In 1988 when Dylan Montgomery moves to Beverly Hills after her mother remarries, she must navigate the challenges of fitting into a glamorous but daunting upper-class life. Living across from the charmingly cocky Nicholas and his introspective broth...
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UPPER CLASS | cherriasian
september '88
I stood at the edge of the cheerleading practice field that was really just the football field of the school, my heart pounding in my chest. The sun beat down mercilessly, illuminating the glossy hair and perfectly synchronized moves of the cheer squad. The air buzzed with laughter and chatter, a stark contrast to the knots tightening in my stomach as the sounds of cars and traffic flew by just outside the fences.
As I shifted my weight from foot to foot, I couldn't shake the feeling of being an interloper in this sea of puffy pompoms and bright red practice uniforms. The girls surrounding me were effortlessly confident, their voices ringing out like familiar songs in a language I was just only beginning to decipher. It was the first day of tryouts, and while I had longed to join the squad after seeing flyers all around school the first day, the reality of standing in front of such seasoned performers felt daunting.
I was a cheerleader for years in Springfield, but that was barely a cheerleading squad. No one really took it seriously and the only fun we had was during homecoming games. Every other game was just an excuse to dance and make up funny routines. If you messed up, no one cared or even noticed because they were way too focused on the game behind us. We didn't even have a JV or varsity team, it was just a cheerleading team. Tryouts weren't even real, every girl made the squad regardless how much she sucked or how great she did. I waited four years to become captain just to have it taken away so easily.
"Okay, everyone! Let's get started!" a girl with sun-kissed skin and a megawatt smile called out. Janet, the captain, stood at the front, her presence commanding attention. She had an air of authority that both intimidated and intrigued me but it was only because this sort of serious energy was never present back home during sports. Aside from cheerleading, all the other opposing schools always killed us; football, basketball, swim, academically... It was often embarassing having to cheer for them.
Tryouts began with warm-ups. As westretched and warmed our bodies, I kept a close eye on those I could tell were already on the team previously and were just trying out again and I tried to mirror their movements. I felt the heat creeping up my neck as I struggled to keep pace since I hadn't been as active all Summer as I expected the other girls were. Yet, as the music kicked in and the girls launched into their routines, something shifted within me like I was almost meant for Beverly Hills cheerleading.
When it was my turn to perform my solo routine, I took a deep breath, letting the rhythm pulse through myself when in reality I was wishing it could be over quickr. I pushed past my insecurities, hoping to just channel my nerves into the dance. I replaced the look on my face with a bright smile I found to perfect here and when I landed my final pose, the moment stretched into eternity.
The applause that erupted from the team startled me, and I couldn't help but beam, a sense of pride swelling in my chest. Something I wasn't exactly expecting when I imagined what school would be like here. But I would be a liar if I hadn't admitted I didn't like good attention.
