Cheerleaders: The New Evil by R.L. Stine Page A

“Let’s just make a list, okay?”
    Corky sighed. “I can see you’re not going to give me a break.”
    â€œCorky, you agreed with me when I said that the evil was back!” Kimmy accused. “Now you don’t even want to talk about it. Why?”
    â€œLet’s just make a list,” Debra repeated calmly. “One: Hannah is in a horrible car accident. That makes room for Ivy on the cheerleader squad. Two: Ivy doesn’t get picked. Ivy overhears you and Kimmy choosing Rochelle. Suddenly Rochelle has a horrible accident and is sent to the hospital. Two horrible accidents—and now Ivy is on the squad.”
    â€œDebra—this is crazy!” Corky cried. She turned to Kimmy. “You don’t believe what Debra is saying, do you? You don’t believe that Ivy is possessed by the evil? Even if Ivy is causing these accidents it doesn’t mean that the evil is back.”
    Kimmy shrugged. “I don’t know what to think, Corky. Let Debra finish.”
    Corky shivered. She wanted to close the car door and roar away. “We’re all going to catch our death out here,” she muttered.
    â€œCatch our death. For sure,” Debra repeated bitterly. “Item number three: Ivy’s best friend is Lauren, right? And Lauren desperately wants to join the squad. So what happens tonight? Accident number three. Heather is practically blown to bits. Lauren almost made the team.”
    â€œYou’re saying that Ivy made the cannon backfire?” Corky asked, shivering again. Was it the cold, or was it Debra’s words that were giving her chills?
    Debra nodded. “We all saw Ivy argue with Heather about working the cannon. She must have known Heather would refuse, which would give her an excuse later. Then we all saw the smile on her face just before the strings were pulled. What was she smiling about, Corky? What?”
    Corky didn’t reply. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Fighting the evil was too hard, too dangerous, too terrifying. She had already drowned it once. She didn’t want to face it again.
    â€œYou haven’t proven anything, Debra,” she said, reaching for the door handle and turning to face the wheel. “We have to believe that they’ve all been accidents. We have to believe that. Otherwise—otherwise— it’s just too frightening!” she cried out, startled by her own emotion.
    â€œListen to me, Corky,” Debra insisted softly.
    â€œNo!” Corky cried. “Stop, Debra. Just stop! You want to believe the evil is back. You think it’s really exciting and fascinating! It’s a game to you and Kimmy! You didn’t lose a sister to the evil! You didn’t lose a sister you loved. I think about her every day of my life!”
    Hot tears rolled down Corky’s face. Her entire body trembled. “I miss Bobbi so much! I think about her every hour!” Corky said, sobbing. “I think about my poor sister and the horrible way she died. And I don’t want the evil to be back! I want it all to be accidents , Debra! All accidents!”
    Debra’s expression softened. “Sorry,” she murmured.
    Kimmy bent down to hug Corky. “I’m sorry, Corky. It’s just that—”
    â€œHow long can we ignore it?” Debra asked, keeping her voice soft. “How many accidents will it take, Corky? Ivy is going to get Lauren on the squad. I know it. The next accident, it—it could happen to one of us.”
    Debra took a breath, then added, “It could happen to you.”
    Startled, Corky gazed up at her friend.
    Why did Debra say it that way? Corky wondered.
    Why did it sound so much like a threat?

Chapter 11

A HOT ROUTINE
    A s she pulled up to her house, Corky spotted a familiar car in the driveway. “I don’t believe it,” she said, surprised. “What is Alex doing here?”
    She found him wrestling on the living room floor with