The Flyer & The Frat Star

Meet Josephine

Josephine

Sophomore year. This is it. It's officially my second year of university at Washington State University and it feels like time has just flown by. I spent the summer at home in Perth, Australia, aside from the two-week cheer camp at the end of July.

That's right. Little ol' Josephine Langford is a cheerleader. Who would've thought? Most people assume that a socially awkward bookworm with a 4.0 could never be a cheerleader— but it just proves that you can't judge a book by its cover.

I've been cheerleading since I was 5 years old. My mum loves to tell stories of my attempts at gymnastics as a toddler, and thankfully she channeled my abundance of energy into a worthwhile sport. Cheerleading was something I excelled at, which bode well for my perfectionist attitude. It was nice to break free from my sister's shadow and have a passion I could call my own. When I was on the sideline, in the gym, or on the competition mat I transformed into a different person. This Josephine was confident, loud, and unapologetic— a complete 180 of my day-to-day personality. Cheerleading gave me a voice when I felt weak and a squad of friends that became my chosen family.

When I first started middle school, my mum decided to sign me up for an Australian All-Star cheerleading squad. I spent around a year and a half dedicating my entire life and wellbeing to the squad. I developed a severe eating disorder at age 13 due to pressure from coaches to be as light as possible as flyers. Needless to say, my mum pulled me out of the program and helped me reacclimate to normal life. Even after this rough patch of my life, I was determined to continue cheerleading. I joined the squad at my high school and immediately felt at home. I looked forward to every weekend game night and the long practices before competition season. Nothing could beat the adrenaline I felt on the mat for those 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I was unstoppable. I was voted captain my senior year and lead my squad to win the Aussie Gold Cheer & Dance Competition.

As it came time to apply to university, I took a leap of faith and applied to colleges in the States. I got a cheerleading scholarship to Washington State University, and off I went on a new chapter of my life. I went to school for English Literature, much to my doctor parents' dismay, but reading and writing was another passion of mine. It took a while to get used to the American lifestyles and customs, especially when it came to cheering for American football! Luckily, the older members of the squad took me under their wing, and I was a proud Cougar cheerleader in no time. I finished my freshman year with a 4.0 GPA and a new cheer family. Of course I missed Australia and my friends from home, but it was nice to start fresh in an entirely different atmosphere.

The second week of cheer camp acted as tryouts for the upcoming season. Surprisingly, I was the only sophomore to make the varsity squad. This meant I was being groomed to take over the captain spot once the current senior captain graduated. Coach Todd told me to look at this year like an apprenticeship or internship, so I was well-prepared to lead the squad when my time came. The current captain was Khadijha, a senior biology major with gorgeous curly red hair and the perfect body for a flyer. The tricks she could pull in the air were absolutely insane, and I can only hope to achieve half of what she has. Thankfully, Khadijha was more than willing to take me under her wing this season to teach me the ropes of acting as captain of the squad.

Today I'm moving into my new dorm room that I'm sharing with Khadijha. She was so sweet to offer to room with me considering she's a senior, but all of the cheerleaders live on the same floor of the building so good company's never far away. My best friend on the squad and in school, Shane, lives right across the hall from me. It's times like this that I'm grateful for WSU's lax gender rules in the dorms. I've only ever met Khadijha in passing and admired her from afar on the JV squad, but she seems very outgoing and extroverted— the complete opposite of me. As soon as I unlock my room and attempt to maneuver the box in my hands and the suitcase I'm rolling through the doorway, I'm bombarded with a squeal.

"Gimme a J! Gimme an O! Give me an... ospehine! Let's go!" Khadijha cheers and shakes her pom-poms before embracing me in a tight hug. I laugh along with her at the extravagant welcome and already feel comfortable in her presence. She gives off very good vibes, even if we may be different personalities. "I'm sooooo excited to be rooming with you! You're like my little protégé! I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know about this squad, and not just about the cheerleading," she gives me a wink before helping me set my box down on the bed. I smile nervously, wondering what she could possibly mean by "not just about the cheerleading," but decide to push the thought to the side until after I get settled in.

"I'm really excited, too. You're such an amazing cheerleader and flyer, I mean, the tricks you can do are unreal," I compliment her while unpacking the books from my box.

"Oh...my..god! You're Australian?! Why did no one tell me about that cute little accent!" she exclaims from her side of the room.

"Uh, thank you?" I reply with a laugh, not sure if I was meant to take that as a compliment or not.

"No, like, seriously accents are super-hot! Especially Aussie ones," she pretends to fan herself with a pom-pom. I giggle at the gesture. "Oh, B-T-Dubs, I'm bisexual," Khadijha says confidently. My face must look shocked because she follows up with, "Oh, no! I'm not, like, coming onto you or anything!" she laughs, "I just wanted to make sure you weren't some homophobic Republican."

"Oh, definitely not. I don't even understand American politics," I laugh, "But in all seriousness, I don't care who you love. My cousin just got married to his boyfriend of 10 years, Australia has become much more accepting of the community as of late," I explain. Despite the confidence Khadijha exudes, I can see the relief wash across her face at my acceptance.

"Thank you, Josephine," she smiles and helps hang up my clothes in the closet.

"You can call me Jo," I reply with a smile. I think we could definitely get along, and I'm so excited to see what she can teach me about her experience as captain.

"Okay, Jo, you know what this week is?" she gives me a mischievous grin.

"Uh, the first week of classes?" I ask, confused at her expression.

"No, you nerd!" she laughs. "It's sylly week, biotch!" Her vocabulary may take some getting used to.

"Like syllabus week?" I ask.

"Exactly! And you know what we do during syllabus week?" she draws out her question as if the answer is obvious.

"Go over syllabi?"

"Oh my god, no!" she lets out an exasperated laugh. "We party!" her grin spreads across her freckled face.

"Oh, uh, I'm not really big on parties," I answer honestly, afraid that she may judge me for my introverted nature.

"Really? You never partied on the JV squad? I swear, sometimes they go harder than us upperclassmen," Khadijha looks genuinely baffled at my answer.

"I only went to one party with the squad last year, but frat houses just aren't really my scene," I try not to let the memories of that party resurface, eager to move the conversation along onto the next topic.

"Jo. As your mentor and your friend, you are coming to this fucking party one way or another! I'll stay right by your side all night and we'll have a blast!" she gives me her best puppy dog eyes.

"I don't know," my voice falters. "I really don't like parties... or drinking."

"Well, as captain of the cheer squad, that's gonna have to change," she winks at me, letting me know she's just teasing. "But for real, a lot of the squad is going to this social with the new frat on campus and it will be a perfect way to bond and branch out!" I can tell she's not going down without a fight.

"Okay, fine," I sigh as she squeals. "But only if you promise to stay by my side the whole night." She reaches her pinky out to me to link together, but I can't help feeling like my fate has been sealed with the intertwining of our fingers.  

A/N This is my first foray into a full length fanfic! I was inspired by Jo's adorable cheerleading uniform for Moxie and Hero's bad boy, partier vibes. Let me know what you think so far! Would you want the next chapter to introduce Hero's backstory? Or keep the entire story from Josephine's POV to maintain the mystery?