Caught in the Crosshairs

Chapter 3 - Tryouts and Trashbags

(7 is Kyle, 1 is Bryce, 13 is Drew)

Beep!!!! Beep!!!! Beeeeppppp!
I slammed my hand down on my alarm clock.
6:02, why was it so dark still? I wondered. I looked outside. Rainclouds. Please don't rain, not today, I thought. It was finally Saturday morning, and I didn't want anything to spoil my chances of getting on the cheerleading squad. I put on a t-shirt and sweats, and ran downstairs to get a quick breakfast. "Hi, Kyle." I said sleepily as I poured milk onto my Cheerios.
"Hey, Samantha!" He paused. "Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked.
"Not very much, why?"
"Well, I thought maybe you should put the milk into the fridge instead of the cheerios? I dunno, just a thought." He grinned. I quickly take the milk out of the cupboard and put it in its rightful spot in the fridge.
"Hey, why are you up so early?"
"Football tryouts, duh. Boy you are really tired, aren't you?" I half-smile and nod.
"So," he teased, "are there any guys that you think are cute?"
"Uggh, no." I lied. I wasn't discussing this with my brother.
"Awww, c'mon Sam, I know you. You haven't smiled this much since, well, you know...."
"Kyle,-"
"Look, all I'm saying is that if you do want to talk to me about it, I'd love to give you some advice."
"Good to know." I sit down at our breakfast bar and chomp down on my cereal. I decide to grab an apple as Kyle and I head out to the car.
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"Alright, girls!" Ms. Archbishop began, "Now that all of you are here and in your uniforms, I have an announcement to make. I have just been informed that instead of the student committee choosing the squad members, this year the football team will be deciding who they want cheering for them." At this, many of the girls groaned. "Now be assured, this is NOT going to be a popularity contest. The football team will be well aware that they are choosing their girls solely based on skill." Mrs. Archbishop convinced us. "So, while they are having their tryouts, I will be teaching all of you the routine that you will be performing later. Alright? Let's go!"
As I made my way down the halls to the gym, Angelica caught up with me. Even though she is only one year older than I am, I am about 8 inches shorter than she is. In fact, I am probably one of, if not the shortest girl at this school.
"Hey Angelica!"
"Hey there, Sam! Are you nervous?"
"A little bit."
"I was last year, too. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great!" Angelica assured me.
We arrived in the gym, and I plopped down on a mat and began stretching. All the other girls followed in the same manner. We were given a half-hour to practice our handstands, backflips, walkovers, handsprings, cartwheels, etc. After this Mrs. Archbishop began teaching us the routine, and in about 30 minutes the majority of us girls had it down. I had just gotten a drink at the water fountain when Coach Brown walked into the gym and nodded. "Alright, girls!" Mrs Archbishop shouted as more boys filed into the gym. "Now, this years football team has come to choose their cheerleaders. Come in line for the single routine and then afterwards we will do the team routine."
I got in line right after Angelica, we were towards the middle of the line. When it was her turn, she walked up to the mat and executed the routine flawlessly! I was sure that she would make it onto the squad. I walked up to the mat and took in a deep breath.
"Who's gonna bring the game? Westside Bulldogs! Who's gonna steal the win? Westside Bulldogs! Shout out hooray! Hooray! We're gonna play today! W-e-s-t-s-i-d-e! Goooooo WESTSIDE!!!!" I then did a roundolf into a back handspring and landed it perfectly! I smiled as I walked off, and so did Angelica.
"You did amazing!" She congratulated me.
"Thanks!" I replied. I'd never done anything like this back in Hawaii, it was fun to try out something new. As soon as I sat down I could feel a coughing fit coming on, so I grabbed my inhaler from my duffle bag and breathed in the medicine. After all the girls had done the routine, the coach huddled up with the team as they decided which six would make the squad.
"Alrighty!" The coach began. "First off, you all did a great job showing team spirit. But, there are only six spots and 14 of you. We have decided unanimously that the cheer captain is Angelica Johnson!"
She seemed very surprised and I smiled at her. "Congratulations!" I said.
"Thanks! I honestly wasnt expecting that."
"Are you kidding me? You were amazing!"
"The other five members," the coach resumed, "are Krissy Lee , Paige Wilson, Hailey Jameson, Samantha Berg, and Nikki Parker." At that I beamed wildly. Angelica gave me a high five, and then Kyle came over.
"Hey, Sam! Congrats on making the squad!" He said.
"Thanks, Kyle." I smiled.
"And, congrats Angelica for landing Captain!" He grinned a huge teeth smile, at which Angelica blushed.
"Hey, I see that you made the team, what did you get?"
"I am Westside's lead quarterback!" He said emphatically.
"Wow, impressive!" I said playfully punching his arm. I looked up and saw Drew walking over to congratulate his twin sister. "Well," Kyle began, "do you wanna get going?"
"Sure, let me go grab m-"
"Berg?!" I heard Mrs. Archbishop call.
"Yes?!"
"Please take this trash bag out back to the dumpster."
"All right." I said, grabbing the bag and walking out the back door. Little did I know that the biggest mystery that this town had ever seen would fall right into my lap.
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"Let me see, just around this corner." I mumbled to myself. As I turned the corner and walked into the alley, however, I felt a cold hand clasp my mouth and grab my arms.
"Help! Help!" My cries were muted by the mysterious hand. The stranger wrenched the bag out of my hands, kicked me down onto the ground, and duct taped my mouth, arms, and feet. I tried to stand up, but the person grabbed an old umbrella and whacked me in the face with it until I sunk to my knees in pain. I felt some blood dripping from my forehead down my cheek. I looked up to see the stranger ravaging through the trash bag, and pulled out a brown lunch sack. I tried shouting for help again, but no one heard me. No one, that is, except for the stranger, who came back over and whacked my ankle five times with an aluminum baseball bat from the dumpster, knocking me onto the ground. I could hear footsteps leaving the alley behind me. A car with a super loud engine roared into the alley, and I heard the door open and close before it sped away.
What the freaking heck just happened?!?!
I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I tried to stand up, but my ankle began shooting with pain. I rolled over onto my stomach After a few minutes of laying there, I began feeling dizzy. I realized that my head must still be bleeding. Exhausted from the trauma and confusion, I felt myself enter into a wheezing attack. I knew if I couldn't sit up and breath deeply soon, I'd pass out from hyperventilating. Luckily, after a few more minutes of laying there, I heard a door open in the distance, and heard some voices growing louder.
"Hhhlppp!" I moaned.
"Wait, I thought I heard something." I heard Kyle's voice.
"Oh my gosh!" I heard Angelica cry. "Samantha, are you okay?" Drew asked.
"Mmmmmm mi chanttt schpeak....channttt breaatthhh..." I mumbled through the duct tape. As my friends began untaping me, I winced a little bit - a lot, from pain. Once all the tape was off, Kyle picked me up off the ground and held me close in his strong, big-brother arms.
"What happened to you?" Kyle questioned.
"I'm...I'm not exactly sure." I stuttered.
"Oh, you're bleeding!" Angelica gasped.
"Can you walk?" Drew asked. Kyle set me down, and I began walking, but stopped immediately.
"Ouch!" I screamed. "I think it's broken." I managed to spit out between coughs.
"C'mon, I'll carry you inside." Kyle offered. We made our way back to the gym entrance on the side of the building. As Angelica opened the door, Mrs. Archbishop gasped at the spectacle and rushed over to me.
"Oh, you poor child!" She cried. "What happened to you?"
"Some guy...beat me up.....took trash....left me in alley..." I managed to spit out.
"I'm calling the police." She replied.
I sat down in a chair, brushed some dirt off of my legs and took in a deep breath.
"Inhaler...I need..."
"I'll grab it for you Sam," Kyle tan to get my duffle bag and knew exactly which pocket to retrieve it from. He handed it to me and I put it to my lips, gasping in the air it provided.
"Hello, officer? Yes, I'd like to report an assault on a young student here at Westside High school. Yes--mhmm yes, -- that will be great, thank you." Mrs. Archbishop hung up the phone.
"Well?" Kyle prodded.
"They are sending someone over now. Are you sure you're alright?" She asked me.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I said. "But can I have a glass of water? I'm kind of thirsty."
"Of course, I'll go get you one." Drew replied, and he walked off to the kitchen.
"Why would anyone do this to you?" Angelica asked.
"I was wondering the same thing." I said. "Whatever was in that bag must have been too important to lose." Kyle mused.
I was still in shock when the police arrived and began asking questions.
"Was the man wearing a mask ma'am?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Can you describe him at all miss? Any features that you noticed?"
"No, I barely even saw him." I replied. "Any time I got up, he whacked me back down. He seemed y'all and really strong, but that's pretty much anybody compared to me."
Drew came back with a glass of water along with a first aid kit and an ice pack. "I figured you might want this for the swelling." He said, and held the ice to my ankle as I sipped the cold water. Angelica got a bandage and wrapped it on my head. My already tan skin looked even darker from the bruises that were forming. Kyle had called my mom, and she arrived just as the police were leaving.
"I'm very sorry about this," the police officer began, "but this kind of stuff happens more often than I'd like to admit. Unfortunately, with the lack of information, I'm afraid we won't be able to help you any." My mom ran over to me and gave me a hug.
"Are you alright hunny?"
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"I was so worried for you." My mom choked back the tears.
I smiled at my mom to show her that I was ok. She smiled back at me.
"I would suggest," began the officer, "that you go to the hospital and get that ankle of yours checked out. Just to make sure nothing is broken. Oh, and also get that head some care, you'd be quite lucky if you got out of this without a concussion."
"Alright." My mother said. "Thank you again for your help, officer."
Angelica filled mom in on the details while Kyle an Drew helped me out to the car. When we got to the hospital, the X-rays showed that I had fractured my right ankle in two places. The doctor told me not to put any pressure on that foot for at least two weeks. Once I got my cast, we went home. After we ate supper, I went straight to bed.
What a way to start off the school year, I thought as I lulled off to sleep.