The Monday after a Saturday competition always brings excitement to the band hallway. Everyone is always talking about the day's events. Most of it was chatter of the silly things people said, who was caught kissing on the bus on the way home when it was dark, or how someone marched off with only one Dinkle. I was never apart of this chatter. It always took place in the band room during the half hour period we had before the first bell rang. The band room was the place to be, to hang out. If you weren't there, you weren't a band geek. Since I was a cheerleader, I was expected to meet the girls by The Wall, about a few feet away from the concrete area by the door that led into the band room from the outside. As I made my way over there that morning, I found myself looking at the door wishing I could be apart of whatever was going on in there. I had never experienced. I went a few times freshmen year but I never really fit in. Over the course of the year I made more and more band friends. Now that it was the second week of school, I was beginning to wonder if I really belonged with the blonde, short-skirt wearing, nail painting, preps of the school. But seeing Jake's smiling face forced me to push the thoughts out of my mind. I smiled back and walked over to be with them. Leah was standing there too, putting on sparkly lip gloss as a group of freshmen girls gawked at her, wishing they could be like her.
"Hey cutie," Jake said sweetly, "I'm really looking forward to Friday."
Before I could answer, Jenny came up behind me and threw her arms around my waist.
"Oh my god! Congratulations!" she squealed at me. "I can't believe you didn't call me after the parade! It was sooo close, but you were sooo good! I'm sooo happy you guys finally won something! And it was sooo close to GW's score!"
"What in the world are you talking about, Jenny?" Leah asked looking as though Jenny's outburst was not acceptable.
"The Parade! They came in second!" Jenny said. "We were there, remember?"
"Oh right, whatever," Leah said smirking. "Girls, can I have you attention please? I have big new!"
All the cheerleaders ended their conversations and turned to Leah as if whatever she had to say was more important than anything else in the world. Leah flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and continued.
"As you all know, I sent in a tape of us to the National Cheerleader Society or the NCS. I am very pleased to announce that we have been accepted! This is a great honor because we will be competing with the best squads on the east coast. If we place will we continue through two semi final rounds. Then we will move on to a grand championship for all the high school cheerleading squads in the country in San Diego. For now, ladies, I just want you to worry about the first elimination round on Saturday, October 9. That is exactly one month from tomorrow so we need to get down working quickly. Also, Allison, this is a team effort. You will be expected to be apart of the competition because if we place, this could go well into basketball season. Our extra practices have been scheduled around your, um, band practices. Here is your uniform which you may wear to school on game days."
She handed me a copy of the schedule and my uniform as the other girls clapped politely for me. It felt really awkward. The bell rang for first period just as Leah had finished handing out schedules to everyone else.
I spent the rest of the day worrying. I knew that it was a great honor to be accepted to this competition. It was almost like BOA. With all cheerleading and marching band practice, it was going to be really hard to keep up with my school work. I was really worried about what my friends would say because I would be hanging out with the cheerleaders more often. Then I remembered the first game was on Friday so I would have to keep an eye on the time while at the movies with Jake. Oh! The game! I would have to wear my cheerleading uniform to school. I couldn't wear the uniform. The section was counting on me to wear my Pairs Sketches shirt with blue jeans and my Dinkles. Lily had even made black ribbons for all the girls that said our name and graduation year on one side and "clarinetees" on the other side with sparkly gold glitter. I had to wear my marching band pride outfit. There was just no question about it. We had been doing this ever since the school opened. The marching band was the most spirited group in the school, not to mention the biggest. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Well, I guess things couldn't get much worse. All I knew was I had to figure something out. And I didn't have much time.
"Hey cutie," Jake said sweetly, "I'm really looking forward to Friday."
Before I could answer, Jenny came up behind me and threw her arms around my waist.
"Oh my god! Congratulations!" she squealed at me. "I can't believe you didn't call me after the parade! It was sooo close, but you were sooo good! I'm sooo happy you guys finally won something! And it was sooo close to GW's score!"
"What in the world are you talking about, Jenny?" Leah asked looking as though Jenny's outburst was not acceptable.
"The Parade! They came in second!" Jenny said. "We were there, remember?"
"Oh right, whatever," Leah said smirking. "Girls, can I have you attention please? I have big new!"
All the cheerleaders ended their conversations and turned to Leah as if whatever she had to say was more important than anything else in the world. Leah flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and continued.
"As you all know, I sent in a tape of us to the National Cheerleader Society or the NCS. I am very pleased to announce that we have been accepted! This is a great honor because we will be competing with the best squads on the east coast. If we place will we continue through two semi final rounds. Then we will move on to a grand championship for all the high school cheerleading squads in the country in San Diego. For now, ladies, I just want you to worry about the first elimination round on Saturday, October 9. That is exactly one month from tomorrow so we need to get down working quickly. Also, Allison, this is a team effort. You will be expected to be apart of the competition because if we place, this could go well into basketball season. Our extra practices have been scheduled around your, um, band practices. Here is your uniform which you may wear to school on game days."
She handed me a copy of the schedule and my uniform as the other girls clapped politely for me. It felt really awkward. The bell rang for first period just as Leah had finished handing out schedules to everyone else.
I spent the rest of the day worrying. I knew that it was a great honor to be accepted to this competition. It was almost like BOA. With all cheerleading and marching band practice, it was going to be really hard to keep up with my school work. I was really worried about what my friends would say because I would be hanging out with the cheerleaders more often. Then I remembered the first game was on Friday so I would have to keep an eye on the time while at the movies with Jake. Oh! The game! I would have to wear my cheerleading uniform to school. I couldn't wear the uniform. The section was counting on me to wear my Pairs Sketches shirt with blue jeans and my Dinkles. Lily had even made black ribbons for all the girls that said our name and graduation year on one side and "clarinetees" on the other side with sparkly gold glitter. I had to wear my marching band pride outfit. There was just no question about it. We had been doing this ever since the school opened. The marching band was the most spirited group in the school, not to mention the biggest. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Well, I guess things couldn't get much worse. All I knew was I had to figure something out. And I didn't have much time.