Free The Cheer Leader by Jill McCorkle Page B

stay, too. That night I was somewhat sorry, as I coated layer after layer of Noxema on my nose and shoulders, but not so sorry that I would dare miss going to Moon Lake the next day or any day. I invested in a large supply of sunscreen, deciding that Red Williams was worth it.
    There were very few days that we did not go to the lake. We were there when it was overcast or chilly. Some days, we were the only people there except for those at the other end of the lake, for whom good weather was not a factor. The only days that we missed, as a matter of fact, were those when it was raining and then we spent the afternoons riding around in Tricia’s car, smoking cigarettes, and talking about who had been at the lake the day before. During this time, I had learned several other things about Red. He worked construction off and on; he lived right on the lake all year in this little cabin that his parents owned. On Saturday mornings, he worked part-time as a mechanic at K-Mart’s auto center. Tricia would circle the auto center often, and I would hide on the floorboard, knowing that if he ever saw us he would know how I felt about him. I knew every page number where he appeared in all of Bobby’s old annuals, and he had even signed the senior one, on the page with the picture of the track team. “To one helluva guy. Take it easy with Fancy Nancy. Knock ’em dead at Wake Forest. Red” Imust have read that a hundred times, over and over, the long thin irregular letters, the curl on the
d
at the end of Red.
    For one whole month, I had watched Red, some days disappointed by the fact that he did not show, other days, disappointed when he talked to Buffy Paige or one of the other older girls. There had even been days when I felt a twinge of jealousy when I saw him at the shady end of the lake talking to Beatrice or one of the others in their tight jeans and tee shirts, their heads wrapped in bandanas. But then, there had been the good days, those days when I was certain that he was watching me, certain that all I had to do was smile or lift my hand and he would acknowledge my presence. Of course, I never did that, I suppose out of fear that he wouldn’t respond, that it would turn out that he was not looking at me at all but someone just past me, or Tricia or Lisa. It was during one of his daily jogs between the two worlds when he stopped and introduced himself. I had fallen asleep and was quickly awakened by the shaking of the pier and by Tricia’s flirt laugh which was quite recognizable to all but a large percentage of the male population.
    â€œYou girls having fun?” he asked and it was funny because his voice was not nearly as deep as I had imagined.
    â€œJust catching some rays,” Lisa said and looked at me. She immediately went into action. “I’m Lisa and this is Tricia, Cindy and Jo.” I opened one eye and nodded, certain that my face was getting redder.
    â€œYeah, you’re Bobby’s sister, right?” I was dumbfounded that he actually knew who I was. Tricia and Lisa were staring at each other and I could tell, were trying very hard not to laugh. Cindy remained very calm but kept trying to catch my eye so that, had I given her the chance, she would have either winked or mouthed something like “go for it.” I just nodded and stared over at the row of pine trees. “Bobby’s a good friend of mine. Real good guy.”
    â€œThanks,” I said and it didn’t sound like my voice at all. It was that high squeak that I always heard when I taped myself on a tape recorder.
    â€œGoing back to Wake Forest?”
    â€œYeah.” I looked up and his eyes were darker than I had ever imagined. I had to look away.
    â€œHe always was the smart one.” Red walked closer and sat right beside where I was lying and dangled his long legs off of the pier. “What’s he studying? He was here at the first of the summer and I haven’t seen him