The Beast Inside Me Part 1 (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

The Life-Changing Game

Katerina's P.O.V
   

  It was a bright, sunny day in the torture camp they called Worthington Preparatory School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen. Did you ever notice how school is so similar to prison? You're told where to go to a specific location, when to go to it, you're forced to wear uniforms, and if step so much as a toe out of line, you're 'disciplined'.

Sometimes I envy public schools. They don't have to endure suffocating uniforms. But other than that, Worthington is your regular school, with all of the expected cliques. You had your: Cheerleaders, jocks, band geeks, art freaks, hipsters, obsessive fangirls, classical music nerds, goths, people who ate nothing, people who ate everything, nerds, anime freaks, environmentalists, feminists, wannabe populars, outdoor freaks, etcetera.

I'll give you a hint about which category I fit into; pom-poms. Yes, I know not everybody likes cheerleaders. A lot of people spend a good chunk of their middle school and high school years cultivating their hatred for anything even holding pom-poms, while others train endlessly in a fruitless attempt to become one. But I won't lie to you; it's not easy being a cheerleader.

And yeah, I've heard all of the nasty rumors and stereotypes about cheerleaders.

That they're airheads, barely able to multiply, or that they're as vicious as a pack of piranhas. It's been said that they're the most stuck-up people to ever walk the earth, and they only let you join the squad if you've got a pretty face and a body that fits in sizes one through five.

Some of that is true-- for every girl. Do you seriously believe that all cheerleaders have failing grades and egos as big as the sun?

Of course, there is always the poster child for the stereotype;McKenzie Ains. She's the queen bee, so don't even try to defy her (eye roll). She posses all of those wonderful qualities that I listed above, except for one;she's the polar opposite of dumb.

She's cunning like a snake, and knew how to manipulate you and your emotions. She'd pull her little strings, and the person you thought was your friend was suddenly no longer worthy of your attention. I know this sounds crazy, but it wasn't always a bad thing. She'd find out what made you tick, and used it to motivate you to motivate the players. So yes, she is the cheerleading captain. And yes, I am her friend.

Like I said before, she wasn't all bad. Sure she had her problems, (and when I say problems, I mean problems), but she was a great person to go to if you needed advice, believe it or not.

"Kat! What are you doing!" I turned around to see that Summer, a fellow cheerleader, was glowering at me.

"Sorry," I mumbled apologetically. I'm not sorry. "Got distracted for a moment there."

"Well you better get yourself...um.... Undistracted!

Summer, despite the cheery name, was not the brightest crayon in the box. Let's just say she received 'special help' on tests, and she always had her homework done in a different handwriting.

Summer stuck out her lower lip, which formed a pouty face. "Please, Kat," she begged. "This routine has to be absolutely perfect for Saturday's big game. McKenzie will blow her top, and Ryan would be sooo disappointed in you. You wouldn't want that to happen, right?"

I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks, and didn't need a mirror to know I was blushing. Ryan was my boyfriend. Not unlike Summer, he was lacking something upstairs, if you know what I mean. However, with his good looks and athleticism, he was one of the most popular boys in the eighth grade, and that's really saying something, because there are over 200 students in the grade. It wasn't that I didn't like him, I really did. He had a kind heart and good intentions.