The day before a competition always had a different vibe. Instead of being at home in her familiar room, Jocelyn was in a hotel room, a typical pre-comp setting for her by now. This time, she was in South Carolina, preparing for another competition. The room had that hotel smell—clean but unfamiliar. The gray and beige décor wasn't exactly her vibe, but Jocelyn made do.
Practice earlier in the day had been at some random gym near the competition venue. The team had gone full out, hitting all their stunts and tumbling passes.
Back at the hotel, Jocelyn tossed her cheer bag onto the floor near the desk and headed straight for the small closet. She unzipped her uniform bag and carefully pulled out her SSX uniform, the deep blue and black fabric sparkling in the soft light of the room. Hanging it up on the doorknob of the bathroom, she smoothed out any wrinkles and took a step back to admire it.
"Perfect," she whispered to herself, running her fingers over the rhinestones. It was always part of her pre-comp ritual: hanging the uniform so it was the last thing she saw before bed and the first thing she'd notice in the morning. There was something about seeing it there that made everything feel real.
Jocelyn flopped onto the bed, sinking into the overly soft mattress. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to shake off the nerves that always came the day before a competition. It wasn't her first rodeo, not by a long shot, but there was always that little bit of anxiety—would tomorrow go as planned? Would the routine hit as perfectly as it had in practice? Would they walk off the mat knowing they'd done their absolute best?
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a text from her mom.
How was practice? You ready for tomorrow?Get some rest, hydrate, and take care of your skin! You know the drill.
Jocelyn smiled at the text. Even though she was used to traveling for competitions and being away from home, her mom's reminders were always comforting.
After replying to her mom, Jocelyn scrolled through Instagram for a bit, checking out what her teammates were up to in their rooms. Most of them had posted stories of their practice or were already lying in bed with Netflix.
A knock came from the shared door. Jocelyn rolled off the bed and opened it, finding her roommate, Hayley, standing there with a bottle of water in one hand and a face mask in the other.
"Skin care time?" she asked with a grin, holding up the sheet mask.
"You know it," Jocelyn replied, grabbing her own mask from her bag. Skincare was always part of her night-before routine. It helped her relax and get her mind off of things.
They both settled on Jocelyn's bed, sheet masks plastered to their faces, and sipped water while scrolling through their phones.
"This room's so much nicer than last comp," Hayley said, her voice slightly muffled through the mask. "At least we have a decent bathroom."
"Right? Last time, I couldn't even hang my uniform properly. The doorknob was all loose and weird," Jocelyn replied, glancing at the uniform on the bathroom door.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both girls on their phones, showing each other funny TikToks. Jocelyn liked this part of the night, where the pressure of the competition was close but not pressing, like the calm before the storm.
After about 20 minutes, they peeled off their masks and tossed them into the trash. Jocelyn grabbed her cleanser from her bag and went into the bathroom to finish her skincare routine. She washed her face with slow, deliberate motions, letting the cool water calm her nerves. As she dried her face, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
"You've got this," she said softly to herself. It was a thing she repeated before every competition. "You've done it before, you'll do it again."
When she came back into the room, Hayley was already getting into bed, flicking through channels on the TV.
"You want to watch something?" Hayley asked.
"Maybe something light. I don't want anything too intense," Jocelyn replied, pulling her short hair into a loose braid. It was another part of her ritual—keeping her hair neat and ready for the competition the next morning.
They eventually settled on a mindless reality show, something they could half-watch while talking about the routine, their stunts, and how they were feeling. Even though the competition was hours away, it was always on their minds.
"I swear, if we hit that pyramid tomorrow..." Hayley started, trailing off with a grin.
"We'll hit it," Jocelyn said confidently, though deep down, she knew they needed to focus hard. The pyramid was hard—it always was. But when it hit, it was amazing.
As the show droned on in the background, Jocelyn started to feel the weight of the day catch up with her. She glanced at the clock. It was getting late, and they had an early start in the morning.
"I think I'm gonna call it a night," she said, stretching her arms above her head. "Gotta be rested for tomorrow."
"Yeah, same," Hayley agreed, reaching for the remote to turn off the TV.
Jocelyn slid under the covers, her body sinking into the soft hotel mattress. She turned her head toward the bathroom, where her uniform still hung on the doorknob, ready for tomorrow. Seeing it there gave her a strange sense of comfort, like a reminder that everything was set and all she had to do now was rest.
"Goodnight, Hayley," she said softly.
"Night, Joss," the older girl mumbled back, already half asleep.
As the room fell into quiet darkness, Jocelyn closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift to the competition. She thought about the mat, the bright lights, the crowd, and the feeling of hitting every stunt, every tumbling pass with perfection.
Tomorrow, it would all come together. She knew it.
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