*Beauty*
"T-I-G yeah! E-R-S yeah! Tigers! Go go Tigers! Go go Tigers!"
Then Angelica, pom poms in hand, launched a triple somersault over the arms of the two freshman cheerleaders, landing with a perfect twist. Her painted on smile fell a few seconds after landing.
She scowled at the grass. "This grass is like totally not mowed. It looks horrible," she whined.
Gemma, sat on the bleacher seats above me, rolled her eyes and sighed.
Usually I'd be paying attention, but not today. The memory of Will's face was still emblazoned in my mind, reminding me of his complete and utter perfection.
And how completely out of my league he was.
Sigh.
As cheerleaders, to aid in our cheering success for games and competitions, we were allowed to replace our gym periods with cheer practice. In addition, we had practice before and after school. The school was very supportive of sports and so we were provided with a lot of dedicated cheer time. Today we were running through the routine for the football game this Friday. As Head Cheerleader it was my duty to ensure everything was on task.
My Deputy Head Cheerleaders, Madison, Layla and Gemma sat around me, watching for flaws.
"Run through it again please," I said.
Chelsea Simmons sighed loudly, coiling strands of her hair around her finger. "Can we, like, move on already? You've already watched it like ten times."
Gemma scowled. "No one asked for your opinion."
Chelsea shot a glare at Gemma that was probably meant to be withering (which it would be if Gemma wasn't as tough as she was) before turning and stomping off down the field.
Tiffany Davison, Chelsea's best friend, flipped her flawless curled golden blonde hair before stalking after her. Angela, one of Chelsea's posse, sprinted to catch up. Angelica watched longingly.
"One more time," I repeated.
My thoughts went back to Will as I watched Angelica redo the move. I hadn't spoken to him today, only managing to catch glimpses of him in lessonsâalways at the front, always so far away.
I almost didn't notice when the squad girls straightened up.
Gemma whistled. "Dang."
Most of the girls had stopped to stare at the guys pouring out of the gym building.
"Ooh la la, hot stuff up ahead." Gemma nudged me, inclining her chin towards Justin Markson, who was walking in step with Tyler Benton.
He looked up at the exact same moment, shooting us a blazing smile.
Not as blazing as Will's though.
And that was when I saw him. Will emerged from behind the group of boys. Even in the school gym uniform, he looked perfect, his long limbs managing to pull off the outfit.
So perfect.
Unconsciously, I craned my neck to watch him weave through the boys. This was a rare opportunity. With Will's various academic activities, he was hardly ever in gym classes.
I drank in his face, his frame, those flawless green eyes.
Sigh.
"Guess who's coming over," Gemma chimed.
"Ooh, he's not bad in uniform," Madison added.
"Agreed," Layla said between pops of bubble-gum.
I blinked out of my daze, my eyes locking on Justin Markson, who was jogging over.
"Hey," he grinned. He leaned against the bleachers. "Cheer practice?"
I peeled my eyes off Will. "Uh, yeah."
Justin went on to talk about something to do with last week's game, but my mind was focused on Will. He was stretching, his lean muscles flexing as he did.
Dang it.
"So, will you do it?"
I blinked rapidly. "Huh?"
One side of his lips tilted up into a smile. "Show us a cheer."
My eyebrows furrowed. "Umâ"
"We'll do it," Gemma interrupted, standing up.
My eyes flickered back to Will and an idea sprouted in my mind. "OK. Let's do yesterday afternoon's routine."
The girls, giggling at the boys, followed us as we walked down the field.
The routine took two minutes. I performed flawlessly, putting in as much enthusiasm as I could before finishing off with as backwards somersault ending in a splits.
A crowd had formed around us. Wolf whistles and clapping rippled through them.
Beaming, I stood up. My gaze fell on Will, standing across the field.
Looking this way.
Right at me.
I could feel blood rushing through my veins, my face heating beneath his gaze.
"That was amazing," Justin exclaimed.
My eyes were still locked on Will. "One second."
And then I did something I'd never done before. Something I hoped I wouldn't regret. I raced across the field, heading towards Will.
I stopped in front of him.
"Hey," I grinned.
The scent of citrus hit me.
Woah.
Will's lips tilted up into a smile that knocked the breath out of me.
Dang it.
What I would do to see that smile every day.
"Hey," he said, voice deep and raspy.
So perfect. I couldn't think those words enough times to make them near his worth.
I bit my lip. "Thanks again for tutoring me on Saturday."
That smile appeared again. "No problem, I was glad to help." His gaze flickered behind me. "Your friends are looking at you."
Will's eyes dulled just slightly and I blinked rapidly, trying to figure out how to return the light-hearted tone.
I shrugged. "Anyway, I was just wondering..." I rubbed my feet against the grass. Nerves raced up my spine. What are you doing Ellie? Don't do it, don'tâ "If you would come to the game on Friday?"
His brows lifted. "The game?"
Be brave Ellie, be brave.
I smiled, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes. "I'm cheering this Friday and, well," I laughed, "I thought it would be nice if you saw me do something I'm actually good at for once."
He was silent for a few seconds.
They were the longest seconds of my life.
Finally, his eyes lightened, a bemused smile sparkling on his face.
My heart stopped.
"Sure," he replied. "I'll be there."
I bit my lip. "I can't wait."
I threw a smile over my shoulder before sauntering back to my friends. Every movement I made was precise, as if I was a beautiful confident person who could easily steal Will's heart.
Oh, fantasies.
In reality? I could barely hear myself think from the way my heart was pounding in my chest.
Gemma, Madison and Layla watched me as I nestled back onto the bleachers. Justin Markson's brows were furrowed and confused expressions dotted the faces of his friends around him.
Gemma raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you always talking to that dude now?"
"Will," I corrected.
Gemma's eyebrow remained raised.
I shrugged. I could barely contain the smile ripping across my face. "Nothing."
And yet, I couldn't stop thinking about him.
Friday. That was the day I could finally stop being the nerve-riddled girl I was.
The day I became the confident cheerleader.
*
Friday came by agonizingly slowly. The whole week, I was littered with nerves, finally reaching their climax on Friday night.
The football team was doing well so there was a lot of pressure on the cheerleaders to be amazing.
A lot of pressure on me to do well.
"Five seconds till the first routine," coach said as she clopped past where we were sat on the field-side benches.
I stood up. "OK girls, let's go."
"Presenting The Tiger cheerleaders! Let's hear them roar boys and girls!" The presenter's voice called.
The roar of the crowd was deafening.
For a moment I turned my head, my eyes running over the crowd that filled the stadium, in search of Will's face.
A thousand familiar faces stared back at me.
None of them Will's.
The weight of disappointment was choking. It swelled up in my throat and made my eyes burn.
Will wasn't here.
He didn't want to come.
I shut my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Mentally, I tried to forget, to get into the moment.
I blocked everything out till there was silence. I couldn't hear the crowd or the noise. It was me and the girls, ready to cheer.
I lifted one arm, pasting a smile on my face. "Are you guys ready?" I screamed.
They screamed in return.
In seconds we had started the routine. In my mind I ran through the moves for everyone in the squad while maintaining a perfect smile.
The crowd screamed as we cheered and a happy sensation poured over me. It was that rush, the rush I got when I cheered. The rush that for a moment made me forget that Will was out of my league. The rush that I had wanted Will to witness. The confidence that I'd wanted him to see.
And that was when I saw him.
It was almost as if my eyes zoned in on him of their own accord, latching on to his flawless features.
Will, followed by Catherine, shuffled into one of the back rows.
And his eyes were on me.
And the way he looked at me....it was as if he'd finally seen me.
For the first time in seven years.
My smile widened. I cheered louder, throwing all my energy into every move.
The girls flowed in front of me, forming the last structure for the finale. Two of the girls held their palms close to the ground.
My heart in my throat, I took the jump.
The toss was fairly simple. The moment I was in the air, I twisted into a somersault.
The crowd went silent.
Then the landing.
My feet landed perfectly on top of Gemma and Chelsea's palms. Applause broke out and my smile widened so large that my face went numb.
Will was looking at me.
And he was smiling.
There was no word to describe the perfection of that moment, to encapsulate my happiness in those seconds.
It was perfect.
Then it went wrong.
I felt the slightest nudge from the leftâChelsea's hands.
My body plunged to the side. A chorus of squeals and screams tore through the air.
Our structure dissolved.
I fell.
***
I hoped you liked that :) Also, I'm considering entering a Wattpad competition, what do you guys think? Anyway you should be super excited for the next chapter, something's gonna happen hint hint ;)
I'm dedicating this chapter to someone I noticed was voting on loads of chapters and I was like Thank You Amazing Person!
God bless xxx
Yemi Everest