Note: These pages contain the poems “Kate: Just right,” “Tam: Like a breeze,” “Kate: I love it,” “Kate: I make my hand into a microphone,” “Tam: Mom. Please don’t say stoked,” “Kate: Becca’s scream is so loud,” “Tam: Juggernaut-less gym,” “Kate: Fingers sticky from all the tape,” “Tam: Levi,” “Kate: mom would love this,” “Tam: Over there,” “Kate: This girl in the gym today,” “Alex: Alex, Alyx, Alexx,” “Kate: And just like that,” “Tam: Only one class with Levi,” “Kate: I still have a little Falcon,” “Tam: Making my way home,” “Tam: The little cheerleader,” “Kate: I get that all the time, you know,” “Alex: Like a Redwood,” “Tam: Mom,” “Kate: Mom presents lipstick,” “Tam: I’m not nervous,” and “Kate: Mom says.” 

The narrative shifts into the past. At the start of the school year, Kate prepares to rejoin her cheerleading team and friends. In the mirror, she tries to convince herself she’s perfect. Tam, meanwhile, worries that she doesn’t have as many classes with her best friend Levi as she usually does. On the drive to school, her mom plays annoying songs by the boy band MisDirection, singing along and joking with Tam to prepare her for the day. 

Meanwhile, Kate’s mom gives her tickets to her favorite boy band MisDirection’s upcoming concert for her birthday; there are enough for her whole cheer squad to attend. Kate is grateful but doesn’t understand the premature gift. At school, she tells her cheer friends about the tickets, overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. 

Tam and Kate notice that they’re in almost every single one of each other’s classes. They haven’t noticed each other until now. Tam notices Kate’s perfect ponytail, and Kate notices Tam’s imposing height. 

At cheer practice, Kate’s coach asks who wants to be the Falcon mascot. Because Kate’s mom wants her to be the captain someday, she assumes volunteering for the mascot role will make everyone love her that much more. She initially worries that she’s made a mistake, but she enjoys the role during practice. 

On the way out of school, Tam sees Kate in the distance. Then another student challenges Tam to a basketball game, calling Tam a boy. Tam feels upset until she runs into Kate, who comforts her. The two introduce themselves, teasingly calling each other by new nicknames: Ponytail for Kate and Redwood for Tam.

When Tam and Kate return to their respective homes, they have conversations with their mothers. Tam’s mom kisses Tam and heads out to work, congratulating her on her “[f]irst day of seventh grade” (38), and Kate’s mom gives her a new lipstick she thinks is perfect for “the future cheer captain” (40). Kate hides the lipstick in her drawer after her mom leaves. 

Note: These pages contain the poems “Tam: It’s so weird,” “Kate: The first time we nodded,” “Tam: Everywhere I look,” “Kate: So here’s a weird thing,” “Tam: She very carefully,” “Kate: What,” “Alex: Two new friends,” “Tam: So you survived,” “Kate: Becca wants to know where I was,” “Tam: Frankie,” “Tam: I bet she didn’t think,” “Tam: How is Meercat,” “Kate: Chloe made a countdown clock,” “Kate: Her nails tap on the wood,” “Tam: Did I have a good day,” “Kate: Did I have a good day,” “Alex: Have you heard,” “Kate: I heard her before I saw her,” “Tam: When I get here early, I do a spin,” “Tam: Oh no she did not,” “Kate: I mean, how could I resist,” “Kate: Another day, another sandwich,” “Tam: Yes, I let Levi climb me like a tree,” “Alex: Starving,” “Kate: Hey, stranger,” “Tam: Everyone says,” “Kate: “My mouth does the thing again,” “Tam: She surprises me again, saying: “Tam: “Am I really going,” “Kate: Is she really coming,” “Kate: If you want,” “Tam: Okay,” and “Tam: Exactly five minutes.” 

Over the following days, Tam and Kate gradually adjust to seventh grade. Tam is uncomfortable without Levi but likes running into Kate. Kate notices Tam in the cafeteria and decides to join her and Levi instead of sitting with her cheer team. Afterward, however, Levi seems annoyed with Tam, and Becca questions Kate about why she didn’t sit with the squad.

After school, Tam visits her elderly neighbor Frankie. She even tells Frankie about Kate. Meanwhile, Kate practices and hangs out with her cheer squad. Her mom is furious when she tells her she is now the mascot, giving her a lengthy lecture about being captain. Their conversation is interrupted when the construction guys arrive at the house to start their flooring renovation. Alone at their respective homes, Kate and Tam each reflect on how middle school is going.

Kate and Tam keep running into each other and saying hi at school. One day, Tam is missing from the cafeteria, so Kate rejoins her squad for lunch. She plays along with Becca and the girls’ conversation while keeping her eye open for Tam. Meanwhile, Tam is outside with Levi, climbing a tree. Afterward, Tam and Kate run into each other and head to class. They each notice how many people the other one greets in the hall. Before parting ways, Kate invites Tam to come and see her cheer at the upcoming game. She doesn’t tell Tam she’s the Falcon but invites her to meet up at her house beforehand and drive to the game together. Tam isn’t sure this is her sort of thing, but she agrees.

Note: These pages contain the poems “Kate: Watching Mom is kind of fun,” “Tam: A small bookshelf in her room,” “Tam: Book back on shelf,” “Kate: The look on her face,” “Tam: No one can see your pretty face,” “Tam: Tingling skull,” “Kate: Mom always smiles,” “Kate: I was so little when Jill left,” “Tam: “The quiet lasts a little too long,” “Alex: Well,” “Kate: Dad always calls my,” “Tam: My goober,” “Kate: I can’t see that well,” “Tam: It’s like she’s magnified,” “Tam: I tried to stay,” “Kate: I can smile the smile,” “Tam: I smile the smile,” “Alex: Our Ponytail,” “Tam: Girl,” “Kate: I don’t know what to say,” “Tam: She’s quiet as I talk,” “Kate: Becca and the squad,” “Tam: Shaking milk off my sleeve,” and “Kate: Inside I feel a little zing.”

That evening, Kate’s mom looks irritated when Tam shows up at the house before the game. Kate ignores her and invites Tam to her room, where Tam studies Kate’s bookshelves. The friends discuss what they would put on their dust jackets if they were books. Then Tam notices Kate’s MisDirection poster on the wall and teases her for liking the band. Kate defends herself, telling Tam about the concert. Kate’s mom yells for them to come down, and Kate tugs her Falcon costume out of the closet. Tam is shocked, and the girls share a laugh. Kate’s mom interrupts and pulls Kate aside; Tam overhears her lecturing Kate about having more self-respect and not turning into someone named Jill.

Kate feels upset on the ride to the game. Jill is her older sister, and she left home four years ago because she didn’t get along with their mom. Kate doesn’t know how to please her mom. She also wonders about Jill, who recently told her she’d be returning to town for a visit but has kept the truth from their mom.

Tam feels better when she runs into Levi at the game. She is thrilled to see Kate dancing around as the Falcon, too, and wants to congratulate her afterward, but her mom races her home before they can say goodbye. Tam and Kate individually wonder about who they are and who other people want them to be.

At lunch on Monday, Tam races up to Kate and exclaims at what a good mascot she is. A silent Kate is flattered, but she is overwhelmed and embarrassed, too. She likes being the mascot, but her mom disapproves. Noticing Kate’s subdued demeanor, Tam invites her to one of her games. Kate accepts, although she’s still worried about what people will think of her.