In a St. Louis hotel ballroom, the camera flashed as the news photographer snapped a picture of Annie LaPorte at the dais receiving her Halfelven Community Service Award. Most of the audience clapped politely, though a certain percentage actually cheered. The award was honoring her for a project she had initiated to improve conditions in the neighborhood where she worked. It had brought many diverse people together, and ended up being more than the sum of its parts… it had turned into a huge success.

The next few cheerleading practices went better. Determined not to get in another fight with Ramona, Genesis tried her best to perform the cheer stunts and routines as Mrs. Wilson instructed. By the end of the first week, Genesis had gotten the hang of the basic routines. It helped that the other cheerleaders, especially Charlotte, were very supportive of her. Which made sense, considering that the whole point of cheerleaders was to be supportive.

Life’s Little Ironies

My guests were murmuring as I got up from my discussion with Braccious. This is what I wanted them to start doing, questioning who I would show favor to. The wealthy always want to find themselves able to make more money and status. I just gave that to one of their rivals, and they were not included in any discussions.