Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 12 (Part 2)-Will

*Geek Boy* 

When I was fourteen, an awkward teenager shuffling nervously through my freshman year of high school, my mind was constantly preoccupied with what was going on at home: the midnight calls my mother got that made her stay up till three am, the constant swigs of the translucent liquid she hid beneath the kitchen sink, the lack of photos of my father or brothers.  

And yet, every time my mother came home, she was dressed flawlessly. Her hair was held up in a tight bun and her suit was perfectly straightened and cleaned. Her face was emotionless and cold, matching her icy gaze.  

It was almost as if the night before had never taken place. Almost as if it hadn't taken our family just a few moments to lose everything. 

Despite that, everything wasn't so dark. 

In odd moments, I would see her.  

Ellie Kent was a glittering star in the darkness. Even as a freshman she shone beside the other students. Over the summer holidays she'd blossomed, her beauty growing till she was almost blinding. Every sleek stride down a hallway was chased by male whistles and female whispers. 

Her blonde hair had grown, the end of her golden curls brushing against her slim waist. Her blue eyes were only made more startling by thin sheen of make-up she wore now. It had only taken a few days for her face to circulate round the school. Only a few weeks till everyone knew who she was. 

Ellie Kent, younger sister of the famed Juliana and Selena Kent, head cheerleaders who'd taken their teams to multiple cheerleading contests and won. Their names were plastered permanently in trophy cases. 

She was already a queen. 

She got into the varsity cheerleading squad almost immediately. Rumours said she was already a shoe-in for head cheerleader. 

It wasn't unexpected. Ellie's extracurricular activities since the day I'd met her had ranged from dancing to gymnastics and even stunt performance. Fourteen year old Ellie was better than a professional cheerleader. 

It seemed as we'd both aged, the expanse between her and I had just grown larger, till it was a perilous cavern that threatened to kill me if I attempted to cross it. 

Ellie Kent was a cheerleader.  

And out of my league. 

It was in one of those days as a freshman, when I witnessed it. I was perched on the bleachers of the gym, gazing at Ellie in between passages of the novel I was reading. 

Ellie and the cheerleaders were running through a cheer drill for the game tonight. 

Every moment I peeked over my book I would see Ellie's smile, captivating all the other girls, brightening the entire room. And my heart would leap, almost like it could reach her. 

Ellie was practicing with the other freshmen, including her friends Layla Chang and Madison Jefferson. Gemma Henderson, a girl she usually hung out with, had been suspended last week for disrespect to a teacher. 

I watched as Ellie, with ease, she performed handstands and back flips whilst the other cheerleaders watched her abilities longingly. And yet, there was no arrogance in her expression. She simply giggled and thanked the girls for every compliment they showered her with. 

The slam of the gym's door made all the freshman girls flinch. Ellie landed from a somersault she was demonstrating. A ripple of unease dispersed into the air, making all the freshman girls straighten, eyes focused on where the door had opened.