Page 5

She didn't like the idea ofhaving to tell her friends at the club, on Sundays, that her baby girl went to the countryside of Texas to study at a university with no prestige or reputation. Her excuse for everything was probably that I was trying to find myself, but the truth was that I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted.

Being on the Venenum was a dream. And I was happy that Colleen managed to put me face to face with Karlee Novais, theteam's coach, in such an abrupt way. I was sure the woman would tell me to try again the following year, but no. She was welcoming, understood the situation and accepted that I sign a two-season contract with the Venenum team.

“First day and you already made a scene, Ken?” Colleen caught my attention as soon as we found space to stretch out.

“She was the one who started it…” I shrugged.

“Kendra, I'm serious!”

My cousin was cute when she got mad. Despite being older, she was shorter than me and being small made her life easier as top girl and number one flyer for the Venenum.

I pouted and sat down to stretch my legs.

“You knew she was on the team!”

“Yes, I knew, but I can't delete our history from my mind” I replied without a lot of patience.

Veronica Torres was the most unbearable person I, unfortunately, knew. He had Victim Mentality, one of those people who like to brag that they fought hard to have everything they have. In short, a buzzkill. I didn't have patience for people like that and, probably, many would call me insensitive for that, but the truth was that I couldn’t care less. Because, deep down, the biggest problem with people like Veronica was that they thought they were the only ones who had fought to have what they had.

We all tried hard, we were all constantly fighting against ourselves and others to achieve our goals. If she thought she was superior because she was a poor thing, that wasn't my problem.

“Kendra, you're part of the same team now, for God's sake” my cousin seemed intent on bringing me some rationality, but I didn’t give a shit.

Veronica hated me; I hated Veronica.

It's always been like this. Since our first cheerleading camp. And things got even worse when we became competitors during high school. Every year the regional final was a question mark as to which team had come out on top. In the end, we ended up tied, as she had two championships and I had the other two, but, deep down, I liked to think that I was better for the simple fact that the last championship was mine.

We were rivals and sworn enemies.

Everything about her pissed me off.

“I hope she falls off the pyramid and breaks her neck as soon as possible” I revealed quietly to my cousin, who opened her big blue eyes in my direction, but didn't answer me.

I knew she was horrified, but I was sure Veronica thought the same about me.

That sewer rat could very well have gone anywhere in the country, but no, the damn thing seemed to want to take the cheerleading part seriously. I partly admired her for that, but I would never admit it out loud.

Veronica was my biggest rival in Chamberlain, our hometown in South Dakota. Whenever the two of us were in the same place all hell would break loose. At the last cheerleading camp we went to, I remember she filled my bed with horse manure and I was forced to return the favor by throwing all her clothes into the pigsty.

“My God, Kendra!” my cousin was really intent on repressing me that afternoon.

I shrugged.

“Can we stop talking about insignificant people now?”

She rolled her eyes, but at least she was silent.

I felt Veronica's brown eyes on my back, but I wouldn't pay attention to her. I had already done that and that was my limit for the day.

“Hey, everybody to the center!” The assistant coach shouted, calling us.

Colleen pulled me with her.

The whole team gathered there, exactly as Evans Giordan asked. The man was one of the greatest stuns of his time, as well as atumbler, but he ended up landing wrong in his senior year and breaking his ankle, which retired him from competition.

“Venenum! “Karlee Novais's voice echoed, powerfully, throughout the place. “Welcome everyone. Some of you are in your first year, some of you in your second…” Karlee's eyes scanned everyone present. “But the most important thing is that we are all here, willing to have an incredible year that I'm sure will end with a shower in Daytona.”

An involuntary smile took over my face.