Zodiac High-The Series

B2 20

ABOVE: 'THAT'S WHAT I WANT' slowed + reverb (this is the cheerleader's song from later in the chapter)

Taurus

I wasn't sure what we were doing at the football game.

But here we were anyways, on Gemini's insistence, watching as the footballers engaged in a pre-season face-off with a local high school, toxic male pitted against toxic male, cheerleaders on the sidelines. 

Libra was, of course, still cheerleading captain, but she no longer openly cheered to please the footballers. She'd been working to take cheer into a new light. To make it something independent. Something just as worthy of attention as football, rather than something that played a hand in encouraging the ridiculously patriarchal system of high school football. 

I, for one, was all for her cause, but the faculty wasn't as keen on the new direction cheerleading had taken. I watched as the faculty shot Libra dirty glares, wanting her to dance at the footballers' every movement and to lead her team, but Libra stood absolutely still, her team right behind her. They'd prepared a halftime performance, and they were waiting for it. 

"There he is... the breakout star, the only new senior n the team... DARRON GEDGE!" 

"He is gorgeous," Gemini sighed, watching him a little too closely. Gemini was right-Darron was definitely attractive, with windswept chocolate brown eyes and dark brown eyes that glistened under the stadium lights. Standing at just an inch under Leo's height, he was clearly quite fit and wasted no time asserting his dominance on the field. It was hard to believe he'd only started playing football over break-he'd been a swimmer before, only having arrived in America about 2 years ago from New Zealand. Regardless, he was doing incredibly well for himself, being made the team's newest tight end. If the seniors' opinions gave any indication, it seemed clear that Darron would win Prom King. 

Darron was great, but he was nowhere near as amazing Pisces. I was so, so grateful to have Pisces. He'd saved me at my lowest. He'd changed me. He hadn't tried to make me act a certain way and he'd never pressured me-he'd just been there, and somehow, that was enough. I leaned over, planting a kiss on Pisces' cheek. He turned toward me, smiling and frowning at the same time, looking incredibly confused. "What was that for?"

"Nothing. I just... I love you. You know that, right?"

"I know, Taur. I love you, too."

Pisces wrapped an arm around me, grinning, when I turned toward Gemini, only to see her chatting with...

Capricorn.

"This Gedge may be a promising player, but nobody can replace Tyshon!" Capricorn exclaimed, looking incredibly enraged.

"Well, if you looked down at the field, you would see Darron killing it out there!" Gemini fired back, even though her attention was as far away from the field as possible. She was caught up, arguing with Capricorn as if her life depended on it. 

Those two would've made a cute couple, I thought, but it wasn't like that was likely to happen with all the drama surrounding Virgo and Capricorn (and, for some reason, Leo too). It confused me, how Capricorn, who was generally such a respectful guy, could just kiss Virgo like that, without asking for her permission or anything. Leo I expected it from, but from what I'd heard, Virgo had been the one to kiss Leo, not the other way around. 

"AND THAT'S HALF-TIME, FOLKS!" The cheerleaders took to the center of the field. The group of 18 had assembled themselves into three pyramids, each one made up of three rows. Libra, who had previously insisted on being placed at the top in spite of the weight order, had now taken to a middle-row position in the middle pyramid. The pyramid stood straighter as a result-a result of compromise and teamwork.

God, Libra had grown so much as a person.

But then again, so had I.

The music-a high tempo song I thought was from Lil Nas X's new album, began playing, the cheerleaders moving perfectly in sync. The energy was through the roof as the pyramids flowed effortlessly into a ground based formation, a couple of the more acrobatic cheerleaders splitting to perform an effortlessly choreographed handspring set while Libra and the remaining dancers brought out their pom-poms, moving in time with the music, their hand movements sharp and at perfect angles with each other, the cheerleaders still managing to maintain their sass by incorporating their whole bodies (especially their hair) into the routine. 

The number progressed into a slower section, one like anything the cheerleaders had done before, rearranging themselves into one large pyramid, when suddenly...

"STOP! STOP THIS AT ONCE!" 

Principal Stone stepped out onto the field, her mouth pursed in a thin line as the music was abruptly paused. "This is disgusting behaviour. You are not meant to have a half time act that runs over 30 seconds, let alone be standing still during the match. You are our cheerleaders, girls. Your job is to support the boys. To support the role models here at Varsity High-the footballers. This strike, or whatever you girls call this self-acclaimed movement, must stop-"

"Why should we stop?" a cheerleader questioned. "Cheerleading is a sport, just like football. We deserve more than to just be confined to the sidelines."

"We're worth just as much as the boys," another added, looking infuriated. "We put in just as much time as them. We deserve the same attention and the same platform to showcase our talents."

"And we're not just the supporting crowd," a third contributed. "If you can't respect that, you really shouldn't be out here giving us orders."

Principal Stone looked as she were about to explode.

"What-what is this nonsense?" she questioned. "Who taught you this? Who has introduced this new-this crude-thinking to the team?"

Libra wasted no time. She stepped forward, head held high. "I did, Principal Stone, because our so-called crude thinking is what's going to get us places. It's what's going to give us opportunities in the future. Opportunities you've refused to offer us. And it's going to inspire the new freshmen girls to join cheer not to simply please and motivate the footballers, but to make a path for themselves at Varsity High. To become one of the people who are remembered as legends, as role models, by students and faculty alike.

"Because, Principal Stone, we are worth it."

I saw many people with their phones out-they were clearly recording all of this, and I, for one, hoped they'd use their recording for good.

"T-THIS-LIBRA-YOU-"

Principal Stone took a deep breath.

"Miss Cole, you're off the squad, and the rest of you, you're all on proba-"

"If you kick Libra out, kick me out, too."

"And me."

"And me."

"And me."

As more and more of the cheerleaders joined in, Principal Stone saw herself outnumbered. "We will sort this out at school. Go sit down."

And with that was born an era of revolution at Varsity High.