Bring It On by Jasmine Beller Page B

Olivia? Emerson wondered. She shifted her L’Occitane bag to the other hand. “Want to come with me? To Saks?” she added quickly.
    â€œThat’s okay. I’ve, um, got to go to the bookstore. To buy my mom a present,” Olivia said. It kind of sounded like she was lying. It kind of felt like Olivia was ready to get rid of Emerson, too.
    Emerson was relieved. She didn’t know what she and Olivia would talk about if they kept hanging together. “Okay, well, see ya when you get back.”
    â€œYeah, see ya. But I might get moved up one level in the fall.” Olivia gave a half wave, then turned and walked away.
    I can’t believe the only thing we had to talk about was ballet. If I’m not interested in ballet, Olivia has no interest at
    all in me, Emerson thought. I wonder if we’ll be friends at all when she gets back.
    And it’s not like Emerson had made any new friends lately. Devane’s face rose up in front of her. Friends, no. Enemies . . . maybe.

    â€œMy sister taught me some moves. We’re the kind of sisters who are friends, too. Not the kind that fight all the time,” Sammi told Maddy Caulder. Maddy was subbing for Randall, the regular teacher of the basic hip-hop class. Sammi hadn’t even met Randall yet. Today was day one for her.
    Maddy shook her head. “I still can’t believe it’s your first class. You’re picking up everything so fast.”
    â€œI guess cheerleading helps, too. We’re always learning routines,” Sammi told her.
    â€œOkay, guys, let’s go through it once more. People on the left, watch me. People on the right, watch Sammi. Remember, we’re all doing the same moves. We’re just doing them in opposite directions.”
    In the mirror Sammi saw the kids behind her nod and smile. “All right,” Maddy said. “And five, six, seven, eight. Step out. Shoulder up. Shoulder out. Head out. Knees in. Knees out—toes out.”
    Maddy continued to shout out the moves, and Sammi followed along, snapping her arms and legs and shoulders and neck in the series of motions. It made her body feel juiced, like there was this electric current running through her veins. No wonder Sophie loved this stuff!
    â€œFoot behind and turn,” Ms. Caulder concluded. She turned around and applauded the class. They applauded back. “Very nice. Randall will be back next week. He’ll add on to the combo, and you’ll start working it to music.”
    Sammi grabbed her sweatshirt off the floor and used it to wipe down her neck and face. She pulled the rubber band out of her hair and let it fall loose in a black stream down her back. Did she have time to run to the locker room for a quick coat of lip gloss?
    No, she decided. Sophie’s Performance Group class was supposed to start up in the room down the hall in ten minutes. Sammi didn’t know how early ill papi liked to get there, so she couldn’t risk being in the locker room when it was the right moment to just happen to run into him.
    â€œThanks for helping me out with that last part, Sammi,” Maddy said as Sammi headed out the door. “It makes it easier if there’s someone up in front demonstrating each direction.”
    â€œIt was fun,” Sammi told her. Then she took a deep breath and stepped out in the hall. A quick glance in both directions showed that ill papi wasn’t around yet. She uncapped her sports bottle and drained the water that was left.
    Sammi wasn’t too worried about what to say. With boys, it didn’t really matter. Just talking to them at all—looking at them, maybe a fast arm touch—showed you were interested. And that was pretty much that.
    A flash of movement near the boys’ locker room caught her attention. Uh-huh. There he was. Sammi headed down the hall, timing her walk so that she’d intercept him before he reached the door of his practice room.
    â€œHey,