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Authors: Belle Payton
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for the cheer team. Ava was sure that joining forces with the opposing teamâs cheerleaders had been Alexâs idea. It was just the sort of thing Alex would think of. The cynical part of her wondered if Alex was behind this protest just for the sake of her news story, but she dismissed that thought. Marcy Maxonâs TV crew wasnât there to film it.
The television crews all seem to have realized what was going on at the same moment, because Ava saw several of them point, gather up their stuff, and go running toward where the cheerleaders were all sitting down. Cameras flashed, videos were turned on, and newscasters bent down awkwardly to interview the girls.
The Colts won the toss. The Tiger Cubs lined up to kick off. Bryce Hobson raised his hand to signal he was ready to kick. Ava felt a twinge of bitterness. That should be her, Ava, kicking off. The refs blew the whistle, and the game began.
CHAPTER
TEN
The game was close, a defensive battle. Both teams had trouble getting the ball into the opponentâs red zone, but toward the end of the first half, Corey connected with Owen on a fly pattern, and Owen ran it in for a touchdown.
And then Bryce missed the extra point. Ava, sitting so close to the edge of the bench that she kept almost falling off, tried not to show any emotion when the kick went wide. She knew Bryce was feeling a lot of pressure, especially as his opening kickoff had gone out of bounds. And she also knew he didnât need an emotional reaction from her to add to his stress.
With about a minute left in the first half, the Briar Ridge quarterback dropped back to pass, couldnât find anyone, scrambled, and ran it in for a touchdown. At halftime, the score was 7â6, Briar Ridge. Even though she was focused on the game, Ava couldnât help but notice that the cheerleaders from both sides remained quietly sitting, side by side, even after their teams scored. It was very strange to see.
Ava gathered her helmet up and headed with her team toward the locker room, falling into step beside Xander.
âYou hear what theyâre chanting?â he asked her.
She looked at him, startled. Sheâd been so caught up in what she was going to say to Bryce to help him straighten out his kicking motion, she hadnât been paying attention to the chant that had begun in the Ashland stands and spread to the opposing side as well.
âAy-VUH! Ay-VUH! Ay-VUH! Ay-VUH!â
Then she became aware that several newspeople were walking at a distance from the team, but keeping pace with her, snapping pictures.
Coach K looked up from his clipboard at the door of the locker room. âWell, youâd better acknowledge your fans, Sackett,â he said gruffly.
She looked at him in alarm, and then turned toward the bleachers and awkwardly waved to the crowd.
A huge cheer went up. Cameras started flashing like crazy. She ducked into the locker room.
During his halftime tirade (halftime was the only time Ava went into the boyâs locker room), Coach K did not acknowledge the media or the cheerleader protest, and Ava was grateful for that. He mostly bellowed about the need to gang-tackle on defense and better protect the quarterback on offense.
As the AMS kick return team trotted onto the field at the start of the second half, Ava glanced again at all the cheerleaders. The news teams were still snapping pictures and attempting to get the girls to speak to the cameras. Alex was no longer in their midst, but Ava became absorbed in the game before she had time to wonder where her twin had gone.
Neither team could move the ball in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, with seconds remaining in the game, the Cubs made it to the five yard line. Corey pitched the ball to Greg Fowler, the running back, who sprinted wide behind some blockers. At the one yard line, he dove for the end zone and touched the ball down just inside the goal line before tumbling out of bounds.
Ava clutched
The television crews all seem to have realized what was going on at the same moment, because Ava saw several of them point, gather up their stuff, and go running toward where the cheerleaders were all sitting down. Cameras flashed, videos were turned on, and newscasters bent down awkwardly to interview the girls.
The Colts won the toss. The Tiger Cubs lined up to kick off. Bryce Hobson raised his hand to signal he was ready to kick. Ava felt a twinge of bitterness. That should be her, Ava, kicking off. The refs blew the whistle, and the game began.
CHAPTER
TEN
The game was close, a defensive battle. Both teams had trouble getting the ball into the opponentâs red zone, but toward the end of the first half, Corey connected with Owen on a fly pattern, and Owen ran it in for a touchdown.
And then Bryce missed the extra point. Ava, sitting so close to the edge of the bench that she kept almost falling off, tried not to show any emotion when the kick went wide. She knew Bryce was feeling a lot of pressure, especially as his opening kickoff had gone out of bounds. And she also knew he didnât need an emotional reaction from her to add to his stress.
With about a minute left in the first half, the Briar Ridge quarterback dropped back to pass, couldnât find anyone, scrambled, and ran it in for a touchdown. At halftime, the score was 7â6, Briar Ridge. Even though she was focused on the game, Ava couldnât help but notice that the cheerleaders from both sides remained quietly sitting, side by side, even after their teams scored. It was very strange to see.
Ava gathered her helmet up and headed with her team toward the locker room, falling into step beside Xander.
âYou hear what theyâre chanting?â he asked her.
She looked at him, startled. Sheâd been so caught up in what she was going to say to Bryce to help him straighten out his kicking motion, she hadnât been paying attention to the chant that had begun in the Ashland stands and spread to the opposing side as well.
âAy-VUH! Ay-VUH! Ay-VUH! Ay-VUH!â
Then she became aware that several newspeople were walking at a distance from the team, but keeping pace with her, snapping pictures.
Coach K looked up from his clipboard at the door of the locker room. âWell, youâd better acknowledge your fans, Sackett,â he said gruffly.
She looked at him in alarm, and then turned toward the bleachers and awkwardly waved to the crowd.
A huge cheer went up. Cameras started flashing like crazy. She ducked into the locker room.
During his halftime tirade (halftime was the only time Ava went into the boyâs locker room), Coach K did not acknowledge the media or the cheerleader protest, and Ava was grateful for that. He mostly bellowed about the need to gang-tackle on defense and better protect the quarterback on offense.
As the AMS kick return team trotted onto the field at the start of the second half, Ava glanced again at all the cheerleaders. The news teams were still snapping pictures and attempting to get the girls to speak to the cameras. Alex was no longer in their midst, but Ava became absorbed in the game before she had time to wonder where her twin had gone.
Neither team could move the ball in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, with seconds remaining in the game, the Cubs made it to the five yard line. Corey pitched the ball to Greg Fowler, the running back, who sprinted wide behind some blockers. At the one yard line, he dove for the end zone and touched the ball down just inside the goal line before tumbling out of bounds.
Ava clutched
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