Target (Complete)

Target 3

Wednesday came, and it barely registered on Alex's mind that she was supposed to try out for the cheerleading squad.

She packed some shorts and a t-shirt with her tennis shoes in a rucksack. When she got to school, there was a banner up front that proclaimed cheerleading try outs were that day, after school, in the gym. The same time as basketball try outs, it spelled out under...

"Are you, like totally ready?" Lisa asked her as soon as she sat down on the desk next to her in Literature class.

"Well, I ate a really good steak-breakfast today, so I'm feeling pretty swell. Eggs sunny side up, hash browns...do you feel like a hot dog for lunch?" She said absent minded. She had stuck her rucksack inside her looker, and a bunch of girls came up and patted her on the back, with reassuring smiles.

"We'll be cheering for you." One whispered.

During art class, before lunch, one kid who was in advanced painting gave her a cupcake, "For luck, there's more where this came from if you utterly humiliate Mercy."

In chemistry, the old woman was back with her projector, and she kept asking students to keep quiet, as everyone was gossiping like crazy.

During lunch, the whole of Mercy's clique was shooting daggers at Alex, while she enjoyed her cupcake.

"Okay, so, Alex, there's a ton riding on this. Mercy never lets anyone who isn't her friend on the team. They never do. Last year, they made Alice Chaney cry, and she had practiced and worked out so hard during the summer. They never let any boys in, or any one from the dance team, or a drama geek for that matter. I even heard that they always had pre-tryouts in order to actually try out. So, what's your strategy? Have you been in any competitive team before?" Lisa interrogated her while very other group and club in school came over to show their support.

"Only one, of sorts. Look Lisa, I am doing this to prove a point, that anyone who really wants to can be a cheerleader. And that Mercy isn't going to tell me what to do. So, let's go to Math after this because I am done with today already, and my dad is grilling tonight, so there's that..." She was really irritated by Mercy's whole Queen-Bee persona. Usually, she couldn't care less that some preppy girl disliked her and called her a dumb volleyball freak, but after hearing more of Mercy's dictatorship, she need to smack her a bit. If only in the name of all defenceless girls and boys everywhere who were tormented by Mercys everywhere.

She tuned out whatever Lucian was babbling about, and concentrated on all possible angles for the mission she was sent to do. When the bell rang, she got up, and walked with Lisa to her locker, followed by a throng of students with curious eyes. She went to change, grabbed her stuff, and made her way towards the gym, where a small eclectic group of every anti-Mercy student had gathered to watch.

The cheerleaders were wearing pink everything, down to the color of their lipstick, while the expectant hopefuls wore different colors.

There was a line of ten red and black pom-poms by the table where Mercy sat with her lieutenants, clipboards in hand, and pens ready. At the end, the girls who made would receive their pom-poms.

"You, and you, out. We need athletes in our squad, not cupcake lovers." She said coldly to two girls on the back, who were not fat, but not up to Mercy's standard of fitness. They left in tears.

"Now, let's all stretch a little, and form two lines, we'll begin with a basic routine, we'll teach you then you'll perform it for us, then we'll go over special skills, tumbling is a plus, as you all know. Our gymnastic qualities have landed us several trophies thanks to me...okay line up!" She barked at them.

Alex heard some girls whisper 'yes, sir.'

Alex's stretches consisted on her standing in two hands, then balancing on one, while she touched her foot with the other. Then she cracked her neck once she was upright. One of Mercy's lieutenant gulped, and Mercy glared at her.