First Evil Read Free Page A

practiced day after day until their shoulders and backs were red and sore.
    Good, Bobbi thought, standing straight and tall on Corky’s shoulders, feeling Corky’s hot hands lock onto the back of her legs. She smiled confidently, hands on hips. Then, without losing her smile, she suddenly dived off Corky’s shoulders.
    The cheerleaders gasped as she plummeted straight out. She completed a perfect flip and landed, standing on both feet. And then the sisters moved into a repeat of their double cartwheel. Corky grasped Bobbi’s ankles as Bobbi grasped Corky’s ankles, and the two girls rolled across the floor. They stood up with a final shout: “Go Tigers!”
    The two sisters ran off clapping. Bobbi smiled at Corky as they leaned against the wall, catching their breath.
    â€œWow! They’re incredible!” she heard one of the cheerleaders exclaim.
    â€œHow’d they do that?” she heard another ask in a loud whisper.
    â€œYou’re putting on weight,” Corky grumbled, rubbing her shoulders.
    â™¦ ♦ ♦
    â€œWow, that was great!” Jennifer said, smiling warmly, her dark eyes lighting up with genuine excitement.
    â€œThanks,” Corky and Bobbi said in unison, smiling back at her.
    They were standing awkwardly in Miss Green’s office, a small glassed-in enclosure in the corner of the gym. Seated at the wooden desk, Miss Green was searching the top drawer for some forms.
    The routine had been one of their best ever, Bobbi thought. Sometimes she and Corky just clicked, and that day had been one of those days.
    All of the cheerleaders had been really excited and impressed. Except for the one named Kimmy and her short, blond friend. They had remained stone-faced, even when all the other girls had burst into appreciative applause.
    â€œThat was fabulous!” Miss Green had called out in her husky voice. “Of course your shoulder dive is impressive, but I also liked the height you got on those spread eagles.” She turned to the squad members along the wall. “I’d like to see everyone work on the new routines, now. I hope Bobbi and Corky have inspired you to keep your energy up. Up!”
    â€œLet’s go!” Kimmy had yelled, clapping and running past Corky and Bobbi, avoiding their eyes as she led the squad to the center of the floor.
    As the girls started to chant one of their new cheers, the two sisters had followed Jennifer and Miss Green into the corner office.
    Jennifer motioned for the sisters to sit down on the folding chairs against the wall. Corky glanced quickly at Bobbi as they sat, a questioning glance.
    â€œDo you mean we made the squad?” Bobbi asked Jennifer.
    â€œAh, here they are,” Miss Green interrupted before Jennifer could reply. “You’ll need to fill out these forms. This one’s a health form,” she said, pulling out a green sheet of paper. “And this one is the release form. Your parents have to sign that one.”
    â€œWe made the squad?” Bobbi repeated, to Jennifer.
    â€œYeah. You were amazing!” Jennifer gushed. Then she added: “I used to be the star around here. But no one’s going to notice me with you two around.”
    Bobbi couldn’t decide if she was kidding or not. The girls reacted with embarrassed laughter. “We’ll show you how to do the shoulder dismount,” Bobbi offered.
    â€œI think we can all learn something from you two,” Miss Green added, shuffling through the sheaf of forms.
    Jennifer’s eyes flared just then, and Bobbi suddenly felt uncomfortable. Jennifer was making it clear that she was jealous of the Corcorans.
    â€œWhere did you get that double cartwheel thing after the dive?” Jennifer asked, leaning back against the yellow-tiled wall.
    â€œWe sort of made it up,” Corky told her.
    â€œSome other girls were doing something like it at the state finals back in Missouri last year,” Bobbi