Stacey And The Cheerleaders (11 page)

just been too afraid to speak up.

Robert was brave. I still had the BSC, but he had a lot to lose, like his best friends. He was prepared to face angry teachers, too.

But you know what happened? The teachers and administrators called a meeting that Tuesday night to "re-evaluate the sports program." Robert and I were invited, and a committee was set up to "investigate academic abuses" and "institute a non-biased minimal grade-point standard for athletic participation." (In plain English, that means if your grades are too low, you don't play sports.)

The next day, Robert was asked to rejoin the team — first by Coach Halvorsen, then by the players themselves. To them, it was embarrassing that a star player had quit.

Robert said no.

Then, on Wednesday morning, as I was walking to homeroom, I heard someone shout, "Stacey, wait!"

It was Sheila. I had not spoken to her since the tryouts. I'd felt so betrayed by her.

"What?" I said flatly.

She looked as if she were about to cry. "Don't be mad. It wasn't my fault. I kept sticking up for you until the final vote. I know how unfair it was."

Some of my anger melted away. I believed her. "Well, thanks for telling me," I said.

"Urn, Stace? I don't know if you heard — you know, about Kathleen."

"No, what?"

"Well, when she found out what had happened, she was really upset. Last night she quit."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. So you know what that means, Stacey. That spot has opened up again. And the girls have agreed — you're the one. No tryouts necessary."

For a moment I felt a shiver of joy. But it went away quickly.

Funny. Just a few days before, I'd wanted to be on that squad so badly. Getting cut had devastated me.

Now the idea of being a cheerleader seemed silly. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

And I wondered: Why had it been so important to be friends with those girls?

I thought of Tiffany Kilbourne. She had taken a long time to realize she was trying hobbies she didn't like for all the wrong reasons.

Well, I had taken a long time, too. "No," I said gently to Sheila. "I'm doing other things."

It was true. I had my best friends, my family, my schoolwork, and baby-sitting. And I had Robert.

That was plenty for me.

Oh! I forgot to tell you about the other editorial that appeared in the SMS newspaper. Unlike the first one, it was signed:

We are happy about what's been happening at SMS this week. So many students have given us their support, and we think great changes are ahead.

SMS is a fantastic school. Our teachers are dedicated and our students are the best. All of us should feel we're being treated fairly. In a basketball game, every player abides by the same rules. If those rules are broken, the game stops. A timeout is called, everyone sets up, and the ball is put back in play.

Well, the ball is in play again at SMS. And this time, we can all be winners.

Stacey McGill and Robert Brewster

About the Author

ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College.

Ms. Martin lives in New York City with her cats, Mouse and Rosie. She likes ice cream and / Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.

Ann Martin's Apple Paperbacks include Yours Turly, Shirley; Ten Kids, No Pets; With You and Without You; Bummer Summer; and all the other books in the Baby-sitters Club series.