Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I have time to write more this weekend. :)
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War of the Pom-Poms (R) By: Hell's Huntress
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Serena stared at the ground, her fingers slowly rubbing her temples. Sighing, she looked up and stared at the girls who anxiously stared back. A few them smiled at her, making her cringe. It wasn't that she was disgusted. It just made her hopeless. "Okay...so how many of you have tried to cheer before? And I don't mean just at home by the way. I mean in real life...actual cheerleading."
More than half of the girls raised their hands...or pom-poms. Serena cocked her brow at them and motioned her hands sideways. "Alright...all those who have tried cheerleading before go on this side." She pointed to the left side of the court. Using her other hand, she gestured toward the other side. "All of you who haven't had one experience that they still remember with cheerleading, go on that side."
The girls quickly obeyed, taking their places. One girl who was with the inexperienced group stared at the girls around her area, and then at the girls on the other side. As soon as Serena turned around to face the experienced girls, she ran to their side. Serena noticed this but didn't say anything. She simply smiled and shook her head. It wouldn't be good to embarass one of the girls on the first day, especially since any one of them could be one of the replacements.
Slipping her thumb under her chin, Serena examined all the girls and nearly cried. Very few of them actually looked like serious cheerleaders. Everyone else was either too perky or too serious. Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips and forced a smile. After all, you can never judge a book by its cover. "Okay... five rules of cheerleading. Smile, be sharp, be serious, be loud, and be proud."
At that moment, all the girls stood up straight and smiled.
Serena raised her eyebrows and choked back a laugh. The cheerleaders sitting behind the table behind her whispered to each other. "Make it a...natural smile. Pretend something's funny, but don't laugh. I need a real smile, not a fake one. When it comes to cheerleading, you can't let a bad day make you frown..especially for competition."
None of their smiles changed.
Okay, so she figured that maybe that's just how they really smile. "Okay now...all the experienced cheerleaders take the court. We'll work on the inexperienced ones later."
They all did just that and bunched up in a sloppy group. Very few of them lined up with their hands behind their back. Serena took note of those few girls and mentally posted a lil memo for her to remember to pay more attention to them. Cheerleaders were really suppose to place their hands behind their backs. "Well, since all of you have had experience with cheerleading...get into windows."
Some of the girls just stared at her with blank expressions. Others just started looking at each other. Only about a handful of them lined up in two lines, one set between the other but about two steps behind. Serena mentally smiled at those girls. Some of the girls caught up quickly and did the same thing. She narrowed her eyes at them. They would take a lot of observation.
Serena stared at the confused girls. "I thought you had some sort of experience. If you did, you would at least be able to catch on by now."
The girls knitted their brows together and frowned. A couple of them stared at the ground. About two of them inched towards the group who were in windows.
Serena frowned herself. "All the girls who aren't in windows, please join the group over there." She pointed towards the inexperienced girls. A lot of them were sitting down and watching intently. "Oh and, as for the girls who know nothing...please pay attention. It's gonna take a lot of time to train you for cheerleading...what more competition? Remember that it could be any one of you, so watch and learn. We only have about three months to train you all and teach you the routines." They simply nodded.
Victoria fiddled with her pen while glaring at Serena. "She's being too nice." She whispered to that same girl with the neck-length black hair. The girl leaned over and smiled in return. "Then I suggest that you take charge."
A small smile crept to her lips. Victoria stood up, walked around the table, and stood next to Serena. "You know what...why don't I work on the experienced cheerleaders and you can whip the ignortant ones into shape?" Her voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.
Serena stared at her. "Ignorant ones?" She laughed. "Well Vicki, they may be clueless but they're not exactly ignorant." She narrowed her eyes at her then turned to Amy. "Ames...could you get up here and help Vicki test them?"
Amy nodded and stood up from her own seat. Victoria growled but didn't protest. Serena turned to face Vicki once Amy was standing next to her. "Well, they're quite a handful so let Amy help you." She turned back to the other cheerleaders behind the table. "Make sure they test them properly. Get out there and help if you feel like you have to. Make sure the moves are sharp and that they really hit 'em. Pull out any girls who don't hit the moves right and place them in the other group. Give them time, though. And Mina..." She flexed her fingers, as if telling her to stand up and approach her. "Do you want to help me out with them?"
Mina smiled and nodded. Standing up from her own seat, she joined Serena as the two blondes walked towards the group of "ignorant" girls. Gathering them all together, they led them to the other half of the court and began to teach them.
Victoria held her breath and smiled at the cheerleaders. Her eyes were on Serena the whole time. "Ladies, when I say hit it, I want you all to hit a high V. Hit it!" Their arms shot up in the air, forming a "V". It took some of the other girls a while.
Amy walked between the girls, lifting some of the arms and pushing the others. She stopped next to one girl and pushed her arm. It went back. Grabbing her wrist, she gently pulled it back into place. The girl stared at her nervously. She only smiled. "Make it stiff. When you move, make your moves sharp and stiff. Every move counts. You arm shouldn't move when I touch it. Now let's try again." Amy pushed her arm. It moved a little, but not that much. "Pretty good. Let's work on that a little more." The girl smiled proudly.
Amy smiled back and moved on to the girl behind her. The girl had a serious expression. Her bones were sticking out just a little bit. Amy pushed her arm.
It didn't move.
The girl eyed her as if it was a challenge. Amy simply grinned. "Good job...just don't break your wrist." The girl cocked a brow at her. She didn't smile until Amy moved on to the next girl.
~~~~~
The red sunshine poured in through the windows, casting red glares on all of the girls. More than half of them were in Serena's group. Only about twenty or less were still in Vicki's. A few of the girls left. Others were sitting down, simply watching.
Hours passed.
The clock ticked.
The cheerleaders took turns helping Serena or Vicki. Lita stared at her pen and placed her chin on her arm. Molly began to draw circles on the table with her fingers. The girls were tired and sweaty. A lot of them had worked out. Others were just impatient. One girl stared at her watch.
"Okay guys, c'mon." Raye called out. "One more time. This time, make it good. Oh it's and we are proud...not we are loud. We are loud comes before we are proud." Raye instructed the girls from Vicki's group. "And please...do what you chant. Be loud."
The girls nodded.
"On the count of three-"
"One...two...three!" Vicki cut Raye off.
"We are the Wildcats, the strong and mighty Wildcats. We stand-"
"Stop!" Raye commanded, her voice rising over all of theirs. "That...was loud but not good." She muttered under her breath. "Yell...don't scream. If you scream, your voice comes from your throat so you won't last. When you yell, your voice comes from your stomach. It won't hurt you plus you'll be louder. Look at Mina."
Mina suddenly turned around, her sneakers squeaking.
Raye grinned at her. "Mina...say the first line of the Wildcats cheer."
Mina nodded and stood in a ten-hut position. Taking in a deep breath, she let it all out in a roar that echoed throughout the whole gym. "We are the Wildcats!"
Some of the girls took a step back.
Raye smiled. "Thanks Mina." She turned to face the girls. "Did you hear that? Every single one of you should be that loud. All of you together should be enough to set off an alarm for fire."
The girls stared at each other and straightened their backs.
"So are you ready?"
They nodded.
"Okay. Once again..." She continued before Vicki could cut in. "One...two...three..."
"We are the Wildcats! The strong and mighty Wildcats. We stand together in unity. We are united in victory. Our goal is to be the best. The gold will be ours over the rest."
Raye nodded as they continued.
"Be...agressive! We have the spirit!"
Serena quietly argued withVictoria while eyeing the cheerleaders. "We need to cross out some of the names. We have to decide as a squad."
"Serena...you're already tired. Just let me cross out the names."
"Victoria...as much as I trust you, I would rather have someone else do that. And will you please stop using me being tired as an excuse? Aren't you the one who's tired? Besides, I do believe I said that we have to decide as a squad." Serena's tone harded, emphasizing "you" and "squad".
"But you're the Captain. It's a lot of work - "
"Exactly! I am the Captain. That means that whatever I say will be followed unless the majority of the squad disagrees."
"We are number one, say we are number one! We are number one, now say it! We are number one!" The girls kept on going.
"I'm pretty sure the squad will disagree." Victoria hissed.
"They why don't you ask them? You know what, it just seems like you're so sure of everything. You're a great cheerleader...that's why you're second in command. I just really have a problem with your attitude." The girls' voices echoed in the background.
"You may have a problem, so why not ask the squad?"
"Stand with us! Cheer for us!"
"Well if you're so sure about things then I'm pretty sure myself that they'll agree with me," Serena bit back.
Victoria glared at her. "Why, all because you're the Captain?" The girls' voices kept on echoing against the background.
"Now say go red! Now go black! We are wild! We have energy! We stand out. We stand for one. We stand for spirit..."
"I never used my role as an excuse! Besides, the squad's the one who voted for me to be Captain."
Victoria narrowed her eyes. She nearly told her that she was one of the few girls who voted for herself. "Stop changing the subject."
"I'm not changing the subject! You're trying to avoid it. Stop using pathetic topics as excuses."
"You always say I use excuses!"
"Because you do!"
"We know you hear us. Shout and cheer along with us. We are the best! We will beat the rest! We can add some boom into it..."
Serena sighed. "Look...we're being immature-"
"You're being immature." Victoria grinned.
Serena raised her brows at her. "You know I should be telling you that. Well honey, if I argue like shit then you're staring right into a mirror. Victoria...just drop it. Let the squad decide."
"We are loud and we are proud! We are on top! We'll never stop! So stand up and go wild. We'll shout our spirit across the miles. Now tell us..."
"You want them to decide because you're going to make them agree with you."
"Oh you mean like the way you make the boys bow down to your every wish? I want them to decide because every single one of us stands for the entire squad. It wouldn't be fair if only I decided...It wouldn't be fair if I do what you just did."
Victoria stared at her with a bewildered expression. "How dare you!"
"Beat that team! We said..."
"Oh I dare. I'm the one trying to stop this."
"Just beat that team! We will go..."
"You know what Serena?...Captain?" Vicki's voice drooled with venom.
"What?"
"So who...who are we?"
"Just shut-"
"Exactly what I was gonna tell you Victoria." Serena smiled. "Shut..."
"We are the River..."
"...The hell..."
"Side Wildcats!"
"Up!"
At that moment, all the girls stared at the two of them. The other cheerleaders approached them. "Something wrong here?" Raye tapped her foot.
Serena grinned at her. "No...We were just hoping that you could help us decide on a little something."
~~~~~
Serena slammed a piece of paper with a list of the girls' names on the table. She stared at the girls and sighed. "Water break. You have five minutes."
All the girls ran to get their water bottles. A few them ran outside and rushed to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Serena gathered all the cheerleaders in a circle. She pulled out another piece of paper with all of the girls names. There were about at least ninety of them. A lot of the names were crossed out. "Okay...so who's going to stay for our next try-out? The main one?"
One of the girls stared at her. "The main one?"
Serena nodded. "Didn't you read the flyer? I'm pretty sure it said that this was just the try-out for who's actually fit to even have a chance for the competition. The main try-outs are for us to determine who's going to competition...the final two. It's on Saturday."
The girl stared at her with wide eyes and slowly walked off. Judging from that look, Serena figured that perhaps many of the girls just saw the words "Try-outs for Cheerleading in the Gym this Saturday" and ran off.
All the girls sat down around the table and stared at the long lists. Amy eyed all the other girls. "Ask them for their names later. I have an idea of who we should kick out and who should stay. Once they say their names I'll tell you if you should cross them out or not."
Serena nodded and tucked the pen behind her ear. Victoria suddenly snatched the paper away from her. "You know what, Capt...you look really tired. Maybe I should do the crossing out for you."
Serena smiled at her and pulled the paper back. "It's fine. I'm taking a five minute break myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure that if I'm strong enough to walk I'll be strong enough to cross out names." There was something fake about that smile.
Victoria smiled back with an equally fake one.
Lita leaned over and whispered in Mina's ear. "She's lucky she's important to our squad. If it wasn't for that we wouldn't even keep her." Mina nodded in agreement.
Serena stared back at all of the girls and leaned on the table. Just then, the doors opened as an older girl walked in. She handed Serena a little note. Serena only stared at her, the note in her hand. "What's this?"
The girl shrugged. "It's from Ms. Hiller. I forgot to give it you yesterday. I remembered that you have cheerleading try-outs so I decided to drop by and give it you."
Serena nervously unfolded the piece of paper. If she came all the way over to the try-outs just to hand out a little note, it was probably important.
The girl smiled at her. "Don't worry, it's not bad. I couldn't give it to you on Monday because it's about Monday. Some girl named Christina Shields wants to look around our school. I heard she wanted to join our school, so Ms. H. wanted you to take her on a little tour around our school grounds."
Serena's eyes scanned over the note. It was true. She wanted to take in a deep breath, but smiled at the girl anyway. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." The girl smiled back and walked out. All the girls came back and watched her the whole time as she left the gym. All their eyes suddenly fell on Serena.
Victoria grinned and crossed her arms. "She's in trouble." That same girl with the black neck-length hair crossed her own arms and nodded.
Amy approached Serena. "Is something wrong?"
Serena shook her head. "No. I just have to take some girl on a little tour around our school on Monday. That's why I had to get that note now."
Victoria cursed silently.
"Oh." Amy grinned. "I was actually a little worried. I thought you got into trouble...and so did Vicki." She nodded in Victoria's direction who was muttering every single cursed word she knew. Serena just grinned. "It's nice to build people up then watch them break down sometimes."
Amy picked up the papers. "Well...they're all here."
Serena nodded and stepped forward. All the girls ran into their positions when she did just that. Serena laughed. "Well I guess we really trained them." She whispered to Amy, then lifted her gaze to address all the girls. "Alright...this is it. These papers will determine who will go out for next week's try-outs."
Some of the girls looked just as surprised as the other girl earlier. The rest held their breaths.
"When I call out your name, raise your hand. If I write something down after I see you, that doesn't mean I'm crossing your name out. It could mean that, but it could also mean that I'm checking your name off. If I check your name that means you're staying."
All the girls nodded.
Serena paused for a moment. "Just to let you know...you all did a good job. I have never seen anyone pick up on things this fast. If we don't pick you, that doesn't mean you're not a good cheerleader. It just means that we didn't see what we were looking for in you when it comes to competition."
Once again they nodded. A few of them smiled.
"For those of you who do get picked, you'll have one week to practice all the cheers and moves we taught you. Remember that we really have to work out...fast. If you don't think you can keep up, please don't come back next week. If you can't go for some reason, please call someone and let us know. We'll try to schedule another try-out for you. Please try to make it anyway. Also keep in mind that this is just for the competition. We're picking out only TWO girls to fill in the spots for Hazel and Karla. You may get picked now, but that doesn't mean you'll get picked out next week. Remember that it could have been any one of you."
This time they looked down, barely nodding.
Serena smiled weakly. "I admire you all. You were all good, so don't be disappointed."
The girls looked back up. A few of them smiled at her.
Serena bit her bottom lip and smiled back. This was just the first time she had to do something like this and it was already hard. Just looking at all those hopeful faces crushed her.
Amy elbowed her lightly and handed her the papers. Serena smiled at her and pulled the pen away from her ear. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled her shoulders back and looked straight up at all of them. "Audrey?"
One of the girls raised her hand. Amy examined her for a moment and whispered something in Serena's ear. Serena nodded and crossed out her name.
"Avie?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy took one look at her and whispered something in Serena's ear again. Serena crossed her name out as well.
"Brittany?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy watched her for a moment, then she did the same thing. This time, Serena checked off her name.
Serena kept calling out more names, slowly going down the list. Everytime she crossed out or checked off a name, Amy would sneak in a few questions. "So who did she say wanted to attend our school?"
"I don't know...some girl. Christina, I think."
Amy paused for a moment. "Christina what?" Her voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Camielle?"
Another girl raised her hand. Amy looked at her and quickly whispered in Serena's ear. Serena crossed out her name, then flashed Amy a questioning look. "Why are you so interested? I mean...well, it's just another tour. You've done them yourself." The two girls didn't notice that Victoria was watching them. Serena looked up again. "Clara?"
Another girl raised her hand.
"Because...well, it might be someone I know. What's her last name?" Amy eyed the girl and did the same thing. Once again, another name was crossed out.
Serena wrinkled her nose. "I...um...oh, I don't know. Schiff? Shere? Shields?" She looked back up. "Danielle?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy's eyes went wide when Serena said "Shields". They were even wider when she looked at Danielle. The girl smiled at her. Danielle...she was that girl who's arm didn't move when she pushed it earlier. Amy leaned over. "Her...definitely her. She has to go for next week's try-outs."
Serena cocked a brow at Danielle and checked her name off. Just then, Amy grabbed her arm. "Christina Shields?"
All eyes suddenly fell on her. Victoria looked more interested than ever. Even Danielle's eyes went wide.
Serena looked around nervously. "Damn Amy. Keep your voice down. Why are you so surprised?"
Amy laughed. "Chris...Christina Shields. Don't tell me you don't know her."
Serena looked at her and called out another name. "Diane?"
"Check her name off...Serena, this is Christina Shields we're talking about! The sister of Darien Shields!" She lowered her voice.
"Yeah, so? Lord Amy. I've never seen you this excited over someone. Um...Ellen?"
Amy blushed. "Well, Darien is-" She looked at the girl who raised her hand. "Cross her out...Darien is that famous football player from Eden's! Haven't you ever seen him? He is gorgeous!"
Serena rolled her eyes and crossed off the name. "Well I've heard of him, but I never really pay attention to guys like him...Emma?"
"Guys like him?" Amy nervously glanced at the girl. "Count her in...Guys like him? Serena, even I like him. He is charming, smart, witty...every girl I know wants him."
"Except me...Ep..."She narrowed her eyes at one name. "Epha...Ephada? Ephadia? Did I get that right?"
One girl raised her hand and called out a loud "Yes".
Serena nodded and looked back up. "Amy...He's probably not even going to be there when I take his sister on a little tour."
"Are you kidding? For someone who's popular and knows almost everything about guys, you sure are clueless about him."
Serena was about to call out another name but was cut off instead. She paused and stared at her. All the other girls stared at her.
Amy sighed. "I'm sorry. That was wrong, but it's true. You may think he's just another brainless guy from heaven, but he's really more than that. Oh and he's gonna be there when Christina arrives. His mother's out with his father. They share the same business, and both of them rarely have time to take Christina out. Darien's class ends at two. The tours are usually around three. As long as he's not in school, he's obligated to take his sister to wherever she needs to go."
Serena snorted and looked back at the name again. "Two? Damn, what time does he go to school anyway?"
"Six. Classes start at six in the morning."
Serena stopped and stared at her again. "Well you've been doing some research."
Amy nodded. "You're a lucky girl to even get the chance to be around him for half an hour. Just...get to know him. I'm pretty sure he'll like you...at least as a friend."
Serena sighed. "Fine...but why are you so desperate to make me talk to him?"
"Well after that little break-up with Travis, I think it's about time you need a new man." Amy grinned. "Besides, it's making Victoria jealous so far, isn't it?"
Both girls stared at Victoria who was glaring at Serena, red and green with envy.
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Author's Notes: Pardon any typos please. Reviews!
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War of the Pom-Poms (R) By: Hell's Huntress
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Serena stared at the ground, her fingers slowly rubbing her temples. Sighing, she looked up and stared at the girls who anxiously stared back. A few them smiled at her, making her cringe. It wasn't that she was disgusted. It just made her hopeless. "Okay...so how many of you have tried to cheer before? And I don't mean just at home by the way. I mean in real life...actual cheerleading."
More than half of the girls raised their hands...or pom-poms. Serena cocked her brow at them and motioned her hands sideways. "Alright...all those who have tried cheerleading before go on this side." She pointed to the left side of the court. Using her other hand, she gestured toward the other side. "All of you who haven't had one experience that they still remember with cheerleading, go on that side."
The girls quickly obeyed, taking their places. One girl who was with the inexperienced group stared at the girls around her area, and then at the girls on the other side. As soon as Serena turned around to face the experienced girls, she ran to their side. Serena noticed this but didn't say anything. She simply smiled and shook her head. It wouldn't be good to embarass one of the girls on the first day, especially since any one of them could be one of the replacements.
Slipping her thumb under her chin, Serena examined all the girls and nearly cried. Very few of them actually looked like serious cheerleaders. Everyone else was either too perky or too serious. Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips and forced a smile. After all, you can never judge a book by its cover. "Okay... five rules of cheerleading. Smile, be sharp, be serious, be loud, and be proud."
At that moment, all the girls stood up straight and smiled.
Serena raised her eyebrows and choked back a laugh. The cheerleaders sitting behind the table behind her whispered to each other. "Make it a...natural smile. Pretend something's funny, but don't laugh. I need a real smile, not a fake one. When it comes to cheerleading, you can't let a bad day make you frown..especially for competition."
None of their smiles changed.
Okay, so she figured that maybe that's just how they really smile. "Okay now...all the experienced cheerleaders take the court. We'll work on the inexperienced ones later."
They all did just that and bunched up in a sloppy group. Very few of them lined up with their hands behind their back. Serena took note of those few girls and mentally posted a lil memo for her to remember to pay more attention to them. Cheerleaders were really suppose to place their hands behind their backs. "Well, since all of you have had experience with cheerleading...get into windows."
Some of the girls just stared at her with blank expressions. Others just started looking at each other. Only about a handful of them lined up in two lines, one set between the other but about two steps behind. Serena mentally smiled at those girls. Some of the girls caught up quickly and did the same thing. She narrowed her eyes at them. They would take a lot of observation.
Serena stared at the confused girls. "I thought you had some sort of experience. If you did, you would at least be able to catch on by now."
The girls knitted their brows together and frowned. A couple of them stared at the ground. About two of them inched towards the group who were in windows.
Serena frowned herself. "All the girls who aren't in windows, please join the group over there." She pointed towards the inexperienced girls. A lot of them were sitting down and watching intently. "Oh and, as for the girls who know nothing...please pay attention. It's gonna take a lot of time to train you for cheerleading...what more competition? Remember that it could be any one of you, so watch and learn. We only have about three months to train you all and teach you the routines." They simply nodded.
Victoria fiddled with her pen while glaring at Serena. "She's being too nice." She whispered to that same girl with the neck-length black hair. The girl leaned over and smiled in return. "Then I suggest that you take charge."
A small smile crept to her lips. Victoria stood up, walked around the table, and stood next to Serena. "You know what...why don't I work on the experienced cheerleaders and you can whip the ignortant ones into shape?" Her voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.
Serena stared at her. "Ignorant ones?" She laughed. "Well Vicki, they may be clueless but they're not exactly ignorant." She narrowed her eyes at her then turned to Amy. "Ames...could you get up here and help Vicki test them?"
Amy nodded and stood up from her own seat. Victoria growled but didn't protest. Serena turned to face Vicki once Amy was standing next to her. "Well, they're quite a handful so let Amy help you." She turned back to the other cheerleaders behind the table. "Make sure they test them properly. Get out there and help if you feel like you have to. Make sure the moves are sharp and that they really hit 'em. Pull out any girls who don't hit the moves right and place them in the other group. Give them time, though. And Mina..." She flexed her fingers, as if telling her to stand up and approach her. "Do you want to help me out with them?"
Mina smiled and nodded. Standing up from her own seat, she joined Serena as the two blondes walked towards the group of "ignorant" girls. Gathering them all together, they led them to the other half of the court and began to teach them.
Victoria held her breath and smiled at the cheerleaders. Her eyes were on Serena the whole time. "Ladies, when I say hit it, I want you all to hit a high V. Hit it!" Their arms shot up in the air, forming a "V". It took some of the other girls a while.
Amy walked between the girls, lifting some of the arms and pushing the others. She stopped next to one girl and pushed her arm. It went back. Grabbing her wrist, she gently pulled it back into place. The girl stared at her nervously. She only smiled. "Make it stiff. When you move, make your moves sharp and stiff. Every move counts. You arm shouldn't move when I touch it. Now let's try again." Amy pushed her arm. It moved a little, but not that much. "Pretty good. Let's work on that a little more." The girl smiled proudly.
Amy smiled back and moved on to the girl behind her. The girl had a serious expression. Her bones were sticking out just a little bit. Amy pushed her arm.
It didn't move.
The girl eyed her as if it was a challenge. Amy simply grinned. "Good job...just don't break your wrist." The girl cocked a brow at her. She didn't smile until Amy moved on to the next girl.
~~~~~
The red sunshine poured in through the windows, casting red glares on all of the girls. More than half of them were in Serena's group. Only about twenty or less were still in Vicki's. A few of the girls left. Others were sitting down, simply watching.
Hours passed.
The clock ticked.
The cheerleaders took turns helping Serena or Vicki. Lita stared at her pen and placed her chin on her arm. Molly began to draw circles on the table with her fingers. The girls were tired and sweaty. A lot of them had worked out. Others were just impatient. One girl stared at her watch.
"Okay guys, c'mon." Raye called out. "One more time. This time, make it good. Oh it's and we are proud...not we are loud. We are loud comes before we are proud." Raye instructed the girls from Vicki's group. "And please...do what you chant. Be loud."
The girls nodded.
"On the count of three-"
"One...two...three!" Vicki cut Raye off.
"We are the Wildcats, the strong and mighty Wildcats. We stand-"
"Stop!" Raye commanded, her voice rising over all of theirs. "That...was loud but not good." She muttered under her breath. "Yell...don't scream. If you scream, your voice comes from your throat so you won't last. When you yell, your voice comes from your stomach. It won't hurt you plus you'll be louder. Look at Mina."
Mina suddenly turned around, her sneakers squeaking.
Raye grinned at her. "Mina...say the first line of the Wildcats cheer."
Mina nodded and stood in a ten-hut position. Taking in a deep breath, she let it all out in a roar that echoed throughout the whole gym. "We are the Wildcats!"
Some of the girls took a step back.
Raye smiled. "Thanks Mina." She turned to face the girls. "Did you hear that? Every single one of you should be that loud. All of you together should be enough to set off an alarm for fire."
The girls stared at each other and straightened their backs.
"So are you ready?"
They nodded.
"Okay. Once again..." She continued before Vicki could cut in. "One...two...three..."
"We are the Wildcats! The strong and mighty Wildcats. We stand together in unity. We are united in victory. Our goal is to be the best. The gold will be ours over the rest."
Raye nodded as they continued.
"Be...agressive! We have the spirit!"
Serena quietly argued withVictoria while eyeing the cheerleaders. "We need to cross out some of the names. We have to decide as a squad."
"Serena...you're already tired. Just let me cross out the names."
"Victoria...as much as I trust you, I would rather have someone else do that. And will you please stop using me being tired as an excuse? Aren't you the one who's tired? Besides, I do believe I said that we have to decide as a squad." Serena's tone harded, emphasizing "you" and "squad".
"But you're the Captain. It's a lot of work - "
"Exactly! I am the Captain. That means that whatever I say will be followed unless the majority of the squad disagrees."
"We are number one, say we are number one! We are number one, now say it! We are number one!" The girls kept on going.
"I'm pretty sure the squad will disagree." Victoria hissed.
"They why don't you ask them? You know what, it just seems like you're so sure of everything. You're a great cheerleader...that's why you're second in command. I just really have a problem with your attitude." The girls' voices echoed in the background.
"You may have a problem, so why not ask the squad?"
"Stand with us! Cheer for us!"
"Well if you're so sure about things then I'm pretty sure myself that they'll agree with me," Serena bit back.
Victoria glared at her. "Why, all because you're the Captain?" The girls' voices kept on echoing against the background.
"Now say go red! Now go black! We are wild! We have energy! We stand out. We stand for one. We stand for spirit..."
"I never used my role as an excuse! Besides, the squad's the one who voted for me to be Captain."
Victoria narrowed her eyes. She nearly told her that she was one of the few girls who voted for herself. "Stop changing the subject."
"I'm not changing the subject! You're trying to avoid it. Stop using pathetic topics as excuses."
"You always say I use excuses!"
"Because you do!"
"We know you hear us. Shout and cheer along with us. We are the best! We will beat the rest! We can add some boom into it..."
Serena sighed. "Look...we're being immature-"
"You're being immature." Victoria grinned.
Serena raised her brows at her. "You know I should be telling you that. Well honey, if I argue like shit then you're staring right into a mirror. Victoria...just drop it. Let the squad decide."
"We are loud and we are proud! We are on top! We'll never stop! So stand up and go wild. We'll shout our spirit across the miles. Now tell us..."
"You want them to decide because you're going to make them agree with you."
"Oh you mean like the way you make the boys bow down to your every wish? I want them to decide because every single one of us stands for the entire squad. It wouldn't be fair if only I decided...It wouldn't be fair if I do what you just did."
Victoria stared at her with a bewildered expression. "How dare you!"
"Beat that team! We said..."
"Oh I dare. I'm the one trying to stop this."
"Just beat that team! We will go..."
"You know what Serena?...Captain?" Vicki's voice drooled with venom.
"What?"
"So who...who are we?"
"Just shut-"
"Exactly what I was gonna tell you Victoria." Serena smiled. "Shut..."
"We are the River..."
"...The hell..."
"Side Wildcats!"
"Up!"
At that moment, all the girls stared at the two of them. The other cheerleaders approached them. "Something wrong here?" Raye tapped her foot.
Serena grinned at her. "No...We were just hoping that you could help us decide on a little something."
~~~~~
Serena slammed a piece of paper with a list of the girls' names on the table. She stared at the girls and sighed. "Water break. You have five minutes."
All the girls ran to get their water bottles. A few them ran outside and rushed to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Serena gathered all the cheerleaders in a circle. She pulled out another piece of paper with all of the girls names. There were about at least ninety of them. A lot of the names were crossed out. "Okay...so who's going to stay for our next try-out? The main one?"
One of the girls stared at her. "The main one?"
Serena nodded. "Didn't you read the flyer? I'm pretty sure it said that this was just the try-out for who's actually fit to even have a chance for the competition. The main try-outs are for us to determine who's going to competition...the final two. It's on Saturday."
The girl stared at her with wide eyes and slowly walked off. Judging from that look, Serena figured that perhaps many of the girls just saw the words "Try-outs for Cheerleading in the Gym this Saturday" and ran off.
All the girls sat down around the table and stared at the long lists. Amy eyed all the other girls. "Ask them for their names later. I have an idea of who we should kick out and who should stay. Once they say their names I'll tell you if you should cross them out or not."
Serena nodded and tucked the pen behind her ear. Victoria suddenly snatched the paper away from her. "You know what, Capt...you look really tired. Maybe I should do the crossing out for you."
Serena smiled at her and pulled the paper back. "It's fine. I'm taking a five minute break myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure that if I'm strong enough to walk I'll be strong enough to cross out names." There was something fake about that smile.
Victoria smiled back with an equally fake one.
Lita leaned over and whispered in Mina's ear. "She's lucky she's important to our squad. If it wasn't for that we wouldn't even keep her." Mina nodded in agreement.
Serena stared back at all of the girls and leaned on the table. Just then, the doors opened as an older girl walked in. She handed Serena a little note. Serena only stared at her, the note in her hand. "What's this?"
The girl shrugged. "It's from Ms. Hiller. I forgot to give it you yesterday. I remembered that you have cheerleading try-outs so I decided to drop by and give it you."
Serena nervously unfolded the piece of paper. If she came all the way over to the try-outs just to hand out a little note, it was probably important.
The girl smiled at her. "Don't worry, it's not bad. I couldn't give it to you on Monday because it's about Monday. Some girl named Christina Shields wants to look around our school. I heard she wanted to join our school, so Ms. H. wanted you to take her on a little tour around our school grounds."
Serena's eyes scanned over the note. It was true. She wanted to take in a deep breath, but smiled at the girl anyway. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." The girl smiled back and walked out. All the girls came back and watched her the whole time as she left the gym. All their eyes suddenly fell on Serena.
Victoria grinned and crossed her arms. "She's in trouble." That same girl with the black neck-length hair crossed her own arms and nodded.
Amy approached Serena. "Is something wrong?"
Serena shook her head. "No. I just have to take some girl on a little tour around our school on Monday. That's why I had to get that note now."
Victoria cursed silently.
"Oh." Amy grinned. "I was actually a little worried. I thought you got into trouble...and so did Vicki." She nodded in Victoria's direction who was muttering every single cursed word she knew. Serena just grinned. "It's nice to build people up then watch them break down sometimes."
Amy picked up the papers. "Well...they're all here."
Serena nodded and stepped forward. All the girls ran into their positions when she did just that. Serena laughed. "Well I guess we really trained them." She whispered to Amy, then lifted her gaze to address all the girls. "Alright...this is it. These papers will determine who will go out for next week's try-outs."
Some of the girls looked just as surprised as the other girl earlier. The rest held their breaths.
"When I call out your name, raise your hand. If I write something down after I see you, that doesn't mean I'm crossing your name out. It could mean that, but it could also mean that I'm checking your name off. If I check your name that means you're staying."
All the girls nodded.
Serena paused for a moment. "Just to let you know...you all did a good job. I have never seen anyone pick up on things this fast. If we don't pick you, that doesn't mean you're not a good cheerleader. It just means that we didn't see what we were looking for in you when it comes to competition."
Once again they nodded. A few of them smiled.
"For those of you who do get picked, you'll have one week to practice all the cheers and moves we taught you. Remember that we really have to work out...fast. If you don't think you can keep up, please don't come back next week. If you can't go for some reason, please call someone and let us know. We'll try to schedule another try-out for you. Please try to make it anyway. Also keep in mind that this is just for the competition. We're picking out only TWO girls to fill in the spots for Hazel and Karla. You may get picked now, but that doesn't mean you'll get picked out next week. Remember that it could have been any one of you."
This time they looked down, barely nodding.
Serena smiled weakly. "I admire you all. You were all good, so don't be disappointed."
The girls looked back up. A few of them smiled at her.
Serena bit her bottom lip and smiled back. This was just the first time she had to do something like this and it was already hard. Just looking at all those hopeful faces crushed her.
Amy elbowed her lightly and handed her the papers. Serena smiled at her and pulled the pen away from her ear. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled her shoulders back and looked straight up at all of them. "Audrey?"
One of the girls raised her hand. Amy examined her for a moment and whispered something in Serena's ear. Serena nodded and crossed out her name.
"Avie?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy took one look at her and whispered something in Serena's ear again. Serena crossed her name out as well.
"Brittany?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy watched her for a moment, then she did the same thing. This time, Serena checked off her name.
Serena kept calling out more names, slowly going down the list. Everytime she crossed out or checked off a name, Amy would sneak in a few questions. "So who did she say wanted to attend our school?"
"I don't know...some girl. Christina, I think."
Amy paused for a moment. "Christina what?" Her voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear.
"Camielle?"
Another girl raised her hand. Amy looked at her and quickly whispered in Serena's ear. Serena crossed out her name, then flashed Amy a questioning look. "Why are you so interested? I mean...well, it's just another tour. You've done them yourself." The two girls didn't notice that Victoria was watching them. Serena looked up again. "Clara?"
Another girl raised her hand.
"Because...well, it might be someone I know. What's her last name?" Amy eyed the girl and did the same thing. Once again, another name was crossed out.
Serena wrinkled her nose. "I...um...oh, I don't know. Schiff? Shere? Shields?" She looked back up. "Danielle?"
Another girl raised her hand.
Amy's eyes went wide when Serena said "Shields". They were even wider when she looked at Danielle. The girl smiled at her. Danielle...she was that girl who's arm didn't move when she pushed it earlier. Amy leaned over. "Her...definitely her. She has to go for next week's try-outs."
Serena cocked a brow at Danielle and checked her name off. Just then, Amy grabbed her arm. "Christina Shields?"
All eyes suddenly fell on her. Victoria looked more interested than ever. Even Danielle's eyes went wide.
Serena looked around nervously. "Damn Amy. Keep your voice down. Why are you so surprised?"
Amy laughed. "Chris...Christina Shields. Don't tell me you don't know her."
Serena looked at her and called out another name. "Diane?"
"Check her name off...Serena, this is Christina Shields we're talking about! The sister of Darien Shields!" She lowered her voice.
"Yeah, so? Lord Amy. I've never seen you this excited over someone. Um...Ellen?"
Amy blushed. "Well, Darien is-" She looked at the girl who raised her hand. "Cross her out...Darien is that famous football player from Eden's! Haven't you ever seen him? He is gorgeous!"
Serena rolled her eyes and crossed off the name. "Well I've heard of him, but I never really pay attention to guys like him...Emma?"
"Guys like him?" Amy nervously glanced at the girl. "Count her in...Guys like him? Serena, even I like him. He is charming, smart, witty...every girl I know wants him."
"Except me...Ep..."She narrowed her eyes at one name. "Epha...Ephada? Ephadia? Did I get that right?"
One girl raised her hand and called out a loud "Yes".
Serena nodded and looked back up. "Amy...He's probably not even going to be there when I take his sister on a little tour."
"Are you kidding? For someone who's popular and knows almost everything about guys, you sure are clueless about him."
Serena was about to call out another name but was cut off instead. She paused and stared at her. All the other girls stared at her.
Amy sighed. "I'm sorry. That was wrong, but it's true. You may think he's just another brainless guy from heaven, but he's really more than that. Oh and he's gonna be there when Christina arrives. His mother's out with his father. They share the same business, and both of them rarely have time to take Christina out. Darien's class ends at two. The tours are usually around three. As long as he's not in school, he's obligated to take his sister to wherever she needs to go."
Serena snorted and looked back at the name again. "Two? Damn, what time does he go to school anyway?"
"Six. Classes start at six in the morning."
Serena stopped and stared at her again. "Well you've been doing some research."
Amy nodded. "You're a lucky girl to even get the chance to be around him for half an hour. Just...get to know him. I'm pretty sure he'll like you...at least as a friend."
Serena sighed. "Fine...but why are you so desperate to make me talk to him?"
"Well after that little break-up with Travis, I think it's about time you need a new man." Amy grinned. "Besides, it's making Victoria jealous so far, isn't it?"
Both girls stared at Victoria who was glaring at Serena, red and green with envy.
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Author's Notes: Pardon any typos please. Reviews!