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or better. All girls planning to try out, sign up after school. Any girl who cannot come at the appointed hour, see me today with an appropriate excuse.” Mrs. Roundman would never believe an excuse. If you were too busy to try out when Mrs. Roundman wanted tryouts held, you were worthless.
    Althea’s class burst into talk. “Who quit the squad?” they cried.
    “Who got kicked off, more likely,” said somebody.
    “Who was it?” they demanded of Becky.
    “Celeste,” said Becky. “Isn’t that weird? She telephoned Mrs. Roundman and said she just didn’t have the energy for the season after all. She said it was taking too much out of her.”
    The boys looked doubtful that cheerleading could take that much out of you.
    The girls looked doubtful that Celeste had ever wanted to be on the squad anyway, and it was her own dumb fault if she ran out of energy.
    Althea tried to look ignorant of what had actually taken a lot out of Celeste. I must look sorrowful and concerned, she thought as she rejoiced.
    Becky leaned toward Althea, her dark floppy ponytail quivering. “You should try out,” said Becky to Althea. “You almost made it before, you know.”
    Even though she was thrilled at the compliment and the suggestion, Althea was a little bit shocked. Shouldn’t Becky show more concern for Celeste? Hadn’t they been friends? Shared practices and snacks all fall? Althea said uneasily, “Did you talk to Celeste? Maybe she’ll change her mind.”
    Becky shrugged. “She’s a quitter. Who needs a quitter? It’s not that kind of squad.”
    The class echoed Becky. “She’s a quitter. Who needs a quitter?”
    But she had not quit, not really. She had been removed.
    Becky said, “I’ll coach you, Althea. You’ll be perfect! You’re exactly my height and figure, too, and Mrs. Roundman is aiming for a better lineup. For example, although Amy’s really good, Mrs. Roundman isn’t going to take Amy, because Amy’s too short. And she won’t take Brooke, because Brooke has to be seven feet tall if she’s an inch.”
    Althea cringed. Brooke was sitting right behind them. But of course Becky, being popular, had not bothered to look around first, because she didn’t have to worry about people’s feelings. They had to worry about their own.
    “I’m five-eleven,” said Brooke irritably. “And I’m not trying out, anyway. I have a full schedule. I’m much too busy to interrupt it for something as boring as cheerleading.”
    Becky and Brooke exchanged several more insults.
    Then Brooke turned to Althea and smiled generously. “Good luck,” she said. “You won’t need it, though. You were so good at tryouts. I couldn’t figure out why you didn’t make it.”
    The smile caught Althea by surprise. It was so friendly. So honest. Maybe I will have friends who are not in cheerleading as well as friends on the squad, she thought. Maybe my life will be packed, like Brooke’s. Althea smiled tentatively back at Brooke.
    Becky and Althea walked down the halls, past the lockers, through the narrow passage to the coaches’ offices, and into the girls’ gym. Only one bleacher had been pulled out, and on that narrow bleached-gold bench sat—so few girls !
    Althea couldn’t get over it. Hardly anybody was trying out. Perhaps, the vampire had said, I could arrange for the competition to be missing.
    “Wow,” said Becky, “how come nobody’s here, Mrs. Roundman?”
    “Midseason replacements are problematic,” said Mrs. Roundman. “The kind of girl we want is not a girl who sits around with an empty schedule. By now, such a girl has other commitments. She’s a busy, active, involved person, or we wouldn’t want her on our squad, anyway.”
    “I don’t have other commitments,” said Althea nervously.
    Mrs. Roundman hugged her. “I think you knew a spot would open up, Althea,” said the coach. “Your commitment to cheering is very strong. I can absolutely feel it, Althea!”
    Mrs. Roundman took them through