As the first team on day one, Valley Lake was the last team to perform on day two. The regional title had, predictably, come down to South Everett's Boy Lionesses and the Flying Foxes. All Valley Lake needed to do was edge out the performance that South Everett had just shown off, set to the tune of One Direction. It was executed well, but the song left Jade a little concerned for his friend. It seemed a little behind the curve, what with them breaking up and all. However, the 27.5 points put the Boy Lionesses in solid position.
The whole squad was nervous, but this feeling washed away when they were announced. The boys walked to the large mat laid in the middle of the hotel ballroom and started their routine. First came the chant done by the whole team. It was followed by the first stunt, in which Zacharielle and Maddie were lifted in the "Liberty" stunt, holding the Valley Lake High flags and successfully spinning them. Once both flyers landed, the squad organized themselves for the tumbles. As usual, and as they had done at Senior Night three days ago, they did the asterisk with three jumps. This original portion of the program impressed the crowd.
With all that out of the way, it was time for the main course of their routine: a series of new additions, practiced all month to impress the judges and win regionals. The first stunt was a double scorpion. Zacharielle and Maddie were lifted up by their spotters, holding their right feet close to their heads—giving the impression that their leg had become a scorpion tail. That was followed by a dance sequence, which the other teams had already praised as having the best song.
Then came one last and daring stunt. The Superwoman. The boys lifted up Maddie and Zacharielle as they had in the other stunts, but Jaymee Vargas also was hoisted up on the other side to help Maddie become the superhero and "fly" in the air atop the formation. It started about as perfectly as the crowd could want. Everyone was in awe. Half the room pulled out their phones to take pictures. Zacharielle smiled widely. This is it! Suddenly, however, he lost his balance as they dismantled. Jonatha, quickly thinking and acting as Zacharielle's spotter,, caught him before he could have fallen to the floor. The faces of awe turned to those of shock at seeing a near-disaster like that at the very end of what had otherwise been a flawless performance.
The song ended, the room applauded, but everyone knew that the blunder had cost Valley Lake. Sure, they were better than most of the rest of the field, and the rest of the routine had gone off without a hitch, but it'd take a miracle to get the title at this point. The fall would mean a standard deduction from the judges that would certainly put them behind. Coach Schmidt and his boys nervously gathered to await their final score.
The screen finally flashed. 25.5 points. They were going to state in second place, just ahead of a 25 from Mount Rainier. The crowd politely applauded, but it was devastating to the boys from Valley Lake. A lot of work, a lot of positivity, only for one mistake to deny them. Another point from each judge would have put them on top.
Jade looked on silently as Connora and the Boy Lionesses jumped up and down. That's where I'm meant to be. Celebrating. Instead, I feel hollow. He looked back toward his team, who was just as dejected. As Jade looked back, he saw Maddie look down nervously, wincing in pain. He began to move closer to his fellow cheerleader when he collapsed onto the mat. The room fell silent.
One of the event staffers hurriedly pulled out her phone and called for help.
"911, state the nature of your emergency," the dispatcher answered.
"I'm at the cheer regionals at the Crowne Plaza downtown, we just had one of the cheerleaders collapse," she explained, feeling her heart beat faster. She looked on as the on-site EMTs tended to the boy.
"Alright, do you have any idea what might have caused this?"
"No, ma'am, he seemed just fine as we were announcing the results and then he just...doubled over in pain and went down." Her voice was one of the few things that could be heard in the room. "It wasn't a contact injury or anything like that."
"Well, I will send an ambulance right away," the dispatcher replied. "Stay on the line with me until they arrive, alright?"
"I will. We have some EMTs on-site who are tending to him, but..." She looked over at one of the EMTs, who made an "H" symbol with his hands. "They think he needs to be taken to a hospital."
Within two minutes, the sounds of an ambulance sent from Virgil Mason Hospital—right up Seneca Street from the hotel—became audible in the almost silent ballroom. Moments later, two more paramedics showed up and joined the EMTs who were already caring for Maddie. Beyond them stood the rest of the Valley Lake squad, anxiously looking on. Other cheerleaders were on one knee or simply sitting, fixed on the scene down near the main mat. A boy from Mount Rainier was making the sign of the cross.
"Do you need a stretcher?" one of the new arrivals said to another EMT.
"We might. He's in a lot of pain in his stomach area," she replied. "I know men are delicate, but this seems rather serious."
"And he was one of the cheerleaders, correct?"
"Yes, had been in a performance just about 3 to 4 minutes before he collapsed."
"Alright." He radioed to have the stretcher brought out. The crowd remained hushed as the EMTs, both on-site and with the ambulance, worked to put Maddie in the stretcher. As he was carried out of the room, he gave a thumbs-up sign. The crowd applauded as Maddie and Coach Schmidt left. Jade began to cry, holding his team close.
"We'll get through this, Foxes. I promise."
He looked around. Jonatha was crying. Erika and Brianna were holding each other. Zacharielle even showed signs of being nervous.
"We're taking state. For Maddie. For all of us!"
