Almost Always You

Chapter 11

The next day went in a blur. I went to the field after class to watch Xander and his team practice. Peter, Josh, Harry, and Pete were also in the team. Xander was looking really hot while he was playing. The cheerleaders were practicing on the other end of the field, and Xander would look at them from time to time. I didn’t like that he was giving them his attention, but I can’t say anything. A few minutes later Peter noticed me on the stands. He blew me a kiss, and I pretended to catch it. Xander looked over to whom Peter was blowing a kiss and saw me. He smiled at me and winked. I waved back at him. There were some girls sitting beside me talking about how the boys looked hot playing, especially Xander. I rolled my eyes and ignored them.

One cheerleader walked towards the stands. She came in front of the girls and said,

“I’m Madeline, the head cheerleader. I’m guessing you all are here for the auditions.”

“Yes,” one of the girls said.

“Alright, let’s go to the end of the field,” she said.

The girls got up and walked away. Madeline looked at me.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh no! I’m not here for the auditions. I’m just here to watch the guys play.”

“If you really want to get their attention, I think you should join us.”

“What? No, no… I’m not trying to get anyone’s attention. It’s just that my friends are playing, so I’m here to watch.”

“Okay, whatever you say. But you could join us; there is no harm in it. You are wearing comfortable clothes so you can audition if you want. Plus, we are looking for someone as slim as you who could be lifted up in the air easily,” she said and looked at me for an answer.

I looked towards the field and noticed Xander winking and smiling at the girls. I felt jealous. I guess there’s no harm in auditioning, and I was the head cheerleader in my senior year in high school. Xander might pay a little attention to me if I’m there.

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.” I said to Madeline. She smiled brightly. We both walked towards the girls who were doing warm-ups. I placed my bag down and joined them. Soon we were given a basic routine and were asked to do it in pairs. My partner was a blond girl. She had the perfect body for a cheerleader. I looked like a kid in front of her.

The girls started doing the routine one by one. I and my partner were last to do it. We both started and ended at the same time. Madeline and the existing members exchanged a few words in private. Madeline turned towards us and said,

“We only have two spots in the team. And there are eight of you. I’m going to point out who’s staying for the next round and who’s not.” I was sure I wasn’t going to make it because these other girls were very pretty and had a good body shape, unlike me.

I looked over at the field and saw Xander looking towards me. He had a blank expression on his face. He turned around and resumed playing. Madeline selected one girl from each pair, and when she looked at me and my partner, she smiled and said, “The short one—you’re selected.”

Yup! That’s me. The blond girl looked at me in disgust.

“Seriously, this girl?” she asked. “I’m way better than her; she looks like a small kid.”

“She’s who we want. Now you can leave,” said Madeline.

The blond girl scoffed and left in a fury.

There were now four of us. We were given a bit of a difficult routine this time. I looked at Xander from time to time, but he wasn’t paying any attention. The routine was something I knew, so I did it effortlessly. Madeline gave me a thumbs up when I finished. Everyone had to do the routine individually. I was nervous. I know it wasn’t something I wanted to do from the beginning, but now I wanted to be part of the team.

“Everyone was wonderful, but as I said, only two spots are there. So you in the blue t-shirt, what’s your name?

“Scarlett,” said the girl.

“Congratulations, Scarlett, you’re now officially a cheerleader,” said Madeline.

Scarlett let out a high-pitched voice of victory.

“Shorty,” said Madeline, looking at me. “You’re the other member. Congratulations and welcome to the team.”

I was really happy. “Thank you, Madeline.”

“Just call me Maddy,” she said, giving me a smile.

The other girls were disappointed.

“Sorry guys, you can’t be on the team this year. Better luck next time.” Maddy dismissed them and turned towards us.

“So now that you’ve made the team, let’s go over the rules. You have to be present and be punctual for every practice. Two warnings will be given, then you’ll be out of the team on the third. Your uniforms will be provided by the college once your measurements are taken. Both of you will be assigned a player with whom you will enter the field during matches. When we have matches at some other college, we have to go with the team. Commitment is really required, and if you can’t do all these, you can back out now.”

I was ready to do anything to be on the team. After all, I was a cheerleader. We were dismissed soon and said we will have practice sessions three days a week. The football team was still practicing. I made my way towards the exit, trying to get Xander’s attention, but he didn’t look at me. I decided to text him about us meeting at my room for the assignment; that’s when I realized I didn’t have his number. I decided to go to my room, hoping he would show up. Don’t know what happened to change his mood so suddenly.

I went back to my room, and Mercy was sleeping. I got fresh and wore shorts and a plain pink top. It is warm right now. I opened my laptop and started working on the assignment. It was five thirty, and still no sign of Xander. Mercy was still asleep. I was about to wake her up to ask if she had his number when there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and Xander was standing there, freshly showered. He smelled amazing. He entered the room and closed the big door behind him with a big bang, which woke up Mercy.

“Hey Xander, what are you doing here?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Assignment," he said blankly.

“Okay. I’ll leave you guys alone; just give me a few minutes.”

I don’t want her to leave.

“You don’t have to leave, Mercy. You can stay,” I said desperately.

“Oh, Ella, I have to go to the library to get some books, and I have a headache, so coffee is a must.”

I groaned internally. Mercy got ready in a few minutes and left.

Xander took his laptop and started working on the assignment. Okay, so that’s how it’s going to be; we are not talking right now. I honestly don’t know why. We worked in silence for a few minutes, but it was becoming unbearable, so I asked

“What’s the matter, Xander? Why are you not talking to me?”

“What do you mean? I’m doing the assignment just like you wanted. Just because I fingered you doesn’t mean we have to talk every time. We are not in a relationship,” he said rudely.

And it broke my heart.