Pretty Ugly

All day, people make little comments to Jamee about the picture. Jamee wonders how bad Angel has it and looks for her without success. She worries that Angel skipped school or plans to skip cheerleading try-outs. She checks the locker room and meets two girls named Nia and Macie who are sympathetic and believe that Vanessa took the picture and lied about what it meant. They tell Jamee that they saw Angel outside of Coach Seville’s office. Jamee finds her there and talks her out of quitting try-outs, saying that Vanessa and her friends are only being so cruel because they can tell that Angel is special and likely to make the squad. Angel agrees to still try out for cheer. 

As they wait to go in as groups, Vanessa calls Angel and Jamee “the lovers” so that everyone can hear. Though some laugh, most remain silent and focused on themselves. Tasha, too, remains silent. Small groups of around four girls start going in one-by-one to audition. After a few more nasty comments from Vanessa and her friends, Angel finally responds—she asks Vanessa where she gets her hair, suggesting that Vanessa’s extensions are the cheap, $4.99 synthetic ones. Many of the waiting girls erupt into “gasps and hushed laughter” (136). Vanessa is angry and approaches Angel threateningly, but Jamee challenges her, telling her to go ahead and hit Angel so that Jamee will have an excuse to hit her back. Tasha’s group gets called into the gym; on her way in, she tells Vanessa to sit down, saying she’s already done enough. Amberlynn and Jamee’s groups both get to go. They wait for Angel’s group to finish and talk about what will happen if Amberlynn, Angel, Jamee, and Vanessa all make the squad.

At home, Jamee’s mom asks about the math test. Jamee lies and says it went well.

Amberlynn, Vanessa, Tasha, Angel, Jamee, and two of Vanessa’s friends, Renita and Kym, all make the cheer squad. Jamee has worked hard to be a cheerleader, but she knows she may not be able to stay on the squad because of her grades. She worries about how Angel will fare without Jamee there to encourage and protect her. 

In math class, Mrs. Guessner doesn’t nag Jamee—she completely ignores her instead. During English class, an aid comes for her and tells her she needs to meet with the principal. Angel is already there, as are Coach Seville and Crystal, one of the existing cheerleaders. The principal, Ms. Spencer, shows Jamee and Angel the photograph of them and asks what’s going on. Crystal had shown the photograph to the coach to let her know what was going on. The principal says that this is a very serious issue. At first, the girls don’t want to speak, but Ms. Spencer says that this is an act of bullying that won’t be tolerated, but also that taking a picture of a teenaged girl changing and sending it to others is a crime. They are going to get the police involved. Ms. Spencer threatens to cancel cheerleading for the entire season if they can’t find out who is involved in the bullying. Jamee says that she and Angel think they know who sent the picture but don’t want to accuse anyone. Instead, she has a plan to make the person who did it come forward. 

That afternoon, Coach Seville gathers the cheerleaders together and confronts them about the picture. She repeats the same warnings that had been given to Jamee and Angel earlier: “Bullying. Crime. Police” (147). The coach describes the picture as “violating” a teammate and says she’s “furious” that it was sent around the school and jokes were made about a teammate’s sexuality. She says what really bothers her is that some of the squad knew about it and said nothing. She then delivers the news: They have one hour to figure out who did it, or cheerleading will be canceled for the year. She leaves them to their task and walks out.

Jamee, Amberlynn, and Angel stare hard at Vanessa, who immediately blames Tasha. Tasha says that she did take the picture, but that she didn’t send it to anyone. She blames Vanessa for that decision. Nia challenges Vanessa, saying that they’ve all seen her borrow Tasha’s phone a lot. Vanessa turns to Kym and Renita for backup; they nod but don’t say anything in Vanessa’s defense. Vanessa ignores Tasha’s protests. She says that she’s not going to snitch and that if the rest of them “knew what was good for [them]” they wouldn’t either (154). She says that Coach Seville and Ms. Spencer won’t really cancel cheerleading. Kym and Renita ask what happens if Vanessa is wrong. Vanessa slyly says they’ll tell the truth—Tasha did it. 

When Ms. Spencer and Coach Seville come back and ask if they know who was responsible, everyone is silent. Vanessa looks around triumphantly, as though their silence is her victory. Jamee can’t take it; she stands up and says that it’s not fair for the other cheerleaders to be punished just because of one person’s actions. She quits the squad and stands alone on the floor. Angel quits, too. Amberlynn says that she’s also quitting because she doesn’t want to cheer with people she doesn’t trust. Nia and Marcie agree and join them on the floor. Then several more girls do, until it’s only Vanessa, Kym, Renita, and Tasha left on the bleachers. Tasha stands up and confesses that she took the picture, but that she didn’t send them. She says she loaned her phone to Vanessa. Vanessa interrupts her and says she’s lying. She calls on Kym and Renita for backup, but Kym says they’ve gone too far and it isn’t right to blame Tasha for Vanessa’s actions. She tells Coach Seville and Ms. Spencer that she and Renita believe Vanessa sent the pictures from Tasha’s phone. Ms. Spencer tells all four girls to go with her to the office for a long talk. Once they’re gone, Coach Seville tells the remaining girls that they’ve just become a team. Everyone applauds. Coach asks Jamee to stay back and says they have another problem. 

At home, Jamee’s father yells at her. Mrs. Guessner had called Jamee’s mother at work to tell her about the missed re-test. Jamee’s mother again compares her to Darcy, saying, “Darcy’s been working hard all afternoon on her schoolwork, while you were out there jumping around with your friends!” (159). Darcy attempts to interject, saying that there’s a lot going on at school right now, but their mother interrupts her. She continues to lambast Jamee, causing Darcy to attempt to interrupt again. Their mother cuts Darcy off and grounds Jamee completely to home and school: “No cheerleading, no football games, no Niko’s, no boys, no nothing” (160). Jamee goes to her room but hears the doorbell ring. 

She recognizes one of the voices in the living room and goes back, finding Angel, Angel’s mom, and Angel’s little sister. Angel’s mom says she came over to thank Jamee for what she had done. She also plans to go to the school Monday to tell the principal and coach that Jamee shouldn’t be punished for what she did. Jamee’s parents are confused, so Angel tells them the whole story. Darcy chimes in that Vanessa is scary and she doesn’t know how Jamee managed to stand up to her all this time. 

Jamee’s parents are surprised. They ask why Jamee didn’t tell them any of it. She says that she tried, but they wouldn’t listen. She says that all they want is another Darcy. Jamee’s mom hugs her and apologizes, saying they got so caught up in everything else that was happening that they hadn’t listened to Jamee. She says that she also grew up feeling in her sister’s shadow and never wanted to put that burden on Jamee. As her family embraces her, Jamee feels some of her resentment and anger “beginning to thaw” (165). Angel’s family leaves, with Angel’s mom saying that on Monday she’s going to talk to Mrs. Guessner to explain why Jamee should be given a second chance to take the test. Jamee’s mom says that they will also be there to advocate for Jamee. When they are alone again, Jamee’s mom says that she doesn’t have to be Darcy, but she does need to be the best version of herself that she can be. Jamee asks if she can cheer, as long as she does try to get better grades, and sees the affirmation in their eyes. She finally feels like her family is on her side again.