Then the telltale chime that preceded a PA announcement played across the hallway, drawing both teenagers' attentions.
"Attention students," guidance counselor Rebecca Fine's voice echoed from the speakers. "There will be a special assembly in the cafetorium in lieu of first period classes today. Please make your way to the cafetorium before first bell so that we can get started as quickly as possible."
"What did you do?" Karyn demanded once again.
"I don't know. I-I... I thought the only way to make a wish was to say 'I wish,'" Jon panicked. "And that's not what I said. I don't know what's happening!"
But nevertheless, the two ended up following the crowd of students into the lunch room that also served as a performance and presentation space, and found two seats at a table near the back.
Miss Fine was on the stage, standing behind a podium and watching dutifully as the entire student body filed in. Behind her were fifteen chairs, a cheerleader seated on each one.
The more students found their seats, the louder the murmuring became. Nobody, it seemed, knew what this was about other than those who were onstage.
Finally the bell rang, and the last push of students found their seats. Miss Fine smiled and began encouraging the last few stragglers to get seated, insisted that there was enough space for everyone, and after only a minute or so began her short spiel.
"Thank you, Lake Point High School, for being so orderly and organized this morning under such short notice. Your cheerleading squad approached me early this morning with a proposal, and after discussing with the rest of administration, I think everyone is in full support. But I don't want to spoil anything. Here she is to explain the plan: head cheerleader Sarah McMillan!"
Applause rose from the gathered students, dying down only once Miss Fine took her spot at the side of the stage, leaving room for Sarah McMillan at the podium.
"What the hell did you do?" Karyn hissed once again.
"I do not know," Jon returned. "Shut up so we can hear."
"Thank you, Miss Fine," Sarah's beauty pageant smile was plastered onto her face. "So, as I'm sure you are all aware, I've been planning a sleepover at my house for my teammates and I. But this morning, I realized that wasn't fair. Why should I be so limiting? I thought about all of the boys who would love to participate, but then I realized that even my house isn't big enough for," she scrunched her eyebrows and turned to Miss Fine for a moment, who mouthed three syllables silently in Sarah's direction. Sarah's smile returned. "Even my house isn't big enough for the five hundred or so male students who attend this school. So I figured, what if each cheerleader hosted her own sleepover so that more boys could attend?"
A decidedly masculine cheer arose from the lunch tables.
"But then I did some math. Fifteen is about the most who could sleep in my house, but I know most of the squad have smaller homes. With five or six guests in each home, we couldn't possibly host everyone in one night, unless..."
Sarah let the sentence hang, holding her audience in silence.
"Unless we had more cheerleaders!"
Another cheer!
"I've got a hat with the names of every female student in this school on little pieces of paper." Sarah produced such a hat from behind the podium. "I'm going to pull out 75 names, and if you get picked, congratulations, you're a cheerleader now!"
Applause.
"And on Friday night, each current member of the squad will host five of our new members for an initiation sleepover. Then on Saturday night, all ninety cheerleaders will host five or six boys each, the entire male student body altogether, for one massive group cheerleader sleepover!"
This time everyone joined the shout of support. Even Miss Fine, in her corner of the stage, began clapping. Just over a thousand students, all of them suddenly in wild support of Sarah McMillan's grand scheme.
All but two. Jon's face somehow went even paler. And Karyn, one last time, asked him "What in god's name did you do?"
