Riverbend Reunion(77)

Risa heard the door to the building open, and her heart skipped a beat. The moment she saw her girls, she knew the news was not good for them, but she put on a brave face and held back the tears.

“We didn’t make it,” Lily sighed. “There were four spots, and three of the ones trying out had been cheerleaders for the past two years.”

“They aren’t all seniors anymore?” Jessica asked.

“Nope,” Daisy answered, “but they only choose four since the school is so small. I never heard of nine-man football before today. That’s why those boys were so cocky. They’re big fish in a little pond.”

“But we aren’t disappointed,” Lily said, “because we made a couple of friends. Two of the other girls who didn’t make the team said that they would love to have us in choir since we play the fiddle and the banjo. Ginger plays the piano, and Melissa plays guitar.”

“And Ginger’s mama is the choir director at the school.” Daisy headed for the kitchen. “I’m starving. I need a midmorning snack, and I smell something with cinnamon in it.”

“Melissa invited us and Ginger over to her house after supper tonight for a jam session. Who knows, we might even get up a country band and play here at Danny’s Place when we’re old enough,” Lily said.

“You don’t have to be twenty-one to play in a bar—you only have to be that age to drink,” Wade told her.

“Wow!” Lily’s eyes widened. “I’ve got to go tell Daisy!” She started that way and then paused. “Hey, Mama, can we go over to Melissa’s tonight? She only lives about four blocks from Haley’s place. We gave her a ride home after the tryouts. We can walk that far if you need the truck.”

“Of course you can,” Risa answered. “Did you catch Melissa’s last name?”

“It’s Ginger Davis and Melissa Jones,” Daisy answered as she came out of the kitchen with a slice of date bread in her hand. “They’re cousins. Did you know anyone by that name when you lived here?”

“Yes, I did.” Risa felt like prayers had been answered. The girls weren’t cheerleaders, and they had made friends with girls who had similar interests. “Melissa’s mom was a Davis, and Ginger’s dad is her brother. They were both in the band. I’m not surprised their kids are musical.”

“That jumping around took a lot of energy and made me hungry, too.” Lily took a few more steps toward the kitchen.

Haley moved over to sit on the floor beside Risa. “They made friends that are probably more like them than the cheer squad. Do you feel better?”

“Oh, yeah,” Risa said with a smile.

“Hey, Mama,” Lily yelled from the kitchen. “I forgot to tell you that Ginger invited us to go to her church on Sunday. I want to go there so we don’t have to deal with Granny Stella.”

“Of course you can,” Risa answered, “but I’m still going to Granny Stella’s.”

“You are one tough cookie,” Haley said.

“No, just determined to show her that I’m in control of my life,” Risa said.

Jessica stepped back from the board the guys were putting on the face of the framework and sat down on the stage. “Now that we’ve crossed the cheerleading bridge, what do y’all think about going to the all-school reunion on Friday night?”

“How many of our class do you think will be there?” Risa asked.

Wade spoke up. “I’m going. I’ve never been to one, and I want to see what they’re all about.”

“We eat some kind of chicken dinner, stand around visiting, and do some dancing to music provided by a DJ, who usually plays country,” Mary Nell said. “It’s like an older-people prom. The guys slip outside to drink a beer or get a snort of whiskey. No liquor is supposed to be on the school grounds. That rule hasn’t changed, but they hide it in their cars or trucks.”

“Then when it’s over at midnight, someone hosts an after-party, and the real liquor comes out,” Risa said.

“Along with the real personalities,” Jessica added. “I won’t be going to any of those.”

“Why not?” Risa asked.

“Seen enough drunks to last me a lifetime.” Jessica thought of the parties her teammates had after a mission, and how she’d felt the morning after. “And, for that matter, enough hangovers.”

“Me too, but then I doubt anyone invites me to one,” Wade said and went back to work.

Risa nudged Jessica on the knee and whispered, “Think you and Wade will dance at the reunion?”

Jessica shrugged. “We danced together at the rodeo. He’s pretty smooth on his feet.”

“Did I hear my name?” Wade asked.

“Yep, you did,” Mary Nell said. “We were wondering how many women you’re going to dance with at the reunion.”

Wade’s eyes went immediately to Jessica. “I don’t imagine many will want to be caught dancing with the biggest nerd in my huge class of eighteen graduates.”

“Hey, we only had nineteen, and we wouldn’t have had that many if there hadn’t been a set of triplets in the class,” Jessica told him. “And I’ll be glad to dance with the biggest nerd.”

“Thank you,” Wade said with a grin and went back to work.