The Cheerleader's Side Piece

Four Hundred Dollars(1)

"Thank you very much sir," I said, sweat pouring off my forehead. Mr. Tull, arrogant and selfish, waved me off. His secretary, flustered, was kind enough to smile at me.

Is that what it means to grow up? To be rude and selfish? To have others pay your dues because you're the boss. If that's what growing up means, I'd rather stay young and naive.

Outside, the sky was fading away. No longer was it a glistening blue, but a swarm of blackness running closer and closer to the edge of the world. The wind was restless, pushing my hair around as if it was toying with it. Some would call this weather depressing, a mood ruiner. As I watched the crows fight, flying as quickly as they could towards the last bit of sun, I had never felt so calm before.

I strolled home. Admiring the freedom that surrounded me. From the randomness of the wind to the messy flashing lights. Buildings took on a new form, a kinder form. People became louder and daring. Cars sped faster. The world had become both better and worse as the night came upon us.

Both of my parents were home, one on a phone call about work and the other busy typing up project details. Occupied with putting a roof over my head, I left them alone. Making sure to put the check I received from Mr. Tull, I quickly took a shower and went to study.

Life continues on, even if we beg it to stop.

~

"I hope they don't stir any trouble for us," Olivia mumbled, obliviously upset that I called the Cheer club to the ASB room, "if that dumb leader of theirs gets in your face Prez, I'll drop kick her!"

"I'll count on you then," I was looking over some files Alex brought me, "do you know how much money we have left for the year?"

"Uh I have it written down in my notes," Alex scrambled to her bag, "I'll get you the info in a sec!"

"You're way too serious Prez. Do you know how to relax?" Olivia propped herself on my desk, peering down on my work, "Sometimes I mistake you for some robot. Stop being so uptight all the time."

"If I'm not uptight, no one else will be," I say, "plus, no one has made it a crime to be serious. When it does, then I will stop."

Huffing, she said, "Same old Prez." The doors threw open and in came the sparkly beauties of the school. Right in the front of the pack was their fearless leader, Cassie. Olivia hopped off my desk, hands on her hips as she inspected them, "Are you girls gonna cause trouble today?"

"Depends," Cassie got in her face, "do I have to?" Being the back down first, Olivia snickered to herself. She stepped aside for me. Holding out the clubs file, Cassie gave me a dirty glare, "What is that?"

"Why don't you read it and you'll know," I said. She remained stubborn, one of her many qualities. Not playing her game, I open the folder and read it out, "Four hundred dollars have been donated to the Cheer club yesterday. The donator, Mr. Kevin Tull, hopes the girls of the club will use the money wisely and will be able to make it to finals."

"Mr. Tull?" She snatched the folder from me, "Who is that?"

"He's the father of a past student who was part of the Cheer club," I lied. Grabbing a pen, I say, "Now, you can either accept the donation or reject it. If you accept it, the club president or captain must sign and so should the teacher supervising."

The girls were excited, some even cheering a bit. Cassie held my eyes, the pen held between us. She was trying to get me to confess, but I'm not like that. After a moment or two, she took the pen and scribbled down her name. Passing the folder to another student, she said, "Make sure the coach sees this." The girl nodded, rushing out with a few other members. They begun to leave, so I went back to verifying some club requests.