The Arts

14 - Pep Rally

KIARA

          There were many things Kiara loved: pastel dresses; the smell of paints and colored pencils mixed together on a canvas; and of course, a night out with friends. But pep rallies always made it to the top of the list.

          Kiara and Andi filed into the gymnasium with the sea of students, decked out in school spirit. Andi, never one to sport institutional merch, made do with a black The Arts hoodie, ripped skinny jeans, and dirty Converse. Kiara had to go all-out: emerald green The Arts t-shirt, cut to be slightly cropped; white pleated skirt, green bandana; big football stripes across her cheeks; and lots and lots of gimmicky, plastic beaded necklaces.

          A drama teacher directed them towards the section of the gym reserved for freshmen, and Andi immediately made a beeline for the very top row of the bleachers. Kiara knew that everyone would be separated by graduating class — that was just how homecoming worked — but she'd be lying if she wasn't a little disappointed that she couldn't rush right into the juniors' section and pop a squat next to Marty. The entire school had to come to the pep rally, so if she looked hard enough, this was Kiara's first guaranteed chance to see Marty since Ivan's train wreck of a party.

           Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" boomed through the speakers, drowning out every attempted conversation in the room. Most kids just screamed at each other over the music, but others had their attention locked on their phones, taking selfies or scrolling through social media. The bleachers filled up until there was almost no free space left, with various instructors on the floor ushering students left and right and every which way to get them settled into a spot. On the gym floor, cheerleaders crowded around each other in a circle sporting their vibrant uniforms. A few random teens were decked out in seemingly random costumes, which Kiara guessed were the themes of homecoming week. There was just too much going on all at once, a kind of organized chaos. But the air was so electric, so ripe with possibilities and good vibes, that it made Kiara bubble up inside with happiness just taking everything in.

          The music died down, and Jack, the senior who was friends with Ivan, took center stage — or, rather, center gym — and started whooping and hollering into a microphone, psyching up the crowd. "Heeeeeyyy The Arts! Let's make some noise!"

          Kiara woo-ed and clapped enthusiastically in her seat, and immediately felt small and stupid when Andi did literally nothing except slow-clap twice. Kiara had never been one to care about how other people saw her or feel dumb for just having fun, but seriously, what was the point of going to a pep rally with your best friend if that friend didn't want to have any, well, pep? It was soul-sucking to be around someone who constantly had something negative to say.

          "You okay?" Kiara turned to face Andi, whose eyes looked totally glazed over and bored.

          "Hmm? Oh. Fine, I guess. I mean, not fine. It's nothing."

          "Girl, don't even worry about it. Whatever boy is making you feel some type of way isn't worth it. We're at a pep rally. It's time to have fun," Kiara said matter-of-factly, refocusing her attention on the various homecoming week announcements. She cared about her friend, she really did, but homecoming only came one week of the year. All the more reason to not waste another moment of the assembly.

          Without further ado, it was finally time to officially reveal the themes of each day. Juniors and seniors in groups of two ran across the gym floor in their costumes as the days were announced, some going as extra as to attempt cartwheels in their journeys.

          Monday: Class Color Day
          Tuesday: Western Day
          Wednesday: Superhero Day
          Thursday: Fairytale Day
          Friday: School Spirit Day and the day of the big homecoming game against Trinity Catholic High.
          And of course, Saturday, the day of the homecoming dance.

          As Jack drawled on about the dance, all the upperclassmen on homecoming court made their way to the middle of the gym. Kiara marveled over all the beautiful dresses in a variety of glittering reds, blues, and pinks; the short, lacy bodycons and flowy chiffon skirts.

          "Holy crap, I love that girl's dress. The one with the dark red hair," Andi sighed, so quietly that Kiara almost didn't hear it. Kiara immediately did a double take, and her heart immediately leapt up into her throat. She wasn't sure if she was choking out a squeal or an organ.

          Okay, the dress was definitely stunning. A silvery corset-esque top connected to a mid-length tulle skirt. Feminine, but edgy. That wasn't what took Kiara's breath away. No, it was because the girl with the dark red hair was none other than Meg Anderson. Yeah, that Meg. Intimidating junior at Ivan's party, Meg. Truth or Dare extraordinaire, Meg.

          Marty's ex-girlfriend, Meg.

          And, somehow, for some godforsaken reason, Marty was standing right next to her, looking absolutely adorable in gray dress pants, a white button-up, black overalls, and a floral tie. His long hair was straightened and fell just below his shoulders, out of its usual man-bun.

          He was too cute. Kiara could've swooned.

          But she was too focused on why the hell he was standing up there with his ex, smiling, with their arms looped together. They were the most captivating couple in the bunch. Total Homecoming King and Queen material for sure.

          Just as suddenly as her heart had launched itself into her throat, it had dropped down to the bottom of her stomach and broken into a million tiny pieces.

          Of course they had gotten back together. They probably saw each other all the time since they had the same concentration, same classes, same friends. And it had been a while since that first party. Maybe they patched things up and were more in love than ever.

          Kiara's past words about forgetting boys be damned. Her mood soured, she looked for solace in the most bitter person in the room, who just so happened to be her best friend.

          "That chick stole my man," Kiara stated matter-of-factly, and as soon as the words left her mouth she realized she had never actually told Andi about Marty.

          Andi surveyed the couple and wrinkled her nose. "Long Hair McGee? Huh. Well, she's probably a dumb bitch. Want me to ruin her week? I can find out where her room is and sneak in and cut up her dress. You'll have to fill in for her. Boom. Problem solved."

          Kiara threw her head back and laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. There were plenty of holes in Andi's plan. First of all, she wasn't sneaky enough to break into anyone else's dorm. Second of all, underclassmen couldn't be nominated for homecoming court, even if one of the nominees suddenly had her dress mysteriously destroyed. Third of all, as much as Kiara wanted to go to the homecoming dance with Marty, she knew it wasn't going to happen by tearing another person down.

          She was going to have to build herself up.

          Still, it warmed her heart to have Andi so fiercely in her corner. Kiara's mood effortlessly returned to normal, and she floated through the rest of the pep rally, secretly hatching a plan of her own to get Marty's attention.