Cordelia stared at the hand that didn't feel like her hand. It obviously was her hand; she could see her wrist connected to her elbow connected to her shoulder, but the hand itself, the appendage resting on her desk, covered by an ice bag and wrapped in an Ace bandage, did not seem to belong to her.
The entire mortifying evening unspooled in her mind: the hard, stifling silence as Dorian and Coach Martin took her to the medical center, Coach Martin's departure to check on Allie, Dorian's attempts at encouragement and support, attempts that felt insincere to Cordelia, the X-rays, the official announcement that there were no broken bones in her hand, the numbness in her heart as the nurse wrapped her hand, Dorian's call to Coach Martin and the expression on his face when he told Cordelia that there would be a meeting tomorrow with Coach Martin and administration, and now she sat in her room, staring out the window as the last tattered shreds of daylight ebbed away.
"Are you okay?"
Cordelia gasped. "Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry." Tess pitched her gym bag toward the closet and folded her lanky frame into her chair. "Are you okay?"
Cordelia looked at her hand and rolled her tongue around inside her mouth. "Nothing's broken."
"That's not what I asked. Are you okay?"
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess either I'm stupid or you're crazy, because I already told you it's not broken, yet you keep asking the same question."
"Because I'm not asking about your hand." Tess crossed her legs first one way, then the other, then moved to her bed and sat down. "I'm asking about you."
"Yes, and my hand will be fine in a few days." Cordelia turned her face away and made a point of staring out the window.
"Cordelia, you punched out your captain, and did a pretty bang-up job of it from what I hear-"
The brunette cheerleader's head whipped around. "You heard about it?"
Tess shook her head. "I think everybody's heard about it, at least everybody connected to the athletic department." The tall girl shrugged. "The artsy crowd might not be so interested."
"Oh, god," Cordelia fought the overpowering urge to smash her forehead into her desk.
"So," Tess said, drawing out the vowel, "I'm asking… how are you?"
"Why do you care?" The brunette looked at her hand. It still seemed detached from the rest of her, but then all of her felt curiously detached, as though she were simultaneously experiencing the conversation and watching it from the corner.
Tess's eyes rolled to the side, accompanied by an unbelieving snort. "Cordelia, we live in the same room. We're here for hours a day. We sleep here. I'm not saying we're best buddies 'til the end of time, but you've been a pretty good roomie. You haven't tried to kill me in my sleep, you've never left weird food under the bed, the weirdest thing I've seen is the way you coordinate all your clothes on the hanger, so, if you punched somebody's lights out, something's wrong… I think."
Cordelia stared into Tess's large brown eyes and felt a pressure building inside of her, like a pressure cooker with a faulty valve. She wanted to say something, needed to say something, but her emotions were like a snarl of fishing line; where could she even begin to untangle them?
The knock on the door startled both of them, then Tess said, "You expecting anybody?" Cordelia shook her head. The volleyball player unfolded from the bed and opened the door.
"Uh, hi. Is Cordelia here?"
Tess stepped aside, extending a hand like an usher, to reveal Kelli, Maria, and Tamarra clustered in the doorway. The tableau lasted for an awkward moment, then Kelli said, "Can we come in?"
"Yeah, uh, yeah." Cordelia waved with her unbandaged hand.
The girls stood shuffling their feet for a second until Tess said, "Here, somebody take my chair, somebody can sit on my bed, uh…" She looked at Cordelia's lofted bed.
"I'll take that." Maria clambered up the end of the bed frame and perched on the mattress. Tamarra sat at the end of Tess's bed, Tess sat at the other, and Kelli was left with the chair.
"Why are you guys here?" Cordelia asked.
"Jeez, we wanted to see how you are." Maria leaned over and looked down, a little like Snoopy pretending to be a condor atop his doghouse.
Tamarra shrugged. "We wanted to make sure you were okay. How's the hand? Broken?"
Cordelia shook her head. "No, just kinda bruised."
"You're lucky," Tamarra said. "Punching somebody in the head is an easy way to break your hand. What? Why you looking at me? My older brother boxes!" She shook her head. "I've never been in a fight, at least not one where we threw hands."
"Oh, good, maybe we'll get to the bottom of that." Tess had leaned back into the corner, her legs crossed beneath her. "She's been very dense about it."
"I appreciate it, I really do, but it doesn't matter." Cordelia looked down, her lips pursed. "I'm meeting with Coach Martin tomorrow, and they're probably going to kick me out of school."
"Why would they do that?" Maria leaned out precariously far.
Cordelia's eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "Uh, I knocked out the captain of my squad. Pretty sure that's a firing offense."
"Whoa, knocked her out?" Tess sat up a little straighter. "I hadn't heard that." Tamarra nodded.
"Okay, it sounds bad, when you say it like that." Kelli nodded. "But she did lay hands on you, it's not like you just walked up and cold-cocked her."
"Wait, she touched you?" Tess leaned forward.
"Oh, Allie'd been awful to everybody." Tamarra waved a dismissive hand. "I mean, Allie's pretty in your face all the time, but she was extra bitc- rough today."
"Yeah," Maria said. "She was riding everyone, even the seniors like Rachel, who does everything right. Then she walked up behind Cordelia and pushed and bam." The short girl drove her right fist into her left palm. The room got very quiet.
"Too soon," Tamarra said.
"Sorry," Maria murmured.
"I know I wasn't there, but that sounds a little different." Tess returned to her relaxed posture in the corner. "Somebody puts a hand on you, that's another story."
"We just wanted to check on you, make sure you were all right." Kelli folded her hands in her lap.
Cordelia blew out her breath. "All right might be a little far, but I'm okay… at least as okay as someone who'll be working the jewelry kiosk at the mall next week can be."
"Hey." Tamarra leaned forward. "Don't be that way. What time's your meeting tomorrow?"
"Ten- ten o'clock." Cordelia blinked back tears.
"Well, then, at nine-thirty, we'll get together and pray for you."
"Uh, what?" Maria's tone made it clear that this had not been discussed beforehand.
"Okay, I'll pray, you send out positive vibes or whatever you do, point is-" Tamarra addressed Cordelia "-we got your back, and we'll be thinking of you."
Cordelia nodded. "Thanks."
"Okay." Tamarra stood up. "We'll leave you guys alone." The trio formed up and went into the hallway. Tess and Cordelia stared at each other, then they heard Kelli's voice from the hall.
"Just a minute, I forgot something." The blonde girl stepped back inside the room and crouched in front of Cordelia. "Um, is there anything… wrong."
"Yeah," Cordelia said, "I knocked out two people, and one of them was me."
"No." Kelli shook her head vigorously. "I mean…" She rolled her eyes and tilted her head slightly toward Tess.
"No," Cordelia said. "There's nothing wrong with Tess."
"That's not what I mean, I mean… you know." Kelli bugged her eyes for emphasis.
"I can make myself scarce if I need to," Tess said. "I could probably make myself pee or something."
"No, don't do that." Cordelia closed her eyes and shook her head, sighing. "What are you talking about Kelli?"
"Okay." The blond cheerleader bit her lip. "Since… since we went to Old House the other night, you've been… edgy, and with what happened, I wondered if maybe something, you know…" She exhaled loudly. "If what happened there is still bothering you."
Cordelia looked at her fellow cheerleader, eyes level. "Kelli, I saw a mouse."
Kelli returned the stare for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. See you tomorrow." After she left, the room felt empty and airless. Tess hitched forward until she sat on the edge of the bed, her feet flat on the floor. "Well," she said, "on the bright side, I'd say you've got some teammates who are looking out for you." She stood and stretched, her fingertips almost brushing the ceiling. "Would you like some space?"
Cordelia thought over the question and licked her lips. "No," she said at last, "I don't think so."
"Cool." Tess sat down at her desk and grabbed a textbook. "Because if you'd said 'yes', I didn't really have a plan." She opened her book and began reading. Cordelia took out her cell phone and looked at it, feeling the compact weight of it in her palm.
"Thinking about calling your parents?" Tess asked.
"Huh? No, I, uh, my… no." Cordelia looked up at her roommate. "Do you really think it makes a difference that Allie pushed me?"
Tess put a finger in her book and leaned back, her face turned toward the ceiling. "It would to me. The other girls said she'd been riding everyone pretty hard. Had she been chewing your ass?"
Cordelia explore the tip of a canine with her tongue. "Yes." She bit her lip. "I've been having trouble with a move."
"Okay, so she's been riding you and then she pushes you?" Tess shook her head. "I wouldn't let that pass." She looked at the brunette. "I understand why you did it."
Cordelia nodded and looked down at her lap. "Thank you."
"Well," Tess said, "based on what they said, I'm afraid you'd dislocate my jaw if I made you mad, so…"
Cordelia smiled, her eyes glittering. "I hate you."
There was an official reminder email in her inbox the next morning. Cordelia scowled and deleted; like she was going to forget that. The walk to the bathroom felt like the death-row scene in a '40s movie: the long hallway, faces on either side of her, faces that she was sure knew what had happened. She skipped breakfast; anything she tried to eat would have either gotten stuck in her throat or come roaring back up. She went to her 8:30 class, numb and detached. When they were dismissed, she began the walk over to Southard. It wasn't a long walk and she found herself with fifteen minutes to wait. She stood outside the facility and looked at it, trying to decide if she should memorize what it looked like or erase it from her mind. She swung her backpack off her shoulder and dug out her cell phone. She had one number saved and she dialed it, then waited. The ringer clicked off; Cordelia felt weak with relief. It was going to voicemail. When the message ended, she cleared her throat and said, "I, uh, I just wanted to call and tell you that I'll probably be back this afternoon. For good." That was all she could get out. She snapped the phone shut and dried her eyes on the heels of her hands, then squared her shoulders and entered the building.
The meeting was in a conference room on the first floor at the end of a wide hallway. Karen Martin waited outside the door. The coach wore a blazer and blouse in the two shades of Wainwright blue, the blazer in the darker hue. She nodded as the girl approached.
"Cordelia," she said, "let's go in. Everybody else is here." Cordelia felt dazed and weightless. Whatever would happen would happen; after yesterday, everything else was out of her hands. A long rectangular table ran down the center of the room, big enough for twenty people, big enough that it dwarfed the two women who rose from their seats as Cordelia and Coach Martin entered. "Cordelia," the coach said, "this is Rosalynn Worthy, assistant director of athletics." Rosalynn Worthy was a black woman of medium height and erect bearing. Her expression was impossible to read; she started to reach out, then noticed the bandage on Cordelia's hand and quickly withdrew.
The other woman had large dark eyes with lashes Cordelia would have punched someone else for and porcelain skin. Her thick chestnut hair was well-cut just above her shoulders and when she smiled she revealed white, even teeth. She stood and offered her left hand. "Cordelia, hi, I'm Kaitlin Desjardins."
"Here." Coach Martin tapped the back of a chair. Cordelia sat down, ready for the bullet.
"All right." Rosalynn Worthy flipped open a manila folder. "We are here today because of an incident at the end of cheer practice yesterday." She moved papers from one side of the folder to the other. "We already have statements from witnesses, the medical center, and the hospital." She folded her hands, her lips tight. "Miss Chase, we would like to hear your account of what happened."
Cordelia took a breath; she was not going to cry or beg. She might be leaving Wainwright, but she would not look weak. "At the end of practice, Allie shoved me. I turned around and apparently I punched her in the face."
"Apparently?" It was phrased like a question, but a skeptical question.
"Excuse me." Kaitlin Desjardins leaned forward. "Do you not remember striking her?"
Cordelia folded her hands in her lap, mainly to keep them from shaking. "I really don't. I remember her pushing me and I turned around, then I remember being on the turf and Dorian was standing there." Her left hand drifted up and out. "And I remember looking over that way and seeing everybody, and seeing Allie's legs, and that's how I knew it was her."
"But the actual blow itself, the time immediately before that and immediately after, you don't remember what happened?"
Cordelia looked at Ms. Desjardins. "I already said that."
"When did you realize what had happened?"
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid. Allie was down on the ground and my hand-" She held up the bandaged limb. "It was pretty obvious, like, duh."
"All right, all right. And you say Allie pushed you?"
"Yeah." Cordelia's dread was being replaced by annoyance. "Again, I already said that."
"Sorry, just bear with me. Where did she push you?" When Cordelia frowned, Ms. Desjardins held up a hand. "Let me be more specific. Where was she standing when she pushed you and on what part of your body did she place her hands?"
"She was behind me and it was only, like, one hand and it was up here." Cordelia made an awkward gesture toward her shoulder.
"Uh-huh." Kaitlyn looked down at the table and nodded. "I understand that you can't know what another person is thinking, but can you think of a reason why would she shove you?"
Cordelia sat stone-still for a beat. She knew that the first response to come to mind was not the one she should share. "It had been a long practice. Allie had been up in everyone's face all day."
Ms. Desjardins raised a hand and turned to Coach Martin. "Would you agree with Cordelia? Can you corroborate that?"
Karen Martin gave two slow nods. "It was an intense practice and Allie was pushing people pretty hard. Verbally."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Ms. Desjardins sat back in her chair. "I'm good for now."
'Dear God,' Cordelia thought, 'Why are you people dragging this out?'
Rosalynn Worthy nodded. "As I said, we have statements from other members of the team. They unanimously support Miss Chase's contention that Miss Anderson pushed her, which means that there was a measure of... provocation. We also have statements from team members that Miss Chase is a reliable teammate, although the phrases 'runs hot' and 'tightly wrapped' were used." A small smile touched the corner of her lip. Cordelia's head felt foggy. She had completely lost the thread of what was happening. "We are also aware that last year was very traumatic for you, Miss Chase." Ms. Worthy tapped the documents in front of her. "We cannot condone what happened yesterday, but I think that the picture that we have in front of us definitely includes extenuating circumstances and a certain amount of... incitement." The curtain began to lift for Cordelia. You mean that because my parents died in a gross murder/suicide I'm broken girl. She swallowed and gritted her teeth.
"Coach Martin and I have considered this situation and discussed it thoroughly in the last twelve hours." Ms. Worthy exhaled and settled into her chair. "You may remain as a student at Wainwright and as a member of the Blue Wave cheer squad pursuant to the following conditions. First, you and Allie Anderson will not be together in any unsupervised setting-"
"No problem there," Cordelia blurted. Ms. Worthy gave her a steely look; Kaitlin Desjardins ducked her head.
"Second, you will begin counseling with Dr. Desjardins."
"Doctor…" Cordelia's eyes widened as she turned on the other woman. "You're a shrink!"
"I prefer 'psychiatrist'." Kaitlin's expression was a no-nonsense half-smile.
"If we may get back on track." Ms. Worthy cleared her throat. "You will attend regular sessions with Dr. Desjardins, who will keep us informed of your progress and emotional state. Do you have any questions?"
Cordelia stuck her tongue in one cheek. "Does Allie have to go to counseling?" Karen Martin covered a slight cough. Dr. Desjardins's mouth drew into a tight pucker; her eyes twinkled.
Ms. Worthy did not appear to be amused. "Privacy and confidentiality policies prevent me from answering that question, even if I wanted to. Miss Anderson's situation is none of your concern, Miss Chase." She widened her eyes and stared hard at Cordelia. "I want to emphasize that these conditions allow you to remain at Wainwright on a probationary basis. Do I make myself clear?"
Cordelia shifted her weight. "I-"
"Miss Chase, all I need to hear from you is 'Yes, I understand'." Rosalynn Worthy raised an eyebrow.
Cordelia swallowed and nodded. "I understand."
"Good, then we are finished." Ms. Worthy stood up. The other women followed suit. "Dr. Desjardins, I trust you will keep me apprised of the situation." She nodded to all of them. "Ladies."
As Rosalynn left the room, Kaitlin handed a business card to Karen Martin and turned to Cordelia. "If you could hang out, just for a minute, so we can get you scheduled."
"'Hang out'?" Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "So, like a social gathering?"
Coach Martin tapped the business card against her leg. "I think I'll wait outside." She closed the door on her way out of the room.
"So," Cordelia said, "you're the school shrink?"
Kaitlin glanced down at the papers on the table, her lips pursed tightly. "No, I'm a therapist in private practice. I do contract work for the university from time to time. Now, we need to get you on the schedule. What day is good for you?"
Cordelia felt her legs shaking. "How about Monday at thirteen o'clock?"
Katilin's smile was wry. "I guess that 'runs hot' assessment was accurate." She tucked her hair behind her right ear. "And if you use the twenty-four hour cycle, thirteen hundred hours is one PM." She wiggled her eyebrows as Cordelia bit her lip. The therapist sat down and gestured across the table. " "So, are we going get you scheduled, or are we going to pretend this is a two-hand version of The Women?"
Karen Martin was waiting in the hallway when Cordelia came out. "Everything good?" the coach asked.
"I'm not sure," Cordelia replied. "She mentioned some old movie I've never heard of, but I'm supposed to see her on Thursday afternoon."
"That was quick."
Cordelia looked over her shoulder at the closed door. "She said she wanted to get started before our next game."
Karen Martin nodded. "That's probably a good idea. I've got the medical report on your hand. Take it easy in practice today. If the swelling's gone and it doesn't hurt, you can go tomorrow." She looked away to her right, then back at the girl. "Just so you know, your teammates really went to bat for you. They probably convinced the AD to let you stay."
Cordelia frowned. "And you're telling me this why?"
"You're strong, physically strong and, I think, mentally strong, but…" The coach considered her next words. "You don't have to be as emotionally strong as you seem to be trying to be. To be part of the team, you have to really be a part of it. You have to be able to let yourself depend on other people."
"That's a lot of 'to be's." Cordelia gestured over her shoulder with a pointed thumb. "I thought the therapist was in there."
Karen ignored her. "Dorian says you have tremendous potential. I'm inclined to agree with him, based on what I've seen in practice." She folded her arms and stared at the girl, a hard, direct look. "But there is something you've got to deal with. I don't know what it is but that punch you threw-" She shook her head. "That wasn't just someone losing their temper, that was violence. Take the therapy seriously." She offered a short nod and walked away deeper into the building. Cordelia watched her go, then shook her head and went in the opposite direction toward the lobby. She stopped short when she entered the open space and saw Kelli, Maria, and Tamarra clustered against the wall to her right.
"So?" Tamarra asked.
Cordelia breathed out and blinked. "I'm still here," she finally said.
"Yes! Yes!" Maria pumped her fist.
"See, prayer makes a difference," Tamarra said. "God hears."
"Really?" Cordelia feigned amazement. "His name didn't come up."
"Well." Tamarra shrugged. "The Lord helps those who help themselves."
"The important thing is that you're still here," Kelli said. "Because, otherwise, we'd have an odd number of cheerleaders and that just wouldn't work. We probably have to dump Wyatt to make it even."
"Yeah." Maria and Tamarra nodded. "Definitely Wyatt."
Cordelia cleared her throat. "So, lunch?"
"Always," Maria said. "Wave Length?" Wave Length was the student cafe; it was closer than Dickey and, by general agreement, a good choice for everyone. Cordelia was quiet as the group walked, but the other three girls more than covered her silence. Wave Length was fairly quiet; the lunch rush hadn't hit and most of the students scattered throughout the cozy, well-lighted space nursed drinks and worked on laptops. The cheerleaders found a table in the far corner, a prime spot, and arranged themselves, stowing backpacks and jackets. Cordelia took a bite of her green salad with grilled chicken, looked out through one of the tall windows at the campus, then asked a question:
"What happened yesterday?"
The other girls went quiet and stared at her. Finally, Maria said, "You know what happened. You knocked Allie out."
"No, I-" A sliver of lettuce or something caught in Cordelia's throat and she coughed. "No, I mean… what happened? I- I don't remember anything from when Allie shoved me until I woke up on the ground."
Her three teammates looked at each other then, perhaps by acclamation, Kelli spoke. "Uh, well, Allie pushed you, then you turned around, and-" She stopped and winced. Cordelia shook her head.
"Don't. Just don't. Tell me."
Kelli gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Okay. You kinda went into this, I don't know, crouch and you punched her."
"Oh, hell, no." Tamarra extended a hand toward the middle of the table. "No offense, but that's just the edited version." She looked at Cordelia. "You were in a stance and then, whooo, that punch." Tamarra shook her head. "Like I said, my brother boxes, and Ray Ray would have been proud of it. It just came straight off your shoulder and it popped. Allie went down like a puppet when you cut the strings."
Maria looked up from her lunch. "Your brother knocks out a lot of people?"
Tamarra shook her head. "No, he's usually the one going down. I said he boxes, I didn't say he was good at it."
Cordelia looked down at the table as the other giggled. "Well," she said when the laughter subsided, "how did I end up on the ground?" The others exchanged glances again.
"It was… It was kinda weird." Apparently it was Maria's turn to speak. "I mean, it was scary when you came around, it was kinda like you were somebody else and you hit her, and she went down and you had this kinda scary look on your face, like maybe you were gonna hit her again, so Dorian stepped between you-"
"Oh god," Cordelia groaned. "Did he tackle me? Please tell me he didn't tackle me."
"No." Kelli shook her head, blond hair swaying. "I mean, he stepped up like he thought he might have to, but then you dropped your hands and when you did that he grabbed you by the shoulders and then you- you…"
"Bloop." Maria dropped her hand onto the table. "Down goes Cordelia."
"Yeah," Tamarra said. "Like you just passed out all of a sudden. Scare the pee-waddin' out of everybody. What? It's something my dad says."
"It did kinda change the vibe," Maria said. "I mean, for a minute it looked like we might have two dead cheerleaders."
"Hey," Tamarra said. "We gotta get to class."
Kelli scooped up her backpack and looked Cordelia in the eye. "Are you gonna be at practice?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. I can't do anything today-" She held up her bandaged hand "-but I'll probably get this off tomorrow."
"Okay." Kelli nodded. "See you then."
Cordelia nodded as she grabbed her own backpack. Just as she swung it to her shoulder, she heard her phone chirp. She held up a finger to the girls as she pulled it out the phone, then blanched as she saw the caller's number. "Go ahead," she said to the others. "I have to answer this and I don't think I'll be sunshine girl when I'm done." The trio exchanged wide-eyed looks and drifted away as Cordelia opened the phone and pressed 'Talk'. "Hello?"
"What the hell was that message?"
Cordelia bit her lip. "Okay, I may have been a teensy bit overly dramatic. I-"
"Cordelia!" Matti's voice overloaded the speaker, adding a rattling buzz to the ambient tension. "What is going on?"
Cordelia looked around the cafe as though searching for guidance written on the floor-to-ceiling windows. "I, um, I… I have to get to class, I'll call you later."
"Girl-" Matti's effort to modulate her tone was blatant. "Okay, let me ask this… are you in legal or academic trouble?"
"What? No." Cordelia scowled. "Really, I'll call you later."
There was a pause, then: "I'll accept that, since I'm in a time crunch myself. You call me back after dinner, six o'clock, all right?"
"Yes," Cordelia said, nodding furiously. "Six o'clock, promise."
"All right, and Cordelia?"
"Yeeeeessssss?" The cheerleader couldn't help wincing.
"Make sure you block out plenty of time."
Her stomach was a Gordian knot of anxiety when she stepped through the locker room door. She wasn't sure what to expect; the worst she could think of was a sort of Scarlet Letter affair, although she couldn't imagine what letter might be assigned to her. Still, when Cordelia put her foot over the threshold, her body tensed as though it expected a physical blow. The burr of conversation dropped slightly and a few quick glances were thrown her way, but the overall tenor of the room did not change; relief flooded her system as she grabbed a practice roll from the equipment manager. The flood was stanched when she turned and locked eyes with Allie at the other end of the room. The co-captain's nose and the upper-left quadrant of her face were swollen and puffy; her left eye was about two-thirds closed and what could be seen was pinkish-red and bloodshot. The beginning of a spectacular black eye was forming: the orbital area was already dark purple and blue, and Cordelia knew from experience that before it was over a huge chunk of Allie's face would be various shades of black, blue, and green. Her nose was still packed with gauze, which made her breathe through her mouth. Cordelia licked her lips and turned toward her locker, suddenly aware that now the room had gotten very still, as if everyone held their breath in unison.
"Here." Kelli slid an empty chair toward the brunette's locker; the tension eased and conversations resumed, although Cordelia could swear that she felt Allie's gaze burning into her back between her shoulder blades.
"Cordelia? Allie?" Karen Martin stood in the door to her office. "A minute?" Cordelia exhaled, turned, and waited for Allie to go past: there was no way she was letting the blond behind her. As they shuffled into the office, Coach Martin closed the door. "All right," she said, gesturing to two chairs, "have a seat." There was a moment of hesitation, then both girls sat, staring at each other as they did so.
"Well, that's a good start." Coach Martin clucked her tongue. "Listen, I'm not going to pretend that you two have to be best friends, but you are not going to divide this squad, do you hear me?"
Allie shifted her feet. "She-"
"Ah, ah, I'm afraid I wasn't clear. That question was rhetorical. You do hear me." Coach Martin stared at them and Cordelia was struck by how the woman's normally pleasant, open face looked like a warrior mask. "You've each had a meeting with admin, but let's clarify things just a bit. First, you both know you are not to be alone with each other. I'm sure that's not a burden to either one of you, but let's be specific. When you are at practice, you will interact as captain and team member. Allie, you may criticize and correct Cordelia's form or technique, but that is all, understood?" When Allie opened her mouth again, Karen Martin held up a 'stop' hand. "Understood?" Allie huffed and nodded. "You are also to remain at least an arm's length from each other at all times during practice. That includes today, even though neither of you is active. I realize that may not be possible at games, but if we have another incident at a game-" She looked hard at Cordelia. "-then the situation will self-correct. Am I clear?" Cordelia pushed down any and all retorts and simply nodded. "Cordelia, you will take any and all of Allie's instructions to heart, as she is co-captain.
"Each of you has other conditions you have to meet, but I'm going to add one of my own." Coach Martin leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I will not tolerate anything that spreads division on this squad, so if I hear of either one of you bad-mouthing the other or the team or the administration, then I will consider that a sign that you no longer wish to be a member of the Blue Wave. Any questions?" She sat back and her eyes widened. "None? Great. Let's go out there and have a good practice today." She clapped her hands softly as she stood, then opened the door. Cordelia waited, but Allie was committed to being last out of the office. Since Coach Martin was right there, Cordelia felt sure she would not catch a knife under the ribs. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped out of the office into a flurry of activity so sudden and all-consuming that it was almost comical. She crossed the floor to her locker. Kelli let out a breath.
"Was it bad?"
"Hmmm," Cordelia murmured. "Let's see… root canal, appendectomy, Police Academy marathon…" She looked Kelli square in the eye. "This was worse."
