A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love by Kieran Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

resolved to take a mental snapshot of and remember forever.
     
     
    Down below, K.C. and crew-cut boy crouched and faced each other, circling the center of the mat as they assessed the competition. They circled. And circled. And circled. But no one seemed eager to make the first move. I could feel the people around me growing more and more restless.
     
     
    “Why doesn’t K.C. do something?” I whispered to Daniel. Wrestling was not a sport I knew much about.
     
     
    “He likes to let the other guy take the plunge,” Daniel whispered back. “That’s just his style. But it looks like this kid knows that.”
     
     
    “Come on! Grab him already!” Bethany shouted.
     
     
    A bunch of people laughed and at that moment, K.C. lunged forward. A few people gasped as he upended crew-cut boy and sent him sprawling on the ground. I wasn’t sure if Bethany’s shout had momentarily distracted K.C.’s opponent, but whatever the case, K.C. had made the first move and had gotten the upper hand. Within two seconds he had crew-cut boy tangled into a pretzel.
     
     
    There was an audible crack of joints and the crowd responded with a group wince.
     
     
    “Yeah. That I don’t miss,” Daniel said, grinding his teeth.
     
     
    “I don’t think I could have handled watching you do this,” I said.
     
     
    Daniel nodded. “Cheerleading was definitely the better option.”
     
     
    I smiled. It was nice to hear him say that. Especially after that whole megaphone-on-the-jacket thing. I slipped my hand into Daniel’s as, down below, the ref slammed the mat with his palm.
     
     
    “Pin! Sand Dune! Win! Sand Dune!”
     
     
    The crowd went nuts. All the Sand Dune High fans in attendance jumped to their feet. I was a little slower on the uptake. I grabbed Daniel’s arm and hoisted myself up.
     
     
    “What just happened?” I asked, trying to see over the heads of the people in front of me. A few fists were raised in the air, but I couldn’t tell who they belonged to.
     
     
    “K.C. just won,” Daniel told me as he applauded.
     
     
    My brow knit. “Just like that?”
     
     
    “He’s that good,” Daniel responded.
     
     
    “Oh.”
     
     
    Everyone sat down again and I felt a little deflated. That hadn’t been all that exciting. Where was the drama? The struggle?
     
     
    “They didn’t even grunt once,” Bethany said morosely, echoing my thoughts.
     
     
    K.C. slapped hands with a few guys on the bench and suddenly I got an idea. An idea that perked me up considerably.
     
     
    “Hey. You ready to put your money where your mouth is?” I asked Daniel, nudging his leg.
     
     
    “What do you mean?” he said.
     
     
    “I mean, you’re a cheerleader now. It’s time to start acting like one.”
     
     
    “But . . . the match is over,” Daniel replied, gesturing at the empty mat. “They’re on a break.”
     
     
    “Yeah, but K.C. deserves our appreciation, don’t you think?” Mindy asked, getting the drift.
     
     
    “Little K.C. chant?” I suggested, glancing at Autumn, Chandra and Jaimee behind us.
     
     
    “Sounds like a plan.”
     
     
    “Aw, yeah,” Chandra said.
     
     
    “What’re you doing?” Daniel asked, blanching.
     
     
    “You’re doing it too,” I told him.
     
     
    Together, Mindy, Chandra, Jaimee, Autumn and I started to chant, “K.C.!” Two claps. “K.C!” Two claps. “K.C.!” Two claps. “K.C.!” Two claps.
     
     
    Chandra stood up and dragged me to my feet from behind. She turned around and gestured to the crowd as she chanted, urging them to their feet. I pulled on Daniel’s jacket until he was forced to get up off his butt too. Bethany, of course, sank lower in her seat and hid her face with her hand.
     
     
    “K.C.!”
     
     
    Bam, bam.
     
     
    “K.C.!”
     
     
    Bam, bam.
     
     
    Soon we had managed to bring most of the Sand Dune crowd into it. At first Daniel was a reluctant participant, but he started to grin when some other guys joined in