EMOTIONALLY ENTANGLED

Chapter 61.

CHAPTER 61: the swing of things

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"Right, so is this the perfect fit?" Nicole asked me when she circled me once. I had decided that I would try out cheer again. It was a safe haven for me after my breakup with Jordan and I loved doing it because it made me just forget everything and enjoy myself, which is part of the reason why I wanted to do it again.

Over the Christmas, I've been trying to get my flexibility back to how it was a few years ago which wasn't too hard as I still did sport occasionally. Cheer's importance just got lower for me and it wasn't something I felt I had to do, but time's changed. I want to get back out there and do it again so let's just say I'm coming out of retirement.

I attempted a toe touch before landing on my two feet. Smiling to Nicole, I nodded in response. Cheer tryouts were at the start of the school year and the start of the new year because the school found that some people wanted a change so they quit or they wanted to join. People were surprised when I wanted to do cheer again and some of the girls weren't pleased, to say the least. They've coped years of no competition, but I was one of the best in 2016's team so they were intimidated. I didn't worry though because I didn't care if I made the team or not; I just wanted to do this for myself.

"Perfect," I responded to her as she smiled. We were trying on some costumes and once I found the perfect one, I paid for it at the front desk once I changed back into my uniform. Tryouts were tomorrow so I needed to get as much practice as I could in. We headed to the cafeteria and to our usual table. Michael was sat with Jaxon who wore his gym kit whilst the girls sat around in a huddle.

Having everyone back felt nice even with the gaping hole Owen had left behind. It didn't stop Jaxon from hanging out with us and to be honest, Darren as well. He has lunch with Kelly on Fridays, but that's about it which is probably because he's with Owen the majority of the time. I settled on a seat next to Kelly and she smiled at me before hugging me with a squeal.

"I'm so excited that you're trying out for the cheer squad. I heard some girls say they saw you practice and said you were amazing," she told me as I gave a small smile which instantly disappeared when I saw Owen in the distance with his arm around Ivy. Rumours are that they're a thing, I thought, but the school has a habit of spreading fake shit. Still, they look pretty close.

As if she saw me looking at her, Ivy's eyes landed on mine in which she smirked at me, winking in the process. Everyone's saying she's 'the new Brielle', but I'm irreplaceable. The only reason she's suddenly become relevant is because she fucked Owen a few years back. Just because she's got a pretty face doesn't mean she's protected and quite frankly, the majority of the girls in the school dislike her standoffish behaviour.

I looked away instantly and stared down at the table in front of me. No one could ever replace me or dare have someone be the 'new' me like I was some object to throw away whenever they wanted. I will prove to everyone at those tryouts that the girl I once was is still the same person except more mature and stronger. I stood up from my seat, sudden courage coursing through my body and looked down at my friends who just looked at me in confusion.

"Sorry guys, I have to go and sort a few things out. I'll see you in class later." they nodded, waving at me, my hand going up to wave back. I nearly bumped into Jaxon on my way out and he smiled down at me, "oh, sorry about that."

"Don't worry," he started, his gaze sliding past me before turning back to look me in the eyes, "I'm avoiding Owen's lot for now. Can't stand Ivy so I thought I'd hang with you guys. Owen's stubborn so I'm guessing he plans to keep her around."