The final bell rang and Andrew was one of the first in the classroom to escape into the hallway. He managed to reach his locker before the hall was too crowded, and quickly swapped out some of the books between his locker and his backpack. Now, with more students moving about, it took a little extra time to navigate to the stairwell and down to the first floor.
Passing through the corridor, he looked around until he finally saw someone in a blue shirt leaving from her locker. As he approached her, he said with relief, “Well, we survived our first day here.”
“Yeah,” Angela agreed with a tired smile. “It was a very, well… interesting day I suppose.”
As they walked down the hall, Andrew thought about the day and said, “I was hoping to sit with you today at lunch.” He paused, then added with slight censure in his voice, “but it looked like your table was full.”
“Oh, yes,” Angela replied distractedly, “you would have felt uncomfortable anyways.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andrew retorted angrily.
“Just that those girls really love to chat about fashion and gossip,” Angela admitted with embarrassment. “Besides, I thought I saw you with a group of boys.”
“They invited me over,” Andrew said calming down. “One of them is in my homeroom.”
“What did they talk about?”
“You know,” Andrew began, “mostly about music and sports.”
They continued forward, but as they reached an intersection in the hallway, Angela started to turn to the right, while Andrew stepped in the other direction.
“It’s this way to the bus,” Andrew pointed out with a half smile.
“I know,” Angela said nervously. “The girls at the lunch table—“
“Your friends,” Andrew said with a hint of jealousy.
Angela looked away for a moment, and then said, “I just met them, but I guess you could call them that. Well, they had heard that I am a very talented dancer, so—”
“Okay,” Andrew said with his hands raised up, “I get it.”
“I’m not saying that to brag or anything,” Angela said honestly. “That isn’t what I wanted to tell you.”
She stopped and tried to figure out how to share her inner struggles. While eating lunch, Jessica had told the other girls about Angela having a strong background in dancing. After which she asked Angela if she would like to become a cheerleader. The question had taken her by surprise, and Angela said she would have to think about it. Jessica said that was okay and if she wanted to hang out after school with the girls she could.
Angela wished that she was close to her brother like they used to be. They were always the best of friends, and very open and honest with their parents and each other. Now, she felt the void between them, and silently prayed that they could overcome that, and be there for each other once more.
Andrew paused beside her and for a moment, he sensed that maybe she had something important to reveal to him. “Angela, what is it?”
She gave a small smile, but looked away from his gaze as she struggled with the dilemma. Angela loved to dance, to learn the graceful moves and to become one with the music. Ballet was her shared passion with her mother, and she had so many fond memories over the years. She used to dream of becoming a professional ballerina or to at least be able to teach it to others. But, now, she felt lost.
Far away from her old home, the Catholic high school, her former friends from her extracurricular dance team. Far away from her dreams.
“I miss dancing,” Angela admitted, which seemed to confuse Andrew to how that was relevant. In an attempt to clarify her thoughts, she said, “So, Jessica, one of the girls, asked me today if I—”
“Alright,” Andrew said. “You have new friends and you want to hang out with them. Its fine, I understand.”
“No,” she insisted, “I mean, I don’t know if I should—”
“Have fun,” he muttered, “I’ll see you later at home.”
Angela watched as her brother stormed down the hallway, leaving her alone with her thoughts and struggles.
Loneliness swept over Angela and seemed to make her decision for her. She did not feel like chasing after her brother to continue the conversation, or follow him to the bus and have a long, awkward ride home. Jessica and the other girls were waiting for her in the gymnasium, so that is where she felt destined to go.
As she left the school building and crossed the parking lot, she followed some signs to the gym nearby. Upon entering, she immediately saw a group of girls huddled in the lobby.
“I was hoping you would come,” Jessica said with a smile. “Girls, some of you met her already at lunch, for everyone else, this is Angela. She just transferred here, and she is only a freshman, but she is an extremely talented dancer with years of experience.”
Angela stared blankly at the girls, and although she grinned, she felt her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.
She recognized two of them from lunch.
Kayla, a senior, was a brunette like Angela, but her hair was cut at shoulder length and was several inches shorter. She was best friends with Jessica, and they knew each other since the first grade. It seemed like whatever Jessica would say, Kayla would agree with. Melissa, a sophomore, had dark black hair that was halfway down her back. She was around Angela’s height, and seemed to have similar interests with Jessica and Kayla. All three girls were generally friendly, but Melissa was less outgoing than the other two, perhaps more reserved. She was more likely to agree with what Jessica and Kayla would say rather than voice her own opinion.
“Hello,” Angela said softly.
Kayla nodded and Melissa did a small wave, while the rest of the girls were still assessing her.
One girl that was leaning against a wall stepped forward and said, “I’m Carol.”
Another girl with nose piercings and bleached blond hair just said, “Julia.”
Several others introduced themselves, but none wasted their breaths. They knew there was no point in being too nice, not until she proved herself to them.
“Alright you guys,” Jessica shouted, “hit the locker rooms and I’ll meet you on the court in a few minutes.”
As everyone walked down the hall, Jessica stayed beside Angela.
“They’re a great group of girls,” Jessica began. “In fact, they’re the best this school has seen in over a decade. Since my freshman year, I’ve worked to train them well, and with each new addition, we have gotten stronger and more competitive. This year, we are going for the gold. This year we will win the State Cheerleading Competition. Would you like to know why?”
Angela nodded.
“Because we have you,” Jessica said.
“Really?” Angela was astonished. “You think I have what it takes?”
Jessica put her hands on her hips and said, “That’s what we’re about to find out.”
Angela took a step back, slightly panicking. “What? Like right now? I didn’t practice. I don’t have a change of clothes.” She pointed down to her khaki pants. “I’m just not ready for this.”
“I have something you can borrow,” Jessica insisted. “Today is your only chance. You either have what it takes, or you don’t. If you really are a dancer, then prove it.”
7