Lizzie got her yearbook and her video tape from her bag. She had been so put off the other day from her shower
experience she had forgotten to show them to her squad. She promised herself she would today. She was also trying to figure out a way to get a small piece of revenge on a certain Cheryl Holt. She finally got a glimpse of the girl that afternoon. A student had pointed her out to her in the hallway. She had no ideas yet, although she had somehow managed to convince Scott she had an idea brewing up in her brain. Lizzie wanted to do something soon, though before Cheryl picked someone else to focus on or next weeks animation. Then she saw it. Behind a bunch of older looking uniforms she found the uniform for the schools mascot, a wildcat costume with a Winslow High sweatshirt on it.
"Hmm, this has possibilities." She muttered with a smile. She heard the door slam. She threw the costume back into the closet and slammed it shut.
"Whos there?" She asked before she turned.
"Just me." She heard Laurens voice. She turned. "You spooked me a little there." She said putting her hand on her chest.
"Oh I'm sorry." Lauren said. "I saw the door was open, thought I might see who was in here."
"I'm running the girls through their paces this afternoon." Lizzie said. "Plus a little blast from the past." She held up her video tape. "This tape is of me in my cheerleading days, back when we actually cheered. The girls these days dance like bad extras from Showgirls." Lizzie opened up her yearbook and showed Lauren a picture of her in her senior year. "That much hairspray should have been illegal." She joked as Lauren looked at the book with her. She flipped past a picture of Scott. "Theres Scott Guber. Or Mr Guber as he was know back then. He had a little more hair." She said pointing out. "We used to talk for hours afterschool over politics and music. Oh man he loved music. I think he doe. Somestimes I would find him in there after school, lost in his own world, leading an orchestra of his very own. He was like that at my graduation. He would sit next to the school orchestra and wave his hands slightly. You could just barely see it, but I knew he was doing it. That was so long ago!"
"Wow." Lauren said.
"I know." Lizzie said closing the book.
"How are you holding up so far with the Cheryl Holt thing?" Lauren asked.
"Fine, but I got a few guys snickering at me in the hall today. They were singing 'shes got it made, got it made, got it made...." She shrugged. "Sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it."
"Oh, thats Van Halen, I think." Lauren thought. "How ironic. Its 'Hot for teacher'."
"I knew there was a reason why it was funny." Lizzie said. "God, my first week here and its looney already." Lauren nodded. "And people are asking me who the lucky, or shall I say unlucky, teacher is."
"I been wondering myself." Lauren asked as Harry flashed on her mind.
"I only know one person here." Lizzie said. "I have no one to talk to about this." She sighed. "Which is what makes me so happy when I see you and Harry. Talking, laughing...you are so lucky to have someone to go to at the end of the day to talk to about what goes on here." She continued as Lauren looked on. She grabbed her yearbook. "Someone who understands the blackboard jungle and kinda relates to you with horror stories of their own." She placed her hand on Laurens shoulder. "Don't let this one go, Lauren. You'd be an idiot if you do." She smiled at her.
"Thanks." Lauren said.
"Oh god, I'm going to be late. I gotta go to the gym. They won't let me have the vcr and tv for much longer." Lizzie said taking her things with her. "See you later." She waved.
Lauren waved back. She never even got a chance to ask if the teacher in question was Harry, but judging by what Lizzie said, it definately wasnt him in the animation. She was relieved. She watched Lizzie leave and realized how jealous she almost got over a girl whos been there barely a school week. Lizzie hadnt know Harry before this week. The person Holts website says that the mystery man in Lizzies life had been from her past. She flashed on something for a second. What if was Guber? She shook her head. Impossible. Those kind of things she could ususally detect from a mile away. Its not him, she decided but its not Harry. Who then? She was clueless.
The gym
The girls worked hard on their new routine. Lizzie had brought in her own music. Once she had seen what music
had been planned for the original routine, she went through her own music collection for her old mixes from school. She put a tape in her player. "Rock and roll part two" started to play.
"Okay, so its not techno pop or anything but its danceable music." Lizzie said. "The good stuff, the kind of music you can shake your butt to." With a soundtrack of multiple 80's and 70's songs they practiced their leaps, jumps and pyramids. "Back to basics." She said as they took a break from a lap around the gym. "Cheerleading isnt as easy as it looks. Anyone could do that dance that was on video. I could do it, but I don;'t have to." She turned the tv on. "I've been at these competitions before. No one ever danced like that. Its about spirit girls, not 'look at me! now look at my butt!'." She pushed a tape in. She pressed play. A group of cheerleaders performed a routine on a large stage. The tape was old, evidenced by the clothing of the time. Lizzie pointed at one girl after she paused the tape. "This is me, feel free to laugh." "Younger" Lizzie had mile high poofed hair. It was like a large hairy helmet. It didnt move, not even when she was involved with some difficult looking flips. "This is cheerleading." She said turning it off. "This is what we're going to do. Come in an hour early tomorrow, right after school. We have a lot of work to do." Lizzie said as she dismissed them for the day. Steven was standing at the door.
"Evening." Lizzie said.
"I have some news." He said. "Because of the days off we had this year, the state competition has been moved up two weeks so school lasts a little into June." Steven said. "I know what you're thinking, what does this have to do with me?"
"Exactly." Lizzie said.
"It means that your routine has to be ready earlier." Steven said. "Oh and one more thing, the girls will have to perform it in front of the school before it goes to state, at a pep rally."
"Really?" Lizzie asked. "Why a pep rally?"
"After all we have gone through so far, I thought the students might need a little cheering up. To let them know we are still there for them." Steven said.
"Understandable." Lizzie nodded.
"Will it be ready by Friday?" He asked. "I want to do it before the week ends."
"Sure." Lizzie said. A smile crossed her lips. A small plan was forming inside her brain. If Steven saw the smile, he didnt ask.
"Good." He said.
"Does anyone know why Cheryl Holt would think I'm having an affair with a teacher?" She asked Steven. "I know you brought this up before in our meeting but I only know one person here."
"If its typical Holt hogwash, it will be over before too long. Hopefully." Steven said. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye." Lizzie said. She went off to return the vcr and tv.
4:30
Steven was in his office when Scott passed by on the way out for the night. Steven sat up and moved quickly out of his chair. He went to the door.
"Scott." He called his name. "Can I speak to you a minute?"
Scott recoiled unconsciously. Even though he was Vice principal, he was like all the rest of us, no one really want to go to the prinipcals office. Scott turned and went to him.
"What is it that you need Steven?" He asked.
"What is your relationship with Lizzie?" He asked gesturing for him to follow in the office.
"I don't think there is one." He said. "As you may recall from our conversation the other day I used to teach for her. Political science."
"Yes, I know." He said. "Tell me about it."
"Political science was more of a Advanced Placement class. Everyone who wanted more credit for college took the class whether they were ready for it or not. It was a tough class. A lot of people usually failed or dropped out. But that changed when Elizabeth came into class. I pictured her as a stereotypical cheerleader, not very much depth, but the minute she spoke she changed all of that. She was the most opinionated student in that class. She challenged almost every thought that I had. There were times when she would come in after school and we would talk for hours. Sometimes we were the last to leave." Scott said. He sighed. "Its a time I'll always remember. Why?" He asked.
"No reason." Steven said eyeing him.
"I need to get going." He said. "I have tickets to the Boston Pops." He said.
"Have a good time." Steven said as Scott left.
BR>
Lauren was surfing the net on Harrys computer. He was getting chinese. She was about to go to Holts site when Harry came back in with his bounty.
"You wanna help here?" He asked as he opened the door with a fierce kick.
"Sure." Lauren said getting up from the computer. She grabbed a small bag of fortune cookies from him. He still had five or six containers in hand.'
"Oh gee thanks." He said.
"Welcome." She said. She eventually took two greasy containers from him. They placed the food on the counter.
"What are you doing? I tried calling but you were online." Harry said.
"Sorry. Thought I would look at some things." She explained. "I was going to Cheryl Holts site."
"Curious eh?" Harry asked.
"I guess you can say that." She replied. "No new animation but there is a holtcam video, ala us."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Then he remembered the video of Lauren and himself on the site pawing at each other.
"Look." Lauren said. "God, the new faculty shower is barely in use a week and shes got a camera staking it out."
The camera showed an angle just above the door. The picture was roundish, the camera must have a fish-eye lens.
The video started. A woman went into the bathroom. It was clearly Lizzie.
"She had crummy plumbing. According to her, her place is like a cockroach paradise." Lauren said recalling their coversation at Doyles.
A man was seen coming from below the camera. With the lens the camera had, it was tough to see who. It was definately a male but from behind it was hard to tell. Lauren and Harry squinted as the man went into the bathroom cautiously. The door was open as they saw the man go to each stall. He seemed to be inspecting or something. On the last stall, where it was visibly moist, he hit the door a little harder than he meant to. Lizzie recoiled and screamed. Her eyes were closed. The person fled but it was hard to see who it was since the stall released a lot of steam when the door was opened. Lizzie then opened her eyes, crept to the door and closed it. The door handle could been seen working back and forth. She had locked it.
The image vanished and the picture of the back of the head appeared. A large dollar sign covered it. Then a phrase popped up.
"Who is that?" It asked.
"Get a load of this." Harry said. "Holt is offering actual payola, 50$ if someone can name who stumbled upon Lizzie in the shower."
Lauren squinted. "I can eliminate you right?"
"Absolutely." Harry said. "I'm so sure that is not me. The video looks fake, the mystery man walks very stiffly. Almost like a cardboard cutout, or like someone has stick wedged up their butt..." He paused. He looked at Lauren. "Sound like anyone we know?"
"Can't be." Lauren said. They both looked at the site. "Or can it?"
