Beyond us (all of us #3) 18+

S I X

C H L O E

Eight Months Later

"Five...six. Five, six, seven, eight—" Coach Tiffany's voice blares just a notch louder than the music pounding through the gym speaker. I break out of the hard glare Makenna had on me and get into position, just as I have every day this week.

It's the last day of cheer camp, and I'm more than glad this is our last practice until next week when school starts.

I just about have this routine perfected, and Makenna's still sloppy. I never noticed until the moment our friendship ended, but she's just not a good dancer. She's the only one out of sync, and she barely lands her stunts.

But that's why I'm a flyer and she isn't. That's why I'm next in line for cheer captain senior year, and she isn't.

That's why—

I stumble over something big and solid and twist my ankle as I try to keep from falling, but drop to the floor anyway when the pain shocks my body.

The music shuts off, leaving a faint echo in its absence. I can't do anything but rock back and forth on the ground. Throbbing pain shooting up through my shin and makes me heave out hard, heavy breaths while I clutch my ankle until the worst of it is over.

Didn't take a genius to figure out what I tripped over. Well, who I tripped over.

"Oops, sorry." Makenna stands over me with her hands on her hips and a more than satisfied smirk on her face.

I glare up at her through my lashes, and if it weren't for the pain I'm in I'd jump to my feet and rip that red horse hair straight from her scalp. Or really the clips they're attached to.

"What the hell was that!?" Coach Tiffany screams, making everyone—except for Makenna who's just began grinning ear to ear—flinch. "No more screwing around! If we don't get serious, we're not going to finals and I will not tolerate a repeat of last year, do you understand!"

"Yes, coach!" The squad shouts back in unison.

"Take fifteen." Coach lets her hands fall to her thighs in a thud. "Grab some water, come back with a new attitude."

I stay put at the center of the gym floor, catching my breath with my cheek between my teeth, watching everyone disperse to the corners of the big open space. Thea comes over to me, lowering to a squat with a quirked brow.

When everything went down, she didn't waste any time picking a side.

It's not like I was surprised. I expected the choice she made, and I even respected it in a small way.

"You good?" she says blankly and I let my eyes rise to hers, wondering why she's even asking when we haven't talked all summer.

"She did that on purpose. Tell your friend to back off or next time she'll be the one on the floor."

She blinks at me. "Whoa, you hang around Diesel for a few months and now you're bold enough to start making threats?"

At this point I've never been more ready to fight someone. Makenna's been trying me for months now, and it's clear she wants it just as much as I do. But what's stopping her is the same thing that's stopping me. Cheer is important to me and I can't risk getting kicked off the team because of Makenna's pettiness.

"Seriously," I enunciate the word, not batting an eye at her. Her lips part like she has something to say, probably more team Makenna nonsense, but once Coach Tiffany begins making her way over she pushes herself up to a stand instead.