“You don’t have to do this, if you’re not ready,” Tara said.
Adrienne put her iPad in its cross body case to take with her and closed the locker.
“I’m ready,” she said happily and started towards the locker room.
“No, really.” Tara took her arm. “You don’t have to do this.”
Tara was serious.
Adrienne was more than a little wounded. Why would Jayden’s stepsister not want her to participate? What had he told her?
“But I want to,” Adrienne said. “I want to show people I’m not some charity case. When they hear me sing, they won’t make fun of me anymore.”
Tara released her, features softening. “I just … Jayden’s right. You’re a sweet girl.”
“He said that?”
Tara nodded.
“C’mon, girls!” Kimmie shouted from down the hallway.
Adrienne went, the strange exchange with Tara forgotten. Her heart hammered faster and faster the closer she got to the locker rooms. The excitement in the air made her almost giddy at the opportunity to show the world why she was there.
The girls on the cheer squad were joking and laughing. A couple freshened up while two more dished about the members of the football team they were dating. Adrienne listened to the chatter flying around her, amazed.
This is what it’s like to be popular. It was better than it looked from the outside.
Only Tara seemed uninterested in engaging with the others. She was quietly redoing her makeup a short distance from everyone.
Adrienne wondered what was wrong with Jayden’s sister. Her own spirits were too high for her to dwell on Tara’s subdued presence. It was soon time for them to make their entrance into the auditorium.
“Line up!” Kimmie ordered.
The girls fell into a single line like they’d practiced. Because she hadn’t yet mastered the first cheer, Adrienne was in charge of starting the music. She fell into the last spot, agitated energy making her bounce in place.
They ran out of the locker room into the auditorium, cheering as they went. Claps, whistles and whoops went up from the packed seating in the gym. The administrator gave up trying to call out the names of the squad and stepped back, clapping with the rest of the students.
Adrienne went to her assigned spot beside the podium to start up the music. The other girls moved into formation. She plugged in Kimmie’s iPod to the speakers and turned to watch.
The first dance went without a hitch, the girls moving in perfect rhythm to the music. Grinning, Adrienne watched, thrilled to be a part of their team. When they finished, more cheering and clapping ensued, until the administrator announced it was time to meet the football team.
Adrienne joined the other girls, who formed two lines on either side of the exit from the boys’ locker room. She smiled at Tara, who was grinning.
“Number three, our All American quarterback, Jayden Washington!” the coach announced.
A roar went up from the student body.
Jayden’s lean, muscular form trotted out. Waving and smiling at the crowd, he winked at her as he passed.
Best day of my life. Ever!
Enamored by Jayden, she barely heard the others being announced. He slapped hands with each member of the team as they reached him, joking and grinning with them.
When the last player was announced, the cheer squad took up their post near the podium. Adrienne wiped her hands on her skirt. She sang in front of a full congregation every Sunday without feeling the nervousness she felt today. She rubbed her throat. It still didn’t feel right, but she was too excited to give it too much thought.
The administrator waved her forward when the crowd had settled. She adjusted the microphone they’d set up for her and waited for his cue.
“Our newest student, Adrienne St. Croix, will be singing our National Anthem,” he said. “Please stand.”
A hush went over the students, and they rose. Adrienne drew a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back. The music started, and she closed her eyes to center herself.
“Ohhh say can you –” She choked then coughed. Adrienne stopped, startled. A ripple of laughter went through the kids. The music continued. She swallowed then picked up the music.
“… what so proudly we –”
She burst into another round of coughs that hurt her throat so badly, she couldn’t continue. When she recovered, she clenched her mouth closed.
Something was wrong. She’d never frozen up from nerves before. She knew the words by heart, and nothing was wrong with her voice. She’d had the best vocal practice ever this morning. Even when she had hay fever, she sang, albeit not as well as usual.
She opened her mouth again. More coughing came out.
Someone shut off the music, and students began laughing.
“Welcome to New Orleans, Swamp Girl!” Kimmie shouted. She held up a bottle of red water.
Everyone was laughing. The chant of Swamp Girl began.
For a long moment, Adrienne absorbed it all. The scene was surreal, a nightmare. She was the laughingstock of the school. A glance at Kimmie and Kayla’s smug looks hurt more than the chanting.
They set her up. But how did they take her voice, unless …?
The water. What had the cherry flavoring been covering? A spell? A drug?
Adrienne swallowed hard, afraid to try again to sing. Her eyes were watering, and the chanting grew louder, along with the laughter. She couldn’t bear to look at Jayden, afraid to see him laughing and more afraid to see him pity her.
Unable to handle the laughter, she turned and ran.
Adrienne fled into the locker room, swiping at her tears to keep from running into anything. She paused only long enough to grab her iPad and sling it over her head.
“Swamp Girl!” The chanting continued, chasing her out of the locker room and into the hallway.
She didn’t stop running until she neared the bus stop at the edge of the campus. She reached for her bus pass only to realize it was still in her locker.
I’m never going back! She swore silently.
“Adrienne!”
Unable to face anyone from school, she bolted down the street, trying to escape her humiliation or tears. She ran until she couldn’t breathe then slowed to see where she was.
She wasn’t too far from home. Tired, she wiped her face and trudged onward. She had no misconception about not being welcome at the game tonight or the pizza party afterwards.
Kimmie wanted to humiliate her and had succeeded. The invite to the cheer squad had seemed too good to be true. Now, she understood what the cards had been trying to tell her. Not to trust Kimmie or get drawn into her game, and to heed the warning of Tara, which she didn’t.
Adrienne stopped suddenly, cold fear seizing her chest.
How long was the hex supposed to last? Only today, to embarrass her in front of everyone? Or longer to get her kicked out of school? What happened if her voice was gone forever? How did she help her family?
More tears spilled down her cheeks. They stung. She began to trot then jog, then broke out into a panicked run.
She cut through the alley neighboring her daddy’s apartment building, not caring if she was murdered by gang members. She could barely see straight through her tears. A blurry form moved away from one wall, and Adrienne smashed into him.
“Hold up,” Rene’s familiar voice said. “What mess you get in now?” He steadied her, his blue-green eyes piercing her misery.
Adrienne pushed him away, too upset to deal with anyone. She started past him. Rene caught her arm.
“I ask you a question, girl,” he growled.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone!” she cried. “I want to be alone!”
“A’ight. Whatever.” He held up his hands and walked away.
Adrienne watched him. She wiped her face, forcing herself not to cry.