R U S S O 18+

R U S S O 3

R U S S O 3

"Beautiful double full, Anastasia! Do it for me one more time," the cheer coach, Lizzy, urged while her eyes followed a panting Anastasia.

Anastasia was winded, but if her coach asked for another tumbling moment, she gave it to her. Cheerleaders would have these super-long practices throughout the week, yet the performances would last a little over two minutes. While this seems like a waste of time, the amount of time dedicated to practice created perfection. The physical and mental exertion were different types of strength, but the commitment always paid off.

This caused the pressure to be on. It looked pretty because they got to wear these cute uniforms, wear this over-the-top makeup, and have people recognize them, but it was brutal.

However, the sport also made them aim to be overachievers, showcase their various talents, and become team-oriented, tough, spirited, and focused.

"Shit," Anastasia mumbled to herself as she landed on her feet, receiving a head nod from the head coach.

This meant she was good and could take a breather.

"Jags!" Coach Lizzy calls out, "good so far, and I know it's a lot to ask, but I want more," she voiced with a smile, "we gotta pull through because I don't want any half-ass performances online of us, and people use that against us. We are not weak, so we will not show them that."

Coach Lizzy was sweet, but she was stern as hell. She had a team to craft for every game. She didn't train and dance competitively for years just for a performance to be 'good.'

She pushed her team to be their best, as her coach once did, and winning over the crowd and causing a good commotion was something she strived for.

When Anastasia first arrived on the team after tryouts, she already knew about Coach Lizzy. She was the first black head coach here in five years, and the win was very much noticed. But Anastasia couldn't use that or try to bond over facts about Coach Lizzy's life in order to get on the team. It wouldn't have worked. Being on this university's cheer team was about how your body moved and the way you could get a crowd amped, and there were rounds Anastasia had to go through in order to call herself a Cambridge University cheerleader.

"Water break for now, so don't take long, ladies and gents," Coach Lizzy said before beckoning over her assistant coach.

Anastasia balanced her breathing, stepping from the middle of the room to grab her water. She was tired, and they still had another hour to get through.

She needed to sit down and relax for as long as she could, moving towards the wall and sliding down it to rest against it.

While twisting her water open, Anastasia saw Carly coming over.

"I am starving," Carly let out with a huff, crouching down to lay her body on the mat.

Practice was indoors today, and the cool air that circulated didn't work for their heated bodies.

"Me too," Anastasia said with her head against the wall, "I could go for a fried fish sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles, with a side of crispy French fries."

She had the whole meal in her head, the image and the taste of it popping into her mind and on her tongue.

"That's over seven hundred calories," a cheerleader by the name of Madison said as she stood over them, appearing from nowhere, "that greasy food can cause bloating. We have to be in some tight ass skirts on Friday."

"If I wanted you to count my calories, I'd ask," Anastasia said with annoyance in her voice.

"I'm helping my fellow cheerleader," Madison says with a smile, leaning her hand on the wall.