𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 ||The Sequel||

CHAPTER 25

Ariana

I should've known they'd blare the sirens in the morning, acting like it's our wake-up call. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered setting my alarm; both noises in the morning were a nightmare.

Did they think we were at a juvenile detention center or something?

I groggily pulled myself out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. Shay and Joanna seemed unfazed by the loud siren outside, still fast asleep.

I hurried through my morning routine and changed into black waistband shorts and a pink tank top. When I emerged from the bathroom, they were wide awake, sitting on their beds.

"Morning," I chirped, earning a groan from Joanna.

"What's so good about this morning?"

I chuckled as I grabbed my Converse from the closet and sat on my neatly made bed to put them on.

"Come on, let's not start cheer camp with that lack of enthusiasm. Look alive, Jo!"

She made an annoyed noise before flopping back onto her bed and hugging her pillow. I glanced at Shay; she stood up like a zombie and shuffled toward the bathroom.

Shay was not a morning person. Without her morning coffee, talking to her in my usual enthusiastic tone would be a mistake, likely to result in her pulling my hair out by the roots.

"I'm feeling lonely!

Oh, I wish I find a lover

That could hold me!

Now I'm crying in my room."

Joanna sang the lyrics from her bed, her voice filling the room. I couldn't help but laugh; despite her constant calls and texts, it was clear she missed Josh terribly.

I finished tying my shoelaces and did a little hop before heading out of the room. The hallway buzzed with excitement, girls milling around, entering and exiting rooms.

The energy was infectious.

I made my way to the notice board attached to the wall down the hallway and pulled out a slip of paper from the holder clipped to the board.

I scanned the timetable before heading back to our room. When I returned, Shay was already dressed in yoga pants and a loose tank top. I could hear the tap running in the bathroom, indicating Joanna was finally getting ready too.

"Did you grab the timetable?" Shay asked, curious. I showed her the paper in my hand.

"Stunts activity today. Coach Riley is in charge."

"Riley? From the St. Klein team?" Shay's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

I nodded, and we both turned to Joanna as she emerged from the bathroom, looking disinterested.

"I'm not doing any stunts. I'd rather be used as a skipping rope than let someone push me to fly in the air," she complained.

I rolled my eyes and waited for them to finish getting ready, reading through the rest of the activities mentioned on the timetable.

The activities changed daily, rotating between the three teams. With about 15 to 25 girls per team and their three coaches, the coaches also rotated, each in charge of a different team and activity for the day.

It seemed fair to me. I was actually pretty excited to start the day, eager to meet the other coaches and find out what they were like.

Once we were all ready, we headed outside, our team following closely behind us. We paused to take in the scene in front of us.

What used to be an empty field yesterday had transformed into a real cheerleading campsite. Blue mats stretched out in neat rows, and we observed other cheerleaders practicing their moves on them.

We glanced to the left, where a small group was perfecting their cheer anthem, and on the right, another team was deep in stretching exercises. Suddenly, a woman appeared in front of me, blocking our view of the other squads. She greeted us with a warm smile and then looked at the girls behind me.

"Sterling High?" I nodded, and her smile widened.

"Great. Follow me, ladies. Let's start working on those stunts, shall we? I'm Coach Riley, and I'll be your camp coordinator for today."

She turned and began leading us onto the field, and I exchanged a quick smile with Shay and Joanna before we trailed behind her.

I already liked Coach Riley.

We halted in an open area of the field, and she turned to do a quick headcount before jotting something down on her clipboard.

"Alright, get into groups of four, and let's practice some extension stunts."

We followed her instructions. I turned to Joanna and Shay and almost burst into laughter when Joanna shook her head at me.

"Don't even think about it," she warned, and Shay and I exchanged amused glances.

"I don't want to be the flyer. I'm too exhausted for that shit. I'll stick to being a base."

I shrugged and turned to Shay.

"Do you want to give it a try?" She shrugged and positioned herself in the middle.

"Sure."

I turned and called CeCe over to join our group since she had been waiting to join any team. She looked excited when I asked her to be one of the bases, and I took the spotter position.

While the other teams had already managed to lift their flyer into the air, Coach walked around to check our positioning.

"On three. One...two...three!"

Jo and CeCe lifted Shay into the air, and I braced my arms against the back of her legs to keep her steady. Shay raised one leg into the air, performing a liberty stunt.

"Steady. Keep her steady, guys. Stay focused," I reminded the others, and Joanna couldn't help but scoff.

"Maybe if you stop talking for a second and quit giving me a headache, I might be able to focus better."

I stifled my laughter and refrained from stomping on her foot, realizing it could make Shay fall.

I'd save that for later.

Coach Riley approached and stopped in front of us. She tilted her head, looking up at Shay.

"Give me an arabesque!" She called out.

We gradually loosened our grip on Shay so she could twist around sideways and demonstrate the arabesque stunting position.

"Good job," Coach complimented before moving on, and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

Shay executed the popping position with a little help from Jo and CeCe before transitioning into a cradle, where they caught her lower body, while I caught her by the arms and helped her stand upright.

For the next three and a half hours, Coach had us practice various cheerleading stunts, including some new ones. It was exhausting, considering we'd been at it since morning, but as we finally wrapped up, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Everything we'd done today was definitely worth it.