"Martin, Ann M - BSC070 - Stacey And The Cheerleaders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin Ann M)

We worked and worked until I was ready to collapse. Needless to say, that night I slept like a rock.
The next morning, Wednesday, I literally fell out of bed. My legs did not want to uncurl. I sprawled on the floor and did long, slow, stretching exercises, just the way Jessi had taught me. After a few minutes of that, I was ready for the school day.
Believe it or not, as I walked to school I felt better than I had for a few days. Over the weekend my legs had been like Jell-O. Now they felt stronger and more solid.
Guess who was in front of school as I arrived? Robert and Marty.
They were deep in conversation, but I caught Robert's eye.
He stopped in midsentence. "Hi, Stacey!" he said.
"Hey, Stace," Marty echoed. With a mischievous smile, he added, "Well, I guess I should leave you guys alone. See you!"
He loped away from the school with long, gliding steps.
"Where's he going?" I asked.
"Emergency basketball drill," Robert replied in a flat voice.
"What?"
"Well, that was what he told his homeroom teacher, Mr. Blake." Robert shrugged. "Blake's a big fan, so he lets Marty go."
"But that's not fair."
"Yeah, I know. That's what I was trying to tell Marty."
I was shocked. But it made me think of the time Penny and Darcy had met me outside my homeroom. They had giggled about going to a "practice."
Sheila hadn't gone with them. Ms. Levine would never have fallen for that excuse. Obviously Penny and Darcy were luckier.
"I can't believe teachers let stuff like this happen," I said.
"Mm-hm. It's as much their fault as the kids'." Robert sighed and put his arm around
me. "But don't worry. Some of us are okay."
I supposed so, but I felt pretty funny about the situation. Robert had told me this kind of stuff happened. Still, seeing it was creepy.
Robert walked me to my locker. There we met Mary Anne and Logan.
"Hey, we were just talking about you," Logan exclaimed.
"Yeah?" Robert replied.
"We're going out Saturday night," Mary Anne said. "And we thought you might want to make it a double date."
I thought it was a great idea. But Robert looked a little disappointed. "Well, I was going to ask Stacey to go out with me on Friday."
"You were?" I asked.
Robert nodded. "Is it okay with you if we go out two nights in a row?"
"Yes!" I blurted out. "I accept and I accept!"
Boy, was I psyched. That evening before the BSC meeting, I really threw myself into my cheerleading practice.
That was when I had a breakthrough. I don't know how it happened. Everything just seemed to click. My kicks were sharp, my steps were on the beat, my arms were energetic. I even managed to smile through most of the routine.
"Stacey, you are going to blow their socks
off!" Jessi said. "I am serious. Socks will be flying all around you. The cheerleaders'll be running around in their bare feet. That was fantastic!"
"We're the best! Stace and Jess! Yea, team!" I shouted. I was fired up. For the first time, I knew I had a shot at making the team.
"You should preview this at the BSC meeting," Jessi suggested.
"Are you kidding?"
"No way. Aren't you proud of it?"
"Well, yeah, but ..."
"It'll be like a dress rehearsal. If you can do it well before them, you'll be great at the tryouts."
"Maybe."
"I knew you would!" Jessi exclaimed.
"I said maybe."
You know, sometimes I think Jessi is just as bad as Kristy. That evening, at "new business" time in the meeting, Jessi stood up and said, "I move we all go into the Kishis' backyard at six and watch Stacey's cheerleading routine!"
Claudia cracked up. She thought it was a joke. And Kristy got impatient. But Jessi insisted Ч and that was how I got my first audience. At precisely six, my friends and I ran out to the backyard. I was on.
How did I do? Not bad, considering I was wearing my down coat and snow boots. Kristy
and Claudia still seemed to think I was crazy, but they applauded.
Good old Mary Anne said, "Stacey, that was great! If you were a cheerleader I wouldn't be able to watch the game!"
Now that is a friend.
On Thursday I had my second dress rehearsal. This one was planned. I couldn't help blabbing to Sheila about my progress, and I asked her if she and a couple of the others would watch my routine in advance.
I went with her to The Group table during lunch period. She whispered to Penny and Darcy, and the four of us headed for the rear door, which led to the school parking lot.
"We can't go out there," I said. "We'll get suspended."