So F*cking Special: 1996 (Book 1, The So F*cking Special Series)

Champagne Supernova

I ran down the boy's athletic steps and beelined across toward the cheer P.E. room. Anyone down in the area would have been in the locker rooms changing back for class. We had a good ten or fifteen minutes before the bell. I passed the weight room, and before I knocked on the cheer room door, one of the glass window offices two down from it caught my eye. It was a scene I recognized, only this time Principal Sabella was not included. Adrian sat across from the assistant coach and Coach Craig. Coach Timpson, my freshman English teacher, was standing above them all with his arms folded. Adrian's face was redder than I had ever seen it, and he was working hard to explain himself. I couldn't hear anything, but I could see it. I saw enough to know Coach Craig was screaming at the top of his lungs when he interrupted Adrian and lunged toward his face from across the desk.

In complete self-preservation, I had stepped back toward the cheerleading door and my fist was knocking before I consciously ordered it to.

"We're changing in here!" I heard Hanna announce. The old me would have barged in and said, "nothing I haven't seen before." A sentiment that would have been appropriate now, but I'm not sure welcomed, as I no longer felt welcome with my former friends. Friends. I should apply Lynn's joke and use that term loosely when referring to this bunch.

Mrs. Palmer, my old cheer sponsor opened the door to let me in. "Well, hello, July. It is so wonderful to see you."

"Thanks, you too."

"I saw you ladies knock 'em dead last week, it's a shame our boys didn't do the same."

"Well, then again it could be because you're not their coach!" We shared a laugh, but the joke more than hit home for me. I couldn't get Adrian's red face out of my head, or the way that vulture was lunging at him.

"Ladies, we have a visiting friend of yours."

"Oh, no, I'm here for Mrs. Tandy. I've got the new uniform measurements for her." I looked over at the varsity cheerleaders listening intently as they changed for our next period. I hoped to God they didn't think I thought I was working my way back in through this little drill team charade. Some of their faces certainly suggested it.

"Oh, she just left. Here, let me grab the order sheets and we'll put all of these together. I'll give you a copy of what we worked on for Mr. McClendon and you can leave me a copy of the measurements. Deal?"

I smiled and nodded. I couldn't help but notice the cabinets on the back wall across the room. They had our drawers for our things, and you could still see part of the J where mine used to be labeled. I guess mine and last year's graduating seniors were the only ones that had to change. I tried not to stare when I read Natalie Hilliard's name across my drawer. She was a sophomore who had made varsity this year. She could tumble well and was a very sweet girl. I sounded like my grandmother complementing someone in my head as I tried to justify my way out of feeling the sting.

Wendy Tomlin, one of the Tomlin twins and a senior on the squad raced by me, buckling her platform sandals as she ran. She leaned up at me on her way out the door and pecked me on the cheek, "You'll be there Saturday, yes?"

"If I make it through this week!" She took that as a yes and bolted out the door without closing it.

"Oh, come on, I'm half naked here." Devin screamed from the back of the room by the cabinets."

"Sorry! I'm late for Chem lab!" Whitney shouted back running full speed up the boy's stair well.

I was still waiting for Mrs. Palmer to return with the order forms, so I politely moved toward the door to shut it. I was only five or so feet away, but it had swung all the way open wide exposing all the girls changing in the room. I walked up and heard male's voices coming out of the weight room. It wasn't our guys, it was Coach Bartlett's voice I think, and I could see Coach Dodge coming towards me. Wait, what? If I could see Coach Dodge then he could see... As I raced around to reach the open door my eyes met Coach Dodge. His eyes were glazed over and starring straight into the room of changing girls.