Three #2
How did they look so amazing? Fuck if I knew .
I smoothed my many flyaways back, trying to force them to stay in place.
Coach Smithson took the lead as she split the twenty-eight students into groups of four.
I clenched my jaw. That meant approximately seven groups to watch, and no way I would be leaving anytime soon.
Oh, joy.
When she was done designating each trainee into a squad, she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone take five for a water break. We’ll meet back here recharged and ready to get started again.”
Feeling exhausted and sweaty from repeating the routine several times, I threw my hair in a top knot. The crowd dispersed as Meredith jogged over to us, panting heavily.
“Man, the routine was definitely harder than the one from last year. Are you sure that was a good call?”
Wow . One week into school, Meredith was already second-guessing my leadership.
It was no secret she wanted to be cheer captain, but at the end of junior year, Coach Smithson chose me.
Even behind the well-wishes and bright smiles, it was small moments like today that made me realize Meredith was still bitter about being passed over.
I taught her how to cheer, but I couldn’t teach her everything .
“If you want to choreograph a new routine and have them learn another one, then be my guest, but last time I checked, I was the captain.”
“Ugh.” Meredith tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she turned to leave. “Whatever.”
I rubbed my temples and let out a fiery breath, the stress from today clawing its way up my body.
Coach Smithson put her hand on my shoulder. “Hey, you’re doing great taking the lead on this.”
“Try telling that to Meredith.” I rolled my eyes while bending down to pick up a half-empty bottle of water.
I crinkled the plastic in my hands as I threw back my head and took a hefty drink. The piercing sound of a high-pitched cackle bounced off the hollow walls, assaulting my ears. I lurched forward, practically choking on my water as I coughed, trying to expel the fluid from my lungs.
“You okay?” Coach Smithson asked with a concerned look on her face.
“Yeah.” I heaved. “I’ll just…I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, I’m gonna go catch a few of the trainees. Give ‘em a few pointers before we start up again.”
“Kay,” I muttered, brushing her off quickly without really paying attention to what she was saying.
My eyes were trained in front of me as I walked over to Kendra and Meredith, pressing my hands over my ears as I got closer.
They sounded like a pair of dying hyenas.
Their laughter was so maddening that I wanted to drive a screwdriver into my skull.
It wasn’t that it was particularly high-pitched or grating; it was just so painfully fake.
“Hey,” Kendra spoke through broken laughter before sobering up. “Where’s Coach going?”
“To give the new girls some advice.”
Meredith lifted her chin to the sky. “Yeah, some of them really need it.”
“Oh, come on,” I teased. “Don’t you remember how nervous and uncoordinated you were during freshman year?”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she grumbled.
“You were like a fish out of water.” Kendra cackled.
She rolled her eyes, glaring between the two of us. “Yeah, yeah.”
“All I’m saying is we should give these girls a chance.” I raised my shoulders.
“ Girls ?” Meredith scoffed. “What does that make Andrew?”
“He was never really an option, was he?” Kendra replied simply, shrugging her shoulders.
“Hell no. We would have to modify every routine for him. Girls’ and boys’ cheer routines are very different. Plus, I don’t think any of the girls could lift him, and I doubt they’d want a boy standing under their skirts.”
I scrunched my nose. “Wait, isn’t Andrew gay?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.” She shrugged. “If he’s on the team, I’m out.”
“Calm down, Mer. I get it. He won’t make the team. Period.”
Coach Smithson’s voice interrupted our conversation, her words echoing through the microphone.
“Everyone, go find your groups! We’re about to start.”
The girls and I walked toward the front again.
For the last fifteen minutes, we watched as the students all performed one last time.
By the end of tryouts, I had a pretty good idea of who I wanted on the team.
Coach Smithson and I weighed the different options, but we were still on the fence about one girl—Camryn Diaz.
She was good, but her strength was lacking.
If she was going to be a base, she needed to be able to support the weight of another cheerleader.
Not to mention, her facial expressions were also muted. She seemed bored half the time.
Of course, Meredith added her two cents by insisting Camryn was the right choice because, apparently, cheering was in her blood.
According to Miss Know-it-all , both of Camryn’s sisters were cheerleaders at Summerville High a couple of years ago.
That was all it took to convince Coach Smithson, leaving me to feel inept in the presence of Meredith once again.
What else was new? I may be the face of the school, but Meredith was not shy about asserting her dominance when it came to our group dynamics.
My grin sprang back into place as the coach handed me the microphone to address the students once again.
“Okay, everyone. Before finishing up, I wanted to say you are all amazing, and even if you don’t make the team this year, don’t be discouraged! Take the year, improve on your technique, and come back next year even better.”
A few meek claps filled the air. With everyone’s attention directed at me, a brilliant idea hit me like a ton of bricks.
I bit the corner of my lip and started speaking again before my confidence dissolved.
“Also, I have a personal announcement I would like to make. I am officially running for Homecoming Queen this fall and Prom Queen in the spring, and not to campaign here or anything, but it would mean a lot if you guys voted for me because I feel like I definitely embody the Honey Bee spirit. So, if you agree, make sure to vote for Clarke Taylor!”
I swapped the microphone for pom-poms and launched into a back handspring, bouncing on the balls of my feet before throwing my arms up and flipping backward.
As I stuck the landing, I shot my hands toward the sky, shaking the pom-poms with a bright smile.
The gym erupted in applause. For the first time, I felt a wave of relief.
The crushing weight on my shoulders suddenly felt lighter as tryouts neared their end.
Maybe campaigning wouldn’t be as hard as I’d thought.
Coach Smithson and a few cheerleaders offered their congratulations as I struggled to steady my breathing, anxiously waiting for the noise to settle.
As Meredith stood in the crowd, her face seemed blank as she stared ahead.
What was her problem?
Finally, after hours of picking apart each candidate’s every trait, I revealed the final lineup: myself, Meredith, Kendra, Camryn, Emory, Kalani, Camilla, Kendall, Bella, Luna, Rowan, and Valentina.