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

her brother, Sean. Alex was sprawled facedown on the carpet, pounding the floor with one fist. Sean straddled his back, twisting Alex’s other arm up behind him as far as it would go.
    â€œOkay! Okay! I give!” Alex cried, red faced, his blond hair standing up in all directions.
    â€œTwo out of three falls!” Sean declared gleefully, triumphantly rolling off Alex’s back.
    They both turned as Corky stepped into the centerof the room. “Aw, why’d you have to come home?” Sean cried angrily.
    â€œI’m glad to see you too!” Corky shot back. She tossed her coat onto a chair.
    Alex climbed to his feet, pulling his gray sweatshirt down over his faded jeans. He grinned at Corky. “Sean and I were just working out a little.”
    â€œI beat his butt!” Sean declared. He turned at the doorway and flexed both biceps. Corky had to laugh. Her brother had such skinny arms!
    â€œGuess you two want me to leave,” Sean said, grinning. “So you can go smoochy-smoochy.”
    Corky laughed. “Where’d you hear that?”
    â€œOn TV,” Sean replied, and disappeared upstairs to his room.
    Alex dropped onto the couch. He tried to smooth his hair into place, using both hands. “How was practice?”
    â€œYou wouldn’t believe it,” Corky replied, rolling her eyes. Sitting down on the other end of the couch, she told him about Heather’s accident.
    â€œWeird,” Alex murmured, shaking his head. “Are you okay, Corky?”
    She nodded. “I’m surprised to see you here, Alex. Shouldn’t you be helping Lauren with her government project? Or helping Deena Martinson with her French or something?”
    Alex shrugged. “Can I help it if I’m a genius?”
    She saw his cheeks turn pink. One hand tapped the couch arm nervously. “Well, I’m real glad to see you,”Corky admitted, her expression softening. “How come you came over?”
    He shrugged again. “Just wondered how you were doing.” His eyes darted around the room, then returned to her. “It’s hard to settle down and do my homework. I’m stoked! I mean, I can’t stop thinking about the tournament.”
    Corky sighed. “I’ve been looking forward to it too,” she told him, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. “But these horrible accidents . . .” Her voice trailed off.
    â€œI know,” he replied softly. His hand continued to tap the couch arm. He kept shifting his weight, crossing and uncrossing his legs.
    Why is he so nervous? Corky wondered.
    â€œMaybe the pep rally after school tomorrow will help you get into it,” he suggested.
    â€œMaybe,” she replied without enthusiasm. “We have some great new cheers. And we’re going to turn off all the lights in the gym and do Naomi’s fire baton routine.”
    â€œCool,” Alex said. He cleared his throat. The pink circles on his cheeks grew darker. She saw him hesitate. He seemed to be working up his courage. “Corky, I want to tell you something,” he started to say.
    Corky felt her heart skip a beat. He came over here to break up with me! she realized.
    I can’t believe he’s doing this! Right before the tournament. Right before Christmas.
    She felt her face go hot. Her mouth suddenly feltdry as cotton. She didn’t want to break up. She really cared about him.
    â€œWhat is it, Alex?” she managed to choke out.
    â€œWell, I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said, tapping the couch arm. I—uh—”
    The doorbell rang.
    Corky leapt up from the couch. “Who could that be?” she fretted, hurrying to the front door.
    She glanced back at Alex. Did he look disappointed that he didn’t get to say what was on his mind? Or relieved? She couldn’t tell.
    Corky pulled open the front door, and Jay came bursting in. He wore a heavy red plaid ski sweater with the