We finally arrive at my first real cheer practice and I'm so excited! I wonder if I'll meet any new friends?

The coach lady looks average height like my mom. Her strawberry blonde hair in a wavy ponytail wearing a lime green bow.

She smiles greeting mom. "Hi! You must be Ashley's mother!"

"I am. Oh it's been quite a week my husband is off doing Overwatch work."

Her face lights up. "Did you hear about what happened in Thailand?"

"Yeah I did hear! I swear those omnics are like always up to no good!"

"Anyway let me show you guys inside."

We go inside and there are stacks of folding chairs to the left, stacks of water bottle cases to the right and inside there are mats of all different shapes with lots of other kids on them.

"Girls this is Ashley. Can you say hi?"

"Hi Ashley!"

I kinda blush, my head down kinda smiling slowly twisting with my hands holding behind me. I then wave and smile back.

We only do a little running, stretching, and then we all have lunch.

Everyone goes to their lockers but there's a small hall I have to go down there!

I go into a small room on my left and...aww a baby carriage! I really like the tiny dove plush hanging above it. Leaving broken rosebuds in there doesn't look too safe. There are unopened boxes of toys for babies and first graders and everything in between. Uh oh it looks like someone broke those robot dolls! I don't wanna get in trouble for it so I leave.

After like 20 seconds I go back into the locker room and I get my granola bar and coconut water joining the rest of the girls.

I sit at a round table next to the lockers and two other girls from ballet talk to me. "So when do you think they'll let us do the fun stuff?"

"I don't know but I feel like we should at least start with toe touches."

I tell her. "But we were touching our toes when we stretched!"

She draws a bit on her tablet then looks back up to me. "No I meant like you jump and split and touch them!"

"Oh I get it thanks."

The other one whispers to me. "Do you see her? The girl over with the pink bow? She's Isabella and she's like so good!"

Her friend's eyes widen while she takes a sip of water washing down a peanut butter and banana sandwich. "I know right! Her round offs and front handsprings are like so good!"

"I heard her tell her friend she glowed white and fired lasers out of her hands but I don't believe she really did that."

Sounds like when I glowed! I run over to her table. "Hi I'm new here!"

She looks at her tablet kinda drawing. Her tangerine orange silly band matches the lunch room's walls.

"K."

"Oh my gosh Imma lefty too!"

"K."

She isn't looking up at me. Maybe she's just shy?

"Someone said you're like so good at cheer! So many people probably wanna be your friend."

She smiles looking up at me for less than a second. "Welcome to my fan club!"

Umm, thanks?

"Someone said you glowed and they didn't believe you but I glowed too!"

"Oh you did! My gosh no way!"

"Yeah I glowed purple and jumped really high so dad called these 3 old guys to seal my power because he doesn't want me getting us all in trouble."

Her eyes widen and she smiles with her mouth wide open. "That's so amazing! Sit with me I can tell we're going to be friends."

"Do you have an Instagram or TikTok?"

"No mom says I'm too young for phones I'm only allowed to use the lame ones with like no way to install anything. Especially fun things."

She rests her head on her hand forking tomato and avocado out of her salad. "My powers were sealed too! Gosh I hate it so much."

I smile and have such a good idea! "Hey I know do you wanna glitter our shoes?"

She tells me. "Yeah! I have like so many of them!"

We go into a corner sitting like frogs I go into my bag and grab DIY glitter glue paint I made myself in pink, red, light medium blue, and dark purple.

The coach comes over to us smiling. "I see you girls are getting along. We're going to start practice again soon so get ready. And the fun stuff starts right after our break."

She sits down near a higher spot near our lockers looking at me. She says to me sounding serious. "Isabella's my baby so please stay nice to her okay?"

"Wow you're the coach's daughter!?"

"No I'm more like a teacher's pet to her."

She gets up claps her hands and says lunch is over.

Isabella tells me. "It feels so good being her favorite! It makes me feel so special."

The coach shows us a round off and one girl almost makes it but the coach spots her so her falling on her face doesn't really hurt that much.

I really like how springy these mats feel. I take a deep breath staring forward. Here I go. My hands hit the mat and right after my feet come up. But I'm so terrified of falling on my face! Oh good the coach saved me!

Coach corrects me. "Your lunge was too short. Isabella would you like to show your new friend how to round off properly? After that would you like to come with me to the cheese wedge mat?"

Isabella's hand rests on her hip, the corners of her mouth raised and sounding happy to help, "Sure! You just keep your arms near your ears and your hands and back leg should make a straight line."

Then she does a round off.

"See? Nothing to it."

I fall a few times but Isabella tells me after dragging her feet looking at me. "It's okay Ash."

I step up to the cheese wedge mat from the step stool and my arms are against my ears and leg back.

"Just cartwheel when you feel ready ok Ashley?"

I cartwheel down landing on the squishier mat on top of the springier one. Wow that was fun!

The coach proudly tells me "See you're learning!"

Other girls rehearse their cartwheeling skills but a few don't look like they're having fun. I keep doing them and on my third try I'm feeling like I can do a round off. I get into position, and it feels like a regular cartwheel but when my feet are at their highest I push myself up while kicking both my feet forward. I feel like I just barely landed on my feet but I did it!

The coach claps. "Keep it up and you won't need the cheese wedge mat anymore!"

I feel kinda flattered but also a bit lucky. "Thanks coach!" She hands us water bottles from the lunch room's fridge.

I invite Isabella over my house and she said yes.

The coach tells us. "Okay girls your parents are here!"

She looks at me and says. "You did so well for your first day Ashley!"

Isabella asks her mom if she can come over with me and she said yes. We are gonna have so much fun!