Gretchen tugged down the sleeves of her maroon-and-white uniform sweater as she trotted after the other girls into the stadium. The lights cut through the thin layer of fog that had washed in earlier that evening. The stadium appears as bright as a dream, she thought.
The two teams were warming up at opposite ends of the field. A Tigers player let a long pass sail over his head, and the ball bounced in front of Gretchen. Without breaking stride, she kicked it back onto the field.
That brought her a few cheers from the stands. She turned and saw that the home seats were only about two-thirds filled, a smaller crowd than usual.
“Some of the parents were protesting,” a voice said in her ear. Gretchen turned to see Coach Walker trotting beside her. Their shoes crunched on the gravel of the running track that circled the field. “A few parents believed it was too soon after Madison’s death. They wanted us to cancel the game.”
Gretchen’s eyes swept the empty seats. “I guess some people stayed away.”
“Maybe the weather kept them away,” Walker said. “This fog. And it’s cold for October.”
The cheerleaders formed a line in front of the stands and began to perform a warm-up cheer.
“Give me a T
Give me an I
Give m a G
Give me an E
Give me an R!
What does that spell?
What does that spell?
It spells ROOOOOAAAAAAR!
Go, Tigers!”
Mild applause. A few shouts. People were still arriving. In the bleachers to the right, the Shadyside High band started to play a march that Gretchen didn’t recognize. The sound was muffled by the fog. The stadium lights appeared to flicker, but Gretchen saw that was caused by shadows from the fog.
Everything seems unreal tonight. Everything is just a little bit weird.
A hand grabbed her shoulder. Coach Walker pulled her aside. “Tell me about your practice this afternoon.” She shouted over the tinny blare of the band. “Do you think you’re ready to do the Double Somersault?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Gretchen joked.
“Seriously,” Walker said. “Do you think Becka and Shannon can handle it? Be honest, Gretchen. Are you confident? If you’re not up to it, we can postpone it. Do it later in the year.”
Gretchen nodded. “We practiced for an hour. They’re both pretty strong. They give me a good hard boost to send me up, and Shannon didn’t have any trouble catching me as I landed.”
The band ended the march and began a brassy version of “Beat It,” the Michael Jackson song. Gretchen watched Sid handing out maroon-and-white pom-poms to the other girls.
“You landed on your feet every time?” Coach Walker demanded.
Gretchen nodded again. “Shannon had to straighten me out a few times. She was very good.”
“Okay.” Walker patted Gretchen’s shoulder. “Do it. It will be a big boost for everyone, I think. But, listen…” She brought her face close to Gretchen’s. “If you feel anything is wrong at all, don’t try for the double. Just do a single. That will be spectacular enough. Okay?”
“Okay,” Gretchen agreed. She could see the concern on Walker’s face. Two tragedies in the school this fall were more than enough. The coach obviously didn’t want Gretchen to become another.
The cheerleaders were doing another welcome cheer. Gretchen ran to Sid to get her pom-poms. He flashed her a thumbs-up. “Everything good?”
“So far,” she said. “Practice was good. I feel good.”
He looked around. “Do you believe this fog? Where did it come from?”
Gretchen turned and saw Devra watching her, pom-poms pressed to her waist, eyes narrowed, her expression hard. Devra’s red hair had come loose and was blowing wildly around her head. She pushed it down and, with a final glance at Gretchen, turned back to the stands.
Gretchen hurried to join the line of cheerleaders. The game was about to begin, but the stands were still about a third empty. The lights overhead suddenly appeared brighter. Everything snapped into focus. She realized the fog had lifted.
Right in time for the game.
Whistles blew. The two teams broke their huddles on the field and began to line up.
“We’re the Tigers and we like to roar!
We’re the Tigers and we like to score!
What do we want? More!
What do we do? SCORE!
Go, Tigers!”
The first half flew by. Gretchen concentrated on the cheers and sideline routines. She concentrated on being a teammate. She forced thoughts of her Double Somersault from her mind.
Leaping high with the other girls, shouting, urging the crowd to cheer—it gave her a strong feeling of confidence she didn’t normally feel. That was one reason she loved cheerleading. She became someone else. Her doubts and negative feelings and worries disappeared.
She was an athlete. A performer. A member of a team.
Her good feeling lasted until halftime.