with a smattering of people holding cameras, lighting equipment, and other machines I couldn’t identify behind them.
The official competition didn’t start for another few hours, and the sounds in the arena were strangely muted, bouncing off the walls of such a huge space. Once I’d had enough of my coffee to feel marginally human, I set off to go find Katie or my parents—whoever I ran into first.
The complex was huge, with endless hallways and rooms split down the center by movable dividers and temporary walls. Every room I checked seemed to be filled with people in athletic uniforms or sweats looking busy and tired. Half-completed cheers followed me as I made my way deeper into the building.
Finally, at the end of a hall that I wasn’t even sure I was supposed to be in, I found Katie’s team running through part of their routine. Katie’s coach, Kinley Ashton, stood along the edges of the mats that had been laid down for the weekend, watching. I hung back near the door and waited until they finished, then caught Katie’s eye.
She grinned and waved, then jogged over when her coach told everyone they could take a five-minute break.
“Hey!” Katie squealed, pulling me into a rather damp hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. How’s it going so far?”
“Good! It’s going really good.” She smiled brightly, but the nerves that had been pinpricks in my stomach all morning grew larger and began stabbing me repeatedly, like a row of two-inch knives.
Katie’s smile looked too tight, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Cheerleaders wore a full face of makeup for competitions, but even that couldn’t hide how drained she looked, or how pale.
“I stopped at the coffee stand on my way over here,” I said, proffering the coffee I’d brought. “You didn’t respond to my text, but I figured you might want something anyway.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Dad took my phone before he went to go work on his sermon. Said it would distract me.” Her eyes perked up and her smile grew more genuine. “You didn’t bring any food, did you?”
“Sure did.” I pulled the banana out of my pocket and held it out to her. “And I can go grab more, too, if you want. They had some granola bars and—”
I trailed off as Katie’s eyes moved from my face to something behind me. She pulled her hand away from the banana. I turned to see my parents walk into the room.
“Hi, Dad! How’s the sermon going?” Katie asked, her smile back at professional levels of cheer.
“Nevermind about that,” my dad said as he walked over. Our mom followed silently behind him. “Why aren’t you practicing? And what is he doing here?”
He didn’t even address me directly, just kept his gaze—more of a glare—focused on Katie.
“We’re taking a break,” Katie said, her smile faltering, and I frowned. Did my dad not see how hard she was already working? How much extra stress he was putting on her?
I held the banana and coffee out again. “Here, why don’t you take these, and I can go back and—”
“No, no, I’m fine.” Katie shook her head a little manically, her smile back in place. “I’m not actually hungry.” She turned back to my dad. “We’ve run through the tumbling passes, and we’re going to do baskets next, I think. We get to rehearse in the main arena in an hour, but for now, I think we can just relax.”
My dad’s glare intensified. “You can’t take that kind of attitude, Kathryn. Constant preparation is the only way to ensure that you don’t fail at a critical moment.”
“I know, I know.” Katie started to roll her eyes, then thought better of it. “Idle hands and all that.”
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady. There are college scouts here. And you’re not just representing your team. You represent your town, your church, and your family.”
I stepped forward. “Dad, come on. Ease up a little on the pressure. Today’s stressful enough as it is.”
“Stay out of this,” my dad said, shooting me a look that promised I’d regret it if I didn’t. “You know nothing about how this works.”
“I know enough to listen to Katie,” I shot back. I kept my voice as low as I could. We were in public, after all. But I wasn’t going to let him bully her. Not when she was clearly on edge already. “If she says things are going well, then maybe you