Soccer Meet Cheer

Tryouts

~Kristen~

Once upon a time in a different life, joining the cheer team would've been a no brainer; I actually would've picked the school I went to based on what their cheer program would offer before anything else. But now, it's hard for me to imagine such a life; I was a different person now.

"Wait, I didn't bring extra clothes." I sighed, attempting to hide my relieved tone as Kaitlyn, Erin, and I walked to the locker room.

"Oh, I always have an extra set in my gym locker. You can use those." Kaitlyn offered, causing me to deflate.

"Come on, perk up. You'll do great." Erin reassured.

"I'm literally the least coordinated person I know. I'm probably not even gonna make the team." I mumbled, voicing my anxiety. Logically, I knew I was going to make the team; I had the experience. My anxiety, however, felt differently.

"Well, once you stop looking at your feet. You might stop running into things." Kaitlyn teased, making me subconsciously stand up straighter. Damn, do I really look at my feet that much?

The sound of girls yelling, laughing, and singing filled my ears as we entered the locker room. Half-naked girls seemed to fill every section of the room; some were standing on benches singing into hair brushes, a few were sitting on the floor on their phones, while others were sitting on the sinks doing their makeup. Most of them were changing into their practice uniforms, but there were a few unlucky souls who had gym last period and couldn't get changed quick enough before the after school rush.

I clumsily tiptoed over numerous athletic bags, clothes, books, and the occasional limb in an attempt to keep up with Kaitlyn and Erin who navigated the chaos effortlessly. I felt a wave of relief once we finally reached Kaitlyn's locker, but it didn't last long due to a pile of clothes being dumped in my arms.

"You seem like the same size as me, so these should fit." Kaitlyn said half-mindedly as she placed a pair of tennis shoes on top of the pile.

"Thanks..." I mumbled as I looked up from the pile, noticing that her shirt was already untucked and partially unbuttoned; I looked to my right to see that Erin was one step ahead and already had her practice shirt on. A new sense of anxiety filled me as I realized that I had to change in public, something I hadn't done since my freshman year gym class.

I set the clothes down on the bench that sat in the middle of the locker cubicle before reluctantly unbuttoning my blouse, revealing my sports bra that I was suddenly grateful I put on this morning. Once my shirt was off, I reached for Kaitlyn's t-shirt that sat on the bench. My nose was engulfed by Kaitlyn's floral perfume along with a hint of laundry detergent as I pulled it over my head. Once my obstructed vision peeked through the neck of the shirt, my eyes landed on Kaitlyn blatantly staring as she pulled a hair-band off her wrist. Kaitlyn realized she was caught moments later, but instead of looking away, she threw me a playful wink as she pulled her thick hair into a high ponytail, exposing her slender neck and sharp jawline before turning the corner to leave. Still shaken by the brief encounter, I stumbled to put on my shorts and shoes before throwing my hair up in a ponytail as I chased Kaitlyn out of the locker room.

Erin and Kaitlyn were approaching the cheerleaders who sat at the other end of the gym when I exited the locker room, "I'm here." I announced slightly out of breath when I caught up. Kaitlyn turned to face me before an amused smile grew on her face, "What?" I asked.

"You missed a hair, hon." Kaitlyn said amusedly as she pulled at the long strands of hair that didn't make it into my ponytail before slowly tucking it behind my ear again. I felt my face heat up from the gesture, but Kaitlyn ignored it as she pulled her hand away.