Clash of the Cheerleaders Read online

  “What are you doing?” Ty asked her.

  “I’m trying to make the poster prettier for my solar flare project. Forty percent of the grade is presentation.”

  “Cool. Hadley, you want a turkey sandwich? I could make us both one.”

  “Sure.” I took a seat next to his sister. “You need any help, Poppy?”

  “No, thanks.”

  I looked at the neatly stacked notecards in between us and decided two things: 1) she had impeccable handwriting 2) she took her school work seriously. It came as no surprise. Her pink blouse and khakis gave her a serious, more high school sort of look. The silver clip holding half her hair back was simple, yet elegant.

  “So, Hadley, you really like my brother, huh?” she asked, squinting her eyes and carefully cutting out the last tip of a smaller white star.

  “You can’t ask her that,” Ty said.

  “Yes, I can.”

  “Yeah, I like your brother,” I told her.

  “What’d you two do Friday night, besides seeing Raging Love?”

  “Just dinner and a movie… and dancing…” He and I glanced at each other to share a smile.

  “Do you think it’ll get serious?”

  “Poppy,” Ty fussed. He stood in front of all the fixings he’d laid out for our sandwiches, staring at his sister in disbelief.

  I was a little in shock myself.

  “What?” She picked up her backpack from the floor so she could rummage through it in her lap.

  “You can’t ask her that right in front of me,” Ty said.

  “Maybe you’re right. You wanna give us a second, Ty?”

  Now I was just scared. Was she about to interrogate me? Or tell me off or something?

  Ty stared at her and then me, like he needed my okay to leave me all alone in this weird situation.

  I shrugged, so he said, “I’ll go put up my stuff and be right back.” He lifted his black backpack over my head and disappeared into the hallway.

  I checked my phone when I felt it buzzing in my pocket. I knew the moment I saw Nicole’s text that I was in trouble:

  Still alive?

  I clicked the alert on my phone and was taken to our texting history. She’d also texted me earlier when I would have been riding on Ty’s bike:

  Where r u?

  I’d gotten so distracted with the whole Blaine/Ty mess, I completely forgot to tell her I was going with Ty after I called my mom. Fortunately, I knew Nicole well enough I was certain she hadn’t let her mom wait more than five minutes for me before they left school. I texted back.

  Sorry—Blaine’s craziness got me sidetracked,

  R u with Ty?

  Maybe

  This is a problem

  I shuddered inside thinking of Nicole’s wrath. I’d always managed to avoid it as her first girl. Certainly that wouldn’t come to an end over Ty—hopefully it wouldn’t.

  Poppy was watching me when I set my phone on the table. “Was that your ex-boyfriend?”

  “No. Did Ty tell you about him?”

  “I read about him on The Smokin Six’ website. Lots of kids in middle school follow it. I only went to the website when I realized my brother was seeing one of the six.”

  I nodded, shifting uneasily in my seat. If she’d been to our site, she probably thought I was a total snob. If she cared about her brother at all, she wouldn’t want me anywhere near him.

  She didn’t look mad or judgy, though, just curious. “So why did you want to go out with Ty? It doesn’t seem like he’d be your type.”

  “Well… he’s cute, and he’s like the nicest guy ever.”

  “He said you asking him out was the first time you ever really talked to him. I know his reputation at school. There’s no way you could have known he’s such a nice guy.” It was like she could see right through me. “You can trust me, Hadley. I won’t tell Ty anything you say if you don’t want me to. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.” She smiled and held out a pinky.

  I stared at her for a minute. It had been years since I’d made a pinky promise with someone. I wasn’t sure if I could trust Poppy or not, but it felt good to imagine having a friend I could trust to talk to about anything and not have to worry about being punished for it. I hadn’t been able to do that with Nicole since we were kids, and I’d never truly known if the other members of the Smokin’ Six were so loyal to her that it might not be safe to confide in them.

  So I hooked my pinky with hers and held on. I leaned closer so I could whisper. “I asked him out on one of Nicole’s dares, but I had more fun with Ty Friday night than I’ve had in a long time. And I really, really like him.”

  “So you’re not here right now on a dare?”

  I shook my head. “Nicole’s kind of ticked off that I’m so into your brother, actually.”

  “What are you two doing?” Ty strolled into the living room.

  We looked up at him, keeping our pinkies locked. “Your secret’s safe with me,” Poppy whispered, then turned to her brother. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “Maybe not.” Ty came to rest his hands on my shoulders long enough to lean over and kiss my cheek.

  Poppy did a double take when she saw his black eye, but didn’t say anything. Ty went back to making our sandwiches.

  “You know, I think I did the same project when I was in Miss Barringer’s class,” I told Poppy.

  “She’s the one who gave me this assignment.”

  “I remember because there was this website with some of the most amazing pics I’d ever seen. They were perfect for this project.” I picked up my phone and started searching the internet for it. “I printed a bunch of them out small enough to line the edges of my poster. I wonder if it’s still out there… Let’s see… It was magical solar flares or mystical or miraculous… Majestic! There it is, majestic solar flares! It’s exactly how I remember it.” I handed my phone to Poppy and let her click and scroll around.

  “These are pretty amazing. Do you mind if I text this website to myself?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Ty sat next to me and slid a plate in front of me across the table. “Hope you like mayonnaise, tomatoes, and lettuce on your turkey sandwich.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” I bit into it and tried to look like I loved it. Truth is, I hate tomatoes. I should have said something before, but Poppy wanting to get me alone had me even more spaced out than Ty already did.

  After eating our sandwiches, we went to his room to hang out and watch TV. He slept on the bottom half of a bunkbed that folded conveniently into a couch. The blue Star Wars drapes hanging over the window and the baseball posters taped to the wall beside the top bunk served as a constant reminder that Ty shared this room. That meant a little boy could come bursting through the door at any moment. Of course, his two youngest sisters would probably do that, too.

  I really loved sitting against Ty. Halfway through this hilarious cat comedy, he took out his phone and held it at his side opposite the one I sat on. He kept it where I wouldn’t see what he was doing. Yeah—the sudden concealment really bothered me. He did whatever it was he was doing, then put his phone face down on his leg.

  I stared at his phone, wanting to know its secrets, for all of five seconds before my phone buzzed. Please don’t be Nicole, I thought, letting out a sigh.

  It surprised me to see that Ty had sent the text. I clicked on it and read,

  It’s so cute the way ur eyes get big right b4 u laugh.

  “Aw, Ty.” I beamed at him.

  “Who’d you get a text from?” he asked all innocent, flashing me his gorgeous, white smile.

  “You sent me that text.” I tried to hit him in the arm.

  He laughed and his hair fell into his face when he jerked back to avoid my fist.

  I turned my body toward his, crossing my legs on the couch-bed. Then I leaned over and held my phone where he wouldn’t see what I was texting.

  Luv being here w/u.

  I added a heart, hit send, and watched
him.

  He’d turned his body to face mine, too, with one leg up on his bed. He was grinning at me now. The grin became a smile when he read my text.

  U looked mad when u got my txt. Who’d u think it was?

  Nicole

  Y so mad?

  No-she’s mad cuz I blew her off 2 b w/ u

  I’m glad u did

  Me 2

  What did Poppy say when I left?

  It’s a secret

  We had a ridiculous amount of fun texting each other and then watching the other’s face when they read it.

  The movie ended and another began. Neither of us really paid any attention to the TV.

  Poppy came in once to borrow Ty’s laptop and then again to return it.

  Ty got a text from his mom saying they’d be home from his brother’s baseball practice late. Then I joined in the Smokin’ Six group text about hitting The Royal Rebellion amusement park this weekend.

  Ty held up his phone and raised his eyebrows like: Can I get a pic?

  I rested one hand behind my head and put on my best pouty-face cover girl pose. I watched him in anticipation as he typed a caption. My phone buzzed. I stared at a rather stunning picture of myself. He’d added Girl of my dreams below the pic.

  I held up my phone next. He gave me his best sexy Calvin Klein pose. I snapped a picture before a text came through from my mom:

  Where are you, Hadley?

  “Oh my gosh!” I realized it was already 7:05. The curtains had become a much darker shade of blue and I hadn’t even noticed.

  “What’s wrong?” Ty asked. “Bad picture?’

  “No.” I glanced at his picture and stopped to take in a deep breath. “It’s—a really good picture, actually. I was supposed to be home for dinner five minutes ago. My mom’s making spaghetti tonight and I promised I’d be there. I totally lost track of time.”

  Ty stood and held out a hand to me. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

  I punched in a message to my mom one-handed.

  On my way home, sorry.

  We barely left his room before his sisters burst through the garage door.

  “Ty!”

  “Poppy!”

  Lucy went running for her brother while Kelly went straight to Poppy. “It looks like they have favorites,” I said.

  “You could say that.” Ty let go of me to lean over and pick up Lucy. She laughed hysterically when he tickled her little tummy. I had to admit—she was pretty darn cute.

  “Tyler Nathanial Black!” His mom stopped dead halfway across the living room. “What on earth happened to your face? You didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

  “I just hit it on something at school; it’s no big deal,” Ty said as he sat Lucy down. “I’m taking Hadley home, but I’ll be right back.”

  His mom gave him a seriously skeptical look. “All right. Be careful.” I had a feeling the conversation wasn’t over with her son.

  “I wanna go with you,” Lucy whined.

  “Sorry, munchkin. You’re not big enough to ride on my bike.”

  Her eyes welled up.

  “Come on, sweetie.” Her mom picked her up and carried her toward the kitchen. “You can help me set the table.”

  I felt really bad listening to her cry as we went into the garage. “You could eat with me and mom if you want,” I told Ty.

  He handed me a motorcycle helmet. “I wish I could, but I still have homework and chores. I’ll be working with my dad after school tomorrow, so I’ve got to get some sleep.”

  “Okay.”

  17

  I thought about Ty’s picture all the way home. I really wanted to say something like: Wow! It just got blazing hot in here! I didn’t want to seem shallow, though. Maybe just I miss you later once he’d gone home.

  I still wasn’t a total fan of riding on a motorcycle, but I did love fitting against Ty like a Lego. Having an excuse to hold him so close was the best thing about riding Ty’s bike. I laid my body against his back, more than simply holding on. My helmet was a pain, keeping my cheek off his shoulder.

  We slowed down when we entered my neighborhood. I let out a contented sigh. It was beginning to feel like it always did with Blaine, at least when he wasn’t letting me down. That happy feeling of security, like I know he likes me just as much as I like him and life is so super sweet cause he’s my guy kind of feeling.

  One final hard turn and we were sailing down my street. The white pillars in front of my house shone against the bright porch lights. I hardly caught sight of them before I saw the turquoise Civic parked out front and the football-star driver standing next to the driver’s door. My heart nearly stopped.

  “Ty!” I shouted, knowing he probably couldn’t hear me, and pointing to my long wraparound driveway.

  He simply reached across for my hand and put it back around his waist.

  This was scary. What if Blaine tried to start another fight with Ty? No-one would be there to break it up this time, and would we end up having the cops called over to my house?!

  Ty avoided our driveway by veering onto the sidewalk in front of my next-door neighbor’s house and driving up our front walkway. He stopped two thirds of the way to my front door and shut it off. I barely let go of him before he was off his bike, standing where the sight of me would be mostly shielded from Blaine. “On second thought, maybe I will stay for dinner.”

  “Ty Black, you’re not the jealous type, are you?” I asked, feeling super special.

  He turned to hold onto my arm as I climbed off his bike. “Not usually.”

  I switched the helmet I was wearing for my cheer bag tucked under Ty’s seat. He slid his in right behind it.

  “Hadley,” Blaine called. I leaned around Ty and saw Blaine walking across my lawn. He was staring right at me like Ty wasn’t standing between us. “Come on, Hadley, would you just talk to me already?”

  “No. Broken up means broken up.”

  “Look I’m—I’m sorry about your birthday. What do I have to do to make it up to you and get you to stop seeing this guy behind my back?”

  “Behind your back?”

  “Yeah, how long are you gonna let him come between us, baby?”

  “This has got to stop,” Ty said. Blaine’s attention snapped to Ty. “I’m not coming in between you two, because Hadley was already done with you when I started taking her out. It’s your fault you screwed up with her. It’s not her fault, it’s not my fault, and you’re not getting a second shot with her, because I’m not screwing this up.”

  “Don’t talk about her like that,” Blaine growled, advancing on Ty.

  “No!” I jumped in front of Ty. “No more fighting.”

  Blaine stopped. His beautiful eyes softened. I wondered if I’d ever stop missing him. But I was totally done.

  I took Ty’s hand—because Blaine needed to get the message—and led him to my front door.

  “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Hadley,” Blaine called from behind us.

  I didn’t look back to make sure we weren’t being followed, or say a word to either guy. It put me on edge, but Ty didn’t let go of me to block an attack or tell me to Watch Out! or anything.

  “Wait.” Ty slid his free hand over mine once we’d stepped on the front porch.

  I flinched around to make sure he was okay. Blaine was still standing where I’d left him. He was watching me, which made my skin crawl.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked Ty quietly. I was scared that he was getting scared with all this Blaine business. I had hoped it wouldn’t be enough to drive him away.

  “I don’t want there to be any question with us,” Ty said. “This isn’t some silly dating game to me. I really like you, Hadley, and I want you to be my girlfriend.”

  I could appreciate that he was a decent enough guy to keep his voice as low as mine. That meant it wasn’t just a jealous-guy-show-off routine to drive Blaine away. It was from the heart and it was meant only for me.

  “Aw, I really like you too,”
I said. “And I would sooo love to be your girlfriend.”

  Ty’s dark eyes seemed to light up beneath the strings of rustic white and black LED bulbs hung overhead by my mom’s interior designer. He reached up to slide his arms over my shoulders, pressing against the back of my head and my back so I would kiss him.

  I felt guilty knowing Blaine was probably watching us. It wasn’t long before I heard his car door slam shut and the engine come to life. He peeled out of the driveway.

  Nicole was going to freak out when I told her Ty was my boyfriend. Neither Blaine nor Nicole was going to stop me from drinking in his sweet, wet kisses. And NOTHING was going to stop me from being his girlfriend.

  I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling in near darkness later that night. There was no way I would get any sleep. Tomorrow I would have to tell Nicole about Ty, and the whole school would know. Everything could change. Without Ty there holding and kissing me, I didn’t feel quite as brave.

  I sat up on one arm and took my phone from the charger beside my bed when it buzzed. An image had been texted to me from an unknown number. I clicked on it and saw a picture of Ty lying on his stomach in bed, staring at the pictures of me on the Smokin’ Six website. Nicole set us each up with our own section.

  The text under the picture of Ty said:

  This is Poppy. Ty’s door’s cracked open. Just wanted u 2 no he’s as n2 u as u r 2 him.

  It felt good to know he was lying in bed at that very moment, staring at pictures of me. It reminded me I had one of him in my phone, one I still needed to caption.

  Thanks Poppy

  I texted her back before going to reply to Ty’s last message. His picture was still there unsent. Man, I loved staring at him. I typed in the sweetest, truest thing I could think of.

  Can’t sleep. Can’t stop thinking of u ♥

  My mom moved into my doorway. “Still awake?”