(WARNING: it does get a bit graphic and ew towards the end of the chapter, so proceed w/ caution! enjoy!)
Why, you may ask, am I in the gym with a bunch of other girls dressed in crop tops and shorts?
Oh yeah. Cheerleader tryouts.
Apparently, due to some stupid rule, you have to have at least one extracurricular on your record to pass year 10, which is by far the worst rule I've ever had the displeasure of abiding.
Britney Spears' 'Toxic' came on repeat for the tenth time, and I'm pretty sure at least four of the twenty potential cheerleaders groaned, including me. Why is Britney Spears the first artist cheerleaders go for?
"Alright girls, five, six, seven and eight!' Alexis, (I recognized her from yesterday) cried, raising her hands above her head.
The routine we had to perform was pretty simple; clap left, clap right, clap above head, clap at knee level, spin around, pom-poms to the left, pom-poms to the right then kick forward. Literally, my grandmother could do this.
Twenty minutes later, Alexis made us gather in front of her and her current squad. (which is her, some pink haired girl who I think is called Molly and a brunette who might be called Catherine.)
"Okay, so, you all did really well, but we can only invite seven girls into our squad." Basically, she's saying most of us sucked, and she's going to pick the good-looking girls.
"Zaylee, Marie, Carrie, Lana, Danielle, Millie and.." She groaned slightly, but I caught it. Can't hide from me.
"Riley." I looked up and saw Alexis glaring at me through her lashes and I blinked twice. If you're gonna be rude, at least be rude inconspicuously.
"First cheer practice is tomorrow at 6:30, if you aren't there you get a warning. You get 3 warnings and then you're kicked off the team." Okay, once you say something like that while looking directly at me, it's a bit obvious that you don't want me on the team.
The rejects stalked off, and I moved to walk away. Alexis called my name, though, motioning me over.
"Riley, if you mess this chance up, I swear to god, I will kill you slowly. You've always been a screw-up, though, so I guess I shouldn't get my hopes too high." She laughed with her friends and I walked away, partially unaffected.
-
"So, how'd it go?" Allie asked, sitting next to me in the courtyard. I shrugged.
"Alright. I made the squad." She grinned and hugged me. She let go when a girl with long blonde hair came up awkwardly.
"Oh! Riley, this is Bonnie. Bonnie, this is long-time friend, Riley." I nodded to the blonde girl, who smiled at me shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Bonnie." I said. "I'm Riley Calyei. How're you liking school?"
"People are pretty nice, like you guys." She murmured, her cheeks going red.
"Oh, trust me, there are worse people at this school, and you really don't want to meet them."
-
The rest of the school day went off without a hitch. No one died, I didn't have to rewind. Life was good.
Until I got home.
I opened my Science book, then opened the page to our unit we were studying. I clicked the top of my blue pen and glanced back at the page we were supposed to get notes from, and as my pen touched the paper, my phone started ringing.
I groaned and re-clicked my pen, answering my phone.
"Hello?" I asked. A few quick pants answered me. "Riley, what are you doing?" Davis asked. I leaned back.
"Homework. Well, I was trying to do homework." I replied. Davis didn't answer for a few minutes.
"Can you come down to the school?" When I paused, he grew desperate. "Please!"
"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes. Calm down," I murmured and hung up. I swung my legs off the bed and slipped my shoes back on, calling out to my parents that I was leaving.
-
I, like Davis, was panting when I got to school. I really need to get fit.
"Davis?" I yelled. My voice echoed off the empty school buildings, making it seem like a horror movie. I contemplated running away before I heard Davis yell my name, not sounding too far away.
I ran to where his voice came from, and found him standing next to Bonnie and Allie, facing the wall of the gym.
"Alright, I'm here." None of them acknowledged my existence. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but it was dark, creepy, quiet and I was a little disturbed. I just wanted to get home, finish my homework and watch some TV.
"What is it?" Davis grasped my chin in his hands and turned it to the wall of the gym, and I gasped, covering my mouth and backing away.
There, on the wall of the gym, was a message written in red, but from what sat below it, it was probably blood.
'We know your secret,' and below it, hung the body of Trent Stamgaz. I would go into detail on how mangled he was, but it was too horrible to describe. I'll give you a hint though.
His eyes were not in his eye sockets.
