IF THERE WAS one thing that Mackenzie Tate didn't expect, it was to become a cheerleader when she went to Hawkins High.
Maybe it was part of the whole re-inventing herself thing, but it wasn't exactly part of her original plan. However, the opportunity came to her in the form of Chrissy Cunningham, Hawkins High resident sweetheart and captain of the cheerleading team.
In short, Hawkins High was scary when she first walked in. Of course, she had Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Max Mayfield by her side — okay, maybe a little less Max, the girl had been secluding herself ever since Billy's sacrifice at the mall and how her family basically fell apart — but there were two pieces missing. Will Byers and Eleven leaving, especially Will, made her feel so lost in such a foreign place.
A few weeks into the school year, Mackenzie still hadn't found much to do at Hawkins High. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas had joined the Hellfire Club, which was a D&D club led by Eddie Munson, some guy with long hair that had managed to repeat senior year about three times. Mackenzie found it a little strange how in the summer the three of them had absolutely refused to play D&D with Will (well, Dustin was MIA, so he gets a pass) and now suddenly joined a new club, but whatever. Lucas had also joined the basketball team, putting in his love for the sport.
And then Chrissy had walked up to her while Mackenzie was at her longer, a sweet smile on her face. Chrissy had said that she had seen her in the hallways a couple times and in the lunch room, and how the cheerleading team needed some more freshman to be on the team. She offered her a try out. Mackenzie didn't really understand since she could sometimes come off as harsh with her sarcasm and weren't cheerleaders supposed to be bubbly?, but she accepted.
Mackenzie always had a sort of athletic ability. Maybe it was from the amount of bike riding she always did, but she was able to run a little bit and was also quite flexible. She definitely wasn't as good as the other girls on the team, but she could pick up routines and do some tricks. Chrissy was patient with her and always gave her advice when she tried new things. Mackenzie also found herself liking the other girls on the team as well.
