Adora and Catra hurried to the front doors of Stevenson High School, iced coffees in hand. With each step, Adora felt excitement building in her chest. She grabbed Catra's arm and gave her a shake.
"I can't wait to show the squad the routines we choreographed over the summer!"
Catra pulled the straw out of her mouth, giving Adora a quick glimpse of her pointed teeth she found so cute. "Seriously, we're going to look so good at championships. They might as well just give us the title now."
Up the steps and through the front door, Adora took a deep breath and let her bright blue eyes scan the school's busy front foyer. Nervous freshmen peppered a sea of familiar faces, all of whom made room to let the girls through without having to be asked. Lockers slammed and sneakers squeaked over freshly polished floors. The astringent smell industrial cleaner barely covered the familiar old building smell Adora had come to find so comforting.
Home at last, she thought, smiling blissfully.
Out of the corner of her eye, Adora watched the subtle transformation Catra made every time they walked into the school. With a toss of her head, she threw back her massive brown ponytail—the one she got up early just to wrestle into submission—and lifted her chin. When Catra walked into school, she stood a little taller than usual, sashaying down the halls like she owned the place. Her easy-going, playful personality gave way to serious boss vibes. It was the Valkyrie effect: all members of the Cheer Force became a bit more commanding when they put on the uniform. Being the most popular kids in school required a certain degree of attitude, and Catra took that obligation very seriously.
Only Adora knew how much of an act it really was. In a way, she kind of liked that there was a side of her best friend only she got to know.
Catra grabbed her hand and pointed down the hall. "Check it out, I can see Scorpia's head towering over everyone else. Let's go give them shit for ditching us this morning."
They all but skipped down the hall, the student body making way like a receding tide as they passed. Friends and teachers called hello to Adora, who was starting to feel like royalty with all the smiling and waving she was having to do to reciprocate. Condensation from her nearly empty cup was trickling down her wrist.
"Careful," Catra grinned. "You're going to give yourself carpal tunnel on the first day back."
"G'morning, slackers." Their teammate, Lonnie, flashed the pair a teasing smile as they joined the group. She stood with fellow Valkyries, Scorpia and Rogelio, two of the Cheer Force's bases—a pair tanks in charge of tossing flyers into the air during routines—and Kyle, a tiny wisp of a boy who truthfully had no business being on the squad in the first place. Adora assumed what he lacked in coordination he made up for in being small enough to toss easily. Catra believe one or both of his parents were legacies.
Regardless, they looked sharp with their vibrant red uniforms and heads held high. Adora smiled at each of them in turn, grateful to be back together at the start of what was going to be a truly perfect year.
"Well, we would have been here sooner if someone had given us a ride," she said, giving Lonnie a playful nudge with her elbow.
Lonnie was unphased. "I'm not your mama. If you two can't be ready to roll by swole o'clock, then you deserve to walk."
As if to drive Lonnie's point home, Rogelio flexed wordlessly. The group laughed.
"Aw, you don't need the gym anyway," Scorpia said. "Did you work out this summer, Catra? You look great."
Straw firmly in mouth, Catra glanced quizzically down at herself. "I look the same as I always do."
Though she really needed to make a stop at her locker before homeroom, Adora let herself get drawn into the conversation. Even though they'd all seen each other throughout the summer, the first day back to school always felt like a big reunion after a long absence. Jokes and stories were exchanged, as well as speculation about who was going to replace Octavia as captain now that she had graduated. The insinuation was heavily in Adora's favor and, though she did her best to be modest about it, knowing she had everyone's support made her feel more hopeful than ever. For just a moment, she let herself believe it was going to happen.
Lonnie was in the middle of telling a story about a comically disastrous date she, Rogelio and Kyle had involving mini putt and a poorly marked water hazard, when a flash of pink caught Adora's attention. Her eyes tracked the color through the milling crowd to where it stopped in front of a big cork notice board.
The pink was hair, and it belonged to a sophomore girl Adora knew of but had never spoken to. Curious, she watched as the girl pulled a poster from the bag hanging at her side and, after carefully choosing a space, hammered a stapler into each of its corners. Adora could just make out the text over the girl's shoulder.
GLEE!
Come audition for Stevenson High's show choir!
Adora's eyes grew wide. With a quick glance back at her friends—all of whom were doubled over in laughter—she side stepped away and scurried across the hall.
"The glee club is accepting new members?" she asked, making the pink-haired girl jump.
"Ah! Don't sneak up on people like that!" The girl blinked up at Adora and her expression morphed from surprised to stunned. "Oh! You're Adora!"
Awkwardness crept up the back of Adora's neck. She forced a smile. "I'm sorry, have we met before? I'm usually good with names, but—"
The girl flapped her hands dismissively. "Oh, no. I wouldn't expect you to know who I am. But, I mean, you're a Valkyrie. Everyone knows who you guys are."
A moment passed between them, the girl smiling wide while Adora shifted uneasily.
"So, you are..."
"Right! Sorry! My name's Glimmer." She stepped aside and held her hands out toward the poster she had just put up. "I'm the captain of Vocal Rebellion."
"Captain? What happened to Mara?"
Glimmer gaped at her. "You knew Mara?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?"
"I guess I'm just surprised you know about us at all."
Adora frowned. It was easy to feel like the center of the universe when you were a Valkyrie, but she didn't realize others thought of them the same way.
"I actually wanted to join Vocal Rebellion in first year," Adora admitted. For some reason, the confession made her feel a little sheepish. "But I had already been recruited to the Valkyries and Mara said you guys don't accept members in multiple extracurriculars."
"What?" Glimmer cried. She crammed a hand into her bag a fished out another poster, which she then thrust into Adora's hands. "Then you have to come audition! Mara graduated last year. Since being elected captain, I decided to loosen the reigns a little bit. We'd love to have you."
Gazing down at the poster, Adora felt a childlike giddiness flooding her system. She thought about all her bedroom concerts held for imaginary fans, her epic playlists, her love of performing. It had crushed her when Mara turned her away in freshman year without even letting her try out.
This is supposed to be a perfect year, she reasoned with herself.
She glanced up to find Glimmer watching her with an expression of breathless hopefulness. Adora grinned at her.
"I'll be there!"