The Mascot and Jock

Let's Go Panthers!

It was a dark night. The field lights were blinding. The music was pounding. 

The cheerleaders were chanting, getting the crowd riled up. The yearbook class were taking pictures, the AV crew was playing music. And most importantly, the football players were getting warmed up. 

Well, more like the second most important thing. 

The most important thing was the build up, the anticipation, to the mascot. The introduction to every single game.

The announcer got on the mic and exclaimed, "And here comes Paisley the Panther!"

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This costume stunk. It was two sizes too big. I could barely see out of the mesh that were a part of the "panther"-like eyes. And I didn't even want to be a mascot!

It was the summer before sophomore year and the cheerleaders were holding try-outs for the upcoming year. I decided why not? Let's see if I can make it, and if I don't, oh well.

The next week, I got an email from the cheerleading coach, and it read that I didn't make the team. But I instead got a better deal, I would become the mascot. The stupid mascot, Paisley the Panther. 

I was naïve and didn't realize what kind of hell I would be put through. Not only did I have to deal with the secrecy, I had to give up a lot of my social life, and I had to practically give up sleep.

Now it is my senior year; I have one friend (not to mention my "popular" siblings) and I am still the school mascot, Paisley the Panther.

Why did I decide to remain the mascot? Because I don't know how to say no. So every year, Coach asks me if I want to be Paisley again, and each year I say sure.

I have to sign a "contract" every year, swearing that I will not give up the secret identity of Paisley, and I will give this job the utmost respect. So, every Friday I drag myself to the locker room well after everyone has left, and I get changed into a costume that is never washed. It takes about five minutes to change into it, and the coach gives me fifteen to get ready. 

I apply a lot of antiperspirant in order to not feel as bad when I start sweating immensely in the costume. That was not the only problem, I had to make sure that everything was zipped up correctly and that the mask wouldn't fall off if I did a lot of jumping, which I usually do. I walk out of the locker room and wait for the signal for me to come running out on the field. 

I have to pretend to have an argument with the other mascot. The thing is that there is a secret agreement that whoever's home game it is gets to win. Since it is our home game, I get to win. The coaches' think its funny, I find it annoying. 

I also know the identity of every mascot in the school district and so on. They just don't know me. Our school has the best reputation for keeping the mascot identity a secret. 

It helps if you are unknown to the rest of the student body system. So, no one seems to notice if you aren't there. Plus having a student body of nearly six thousand really allows one to go unnoticed. 

So, here I am, on a football field, pretending to yell at a tiger. We pushed each other a little bit, and then the tiger slumped down in 'defeat'. The crowd cheered and the game was off. 

Our school was one of the best high school football teams in the state. Or at least, that is what the school keeps telling us. I don't know, and I don't think I care if we are. 

I waited until halftime. We were currently winning, and every time we made a touchdown, I had to run around with the cheerleaders. So, imagine me a one hundred and fifteen pound person, running with a twenty/thirty pound costume, where I can barely see the ground. Safe to say, my cardio is amazing.

It was halftime. The cheerleaders were up first, so I waited on the sidelines until my big finish. I ran out onto the field and danced around, and then I dropped into the splits. These were always a pain, not because of the split, but because getting up was a challenge. Even if you have cheerleaders helping you. 

After the cheerleaders, the dance team came out. Finished their routine and halftime was over. The game was over in no time and I rushed to the locker room to change out of this sweaty costume. 

I changed, placed the costume in the coach's office and hurried out the side door that only I had access to. This made it easier to escape without people knowing that it is me. 

I got in my car and drove home. My family doesn't even know that I am the mascot. So, they usually ask how the game was, how many of my friends went, etc. 

It's late; so I just went upstairs, got ready for bed and eventually fell asleep. 

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This is another cringey installation to my Break the Cliche series. This is just something that I thought would be a bit better than some of my other stories.

Peace, Love, and Chicken Grease-
Alyssa Park