The boy next door

Chapter Eight: Out from under you.

Chapter Eight: Out from under you.

The school day passed by surprisingly quickly.

Before I knew it I was already getting changed into my uniform inside the girls locker room, for cheerleading practice.

I have been doing cheer ever since I started high school. Although it was very hard to get used to all the exercising, flexibility and balancing, cheerleading became one of the my favourite pastimes.

Nothing made me more happy than basketball, though. Yes, cheerleading was fun, but it definitely wasn't better than basketball. I trained with my school every week.

"Coach told us that we're training on the pitch today," Clarissa informed me, tying her red hair in a high ponytail.

I finished tying my shoelace, and looked up from where I sat down on the changing room bench. "It concerns me that the only reason you're happy about practicing on the pitch, is because the boys soccer team is training there as well."

Clarissa smiled. "Duh!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "You ready to head out? It seems like we're the only ones left."

Clarissa's eyes wandered over the empty room, and nodded her head. "How did they change so fast?" She said, as we walked out the door.

"They weren't fast, we're just really slow at changing."

*

"Ok, ladies! Today's practice is going to be harder than a bag of frozen ice!" Toni, our cheer coach—who was also in my year—yelled at the top of her voice.

Sometimes, she really didn't make any sense. At all. Harder than a bag of frozen ice? What the hell? Who says that?

She walked back and forth along the huge pitch. "As you all know, you guys just came back from summer break. Plenty of time to louse off and get lazy, which trust me— I am not going to have! If I even catch one of you girls—and boy," her eyes made contact with Benny. He gave an awkward smile.

".. Slouching off, you are immediately off the cheer team, do you understand? We have to get our routine perfect for the big soccer game that's coming up before Christmas."

The cheer team nodded their head in agreement.

Toni clasped her hands together. "Great! Now who's ready to cheer?!"

The team squealed excitedly.

"Alright ladies, give me two laps around the field!" Toni barked, her mood switching completely.

Benny leaned in closer to me. "Pray for my legs," he whispered, so that our coach wouldn't hear us.

I giggled. "Only if you pray for mine."

*

Four laps, too many stretches, and messing up our routine countless times later; cheer practice finally came to an end.

Brittany wasn't lying when she said that cheer practice was going to be 'harder than a bag of frozen ice', because I couldn't feel my arms or legs after.