“Hello, class. I’m Ms. Garcia. You probably all noticed this, but I’m your creative writing teacher for the year,” She paused as a few students laughed. “We’ll be spending a lot of time on stories, poems, and whatever else you feel like writing. It’s a bit of a free class as long as you get some writing done. We’ll all take turns presenting our work, you can choose the one you wish to present. So now we’re gonna start off by getting to know each other a little bit. Anyone wanna start?”
A hand shot up in the front row, attached to a know it all looking girl with large glasses. “I will!” She volunteered.
“Kiss ass.” Jace muttered. Laila did her best not to laugh, though Amanda couldn’t hold in a small giggle.
“Okay, you’re our example. Get out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.” The girl shifted through her backpack and pulled them out. “Now write down two truths and a lie about yourself, but don’t let anyone know which is which. Read them out loud, and we’ll guess which one is the lie.”
The girl scribbled across her paper and then slammed the pencil down, beaming up at the teacher. “I love school. I haven’t gotten less than an A plus since high school started, and I love to party!” She exclaimed, nearly throwing the paper at Ms. Garcia. Ms. Garcia patted the girl’s eager hand away before turning to the class.
“Any guesses?”
“I bet the party one’s completely true.” Jace spoke up, his sarcasm unmistakable. This time Laila couldn’t hold back her laughter. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to make the girl feel bad.
“No, that’s the lie,” The girl looked disappointed in Jace for getting it wrong.
“Okay,” Ms. Garcia quickly cut in as students began to stifle laughter. “Everyone get out a piece of paper and do this with your tables.”
“Can I have some paper?” Laila turned to Amanda.
“You really need to start taking your classes more seriously young lady.” Amanda scolded. She fished out a piece of paper and pen and handed them to Laila.
“When they all turn to theatre and dance classes I will.” Laila grinned and began writing on her paper, printing three neat lines of two truths and one lie. She looked up to see everyone still writing, minus Jace. He was already finished, and for some reason staring at her.
“Done!” Caleb announced, throwing his paper in the middle of the table.
“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to keep that.” Laila laughed at Caleb’s bewildered face. He took the paper back as everyone else laid down their writing utensils.
“Me first!” Amanda exclaimed. She didn’t wait for anyone to protest. “I’m scared of global warming. I’m ADD. And I hate twilight. You two can’t answer.” She pointed to Caleb and Laila, waiting for Jace and Wes, the guy from the soccer team, to guess.
“You’re not ADD..?” Wes guessed.
Amanda shook her head. “Yes I am! I love twilight. That one was a lie.”
“The biggest lie of your life.” Laila cut in. Caleb laughed loudly, nodding in agreement.
“You go.” Amanda huffed, snatching Laila’s paper off the table. Laila pulled it back and began to read.
“I love a challenge. My favorite color is blue. I have two tattoos.” She set the paper back down and looked at Wes and Jace expectantly.
“You don’t have tattoos,” Jace told her, eyeing her up and down.
“Do I?” She teasingly raised her eyebrows as Amanda giggled beside her.
“I doubt it.” Wes observed, looking her over just as Jace had done.
“Actually, I do. My favorite colors are pink and red.” She smiled at their shocked expressions and set the paper down, turning her attention to Caleb.
“Okay, I’ll go.” He grinned, knowing good and well he loved the attention. “I love learning. I do not think Miley Cyrus is a whore. I dress up as Michael Jackson for halloween every year.”
Laila couldn’t help but bust out laughing at this.
“It has to be the Miley Cyrus thing,” Wes grinned as he said this and Caleb nodded.
“You dress up as Michael Jackson every year?” Jace was staring at Caleb with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
“I love him!” Caleb gushed. “He is so amazing.” He sighed, doing a weird shudder before smiling and staring off at a nearby wall.
“He always does that. He gets excited about his idols, just ignore him.” Laila explained. Jace ignored her and held up his own paper.
“I play rugby. I’ve never done anything illegal. I play lead guitar in a band.” He smirked as his eyes caught with Laila’s.
“However would I know,” Laila’s voice was sarcastic, “when you announced that you stole a car the first night I met you?”
Jace’s eyes kept hers as he nodded, looking genuinely entertained by her sarcasm. She looked away, focusing on Wes. It was his turn to go.
“I’m on the soccer team. I’m also head cheerleader. I work out a lot.”
“I always thought you looked like a cheerleader,” Caleb announced, laughing. Wes nodded along.
“Yeah, you guys caught me.” He grinned.
“I guess I’ll see you at practice later, then.” Laila grinned back, liking him already.
“You’re a cheerleader?” Jace asked, his eyes once again on Laila. Before she could respond Ms. Garcia was shouting over the classroom
“Everyone should be done by now!” She announced. “I’m going to pass out these papers, and you guys read this excerpt from Beowulf and tell me what you think the author is trying to say in just this part.”
The class broke out in hushed conversations as she slowly began making her way around the classroom to pass out papers. Laila turned back to her table to see Jace once again watching her.
“What is up with you and staring at me?” She demanded, staring right back.
“You really have tattoos?” He asked, not even bothering to answer her question. She nodded. “Where?”
“I guess you’ll never know.” She smiled as his expression flickered to annoyance.
“That’s no fair,” Wes complained. He looked up as Ms. Garcia passed behind his head, placing a paper in front of him. “Thanks.” He muttered, picking it up. They were the last table, and Ms. Garcia was quickly back at the front of the room and shushing her students.
“Everyone take the rest of class to read this, and if we have time we’ll discuss the it.” The class fell silent as they began to read. No one had finished by the time the bell rang. “Bring these back to class tomorrow!” She directed.
Chairs scraped as everyone rushed for the door. Laila picked up her bag and waited for her friends before walking out to the hall. “Time for advanced musical theatre, and then advanced jazz, and then cheer. I’m so excited for the rest of the day.” She gushed, leading the way down the hall. “I’ll see you in jazz Caleb, and Mandy I’ll see when you get out of drama club.”
“Okay.” Amanda agreed.
“Bye love!” Caleb steered Amanda toward their lockers while Laila left for hers.
***
Laila exited the girl’s locker room, still donned in her lavender halter leotard, black tights, and pink leg warmers. She lazily made her way down the hall, jazz shoes in hand, until she came to her locker. She spun her combination and swung it open, grabbing out her cheer uniform. She slammed it shut and jumped in surprise when she saw Jace standing on the other side, going through his own locker.
“Did I scare you?” He asked, not bothering to look at her. She scowled.
“No.”
“Right,” Jace shut his locker and smiled at her. “I would say I’ll see you tomorrow but unfortunately I still have to deal with you today.”
“Are you coming over or something..?” She asked, perplexed. It wouldn’t surprise her if her mom and Rose had planned this, they already seemed hell bent on making her get along with Jace.
“No,” He made a disgusted face. “I’m trying out for the soccer team.”
Laila thought for a second before realizing what he meant. The cheer tryouts were on the same field as the soccer tryouts. Perfect. “Oh.”
He turned and walked away without another word and she headed off in the opposite direction, going back to the girl’s locker rooms where she would stash her dance clothes and put on her cheer uniform. She changed quickly, pulling on the short, pleated purple and black skirt with built in shorts, though they were skimpy enough to count as underwear. She pulled on the top, which stopped just above her bellybutton, had a high collar, and was sleeveless. It was purple and had ‘Panthers’ written across the chest in purple letters with a thick black outline. She pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and glanced in the mirror. Satisfied, she headed out for the field.
“Lala!” Caleb sang as she neared him. She ran over and pounced on him in a bear hug, nearly knocking him over with the surprise attack.
“Hi sunshine!” She beamed. She let go to look around at all of her friends. She absolutely loved being a cheerleader, the girls were really sweet minus a couple stuck up ones. She walked up to the head cheerleader and poked her in the side. She grinned as Katie turned and tackled her in a hug.
“I missed you!” Katie exclaimed, squeezing her tightly. She let go just as Ramani came skipping up.
“Hii Laila,” Ramani tackled Laila in a hug before pulled back and gently taking hold of her hair. She held it up and examined it. “You dyed your hair, huh? I love it, it’s like a rainbow!” She giggled. She dropped Laila’s hair and turned, aimlessly walking away in a random direction.
“Are these all the girls trying out?” Laila asked, looking past the actual squad to see about fifteen girls in workout clothes, most of them looking extremely nervous. Caleb was already fluttering around the many girls, complimenting outfits and offering advice.
“Yeah, I hope at least some of them are better than last time.” Katie pulled Laila to the front of the girls, where Ramani was already standing. Laila glanced across the field to see the varsity soccer team in uniform with about twenty guys warming up. She spotted Jace talking to Wes. Before she could blink they had both dropped to the ground, doing what looked like a pushup contest. She turned back to the girls in front of her just as Katie began to speak.
“Everyone quiet!” Katie shouted. Everyone fell silent minus a couple girls already on the squad, who were whispering in the back. Katie glared at them until they stopped talking. “I’m Katie, cheer captain. This is Ramani, she’s my co captain, and this is Laila, who mostly helps with choreography. She’s our best tumbler and currently our only flyer, so if anyone needs tips with stunts or tricks ask her. Everyone already on the squad, you guys can just sit in the back if you want, and everyone trying out you have ten minutes to warm yourselves up before we start.” She smiled at all the girls before turning back to Laila and Ramani.
“I love being co captain. I don’t have to do anything at all.” Ramani grinned, toying with a lock of her long brown curls. Katie kicked her in the leg at the same time she karate chopped Katie, making a loud ninja sound effect. “Missed me!” She exclaimed, dodging as Katie tried to kick her again. Laila paid them no mind, she was well past used to it.
“You’re lucky you’re my best friend or I’d kick you off the squad.” Katie declared. Ramani shrugged and giggled again, staring off at the soccer players. “They are really sexy this year.” Katie agreed, already knowing what her best friend was thinking. “Have you guys heard about that new guy, Jace, who came from England?”
“What?!” Ramani practically shouted, whipping her head around so quick Laila thought she might get whiplash. “Where? Where the fuck is he, I need to go seduce him right fucking now,” She went on, squinting her eyes at the many guys across the field. “I can’t tell which one looks British.”
“I know him, he’s rude.” Laila put in. Both girls turned to stare at her. “He moved in next door. He’s my mom’s best friend’s nephew.” She explained. Both girls continued to stare at her with wide eyes. She could definitely see why they were best friends.
“Shut the fuck up.” Ramani finally breathed. “I need to come over. We should all have a sleepover. A naked sleepover. Except just him. Well actually no I could join too. Yeah, let’s just have a strip party! Outside. In the sprinklers. And make him run through in slow motion.” She was getting progressively more excited, practically bouncing on her toes. Laila laughed and shook her head.
“I swear you’re like a guy. You’re so perverted.” She glanced at the guys before turning back to her friends.
“She’s half guy.” Katie agreed.
“Heyy,” Ramani shot them both playful glares. “Just cause I like girls doesn’t mean I’m half guy. You guys are so rude.” She huffed. “Let’s start stretching. Maybe they’ll come over here. Or we could just move tryouts closer to them, I wouldn’t mind--”
“I’m seriously gonna kick you off the squad.” Katie cut her off. Laila couldn’t stop laughing as they kept going back and forth like this. She bent forward and placed her palms flat on the ground, figuring she should probably start stretching before she pulled something. She straightened back up and bent one leg up to her knee, then grabbed underneath her foot and straightened her leg above her head. She switched and did the other side, then lowered herself to the ground to stretch her splits. She stared across the field as she did this, wondering just how many other girls would react the same way Ramani had. But then again, Ramani didn’t count much. She wasn’t exactly a slut, but she was definitely not ashamed to be free about what she did and who she did it with.
She keeps a freaking to do list of people, Laila reminded herself. Yeah, Ramani was definitely in a class of her own. She continued to stretch until Katie called for all the new girls to come up to the front. She got up and brushed her skirt off, standing beside the captain and co captain.
“Okay, guys. We’re about to start. We’re gonna teach a cheer to everyone at once, then you guys come up in groups of five and we’ll see how you do. After your group does your cheer Laila is gonna do some tumbling, and just do your best to copy what she does. Everyone ready?”
The girls nodded and Katie stepped forward to teach the choreography. Laila glanced at the soccer players one more time to see them all gathered around the coach, listening as he gave some sort of speech. She turned back to focus on what she was doing, determined not to let the thought of Jace distract her.