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grueling warm-ups. Then she led them outdoors, into the same courtyard as before.
    The sun was not so strong. A slight chill rose up from the grass. Althea swallowed. Becky shouted advice. Mrs. Roundman shouted orders.
    A dozen kids gathered around to watch.
    One of them was Celeste.
    Althea tripped and steadied herself on the brick wall. The brick was slightly warm, as if it were slightly human. Like Celeste, who seemed only slightly warm and slightly human.
    Celeste’s face was caved in, like a sleeping child’s. She did not really cry. She just stared, her mouth sagging, as if she could not understand what was happening.
    “Celeste, I told you to see the school nurse,” said Mrs. Roundman sharply. “What are you doing here?”
    Celeste mumbled something.
    She doesn’t even have the strength to move her lips, thought Althea.
    Mrs. Roundman said, “Celeste, you are upsetting everybody. That’s very thoughtless of you. You’ve surrendered your place on the squad, which in my opinion was the action of a quitter. So quit. Go. Leave. Now.”
    Nobody went to help Celeste. Nobody spoke up on her behalf. Nobody leaned down to carry the bookbag for her. Celeste could not hoist it from the ground and instead dragged it over the pavement by a shoulder strap. Only Althea watched her go. Everybody else had better things to do.
    I knew he would give me popularity, thought Althea. But I didn’t know he would give me Celeste’s! I didn’t know she had to lose everything for me to have something! I thought—I thought—
    Far across the field, the football team was practicing.
    Ryan and Michael were there. Ryan, who made sure Althea was going to McDonald’s. Michael, who was so perfect.
    Her heart pounded fiercely, nervously, desperately. I have to get on the squad. It’s my ticket to Ryan and Michael. To Becky and parties!
    Out of the sun, in a cold corner, stood eight girls in Junior Varsity cheerleading uniforms. Sullenly, they watched Althea and her competition. When Mrs. Roundman allowed a brief rest for a sip of water, the JV captain walked over. Her voice was hostile. “I don’t understand, Mrs. Roundman,” said the JV captain. “Why didn’t you bump one of us up to fill Celeste’s position? It’s not fair to put a beginner on Varsity when you have eight trained, seasoned JV cheerleaders available.”
    Mrs. Roundman frowned slightly. She looked out over the grass, and the grass trembled slightly, as if invisible feet were passing by.
    “You don’t have a reason, do you?” said the JV captain, trembling with anger. “You just felt like bypassing the JV squad.”
    Whose feet had just passed by? Who had persuaded Mrs. Roundman? What was out there on the grass?
    Mrs. Roundman said, “You people are having such a fine season, with your own great coach, that I was hesitant to make any such change. There will be more squad changes when football season is over.”
    The JV captain brightened. “This is a temporary addition, then? Until basketball season? There’ll be new tryouts then?”
    “We’ll see how everything works out,” said Mrs. Roundman, and the JV squad went away less hostile.
    Althea did not like that word temporary. Nor that phrase We’ll see.
    Football season was half over, anyhow.
    Is my popularity already half over, too? thought Althea. Is this all I get? A taste? A few weeks?

Chapter 7
    B UT THE DAYS TO COME were sunny and golden. Everything seemed bright, as if the world were made of daffodils and lilies, of springtime and sweet breezes.
    How warmly the rest of the squad greeted her! Kimmie-Jo gave a charming little speech about how Althea was absolutely perfect for the team. Becky gave a little speech about how she and Althea were becoming great, great friends, and Becky knew that Althea would be a great, great friend to the whole squad.
    Mrs. Roundman took pains to fit Althea’s uniform perfectly. On the snowy white sweater the golden initials flared like a sunburst.
    “Although Celeste