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A few days later, Stephanie sat in Mrs. Peters office during her study period, chatting as she turned in her parental permission forms for an upcoming choir trip.

“I’m so excited they let me start choir in the middle of the semester,” Stephanie was saying. “I knew I’d get to sing next semester but I really wanted to get to go on this trip. The capital at Christmas! It’s going to be so fun.”

Mrs. Peters smiled as she filed the form and entered in a few things on the computer. “Well, I’m glad for you. I never knew you were that into choir,” she said. “I just always saw you cheering and assumed you were a sports girl.”

Stephanie laughed, although Mrs. Peters noticed a slight flinch at the word “cheering.” “Oh, Mrs. Peters, don’t stereotype,” she said. “I have lots of interests. They were just harder to be interested in during cheering.”

“That’s a shame.”

Stephanie shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal in jr. high, but Mrs. Williams is….different. It turned into more of a commitment.” Stephanie glanced around the room as she said this, her shoulders tensing, but Mrs. Peters took advantage of Stephanie’s candor to push the conversation a little further.

“You know, speaking of cheerleading,” she said, her voice gentle, “I never did ask you want went wrong at that football game, the one where you and Missy got hurt.”

“Oh.” Stephanie shifted in her chair, her hands clenching and unclenching around the strap of her messenger bag. “Well, one key to any dismount is for the person below you to not be holding on as you jump. Usually once you get balanced, the person on bottom just let’s go, or holds on only slightly until they feel you tense for the jump. But on that pyramid there’s more contact so that we’re more stable up high. When I jumped it felt like Jenni didn’t let go in time.”

“How unfortunate,” Mrs. Peters said. She thought about Jenni’s concern that another cheerleader might get hurt. Was it just her closeness to this first – no second – accident?

Stephanie shrugged, “yeah. She must have been distracted or spaced out or something. Whatever. It’s over now.”

Mrs. Peters smiled and nodded. The bell rang and Stephanie stood up to go to her next class. Mrs. Peters stood up to and gave the girl a brief hug before waving her out the door.