Dance Team (3 page)

I laughed. Since she was little, Leah's been famous for chewing her nails when she's nervous. Over the years we've tried everything to get her to stop. The only thing that really works is getting a manicure. After a mani, Leah says she's so busy admiring her fingernails, she can't bear to bite them.

Leah was about to step on the escalator when a group of middle school boys came tearing past us. A redheaded kid bumped right into Leah. He would have knocked her down the escalator if I hadn't grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Hooting and yelling, the boys raced away without even stopping to see if Leah was all right.

“Brats!” I spat after them. “Are you okay, Leah?”

She nodded, her eyes shooting off sparks. “But I wouldn't have been if you hadn't grabbed me.” She gave me a big hug. “Thanks, girl! The manicure's on me!”

I hugged back but kept my eyes on the group of boys racing across the first floor of the mall. Wasn't that redheaded boy Camilla's little brother? I'd seen him a couple of times when he walked over from the middle school to get a ride home with Camilla.

And if it was Camilla's brother, was the shove an accident? I couldn't help remembering what Camilla had said in practice on Thursday. “Maybe you could just give her a little nudge on the escalator!”

Remembering that conversation took some of the fun out of the afternoon.

L

eah and I didn't stay too late at the mall. We both had to get ready for dance performances at school basketball games that night. Luckily, our teams weren't playing each other. I didn't want to wreck our newly mended friendship with that much more competitiveness.

Southside's gym looked ready to burst when I got to school. Basketball is a big deal for us, and the team's doing really well this year. Of course, as Camilla likes to say, at least some of the team's success is due to the terrific halftime performances we put on. Team spirit is a big part of team success, she stresses—and that's where we come in.

“Everyone's here?” Camilla asked, counting noses. “Okay, listen up. Don't forget—we're here to support our team, but every performance is also good practice for regionals. Let's hit those turns, keep our toes pointed and our leaps big, and work our faces!”

Olivia made a silly face. “It's instant energy!” she said, quoting something our adviser once told us. “Don't just stand there looking smug, give us some expression!”

Trez laughed. “I always feel silly winking or making a pouty face, but the audiences seem to like it.”

“More with pom dances than jazz or hip-hop,” Jaci said.

“Oh, I don't know,” Cate added. “As long as what you're doing matches the movement, being expressive is always important. Even in ballet or tap.”

While we talked over our routine for the last time, Southside's cheerleaders got the crowd warmed up. The dance team and cheer squad help each other stir up team spirit. Cheerleaders work the crowd during the game. Then we keep the excitement high through halftime. Some people say dance team members are just cheerleader wannabes, but not at Southside. We work together.

For competitions, the dance team always uses recorded music, but the school band plays for our halftime performances. I love dancing to live music—it's just more fun. I also love our costumes. We have different outfits for different routines, but that night's were my favorite—little black sequined skirts, black ankle boots, and bright yellow sleeveless tops that showed just enough of our midriffs. We wore big yellow flowers in our hair, pinned really tightly so they wouldn't shake loose during any of our spins and jumps.

The night's performance was stellar. The band was on fire and so were we. Our turns were tight, our leaps were big—we were all in sync with each other and definitely “on.” Olivia's leg-hold turns were a thing of beauty. And not to brag, but I nailed every one of my triple pirouettes! By the time we hit our perfectly in-sync kick line, the crowd was on its feet, cheering like mad.

Camilla congratulated me after the performance. “Good job, Izzy! I love how you're working those turns!”

I beamed with pleasure. Camilla was being so nice to me!

The basketball team was hot too, and Southside won 47–34. As the crowd was heading out, Olivia and I started packing up our dance bags.

“Do you want to call your parents to pick us up, or should I call mine?” I asked.

“It's my turn—” Olivia started to say.

I looked up from my dance bag. Joel and Eli, two of the guys in the band, were standing next to us. Sometimes they joked around with us during games. Joel was cute, and a good trumpet player, too!

“So what do you think, ladies?” Joel asked, looking right at me. “You've been working hard. It's time to relax a little. Do you want to grab a bite at Taco Shack?”

Did I want to grab a bite at Taco Shack with Joel? Of course I did! He was good looking, he was funny, he was a junior, and he had a car!

I could tell from the way Olivia was smiling up at Eli that she wanted to go too.

“Let me give my parents a call, so they know they don't have to pick us up,” I said quickly. I knew Mom and Dad wouldn't mind me going out, as long as I was home by curfew.

And then we were off.

“A

pologies for the mom-van,” Joel said as he held the door open for me. “I'm saving for my own car, but for now, this is the best I can do.”

“It's a car!” I said happily. “I can't wait to get my driver's license.”

Taco Shack was crowded after the game, but we lucked out and actually got a booth.

“You hold the seats and we'll get the food,” Eli said. “Tacos and sweet tea all around?”

It was a fun night. Joel and Eli were easy to talk to, and we did a lot of laughing. I couldn't help noticing some of the other girls at Taco Shack looking at us with envy. Just like I used to watch couples when Olivia and I were there on our own.

I also couldn't help noticing how many kids knew Olivia. She seemed to be casual friends with everyone at Southside. Practically anybody who walked by stopped to say hello.

“You danced really well tonight, Izzy,” Joel said. “Did you take dance lessons before you moved here?”

Joel had watched me perform! And he knew I had just moved to Southside district. Maybe he'd been paying attention to me for a while, I thought.

“Thanks,” I said. I was feeling a little shy, but Joel's warm smile made me relax. “I've been dancing since I was a little kid, but I never expected to make dance team. I wouldn't even have tried out if it weren't for Olivia!”

“Well, you both looked great out there tonight,” Eli said.

When Joel drove us home, he dropped Olivia off first and then walked me up to my door. He didn't exactly kiss me, but he did give me a goofy hug.

“We should do this again,” he said.

“Okay,” I said. I couldn't help grinning like an idiot. “See you on Monday.” And then I slipped inside the house. My first date at Southside was a success!

E

veryone was a little groggy at Monday morning's dance practice. We were out of sorts and out of sync. Finally, even Camilla relented.

“Okay, fine—this isn't a good day for any of us,” she said. “Let's cut practice short. But I want to see everyone here first thing tomorrow, sharp and focused!”

I was stuffing my dance bag when Camilla came up to me. “Hey, Izzy,” she said in her friendliest voice. “Want to come to Pancake Corral with Jaci and Amelia and some of the rest of us?”

I blinked in surprise. I knew that Camilla and her friends sometimes went out for breakfast after the early-morning practices, but I'd never been part of that group.

“We need to do some strategic planning,” Camilla said. “And I think it's time we got some fresh ideas. Since you're one of our most promising younger members, we'd like your input.”

After that, I was really surprised. Flattered, sure, but confused too. Since when was I one of the team's most promising younger members?

“I don't know,” I said. “Would I be back in time for first period?”

“Not to worry,” Camilla said breezily. “You have English with Ms. Geiger, right? I'll talk to her if we're late. She's the dance team adviser. She understands about these meetings.”

Olivia raised her eyebrows at me:
What's up?

I shrugged.
Don't know!

Then I turned to Camilla. “Sure,” I said. “Pancake Corral sounds good.”

Breakfast turned out to be a lot of fun. We squeezed into a booth, everyone laughing and joking.

“Scoot your big butt over,” Jaci said to Amelia. “You're squishing Izzy.”

Amelia made a face. “I haven't had my coffee yet,” she said. “Don't make me kill you.”

“That stuff 'll stunt your growth,” Camilla said. “And you're short enough already.”

Ana leaned across the booth to me. “Izzy, you have to try the strawberry granola pancakes,” she said. “They're the best!”

The rest of the booth groaned. “You always get those,” Berit said. “Don't believe her, Izz. Hash browns and the Denver omelet—that's what you want!”

I laughed. It had been a long time since I'd felt like part of a group. Moving to Southside hadn't been as hard as I'd feared. But except for Olivia, I still didn't have a lot of friends. Sure, I knew people, but not counting for dance team, I didn't really belong anywhere. By the time high school starts, everyone pretty much has their own crowd. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed being one of the girls until breakfast in the crowded booth at Pancake Corral.

“Okay,” Camilla said once we all had our pancakes and hash browns and eggs. “Here's the deal, Izzy. Our team is in trouble. Even with our bake sales and car washes, we're an expensive club for the school to support. And after this year's budget cuts, Mrs. Nuñez is seriously thinking of cutting off our funding.”

Camilla took a big bite of hash browns. “But if we win regionals, we create some noise. We make the school look good, give them something to brag about. We might even attract a sponsor.”

I was confused. What was I supposed to do about that, except practice my pirouettes more? Did they think I had connections to a sponsor?

Camilla seemed to read my mind. “Here's where you come in, Izzy. Without Leah Velasco, Northside doesn't have a chance of beating us. For the last three years I've watched Leah steal our trophy from us. This is my last year at Southside, and I'm damned if I'm going to let her do it again.”

She leaned over and made serious eye contact. “You know Leah. You can help us take her out of the competition.”

Suddenly I was even more confused. “You mean, talk her out of entering? She'd never do that!”

“No, no, of course not! Leah would never stay out of regionals by choice. No—you have to make it so she can't enter.”

Jaci took up the pitch. “It doesn't have to be anything too serious, Izzy. Go to the mall again. Jostle Leah when she's wearing those high platform sandals she likes, so she gets an ankle sprain.” Jaci looked toward Camilla, who gave her a slight nod.