In A Nutshell

Cheer Competition

Morning

"Are you ready?" My mom called from down the hall, it hadn't sunk in what was about to happen and I didn't want it to. If I let myself think about it, my palms will sweat and I'll start to worry so much that I won't be able to concentrate on anything else.

Shifting on my bed, " Yeah" I yelled back to her as I grabbed hold of a small black duffel bag that had DevDevs, my nickname, written on the side of it. I checked once more to see if everything I needed for today was inside.

My cheer sneaks - Check

My black, gold, and white cheer jacket- Check

A refillable water bottle- Check

A change of clothes- Check

Once I was done going through the duffel bag I zip it close and walked out of my room. When I step out into the hallway all I smell is lavender and the citrusy scent of oranges filtering through my nose and calming my nerves instantly. I inhaled deeply and quickly hop down the creaky carpeted stairs.

"Finally," my mom exclaimed," are you ready to go now?"

"Yea Ma," I sighed exasperatedly, my eyes were stinging as they drooped and a yawn bubbled in my chest, "are we picking Bianca up?" Bianca is a friend of mine who I, from time to time, babysit. I don't look at it as babysitting but that's what it is, I keep watch over her and get paid for it but she became my friend as she got older. My mom's lips stretched into a small smile as she opens the front door letting in the early morning light. I squint my eyes and bow my head low as I follow her out the door. The soft wind caresses the skin on my arms arousing goosebumps. I close and lock the door behind me.

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Afternoon

Sweat dripped from my forehead into the corners of my eyes, almost blinding me; I lifted my hand wiping away the salty water that fell like a waterfall. My breathing had finally calmed down, yet my heart still beat wildly as we made our way down the hallway passing cheer teams waiting for their turn to practice. I smiled at a few people and they smiled back, albeit awkwardly.

"I'm so nervous," I whispered to no one in particular, " You nervous Jay?"

Jay's big brown eyes turned to me as we got to the opening onto the bright blue cheer mats. "Is it that obvious?" she inquired.

Nodding my head, my stomach grumbled and tied itself into a knot. I could smell the delicious scent of buttery popcorn and greasy pizza. Usually a very appealing smell, it nauseated me to no end. I was hungry but eating too much before going on the mat was a big no-no.

"Thank you, Prospect Park," the announcer's voice filtered all around us as a bunch of girls in an array of dark blue and bright yellow shirts and crop tops ran off the mat. Some did cartwheels or round offs and others waved. All of their lips were stretched into genuine smiles and their eyes crinkled in the corners. "Will the Greater 69th Street Wildcats please come to the mat?"

That was our cue, my face instantly switched from a frown to a forced nervous smile as we bounced our way to the middle of the gigantic blue mat. Applause could be heard from the stands spread around us and the deafening cheers from behind us in the far right corner. That's where all of our cheer divisions sat plus our parents, my mom, and Bianca. Finally standing in our starting positions, back straight, fists placed on our hips, and heads held high. The lights seemed brighter than they had been earlier and my heart protested, it beat loudly in my ears drowning out the loving cheers from my family and friends, and more sweat met my palms as they gripped the inside of the black and gold Pom-poms.

I took a deep breath as the announcer judge asked, "Are you ready?"

"69th Street Wildcats are ready," we shouted, then let our arms relax to our sides.

"You may begin," the judge grumbled into the microphone. We were standing with our stunt groups on either side of the mat.

Brittany, a close friend of mine, clasped between each number, " 1,2,3,4!" We clasped our hands with her.

______________________

This was the worst day ever, my heart had dropped out of my chest and it felt like I couldn't breathe. There was noise all over the place but it was drowned out by my sorrow. This was the worst feeling in the world, I couldn't breathe. When the announcer started handing out awards to each division my heart stopped beating when she got to our division.

"In third place, we have The Greater 69th Street Wildcats," she had announced and all of our smiles had fallen. Tears stung my eyes and there was a painful lump in my throat as Brittany and Jay walked through the mass of cheerleaders sitting on the floor to get the trophy. We had done so well. No one messed up or missed a beat. So, why did we place so low? No one wanted to show it but we were all devastated by the news and just seeing the disappointment and sadness in my friend's eyes made tears pool in mine. I wouldn't let them fall, at least not now.

The darkness outside made me feel even worse until I looked at the sky. Tiny, bright lights all scattered around the moon. The moon itself glowed a calming light down on me. In the car I watched the moon move as we drove and my mom and Bianca talked about getting dinner.

"Ma," I inquired, "did we do something wrong?"

My mom's beautiful chocolate eyes met mine and she smiled sadly, "No, sweety. Sometimes things just don't go our way. Y'all were perfect. Okay."

I nodded, "Yeah," I whispered.

"Now, just practice harder and next year I bet you'll get 1st place," she stated firmly. She was right. I know now that nothing will ever just come easily even if we were perfect. All we can do is practice harder than ever before and next year we'll be taking 1st place.

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