The Whisper Seekers

Pep Rally

The next day, I dread the end of fourth period. Normally, I stare at the clock wondering if time is actually moving backward, but today's class seems to fly by.

When the bell rings, I wait until every student has left the classroom before finally moving from my desk. Since it's the day before the homecoming game, we always have a half-day that starts with a big school assembly. After that, we spend the afternoon enjoying a barbecue and watching the powder puff game.

We used to do it all on game day, but so many students ditched that day, hardly anyone stuck around for the assembly, barbecue, or the game.

The hallway is packed with students slowly making their way to the gym for the assembly. I push through the crowd and into the gymnasium, where most of the cheerleaders are huddled under the basketball hoop, spraying glitter into each other's ponytails. The lights in the gym are dim, with large navy and yellow floodlights illuminating the bleachers. Loud dance music blares through the speakers as student senate members escort students to their assigned seats by class.

Harper leans against the wall with her arms crossed while Lily stretches in an empty corner. Harper hasn't been able to turn anyone against me yet, and it clearly irks her that everyone is applauding me for getting with the hottest senior. Liam and I have refrained from any PDA, though, to spare her feelings. 

Piper excitedly runs up to me and sprays me down with glitter. All the girls are giddy, ignoring Harper's foul mood as they warm up their tumbling. We've been practicing our homecoming routine for weeks, so it's exciting to finally perform it.

The gym quickly fills with students, now divided by class. I spot Liam in his bright yellow HPH shirt, strolling in with a few guys from our English class, laughing at something one of them said. I manage to catch his attention and wave from the center of the gym. When he sees me, he waves back and gives me a thumbs-up.

As he starts up the bleacher steps, I turn away, only to catch Harper glaring at me, clearly having witnessed our interaction. I blow an anxious breath out through my teeth and return to the girls who don't want to rip my hair out.

Once everyone is seated, we start tossing candy and glow sticks into the crowd to hype everyone up, and hands shoot into the air to catch them. Music booms from the speakers, and the football players huddle in a corner, just out of the spotlight. Suspense and drama are always dialed up at these events.

Mr. Anderson finally takes the microphone and makes a few announcements about the barbecue, the powder puff game, and tomorrow night's football game. When he introduces the team, the crowd erupts as the players sprint across the gym, tossing candy to the cheering students. Derek obnoxiously flexes while gripping a football, clearly reveling in his star quarterback status. He jogs up and down the bleacher steps, tossing chocolate roses to some giggling underclassmen. I roll my eyes at his conceited display and turn back to chat with the other cheerleaders.

Once Derek and the rest of the players finish hyping up the crowd, the cheerleaders sprint to the center of the gym and get into formation for our routine. The energy shifts as the music starts and the gym falls into a hush. I take my place at the front of our V-shaped formation and catch Liam's eye in the crowd just before we begin.

We move through the choreography smoothly, then break formation to tumble. I land my backflip cleanly—just in time to see Caitlin hit the mat hard, face-first. She doesn't make it all the way over. The crowd lets out a collective gasp, and Lily rushes over to help her up. Even though the music keeps playing, I spot Sonjia chasing after Caitlin, who's now running from the gym in tears.

Our performance definitely just added to the assembly's drama.

Once the music finishes, a few other girls sprint out after her to make sure she is okay, but much like Harper's face plant, I feel the injury is more to her ego than to her body. Can one thing for homecoming go right this year?