Holly was actually enjoying herself. Nicole was being very nice, and had introduced her to a bunch of the girls from the cheerleading team. They were all talking and laughing in a corner of the living room. Sometimes a boy would come over and hit on one of the girls. Holly had almost chocked on her drink when one of them spoke to her.
“You should try out for the squad.” One of the girls, Melissa, told Holly.
Holly stared at her. “I thought tryouts were in September.” She remembered hearing all of the ninth grade girls talking about what it would be like to make the squad. It had been the same at her old school, being a cheerleader meant being popular.
“That’s just a formality.” Melissa waved the comment off. “We can give you a private tryout, if you’d like.”
Holly felt her eyes go wide. She had never thought about being a cheerleader, but that was because she had believed the stereotype of cheerleaders were bitches. But the girls she was talking to now were really nice. She nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“Great, I’ll set something up for you tomorrow.” Nicole told her. She threw an arm around Holly’s shoulders and raised her cup. “But tonight, we party!”
The girls cheered, and Holly joined in. When one of the girls tripped and spilled her drink, Holly laughed with the rest of them. She felt great.
Suddenly there was a commotion off to one side. Everyone looked over to see someone pushing his or her way through the crowd. Holly felt her stomach clench when she recognized Fletcher. His shirt was pushed up slightly, and his ears were missing.
Holly set aside her cup and ran to him. “What happened?” She asked.
Fletcher grabbed her arms, looking for support. His eyes were wide, and Holly recognized the look. It was a look she had seen almost every day after school the year before. Fletcher was terrified of something.
“Fletcher, what happened?” Holly repeated. She was aware of the cheerleaders closing in around them, blocking Fletcher from curious eyes. She silently thanked them.
Finally, Fletcher opened his mouth to answer her. “He… He…” He was out of breath, and too scared to form sentences. Holly wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Almost instantly, he started to cry into her shoulder.
“Holly?” Melissa questioned.
Holly looked at her and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” She shifted Fletcher so that she could guide him through the crowd. “My brother needs me.”
Melissa nodded. She turned to Nicole, silently asking a question.
Nicole returned her look and nodded. “Capsule.” She told the girls.
As Holly led Fletcher out of the house, the cheerleaders stayed around them, blocking them from any curious looks. Holly was grateful. She knew that Fletcher didn’t need people seeing him like this and then whispering about him tomorrow at school.
When they reached the door, Nicole offered to give them a ride home.
“It’s okay.” Holly nodded over at their house. “We live next door, so we can walk.” She held her arm tightly around Fletcher. “Tell Lance thanks for inviting us, and sorry we couldn’t stay longer.”
Nicole agreed and Holly started to lead Fletcher home. The farther they got from the party, the calmer he became. By the time they reached their door, he was walking on his own, and had managed to straighten his shirt.
“So, what happened?” Holly prompted as she led him into his room.
Fletcher just shook his head. He went straight to Bambi’s cage and opened the door. Holly watched as the little dwarf hamster crawled into Fletcher’s palm and Fletcher sat on the floor with him.
Holly sat on the bed. This was familiar to her. When the bullying got really bad, Fletcher had always retreated to his room, acting little. When he had gotten Bambi, the little animal had been added to the comfort scene.
Holly sighed. I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence again. She didn’t think Fletcher would be able to take it, and she knew she wouldn’t.
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