MY TEARS RICOCHET 𛲕 STRANGER THINGS

2. The Three Legged Race

CHAPTER 2: The Three-Legged Race

The whole school is rolling fake dice,
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes
— Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

9th September, 1983: Hawkins High, Soccer Pitch

AT THE END OF THEIR FIRST FULL WEEK BACK AT school, Daphne made her way to the outdoor pitches clad in her brand new Hawkins High cheerleading uniform. She'd received the news earlier that day that she'd officially been promoted to flyer, so she was more excited than ever to get started with practice.

As Daphne got closer, she realised that the pitch was a lot more crowded than usual. Frowning, the girl moved over to stand beside Heather Holloway. Heather was a fellow cheerleader, and she and Daphne were quite friendly due to the overlap of their social circles. Heather glanced over as Daphne approached, her tanned skin wrinkled as she looked out across the field.

"What's going on?" asked Daphne, referring to the hordes of students holding instruments that were taking up half of the pitch. "Why are there so many people out here?"

"Apparently there was some sort of scheduling mix-up," replied Heather. "The marching band is supposed to practise here today, too. Coach is trying to sort it out now."

"Something tells me Miss Genovese isn't going to budge on the matter," Daphne snorted, knowing how stubborn the music teacher was.

As it turned out, Daphne was right. No amount of pleading or bargaining could convince Miss Genovese to remove her band geeks from the pitches, so Coach Janet had to compromise. The field was split in half, with the cheerleading squad taking one side and the marching band taking the other. Neither side was particularly happy about the arrangement.

Daphne and the other cheerleaders had been practising some simple routines for the past forty minutes to warm up and get back into the swing of things. As they neared the end of practice, Coach Janet proposed that they try a stunt, a suggestion that had Daphne feeling increasingly nervous — after all, this would be her first time performing a stunt as a flyer.

The bases assembled and took their stances, gripping Daphne's thighs as they lifted her into the air. Daphne's spotter stood behind her, ready to catch her if things went amiss. Things were going smoothly until the bases moved to throw Daphne into the air at the same time as one of the trumpets blasted loudly from across the field. One of the bases lost her grip on Daphne's thigh, and the flyer started to fall sideways. The other cheerleaders hastened to grab her before she fell, but they weren't quick enough.

As she hit the ground, Daphne grunted in pain as she landed on her ankle, which took almost the full force of her weight on it. The other girls crowded around her, muttering worriedly amongst one another. Coach Janet rushed over to them, and even the marching band stopped playing to get a glimpse at the commotion.

"Daphne, are you okay?" asked Heather, concern flooding her doe eyes.

"It's just my ankle," said Daphne, through gritted teeth. "I landed badly on it."

"It was that damn marching band," snapped Coach Janet. "I knew it was a bad idea to let them practise at the same time as us when they're so clearly out of shape. Daphne dear, can you walk on your ankle?"