This day seemed, on the surface, to be no exception. Misty Anderson wore her cheerleading uniform; there was to be no game that day, but a mandatory "School Spirit Pep Rally" assembly was scheduled for the fifth period. Few of the boys in the classroom were able to keep their eyes from straying repeatedly to the popular little cutie, with her blonde ponytail, her apple cheeks, her sparkling blue eyes...not to mention her healthy, prematurely large breasts, at least full B-cups -- almost Cs -- at a young fourteen, which pressed deliciously through her tight cheer-sweater. Her long legs, bared from sock-top to pleated skirt-hem, were smooth and luscious. As Misty sat in the second desk of the first file, she knew she was, as always, the center of attention and devotion. With a smug satisfaction, she also realized that come the assembly, the entire boy population of the school - not to mention most of the adult male teachers - would be devouring her beauty with their eyes as she cheered and pranced with the squad.

Tamara Brewer, on the other hand, was not the sort of girl who craved - or received - much attention from others. Not that she wasn't attractive, mind you; with her dark, huge eyes, her bob-cropped brown hair, and her svelte, reed-like -- but unmistakably maturing - body, she was herself a delightful specimen of adolescent beauty. But unlike Misty, Tamara was a quiet, unassuming, and studious girl. Not surprisingly, considering her temperament, she had selected a seat at the very back of her file. Even now, as she whiled away the mandatory half-hour study period pretending to read her book, "Memoirs of a Geisha," the young girl drew barely a glance, except, perhaps, from the somewhat nerdy Timmy Wagner, likewise sitting in the back seat, a few files to her right. Tamara persistently wore baggy, grungy clothes - not dirty, mind you, but styled to that carefully crafted teenaged angst and "don't give a damn" look so important for the "intellectual set" to present.

Two girls, worlds apart...but today, they had something very striking - and entirely coincidental - in common.

XOXOXOXOX

Both Misty Anderson and Tamara Brewer had a problem with their grades. Not, of course, the same problem - Tamara was practically a straight-A student, while Misty was barely getting by. But their problems, if not identical, were highly analogous.

It was late in the second semester of eighth grade. Next fall, both girls would be matriculating at the local high school, and both had distinct aspirations.

Misty, of course, fully intended to make the freshman cheerleading squad. And frankly, she was a shoe-in. Not only was she adorable, sexy, and an accomplished gymnast, but her older sister would be a senior cheerleader next year, and had promised to make sure she made the roster. However, there was one problem. She was currently on track to get a "D" in science class. While this was certainly no impediment to her moving on to high school, there was a more stringent requirement with regard to extracurricular activities; to be eligible to participate, a student could not have had any "D's" or "F's" the previous semester, even back at silly old middle school. So today was the day that Misty planned to get Mr. Davis, the science teacher, to convert that "D" into a "C," or better. She was quite confident in her chances of doing so.

Tamara, on the other hand, had very good grades in everything - except gym. With her lithe and flexible body, she might have done well in the required activities, but to do that, she would have had to participate. Tamara had an unacceptably large number of "No Dress" days next to her name on the attendance roster. Somehow, she had too often "forgotten" to bring her gym clothes on the days she had P.E. Those students who failed to "dress" for gym spent the hour in the library, reading, and this "consequence" was actually a big incentive to a girl like Tamara. So now she was facing a "C" in the class, which was, of course, fine for getting into high school, but unacceptable if she wanted to qualify for the "Honors Track" program. So today was the day that Tamara planned to convince Coach Fellows to erase a few of those "No Dress" marks from his grade book, and give her a "B". She, in contrast, wasn't at all confident that she could do this. ......(cont)