Been You

Chapter 73: Tryouts With Me

ELYSANDRA'S POV:

Justin walked me to the gym, and now we're at the front door, where I stop because of last minute jitters. "I can't do this, Justin."

"Of course, you can baby. You've done it a million times today. You and I both know you've got it in you. The only thing holding you back is this nervousness. Just let it go, and your home free! Come on, let me see you shake it out," Justin advises. I reluctantly give my body a shake, and as much as I hate to admit it, it helped a lot. I nod to him, signifying I'm ready. "Now, do you want me to wait out here, or -" Justin asks before I cut him off.

"No! Come in, please? I need you," I plead.

"Okay, okay, I'll come in," Justin laughs at my anxiety. I punch him lightly in the arm. We walk in hand in hand. Justin heads over to the bleachers, where I notice the rest of the guys are sitting. Once they notice me, Za waves happily at me. I wave back before walking over to them.

"What're you guys doing here?" I ask.

"We're her to show support," Ryan answers. "We didn't spend all day lifting you up for you to throw it all away being nervous and shit. We've got you."

"Aww, you guys," I gush. I hear the locker room door shut, so I whip myself around. I see the girls reeling into the gym. I walk over briskly.

"Hey, Ely!" Atifa greets. "We figured we'd let you tryout first, so we don't waste your time with a whole practice if it doesn't work out. Is that okay with you? Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I answer. Atifa shows me my placement, and quicker than I expected, she starts the music. Where I wasn't prepared mentally, my body compensates physically. I'm running through the motions flawlessly without even thinking. The longer I dance, the more confidence I gain. When I get to my stunts, I'm throwing them higher than I ever have before. I could attribute it to the springs in the floor, but part of me suspects I'm responsible. I finally reach the pyramid segment. All I can think is don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, but before I realize it, I'm at the top standing steadily. Once the music stops, I jump down, physically biting my tongue to keep from screaming. The blood in my mouth tastes like victory. The cheers from the boys sound like my favorite song.

"Okay, Ely? We're gonna go to the locker room to deliberate for a moment and we'll be right back, okay?" Atifa informs politely before leaving. I walk over to the guys, not saying anything. I sit next to Justin and I fiddle nervously with my hands until he grabs them, stilling me. I breathe deeply, but the girls return faster than expected. "Ely, we proudly welcome you as the eighth member of our squad. If you accept, we'd be happy to have you." I jump up sqeauling. I kiss Justin square on the face, catching him off guard, before hugging everyone. I hadn't realized how badly I wanted this until now, but I couldn't be happier.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I exalt to no one in particular.

"Girl, you can't seriously be shocked," Chantel comments. "You're a freaking natural." I pull her in for a second hug. Absolutely nothing could kill my vibe right now. I take a deep breath calming myself.

"Okay, ladies, this is super exciting, but we do need to get back to practice now," Atifa orders. We all return to the floor to do solo stunt drills, which I do need. I'm having the time of my life, flipping, jumping, and tumbling. We do other various drills before finishing practice with a few run through of the overall routine, which we only improved on every time. "Okay, ladies, great effort today. I'll see you all at the game on Saturday!"

"Wait? What game Saturday?" I ask, unaware.

"Silly, the boys hockey game Saturday," Atifa answers. "What's a hockey game without cheerleaders?"

"Woah, woah, woah, how are we suppose to cheer at the ice rink?" I question, confusedly.

"Oh, we just do the routine without the stunts on ice. I actually think it's easier because you basically don't have to do any footwork," Sofia says directly to me.

My first game is going to be on ice? My first game is going to be on ice! Oh, kill me now.