April's Heart

By Shilah Ferr

Cheerleader April Schweiter navigates life and love through her turbulent and sexually charged romance with her hot boyfriend Mitch Hudgins, the love of her life. Is he the love of her life? April really doesn't know.

Although they are finally a happy couple, April and Mitch decide to break up due to the fact they will be attending different schools far away from each other. But they find they cannot resist each other, moving on seems impossible. Are they meant for each other or just not meant to be?

Hold on to your pompoms as April and Mitch, with their on again, off again love affair keeps them guessing. It's not easy.

What happens to the star crossed lovers as the earth tilts off its axis in protest? You may be surprised. You'll love this sexy romance novel with all the drama of high school in the eighties. Its flirty and spirited, full of heartbreak and tears, triumph and joy, not to mention April's dysfunctional family, and of course, bitchy high school girls. The ebook edition contains almost 40 Spotify links on all the songs in the story bringing the reader right to the moment. So cool!

Find out what happens to the lovers who are clearly mad for each other, yet riddled with breakups.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shilah Ferr
• Release date: Mar 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463454442

Shilah Ferr

I grew up in northern New Jersey with my brother and sister. We share treasured memories of high school, the Jersey shore, and skiing with cousins. All of which became part of April's Heart! I went to college in Washington, DC and became a teacher. I now live in Virginia Beach, Virginia with my husband of thirty years, the love of MY life! Our two boys are in their twenties making their own way in the world.

Book preview

April’s Heart

Shilah Ferr

April’s Heart

Copyright © 2019

All Rights Reserved.

https://aprilsheartbook.com

Right Down The Line

Words and Music By Gerald Rafferty

© 2012 BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited (PRS)

All Rights Administered By BMG Rights Management (US) LLC.

Used By Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Why Can’t This Be Love

Words and Music By Sammy Hagar, Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony

Copyright © 1986 WB Music Corp. and MUGAMBI Publishing

All Rights Reserved.

Used By Permission of ALFRED MUSIC

I dedicate this to

my husband Mitch, for many, many things, big and small.

For, after the initial shock, falling in love with this book as much as I, then making it a mission to see it through to publishing.

For waiting quietly, purposefully remaining uninvolved, during the winter of 2019 while I wrote and wrote, sometimes not so quietly, cracking myself up and reminding myself to be brave and just put it in there.

For enjoying our editing process, where we ended up laughing and talking through the summer nights in our backyard. After decades of marriage, how could it be that we got to know each other even more? We (ahem) had our own summer of love.

For helping with all things tech, especially KDP and Spotify, and my new laptop! You also made such a wonderful book cover, thanks, thanks, thanks!

And perhaps most of all, for allowing me to use your name, Mitchell, which somehow, made it safer to write what I did. I love you.

April’s Heart

by Shilah Ferr

Part One

Chapter One

Monday September 5, 1977  Labor Day

April Schweiter was staring out the window of the back seat of her father’s station wagon as they proceeded south, returning from spending the Labor Day weekend at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, as they’ve done for years. School was going to start the next day, as it always had in Brokerstown, New Jersey. It was the last day of April’s almost one month grounding that began on her birthday in early August.

April thought back to that day. The yelling, the high heeled shoes being thrown at her head, the sudden end to the surprise party for her 13th birthday.

It had started out well, everyone was having fun. Especially nipping off the bottle of whiskey that was pilfered out of her garage.

Happy Birthday dear April! Happy Birthday to you! Her smiling young friends sang in the backyard that opened up from the basement. The white stone gravel patio was sparingly decorated with helium balloons. There were burgers on the built in gas grill and a pink cake on the wooden table that matched the rest of the outdoor furniture.

Whoa! Thanks guys! This is outta sight! I never had a surprise party before! Somehow April knew to wear her new white short shorts and red tube top that she bought at the mall with the money she earned for picking weeds in the yard.

April’s parents finished the burgers, wished her a happy birthday, and disappeared for the rest of the evening. They knew they were not wanted at the first boy-girl party at April’s house.

April was cute for a 13 year old, but she was going for sexy more than cute. She wore no makeup, her parents wouldn’t let her. She was slender and her hair was blonder than usual, due to the fact her family had just returned from a month long vacation down the shore. A lot transpired during that month, a chance to live a life separate from her friends back home. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, she thought. But she couldn’t wait to confide in her best friend Cassie about some parts. The boys, the partying, what she experienced and learned about all that.

Happy Birthday April! It was Vince, her next door neighbor. He was a childhood friend a year younger than April. He handed her a small package. I whittled this at Boy Scouts!  April opened the small box with the gold foil top, obviously taken from one of his sisters’ rooms. It was a wooden cross laying atop a wad of cotton balls from the bathroom.

Wow! Vince! This is so cool! He suddenly gave April a peck on the cheek. Vince’s face turned red, April giggled a little too loudly, and Vince turned and walked quickly away.

The sun was starting to set when Michael and Paul, boys from a nearby neighborhood, started passing around a bottle of whiskey.  April watched Melissa Trotter take a small swig.

A hand grabbed April’s shoulder and turned her. I got you this present April! I stole it from Woolworths! Jay was Vince’s brother. He was older than April, turning thirteen back in December. He had classic Italian good looks; dark messy hair, rounded nose, dimple in his chin. They were close friends, but recently things were beginning to change between them. April wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, but she liked the way it made her feel. Jay was certainly going out of his way to pay more attention to her. More than he did when they would play in the woods in their backyards, or in the street playing kickball with everyone.

The gift was a green hoodie. April would wear that hoodie for years to come under a white down vest that had rainbow stripes running up the front and down the back.

April put the box down and Jay and April walked over to where Melissa had just involuntarily shivered upon taking another swallow of the illicit whiskey.

Where’d you get that? Jay asked.

In April ’s garage! Paul replied. Can you believe  it! There was a whole case lyin’ right there!

Actually Jay could believe it. The neighborhood kids were familiar with the contents of April’ s parent ’s garage. April did not know why her parents only went to the liquor store twice a year, but there was a lot more than just a case of whiskey in there.

It wasn’t the first time a bottle was lifted either. April swiped a bottle of vodka and brought it down the shore. Actually, April had Jay do it one time when the garage was standing open. It always seemed as if April’s mother watched her like a hawk, so she dared not be seen with a vodka bottle when her mother could step into the garage at any moment. Jay hid the bottle in the bushes, as any hell-raising teenage friend would do, and April managed to sneak it upstairs and into her luggage.

Paul Murphy and Michael Hill were from a neighborhood on the other side of Sussex Avenue. It was in walking distance and recently they seemed to end up outside in front of April’s house all the time. April wondered if her mother actually invited them to the party. She made a mental note to ask her tomorrow.

That question never got asked. It wasn’t too much later when April’s mother threw open the sliding glass doors from the kitchen and appeared on the deck that hovered over the backyard. She started screaming.

You bastards get outta my property! Now! I’ll call all your parents! April? Where are you? In! Now! Her voice was loud, shaky and somewhat slurred.

April was on the side of the house in the shadows, under her bedroom window, taking a hit off a joint with Cassie. Cassie had a sister in high school and was buddy-buddy with some of her pot-smoking friends.

Holy shit Cassie! My mother’s gone ape-shit! April waved her hand attempting to clear the pot smoke away. She went running around the corner.

Mom! I’m right here! Go guys! You’ve got to go! she yelled to the audience still in attendance in the backyard. She ran into the basement and up the stairs.

Mom! What’s going on?!  Just then April’s dad stepped in front of her blocking her progress toward the kitchen. His face was red and he was trying to hold his composure.

I got mom to go upstairs. He explained. Mrs. Trotter called to say that Melissa arrived home drunk tonight.  April’s face feigned shock. Would you like to explain how that happened? her dad said.

Dad! I have no idea! April lied. Really! she continued. We were dancing and eating cake!

The only dancing going on were the boys wrestling like they always do to show off, and the rest of the cake was finished off when the munchies set in. In fact Linda and Dennis tried to feed cake to Melissa before her mom picked her up to try to sober her up.

Suddenly April’s mom came barreling down the stairs, turned the corner at the bottom, saw April and her dad, and threw a high heeled shoe at April’s head. Janet and Tim, awakened by the commotion came quickly down the stairs just in time to see April reflexively block the shoe with her arms. It clattered to the floor as the shoe’s mate came hurtling through hallway along the same path as the first one. Janet and Tim burst into tears upon the realization of their mother throwing spiky shoes at her daughter.

For cryin’ out loud Harriet! What the hell? April’s dad rushed over to his crazed wife and ushered her back up the stairs as Harriet yelled.

How could you! You bastard! You’re grounded for a month!

When he finally came back downstairs he found Janet and Tim, aged 11 and 10, consoling and soothing each other, as close siblings do, eating Pop Tarts in the kitchen. Once he got them back in bed, he found April in her room on her phone. It was the Princess phone and private phone number she got for her last birthday after her parents got fed up with not having the house phone available for their own use. Janet couldn’t wait till she turned 12 and would get one too. April quickly hung up the phone, not even saying goodbye to whoever it was she was talking too, remembering the 1 month grounding.

April, I’m dog-tired and can’t talk anymore tonight. We’ll have to talk more about this, but I’m trying to figure out if you even did anything wrong. He sounded sad more than upset. April was counting her lucky stars she didn’t get caught smoking pot with Cassie.

Chapter Two

The Schweiters arrived home from New Hampshire around the dinner hour. They picked up sub sandwiches from the deli in downtown Brokerstown as they passed through on their way to Armory Terrace, their upper middle class neighborhood 10 miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. April and her siblings were excited for school to start the next day. April was in the 8th grade at Greystone Junior High, the local public middle school, and the epicenter for young teenage hormones, misinformation, experimentation, cliques, and a rumor mill that functioned at the speed of lightning.

The school was over crowded, apparently a local political hot topic April knew nothing about. The eighth graders had classes in a prefab portable wing attached to the main building. It worked well except it required the students to continually trek over and over again to their lockers, which were in the main building, in front of the cafeteria. Those long walks back and forth between classes was serious social time, and of course whatever happened in the hallway, spilled over into class time as well.

April vaguely remembered Mitchell Hudgins from seventh grade. They were not in the same quad , a term used to describe the student groups. And there were many of them, being that the school was overflowing. This year that was no longer true, Mitchell Hudgins and April even had two classes together, English and Social Studies.

April had been studying him from afar and thinking how positively handsome he was. Not adorable or cute as giddy pre-teens might say, but handsome, in the adult sense of the word, as April understood it. He had straight blonde hair parted on the side which made him toss his head back or run his fingers through it all the time. Then there were those topaz-brown eyes, wow! His shoulders were broad, his muscles firm, his ass…  Puberty had treated him well. April caught herself thinking of him more and more.

It was mid-September when April found Mitchell Hudgins looking at her. The handsome blonde did not look away. His eyes locked with hers. There was an instant attraction. April burned red and faced the chalkboard. Why did he do that? What did it mean? Questions April would ask herself about Mitchell Hudgins for years to come.

Later on, Sharon caught up to April in the portable hallway.

April! Here! She handed April a note. April looked at Sharon. It’s from Linda Garasse. She offered. During math April opened the note.

April,

Mitchell Hudgins likes you. He told me not to tell you. Do you like him? Maybe he will ask you out. Then you and Mitchell and me and Dennis could go to Friendly’s together or skating. P.S. Write back

Linda

There were little hearts and stars on the bottom of the note. April was floored. Could it be that a boy she thought was cute (ahem! handsome) actually thought she was cute too? April thought back to the make-out sessions she had down the shore with a boy named Mark from Staten Island. April was pretty sure none of her friends had ever made out with a boy like she had. Only Cassie knew about that. Except her friends down the shore. They knew too.

April began to craft a note, not really knowing how to handle it. She was pleased that Mitchell liked her, it reminded her of the feeling it gave her when Jay was being extra attentive. But Jay was an open book, she grew up with him. This was unknown, like Staten Island Mark. Ok, thought April, That worked out well. She was ready to take a risk.

Linda,

I like Mitchell Hudgins too! Can you tell him in a cool way? Don’t make him think I’m desperate! Maybe me and Mitchell and you and Dennis could go skating Friday night and meet everyone else there. I’d have to get permission from my parents though.

April

She gave the note back to Sharon who gave it to Linda. Why didn’t I just give it to Linda myself? April thought to herself. She blamed Mitchell Hudgins for making her not think straight.

The next morning in the portable hallway April started hearing kids whispering. 

April is desperate to go out with Mitchell Hudgins! Can you believe that!

Yeah, I’d rather go out with Dennis, he’s much cuter! Linda is so lucky! It was Lisa and Lisa, girls April had always admired for their popularity, but April just wasn’t in enough. In fact both Lisas were invited to April’s 13th birthday party in August but neither showed up. A fact April learned soon after school started in September.

What the hell Sharon!? April implored upon arriving in health class, since it was a B day. Are you yankin’ my chain right now?

Don ’t know what you’re talking ‘bout April... she said in a sing-songy way like she says that all the time to people who accuse her of various deeds.

The note? To Mitchell Hudgins? How come Lisa Bloom and Lisa Golding are talking about it? You must have told them! Not only that, they got the message all screwed up accusing me of being desperate! Desperation was a character trait no aspiring popular person wanted to convey.

Calm down April!, I know what I’m doing. A little extra news floating around will surely let Mitchell know you want him.

WANT him? April implored. I don’t even KNOW him! But secretly want was the feeling April held on to.

What are you talking about April? Sharon replied, You said you liked him and wanted to go skating Friday night!

Linda ’s the one who said that! April scolded.  At this point April WAS actually sounding desperate. The teacher shushed the class and April tried to pay attention to the lesson on the human digestive system.

Chapter Three

The next day Mitchell Hudgins wrote April a note. Naturally it was Sharon who delivered it.

Dear April,

Do you want to go out with me?          Yes    No

Do you want to go skating Friday night?        Yes      No

April’s heart skipped a beat when she realized Mitchell Hudgins was asking her to be his girlfriend. She kept thinking about that primal stare in Social Studies. She felt a burn deep inside her just thinking about it. The word want came up in her mind again.

Apparently April was supposed to circle yes or no but it was more complicated than that concerning the second question. She would have to ask her mother. She didn’t want to say yes, and then not be able to go. Maybe her mom had plans for her to babysit Janet and Tim. Maybe her mom would just would say no just because she felt like it. There was often no rhyme or reason for her decision making.

April took the note home. She hatched a plan to try to get the sympathies of her mother by showing her the note. Surely she would understand that if April was to circle Yes there would be no backing out. But on the other hand, nothing was ever conclusive when it came to her mother. You never knew when she would turn from  an ally to an enemy in any given moment.

April you have a new boyfriend! Harriet exclaimed.

"Mom, I’m not sure I’ve ever really had any boyfriend!" April lied. She was pretty sure her mom didn’t know about Staten Island Mark.

Oh well, right, I know that. Harriet fibbed.

Well mom? What should I circle? Can I go skating Friday night? All the kids go, a bunch of them even have memberships and they go EVERY Friday night. April didn’t want to push it, but the fact was, in April’s opinion, most of the eighth graders went out every Friday and Saturday night, while April could probably count the number of times she’s been allowed to go out with friends without adults.

It was a Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. Harriet had easily had 2 rum and cokes by then. She was feeling generous and didn’t want to dwell on the fact that she didn’t know if her 13 year old daughter had any boyfriends or not.

Sure honey! Mitchell sounds delightful!  April couldn’t figure out where that information came from, if her mother knew he was delightful then she wanted to know what her mom knew.

Ok Mom! Great! I’ m gonna circle Yes ok? April’s mom continued.

You bet baby! I remember my first date with your father…  April ran upstairs to her room right to her phone.

Sharon guess what? April stumbled over the words. My mom said I could go skating Friday night!

That’s great April! I heard a lot of cool kids are planning on going! April wondered how Sharon always seemed to be in the know. April aspired to be like Sharon.

Mitchell Hudgins will be there, right? April asked breathlessly. 

Yes, yes April, chill out, that’s the whole point isn’t it? Sharon always sounded so sure of herself. Again, April made a mental note to channel Sharon’ s confidence.

At school the next day Mitchell smiled at April, and in a bold move April approached him.

I’ m April. She offered.

Mitchell replied rather repugnantly, Well I KNOW that! I thought we were going out now!

Going out meant that the two were boyfriend and girlfriend. April realized that introducing herself to her supposed boyfriend was probably weird. They went to the cafeteria and sat next to each other for the first time. They sat at the table where other kids who were going out sat. Linda and Dennis, Lisa Golding and Chad Degroot, and Melissa and Paul.

Cassie was pissed. April noticed Cassie giving her the evil eye all during lunch, but April tried to ignore it and concentrate on getting to know the stranger that was now her boyfriend. When they were finished eating Mitchell put his hand on her knee and moved it up her thigh a little bit giving her a friendly pat. Rather overly-friendly really, April thought. April was sure her face turned red, but did not do anything to change it. It only served to ignite that burn again, and what was that? April detected moisture between her thighs.

My mom works all day long Mitchell was saying. Maybe you could come over in the afternoon some time.

Yeah, sure, you don’t know my mom. April said.

Oh, she don’t have to know, Mitchell went on, You could come over, then book back to school in time to catch the late bus! Mitchell’s neighborhood was directly behind the baseball field of Greystone Junior High.

What a novel idea! How ingenious! How did Mitchell know that could be a thing? April wondered.

That sounds like it could work! They would be able to get to talk and hmmm? What else?? April relished the thought.

The next afternoon at home April’s mother walked passed her with her nose in the air. April knew that look, it wasn’t good.

I’m going to need some more information about this skating thing tomorrow April. She spoke as she filled a pot with water for spaghetti.

No problem Mom! April tried to come off nonchalantly, as if it were perfectly ordinary for her to meet a boy on a Friday night. Or be going out at all on a Friday night.

Well, how are you going to get there, who will be driving, and you need to be home by 9:00. That last statement was not a question April noted.  Her mind raced on how to handle her mother. She realized it would be hard to ensure a curfew if she was dependent on someone else’s mom or dad to get her home on time. It felt like a trap. Her mom was good at that. Let her go out, trap her into trouble, then you won’t have to let her out again for a month! This is what April imagined was her mother’s plan.

Ok Mom, I’ll go upstairs right now and figure it out. April knew no one else was worried how they would get there and back, it wouldn’t even occur to them to even start thinking about it until tomorrow after school. It would be hard to get some cooperation on hard and fast answers to her mother’s questions from the carefree eighth graders. She decided to call Cassie.

You sure you have time for me? Cassie sneered over the phone.

" Oh Cassie, don ’t be a putz!  You know you would be sitting at the couples table if you had a boyfriend!" Cassie had to admit April was right, and their conversation continued seamlessly.

Why does your mother always want to know every detail in advance? It’s so bogus!

I know, I know Cassie, but if I don’t get answers by tonight she’ll probably just tell me I can’t go at all. And… April continued, I have to be home by 9:00.

Oh God April, Cassie ’s voice fell. The skating session doesn’t even end till 9:30. April got a lump in her throat. Cassie covered the phone with her hand as she yelled to her mom asking her if she could drive tomorrow night. She came back to April. My mom said she could drive. April felt temporary relief  and wished her mom was as easy going and agreeable as Mrs. Culligan.

April told her mom that Mrs. Culligan would drive, then broached the subject of the skating session ending at 9:30.

Absolutely not April! I said 9:00. April knew her mother would rather pick her up herself than allow April to stay out later than what she originally said. It was an important show of dominance on her part. Her way of showing she is in control of her daughter. April grew to resent it more and more.

Chapter Four

April could hardly pay attention at school all day. She was excited to go skating and be with Mitchell Hudgins. Cassie came right to April’s house as they got off the bus in the afternoon.  April made a mental note of how she would be grounded for a month if she did not come directly home after school, but not Cassie, the lucky duck.

Help me figure out what to wear! April said to her best friend.

Well it’s pretty cold on the rink.

It is? April questioned. Cassie knew April had never been to the skating arena before as she had. In fact, Cassie was just there last week. Mitchell Hudgins asked Cassie about April and why she wasn’t with her. April hoped no one noticed that April was never there, that maybe she just happened to miss last Friday for whatever reason. That’s how she was going to play it anyway, she was going to pretend that going to the arena was old hat, nothing special. Just be cool, April told herself. Cassie would help. She knew that.

At the dinner table Harriet announced, So your dad will pick you up at 8:45.

Before April could even think, 8:45! Gag me with a spoon! Are you kidding? came out of her mouth. April was getting loud. Dad! What is this? She appealed to her father.  Maybe April’s mother was a lost cause, but surely not her father.

Honey, he said to his wife. If I pick her up at 9:00 then she is in my custody and technically that’s as good as being home.

Even April’s dad had to play his cards right. April came to call this Playing the Game. Understanding and existing with the bizarre rules and culture that existed within the four walls of their house was an art form. The better you are at Playing the Game, the more successful you would be at getting what you want. April taught Janet a few years later when the time was right.

It worked. An hour later Mrs. Culligan dropped them off. Cassie wanted to go around the side of the building and smoke a joint before going in, but April was too excited and thought being high and giggly might not be conducive to skating. Or flirting.

The girls were putting on their skates next to Sharon, Linda and Dennis when Mitchell Hudgins walked up. Sauntered might be the word. So handsome he was in his Levis, long sleeve Brokerstown High t-shirt and navy down vest. He had his skates dangling over his shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair in such a sexy way. April instantly swooned. Maybe it was Mitchell, maybe it was from lifting her head up from between her legs after putting her skates on.

Mitchell, hey man! said Dennis who was clearly relieved to have another boy around. The kids stood up and walked toward the rink teetering on their ice skates. Dennis put his arm around Linda’s neck, so Mitchell Hudgins did the same to April. It made it so much harder to walk in ice skates! April struggled to keep going. She wondered how Linda was managing it so well. Not only was she walking in ice skates on rubber mats with Dennis’ heavy arm around her neck, but she was talking and laughing as well. April was so happy to receive the public display showing that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, she smiled from ear to ear as she stepped on the ice.

April was a decent ice skater having spent a lot of time each winter at her uncle’s house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Every New Year’s. It was one of April’ s fondest memories.

April and Mitchell held hands as they skated. Cassie secretly gave her a thumbs up. Then they left the others on the ice and sat on the bottom row of the arena seating. Mitchell pulled some change out of his pocket and bought a Pepsi out of the soda machine. They shared it between them. ELO’s " Strange Magic " was playing through the loudspeakers. April looked at her watch. She only had 15 minutes left. She was thinking what she would say to Mitchell to make it sound reasonable that she had to leave early when Mitchell moved in to kiss her. April reciprocated the kiss and it quickly got hot between them, even right there in the cold of the skating rink. They went in for some more, getting a bit slobbery, they didn’t realize how desirous for each other they really were. Mitchell gazed into her blue eyes with a look that was  dark, yet with a touch of his own realization about what he was feeling. The fact that perhaps 13 year olds don’t usually have such intense feelings didn’t occur to them. They were lost in the moment. Strange Magic? Maybe. It was this particular passion that influenced Mitchell and April for years to come.

April looked at her watch again knowing that may come off as offensive. Mitchell, I have to go take my skates off.

But I thought we’d…

April cut him off and lied. I gotta bolt. My dad is picking me up after getting my sister from a birthday party. It didn’t make much sense for him to go out twice.

Well, maybe my mom could drop you off? She wants to meet you anyway.

That was news. Mitchell Hudgins had been talking to his mom about her. She smirked to herself as she doubted he would tell her about that kiss! But she had to think fast here. There was no changing plans at the last minute with her mom. She would accuse April of railroading her. She’d been in trouble for that before and didn’t want to do it again.

No, I can’t. April could see that Mitchell was bummed. He’ll be here in 5 minutes. April had no choice but to get up. Mitchell followed her out to the mezzanine where they left all their stuff. He took his skates off too. As they waited by the front entrance for April’s dad, they faced each other with their arms around each other’s waists just staring at each other, topaz eyes to blue, not saying a word. Yet a lot was said, it was very romantic.

Chapter Five

Winter sports were approaching for the student athletes at Greystone Junior High. Mitchell was already on the wrestling team, but cheerleading was just for eighth graders. It was one of the privileges of being upperclassmen .  April, Cassie and some of the other girls all tried out. April wanted to be a cheerleader for several reasons, but one premeditated reason was that it would force her parents to let her be out because she would be required to go to games. It was a brilliant plan! There would also be after school practices, maybe even team parties! The more she thought about it the better it sounded.

The final roster was posted on the gym bulletin board. April was so elated that her name was on the list that she didn’t even notice that Cassie’s wasn’t. Instead of crying, or being mad at herself, Cassie was mad at April.

Stop showing off April!  Cassie scowled.

What the hell Cassie, I did nothing! Why April got in trouble for just existing always confounded her. April realized Cassie was heartbroken about not making the team and tried to step forward to console her.

Get away from me! Cassie yelled. Some friend you are! Cassie tossed her long strawberry hair as she stomped toward the portable wing. Was Cassie asking her to quit the team? Would April consider it? Would April ask that of her if their roles were reversed?

April decided to talk to her mom. She calculated carefully. It would play a dual role really. By reaching out to her mom, it would show that she needed her, harmlessly allowing her mom to feel that power over April that governed many of Harriet’s decisions whether they made sense or not. Making sense was not always the point, feeling power and control was. Once April understood that part of the game it allowed her to lay groundwork such as this.

Well April, honestly, Cassie doesn’t seem like such a friend really. Harriet continued, You worked hard to get a spot on that team, you didn’t do it just to turn around and quit did you?

No I sure didn’t, but I don’t want Cassie to be mad at me. We wanted to be cheerleaders together.

It was a good talk. Early on April realized she would not quit, Cassie would just have to get over it. April’s plan about being out more overruled any thought of quitting. The conversation turned to the next day.

" We ’ll be voting for captains tomorrow after