Meet Me Halfway (Prequel to BWIW)

Chapter 2

September 2011

Throughout her entire middle school career, Lauren was on the cheerleading squad. She was captain back then; it was one of the few things she ever clicked with. Back then it was certainly gruelling and exhausting, but ultimately worth it: there was at least some semblance of unity and teamwork and although the girls were bitchy (as they are consistently whatever school she attends) Lauren soon learns that at high school things are vastly different.

There is teamwork here too, of a sort: flawlessly synchronised girls that seem to move together as a single body, something Lauren noted with awe on her first viewing of the squad. As far as unity goes, though? They are only united in their determination to claw their way to the top and relentlessly tread on any fingers hanging onto the ladder on the way up.

The current cheerleading captain, Kelly, had only been instated at the beginning of the school year; the previous captain was kicked off the team for gaining too much weight and according to Coach Cole, 'ruining the image of perfectly toned teasing machines' that she was attempting to create to annihilate their competition.

It's not hard to see why Kelly was picked – she is almost like a mini-Cheryl Cole herself, with their ruthlessness almost on par with each other. At Kelly's feet are the grovelling underlings who swap scathing remarks behind her back when she's not around, hoping to knock the queen off her throne and take her place.

The message is clear: kill, or be killed.

Lauren isn't quite sure which one is more likely to happen to her. After watching in fascinated horror at the blood-thirsty way the other girls character-assassinate each other she's thinking it'll be the latter, especially while she's on the figurative and literal position at the very bottom of the pyramid. It's only her second week of practising and right now, they're working on their pyramid formations. Lauren suspects it's less actual practising than an exercise in learning their place.

Since it's the beginning of the year the coach wants to personally oversee every practice in order to fully 'drum the message into their thick skulls' that Cheryl Cole doesn't settle for anything less than 'perfect'.

It's coming in loud and clear, since Lauren has never felt more exhausted. On either side of her Normani and Dinah are kneeling too, flushed with the effort of keeping the cheerleaders digging their knees into their backs upright.

Coach Cole paces a line in front of them, screaming abuse through her megaphone as she does. No one is safe from her idiosyncratic insults.

'Johnson! Straighten up, you're wobbling so much you're giving me motion sickness.'

'I've had bowel movements with more talent than you, Reed!'

'Kordei! Hansen! Stop looking at each other. Focus!'

'Jauregui!'

Lauren wobbles a little, shocked at her name being called. It sends a tremble through the entire formation and several of the girls shout down at the brunette on the bottom.

'Yes Coach?' she pants, managing to get her body back in balance. Cheryl stomps forward, bending down and glaring at the her. Her eyes rake over Lauren's posture, which is perfectly stable now despite her earlier wobble.

'Mediocre,' she hisses, then storms back up the line. That's all she gets. One word. Maybe it's a compliment. Then again... it probably isn't.

Half an hour later, Lauren's arms ache so much it feels like she's been lifting elephants rather than cheerleaders. It's never been so intense for her, and over the past week there's barely been any time to relax at all. While the rest of the team are complaining in earnest, the one time Lauren opens her mouth to make a comment she's quickly told to shut up by some of the older members.