The Evil Lives! by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online

cheer.
    Amanda leaped into the air, her legs apart in a spread-eagle. This is so great, she thought excitedly as she landed. The screaming voices. The pounding feet. The thundering boom of the bass drum. There’s nothing like it.
    She glanced down the line at the other cheerleaders. They were pumped too. She could tell by the sparklein their eyes and the extra energy they put into the routine.
    â€œTigers on the loose,
    Tigers at the door,
    Better run for cover
    When you hear the Tigers roar!”
    The cheer ended, and the crowd whistled and shouted as the cheerleaders ran back to their bench.
    And that was just a practice run, Amanda thought as she pulled her hairbrush from her backpack. Wait until they see the real thing.
    It was Friday night, cold and starry, with no snow to keep people at home, so the gym was packed. The game between the Shadyside Tigers and the Lincoln Hornets would begin in about fifteen minutes.
    The Lincoln cheerleaders, in green-and-yellow uniforms, began a cheer of their own.
    â€œThey look good,” Natalie commented as she blotted her face with a towel. “They must have practiced like crazy over the vacation too.”
    â€œYeah, but they’re not as good as we are,” Keesha declared. She took a comb from her bag and tugged it through her short brown hair.
    â€œRight,” Victoria agreed. “Nobody is as good as we are.”
    Amanda smiled. The squad is in great shape, she thought. They’d practiced every afternoon this week. They still hadn’t pried a “good” out of Miss Daly. But Amanda could tell the coach was pleased.
    Janine and Natalie weren’t speaking, but theyweren’t fighting, either. Amanda had tried talking to Janine, but her friend refused to discuss it.
    Amanda decided to give it time. Maybe they’d make up on their own. And at least their feud hadn’t hurt the squad’s performance.
    As Amanda tugged the rubber band from her hair and gave it a quick brush, she thought about Judd Hunter. She didn’t have any classes with Judd. But he always smiled and waved when he passed her in the hall.
    He seemed really happy to see her. But he hadn’t asked her out.
    Maybe he’s been too busy practicing for the game, she thought hopefully.
    A loud drumroll broke into Amanda’s thoughts. She tossed her hairbrush down and leaped to her feet.
    The drumroll continued. The crowd stood. The cheerleaders waved their maroon and white pompoms.
    The drumroll stopped. A loud cheer erupted.
    The Tigers raced onto the floor and began to warm up at one end of the court. The Hornets, in green and yellow, took the other end.
    While the teams warmed up, the cheerleaders returned to their bench. Amanda gathered her hair up into a ponytail again and tied a maroon ribbon around it. As she started to call the squad together for a pep talk, she spotted Brandon.
    The wiry redhead sat on the team bench, elbows on his knees, shoulders slumped. Instead of watching his teammates, he stared down at his sneakers.
    Amanda sighed in sympathy. Brandon wanted thestarting position so much, she thought. I know how he feels. Helpless. Disappointed. Angry. Exactly the way I felt when I didn’t get picked for the swim team in middle school.
    She glanced at Janine, who sat beside her. Janine was watching Brandon. Amanda couldn’t see her face, but she knew her friend must be feeling bad too.
    Amanda leaned close to her. “Don’t worry,” she assured her over the noise of the crowd. “Brandon will get to play. I know he will. It’s not like he’s off the team or anything.”
    Janine slowly turned her head.
    She didn’t look sad or upset. Her round, friendly face had no expression at all, and her brown eyes seemed to stare right through Amanda.
    â€œI’m not worried,” Janine declared in a low voice. “Brandon will play.”
    She said that as if she knows something no one else does, Amanda thought.