Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 53-Ellie

*Beauty*

I felt numb.

When I reached the house, I could barely remember how I got there.

Will broke up with me.

The words bounced off my skull, not registering.

I opened the door, slipping inside the house.

I mean, it made sense, didn't it? I'd always known I wasn't good enough for him. I wasn't as smart as he was, or as talented. He was perfect, and I wasn't.

The only thing I was good at was cheerleading, and I wasn't even a cheerleader anymore.

I shut the door behind me. I barely heard it.

It made sense, so why—

Mom peeked out of the living room. Her expression immediately dissolved into a scowl. "Oh—it's you."

And then I started sobbing.

I heard voices but they were drowned out by the sound of my crying.

It made sense, so why did it feel like this?

*

TWO MONTHS LATER

Bodies flooded the stadium, moving along the field, filtering through the seating rows. The sound of laughter and voices mixed with the scent of corndogs and fresh popcorn. Half the stadium wore tiger jerseys or donned striped face paint. The other half leaned towards the lions.

It was the final game of the season. The final game of the year.

Tigers versus Lions.

Dad nudged me, his eyes scanning the stadium. "I'm going to find seats, alright?"

I nodded and him and mom drifted to the stadium stairs. He hovered around her, looking more frazzled than usual. Mom's due date was fast approaching, and with each day he got more and more stressed.

Mom chatted excitedly to Julianna and Selena, who flanked her. Both of them had stayed home for the last few weeks, so they could support mom. Amelia trailed after them.

Mom was still supposed to be on bedrest, but she never missed one of us cheering if she could help it. My school's team was going up against Tessa's, so Tessa would be cheering today.

I remained on the field, watching the crowd.

It was weird to think that two months ago, I would be cheering today. It felt like a part of me was missing.

It had also been two months since I'd last seen Will.

Someone jumped on my back.

"Got you!" Gemma squealed.

In the next second, there was a flash, then Gemma was standing in front of me, showing me a picture of us on her phone.

"Approved?"

It was a selfie—Gemma on my back, a massive grin on her tiger-striped face.

I'd barely nodded before she started typing on her phone. "Posted!"

"I tried to tell her not to attack you." Madison smiled as she walked towards us. Layla followed. Madison squeezed my hand. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The girls started talking to each other, and I tried to pay attention.

I felt a pang in my chest at seeing them all in cheerleading outfits. At the start of the year, I'd helped picked out the special set for today's routine. Thinking back, I wished I'd appreciated being a cheerleader more. I'd always taken it for granted. To be completely honest—if I ignored that rush you get when you're good at something, and the awesomeness of doing a sport with your friends—I wasn't really sure I'd loved it.

Madison made a face when her phone vibrated. "We've got to go," she said.

A look of guilt flashed over all their faces.

I gave my brightest cheerleader grin. "Good luck guys!"

I squeezed them into a hug, then headed for the bleachers before they could say anything.

I didn't want them to worry about me, and I didn't want them to feel guilty. After I was kicked off the squad, they'd all volunteered to quit, but I'd persuaded them not to.

They were amazing friends, and they shouldn't miss out on something they enjoyed because I couldn't do it anymore.

As I climbed the stadium steps, my gaze scanned the crowd. Even though I knew he wouldn't be here, I couldn't help it.

Will hadn't shown up for school since that day.

Part of me wished I could remember everything he'd said, but after the first few words, my mind had gone blank. I could remember his mouth moving, but I couldn't remember the words.

A miracle had happened. I'd dated the person I'd crushed on for seven years. For a short period, he'd liked me back.

And, of course, I'd ruined it.

I still felt an ache in my chest every time I thought about him.

But I tried to think on the optimistic side. Will had been a fairy-tale—my fairy-tale. This was a realistic ending. At least I'd had the chance to be with him, no matter how short it felt.

You were supposed to forget about a person after a breakup. But I couldn't.

There was no way I could ever forget Will.

"Ellie?"

I glanced back to see a girl standing several steps behind me. She was gasping for air, as if she'd been running.

My brows furrowed. I recognised her—she was on the cheer team, a freshman.

"Yes?"

She straightened, still struggling to breathe, "You have to hurry! Chelsea's injured."

*

"My arm is broken," Chelsea said, her voice monotone.

Chelsea was sat on one of the locker room benches, legs crossed, typing on her phone with one hand. Her other hand was hooked in a sling. Her friends were sat next to her, also texting.

The other cheerleaders were scattered across the room, watching.

For someone with a broken arm, Chelsea looked pretty calm.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Um...okay?"

Maybe they'd forgotten I wasn't on the team anymore.

The door burst open and Gemma, Layla and Madison rushed in.

Gemma glared at Chelsea. "What's going on?"

"Chelsea broke her arm," one of Chelsea's friends piped in. "She can't do the routine."

Gemma scowled at Chelsea. "Trust you to break your arm before our finale routine. You probably did it on purpose."

A freshman at the door looked panicked. "We have to go out in a minute," she squeaked. "What are we going to do?"

The room broke out into panicked conversations.

"You get a new head cheerleader," Chelsea said, without looking up.

"It's ten minutes before the routine!" Someone else squealed. "How are we supposed to get a new head cheerleader in ten minutes?!"

Chelsea sighed loudly, dragging her eyes off her phone as if the very act was tiresome. "Oh look," Chelsea drawled, "Ellie Kent is here."

The room went quiet.

*

Hello wonderfuls :) Hope you liked the chapter, the next update will be coming soon ;)

God bless

xxx

Yemi Everest