Kat: Breaking Pointe Read Online Free PDF

group of cheerleaders who are doing tumbles and acrobatics on a large oval in the middle of an enormous stadium. One of the girls does a no-handed cartwheel. They are all cute. Perky. They all wear adorable figure-hugging outfits. Ben’s T-shirt hangs round my knees.
    Ben is about to hyperventilate. ‘We can’t go, that’s against everything I stand for.’
    â€˜So you stand for girls in tight outfits with fluorescent teeth?’
    â€˜Yes. Yes, I do.’
    The peppiest of them all spies me lurking. I guess she must be Jordana, the name written on Anne’s piece of paper.
    â€˜Are we auditioning for the Emu Cheer Squad today?’ Jordana asks me, with an unnaturally wide smile, like someone with a terminal case of enthusiasm.
    I line up with the other girls, shooting desperate looks at Ben, who grins supportively.
    â€˜We’re looking at flexibility, danceability, crowdability, personalability. I mean, personality,’ Jordana chirps like a budgie. ‘Okay, and I want to see sunshine beams on those faces!’
    She leads us through the routines. At first I feel silly, waving my pompoms in the air, cheering for a sports team I’ve never heard of and couldn’t care less about. But as we get into it, it’s actually gruelling and soon I’m using all my energy just to keep up, let alone keep a smile plastered on my face. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of Ben, enjoying himself in the stands.
    But at the end of it all, when I’m standing there panting, listening to Jordana say, ‘Okay, the girls I call need to collect a uniform and come back tomorrow for a callback,’ I find myself listening for my name. I can’t believe it when she calls me. I run up to collect a uniform for the callback.
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    The thrill wears off when Ethan intercepts me escorting Ben back to the Academy.
    â€˜Your school rang,’ he says.
    â€˜I gave myself an excursion.’
    â€˜Purely educational,’ Ben agrees. ‘She’s now master of the left herkie.’
    Ethan scares Ben away with a big brother glare.
    â€˜It was a one-off, a vitally important audition,’ I plead. My whole family are suckers for the importance of an audition.
    â€˜For who?’
    â€˜For … the Emus.’ Realising how lame I sound, I quickly add, ‘Cheerleading is harder than you’d think!’ I show him my best herkie. He isn’t impressed.
    â€˜I thought you wanted to make a go of normal school?’
    â€˜I did, I do. It’s just maybe, this could be my thing.’
    â€˜ Cheerleading? ’ he sneers. ‘That’s your thing?’
    â€˜You’re a snob!’ I accuse, though not so long ago it had been me doing the sneering. My family have a proud tradition of snobbery.
    â€˜Yes, I am. You gave up the National Academy – ’
    â€˜I got kicked out of the National Academy,’ I remind him.
    â€˜So you could do cartwheels for a sport you don’t even like? It’s just another distraction.’
    I can’t answer. What can I say? That I have a burning desire to be a cheerleader? I walk away.
    He calls after me. ‘I told the school you’re looking forward to detention.’
    And I can’t help the ripple of annoyance, mostly because he’s right. But Ethan has known he’s wanted to be a choreographer since he was a pre-schooler. Some of us are still working it out.
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    Still angry with Ethan I decide to stay over at Tara’s. She’s wigging out because of something Grace said about hitting out of her league with Christian.
    After dinner in the boarding house common room Ben disappears, muttering something about girls and sleepovers and appropriate activities . I scoff down a giant cinnamon roll.
    Ben bursts in holding a bottle of something. It looks like fake tan.
    â€˜Are you kidding?’ I say.
    â€˜Every cheerleader needs a tan, Kat,’ Ben says authoritatively. He adds,