When Day Ends and Night Begins
A Twilight Fan Fiction
By Puppetstrings19
Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story contains underage drug and alcohol use, profanity, discussion of sex and sexually explicit acts. Mature readers only please.
This story is Unbeta'ed! Please forgive the occasional grammatical errors. I'm only human, after all.
Chapter 34: Cheerleading Tryouts
"A while?" I snapped. "You guys were watching for a while?"
I folded my arms over my chest, covering the sweat that lingered on the neck of my tank top.
"We didn't want to disturb you," Tyler defended.
"Fuck that," I retaliated.
"Why so defensive?" Kirk interjected. "You looked hot."
"And clumsy," Tyler added with a chuckle.
"Leave her alone, assholes," Edward said with a deep drone.
I watched him push roughly passed his two friends as he made his way over to me.
"Don't be so upset," he said. "You were doing fine..."
"So you thought it would be cool to watch with your buddies like a bunch of creeps?" I said, fuming.
"We weren't trying to be creepy, Bella. We just happened to show up at the right… or wrong time."
"Whatever," I snapped turning away.
"You looked good," he murmured into my ear. "I'm honestly a little impressed."
"Now you're just teasing me."
"I'm not teasing you, baby. I'm being honest."
I turned to glance at him over my shoulder.
Edward was slowly backing away from me, heading towards his friends who were now waiting by the gym doors carrying a couple of mats.
"I'll see you after practice," I said.
I watched as he kissed his fist before turning and flowing the boys out through the doors.
"He's right, you know," Rosalie said. She was standing a few feet behind me. "You really weren't doing too bad."
I glanced at her.
"And you need to get used to guys watching you practice. It's gonna happen more often than you think."
"Let's keep going," I said angrily. "I wanna make the team."
"Why?" she asked after a moment of hesitation.
"What?"
"Why now? Where did this sudden motivation come from?"
"I guess I'm just tired of being the clumsy girl."
"And?"
"And… I'm actually having a little fun." A small smile escaped my lips.
"I fucking knew it," Rosalie laughed. "I knew it! See? Cheerleading can be fun if you do it with the right people. Come on, say it! I was right!"
"Ok, ok. You were right."
"Thank you…"
I watched Rosalie march, chin held high, towards her iPhone to restart the song.
"And…" She said as she turned towards me. "Five, six, seven, eight!"
I decided to meet Edward back at Charlie's after practice. After five odd hours of going over the cheerleading tryouts routine, I was incredibly exhausted and already feeling my sore muscles settling in. And I had a really bad headache. Rosalie told me that people who don't exercise very often sometimes get migraines triggered from vigorous exercise. Apparently it was proof that I had never actually worked out a day in my life.
"I need a hot bath," I murmured to myself as I lay spent on Charlie's sofa.
It was only 2. Edward wouldn't be here for another hour.
I kicked off my Vans and pulled off my hoodie. I was covered in sweat and I could smell the excess salt on my body. Gross. I hated sweating.
I turned on the television and flipped through some channels. I must have dozed because before I knew it, there was a soft knock on the front door.
I woke with a start, my heart hammering hard in my chest. I sat up a little too quickly, tripped over my sprawled Vans and stumbled into the living room wall.
"Shit!" I hissed when my shoulder made contact.
"Bella?" Edward called softly.
He didn't wait for a response before he let himself in.
I was already on my knees on the floor, nursing my injured shoulder while my head spun from the sudden blood rush.
"What happened?" he asked with a chuckle.
"I tripped."
"No surprise there. Are you hurt?"
"I hit my shoulder against the wall."
Edward crouched down beside me, inspecting the bruise that began to form. He brushed his fingers very carefully over the growing lump.
"Do you want some ice?" he asked softly.
"No… but a bath would be nice," I murmured.
"A bath, huh?"
"Yes. I smell."
"No you don't."
I sniffed my tank top.
"I smell like sweat," I argued.
Edward rolled his eyes and stood up.
I tried to follow, but couldn't. My legs buckled beneath me.
"Uh… A little help?" I held my hands out.
Edward took them without hesitation and quickly pulled me to my feet.
I released a low groan of pain. My thighs were burning from the inside out.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked, eying my shoulder.
"My legs…" I whimpered. "I'm so sore."
"From one day of practice?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes, they're on fire."
"May I please carry you to the bathroom, my love? I don't want said thighs to cause you any more pain."
"Sarcasm isn't allowed in this house," I snapped.
"You're sarcastic all the time," he argued back.
"I live here."
"Ok then, Bella, do you want me to help you get to the bathroom?"
"Fine…" I said with a sigh. And then I giggled loudly when Edward scooped me up into his arms and carried me up the stairs.
He placed me down on the toilet before turning towards the tub and setting the water for me. I watched him twist the knobs around before testing the water with his fingertips. My eyes flickered over his muscular arms.
"Can I watch?" he asked, glancing at me from over his shoulder.
"I guess so." I felt myself blush beneath his gaze.
"I can leave if you're uncomfortable."
"You've seen me naked before," I responded. "I'm not uncomfortable."
He turned away from the faucet and crouched down in front of me.
"Then why are you blushing?" he asked. He brushed the back of his knuckles against my warm cheek.
"Its unavoidable. I can't control myself around you."
I watched Edward's eyes flicker over my face.
"Let me help you," he said.
He pulled my socks from my feet before helping me stand. And then he slipped my tights and panties down my legs before helping me pull my tank top and bra over my head. He even undid my bun. I was secretly happy that his gaze didn't linger for long on my intimates, but I did see a slight flush gather on his cheeks.
"Here," he said, offering me a hand as I climbed in to the hot bath.
My legs were shaking uncontrollably.
"Ok, I am uncomfortable," I moaned. "Please don't watch."
"Why?"
"Because I feel like a crippled old lady," I whined. "Please."
I glanced up and saw Edward turn toward the opposite wall.
I lowered my aching body into the bath and quickly squirted some soap beneath the faucet stream. Bubbles erupted instantly and I gathered some over my chest and waist.
"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" Edward asked skeptically as he turned to face me.
"Maybe because I'm all sore and… I'm naked in a bathtub?"
He frowned at me.
"Cause I'm weird? I don't know, I feel vulnerable."
Edward smirked as he took a seat on the closed toilet. And then he pulled out his iPhone. I watched him scan through it before setting it down on the sink. I listened as Velouria by the Pixies played softly through his speakers.
"I need to get an iPhone," I mused.
"What kind of phone do you have?" he asked.
"A prepaid phone that Charlie got me when I moved here."
He nodded.
I watched his eyes flicker over my face and chest before looking away.
I blushed, looking down into the water.
"You like the Pixies?" I asked.
"I do."
"Most of their albums?"
"I have my favorites," he responded with a smirk.
"Me too. Is Bossanova one of them?"
"Not really," he said. "But I like this song."
"I think Surfer Rosa is my favorite album," I said as I blew the foam from my palm.
"That's a good one. I think my favorite is… Trompe le Monde."
"Alec Eiffel?" I asked with a smile.
"It's a good song," Edward chuckled.
I leaned back into the tub, letting the hot water soak me from neck to toe. It felt incredible and my muscles were already starting to loosen and relax.
I glanced around the tiny bathroom. It was white and clean, but nowhere near as luxurious as the Cullen's bathrooms were. It was modest, with a small sink and a tiny mirror cabinet above it. The tub was rather large, a bath and shower combo.
I kept my eyes diverted from Edward as I played with the foam over my tummy. But every once in a while, my eyes would flicker to him. He was sitting slouched on the toilet seat with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me. I caught his gaze lingering on my legs, my tummy, sometimes my breasts, but more often on my face.
Here Comes Your Man was the next song on his playlist.
"This song reminds me of you," I said softly.
I watched Edward's eyes dart from my feet to my eyes.
I ran my hand nervously through my hair.
"Of me?" he asked.
"I have a whole playlist of songs that remind me of you."
"Which songs?" Edward sat up and turned off the faucet.
"Lets see…" I picked up another scoop of bubbles. "Well, this song. Wild Night by Van Morrison… Say It Ain't So by Weezer… Wonderwall by Oasis… Manhattan by Bloody Social… Cactus by the Pixies…"
"Cactus?" he asked. I watched his expression twist with humor.
"Yeah. Cactus."
"That song is about a guy who went crazy and killed his girlfriend…"
"I know," I chuckled, looking away. "But it's not always the words in the songs that remind me of you… It's… the way the songs make me feel."
"Those are some emo songs," Edward responded.
"Yeah… but they're good."
"They are good." I watched Edward's gaze drop to his hands.
I took the opportunity to dunk my head in the water and shampoo myself.
My bath ended very soon after that. I did a quick wash before I asked Edward to hand me a towel. His gaze was timid, only momentarily lingering on my naked body when he helped me up, before he wrapped me in my white towel. And then he helped me out of the tub and followed me to my room.
"What time is it?" I asked as I towel dried my body.
"Just after 4."
"Already?" I whirled around and glanced at the clock. "I can't believe I was in the bath for almost an hour."
"Look at your hands."
I glanced down. My hands and toes were very pruney.
I pulled on some panties and a plain blue t-shirt.
"Cuddle with me," I said as I climbed into bed.
I watched Edward kick off his shoes before he crawled onto my bed beside me. I turned towards him and tucked my head into his neck.
"I hate not being able to see you for long," I murmured.
"I don't work tomorrow."
"Can I see you tomorrow after practice?"
"Yes. And then we'll have the rest of the day to ourselves."
"Lets spend it at your house," I suggested. "Your bed is way bigger than mine."
"But yours is more comfortable," he argued. "It smells like you."
I felt his arms tighten around me, crushing me against his ribs. I welcomed it gladly. It hurt, but felt wonderful at the same time.
My half hour of bliss felt like only five minutes and before I knew it, Edward was pulling on his jacket and shoes and heading for the front door.
"I'll miss you," he said with a smirk.
"You'll be too busy to miss me," I argued.
"I'm never too busy to miss you, baby."
I leaned up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"Should I come over tonight?" he asked against my mouth.
"No," I sighed. "You need to get your rest."
"Maybe you should sneak into my room, then," he suggested.
My eyes flickered open, meeting his crooked smile.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"Yes… no… maybe. I think you should sneak in."
I scoffed, looking away.
"How the hell would I pull that off?" I asked.
"Easy. Just come over."
"My truck?"
We stared at each other for a moment.
"You're right," he sighed. "It's too loud and we'll never get away with it."
I frowned.
"I gotta go. I'll call you after work," he said.
Edward sucked my lips into his mouth one more time before he turned and rushed out towards his Volvo.
I slept restlessly that night. Edward called me after work, but we only talked for a bit. I could tell, even over the phone, how tired he was. He told me that he had a busy day at work and didn't actually close up until around 10. He yawned many times and asked me to repeat myself over and over every time I spoke. By that point I knew he was already half asleep. So I wished him a sweet goodnight and told him I'd talk to him tomorrow.
The next morning, I was in even worse shape than the day before. It was so hard for me to climb out of bed and even harder to go to the bathroom. Who would have thought that sitting on the toilet caused some serious muscle work? My thighs were screaming from the pain and even my stomach was aching.
Rosalie called me at 9 again, urging me to get up and get a jog in.
"You're in worse shape than I thought!" she complained when I told her that I wasn't up for any exercise.
"Seriously, Rose. I can barely move."
"The only way to make the pain go away is to push through it, Bella. You're so lazy!"
"I am not lazy, asshole. I'm in pain. My stomach and my thighs are on fire!"
"Stop being a little bitch. Just get up, throw on your Vans, put on a sweatshirt and at least walk around the block once. Trust me, it will make you feel so much better."
I complained to the point of tears, but eventually caved and agreed to meet her on my front porch in fifteen minutes.
I threw my hair up in a bun, pulled on a hoodie and tights and my stupid Vans.
"You have no idea how hard it was to lace up my shoes," I whined to an eager looking Rosalie. "Seriously, I could barely bend over."
"Lets stretch," she said, ignoring me.
We did some toe touches, some thigh stretches and some back stretches. Everything hurt so badly.
"How do you even have sex?" Rosalie asked as she eyed my shaking knees. "Does Edward do all the work?"
"Screw you," I snapped.
"Seriously. You're so weak. Sex should give you somewhat of a workout unless all you do is just lay there and let him dive into you."
I turned away from her and marched down the street, the pain in my legs instantly forgotten.
"There you go," Rosalie said with a triumphant smile. She met my pace easily. "A little anger and a bit of an adrenaline rush is all you need to get started. Now lets add a five-minute jog. We'll go slow."
I picked up the pace until I was at a steady, but slow run. My legs began to hurt, but the pain was soon masked as other pains became evident. My chest hurt a little as I gasped for air and my stomach muscles were killing me. I made it half way around the block before I gave up and settled for a brisk walk.
"Can we skip on the routine today?" I asked through quick gasps.
"Deep breaths, Bella. You're gonna pass out."
"Answer me!" I snapped.
"No, we can't skip. You need some serious work, girl. But we'll take it easy today. I don't want to kill you."
Rosalie's sarcasm was killing me more than my glutes.
We reached her car and I instantly collapsed into the passenger seat.
"Here," she said, handing me her camelback water bottle.
I removed the cap and took a few large gulps.
"Christ," I gasped. "I'm dying."
"You're not dying, lazy ass."
I rolled my eyes at her. My cheeks were burning and my heart was hammering hard in my chest.
By the time we were in the gym, I felt a little better. My body wasn't as tired and the headache hadn't kicked in yet, so I felt up for a little practice.
"Do you remember the routine?" Rosalie asked as she set her iPhone down on the mat.
What You Waiting For? started to play softly from her speakers.
"Sure do, captain," I said with a sarcastic smile.
We went through the routine for about two hours, but I was still struggling with my balance. Rosalie said that it needed to look effortless and less like work. It needed to flow from me. She said I looked more like a stiff Barbie with no rhythm.
"More ass," Rosalie snapped. "Smile. Your hips, Bella. Left, right, left, right. That's it, you got it. Five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"
"What chu waitin', what chu waitin', what chu waitin'… foorrrr…" I sang to myself as I moved.
Jump, kick, point toe, arms out, point left, right, left, right, swish hips, slap thighs. Snap fingers, circle wrists, circle hips, step back, step back…
Once I was thoroughly exhausted and lay spent on the mat, Rosalie and I spent the next couple of hours talking less about cheer and more about the boys.
"How are you and Emmett doing?" I asked casually.
"We're fine I guess. We're still not boyfriend and girlfriend, though."
"How come?"
"I don't know. I guess we're still just… having fun."
I glanced up at her. She was sitting by my head, playing with the bottom hem of her jogging pants.
"Is that enough for you?" I asked.
"I don't know anymore," she sighed. "I really like Em, but I feel like he's… waiting for something, you know? He wont ask me to be his girlfriend, but I don't want to bring it up either."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to push him if he doesn't want a girlfriend right now. He's gonna be a senior and he's the star quarterback. He probably wants to be single."
I frowned. I honestly didn't know Emmett that well, but I was sure he had more than just a thing for Rosalie. They already acted like a couple, so why not make it official?
"Do you want me to talk to him?" I asked.
"No way!" she snapped. "Nuh-uh. If he wants me to be his girlfriend, he can ask me himself."
We were quiet for another few minutes.
"Its almost 2," she said. "Do you wanna go downstairs and watch the boys play?"
"Sure."
The next two weeks passed in a blur and tryouts were literally just around the corner.
"You'll do fine," Rosalie reassured me for the hundredth time. We were sitting in her red Honda, driving towards Forks High. "You've got the routine down, you know the steps. You're ready, Bella. Stop freaking out."
"I'm not freaking out," I lied.
"Look, you're gonna be dancing with a group of girls. A lot of freshmen, sophomore and junior girls are trying-out this year. And I'm telling you, there are going to be a lot of girls who suck ass. You have nothing to worry about."
I took a few deep breaths, trying unsuccessfully to steady my heart.
Last week, I had made a few phone calls to various teachers in request for at least two teacher recommendations in order to join the Cheerleading Squad. Mr. Banner, my Bio teacher, and Mrs. Goff, my Spanish teacher, were nice enough to provide me with the letters of recommendation. Once that was taken care of, I met with Coach Samantha Wells and we had a rather pleasant interview.
Coach Wells was a pretty lady of about fifty. She had short curly brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a killer physique. She told me all about what my position would be like if I was picked as an alternate. She gave me a basic rundown; similar to the one Rosalie had given me. She told me what my duties would consist of, what would be expected of me and also let slip that there were a handful of other girls who wanted to tryout as an alternate as well. She also told me about what the practice schedule would be like during and outside of school. P.E. would basically be the same as usual, however, I would have to dedicate every Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 for practice. No acceptations. And, I would also get a free 6th period, open for away games, home games, pep rallies, other games and fundraisers.
I agreed to everything with a fake wide smile on my face. Wells seemed happy with my 'enthusiasm' and told me she couldn't wait to see me on Wednesday, August 14th at 3:30pm for Tryouts.
And now I was there, climbing out of Rosalie's car and heading for the gym.
My eyes flickered over the doors to the guy's locker room, but Edward was nowhere in sight.
"I guess that's a good thing," I said under my breath.
"What is?" Rosalie asked as she climbed the stairs beside me.
"I didn't see Edward."
"Would it be bad if he was here?"
"No, not at all. But… I can do without the humiliation of him seeing me make a fool out of myself."
"Bella," Rosalie snapped. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she gripped my wrist and pulled me towards her. "Stop putting yourself down. You're going to be fine and you're going to kick ass. Have some confidence, please. And where the fuck did all the motivation go?"
"Down the toilet with my early morning puking spree," I murmured.
"What?"
"Nothing, it was a joke. Ok, I'll do fine. I got this. I'm ready."
"That's it. Say it again, louder."
"I'll do fine. I got this. I'm ready."
Rosalie gave me stiff nod before she turned and led me into the gym doors.
It was packed, full of teenage girls wearing exercise clothes that looked too tight and too short for Forks weather. I remained modest in my semi-snug hoodie, messy bun, black tights and new pair of grey and lime green running shoes.
My eyes roamed over the many faces. Some I knew and some I didn't. I caught Alice's eye and I saw her nudge Angela before they both turned to wave at me.
I kept my head held high as I walked towards them.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey!" they squealed. "You made it."
"Of course."
My eyes flickered to Lauren, Jessica, Tanya and Kate who stood beside them.
Lauren gave me a death glare, her eyes roaming over my clothes. She was wearing a pair of very short and very tight yoga shorts and a small t-shirt with her tiny midriff showing.
"Ladies!" Coach Wells called to us.
I turned and saw the coach sitting on the lowest bleacher in front of us. My eyes flickered over her head, and sitting near the top flanked between Mike, Emmett, Tyler, Jasper, Eric and the rest of the Football team… was Edward.
I felt my face instantly burn red hot.
He smiled crookedly down at me, his eyes glittering with excitement.
"I see many new faces this year," Coach Wells continued. "But as many of you know, we are not taking more than thirteen girls. Aside from our newest head cheerleader and this year's captain, Rosalie Hale, all of last year's cheerleaders must be re-evaluated and must tryout to earn a spot on this year's cheerleading squad."
My eyes flickered to Rosalie who was standing beside the coach with a wide smile plastered across her face. Rose met my gaze and gave me an encouraging nod. I smiled back at her, thankful for her enthusiasm.
"Ok, so during the tryouts," the coach continued, "you will be evaluated based on your personality, your enthusiasm, your athleticism, scholastic capability and lastly your response to a brief questionnaire."
A rumble of voices broke out over the group of girls around me in response to what the coach said. There was some giggling, some talking, and some low groans of disapproval. But I remained quiet and expressionless as my eyes darted continuously towards Edward.
"Quiet, quiet," the coach said. "You have to be quiet or you're not going to hear me."
The voices around me died down.
"Please come and take a nametag. You will need to wear this sticker on your top at all times."
I approached the table by the bleachers where a girl was handing out various rolls of 'Hello. My name is…' stickers and Sharpies. I hastily wrote my name down and stuck it to my t-shirt beneath my hoodie.
The coach proceeded to introduce a few men and women from the board who would be evaluating us. She told us that we would go through the physical evaluation based on rounds, and we would get dismissed according to our skill level. And then tryouts began. She asked us to stretch if we needed to and said that the music would begin in five minutes. She informed us that we had been expected to learn a specific routine over the summer and the routine would be used to evaluate us. However, certain modifications can be made during the session and we would have to adjust accordingly. I assumed this was also part of the evaluation, seeing how we would react under pressure.
This is like a job interview, I thought as I stretched my thighs and back.
A few minutes later, Rosalie asked us to spread out at least four feet apart and then asked those who did not know the routine to follow her lead. She said that she would pick up the first eight steps and asked for the rest of us to follow starting at the top of the next eight. Rosalie told us that we had to repeat the routine over and over until the music stopped. This allowed the evaluation team to get a clear view of each girl who was trying-out. She also said that we were allowed to change our minds at any time and leave the court accordingly.
I pulled off my hoodie and tossed it onto the gym bag I was sharing with Rosalie before I scurried over to a position on the left beside a small brunette girl. I purposely kept some distance away from the girls I knew, mostly for my own piece of mind. I didn't want to get distracted.
The music started and four seconds later, Rosalie was dancing.
I watched her, keeping time in my head before I started. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…
I tried to remember all of the basics that Rosalie had drilled into my brain. Point my fingers, point my toes, pop my hips. Twirl my head, roll my hips, keep my arms firm. Every movement had to be tight and easy. And I had to always, always keep a smile on my face.
Once I got through the first three sets of the routine, I relaxed and let the stiff dance flow through me much more easily. Two weeks of hard work definitely played off. My gaze flickered to Edward and I chuckled when I saw the wide smile across his face. He was nodding in time to the song, his eyes drifting over my body watching me move. I knew I wasn't great at this kind of thing, but I knew I wasn't doing too bad either. His expression told me that much.
After what felt like ten sets, the music was finally cut.
I was sweating now and feeling the burn in my muscles, but I kept a smile on my face anyway.
I watched Rosalie approach the coach, and after a short discussion the coach sat up.
"Ladies, we are moving to round two. Unfortunately, some of you had to be cut."
I listened as names were called… But mine never came. I felt a small spasm of excitement run through me. I glanced around. There were about twenty girls now and all of them, I assumed, included the seven from last year's squad.
Tanya met my gaze and gave me a small wave.
I smirked at her and looked away.
The music started again, but Rosalie was asked to modify the dance according to her wishes. She changed a few things up, but nothing too difficult. It was enough, however, to cause me to momentarily stumble over my own feet. I had gotten used to the steps, so I wasn't prepared for even the tiniest change. The only thing she modified were some arm gestures and at one point, to turn to the left instead of the right. This threw me off balance and I stumbled into the small brunette girl beside me.
"Sorry," I gasped.
And then turning around with a phony smile on my face, I continued through the routine.
Eventually, the music was cut once again.
"Ladies," the coach's voice rang out. "Unfortunately a few more of you have been cut…"
And she called out another four names. But again, I wasn't one of them.
I glanced at the brunette girl beside me and she gave me a small giggle. She was just as surprised as I was.
The coach called a five-minute break and she turned to Rosalie and the evaluators. I stood by myself, sweating and catching my breath.
My eyes flickered back to Edward and he and Mike gave me two thumbs up. I laughed and shook my head at them, feeling embarrassed.
And then the coach approached us once again.
"Alice Brandon, Angela Weber, Brie Tanner, Kate Denali, Lauren Mallory, Irina Denali, and Tanya Vasilii, you have all made the cut. Welcome back on to the squad!"
The small brunette girl beside me gave a soft shriek of happiness before she turned to me.
"Good luck!" she said in a small voice before she turned and rushed over to the coach and her teammates.
That must be Brie, I thought to myself.
I glanced over at the remaining nine girls around me and my gaze landed on Jessica. She gave me a shy smile and a small wave. I waved back at her, chuckling softly to myself.
The next round of the evaluation process consisted of the brief questionnaire. The rest of us nine were asked to approach the evaluators and we were asked various questions in turn.
"If you had to chose one word to describe yourself, what would it be?" was one question.
"How would you describe your enthusiasm for this school?"
"Are you involved in any other clubs or extracurricular activities?"
"How do you feel about volunteering for fundraisers?"
"Isabella Swan, you were a new student to Forks High last year. What made you want to be on this year's High School Cheerleading Squad?"
I blanched.
"Um… I…" I glanced at the many faces around me. "Well, honestly, I've never been on a real team before. I've always been kind of the shy girl. I was introduced to this opportunity by your head cheerleader, and cheer captain, Rosalie Hale. And after seeking some information about what an actual cheerleading squad represents, I found myself eagerly seeking a spot on your team. I think it will give me a chance to really come into my own. I like this school and I know that by becoming a cheerleader, I will be able to help develop a relationship between our school and others, I'd be able to promote school spirit, and I'd help create a kind of unity between sports and the students on campus."
I kept an eager smile on my face and even added a bit of bounce as I finished my statement. I didn't know what the hell to say as an answer to that question, so I said the first thing that came to my head. I started off honest, and then completely BS'd my way through the rest.
"Well, Bella, I think you'll be very happy here," one of the men said to me.
I nodded enthusiastically.
The nine of us that remained were dismissed for another ten-minute break while the evaluators went over our responses.
"That was really good," Jessica said to me. "How the fuck did you come up with that?"
"No idea," I murmured as my eyes flickered back to Edward. "Mike is flagging you."
Jessica turned to see Mike move his hands, imitating her hourglass figure, before he threw a thrust in at the end.
Jessica and I broke out into a fit of silent laughter from Mike's stupidity.
"He's insane," she hissed. "Is he trying to get me cut?"
"He's just dumb. But you do look good in your outfit," I added, eyeing her short shorts.
"I have your results," Coach Wells finally said. "When I call your name, please step forward."
I watched her run her finger down the list.
"Ashley Dowling, Carmen Eleazar, Jennifer Ford, Jessica Stanley, Katie Mallory, and Isabella Swan."
I glanced around at the other girls who stepped forward. She called six of us.
"Congratulations," Coach Wells continued. "You six have made the cut. Welcome to the squad! As for the rest of you, please use this experience as motivation for improvement. I look forward to seeing you at tryouts next year."
I felt Jessica's arms close around me as she erupted into a fit of loud squeals.
"Wow," I said. "I made the cut."
I laughed along with Jessica and then accepted the few hugs that were offered to me by the other girls on my team.
Lauren and Tanya kept their distance, however. But I was fine with that.
A loud whooping came from high on the bleachers and when I turned I saw Edward and Mike on their feet, swinging their t-shirts in wide circles over their heads as they hollered down to us. Written sloppily across their chests in black paint were the words, 'Team Bella' and 'Team Jessica.'
I broke out into hysterics when I saw my name written across Edward's perfect torso.
"Yeah, baby!" Edward called in a deep, velvet voice. "That's my girl!"
Author's Note:
Hahaha, I'm sorry, but I had to. Cheerleader Edward is just too funny to me. lol But you know that it was all Mike's idea. He's such a cheese-ball sometimes.
The routine's I used as somewhat of a reference for the past couple of chapters are some that I looked up on youtube. I basically just looked up 'high school cheerleading tryouts' in the search engine. … just in case some of you were wondering. Lol
LEAVE ME SOME REVIEWS, YO!
Till next time. xoxo