She floated past her own reflection in the front hall display case. She almost looked like a cheerleader, with her school spirit costume.
As if on cue, a high-pitched voice called, “Olivia!”
Ivy looked up to see Charlotte Brown charging down the hallway, decked out in her cheerleading uniform.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Olivia!” Charlotte complained.
Ivy almost corrected her, but then she thought better of it and pulled her cap farther down over her eyes.
“Ms. Barnett told me to tell you that tryouts have been moved to the football field,” Charlotte yelled. “The chess team is using the gym or something!”
“Really?” said Ivy perkily.
“You’d better get out there!” Charlotte said haughtily. “Ms. Barnett won’t like it if you’re late!” and, with that, she hurried away down the hall.
Oh, my goodness. I have to find Olivia right away, thought Ivy, or she’ll miss tryouts!
She whipped out her phone and dialed Olivia’s cell, but there was no answer. She glanced at the clock on the wall: 11:21. That meant Ivy had only nine minutes to find her sister.
Ivy ran to check the girls’ locker room. The only people she found inside were Katie and Allison, decked out in full-on cheer gear.
“Hi, Olivia!” they said in unison.
Ivy spun around without answering. She ran back to the other side of school, and checked Olivia’s locker—nothing. She ran on to the science hall bathroom—also nothing. The situation was starting to seem grave. Ivy tried Olivia’s cell phone again. When that didn’t work, she tried her sister at home.
“Hello?” said Olivia’s dad.
“Hi, Mr. Abbott, it’s Ivy, Olivia’s friend from school,” Ivy explained.
“Well, good morning, Ivy. What can I do for you?”
“Is Olivia there?” Ivy panted.
“ ’Fraid not,” he answered. “The cheerleading tryouts are right about now.”
“Right,” Ivy said sheepishly. “Thanks.” She ended the call and slumped against the bathroom counter.
Her sister was nowhere to be found. Ivy glanced at the screen on her cell phone: 11:25. Only five minutes left to go.
This can’t be happening, Ivy thought with a shake of her head. Not after all Olivia and I have done.
She pulled off her hat, and spun around to face the mirror. In her locker there was a can of spray-on tan, which Olivia had accidentally left in Ivy’s bag after their first switch. Ivy thought she could put her hair in a ponytail and make it to the field before it was too late.
But what if somebody notices that there are two Olivia’s running around school? Ivy wondered.
It’s a risk I have to take, she decided.
She ran to her locker, grabbed the spray-on tan, and dashed back to the bathroom. Then she quickly applied the spray, and was tying her hair into a ponytail when she realized that she didn’t have pom-poms. Ms. Barnett will freak! Ivy thought.
She threw open the door to one of the stalls and saw two rolls of toilet paper sitting on the back of the toilet. They’re not the best poms in the world, thought Ivy, and I probably won’t get away with this, but it’s the best I can do.
A roll of toilet paper in either hand, Ivy charged onto the sports field, but the only people there were two jocks tossing a football back and forth. There were no cheerleaders in sight.
Ivy looked around, confused. “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you know if cheerleading tryouts are supposed to be here right now?”
“In the gym,” one of the boys grunted, looking bemusedly at Ivy and her toilet roll poms.
And all at once, Ivy understood what had happened. Charlotte had lied, hoping that Olivia would show up in the wrong place and miss tryouts. The fiend! Ivy thought.
She hastily tossed a roll of toilet paper to each of the boys and ran back toward the gym, thinking what a stroke of luck it had been that she hadn’t reached Olivia on her cell. As she ran, she chanted to herself through clenched teeth. “When you’re up, you’re up . . . when you’re down, you’re down . . . when you’re messing with my sister ...you’re upside down!”
Ivy stood outside the gym door and peeked in through the window. Sure enough, there was Olivia, cheering her heart out at the center of the formation. Charlotte Brown cheered beside her, the peeved look in her eyes belying the fake smile on her face.
Olivia pushed through the door of the Meat & Greet Diner and rushed to the back of the restaurant, where she spotted everyone waiting for her in Ivy’s booth. Sitting across from Camilla and Sophia, Brendan had his arm draped around Ivy’s shoulder.
Olivia couldn’t contain herself a moment longer. “I made the squad!” she shouted before she’d even reached their table. Everyone in the diner spun around to look.
Oops , thought Olivia. Her friends burst out laughing.
“I made the squad!” she said again in an exaggerated whisper.
“Congratulations!” Ivy cheered. Camilla and Sophia clapped.
“Ivy said you were deadly at tryouts,” Brendan told her.
Sophia held up crossed fingers. “Can we call you captain?”
“Not this year,” Olivia admitted. “Charlotte’s captain. But that’s only fair, since she’s been on the squad the longest.”
“And she’s so great at telling people what to do,” Ivy added.
“Exactly.” Olivia grinned. “Anyway, it just means I’ll be able to spend more time with my friends!” Olivia looked around the table at Camilla, Sophia, Ivy, and Brendan. She felt really happy.
The waitress appeared. “Tofu burger with salad?” she asked.
“You bet,” Olivia replied, smiling. Then she announced to the table, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go change.” After all, she was still wearing her cheerleader uniform, and she was dying to get Ivy alone. She winked at her sister meaningfully.
The moment Ivy followed her through the bathroom door, Olivia said, “How did it go last night!?”
They debriefed as Olivia took off her cheerleader outfit and put on her new favorite baby tee. When Ivy told her about the first dance with Brendan, it nearly took Olivia’s breath away.
“This is the best weekend of my life,” Ivy finished.
“I feel the same way!” Olivia agreed.