Wild Flowers

Chapter 7

            ** IF YOU ARE UNDER 12 THIS CHAPTER MAT BE A BIT INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOU **

The next day I wear a mint green skater skirt with a tight, peach, long sleeved top tucked in. I put on peach wedges and wear  my hair straight. Adam and I keep smiling at each other from across the table all through breakfast and he squeezes my hand before getting on the bus with Josh. I stay with Ember like normal and at lunch I lay out the next steps for the plan.

"I've got cheerleading practice tonight. My goal over the next few practices is to get the girls to dislike Chelsea."

"Then what?"

"Then I'll bring the populars over here." I say simply and take a sip from my Dr Pepper.

"Why?"

"Because then we can see the true nature of everybody."

After school all 10 of us girls get ready for practice. We all start doing stretches apart from Chelsea, who sets up the stereo. She sets up in a row of four with a row of 5 behind and stands herself next to the stereo. "Can you all see me?" she asks and we all shout out a chorus of yes. "For the warm up I want you all to follow and copy what I do." She presses play on the stereo and 'SexyBack' by Justin Timberlake blasts out. We all follow and do as she does. "Next we're gonna pick up the pace."  We then follow her to 'Work Bitch' by Brittney spears. We then spend the next hour learning our dance routine and we've mastered half of it by the end. I remember to always mess up the tiniest bit so that it would appear that Chelsea is picking on me. Everyone could tell she enjoyed saying things like "Straighten that leg Ashleigh!" "Arms fully stretched Ashleigh!" and "Ashleigh! Your arms need to be at more of a right angle!" She also didn't pick up on anyone else's mistakes, some which were worse than mine. 

When she lets us head to the locker room to get changed, I stride quickly away, my hand covering my face. I head straight to the bench and begin untying my shoes. Taylor comes over to me. "Are you alright sweetie?" she asks, sitting next to me. I look up with tears in my eyes, wiping away a stray one.

"I'm fine," I say and put on a brave smile.

"Oh no! What's the matter Ashleigh?" She asks and rubs my back.

"I just didn't expect Chelsea to be so mean to me," I sob "You heard her! Always finding faults with me and no one else." I suck in a shaky breath.

"I did notice her reprimanding you a little more than necessary," Taylor confesses.

" And she..she pulled that tampon trick on me before!" I cry and cover my face with my hands. By now two other girls have come over to me, Katie and Jenna. They all try to comfort me.

"We'll mention it to her, okay? Won't we girls?" says Taylor and they both nod.

"Thank you, I didn't realize you were all so nice, as well as pretty." I say looking at them all and they blush. "Oh God! My makeup!" I laugh "I'll go clean myself up in the toilets." I say and go and get changed in the toilets, applying new mascara. I use my super speed to get home in 1 minute, the wind having made my hair look 10 times cooler. Bonus.

 I walk in and head straight upstairs. I open a huge bag of chips and sit doing my homework for half an hour before going and checking on Kayleigh. I knock and walk in. "Homework done?" I ask and Kay looks up from her book.

"Yep." She replies and watches me as I sit on her desk chair.

"How was your day at school?"  I ask and notice that her expression instantly falls. I walk over to sit next to her, pulling her into a hug. "Tell me what happened."