The Third Evil (8 page)

Walking together in silence, Corky and Kimmy followed the others out onto the quadrangle. It was a bright, clear day, the sun already high in a cloudless sky.

A Frisbee sailed past Corky's head. A cheerleader in
a gold uniform, gleaming in the sunlight, leapt to catch it. Then the girl spun around and flung it back in an easy motion.

The beautiful day didn't help cheer Corky. She knew it would take more than sunlight to make her problems go away.

She and Kimmy both saw Blair O'Connell at the same time, and both stopped on the path to stare at her.

Blair was performing a set of perfect cartwheels on the grass, rolling joyfully just for the fun of it.

“She really makes me sick,” Kimmy declared, leaning close so that only Corky could hear. Corky found herself startled by the angry heat of Kimmy's words.

“I mean, she
really
makes me sick,” Kimmy repeated, making a disgusted face as she watched Blair's exuberant performance. “Someone should do something about her.”

“We can't let the other girls down,” Corky told Kimmy, pulling on the bottom of her cheerleader sweater and brushing a piece of lint off the big maroon S on the front. “We've got to give it our best.”

“I guess you're right,” Kimmy agreed halfheartedly.

They had practiced all afternoon, working to get a complicated new rap routine to come together. But neither of them had practiced with her usual enthusiasm and spirit.

Now it was seven-thirty, time for the evening competition. The enormous gym rang out with excited voices. Corky could
feel
the tension, could feel everyone anticipating performing in front of the judges.

Hannah and Debra were clapping and stamping their feet in rhythm, practicing. Hannah had hurried into town and returned with a new, short hairstyle—she seemed as pert as ever. Ronnie was kneeling on the floor, frantically trying to repair a broken sneaker lace. Heather was several feet away, doing leg stretches.

“The show must go on,” Corky said, forcing a smile.

“Why?” Kimmy asked.

Corky shrugged. “Beats me.”

They both laughed. Their first laugh of the day.

Whistles blew. The gym slowly became quiet. A judge, a young woman with striking blond hair, called the captains to the center of the floor. The captains drew straws to determine the order of the competition.

“Yaaaay, Bulldogs!” Blair O'Connell, holding a red straw, screamed.

“Guess who's going first?” Kimmy whispered sarcastically to Corky.

Corky rolled her eyes. “Blair is unreal!” she muttered.

Secretly, she admitted to herself that she was more than a little jealous of Blair. Blair was happy…she was having a great time…she was really into the competition. Blair was at her best…and she knew it.

That's the way I
used
to feel, Corky thought. That's the way Bobbi and I always felt when we were cheering. We always felt so confident, so
terrific,
so on top of everything whenever we put on our uniforms.

But now…

Now she could only watch Blair and the other happy, enthusiastic cheerleaders, and envy them.

“Clear the floor!” a voice cried over the loudspeaker. The cheerleaders scrambled up into the bleachers, sneakers thudding and squeaking. The eight Bulldog cheerleaders remained on the floor, huddling beside the bleachers.

Corky found a seat on the very end of a bench, about eight rows up from the floor. Debra sat beside her, nodded to her, smiling, but didn't say anything.

Corky turned away from Debra, still feeling hurt and angry by Debra's behavior toward her that morning. She looked down from her vantage point and watched Blair O'Connell encourage her squad. Blair went from girl to girl, saying something to each one.

A spotlight came on high in the ceiling rafters, throwing a white circle of light onto the gleaming, polished floor. The bleachers grew quiet.

“The Redwood Bulldogs will go first tonight,” announced the voice on the loudspeaker. “Whenever you are ready…”

The judges raised their clipboards as if at attention.

After a long pause the Bulldogs came running out clapping from beside the bleachers. They entered in a single line, Blair O'Connell in the lead.

As Blair ran into the spotlight, she performed a handspring. She dived forward onto her hands, flipped her body over, and landed effortlessly on both feet. Still on the run, she started into a second handspring.

But as she leapt this time, she appeared to trip over something.

Startled, her eyes grew wide. Her arms flew up.

She plunged forward, falling.

Her arms flailed the air helplessly as she landed—on her face.

Corky heard the sickening
crack
as her face hit the hardwood floor.

Her arms continued to thrash about wildly, but Blair made no attempt to get up.

The silence in the gym hung heavy. The spotlight flooded her still form with glaring white light.

When Blair finally raised herself up, her eyes wild with confusion and fright, bright scarlet blood was gushing from her mouth like spurting water from a fountain.

Even from where she was sitting, Corky could see the cut in Blair's lip. And she could see that her two front teeth had been broken in half.

Blair's head rolled about as blood continued to flow from her mouth, down the front of her uniform.

Her teammates ran over to huddle around her. Two girls put their arms around her waist.

Horrified shrill voices rang out. “Where's the doctor?”

“Somebody help her!”

“Her teeth! Her teeth are broken!”

“Stop the bleeding!”

“Her lip…it's cut wide open!”

And then Blair's anguished cry rose up over the other frantic voices. “Somebody tripped me!”

At first Corky assumed she hadn't heard correctly.

But Blair repeated her accusation. “Somebody tripped me!”

The cheerleaders in the bleachers had all jumped to their feet. The rumble of distressed voices rose to a roar.

Leaving a smeared trail of blood on the floor, Blair was half carried and half walked out of the gym. The judges and Blair's teammates moved her quickly toward the medical office down the hall.

As they passed beside her, Corky heard Blair repeat her accusation, the words burbling out like the blood from her mouth. “Somebody tripped me! Somebody tripped me!”

Repeated over and over like some kind of tragic cheer.

And then Blair was gone. Only the smeared trail of blood remained under the hot white glare of the spotlight.

Corky stared at the floor until it became a white blur. Then she forced herself to lift her eyes and focus down the row on Kimmy.

To her surprise Kimmy was staring back at her, the strangest look on her face.

“L
et's do the diamond-head pyramid,” Kimmy suggested. “That's always a winner.”

Corky stared at Kimmy in surprise. The other girls cheered enthusiastically.

It was the next afternoon, a gray, overcast day of low-hovering clouds. But inside the gym spirits were as bright as ever. The afternoon practice was under way—cheerleaders in shorts and T-shirts were beginning to work on routines for the evening competition.

“Kimmy, are you sure—?” Corky started, but her words were drowned out by loud chants from the squad a few feet away.

Suddenly gripped with fear, Corky remembered the last time they had performed the diamond-head pyramid. She and Bobbi had taught the squad how to do it. It was complicated and dangerous with three girls
standing on the bottom, two girls standing on their shoulders, and one girl on top of them.

When they were in position, the girls all performed liberties, posing with one foot raised to their heads. Then the top girl did a tuck jump into the arms of the girl on the right end.

We haven't done the pyramid since that night, Corky thought with a shudder. The night I was on top. When I made my jump, Kimmy deliberately let me fall.

She wanted to kill me.

She was inhabited by the evil spirit and she wanted to kill me.

Why is she suggesting we do the pyramid again tonight?

“Kimmy—do you really think it's a good idea?” Corky asked, staring hard at her friend.

“Yes!”

“Let's do it!”

“Let's try!”

The others all voiced their enthusiasm.

“Let me be on top!” Hannah shouted eagerly, her pleas directed at Kimmy. “Please!”

“Okay. You're on top,” Kimmy answered quickly.

Too quickly, Corky thought.

Is Kimmy planning on letting Hannah fall? Is that her plan? She's already
tortured
Hannah. Is she intending to
kill
her too?

Corky decided she had to act. She pushed her way past Ronnie, who was struggling with a shoelace, and walked up to confront Kimmy.

“What's going on?” Corky demanded. “I've always been on top in the pyramid.”

“Let's give Hannah a chance,” Kimmy replied softly, almost innocently.

“Yeah—come on, Corky, give Hannah a chance,” Debra interrupted.

Wow, thought Corky, Debra has certainly become Hannah's pal in a hurry. She turned her gaze on Debra. Fingering the crystal she always wore around her neck, Debra stared at Corky as if challenging her.

“I really think I should be on top,” Corky insisted, turning back to argue with Kimmy. “I mean, we only have this afternoon to practice. There really isn't time to break in someone new.”

But Kimmy insisted: “Let's give Hannah a chance.” And the other girls quickly agreed.

Corky backed off as Hannah flashed her a triumphant smile.

The smile cut Corky like a knife. It was a cold smile, a cruel smile. It said: I'm the star now…I'm the favorite now—and you're nothing. No one wants to hear
your
opinion.

Dread swept over Corky. Staring at Hannah, she had a heavy feeling in her stomach. She realized her hands had suddenly become ice cold.

Hannah is doomed. The words flashed through Corky's mind. Kimmy cannot be stopped.
Hannah is doomed.

“Didn't you hear me?” Kimmy's shout interrupted Corky's frightening thoughts.

“S-sorry,” Corky stammered. “I was just thinking…”

“Let's try the pyramid,” Kimmy said. “We'll practice
the shoulder stand—in case anyone forgot.” She turned to Hannah. “Watch carefully. Corky and Debra will be in the middle. We'll help you make your climb.”

“This is so exciting!” Hannah squealed.

“More exciting than you think,” Corky muttered under her breath.

“Corky—did you say something?” Kimmy asked, a challenge in her voice.

Corky shook her head no and stepped forward to demonstrate the shoulder stand.

A few minutes later five girls were in position and Hannah began to make her way to the top.

Balancing on Ronnie's and Heather's shoulders, Corky felt a chill run down her back. She forced away a shiver of dizziness.

Was Kimmy planning to drop Hannah now? In practice?

Or was she going to wait until the evening competition?

She wanted to warn Hannah, to tell her the truth, to tell her about Kimmy. But what was the point? She knew that Hannah would never believe her.

Hannah reached up with her hands. Corky grabbed them and tugged. Hannah's hands were hot and wet. She was breathing noisily as she hoisted herself up and moved into position to the top of the pyramid.

“Excellent!” Miss Green called, jogging acros the gym. She had arrived late, but didn't seem at all surprised to see the girls practicing the pyramid. “Hold it. Don't move!” she shouted up to them,
smiling. “Hannah, don't move. Just get a feel for it—get a feel for your balance.”

“I'm fine!” Hannah declared. “This is easy! Really!”

“Okay. Liberties!” Kimmy instructed.

“Slow. Take it slow. Hold your balance,” Miss Green called.

Corky, Debra, Ronnie, and Kimmy slowly raised one leg each.

“Steady, Ronnie,” Miss Green urged. “Keep your other knee locked. All right, legs down.”

Corky could feel Hannah sway unsteadily above her.

She realized she was holding her breath. Is Kimmy going to drop Hannah?
Is
she?

Time seemed to slow, then freeze.

Corky finally exhaled, took another deep breath, and held it.

“Lean forward just before you begin your tuck jump,” Miss Green was telling Hannah.

“No problem,” Hannah declared.

“Debra will have to shift her weight and balance on one leg,” Miss Green instructed. “Then Kimmy will step out from under her and forward to catch you.”

“I get it,” Hannah called out. “I'm ready.”

“On three,” Miss Green said, her expression set, her eyes narrowed as she stared up at Hannah. “One…two…”

Kimmy stepped forward to catch Hannah.