Cheerleading Can Be Murder (Horror High #1) (7 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Although part of me had forgiven Amanda, I still felt angry when I saw her riding home with that douche bag again.
I wonder what she sees in that guy
, I thought glumly. But then I remembered that I too, fell for Ronnie’s charm once upon a time.

I hopped into the car with my mom and filled her in on the day’s events. I don’t know why, but I was starting to feel like the only reliable friend I had was my mother. “Do you want to go get some sushi?” she offered, looking back at me with a smile.

I needed to go home and practice, but I loved sushi, and time spent doing anything that didn’t involve cheerleading or cheerleading-related drama sounded good right then. “Let’s do it,” I told her, returning the smile.

***

After dinner with my mom, she spent two hours watching me practice my routines. “You know the routines perfectly, honey. You should try to get some rest tonight,” she encouraged. I knew she was right, and I had to admit that my body was spent after all of the running, lifting, and jumping this week. Not to mention all of the stress.

I took a shower and packed my favorite sparkly leotard and shorts for tryouts tomorrow. Now that tryouts were less than twenty-four hours away, I could feel my body buzzing with excitement. I decided to call Sydney to wish her luck. I was so glad to hear the sound of her voice. Hell, I was just glad she was taking my calls again.

“What’s up?” she asked in her usual chipper tone. I could hear her chewing gum noisily on the other end. I could picture her, lying on her Justin Bieber bedspread, twirling her long, dark locks around her pointer finger.

“Not much. I’ve been practicing all night, and now I’m trying to go to bed. But I’m just too excited to sleep!” I admitted.

“I know what you mean! I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all week!” she said excitedly.

“So, tell me your predictions. Who do you think will make the team?”

“Hmm…” she said, taking her time to think it over. “Well,
us
of course!” She giggled into the phone.

“I also think the veterans will make it—Tasha, Tally, and Monika. And then for the last spot, and I hate to say this because I know you don’t like her, but I think Genevieve will make it. She’s really not that bad, Dakota. She’s nice once you get to know her…” she said softly.

I wanted to stick a finger down my throat and gag when I heard her defending Genevieve. Yuck! But I did hope she was right about her and I both making the team. “So, can you believe that Amanda skipped school with Ronnie today? Genevieve dumped his ass today,” Sydney confided.

“If you ask me—he dumped her first. He’s been seeing Amanda for a while now,” I responded, letting out a chuckle as I imagined the look on Genevieve’s face when she realized that someone had stolen her guy for once, and not the other way around.

“Amanda and Ronnie have been hanging out for
a while
now?” Sydney inquired angrily. I realized then that I’d said too much, but Sydney was my best friend and I trusted her. I knew that even if she and Genevieve were friends now, she would remain loyal to me.

“Don’t say anything, but I saw him over at her house a couple of nights ago. They were kissing outside. I was mad at her at first. But honestly, I’m sort of over him.” As I said it, I realized it was the truth. Finally, I was getting over that douchebag!

“I’m glad to hear that, Dakota, because he’s an asshole,” she said, sighing loudly into the phone. We talked for a few more minutes, then said our goodbyes.

Even though I was tired, sleep eluded me. I read an eBook on my Kindle until I finally drifted asleep with my head tilted down over the screen.

***

I woke with a start
. Tryouts today!
But then I suddenly realized that it was still dark outside and my alarm wasn’t going off.
What the hell?
I took a peek at my Hello Kitty alarm clock. It was only one-thirty in the morning. I groaned loudly, falling back against my pillows and closing my eyes.

I heard the distant sounds of people shouting outside. I jerked back up to a sitting position, pushed my blankets aside, and tiptoed over to the window. Looking through a gap in the curtains, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. But then I saw what was causing the noises outside.

There were three people wearing Halloween masks—a werewolf, a vampire, and a Frankenstein. Frankenstein was throwing eggs at Amanda’s house, while the other two were tossing toilet paper onto the lawn and strewing it up in the trees.

I didn’t know what I should do, so I just stood there watching, trying to figure out who these masked vandals were. Based on the body shapes, I had a good idea. The lights inside Amanda’s house remained dark, so they must not have known what was going on. But right on cue, the front door to the house swung open wildly, and crazy Grandma Mimi charged out into the yard, wearing granny panties and an untied robe.

The moment would have been hilarious if it wasn’t for the shotgun in her hand. Luckily for the three vandals, Mimi was a bad shot, because she pointed the barrel of the gun straight toward them and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
But it sounded more like a pop…

My ears were ringing as I jerked back from the windowsill.

Peeking back out, I saw the three vandals running away like someone had lit a fire under their rear ends. Actually, someone almost did.

The sound of the blast had rattled my windows. I squatted down and kept watching until Mimi retired back into the house. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I burst into a fit of giggles.

Chapter Nineteen

I was pleasantly surprised to see Amanda standing at the bus stop the next morning.
I guess good ol’ Ronnie didn’t follow through with giving her rides to and from school
, I thought happily. I couldn’t help but notice how great Amanda looked. She had flecks of glitter spread over her cheeks, and her nails were painted perfectly, sporting Harrow’s school colors.

“Whoever taught you how to paint your nails sure did a fine job.” I let out a long whistle. She smiled halfheartedly.

“Yes, you did,” she admitted. “You look cute too,” she said stiffly, pointing at my curly ponytail, which was tied up with a gold ribbon. I also had glitter to put on my face for tryouts, but I was going to wait until Study Hall to put it on.

Amanda was staring at me intensely with an odd expression on her face. “Did you guys have a late night last night?” I asked, giving her a look that said I knew about the vandalism. She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.

“You don’t honestly think it was me, do you?” I gasped, taken aback. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Amanda. Or anyone, for that matter. I saw three people with Halloween masks throwing eggs and toilet paper. The sounds woke me up. I couldn’t see their faces, but I knew they were girls by looking at their bodies, obviously,” I told her, speaking fast so I could quickly dispel any wild ideas she had of me participating in something like that.

“It’s one thing for people to mess with me, but I won’t let anyone mess with my grandma,” she said, looking straight ahead with a hardened expression on her face. “I’m pretty sure your pal, Sydney, was one of them.” She turned back to face me angrily.

I shook my head. “No way. Sydney wouldn’t do something like that. And I talked to her on the phone last night! She was home, and getting ready to go to bed when we spoke.”

But I wasn’t sure if I believed it myself. Sydney had been hanging around with Genevieve and her pals lately…

“Yeah,
right
. And I guess you didn’t tell anyone about Ronnie coming over the other night, either?” She crossed her arms over her chest. When she saw the shocked look on my face, she smiled.

“There was a note in our mailbox this morning, telling my Grandma that I’ve been hooking up with Ronnie at night while she’s asleep. And guess what? It was signed
‘Dakota Densford—Your Concerned Neighbor.’
”

My mouth fell open in surprise. I was utterly speechless. “I didn’t write that, Amanda! I would never do that!” I shouted, still confused about how a note with my name on it winded up in her grandma’s mailbox.

“My grandma was so upset about the vandalism and the note she told me that I may have to go back home to live with my junkie mom. Thanks a lot,” Amanda said bitterly, climbing on the bus as it squealed to a stop in front of us.

Chapter Twenty

Today we were learning principles of chromosomal inheritance in Biology. I really should have been listening, but my mind was spinning and my feelings were hurt. Only a fool wouldn’t understand the truth behind Amanda’s accusations this morning—Sydney betrayed me. I was the only person who saw Amanda and Ronnie’s secret nighttime rendezvous, and the only person I revealed that secret to was Sydney.

I wasn’t sure if Sydney was the one who actually wrote Amanda’s grandma the fake note and signed my name, but she was the one who caused it to happen, I had no doubt about that. I could imagine Tasha and Genevieve egging someone’s house, but I never thought Sydney would participate in something like that. I didn’t think she would break her word, and run and tell Genevieve about Amanda, either.

I let out a sigh, frustrated. At least I had tryouts to look forward to today.

When I walked into American History, I was happy to see Andy waiting for me. I took a seat next to him, tossing my backpack under my chair. He immediately started blabbing my ear off about a YouTube video with a dancing monkey, and I welcomed the distraction. He was so animated and lively as he described every little detail about the video and tried to demonstrate the monkey’s dance moves. After a while, I tuned out his voice and just stared at his goofy smile dreamily. Thanks to him, I was starting to feel a little bit better.

Chapter

Twenty-One

I had a turkey sandwich on rye bread, with chips and a pickle for lunch. After days of having a nervous stomach, I suddenly felt ravenous. Andy sat beside me, watching me pig out with an appreciative smile.

“Are you nervous about tryouts today?” He used a finger to swipe bread crumbs off my sleeve. I looked at him wondrously.
How did we go from being classroom acquaintances to acting like boyfriend/girlfriend? And why did I like it so much?

“I’m feeling okay. Thanks for asking.” I grinned at him between bites.

Even though I dated Ronnie for nearly six months, he never once asked me a question that solely had to do with me and my interests. I hadn’t realized that until just then.

Ronnie’s a jerk, and it’s a good thing he dumped me when he did
, I realized. Ronnie deserved a girl like Genevieve, and they should have stayed a couple.

Speaking of Ronnie’s many girlfriends, I looked around the room for Amanda. I still felt bad about her house getting vandalized, but I was hurt that she actually thought I would throw eggs at her house or write a note like that to Grandma Mimi. We hadn’t known each other very long, but thus far, I’d been a loyal friend to her. She was the one, after all, who continued to pursue Ronnie, even though she knew that it upset me.
Maybe I should be the one who is angry
, I thought decidedly, finishing the last bite of my pickle.

I finally caught sight of Amanda. She was sitting toward the far end of the cafeteria, chatting with a group of girls I didn’t recognize. Several of them looked alternative like her.
Maybe it’s for the best that we both find new friends
, I thought glumly.

“I hope you make the team, Dakota,” Andy said, bringing my attention back to him.

“I hope so too. I want it so bad. This is all I’ve ever dreamed of, cheering on the varsity squad for the Harrow Dragons. If I make the team, will you come to some of the games to watch me?” I gave him a hopeful smile.

He surprised me by bursting into a fit of laughter.

“What’s so funny?” I stared at him with a confused expression.

“You still don’t know, do you?” he asked, shaking his head with a grin.

“Know
what
?” I punched him in the shoulder playfully. Sometimes he could be annoying and cute all at the same time. Maybe that’s why I was starting to like him.

“I’m on the basketball team, silly. I made the team during summer tryouts. So, my answer to your question is
yes
. I will be more than happy to come to all of your games and watch you cheer for me on the sidelines.” He winked at me adorably.

I couldn’t believe it! He was on the team and I didn’t even know it!

“You can pick your jaw up off the table now.” He nudged me, still smiling. I closed my mouth and smiled back.

This was great news, and now I wanted to make the team more than ever! I couldn’t help imagining myself cheering on the sidelines as Andy ran up and down the court, scoring the winning points. That would be so exciting! And now I was more motivated than ever to make the squad.