Chapter 1 - "What are you the welcoming committee?"

"You perfect angel, thank you. Bring it to the council room."

Courtney shook her head and smiled at Miguel's message. It was only coffee after all. Then again this was Miguel who was 55% coffee instead of water so maybe it made sense.

Tossing her phone into her backpack, Courtney opened her car door and stepped out into the already hot August day. She straightened her cheerleading skirt before retrieving the glorified cup of coffee.

Before her the school grounds lay quiet, the first bell already ushering students into their classrooms. Courtney walked into the drop-off lane but scrambled back as an engine roared and a motorcycle zipped past her, nearly hitting her.

"What the Donald duck!" she said, her heart hammering in her chest.

She took a slow breath. Well, who needed coffee when a near-death experience could wake you up and make you rethink your life decisions. Okay, yeah, bold patterns really weren't her look. Good to know.

Courtney peered down at her uniform making sure none of the coffee had spilled onto her. No spill, that was a relief. Coffee stains were the devil of stains to get out of cheer uniforms.

Also ice cream. But that she knew from that classic movie Princess Diaries... Definitely not from personal experience...

This time, she double-checked the lane before crossing and waited on the curb. She wanted to meet this Hell's Angel member.

Who knew, maybe at this new student's last school it was a Hunger Games type situation and Courtney was an easy tribute.

Courtney spotted a girl striding towards the school carrying a helmet. Huh, not a cliché Bad Boy with a hidden heart of gold looking for the right girl to change him. Teen Fiction is a lie. Go figure.

The girl was a little above average in looks with pale skin, brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and dressed in all dark clothes. Courtney couldn't imagine how the girl wasn't melting in the California sun wearing a leather jacket. But Courtney gave the girl props for sticking with her aesthetic.

"Hey," Courtney said, keeping her tone light. "I know it's after the first bell, but just a heads up some seniors come in late. Maybe be a bit more careful around the parking lot."

The girl eyed Courtney, taking in her blonde hair, blue eyes, natural tan, and cheerleading uniform. Ah, The Appraisal look.

"I'm sorry," the girl said. "Did you break a nail?"

Break a nail? Really? That was the best this girl could come up with? Disappointing.

Courtney heard her father's business-like voice in her head: humor creates connection. One of the many tidbits of advice he'd implanted in her head. Tidbits which had the annoying habit of popping up when they were not needed. Though humor was a classic way to form bonds.

"No worries," Courtney said, raising her hand and wiggling her perfectly manicured fingers. "No nails broken. I just wanted to give you a heads up since you're new."

The girl raised her eyebrow. One eyebrow, really? I thought only book characters did that? Maybe this girl practiced. Courtney couldn't do it and she'd tried before.

"How do you know I'm new?" the girl asked.

Was that supposed to be a trick question? How many motorcycle girls did this girl think went here?

"Because I haven't ever seen you around before."

"Oh, and you would notice anyone outside of your little exclusive circle?"

Ha. Right because I'm blonde and a cheerleader. Clearly, this girl was lacking in the original insults department.

If one route to a connection doesn't work, find another. Thanks, dad, didn't really need that one.

"Do you need help finding your way around?" Courtney asked. "It's kind of a big school?"

"What are you the welcoming committee?"

"You know, I get that a lot," Courtney said. "It must be the blonde hair, constant smile, and perky vibe."

Again Courtney's humor tactic failed to thaw the girl's coldness. Who knew it would be so hard when the girl must be melting in this heat.

"I don't need your help. I know how to read a map." The girl smirked. "Besides I would hate for you to be seen with a commoner like me and have it damage your popularity. What else would you have to live for?"

Did this girl eat every Teen Fiction book filled with stuck-up cheerleaders for breakfast or something?

Courtney merely smiled and took a step back. Obviously, this girl wanted nothing to do with Courtney. Best to cut her losses now.

If no connection can be formed, still leave an opening. Bleh. Fine!

"I guess I'll see you around. I'm Courtney by the way. And you are..."

The girl looked like the last thing she wanted to do was give Courtney her name.

"I'm Max."

"It's nice to meet you, Max. I'm around if you need help."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to find you if I need help."

Wow! That sarcasm was so heavy it was truly impressive Max managed to lift it. Hidden talents in this one.

"Welcome to Oceanside High," Courtney said.

She spun on her heel and headed towards the Council room. 0-1 Cheerleader vs. Angry Biker Girl. Oh boy, was Lynn not going to believe this.

******

By the time Courtney stood in the gym next to Miguel during the final period overseeing the setup for the student assembly/pep rally, she hadn't been able to tell Lynn about the angry biker girl. During lunch, Lynn had messaged about needing to speak to a teacher, which left Courtney with the story untold. Which was the worst place for stories to be.

"How many people have talked to you about running for office?" Courtney asked Miguel.

Despite being seventeen, Miguel Cortez looked like he could be the United States President instead of merely the student body president. His black hair was neatly brushed back and he wore a button-down shirt and slacks. Which Courtney thought was a bit extreme. It was still high school after all.

Her cousin, technically second cousin but explaining the difference always got tedious so Courtney stuck with calling him cousin, would be a heartbreaker if he ever cared about dating. But to him, dating in high school only distracted him from everything important.

"A good amount. I feel like every freshman wants to run for Freshman class president like it will instantly make them popular." He snorted. "They will get a rude wake-up call when they discover the position actually means you have less time on your hands. Idiotas."

Another insult for the books, one of many Spanish insults her cousin had imparted to her.

"You know, your heart for the students shows me why you were made Student Body President."

Miguel gave her a side-eye. Which she had to admit he was good at. In a single looked he conveyed so many levels of disdain.

"I'm not here for my heart, I'm here because no one else is as good as me."

That was true and one of the reasons Courtney loved working with Miguel. He was all business. Emotions and drama didn't play any part in meetings or projects. Which this was high school so emotions and drama were around every corner. As shown in Courtney's confrontation with Angry Biker girl.

"Are you going to run for Senior class president?" Miguel asked.

Courtney shrugged. "I figured I would. I've been class president for the last two years it feels like I'd be breaking tradition if I didn't."

Miguel grunted in reply. Eloquence, thy name is Miguel.

"Have you talked to Lynn today?" Miguel asked.

Miguel's tone was one he rarely used: cautious. Well, that wasn't a good sign.

"Oh now that's a foreboding question," Courtney said with a cheeky smile, even as she asked herself why Miguel wanted to know.

She'd hadn't had the chance to talk to Lynn. Was there something she should know? Goodness, she hoped Miguel hadn't broken his 'no dating' rule to date Lynn. That would not end well.

"Go see where the sound guy is," Miguel said. "We're almost done here, we just need him."

"Yes, Mr. President," Courtney said, mockingly.

Which earned her a scowl. But a scowl worked for him so no damage was done.

Courtney left the gym and headed down one of the hallways towards the exit. As she was a few feet away from the open door, she heard her name called. She knew that voice!

She beamed as she turned around, finding Aiden coming towards her. Yup, she had amazing taste. Without her, Aiden would have still been wearing clothes that didn't work for him. Now he could be walking a runway. Not like a fancy one, but one for Old Navy at least. Her boyfriend wasn't too bad to look at either with his athletic build and classic good looks.

"Hey," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Miguel told me to come early so he could explain when during the assembly I'd be saying something inspiring about tonight's game."

"You mean how you will vanquish the other team. Bring honor to this school! Leave the competition in the dust! You as team captain will lead your team into victory?"

Courtney waited for Aiden to smile at her verbose comment but he didn't. Okay...

Aiden stuffed his hands into his pockets and rolled his shoulders. Yay, a boyfriend that's nervous, exactly what Courtney wanted for today, how did he know?

Though hopefully, this wasn't about her.

"Are you worried about the game?" she asked, squeezing his arm.

Aiden ran his hand through his hair, breaking Courtney's hold on him. Was it planned or a coincidence?

"No," Aiden said. "But I am nervous about this season. I'm a senior. There's a lot riding on this year."

"I know but you'll be amazing. Like you always are." She smiled. "And I'll be cheering you on the whole time." She playfully motioned to her uniform. "I know you're thinking it's because it's my job, but I swear it's for you."

Again Courtney waited for Aiden to smile but he didn't. She felt an unsettling feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. Not good. She wanted to reach out for Aiden but didn't want him to break away a second time.

"Cory," he said. "Look, I think because this year is going to be important that I need to stay focused. I need to cut out all distractions." He met her eyes. "We need to break up."

Break up. Aiden was breaking up with her. She stood there frozen, her emotions hitting her like a hammer in the Wack-a-Mole game: shock, sadness, anger, hurt, relief. Relief? What?

The force of it all made Courtney's throat tighten and her eyes sting.

No! She would not lose it. What are the facts? Her father's often used question helped Courtney cut through her emotions. Right, what are the facts? Focus on that and not the overwhelming pain of being dumped.

Facts: Aiden's football career meant scholarship opportunities for him. That meant this year was the most important. He was making the best decision for his future. There, that all made sense.

Armed with those thoughts, Courtney could hold off her own feelings.

"I get it," she said. "I think that's a really smart plan. This season does mean a lot for your future. You need to do everything you can to succeed."

Aiden stared at her like she wasn't human.

"That's it?" he asked. "You're completely fine with us breaking up after six months. No other reaction?"

She felt a multitude of reactions but none of them would change facts. And after all, since he wasn't her boyfriend, she didn't think he should see them.

Best to leave a relationship on good terms than burn down a bridge. And bursting into tears and having snot running down her face felt like lighting the bridge up. Also embarrassing. That was the last thing Courtney needed.

"I care about you," Courtney said. "That means I can't be mad at you doing what's best for your future."

Aiden shook his head looking angry. Why was he angry? He was the dumper, not the dumpee. Also, dumpee wasn't even a word and it sounded stupid.

"Seriously?" Aiden said. "Yeah, okay."

Aiden walked away and Courtney stood there feeling like somehow she'd ended up the bad guy in this situation. How did that make any sense?

She quickly darted out of the gym exit, needing air, needing room to breathe. What she needed was a moment to let herself feel everything where no one would see her. If she was going to go all runny mascara and puffy eyes, now was the moment. No one's around.

But the second she got outside and let out a shaky breath, someone cleared their throat. So much for no one around.

Behind her, Courtney found a tall, lanky guy with light brown skin, dark eyes, and messy black curls, standing next to the exit. He was cute in a I'm-going-to-eventually-grow-up-and-make-all-those-who-rejected-me-earlier-regret-their-decision type of way. Though she wasn't sure if he was likely to see his looks that way.

He shifted awkwardly and Courtney blinked hard to clear her tears and smiled. No time for runny mascara and puffy eyes.

"Micah," she said. "Hi."

He gaped at her. "You know my name?"

Was she not supposed to know his name? Maybe he was going for the tactic of being invisible through high school so he never got hurt. If so, she just blew it for him.

"Umm...yes?" she said.

Micah frowned then the expression cleared. "Right, because you're a cheerleader, and my brother is Denzel."

"Uh," Courtney said. "Actually, it's because you're part of the AV team and usually do the sound for football games and assembles."

"Oh," Micah said, taken aback. "Umm...well...I should do my job then."

He hoisted the box in his arms higher and Courtney noticed all the wires and the microphone.

"Right," Courtney said. "I was looking for you."

Before my boyfriend decided to ruin my day. And she looked so cute today too.

"Right," Micah said. "Okay. Umm...right."

Courtney grinned, the gesture more natural than her last attempt. She could deal with her emotions later, right now she needed to stay focused on the assembly. That she could do. That she could handle.

"Come on."

As they walked down the hallway in silence, Courtney felt Micah's attention jump to her and away every few seconds. It wasn't something uncommon for her. No point looking back, it only served to embarrass. And since Courtney had enough of that already, no reason to pass it on to someone else.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Micah blurted.

Oh, more embarrassment for Courtney. This day was taking the cake. She wanted to take that cake and throw it at someone. But not at Micah, he looked guilty about his unintentional eavesdropping. Maybe that meant he wouldn't gossip about it... Or at least not right away.

Best to get ahead of it.

"It's okay," she said. "Life happens. And Aiden is making the best choice."

Micah glanced down at the floor, fidgeted, then lifted his eyes.

"You're okay with being dumped?"

Dumped. What a terrible word. Dumped sounded like someone throwing away a bag of trash. It was almost as bad as dumpee. At least dumped had the decency to be a real word.

"It's for the best," she said.

Who wanted an Old Navy runway model for a boyfriend anyhow? Not her, nope. She didn't...she didn't want to think about it. Not there. Not now. Hopefully not ever. Maybe if she ignored all her emotions they would disappear.

"Come on," she said. "We're already late and Miguel will be having a conniption by now."

Micah followed her with a tiny frown of puzzlement. Yeah, a blonde cheerleader using the word conniption, shocking. The blonde hair and cheer uniform did tend to spark preconceived notions in people's minds. Curse you Teen Fiction cliché!

"I'm glad you managed to find your way back," Miguel said. "Tell me, did you manage to take the Ring to Mordor on your way?"

"Calm down, Frodo," Courtney said. "I come bearing a sound guy, ready to give you the power to make everyone annoyed by your voice."

Miguel scowled at Courtney then narrowed his eyes.

"Lynn is with the squad, warming up. Now would be a good time to talk."

"Oh and he gets his revenge with another foreboding comment," Courtney said.

He really would make a great President one day. He had all the traits of one.

The squad greeted Courtney as she walked over but set her path to Lynn.

Though everyone wore the same uniform, somehow Lynn still managed to stand out. She was the kind of beautiful that should be illegal, with golden skin, auburn hair, and honey-colored eye.

When they met freshman year, Courtney was convinced Lynn was a Hawaiian princess who'd run away from her royal life to come to live a normal high school experience. She was still convinced of this fact. Lynn denying it only proved that. Every royal would deny they are royal if they are trying to go under the radar.

"Hey, Miguel said I should talk to you," Courtney said.

At that announcement, her best friend seemed to freeze. Okay then...

Recovering herself, Lynn gestured for Courtney to follow her. They slipped out into the hallway, though it was no longer quiet or empty with all of the school making their way inside. A stampede of rhinos would make less noise. They moved far enough away to talk.

"What's up?" Courtney asked.

Lynn took a breath, then straightened her shoulders. Where was Lynn's need to gather her strength coming from? Since when did her best friend start acting strange?

"I wanted you to know that I'm going to run for Senior class president."

Deja vu was real, huh. First Aiden's break up, now her best friend's declaration. What are the facts? Right, facts. Ignore emotions. Focus.

Facts: This was Lynn. Her best friend. Who wanted to be Senior class president. Even though Courtney had held that position the last two years. Totally fine. Totally not out of the blue.

"That's awesome!" Courtney said, hoping her smile didn't betray her rattled state.

"That's awesome?" Lynn asked, startled. "You're not mad?"

Was Courtney delusional or did Lynn seem both disappointed and pissed? Why was everyone mad at her today?

"No. Anyone can run for the position and you want to run. Why would I be mad?"

"Because you've won the past two years."

True and last year no one had even tried to run against Courtney since Sophomore year she'd won by a landslide.

"Change is life's open door," Courtney quoted. "We should head back inside."

"Right," Lynn said.

Courtney heard the trace of frustration but didn't say anything. This day didn't just take the cake, someone had taken the cake and hit Courtney with it. She did not like it. She hardly even ate cake!

Courtney kept her smile in place as she organized the squad and made sure everyone knew their places. She managed to keep up a pleasant expression as Miguel talked to the whole school about how next week would be focused on class president campaigns. People were allowed to campaign but if they were caught breaking any of the school rules in their efforts then they'd be disqualified. Next Friday everyone would vote and the winners would be announced on the morning broadcast.

Twice Courtney had been part of that broadcast to hear she'd won. Now she had no clue how next Friday would play out. Had she already planned her outfit for the broadcast? Yes, but that was not something to think about.

What she really couldn't think about was the fact that Lynn hadn't told her before today. Definitely shouldn't wonder if it was a new idea. Or if it was how Miguel knew. Nope, not thinking about it.

Her confusion nagged at her even as the cheer squad was called forward and they performed their routine. Courtney had practiced the routine so many times she could have done it even if she was dead. Right now she kinda felt dead, so at least irony was alive and well in the world. Through it all, she beamed and hit her marks.

With the wrap-up, Courtney set down her pompoms, waited for the path in front to clear, and raced forward. She went into her tumbling pass without a second thought, her body knowing exactly what to do.

But Courtney knew the second she landed her backflip that something was wrong. Searing pain sliced up from her ankle and she cried out, collapsing to the floor. The cheerleaders' shouts cut out even as the upbeat music continued to play.

Courtney closed her eyes, forcing herself to keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep it together. Don't break down. Not here. Not now. Aiden and Lynn were enough embarrassment for one day. A person couldn't die of embarrassment but Courtney didn't want to test that theory.

Footsteps hurried up to her and Courtney raised her head. You had to be joking.

Aiden stared at her with a worried expression. She didn't want to see that: him looking cute and concerned. Anyone but him. Not now. He wasn't supposed to care for her anymore.

The next person to reach her was Miguel followed surprisingly by Micah then Lynn. They all held out hands to her.

Which to choose: the ex-boyfriend, the best friend who was acting weird, a cousin who she knew only offered help to look supportive, or a boy she knew only by name and occupation.

It was like a terrible game of Clue and she was the murdered victim. That didn't even make sense. She needed to get up and out of the gym before her brain lost it.

Courtney chose the most uncomplicated option.

She gripped Micah's hand. Shocked, he almost failed at helping her stand but he managed it. Well, that was almost disastrous again. Courtney saw Lynn's stung expression. Don't burn a bridge if you're going to need to cross it later. Shut up, dad.

"Finish with the squad," Courtney said. "Miguel, you have to finish the assembly."

They both nodded and backed away. When they did, Courtney saw how the entire school was watching her, half of them with their phones trained on her. Great, that's super. Youtube here I come. Despite the mass amount of pain she was in, she smiled at them and waved.

"If you post this, make sure to spell my name right!"

Half the students laughed even though it wasn't even funny. As Micah helped her to the exit, Courtney managed to keep her smile in place. Once in the hallway, she let go of it.

"Seems like you've had one hell of a day."

Courtney sagged against him. "You have no idea."

**********************************************************************

How hops it?

Buttercup!!! We're here, we are together, we are exploring a depth of oddness that has never been explored before! This could mean war between my book and me! Since the book is as funny as me, you see! Am I rhyming! Jeez this is terrible...inconvenient time to do that!

Thoughts! *throws confetti into the air* I want to hear them thoughts and if you have none, well I feel for you poor soul! 💭🗯💬

Not going to lie, this will be one wild ride. The jokes, the laughs, the giggles, the wiggles. Shoot I'm doing it again, I have to stop this rhyming curse...hey! I couldn't think of a word to rhyme with curse I think it's broken!

So ships away, this will be interesting and boy oh boy I don't know how I'm going to compete with myself!

Vote, comment, follow! Or in cheer terms Go! Fight! Win Tonight!

Okay I have no clue if that's right. Which is a mighty fright!

THE RHYMING IS BACK AHHHHH!