Ariella raised a brow, looking at her best friend, unfazed by the puppy dog eyes in her eyes.
"You used to cheer, and I need to fill Claire's spot." Valerie pushed.
"Yeah, when I was eight." Ariella reminded her. "Find someone else, Val."
Valerie bit her lip. "Too late."
"You didn't," Ariella's jaw dropped.
Valerie gave her a sheepish smile. "Surprise." She hurried into the school. "See you at practice."
Sighing, Ariella watched her friend go. She appreciated Valerie's efforts to spend time together but felt cheerleading wouldn't be her first choice. Ariella would have been content cheering her on from the stands.
"You don't think it's a big deal? I think it's a big deal."
Ariella turned at the sound of Lana's voice, storming from Whitney in a fit of rage. She couldn't help but wonder what he had done to piss off Lana so much.
"Whoo!" Chloe exclaimed. "There's something you don't see every day, a pompom meltdown."
Ariella glanced at Chloe and noticed a group of football players emerging from the school.
"Ooh, ooh, here they come! Pete, I need a picture of the cheating jockstraps." Chloe said, taking the camera from Pete.
"I don't want to hear any rumors going around, any false accusations." Coach Walt's voice carried over, firm and authoritative.
Clark approaches Chloe, who is snapping pictures of the football players.
"Any idea how they got that midterm?"
"It's still a mystery, but I'm working on it," Chloe said, focused on her task.
Ariella turned away, heading towards the school, contemplating how to persuade Valerie not to put her on the cheer team. Suddenly, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
