Cheer Angels

Second Chance

It was just another Tuesday afternoon in the gym. The girls were stretching, and Florence was in her lobby office reading an email. She got so surprised by the news, that she immediately ran into the gym to tell the team.

"Hey team! I have some good news! No, make it Great!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I am so excited just thinking about it, I'm so happy that I could barely form the words to say it!"

Everyone looked at Florence like she was crazy.

"What I mean is that we got invited to another competition! And we're going to Planet Athlete again!"

"Again?"

"Yes, again! Oh my god, we need to start making a routine, and practicing! I think we will get better results than last time! Second or maybe even first!"

Planet Athlete was where they got Kate, and where they became a superteam officially. If Florence felt good about the routine, then surely everybody else would be.

"I'll be right back, I need to find a song and make up a routine in my head by listening to the song until it gets stuck in my head!"

Florence left cheerfully and pretty quickly. Wendy looked at Ivonne.

"I have never seen Florence like that before."

"She's probably having an adrenaline rush. They make people crazy crazy."

Meanwhile, Florence was in the supply closet, taking out a stack of old CDs that she had received from a cousin about 10-15 years ago. Or maybe not that long, but probably 5 years ago max. There were some songs in there anywhere from 1975 to 2003, and the one that was the least coated in dust caught her eye.

Florence wiped the dust off of the album and starting humming the song slightly. The humming had turned into a soft whisper in song:

"Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up. These are the best days of our lives. The only thing that matters is just following your heart, and eventually you'll finally get it right."

Suddenly, Florence had an idea. She ran to the lobby and took out her MP3 from one of the drawers, and then realizing it didn't work after 2005. Instead, she found a little stereo in the closet and went into the lobby. She put the CD in the stereo and started creating a routine.

This routine was going to be fast, probably the fastest routine in existence. Fast songs are hard to make a dance out of, but this routine would be incredible to pull off successfully and in beat.

As soon as the drums hit, Florence started the routine off with a bang, fast and swift movements that matched the beats per minute of the song. The song was 175 beats per minutes, not a slow song, far from that actually.

This song was going to be more dance focused. A song in which the meaning could possibly be conveyed correctly through the moves and emotions. As Florence was doing the dance again, she felt like a teenager again, what life was like before she grew up and got older. When life wasn't so complicated, and she could do whatever she wanted. As Florence was doing the song, she envisioned the perfect center for the song, not Ai or Anna, but somebody that people would expect but someone that they wouldn't expect. Someone with emotions and someone who gives the vibes of a teenager growing into an adult.

Florence sang each and every lyric to the song like the back of her hand, it reminded her of being 15 and singing the song. A song that brings back memories, a song that has a deeper meaning than the dance or the looks. A song that conveys lots of emotions, touching people on a more personal level. Not your typical routine, it would be risky to pull off, but if done just right, it could affect everyone.

When the song was over, Florence felt like she found herself, and she decided to try it again. This time, not the role of the center, but a background role, a role that she has played most of her life. She understands what it's like to be Brenda, Diana, Frances, Georgia, Hannah, Natalie, Ivonne, Sasha, Wendy, and Victoria, but somebody has to be in the back, you can't always be front and center the whole show. Sometimes, you need to be the background character in life, and that's how you rise up in life.

Florence's blood was rushing with the tempo, with the emotion and with the words. She felt a connection and with a routine that was like you were young forever, a routine that could relate to anyone from any age, put it on the floor and it will make somebody cry. Because the nostalgia just hits them so hard that they can't feel their face.

"Here in this diary, I write you visions of my summer, it was the best I ever had. There were choruses and sing alongs and that unspoken feeling. I know it right now is all that matters. All the nights we stayed up talking, listening to 80's songs, and quoting lines from all those movies that we known, it still brings a smile to my face. I guess when it comes down to it. Being Grown up isn't half as fun as growing up, these are the best days of our lives. The only thing that matters is just following your heart, and eventually you'll finally get it right, being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up, these are the best days of our lives, the only thing that matters is just follow your heart, and eventually you'll finally get it right."

The song finished and Florence had a realization.

"This could be our show stopper, this is it! I made a routine that could wow the judges, oh they won't think that I'm a novice anymore! I have to tell the team!"

Florence ran towards the gym doors with every last bit of excitement in her body.