Accidentally Yours

CHAPTER SEVEN

Wednesday, August 12th

4:32pm

Emma told all of the cheerleaders to meet at her house today after school for practice. As we trickle into her house she guides us through the large foyer and into her living room. Since there is very limited seating in said room she verbally suggests that the rest of us sit on the carpeted floor. Avery and I ended up being the unlucky ones who sat on the floor.

“Welcome to the first cheerleading workshop of the fall semester!” Emma greets. All of the girls in the room grow silent at her voice. The blonde retrieves her pink clipboard from a small coffee table that is resting off to the side. “Before we begin the team building exercises that I have planned, I have a few announcements to make.” She flips the top paper that is attached to her clipboard over so that she is now looking at the paper that was previously underneath it. “Firstly, I'm sure that you all have heard about the football game tonight,” she begins. Multiple girls cheer with excitement at the mention of a football game. We have been working really hard for this game. Our routine is practically flawless. “That game has been moved to tomorrow due to inclement weather conditions.” she informs us. I groan at this update. A few of the other girls do this as well.

We have been training our asses off all week for this game just for it to be moved because of a little rain?! A little rain is not going to kill them!

Emma ignores our verbal frustration on the subject, “Secondly, practice will be cancelled today also because of the weather. Therefore, we will make this time up by practicing tomorrow from 4pm to 7pm.” She continues, “The game starts at 8pm, meaning that I want all of you back at the school by 7:30pm at the latest.” The blonde finally looks up from her clipboard. “If you are not in the locker room in your cheerleading uniform, with a bow on your head, in the correct shoes, then you will not be cheering with us.” Her tone is hard with a warning, “You will be benched for the rest of the autumn cheerleading season—“Understand?” We all nod our heads in agreement. “Great!” the blonde replies with satisfaction. “Lastly, I’m sure that many of you have noticed that our co-captain, Quinn, is absent today.” I notice a few of the girls glance around, more than likely just now becoming aware of Quinn's absence. “She has been kicked off of the squad by Coach Kelly and I.” Emma reveals. “I’m not going to detail what got her kicked off of the squad, but let it be known that the Clearwater High cheerleading team does not tolerate bullying, hazing, or the use of drugs of any kind.” She warns.

“While on the topic of co-head cheerleader, Coach Kelly has recently informed me that tomorrow she will be sitting in on our practice. She said that she wants to see for herself who does, or does not, have the skills it takes to take Quinn's place.” Emma's eyes seem to scan the large group of girls. When I meet her eyes I realize that they are already on me. Her eyes linger a little longer on mine than they do on the other girls. “I’ve personally told her to keep an eye out for a few of you, so don’t let me down.” She holds strong eye contact with me. “Who knows,” She shrugs her shoulders. “You could be appointed co-captain that same night.” A smile makes its way onto my face. I hang onto every word that falls from the blonde’s lips.

Co-captain… I want to be the co-captain—I have never been a co-captain on any of my other cheerleading teams, nor have I ever come close to being one. Of course I have thought of being a cheerleading captain before. It is only a natural thing to think of when you are on a cheerleading team. This is my chance. This is my last chance to challenge myself and see if I could possibly make a decent cheer captain one day. Not to mention that being cheerleading co-captain is a surefire way to shoot up the popularity ranks.

This is my last chance to be like one of the popular girls from my favorite movies.

I will do whatever it takes to be one of the popular girls. I will be popular this school year or else.

“Moving on to the team building exercise—I want you all to change into clothes that are comfortable enough to workout in and then meet me in the backyard. Understand?” the girls all nod their heads.

Emma has us follow her to a random bathroom in her large house. The bathroom in question is located downstairs on the first floor of her house. We all line up against the wall as one girl changes in the bathroom at a time. Thirty minutes slowly crawl by before we all stand outside in her spacious backyard. We are currently standing on a large plot of green grass, a pool and tennis court resting a few feet in front of us.

Upon walking out onto the grass my eyes immediately land on the wooden crate near the blonde’s feet. An uncomfortable feeling settles in my stomach at the sight of this crate. I have no clue what is inside of it, but I already know that it cannot be good.

One girl takes one for the team and asks, “What’s in the crate, Emma?” Emma smiles.

“That’s a great question, Emily.” she continues, “It all leads back to team building.”

“Team building?” I heard another girl ask.

“I like to weed out the strong girls from the weak ones—I don’t like my squad to have any dead weight, if you know what I mean.” her eyes look over each girl’s facial expression, most of the girls looking like they are in discomfort. “Over the course of the next two hours I am going to work you sluts harder than you have ever worked before.” I am thrown by the derogatory term that she calls us. “When I am done with you, you will either be kicked off of the team or you will remain on it.”

One girl raises her hand, lowering it when Emma points to her. “Isn’t this, like, illegal?!”

Emma tilts her head. “If you have a problem with it then you can leave at any point, but don’t expect us to welcome you back with open arms. Any more questions?” The girl is silent as she avoids Emma's piercing blue stare. “I expected as much—Here are the rules,” Emma turns away from the embarrassed girl to face everyone else. “I expect you to drink every last drop of beer.” she hisses “If you throw up then you’re automatically cut, if you injure yourself then you’re automatically cut, if you fall into the pool then you’re automatically cut.”

My nerves skyrocket when the blonde begins to hand out the cans of beer to each girl. She hands two cans of the alcohol to each person. Suddenly the odd feeling that I was feeling the moment that I landed my eyes on the crate starts to make sense. I find myself questioning how she was able to obtain all of this alcohol. The blonde hands me two cans of the chilled beer with a smile on her face. I do not smile back. Honestly, I'm scared. I want to be a cheerleader, but if I knew that this hazing ritual would be a part of it then I might have thought twice about the decision. This is a lot. A few minutes pass before all of the girls have two cans of beer in their grasp. Emma tells us to open the cans, but to not drink them yet. We all do as she says, too scared to defy her orders.

The blonde-haired girl patiently waits until every girl has opened both cans of her beer to say, “Drink up, sluts—You have two minutes!” and with that, she blows the pink whistle around her neck.

All hell breaks loose at her declaration. I quickly throw my head back and begin to chug the beer. The taste of vinegar burns my throat. My throat unconsciously opens up to allow the chilled liquid to pour down it. I decided not to sip the liquid, feeling like it would only slow me down. I throw my empty can of beer down into the grass and do not waste a moment more as Emma calls out the one minute warning. My stomach and my jaw ache, but I push through. I need to remain on the team so that I can become cheerleading co-captain. The only way to stay on the team is to make it through this.

Before I can blink, Emma begins a thirty-second countdown. It takes every nerve in my body not to gag at the disgusting liquid. Emma inevitably reaches one the moment that the last drop from the second can of beer falls onto my tongue. I go to throw my second can on the ground when the girl standing next to me collapses onto said ground, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the grass. I have to force myself to look away from her so that I do not throw up as well.

“You’re cut, Kimberly.” Emma's voice is devoid of any emotion.

The Kimberly girl heaves out, “But I've been on this team for three years, Emma!”

“And your futile efforts to remain on the team have been appreciated.”

“Emma please!”

“I said not to puke, yet you’re puking.” she deadpans. “Your belongings are inside. You may go.” Emma leaves the girl hunched over the grass crying while she leads us over towards the pool. She waits until we are all near said pool to say, “You will all jog around the pool for two minutes straight. If you fall in, then you're cut.” She reminds us. “Your time begins now!”

Within seconds, we are all jogging around the edge of the large underground pool. The smell of chlorine burns my nostrils, in turn making my head hurt. The two cans of beer slosh around in my stomach with every step that I take. I feel nauseous. The familiar taste of bile begins to burn the back of my throat. I inhale deeply, forcing the uncomfortable feeling down.

I need to make it through this… I need to be cheerleading co-captain.

Emma starts to countdown from thirty and to say that I was relieved would be an understatement. The seconds feel like hours as I continue to push my body. Emma barely reaches the number five when the sound of a loud splash is heard.