Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

September 1st

"I remember you," she says sweetly. "You and Eddie Munson were like this." She crosses two of her fingers until they are overlapping one another and I laugh.

"We were best friends," I chuckle.

"Well listen," she says, reaching down to grab a flyer. "I don't know if this is something you would be interested in but we are having cheer try outs at the end of the week and I just wanted to see if you wanted the information."

She holds out the pamphlet and I take it from her. I grin up at her and nod.

"I was on the varsity cheer team at my old school for the last three years. I'm a flyer."

Chrissy has a knowing glint in her eye as she leans in. "I figured," she giggles. "That's kind of why I approached you. I swear I have a sixth sense when it comes to cheer. I can spot a fellow enthusiast a mile away. You've definitely got the build for it as well. I hope to see you at try outs then. The team can really use some new blood. It was nice re-meeting you."

She turns away with a wink and walks off and I'm left with a smile on my face. I open my bag and put the flyer inside, looking forward to tryouts. I hadn't even thought about trying out for the cheer team here, assuming that they would have their set list already picked, but my luck is looking up.

I make it to the office without getting stopped again. I step into the stuffy building and am greeted by a kind looking elderly woman behind the desk.

"How can I help you, sweets?" She asks and I explain my situation. She retrieves my schedule and has me sit and wait for the student they have assigned to help me make it through the day. A stern looking girl with curly brown hair comes hurrying into the office. She's got a short needy boy on her heels. He's talking urgently and writing in a notebook, jotting down their conversation as she barks at him. The girl stops in front of me and puts her hands on her hips, seeming impatient and I look up at her with my eyebrows raised.

"Can I help you?" I ask her, confused by the random hostility.

"Are you Ripley?" She asks and I nod. Her hand jolts out and I jerk back slightly startled before taking it.

"I'm Nancy Wheeler. I'm in charge of showing you around." She says and then proceeds to start to walk away from me and down the hall, her heels clacking against the floor. I take that as my cue to follow. I fling my bag over my shoulder and hurry behind her, keeping pace with her male companion. He doesn't bother talking to me as he flips through his notepad, reading over his notes. I'm impressed at his ability to multitask, but I keep my opinion to myself.

Nancy leads the way through the hallways, waving her hands around as she talks. She instructs me on where each of my classes are, first taking me on a direct route from my first period to each period after until we make it to the last. She then takes me down each specific specialized section of the school so I know where other classrooms are in case I need to find other students or teachers send me on errands. She shows me where the cafeteria is and where all the bathrooms are. She makes sure I know where the nurses office is and even the emergency exits. She may be frigid, but I have to admit she is thorough. She leads me to my locker and makes sure I can successfully get it open and closed a few times before she wishes me luck and leads her lackey away. I relax a little once she is gone and set about getting ready for my first class.

I've got English first period so I take out a notebook and my pencil case, setting the rest in my locker. I hold my supplies to my chest as I make my way down the hall. A wave of orange catches the corner of my eye just as I hear a gasp and turn.

"No way!" I hear a girl yell and my eyes meet Max's from across the hall. "No way! No way! No way!"

A huge grin spreads across my face as she starts to push through the crowd of students toward me and I spring forward to meet her. I throw my arms around her and we hug tightly, laughing loudly.