[bsc] cheerleaders - I should be in bed

[wisdomeagle]

Reading #70, Stacey and the Cheerleaders. If anything is more inherently gay than a baby-sitting club, it's a cheerleading squad (as we all learned from But I'm A Cheerleader). There's also a het romance in this novel. But that's okay, because it is really about Stacey becoming gay for Sheila and the other Bad Girls and the other baby-sitters resenting that.

It's also about the BSC being hot for the cheerleading squad. You probably think I am lying!

All right. To start with, we have Incredible Subtexty Moment Number One:

"Corinne, I'm sure she's kissed guys before," Sheila said. "Right, Stacey?"

"Sure, I answered." (Yes, it's true.)

Corinne seemed surprised. "Oh. It's just that -- well, I didn't think the girls in your... you know, crowd --"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know," Corinne went on. "Those girls you hang with. The baby-sitters. Some of them are so young."

I realized she'd seen me with Jessi and Mallory in school. "Well, a couple of them are, but most of us are eighth-graders."

"Uh-huh." Corinne didn't sound impressed.

"Don't be such a snot, Corinne," Sheila snapped. "I mean, we all go through that stage. You did, too."

That stage? Was I going through a stage? Was baby-sitting something you grew out of? I never thought of it that way. Older girls baby-sat.

-- 38

Now. Let's read that again with our slash goggles on...

"Corinne, I'm sure she's kissed... guys... before," Sheila said. "Right, Stacey?"

"Sure, I answered." (Yes, it's true. Really. I swear. I'm not making this up. I really am straight.)

Corinne seemed surprised. "Oh. It's just that -- well, I didn't think the girls in your... you know, orgy group crowd --"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know," Corinne went on. "Those girls you hang with. The baby-sitters lesbians. Some of them are so young gay."

I realized she'd seen me with Jessi and Mallory in school. "Well, a couple of them are, but most of us are eighth-graders straight. Really. We are. Any rumors you may have heard about Kristy are totally false. Also me and Claud.."

"Uh-huh." Corinne didn't sound impressed.

"Don't be such a snot, Corinne," Sheila snapped. "I mean, we all go through that stage. You did, too."

That stage? Was I going through a stage? Was baby-sitting homosexuality something you grew out of? I never thought of it that way. Older girls baby-sat were gay for each other.

-- 38

All right. But wait! It gets better. Because we discover why the baby-sitters really like going to basketball games:

I'd never been so excited about a sports event. Just hearing the cheerleaders practice made my heart flutter. -- 41

Seriously, Peter Lerangis! What the hell is that!

And the cheerleaders? I think I'd memorized every move. I could swear my legs hurt from their splits. -- 44

Then all the baby-sitters go back to Kristy's house for a sleepover! It was the best sleepover ever! "The cheerleaders do make the basketball games more exciting," Stacey explains to Kristy on page 74. "That's true," Kristy agrees.

The het romance progresses, despite Stacey constantly daydreaming about cheerleaders. Claudia helps her prepare for her date, and when the doorbell rings announcing Robert's presence, Claudia offers to escort her by the arm. Stacey refuses, perhaps suspecting that Robert would think Claudia was being a tad possessive of someone she was just good friends with.

There's also a lot of talk about kink in this chapter. Hair kink, particularly. I assume this has something to do with long blonde hair almost white down to her waist, or maybe curly blonde hair that gets permed once in awhile, or silky jet-black hair, or chestnut curls, or Mary Anne's boyish new haircut.

Jessi teaches Stacey a dance routine. They're so hot together! Jessi persuades Stacey to demonstrate the routine to the whole club.

Good old Mary Anne said, "Stacey, that was great! If you were a cheerleader I wouldn't be able to watch the game!

Now that is a friend. -- 101

That's one word for it, Stacey!

At the cheerleading tryouts, there's a spontaneous burst of lesbianism:

On the gym floor, dozens of girls were doing last-minute practicing. The bleachers in the SMS gym were chock full of boyfriends, girlfriends, and siblings. It looked as if half the female student body had shown up for tryouts. -- 105

I really don't know how else to read this! Especially since the ghost is Peter Lerangis, who brought us many of the incredibly gay adventures of Ducky McCrae. I mean, I suppose it could be just friends-who-are-girls, gal-pals, etc. But I don't think so!)



So there you have it! There's no power on this earth more gay than the power of cheerleading. Especially when combined with the power of the BSC to make everyone around them gay.

In conclusion, cheerleaders. And gay!

ETA: - I need to share the awesome moments from the last three chapters. Seriously!



Stacey anxiously awaits the news about whether the girls she's crushing on like her back:

I tried to analyze Sheila's tone of voice when she said "Good morning" in homeroom. When Penny smiled at me in the hallway I was convinced I was going to be allowed to sleep with her make the squad. When Darcy seemed hassled after school I wondered what I was doing in Pride and Prejudice, anyhow I was sure I'd been rejected. -- 121

Sigh. Okay. Book finished. Very sad. I seem to have forgotten the fundamental arc of things, because I thought that Stacey joined the squad and quit the BSC in this book, but clearly not, since she realized the cheerleaders were catty manipulative bitches and she wanted no part of them. Not even Sheila. SIGH.

Bedtime now, for real.

Comments

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

See, my slashgoggles were already on, especially with the Jessi/Mal reference and "just a stage you go through".

Is Sheila anything like Sheila-from-"School Hard"? 'Cause that could be interesting... *g*

[wisdomeagle]

Yes, that. Exactly. Because as Stacey points out, baby-sitting is clearly not "just a stage," so that reference must be to something else, and just... I don't know how else to read it! It's so very slashy!

(Also, the "you went through it too" makes one think that this particular squad of cheerleaders had their own slumber party fun back in the day. Which is totally awesome. Oh, Stacey and the Cheerleaders. You are so wonderful in so many ways.

I can't remember Stacey and the Bad Girls well enough to remember if Sheila is really a bad girl -- I kind of think she's not, but just hangs out with them. But if she were... well, let's just say that Stacey getting corrupted by mean catty cheerleaders=awesome and Stacey getting corrupted by manipulative drunken skanks = awesome and aaahh, the wonderful crack! *G*

[lilydandelion.livejournal.com]

I really need to get back into the BSC, because damn. I was so naive back then, I didn't know how completely gay they are for each other.

[wisdomeagle]

I know, me neither! I was obsessed with these books for five years without realizing how gay they were!

[melwil.livejournal.com]

Hee! I read that one yesterday too *g*