We Are the Tigers

About the show

As Riley and her best friend Cairo prepare for the annual cheerleading sleepover in the basement of Riley's home, Riley expresses her desire to prove herself as the new captain of the Giles Corey High cheerleading squad, while lamenting the team's "loser" status. Meanwhile, the other team members arrive, with varying levels of enthusiasm, as Cairo tries to get Riley to relax ("Worst Team Ever"). The meeting is delayed until Annleigh arrives late, with her step-sister Farrah, who is clearly drunk, in tow. While Riley attempts to lead them all in an introduction exercise, each team member expresses their inner concerns and worries, but ultimately states that they don't care ("Don't Even"). Cairo suggests a game of truth or dare and makes Mattie, the freshman on the team, drink the contents of Farrah's bottle. Riley tries to get them back on track by practicing a cheer, but Farrah refuses to participate if Chess is part of the team. Farrah berates Chess for being stoned and dropping her during a cheer, which was the reason the team went viral the previous year. Kate rises to her defense, stating that Farrah is drunk, and the argument escalates until Riley insists Kate take a walk and calm down. Chess follows her friend outside and Kate confesses her fears over Chess moving away to college, since Kate is a junior while Chess is a senior ("Skype Tomorrow"). When Kate asks Chess to come back inside with her, Chess tries to stay outside and they argue until Kate finds Chess's bottle of pain medication and leaves, furious. At the same time, Farrah tries to get Annleigh to stop texting Clark, who is Annleigh's boyfriend, and pay attention to her, accidentally breaking her phone in the process. Annleigh tells Farrah that they will never be sisters and leaves, furious. Chess and Farrah divulge their concerns over their lives and their vices while the other girls describe the struggles of being teenage girls ("Before the Breakdown"). Alone, Chess hears strange noises and is murdered by an unseen person. Back in the kitchen, Annleigh is surprised by Clark, who has snuck into the sleepover to see her. The couple share their desires with each other and confirm their commitment to each other and their chastity, with Clark proposing to Annleigh ("Forever"). Before Annleigh can respond, Cairo comes to retrieve her and Clark hides in the pantry. The doorbell rings and Cairo and Annleigh introduce themselves to the pizza delivery girl, Eva Sanchez, who they recognize as the star cheerleader of West High's team, who are the Tigers' rivals. In the living room, Reese is ignored by the other girls because she is just the mascot and she reveals her dreams to be popular and liked, the way Riley and the others are, as well as her desire to be on the team ("Captain of the Team"). When Kate returns without Chess, Reese volunteers to take her place in the routine, but the other members pressure Riley to say no. Instead, Reese is sent to find Chess and Farrah. Mattie stumbles to the bathroom, drunk from the earlier dare. In the other bathroom, Reese finds Farrah throwing up from the alcohol she has consumed. Reese and Farrah have an honest heart to heart, where Reese, who has long been the victim of bullying due to her weight, asks Farrah to stop calling her "Reeses". Farrah begs Reese not to tell the others that she drank so much. When Reese leaves, Farrah reflects on her life ("Before the Breakdown (Reprise)") and pours the rest of her flask down the toilet. Someone knocks on the door, and Farrah apologizes for being drunk before she is killed in the shower by an unseen person. Meanwhile, Annleigh checks on a drunk Mattie and Cairo confronts Kate about her feelings for Chess. Mattie comes back into the room, bloody from hitting her head in the bathroom. Cairo follows an upset Riley into the kitchen, where they argue over who has done more for the other. Both believe that they are responsible for the other's success and thus deserve better treatment ("Wallflower"). They hear a scream and run outside to find Kate trying to save a dead Chess. In the bathroom, Reese finds Farrah's body and is surprised by Clark. Startled and afraid, Reese attacks Clark and hits him with the showerhead, believing him to be the person who killed Farrah. Realizing that it was Clark she attacked after turning on the lights, Reese attempts to wake him up, but she panics when she realizes that he died after falling and hitting his head on the toilet. When the other girls come running in after hearing her scream, Reese lets them assume Clark was killed by the same person as Chess and Farrah. Panicked by the deaths, Riley tries to call the police, but Cairo is worried that they will be blamed for the murders and stops her. Instead, she proposes that they pin the murder on Mattie, a girl who they barely know and who is drunk and covered in blood. The team reluctantly agrees to Cairo's plan and work together to plant a murder weapon. As Mattie staggers in and asks what's happening, the girls pass the knife with blood on it to Riley as they surround Mattie and the lights go out ("Defense"). Mattie is in prison. She writes a letter to her parents about how bad her life is now, and how she should never have joined the cheer team ("Mattie's Lament"). The Tigers return to Riley's, with two new promising team members, Reese, and Eva Sanchez. Cairo accuses Riley of avoiding her and for paying for Eva's scholarship to come to their school. The girls once again assemble in the basement, where Riley does her best to convince them that they can still have a great year ("Phoenix"). Kate, who keeps hearing Chess's ghost, is furious at them all for trying to act as if nothing happened. They argue until Kate announces that she is going to call the police and fix what they've done. Outside, Kate and Annleigh struggle over their feelings for their dead loved ones, with the ghosts of Farrah, Clark, and Chess watching them and asking them to promise not to forget them ("Move On"). Reese follows Kate outside and begs her not to call the police. When Kate asks her why, Reese confesses to accidentally killing Clark. Annleigh overhears and angrily attacks Reese for letting her believe that Clark died after cheating on her with Farrah. As the two begin to fight and Riley, Cairo, and Kate try to separate them, Eva watches the chaos and wrestles with whether or not she should stay on the team; on one hand, being on the Tigers means that she is at a better school and can receive a better education, but the team members are clearly unstable ("Shut Up and Cheer"). Dismayed over the fighting, Riley goes inside to get Annleigh and Reese some ice and tells everyone that they can leave. Cairo follows her, insisting that Riley stop them from leaving. Cairo believes they need to maintain the lie in order to stay out of trouble and they argue over what to do next. Riley leaves, and Cairo struggles over Riley's decision not to listen to her ("Wallflower (Reprise)"). Back in the basement, Riley finds that the door is locked and the Wi-Fi is down. While Riley searches for a key, she asks them to talk out their issues. Cairo, Kate, Annleigh, and Reese argue over which one of them could have been the murderer ("IDK"). Annoyed, Riley tries to get them to just practice cheering. When the team refuses, Riley becomes increasingly agitated and breaks down as the rest of the girls watch. Cairo realizes that Riley has the key and Kate and Reese attempt to reassure her, but an erratic Riley confesses to the murders ("The Breakdown"). After a struggle, Reese knocks Riley out and Cairo helps to tie her up. Annleigh is sent to call the police while Eva helps Kate, whom Riley stabbed in the thigh. Riley tells them that no one will believe them if they turn her in, but Eva reveals she recorded Riley's whole confession on her phone. Riley begs Cairo to untie her as police sirens wail. Later, in the gym, the remaining Tigers return to practice. Kate and Annleigh reveal that they are coping with the deaths of their loved ones ("Move On (Reprise)"). Mattie is back from Juvie, Cairo is the new cheer captain, Annleigh has met a new guy in grief counseling, and Kate is dating Eva. Eva reminds them all that they have community service for being accessories to the crime. Reese starts to show them all the new cheer and they all, including the ghosts of Farrah, Chess, and Clark, as well as Riley, who is in prison, reflect on moving on and healing with the support of each other ("Finale").