The It Girl [COMPLETED]

Chapter 8 - "Just leave him alone."

Being hyper-focused on one thing means others get left behind, take a step back and see what you're missing.

The inverse of this advice was don't step back and you'll stay hyper-focused on one thing and lose sight of all the others. Which Courtney had decided to do. She sat, wearing her cheer uniform, in front of her vanity with her ankle on top of it.

Her hyper-focus was on her ankle, which she had covered in sparkling fabric and tied with a bow. What she debated was whether wearing her pompom scrunchy on her ankle was overkill.

Her father was right, being hyper-focused made everything else go away. She wasn't thinking about Lynn. Or how it had been a whole week away from the squad. Or how she'd agreed to let her friends throw a party in her house. Or how she had no idea what was going on with Aiden.

Okay, well she was thinking about those things now but she hadn't been! Courtney narrowed her eyes at the scrunchy, hyper-focusing. I am hyper-focusing and everything will go away.

"Hey, Cory."

So much for that plan!

"Hey, Miley."

Her brother inched into her room and she saw him in her mirror's reflection, his focus on her ankle. Yes, that's also where my focus was until you rudely interrupted my hyper-focus and made everything in my life come back.

"Why are you wearing that thing on your ankle?" Miles said around a mouth full of cereal.

"It's called school spirit." And denial that my ankle isn't as bothersome as it really is. But honestly, it isn't that bothersome at all. The scrunchy merely looks cute.

"I thought you couldn't cheer with your ankle?" Miles asked.

"Doesn't mean I can't go sit and watch the game while in uniform."

"You miss it?"

No, Miles, the thing that I have worked hard at for three years, taken injuries for, and loved to death is not something I miss in the least. In fact, I can't even remember what we're talking about. Cheerleading, you say? Oh right.

"I've never been on the sidelines before," Courtney said.

Unless it was the literal sidelines where she stood with the other cheerleaders as they watched the game.

"Life is better here," Miles said. "Easier to ignore people and not seem mean about it."

Easy for you to say, brother mine, I can't walk through school without someone noticing me.

"Join the dark side, Cory."

Join it? I think I've been forcibly placed there by my best friend. Wisdom, I seek. Advice you give me, hmm, Yoda?

"Miley," Courtney said. "Did you know when you designed the Vote for Lynn t-shirts it was for my best friend Lynn?"

"Of course."

"You could have told me."

Miles stared at her, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"I figured she would."

Me too. If she had would the results be different? Courtney had been distracted during her tumbling pass because of Lynn. If she'd known she might have landed that backflip and never had a video made about her. Life's irony right there.

"Naturally," Courtney said.

"Elections were today, right? Did she win?"

"No, some girl that wasn't even on the ballot won."