny prayer, she realized how far she’d come from her original plan of honoring God by being on the cheerleading squad and being recognized on her campus as a God-lover. Right now she wasn’t much of a vibrant testimony. She wasn’t much of a vibrant anything.
The only thing she was being recognized for on her campus was as the girl who turned down Rick Doyle. Or, more accurately, the girl who invited Rick to the prom and then turned around and canceled on him. It was awful to have so many people watching her and judging her by her actions.
Originally that was what she thought would be the advantage of holding a position as a cheerleader. Now she detested the way people she didn’t know came up to her and made strange comments about Rick. Many of them assumed she was a snob or at least extremely vengeful for what she had done to him. She didn’t like the spotlight at all and determined that when she did make cheerleading, she’d be a quiet witness—a very quiet witness. That way people wouldn’t expect so much from her.
The few times during the week that she had seen Rick, he had turned away or ignored her. She couldn’t stand this tension and wished he would say something and get it over with. Christy wanted to say something and break the ice, if only she had an idea of what to say. Lately, it seemed that everything she’d done or said had soured. She didn’t dare risk goofing things up with Rick even more than she had already.
Scholastically, Friday was a waste for Christy. She couldn’t sit still or pay attention in any of her classes. She even moved her legs through the steps of her tryout routine under the desk in Spanish class. She couldn’t eat a bite at lunch, so she searched the lunch area until she found Teri. Together they went to a quiet corner in the gym and went through the motions of their cheers, generously encouraging each other.
At last, three o’clock came. Christy was the first one in the gym and the first one to put on her tryout uniform. She stood in front of the locker room mirror to admire the way the blue and gold stripes made each swish, each move, look sharper and more defined.
The other seven contestants filtered in soon after. By 3:15, Christy felt a current of electrical excitement crackling through the room as the girls briskly cuffed their socks and adjusted the ribbons they had been instructed to wear in their hair.
“Here, Christy,” Teri offered. “Try tucking your ribbon under your ponytail holder before tying it. Wait, I’ll do it for you. That way it won’t slip off while you’re doing your routine.”
“My hair never stays back on the sides,” Christy nervously complained as Teri calmly tied the royal blue ribbon.
“Use more spray.” Teri’s own hair looked perfect, curled tightly on the ends and held securely with a gold ribbon. “Here. Close your eyes. I’ll do it.”
Teri sprayed and tucked and fussed with Christy’s hair before announcing, “There. It looks perfect, and bel
ieve me, it’ll stay in place now.”
Christy opened her eyes and saw how much better her hair looked after Teri’s loving touch. She also saw Renee. Renee’s dark hair was set off by both a gold and a blue ribbon.
“Why are you helping her?” Renee asked Teri.
Teri didn’t look up. She calmly tucked her brush and hair spray back into her bag. “You don’t want to know.”
“What do you mean, I don’t want to know? I asked, didn’t I? Why are you helping her?”
Christy was amazed at Teri’s strength and confidence and the way she held her ground with Renee.
“I’ll tell you why, but you won’t want to hear it.”
“Why?” Renee challenged, her hand on her hip.
“Because it’s the same reason I told you last year after tryouts when you asked if I was mad that you made it and I didn’t.”
“Oh.” Renee looked bothered. “You mean that stuff about being a church girl.”
Christy watched the two girls’ reflections in the mirror as they faced each other. Teri’s face looked soft and kind, while Renee’s looked hard and angry.
“It’s not that I’m a church girl, Renee. It’s that I love God. And His Word says that if I love Him, I’m supposed to love my neighbor as much as I love myself.”
Renee had no answer. Only a slight flinching look on her face. Then snapping out of their conversation, she shouted to all the girls, “Let’s go! We’re supposed to be on the floor at three-thirty exactly. That’s right now!”
With a few last glances into the mirror, the girls lined up and filed as calmly as possible into the gym. Mrs. James handed each of them a small numbered paper circle to pin on the front of their uniforms and pointed to the eight chairs before them, each with corresponding numbers.
As Christy found her chair, number four, she took a quick survey of the partially filled bleachers. In an instant, she spotted her mom. She flashed her mother a forced, nervous smile. It was nice of her to come. Christy hadn’t expected it. It meant her mom was taking time off work to be here for her. That knowledge made Christy feel special.
Still smiling, trying to look energetic and confident, Christy scanned the row of judges. None of them smiled back.
“Number one,” a judge called, and the first contestant stood.
Wouldn’t you know it would be Renee? Christy thought.
When the signal was given, Renee rallied out to the center of the gym, giving it all she had. She was good. On the outside she had exactly what it took to be a great cheerleader.
Number two was called, and Christy felt her stomach doing cartwheels. What if I forget everything? What if I fall flat on my face? What if—
Her thoughts were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Someone she didn’t know handed her a slip of paper and then hurried away. She glanced down at the note: “Go for it, Killer. I’m with you all the way.”
Rick?
She looked around but didn’t see him. She had managed to avoid contact with him all week and wasn’t sure that even if she did spot him at this moment, she would want to make eye contact.
What does this mean? That he’s not mad about the prom anymore?
The judge called, “Number three,” and Christy thought, Actually, he has been supportive of me all through this cheerleading thing. We did agree to be friends no matter what. He must understand about my parents’ rules and everything. I feel so relieved!
It was a good thing she felt so relieved, because suddenly number four was called. With gusto and a bright enthusiasm that made her stand out from the others, Christy rushed to the center of the floor.
Stand back, watch out
You’re up against the best
Cougars, uh-huh, a step above the rest!
You’d better back off
We’re hot on your trail
The KHS Cougars will never fail!
Breathing hard and shivering with excitement, Christy jogged back to her seat. She felt like every nerve inside her was quivering. I did it! I did it!
It took every bit of composure to settle calmly into her seat and stay there. She had done her best. She was cheerleading material. After that performance, there couldn’t be any doubt from anyone. Not from her own opinion of herself. Not from Rick. Not even from Renee. She’d proved herself to all of them, just as she’d planned.
Christy scanned the bleacher rows for Rick. Her mom caught her eye and waved, offering Christy a big smile. After returning the smile, Christy kept searching for Rick.
Where is he?
Leaning back slightly in her chair, she tried to see if he was behind her. Instead, her gaze met Teri’s. What an energetic, encouraging smile!
Teri mouthed the word perfect, and Christy felt showered with the warmth of her friend’s praise.
Teri really knows how to show people that she loves them. I’d like to be more like that.
Christy gave up trying to find Rick. She focused her concentration on numbers five and six. Inwardly, she began to cheer for Teri. Come on, Teri. I know you can do it.
The next two girls did very well, and then came one of Renee’s friends. Christy didn’t think much of her routine, but then she didn’t think much of the girl either. Only one eight-count into the cheer, the girl messed up and had to ask the judges if she could start over.
Christy tried to feel sympathy for Renee’s friend, but she actually felt glad to see her lose points. That gave Teri an advantage, and she needed it. Poor Teri had number eight, the worst slot to have, the last contestant.
At last number eight was called, and Teri sprang onto the floor.
Come on, Teri!
Christy knew Teri would be the best of all of them. Not just because she knew the routine so well, but because Christy had seen how Teri stood up to Renee and wasn’t afraid to tell people about her relationship with God. Of course God would let Teri become a cheerleader—especially since she didn’t make it last year. She’d be the vibrant living testimony Christy had once thought she could be for their whole school.
Teri did a toe touch, something she did better than anyone else. But somehow she came down off balance and fell awkwardly. She sprawled on the gym floor as the spectators gasped. Managing to pull herself up, she finished the routine as best she could, but it turned out weak and sloppy and minus two important jumps. Not Teri’s usual style at all.
The observers clapped the loudest for Teri as she awkwardly hobbled back to her chair. Christy could see tears streaming down her cheeks. With dignity, Teri lowered herself to her chair and waited with the others, even though it was obvious that she was in pain.
Christy wanted to rush over and do something. The adviser quietly spoke to Teri and handed her a bag of ice, which Teri calmly placed against her ankle and waited for the next part of the tryouts.
The judges finished their scoring and then called the contestants back out to the center of the gym floor. The final part of tryouts was the easiest. The girls had to perform a short cheer together so the judges could see how they worked as a squad.
Springing from their seats, clapping, cheering, their skirts swishing, the girls rushed into formation. Christy ran with the others, clapping and smiling. That’s when she noticed that Teri was missing. She hadn’t come out on the floor with them.
Christy glanced over at Teri, sitting alone holding the ice on her ankle, the tears still glistening on her cheeks.
That was it. The decision had been made. They all knew it. Since Teri didn’t compete in this event, she wouldn’t qualify, and the seven girls who now stood on the gym floor would be next year’s cheerleaders.
They ran back to their seats after the routine, giving each other looks of triumph, knowing the cut had been made, and it wasn’t one of them. They couldn’t let their assumptions be known because they’d been instructed to control their responses.
Christy wondered why the judges didn’t go ahead and say something. It was an unusual year in that never before had so few tried out for the squad.
Usually a dozen girls competed. The only reason Christy could imagine the judges remaining silent about the winners was that Kelley High had an old tradition that the announcement of who made the squad wasn’t posted or made public to the school until at least a week after tryouts. It was the same way with other sports teams as well.
Mrs. James had once said the reason was to allow the teachers to agree on the involvement of the students in the sport or activity and make sure there was no conflict with conduct or grades. This year the big announcement would be no surprise. All the students and parents who had come to tryouts knew they were looking at the chosen seven.
Christy couldn’t stop smiling. She was going to be a cheerleader! Why, oh why, didn’t they break their tradition for this year only and announce the names of the winners right now? What good was it to know and be so excited when you couldn’t let out a squeal of delight?
With tryouts officially over, the girls were dismissed. Noisy feet stampeded down the bleachers. Christy ran off the floor and into the locker room, looking for Teri. She found her in the coach’s office, her foot covered with a large bag of ice and propped up on a chair. The tears had smeared her makeup, and Teri looked pitiful.
“You okay?” Christy asked softly, her emotions leaping every time she thought of her victory then instantly crashing when she thought of Teri. It was a terrible combination of feelings to have to endure in the same moment.
“No, but I will be.” Teri’s voice quivered. Then with a strength and dignity that Christy knew she never could have at such a moment, Teri said, “Congratulations, Christy! I’m so glad you made the squad.”
Christy could tell that she really meant it too.
“I feel awful,” Christy began.
“Don’t! You should be very proud of yourself. You did a great job. The best I’ve ever seen you do!”
“I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t helped me. I hope you know that. I just feel so bad for you, Teri.”