~* Ups and Downs *~ Liz appeared in the doorway, cordless phone in hand. “Chelsea, Victoria? Coach Greer’s on the phone.” “I’ll grab the extension,” Victoria answered, rushing upstairs even as Liz handed the cordless phone to Chelsea. “I wonder what’s up?” Chelsea asked as she waited for Victoria. “Wait a minute, what do you mean not permitted? They never said anything about––” she paused, a grimace forming on her features. We waited with bated breath for the one-sided conversation to end.

---

I awoke to find Nicole standing by my bed, an almost angelic smile on her face. She bent down to kiss my cheek, and I immediately embraced her with one arm, even as I wiped the sleep from my eyes with the other.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” she teased. “I didn’t think you’d ever wake up.”

“Sorry,” I offered, trying not to yawn in her face. “I’ve always slept late on Saturdays, you know.” I groaned lightly as I sat up. My muscles ached as I reluctantly forced myself from my covers. “What time is it anyway?”

“Past nine, last I looked. C’mon birthday girl. I have a surprise for you.”

“Can I get dressed first?”

She giggled. “Nope; we’ve been waiting all morning!” She tugged at my arm insistently. I quickly grabbed my robe as I followed her into the hall.

“We? Nikki I asked you not to go overboard. I mean, going horseback riding with you last week was more than enough.”

She turned back to me with a pleading gaze that melted my heart. “It’s not just me this time, I swear. Allison, Jennifer, Rachel, Natalie and Ash chipped in, and I got Daddy to help out too.”

“Help out with what?” I asked. She entwined her arms around mine, tugging me toward the stairs.

“You’ll see!” she insisted.

“Nice jammies,” Jennifer playfully teased as we stepped into the downstairs hall. Allison snickered under her breath as the three of us exchanged a hug.

“Happy birthday,” Allison cheered warmly. “I know you said you didn’t want a big party, but there is one thing we have to get out of the way.” A bubbly giggle escaped as she nudged me toward the front door. Following the girls outside, I found sitting in the driveway not only Nicole’s Mustang, but a bright yellow soft-top convertible bearing the familiar Chevrolet ‘cross’ logo on the front.

“Oh my God.” I turned to stare at Nicole in disbelief. She smiled innocently.

“It’s not what you think. I mean, yes, it is, but it isn’t. When I found her, the only thing really salvageable was the engine and body. The brakes were shot, the interior looked like hell, and I swear somebody was using the top for target practice.”

“This must have cost a fortune to rebuild. When did you... How did you…”

Nicole giggled at the barrage of questions. “Remember I told Kristen the other day I had one other project? This’ it. And it’s not as much as you’d think. Between buying used parts that I could fix up myself, or get Daddy or Natalie’s brother to fix plus a little donation from Ash, it actually came pretty cheap.”

Tears stung my eyes as I hugged her, and then each of my friends. “I love you all so much. This is amazing. I really don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’re getting your license,” Nicole teased as she kissed my cheek. “Now sit down in it and tell us what you think! It was a bear trying to replace the seats, but a little Armor-All goes a long way.”

Just as I sat down, Kelly pulled into the Jones’ driveway next door. She stepped out, dressed in her nurse’s scrubs and a light jacket. She had a ridiculous, massive grin plastered across her face as she approached.

“Robin Jane Smith, what do you think you’re doing?” The giggle really did little to promote any authority.

“I’m innocent, I swear,” I answered, laughing as I stepped out of the car to embrace her excitedly. “I can’t believe this. I feel kind of guilty though.”

“What? Why?” Nicole asked with concern.

“Ally gave up on getting a car to help pay for Kelly’s new piano, and then she goes and chips in to help pay for mine. I feel bad.”

Allison rolled her eyes, “Aww, it really wasn’t that much! Ash helped a lot, and Nikki saved a fortune refurbishing parts. Besides, you’ve been like a sister to me, and let’s not forget you did save my life last summer. I wanted this for you as much as Nikki did,” she insisted.

I giggled as I pulled her into a hug. “You’re the best friends I’ve ever had.”

Kelly smiled warmly as she rested her hand on my shoulder. “I’ve got to get some sleep. I just came off a graveyard shift, but if you want I’ll take you out later for a driving lesson.”

“That’d be great!”

“Oh, you can get dressed now,” Nicole chided. I glanced down at my robe and silk pajamas, my cheeks burning.

“Oh right. Just give me a minute to change. What do we have planned today?”

“The sports center has an indoor rock climbing area that I meant to ask you about the other day,” Jennifer offered, “But since it totally slipped my mind, a’ole pilikia, hey?”

“A o-what?”

She giggled. “How about ‘hakuna matata’? Same thing — no worries!”

“Ah hah, that one I recognize.”

Allison laughed. “Actually that sounds fun. Today’s yours though. If you want you guys are welcome to just come hang out at my place since you’re already here, or we can go shopping or whatever. This is your day Robin.”

“I’ll think about it while I get dressed,” I offered cheerfully as I turned to head back inside. Allison wandered away to talk to Kelly while Jennifer and Nicole followed.

“Is that your cell phone?” Jennifer asked as we stepped back inside. I paused only a moment before the familiar ringtone caught my attention from the living room. I practically dove over the sofa arm, landing with a grunt in the middle as I grasped at my purse, pulling my phone out.

“Hello?”

“Hi Robin, this is Victoria. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Oh, hi Victoria. No, not at all. I was just outside. Nikki, my step-dad and a bunch of friends chipped in to get me a new car for my birthday,” I answered excitedly.

“Your birthday’s today? Happy birthday,” she cheered before continuing, “I just wanted to let you know that your new uniforms just arrived. The delivery guy dropped them off at my house.”

“That’s great. Can I pick them up tomorrow?”

“Sure, that’s fine. Hey, while I’ve got you on the line, what happened with Katelyn? I forgot to ask you last night. Is everything okay now?”

I rolled over onto my back and sat up as Nicole stepped into the room to sit beside me. I wrapped an arm around her and smiled.

“Yeah, everything’s okay I think. Maria’s kind of acting as a go-between,” I went on to explain to her how the whole ‘encounter’ in the locker room had gone.

“I’m glad she apologized to you at least. I’ll talk to her at school Monday. She has a lot of talent, but her temper’s going to keep her from making the squad next year if she doesn’t get it under control. Well, anyway, I’ll see you at tomorrow’s practice. Oh, happy birthday again,” she cheered warmly as she hung up.

“What’s up?” Jennifer asked as she sat opposite Nicole.

“That was Victoria. My cheer uniforms were mistakenly delivered to her house. I guess because she’s one of the co-captains?”

“Oh, yeah that happens sometimes,” Jennifer advised. “Her mom’s probably still listed on the company registry as one of the contacts for delivery after hours.”

“Makes sense. Have you guys eaten yet?” Both Nicole and Jennifer shook their heads. I smiled as I stood. “I could really go for some pancakes. Nikki, the band doesn’t need you today do they?”

“Naw, not until tomorrow. We’re going to be doing our first dress rehearsal now that the civic center’s been refitted for their special brand of stage magic. It’s supposed to be staff and band only and security’s super-tight, but you guys are more than welcome to come watch me make a fool of myself.”

~oOo~

We spent most of the morning just hanging out, shooting pool in the Jones’ game room. Around noon we went out for burgers and ice cream, and Kelly took me out for a quick driving lesson with Jennifer, Allison and Nicole riding along for moral support in the back, with the top down of course. It was a nice, quiet Saturday with friends, no school, no cheer, no basketball, and no worries.

Sunday afternoon we decided to take Nicole up on her offer. I didn’t even know Alpine Springs had a civic center. Nicole warned us security would be tight, but the armed guards at the gate seemed a bit much.

“Identification of ALL passengers,” the tall security officer barked crisply. Margie quickly turned to the three of us. Allison and Jennifer handed over their student IDs, and I dug out my driving permit.

“Oh,” he responded in a much friendlier demeanor, quickly returning our IDs to us. He stepped inside the gatehouse for just a moment, returning with what looked like three laminated cards on white cords, which he handed over. “Just show these at the door, and if anyone else stops you.” He stepped back again, raising the gate to let us through.

“Well that was weird,” Allison mumbled, staring back at the gate as we drove on into the arena parking lot.

“Band/Staff: This pass authorizes the holder as band and/or staff with all access and privileges granted therein. Whoa.”

“How’d they get these photos of us though?” Allison asked as we stepped out of the car. She paused, glancing back at Margie. “You’re not coming in?”

Margie shook her head. “I’ve got some errands to run around town. I’ll come back in about two hours to pick you up though, or you can call me sooner if you need me.”

“Awesome,” Jennifer answered. We waved as she pulled away, turning to head for the main doors.

Not surprisingly, another pair of guards awaited us. One of them, an athletically-built woman with short brown hair stepped forward. She gently took my pass between her thumb and forefinger, glancing it over. Her eyebrows raised above the brim of her wire rim sunglasses as she looked up at me.

“You three are awfully young to be staff OR band.”

She took the radio from her belt, “We’ve got three girls here with Band/Staff access passes. Should I let them through?”

A moment passed before Jessica herself responded, “Yes, they’re family. Let them through.”

“Oh! Sorry about that,” she answered, then turned back to us. “You can go on in. Sorry for hassling you, but we can’t be too careful, you know?”

“It’s okay,” I replied, offering a friendly smile. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s with all the heavy security anyway?”

“The band’s manager insisted on it. Personally I think it’s a little overkill, but you know how rock stars are.” She paused, adding, “Just don’t tell them I said that.”

Allison giggled. “Our lips are sealed.”

We worked our way through the main lobby through a sea of ladders, buckets, and floor polishing machines toward the doors to the arena itself. I had never been in an arena or auditorium larger than the one at school. The sheer magnitude of its size gave more than a little pause as I realized what Nicole must be feeling right now.

They had the normal lights up as a small crew of men and women set up the band’s instruments. As we drew closer though, I could only spot Moira’s bass. Kristen’s guitar seemed conspicuously absent. In its place, an ordinary, unassuming-looking cherry red electric guitar sat on a stand.

“Hey,” Lucia called from behind, though her stage persona, Solace, grinned darkly at us as we turned around. She had really turned up the ‘evil dolly’ thing since last time with a longer, curlier wig and a tiny top hat, as well as more extravagant stage makeup. She delicately wiggled her fingers as she did a quick spin. “So how do I look?”

“Let’s put it this way,” Jennifer teased, “Somewhere there’s a very spooky, homicidal little girl searching frantically for her dolly.”

“Perfect,” she cackled. “When I saw Moira’s new dress I just couldn’t resist trying to one-up her. Everyone’s backstage if you want to come hang out with us. Kristen’s pretty tweaked because the airline lost her guitar, but she’ll be glad to see you guys.”

“Really? I mean, she always seemed,” I tried to find a delicate way to put it. Lucia snickered.

“Distant?”

“Sort of, yeah. I mean, no disrespect intended.”

“Nah, she doesn’t offend easily even if I did tell her. She knows she can be a witch to be around, but she’s alright once you get to know her.” Lucia winked as she tilted her head toward the far end of the stage where a heavy black curtain hung.

“Anyway the backstage passage is just through there. We’ll have a full security detail watching it at the concert, but the joke’s on them ‘cause we won’t be entering or leaving the stage through there anyway.”

Allison cracked a grin as we followed her through the hidden door. “That’s par for the course. You’re not going to repel from the ceiling are you?”

Lucia laughed as she shook her head. “I hate heights. No, we had the stage rigged for something better. The final decorations won’t be put in place until tomorrow though, so you’ll just have to wait and see.” She paused outside a dressing room door where a tall, well-built bouncer stood with arms folded. Lucia produced a small bag of barbecue-flavored cashews which she passed to him.

“Solace, you’re a doll,” he spoke warmly.

“Oh, aren’t you the comedian,” she replied flirtatiously. “They’re with me,” she continued. He stepped aside, giving us a simple nod.

Inside, Jessica stood at the far end of the room in front of a large makeup table and lighted mirror. She had her head down, inhaling the vapors that rose from a steaming mug, while Kristen, dressed as Demona Rose, sat reclined on a leather sofa with her back to us. I could only just make out what looked like a small acoustic guitar’s headstock peeking over the back of the sofa as she played a few riffs.

Shadowfang sat beside Moira, across from Kristen and in full stage makeup. She wore a white wedding gown with strong Victorian styling that rested just off her shoulders, with tattered blue ribbons on the sleeves. The hem looked as though it had been shredded and caked with dirt. She most definitely did not look like Nicole. She smiled grimly as she stood to approach us. She stopped in front of me, wrapping her hands delicately around my neck.

“Hey cutie,” she hissed playfully.

“Nikki? You look amazing,” I gasped. She practically cackled as she cheerfully kissed me.

“Thanks. This dress is amazing. I just wish Moira could’ve been the one to debut it.”

Moira, still on crutches, limped over to us. She placed her hand on Nicole’s shoulder, smiling proudly. “Nikki, without you there’d be no show. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this.”

Kristen stood, turning to approach us. I could now see the diminutive little guitar in her hands. She held up a warning finger and smirked. “Don’t laugh! The airline somehow lost my stage guitar so I had to sacrifice my practice guitar for the dress rehearsal.”

“That still doesn’t explain the little one though?” Jennifer asked carefully.

Kristen nodded. “This is my baby — literally. It’s called a Baby Taylor. I’ve had it for years. Just loosen the strings, unscrew the neck, and it fits right into a suitcase. Funny how they managed to not lose my luggage,” she grumbled.

“It’s cute,” Allison offered. “I kind of want one to take to Girl Scout camp this summer, but how’s it play?”

“Oh, well, here. Try it out.” she replied as she offered Allison the guitar. Allison squealed quietly as she accepted it, moving over to the sofa where Kristen had been sitting, meanwhile I turned back to Moira.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Moira nodded. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

“What’s with the security?”

Moira giggled as Nicole sheepishly raised her hand. “That’d be my fault. Daddy got the same crew that worked at my Halloween party to handle security during setup both for my safety, and to help make sure nobody figures out it’s not Moira up there.”

Jessica turned away from the makeup mirror, strolling over and bringing the steaming mug with her. A hint of minty smell wafted our way. She raised it in a toasting motion then drank the entire thing in one swig. She gagged once, setting the empty mug on a nearby table. “Five minutes to show time ladies.” As the other three shuffled past us, she paused with an impish grin. “Could you help us out with the sound check?”

“Sure,” I answered.

“Ace,” she replied cheerfully. “We’re trying a new sound setup so I need one of you in front and two off to the sides and back a few rows. The crew all says it sounds fine, but I want ‘real’ opinions.”

Allison bobbed her head lightly. “I’ll take the right side.”

“And I’ll take the left,” Jennifer offered.

“Alright, we’ll give you a couple of minutes to get in. Just follow the hall back out the way you came, and we’ll see you out there,” Jessica advised, turning to practically sprint down the hall the other direction while Moira limped along back to the arena proper with us.

~oOo~

Later that evening, Margie dropped Jennifer and me off at Victoria’s house. It was incredibly hard not talking about how the sound check had gone, especially when Victoria’s first question was…

“Wow, you guys are in a good mood. What’s up?”

Jennifer and I looked at each other, giggled, and answered in unison, “Nothing.”

Chelsea laughed. “Nothing my big toe. Okay, we’ve worked out the rudimentary moves for the first quarter of the routine, but we need to start choreographing the second portion.”

Twelve girls dressed in t-shirts and shorts sat on whatever furniture we could find in Victoria’s living room while Chelsea went over the basic plan, at least insofar as what she and Victoria had managed to concoct thus far. When she finished, she sat down, nodding toward me.

“Alright, Robin’s our expert here, so unless anyone has any questions, she’s got the floor.”

I stood nervously as every single girl stared expectantly at me. “I'm not really sure how to begin. I've only been studying Kenpo since July, after Ally and I were attacked by this crazy guy who tried to get us into his van.”

“Oh my God,” Victoria gasped.

I nodded solemnly. “That’s why I freaked out when Jason grabbed me. It was an accident that never should have happened.”

Stacey spoke up. “I remember that. You just like, moved one step and the next thing I knew, he was flat on his butt staring up at you.”

“That’s why it’s going to be important to learn the basics, so no one gets hurt. Accidents happen, even in the dojo. It’s probably best if we ask my step-dad to supervise. In the meantime, do we have any music picked out yet?”

Sasha whipped out her MP3 player and tossed it to Chelsea, who plugged it in to a small MP3 player dock sitting on an end table. As Carl Douglas and Vivian Hawke’s ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ came through the speakers, the entire room exploded into giggles, myself included.

Chelsea paused the MP3 player as she tried to stop laughing. “We need to tighten up our dance routine for the first portion then try and put it to music. Robin, can you talk to your dad about setting up a time to work with us? Pretty much any time we have a scheduled practice would work I think.”

“Sure, no problem,” I answered without missing a beat. Won’t Ash be surprised? He had officially become “Robin’s dad” after just over a week. I certainly wasn’t going to complain though.

“Oh before I forget,” Chelsea called, getting everyone’s attention. ”There’s a two day cheer retreat I want us to attend the weekend of the sixth.”

“Wait, what?” Stacey perked up.

“It’s like cheer camp, but two days of intense training instead of a whole week.”

“Erm, yeah, but isn’t that going to cut into Spring Break time?”

Victoria nodded. “It’s not required that anyone attend, but it’s highly encouraged.”

Jennifer smiled cheerily. “Sounds like fun. I’ll be there. What about you Robin?”

“I don’t have any plans. Andrea talked about wanting to visit, but it’s only a couple of days. Where’s the retreat held?”

Victoria reached for her purse, retrieving a small piece of paper and unfolding it. “Camp Kutomanu.”

Jennifer and I immediately started to giggle, drawing odd stares from the others. Jennifer shook her head. “Oh my God, it would be. We went to Girl Scout camp there last summer.”

“Oh, cool,” Chelsea responded, “So you already know the camp layout. That’s going to come in handy. Anyone who’s interested in going, just come talk to me or Victoria for a release form after practice.”

“Hey,” Tracy, our oldest still active girl scout, spoke up next. “Aren’t these things usually held at college campuses, with dorms and indoor plumbing?”

A few girls snickered, but Victoria nodded. “Normally, yeah, but this is a regional retreat. The camp’s big enough to house cheerleaders from as far away as New Haven.”

“Plus the cabins have indoor plumbing. Ours did anyway,” Jennifer added.

Liz appeared in the doorway, cordless phone in hand. “Chelsea, Victoria? Coach Greer’s on the phone.”

“I’ll grab the extension,” Victoria answered, rushing upstairs even as Liz handed the cordless phone to Chelsea.

“I wonder what’s up?” Chelsea asked as she waited for Victoria. “Wait a minute, what do you mean not permitted? They never said anything about––” she paused, a grimace forming on her features. We waited with bated breath for the one-sided conversation to end.

Victoria emerged, looking a little down as Chelsea handed the phone off to Liz again.

“Formally there’s no rule stating that we can’t use Chelsea’s martial arts idea, but Coach Greer contacted the competition organizers just to be on the safe side.”

Chelsea continued, “They decided it wouldn’t be in the spirit of the competition.”

“What?” Sasha asked with a mix of shock and annoyance.

Victoria shook her head. “They’re worried someone might get hurt either in practice or in the competition. Coach Greer said their exact words were ‘This isn’t Hollywood. Leave the professional stunts to the professionals’.”

“So that’s it? I’ve been through teen-angst Hell for nothing because they don’t think it fits the spirit of the competition?”

Jennifer stood and rested her hand on my shoulder, but the expression on her face reflected my own thoughts. “Robin’s right. I’m sorry, but this is bull.”

Chelsea shook her head. “They have the right to run the competition however they see fit. You have every right to be mad, but not at them. I should have looked into it first before I got everyone’s hopes up. That was my fault.”

Whatever anger I had in me left as quickly as I stepped closer. I’d never seen Chelsea this upset before.

“I’m sorry Chels,” I spoke softly as I hugged her. “Nobody’s blaming you for this, least of all me.”

“It’s not easy having everyone expect you to be constantly on top of this stuff. It means that when I screw up, it’s major. I really let the squad down.”

Stacey shot back, “If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t even be GOING to nationals this year. You and Victoria are our captains for a reason, right guys?”

A chorus of ‘Yeah’, ‘Totally’, and other agreements followed as we encircled our captains. I gave Chelsea my best supportive smile despite myself.

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Katelyn’s going to flip, but I’ll handle it. I’ve already gotten you hurt enough.”

I shook my head. “We’re a team, remember? We’ll find a way to get through this together, including working with Katelyn. I’ll talk to Mrs. Ellis to find a mediator if it comes down to it.”

“So that means you’ll stay?”

“Of course I will,” I replied. “Just because I’m upset, doesn’t mean I don’t want to dance anymore. What made you think that?”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m just being insecure I guess,” she sniffed, dabbing at her eye with a finger. “I’m having a bad week anyway, Katelyn made it worse, and now this happens.”

Victoria wrapped an arm around Chelsea’s waist in a supportive hug. “Let’s keep choreographing our ground moves. Tomorrow we can get a revised list of stunting rules so we can see what is and isn’t allowed.”

Chelsea forced a smile. “Okay. Thanks Victoria. I’m sorry for-”

“And quit apologizing,” Victoria teased. “It’s an honest mistake. Even Coach Greer thought it would be fine, remember?”

Her smile brightened just a little bit at that as she nodded. “I guess that’s true. Okay, just give me a second to wash my face then I’ll be ready. Thanks girls. I’m glad we’re all in this together.”