Olivia blinked. “You mean you want to switch again?”
Ivy nodded.
Suddenly the waitress appeared. Ivy ordered a burger, and Olivia asked for a Greek salad with extra tomatoes.
After the waitress was gone, Olivia said, “What happened to ‘you’ll never make it past my friends’?”
“I’m willing to take that risk,” said Ivy. “Apparently, my friends don’t know me very well anyway. Head of decorations?” She rolled her eyes.
Olivia thought for a moment. She had to admit, being Ivy at yesterday’s meeting had been great fun.
Ivy said, “There are only two more meetings, right?”
“Uh-huh, plus the actual decorating before the ball.” This could work, she thought.
“Then that’s the plan,” Ivy said decisively. She flashed that fake mean squint of hers. “You better make me look good.”
“For sure,” Olivia said distractedly. She was already thinking about how she needed to get started on ideas for the next meeting on Friday.
Friday! she thought with a jolt. “I can’t do it!” she blurted. “The meetings are on Fridays, and I have cheerleading practice on Fridays!”
“I know,” said Ivy, nodding calmly.
“Please, Ivy. I mean, I know I messed up, but if I don’t show at the practices I’ll never make the squad!”
“I know,” Ivy repeated.
“I really, really, really, really, really want to be a Devils cheerleader,” Olivia said. “You—”
“Olivia,” Ivy interrupted, “I’m going to go to your cheerleading practices for you.”
Olivia was shocked. “You’re kidding,” she said at last.
“I’m dead serious,” Ivy replied, and she looked it.
That’s a terrible idea! thought Olivia. She shook her head briskly. “Talking to a jock at lunch and fooling Charlotte is easy compared to cheering, Ivy. Girls train all year for tryouts. I mean, cheering is totally hard.”
“Who made the squad in sixth grade?” Ivy demanded.
The waitress set their food down on the table. “Besides,” Ivy went on, “it’s not as if it would be for the actual tryout. You’ll still get to make the squad all on your own.”
Olivia hesitated.
Ivy leaned forward, her burger in one hand. “Olivia, you got me into this mess,” she said in a low voice. “Now you have to get me out of it.”
“But—” Olivia began.
“The only butt,” interrupted Ivy, “is going to be yours, in the seat, at those meetings.” She took a big bite of her burger.
“But I thought you hated cheerleading,” Olivia persisted.
“I do,” admitted Ivy with her mouth full. “But I hate party planning more.”
Olivia thought about it while she started eating her salad. It was her fault that Ivy was on the planning committee, and she owed it to her sister to make things right. “I’ll do it,” she said at last, “but only if you’ll practice with me every day after school. We’re going to train together.”
“Absolutely,” said Ivy without hesitating.
“I mean it,” Olivia said seriously. “You’ve got to be squad material if you’re going to pretend to be me.”
“You bet,” Ivy agreed.
While Ivy clearly wasn’t fazed, Olivia felt like someone was shaking a pom-pom in the pit of her stomach. There was just so much that could go wrong. “Is this what you felt like yesterday after we talked on the phone?” she asked in a small voice.
“Worse,” Ivy answered.
Olivia took a deep breath. Here we go, she thought. Then she looked up, all business. “Okay,” she said. “That means we only have four days next week to get you into shape. I’m starting you on a strict program for the rest of the weekend. Give me a pen.”
“You’re giving me homework?” Ivy asked incredulously, pulling a pen out of her bag and handing it over.
“Sort of,” Olivia answered, starting to scribble a list on a napkin. “You have four cheerleading movies to rent and watch before Monday.”
Chapter 8
“I cannot believe you made me watch a movie called Go Team Go,” Ivy said. She and Olivia were standing in the hallway after first period Monday morning. “It may have been the gravest eighty-two minutes of my life. That Veronica girl was seriously stupid.”
“You were supposed to watch the cheers, Ivy,” Olivia said. She swung her ponytail. “Anyway, where should we practice this afternoon? I’ve told my parents I have practice every day after school for the next two weeks.”
“Since school’s not an option,” Ivy said, “let’s use my backyard. My dad just landed a big project, so he won’t be home early again any time soon.”
“Great,” Olivia said.
Over her sister’s shoulder, Ivy spotted Brendan coming down the hall. Instinctively, she edged behind Olivia.
“What are you doing?” Olivia asked.
Ivy hesitated. “Hiding,” she whispered.
To Ivy’s horror, Olivia turned around to look.
“Oh, my gosh.” Olivia spun back around. “You should see the look on Brendan’s face!” She gave Ivy’s shoulders a squeeze. “I’ll leave you two lovebugs alone,” she said and hurried away.
“Hi, Ivy,” Brendan said, glancing down at his boots.
“Hey,” gulped Ivy, her heart beating wildly.
“How—how was your weekend?” he asked.