Chapter 2

After completing his college education and finishing his law degree in less than five years, Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox IV, Mark to his friends, joined one of the more prestigious law firms in Atlanta, a progressive firm that relied heavily on television advertising to solicit new clients. To this firm, Mark was the perfect person to promote the firm. They played heavily on his namesake, the General, and on Mark's own personal history of heroism. Within the first year, there were so many ads running on television that the ad agency claimed Mark's face was seen at least twice a day by every person in the state of Georgia.

That was a little bit too much public recognition, even for Mark. He discovered that paparazzi were everywhere and his private life soon disappeared. Mark took an indefinite leave of absence from the law firm, determined to regain control over his life. After a two month vacation in Europe to escape the cameras of Georgia, he returned, quietly, to join his father's business as a Spirit Team Recruiter. They split the territory, with Mark agreeing to cover the state of Georgia and possibly expanding into Florida, while his father covered Tennessee and Alabama. The concept was simple. They would make contact with candidates who had expressed a strong desire to be a cheerleader at some college or university. They would interview the candidate, have a professional photographer create a portfolio of images of the candidate, and then "package" that information and present it to some of the people who manage the particular spirit team.

"I have spoken to Miss Thomas at the high school, and she showed me your brochure, so I called and made an appointment to see you, Mr. Wilcox."

"Yes, Mrs. Saunders, thank you for coming. It is a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to tell you a little about our company and the services that we can provide our customers. As you may know, becoming a member of a college Spirit Team is a challenge, the degree of difficulty depends on the college you have in mind, the specific spirit team your daughter desires to join..."

"They have more than one spirit team?"

"Yes, ma'am, most of the larger schools do, for sure, and even some of the smaller schools now are beginning to develop second and third teams for the different sports. There is a lot involved in being part of such a team, and honestly, to be fair to the girls, it is too much to ask them to devote that much time for the entire school year. Why don't you tell me a little about your family?"

Mark Wilcox (yes, Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox IV.) was meeting Mrs. Claire Saunders in one of the rooms on the third floor of the Holiday Motel in Valdosta, Georgia. It was their first meeting, requested by Mrs. Saunders after she had seen an advertising flyer shown to her by her daughter's high school cheerleading coach.

"Well, we have lived in Moultrie for the past ten years. We moved there when Holly was just four years old. My husband Jeff is one of the administrators at the local hospital. I, of course, am a stay at home mom, and Holly is our only child. She enjoys being a cheerleader in her high school, and would very much like to be able to do the same when she goes to college."

"What about you, Mrs. Saunders? Were you a cheerleader in college?"

Claire Atkins was born and raised in Cullman, Alabama, a peaceful little community about an hour's drive north of Birmingham. Her father owned the local hardware store while her mother taught third grade in the community school. While far from being the wealthiest family in Cullman, Claire's family did have enough money to provide her with some of the finer things that a girl might enjoy growing up. She did, for instance, take dance and ballet lessons beginning in the third grade and continuing well into her high school years. Every winter, immediately after the Christmas holiday, her family vacationed in the Caribbean Islands for two weeks, ignoring the fact that school had resumed during the second week.

Claire Atkins was and is an extremely bright person, skipping the sixth grade entirely after demonstrating her mastery of all of the math and writing skills in that year's curriculum. In keeping with most modern dancers, Claire Atkins maintained a very trim figure, even as she entered puberty. Her hips widened slightly, but just enough to define femininity. Entering high school when she was not yet thirteen, her chest development was non-existent until the summer before her final year. What was undeniable was that she was the prettiest girl in the entire school, certainly one of the prettiest girls to have ever attended Cullman High, and from the very first week of her first year, she was a member of the Cheerleading team. It could not have been any other way!

There were some boys in the school that did ask her out on dates (only to be told that her mother would not allow it), but most boys at that age are looking for something more than just a cute face. Flat-chested Claire just didn't have enough of what they were seeking. Of course, that changed in the summer following her third year. She had stopped taking ballet and modern dance the previous Fall so that she could concentrate on cheerleading. Her doctor suggested that the intensity of dance training might have the same effect on her physical development as many young female gymnasts experience, a delay in the hormonal changes that are involved with puberty. By the following Spring, she was filling an "A" cup and well on her way to a "B". However, Claire Atkins had seen two of her classmates drop out of school and spend six months at a home for unwed mothers and she was absolutely determined not to let that happen to her.

Claire Atkins graduated second in her class, with her virginity still intact. The notification letter of her admittance to Auburn University arrived in the mail during her Spring Break and she began classes there, two months before her seventeenth birthday. She attended all of the training drills and tryouts for incoming first year students that were hoping to join a spirit team, and even after some very intense one on one interviews with coaches and spirit team managers, Claire failed to find her name on the team roster for the new school year. It was the very first time Claire experienced anything other than success, and she was at a loss to understand it. She devoted her time to her studies and, when spring rolled around, tried out again, attending all of the sessions, demonstrating her athletic ability and once again meeting with the coaches and team managers, only to be cut before the final list.

Claire was devastated. Her best friend had made the team in their first year at school and had encouraged her to tryout again. When the final list appeared and Claire's name was not on it, the effect was dramatic. Claire became depressed, seriously so and her depression was made worse because she had no understanding of why she had failed at her goal.

Her social life was not much better. She could meet plenty of guys, and with a phenomenal face and a figure to match, she could have had a date every weekend, if she wanted it. "What is it with these guys," she wondered. "We go out once or twice and then they disappear from my life." She did ask that question one day at the lunch table in the dining hall to several girls from her dorm.

"What do you mean, what is it? You know darn well what it takes," Sally Jorgenson replied, much to Claire's surprise.

"Honestly, Sally, I don't. I have no idea what's wrong with me." Sally Jorgenson was one of Claire's closest friends, and had been a member of the main cheerleading squad since her freshman year.

"It's simple, Claire. You're still a virgin. Same deal as the tryouts. If you want to be a cheerleader, you have to show them all your spirit. Same with guys and dates. At our age, the high school games are long gone. These guys have needs and want them satisfied -- simple as that."

"Are you saying that I have to sleep with guys just to go on dates; that I have to have sex with somebody just so I can be a cheerleader? What about being in love? Isn't that supposed to come first?"

"Claire, I don't know what you are thinking some times. You darned near get straight A's in your classes. How can you be so naïve? God gave you certain features to level the playing field with men. If you want something, use the tools that God gave you and go get it. It is not rocket science!!! You want to be a cheerleader; they want to have sex. End of story!"

That spring, during a pre-arranged interview with a team manager whom Sally Jorgenson had assured her would be gentle and understanding, Claire Atkins gave up her virginity, for the good of the team. When the list of names for the following season was posted, Claire Atkins' name was on top. In the fall of her senior year, she met Jeff, quite accidentally, after a small collision in the hallway of one of the lecture rooms. Ever the perfect gentleman, he immediately assisted her to her feet, gathered her books and belongings and escorted her to her next class. She was smitten. Six weeks later, she missed her first period, and they were married at the Christmas break.