Chasing Rainbows

Chapter One

The morning was warm as I walked toward the school.  Mom and Dad were both at work and took the only vehicles we had, so I was left to walk.  Fortunately, the school wasn't too far away, only about four blocks.  Its parking lot and basketball goals could be seen from several city blocks away, since the school sat on a mostly empty lot.

When I made it to the front doors, I tried them.  I wasn't surprised that they were locked.  After all, I was nearly twenty minutes early.  They didn't open the doors until five till eight, letting all the present students flood into the hallways, utter chaos ensuing.

"Hey, Gracie!" the cheerful voice belonged to Ashley, one of my bases.  "Don't forget practice after school today!"  As soon as she said that, she ran to meet a group of other cheerleaders.

"Miller!" this shout was voiced by our coach, Ms. Hamilton.  Her face was blank, so I began to expect a lecture.

"Yes, Coach Hamilton?" I kept my voice civil, betraying my worries.

"I need to speak with you privately.  Please come with me."

Oh no, I thought.  This can't be good.

I followed Coach Hamilton through one of the school's back entrances which was reserved for the basketball players when they had morning practices.  Coach led me into a mostly empty classroom which served as her office whenever she called cheerleaders to speak with her.

"Grace," Coach sat at her desk and folded her hands together.  "It has come to my attention that many of your fellow cheerleaders would greatly appreciate if you would step up to the position of captain."

My mouth opened in quiet shock.

Coach continued, "Since the current captain, Katherine Starr, is letting her grades suffer for reasons she refuses to share, she will be kicked off the team soon, so we will be needing a new captain as soon as we can get one.  Most of the other cheerleaders agree that you are the best fit to fill the position, should you choose to accept it."

I sat in silence for a moment, her words sinking in.  I took a breath and said, "I would love to, Coach."

She grinned.  "It will be a bigger responsibility than you may think, Miller.  Are you ready to step up and lead the rest of the girls?"

"Will I still be a flyer?" I asked.

"If you would like to, your position will not change, but the girls will be aware that you are to be respected."

I nodded in understanding, then thought a moment more.   "Coach?"

"Yes, Miller?"

"I'll do it," I said.

"Excellent," Coach smiled again.  "That's all I wanted to talk to you about.   I'll let the other girls know when practice starts.  I'll see you later, captain."

~~~

The school day passed by in a blur, my excitement making everything go by quickly.  Before I knew it, it was already time for practice. I couldn't hide my grin as I walked through the gym doors.   Some of the girls were already there, stretching before anything really started.   Ashley walked over to me when she saw me.

"What're you smiling for?" she asked with an almost challenging look.

"Wait," I said simply. "Coach will explain it when she gets here.

Ashley's face twisted with confusion. "Coach? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," I told her, taking my bag and heading to the bathroom to change.

I stripped out of what I'd been wearing, bra included and pulled on a teal sports bra.   I then stepped into a pair of black Nike shorts and designated black Converse.  Finally I pulled my hair into a high, tight ponytail and secured the black-and-gold ribbon around it, my bangs immediately falling out of the hold.

Ashley jogged over to me when she saw me reenter the gym.  With a look of obvious confusion she asked, "Girl, why won't you just tell me what you're smiling so big for?"

Just then, Coach walked in.  She cleared her throat and said in a commanding voice, "Ladies, gather round.  Since our current captain, Katherine Starr, is letting her grades suffer," she shot a pointed look at said girl, "we will be electing a new captain today."

Katherine grumbled, and a murmur passed over the group.

"The only candidate I know of as of this moment is Grace Miller.  Are there any other nominations?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no name was given.

"Alright then, all in favor of Grace becoming captain, raise your hand."

To my slight surprise, nearly every hand went up, including mine.

"Due to a staggering majority," Coach turned to Katherine, "you have now been officially dethroned."

A collective chuckle passed over all the girls, with Katherine mumbling to herself.

"Please give it up for our new captain, Grace Miller!"

Applause tore throughout the group as Coach beckoned me up to the front.

"Would you like to say anything before we begin?"

"Well," I took a breath, "thank you guys so much for letting me take on this position.   I hope to make the rest of this year the best we've ever had!"

The girls, all except Katherine and one other whose name I think was Irene, cheered.

~~~

Practice went by a little awkwardly since I had only the slightest idea of what I was doing.   Fortunately, the pep rally was in three weeks so we had time to plan our routine we would be doing.   Before practice ended I asked the girls what they wanted to do for the pep rally.  I asked for song suggestions, what level of difficulty we should do, and who should be where.

Nothing had really been set in stone that day, but we still had a little time before the real practice started.

I was on my way home when a truck slowed down to rumble beside me at the speed at which I was walking.  I glanced into the truck and saw that the driver was Steve Allen, the school's quarterback.  I could see his slimy grin even before he lowered the passenger window.

"Hey, Miller," his voice always managed to get on my nerves.  "Where're you going?"

"Home," I prayed he would just leave me alone for once.

"Need a ride?"

Not from you, I thought.  "No thanks, Allen.  I can manage to walk home just fine."

"You a hunnerd percent sure, Miller?"

"Yes, I'm sure."  I barely resisted the powerful urge to gag.

"Whatever you say, darlin'."  Finally he drove away, and I nearly turned around and walked the other way.  

I made it home with enough time to change there before work.  Mom and Dad were quiet, having not started yet.  Since it was only three, they wouldn't get into it for about another hour.  I was usually glad to not be there when everything really began.

I called up Ashley, knowing she would give me a ride whenever I asked.  I just wanted to avoid Steve.  Ashley told me she would be here in a couple minutes, since we only lived a mile from each other.  When she arrived, I grabbed my phone, wallet, and keys, then rushing out so as to not make her wait anymore.

A/N:  Hello to all!  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!  This is actually the first story I'm going to write in its entirety here on Wattpad, so yay to me for actually finishing a part!  The girl in the picture is what Grace  looks like with hazel eyes.  Chapter Two will be up soon, and further updates will be planned for Fridays.  Enjoy Chapter One!