Page 12 of Disorderly

The noisein the hallway reverberated around me as everyone hit their lookers, grabbing their bags, eager to head home after our second day of classes. And while I was eager to leave the school, I wasn’t so eager to go see my therapist. Talking about what happened that day wasn’t high on my list of things to do when I’d managed to block it from my mind for the past few days. On the bright side, at least I could tell Shelly that I made it through the first two days without any issues. Or at least not any major ones.

There had been a few eyebrows raised when I stepped out of Jarrod’s SUV in my ripped, skinny jeans and the off-the-shoulder peasant blouse. Clothes that showed off my figure instead of the usual overly baggy clothes that had become my trademark. Yet most of the comments that morning, made to me or in my presence were true to form; all about Jarrod. They wanted to know who the new hottie was, how I knew him, where he lived, was he single, etc. So all my worry about being surrounded by people, by hearing them talk about the waterpark trip, or even comments about my new clothes had been for nothing. No one seemed to care.

And by lunch, my worries and fears had been put to bed. No one talked about anything except for the fact that Cheryl wasn’t at school. To add to the mystery surrounding her absence, police were at the school and cheerleaders, along with others in the various clubs and activities she participated in, were being called out of class. Very few of them returned and those who did—from the cheerleaders at least—appeared back in class subdued and with red eyes as if they’d been crying. It all added to the rumours flying around. Rumours that eclipsed our day offunat the waterpark.

Today had started the same, although no one even gave me or Jarrod a second look. They were all too busy huddled together, talking in their small groups about the latest theories about Cheryl’s disappearance. It was like nothing else existed. Something I was extremely grateful for.

“Katy. Good I caught you.” Kailee collapsed onto the locker next to mine. Her chest heaved as if she’d just run a marathon.

I chuckled. “Where else would I be? The bell only rang a few minutes ago.”

“Yes, but you’re good at disappearing. I looked for you yesterday, but you’d already left.”

I couldn’t disagree with her observation because it was true. I’d always been good at sneaking out without a trace. Almost as if I was invisible. And yesterday had been no exception even with my new clothes. “And what did you need me for?”

Kailee leaned in closer but before she could say a word, a large arm landed heavily on my shoulders as Mason crowded me. “Say yes, Katy. Please. We’ll get to spend more time together.”

My gaze bounced between Kailee and Mason. The looks on their faces, the anticipation, had me wondering what I was missing because it was obvious that I was missing something. “Um.”

Kailee’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my gosh, you don’t know. How can that be? And I don’t have time to explain it all. I need to go. Well, you need to come—”

“Be a cheerleader. Cheer me from the field.”

I turned to stare at Mason. What was he talking about? Our cheer team had been chosen last year—a benefit of having the junior highs at our high school—as we could hold tryouts for the incoming freshmen while they were still in their last year of junior high. There were no openings… unless…

“What he said. Cheryl’s no longer on the team and we need someone. Someone who knows our basic cheers and would be able to learn the rest quickly.”

“But…”

“Tell her to join in, Mr. Evans. That it would be good on her university applications.”

I tensed at Mason’s words. When had Peter arrived? And what was he doing here? At my locker? Normally we didn’t flaunt our friendship at school; only meeting outside in the parking lot if he was driving me home. But since I’d been sick, I’d barely seen him. And even here at school, we’d managed to avoid being close to each other.

At his quizzical look, Kailee grinned. “We need another cheerleader and Katy would be perfect, don’t you think?”

“I, um.” Mr. Evans—Peter—shrugged. “Yeah. It would look good on your applications. And weren’t you one in junior high?”

“And it would give us more time to spend together.” Mason squeezed my shoulders. “We haven’t even had a chance to spend any time together since I’ve moved back except for the fair. And with games every week on top of practices, we won’t get much time to for the next few months.”

The easy smile on Peter’s face tightened briefly. Fast enough that I wasn’t sure I could believe my eyes, but it gave me a moment of hope. Did Peter not want me to spend time with Mason? Did that mean he was jealous? It was a crazy idea, but I couldn’t help but get my hopes up.

“You should do it, Katy.” His smile softened into one that was close to the one he bestowed on me outside of school. The one that showed he cared for me as more than a student. The one that told me he wasn’t speaking as a teacher, but rather my friend. It was the main reason why I found myself agreeing. Agreeing to be a cheerleader. Whatever had gotten into me? There was a reason I never tried out for the high school team. I hadn’t wanted to be with those girls and do the things they did. The parties, the hooking up with different athletes, just everything. Although, with Cheryl gone, maybe things wouldn’t be quite as bad. I could only hope… and freak out later.

“Awesome. I’m so happy. Now we need to run to practice. The first game is Friday, and we need to get you up to speed.” Kailee pushed off the locker and grabbed my arm.

“Wait. I can’t come now. I, uh, have a prior commitment today.” I looked eyes with Peter, pleading with him for help. I didn’t want to explain to Kailee where I needed to go, but if I didn’t give her something concrete, she’d continue to badger me until she knew the truth. Not that Peter knew about my appointment unless Jarrod told him. It wasn’t just Peter avoiding me, he also wasn’t speaking to me, not even by text.

“I’m sorry, Kailee, but you’ll have to give the Coach Tracy, Katy’s regrets. It’s why I’m here.” He moved his gaze from Kailee to me. “Your mom called the office. An emergency came up at the hospital so she’s unable to leave. I told her that I’d drive you.”

I nodded, not sure what to say. The last thing I wanted was to spend an hour in the car with Peter when I still felt angry with him. Plus there was the whole avoidance thing between us. I would have preferred Jarrod. He’d been so sweet, coming over and offering to drive me to school and then home after since mom was working day shifts for the first few days of school. He’d surmised that I wouldn’t want to drive with my friends and that I’d need someone not involved around me to keep my panic at bay. And he’d been correct. Having him around gave me a soft place to land, someone to tell me everything was okay and to hold me when I started to panic. He kept me entertained and my mind off of school during our drives.

Kailee gave me one of her looks of interrogation and I knew I needed to head her off. “How about we meet during lunch so you can show me the new cheers? That way I’ll be prepared for practice tomorrow after school.”

“That would work.” The bus warning bell sounded in the hallways, reminding those who took the school bus that they had less than five minutes before they left. “Shit. I’m late for practice. I’ll call later tonight to give you a run down.” She released my arm and grabbed Mason instead. “You’re late as well and your coach isn’t as forgiving.” She dragged him away from me.

“I’m glad you’re joining. We’ll talk later,” he called over his shoulder as he shook himself free from Kailee’s grasp.

I nodded and then turned back to my locker, quickly throwing my books in my bag before pulling it out.

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