Page 55

Arabella

Annoyed at forgetting her favorite sweater, Arabella walked quickly

through the school and out the back doors at the end of the long, fluorescent

lit hall. The school was always warm. It was like it had one temperature and

that was hot. In the summer, it was unbearable, even before school let out.

No matter how many windows were opened and how much airing out was

attempted, the whole place stank like sweaty teenagers and raging

hormones.

It hadn’t snowed yet, but the air was dry and electric, and so cold and

crisp that the snow was probably not long in coming. Pretty much the only

thing Arabella actually liked about high school was the cheer team, but she

hated doing it in the frigid weather. Just standing on the sidelines screaming

her lungs out and waving her pom poms wasn’t enough to keep the blood

flowing. By the time they did their routines to actually warm the heck up,

they were basically frigid icicles. There wasn’t anything like trying to split

and spread freezing muscles into contorted positions. As much as the other

girls hated practice or whined about nailing the choreography and having to

practice it over and over, Arabella loved it.

She kept walking, past the end of the school, out towards the track field

where they had cheer practice. The bleachers were a lot smaller than the

ones surrounding the football field in the distance. The school wasn’t

known for its track and field prowess, but of course, like most high schools,

football was a big deal. Arabella remembered leaving her sweater on the

bleachers. She’d only worn it out there because the wind was so crisp and

biting. She’d shed it when she was warmed up.

If she didn’t have cheer, she’d probably go insane. People said that all the

time, but she thought it was the one thing keeping her tethered. The one

thing she didn’t hate about the whole high school experience. This was her

last year, and every single day, she got out of bed, spent hours on her hair

and makeup and choosing her clothes, pasted a smile on her face, and faked