Free Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach Page B

you, but I don’t want to because you’re one of them.”
    â€œAre you racist?” I whispered.
    â€œNo, you dick,” Gore shot back. “Robert is an athlete.”
    â€œShe’s an activity-ist,” RC III said. “Prejudiced based on how a person spends his free time.”
    â€œSports are dumb,” Gore nodded. “And they attract bad people.”
    RC III was totally like…I think the word is tickled. He giggled like a little girl. Gore smiled back at him, sort of giggled too. They’d just worked one shift alone together, but Gore and RC III were clearly buddies. Talk about an odd couple.
    Just then, a couple big families came cruising into the shop. “Do you have any gluten-free donuts?” a super skinny woman in sunglasses asked.
    Gore smiled and said, “No, but we make all our products with extra, extra care.”
    â€œOh,” the woman said. “Good.”
    Right before close, Gore gave me her home phone number, said to call if we decided to use her house.
    â€œI really appreciate it,” I said.
    â€œThanks for the dandelions,” she said quietly.
    I called Camille before Dante locked up. Of course, she was a little skeptical about organizing a band practice at Gore’s house. “I don’t know. Will anyone go over there?” she asked.

CHAPTER 13
    I was planning to go directly home so I could eat something healthy and fast (no donuts for my third straight day of work!) and then do my grandpa’s workout. But RC III was waiting for me when I left the shop. He sat drinking a chocolate milk out on the picnic table under Dante’s canopy.
    â€œDude, you want to see what the cheerleaders are doing?”
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œUp at school. Bet they’re there again.”
    â€œYou saw them?
    â€œHeard them. Yesterday. About this time.”
    Man, I wanted to go home. I was so sticky and gross and I wanted to work out. But I felt sort of honored that RC III was taking an interest in my business. Know what I mean?
    â€œWhat are they doing?” I asked.
    â€œI don’t know. I just heard the music, man. Let’s go check it out. I’ll give you a ride home after.”
    Five minutes later, we (both of us sticky) rolled into the MLAHS parking lot in RC III’s black Honda. Sure enough, Kailey’s Buick was out there in the lot. Janessa’s SUV. A bunch of other cars were out there too. Just seeing those cars sent a shock of fear through me.
    â€œLet’s go in,” RC III said.
    â€œNo,” I said. “I don’t want to—I don’t need to know what’s up.”
    â€œWhy?” he asked.
    â€œI…I don’t want them to see me spying,” I said.
    â€œWe’ll just walk back through the commons, head to the locker room. I can say I’m picking up some laundry from my locker if anyone asks. You know you want to see this.”
    â€œOkay,” I whispered.
    I don’t know why I was so freaked out by the notion that Kailey, Janessa, and Emily Yu might see me poking around. But I was. Terrified.
    I followed RC III through the doors. My heart blasted. We entered the commons. The cheerleaders weren’t in there. But then there was this thumping bass blasting through the gym doors and RC III just walked right over and opened a door right up, looked right in. I looked in under his arm and there they were, the dance team in short shorts and tiny T-shirts. And they were all humping and bumping to this…like, club music.
    â€œWhat is this, the stripper team?” RC III asked.
    â€œWhat? What?” I said. I jammed my head under his armpit for a better view.
    Janessa, while she spun, saw us in the door. She stopped and waved at RC III. Then this tight-skirted, giant-haired, big-boobed blonde lady I’d never seen before barked, “What do you boys think you are doing?” She had this thick Southern accent.
    â€œNothing, ma’am. Just