Staying Afloat

Chapter 12

My peaceful lunch with friends was interrupted by my phone buzzing. I looked down and saw a text from August.

Oh btw I'm taking Riley out tonight so you're gonna have to walk home or find a ride

I rolled my eyes. I hate walking home, especially now that it's a bit colder and darker out.

Ok have fun

After responding to him I texted Benny, praying that one of his many annoying friends with cars would actually be useful for once.

Hey, are you walking home or do you have a ride?

Yeah, Dylan's spending the night so he can drive us home.

I guess Dylan's car is a step up from walking home. Barely.

The bell rang, dismissing us from lunch. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was time for cheer practice. I changed into my practice clothes and walked out into the gym.

"Okay guys, we have a week until the next game, and we're going to try a full team pyramid for it! Gabby, Cece, you guys are going to split center!" Hannah announced, and the team cheered for us. We practiced it a few times, with mostly success. We also finished up our new halftime routine, and I get to do a back walkover into the splits at the end which is so fun! We ran through that a few times as well, and I was feeling good about it. The rest of the girls went to change, but Riley asked me to stay back

"Cece, you should tilt your head to the left on that last pose. Your smile is crooked, so it'll even it out." Riley commented, immediately causing me to blush. I have a feeling that she doesn't like me very much, especially now that she's dating my brother. Which is so awesome for me. I jogged back to the locker room to catch up with the other girls and changed, before walking back to my locker with Gabby to get our bags. Benny and Dylan were waiting for me.

"Bye Gabby, see you Monday!" I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed Benny and Dylan, taking my place in the backseat. I spent most of the night in my room watching Netflix and avoiding the boys, but I snuck downstairs after the pizza came to grab a slice. I hopped on the couch with my plate and watched their intense game of call of duty. As I was finishing my slice, August and Riley walked in.

"Hey guys." August said

"Hey." The three of us replied. I took another bite of pizza.

"Oh my gosh, I never ate pizza back when I was a flier." Riley snorted. "You know, you don't want to get any heavier or else you're gonna break the other girl's backs."

"Dude what are you talking about? Cece's like 8 pounds, I think the other girls will be fine." Benny said.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like in a bad way, I'm just looking out for my team. All I'm saying is we all have to make sacrifices for the good of others."

"Well, thanks for the advice. Next time, I'll ask if I want it. Goodnight, guys." I got up, put my plate away and went upstairs. I took a nice shower and went to change into my pajamas, but I couldn't stop scrutinizing myself in the mirror. Maybe she was right, I should lay off the pizza. I don't know.

———

I spent Saturday night in my room again, since August had Riley over and Benny was gone. He was playing basketball in the park with some friends, and he told me I could come along if I wanted. I told him I would rather die than play basketball with him and his friends, which was true, but I would also rather play basketball than be in the same room as Riley. I wish I had known she was coming.

I had everything I needed to stay holed up in my room, but my plans were ruined when I knocked my lamp off of my nightstand while trying to move a cord. It shattered into a bunch of pieces which I tried to clean up. Me being me, I cut my hand pretty bad, so I went to the bathroom to clean it. Unfortunately, the first aid kit was not there, so I went downstairs, cradling my injured hand with the other.