The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

The Boys of Hawthorne 

Chapter Sixteen 

Aspen 

After changing out, I follow several of the other girls, not exactly sure of where I’m supposed to go or what I’m supposed to do. 

“So, bitch, I hear you want a place on the squad?” The brunette from this morning says, stopping in front of me with a sneer on her pretty face. 

Bitch? 

Is she for real right now? 

Who the hell does she think she is? 

“I’m interested in the available spot on the squad. What’s it to you?” I fire back, so tired of all the bullshit. A person can only handle so much, and I’ve about reached my limit. 

“I’m Cheer Captain. Everything has to go through me.” Squinting her eyes at me and puckering her lips in a way that I’m assuming is supposed to be intimidating. Instead of being intimidated, I have to bite my cheek to keep from laughing in her face. All I see when I look at her is this meme about a judgmental snake that my mom sent me not too long ago. 

“Well, then, Captain. Tell me when and where and I’ll be there with bells on. You don’t scare * me.” I say taking a step towards her and getting in her face. 

Even with my short stature, I’m still taller than her, and for once, I’m able to look down on someone, instead of always being the other way around. 

It’s a good feeling, even if it is incredibly petty. 

Stopping with about a foot between us, I look around us and see that we’ve gained several of the other girls‘ attention as we go at each other. 

“How about right now? Think you can handle an impromptu audition?” She smirks, thinking 

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that she has me right where she wants me and that I’m going to either back down or make a fool of myself attempting to prove myself. 

Jokes on her. 

Even with all of our moving around, I’ve been in gymnastics since I was three. I’ve been on the cheer squad or captain of the cheer squad at every school that I’ve attended since 6th grade. 

She has no idea who she’s messing with. 

But she’s fixing to. 

“Okay, let’s go,” I say, walking to the middle of the polished wood floor. “Or, do you need the 

coach to be here first?” 

“Coach is right here. Now, what’s going on here ladies?” A pixie of a woman says, coming out 

of the tunnel. She has almost white, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and an air about her that 

lets you know that she doesn’t take any shit but that she’s also pretty chill. 

“Whitney?” She asks, looking at the Cheer Captain. 

“Impromptu cheer audition, Coach.” I tell her, “If that’s okay with you, 

that is.” 

The coach glances from me to each girl, assessing the situation, then back to me again with a Cocked eyebrow and a smile, “Are you ready for a tryout?” 

“You tell me what you want out of me, and I’ll be sure to provide,” I tell her cockily. 

“Oookay,” she says with a nod, “first, let’s hear you chant.” 

Standing straight with my feet together, hands clasped tightly to my thighs, fingers pointing down, and palms in, I lower my head, tucking my chin as I do a mental eight count before. popping my head up with a face–splitting smile. 

Bringing my hands to my hips in a ready position, I call out, “Ready?” I bring my hands from the ready position up to clasp them in front of me at chest height. 

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“Go, go. G–o. G–o. Go Hornets, go.” As I start my chant, going through the routine that I’ve known since middle school, and would likely be able to do in my sleep. Once I’ve finished, I return to beginning stance, clasp my hands back in front of my chest and call out one more time, “Hornets! 

“Can you show me some jumps?” She then asks, nodding towards me. 

“Sure, what would you like to see?” I ask, my smile never leaving my face. 

“Show me your Herkie, Toe touch, Side Hurdle, Front Hurdle, a Double Nine, and a Pike,” she says, throwing almost all of the jumps out there for me to do. 

Nodding in understanding, I quickly run through each jump, not stopping after completing one to go back to beginning position, and instead, I use the momentum from the last jump to give me the lift that I need to manage the next. Once I’ve completed the final jump, with a 

smile on my face, I stand with my hands on my hips and chest heaving as I attempt to catch my breath. 

“Very well, can you tumble?” She asks, looking pleased. 

“What would you like to see?” I ask, knowing that I’ll probably be thrown something hard. 

“Standing back handspring back tuck,” Coach says, surprising me, that she doesn’t want something more difficult. 

Well, okay then, I mutter to myself, surprised to have been given something relatively easy. 

“Done,” I tell her, and then I flip back, planting my hands on the floor beneath me, then throw the rest of my body over until I am standing upright again. 

“Front handspring, step out, roundoff back handspring, step out, roundoff back handspring full–twisting layout.” Brown–haired Barbie says, stealing the tumbling routine from Missy’s Bring it on cheer audition. 

If that’s what you want, you got it, I think, as a confident smile spreads across my face. Then, I proceed to do exactly as she asked, even nailing the landing. Straightening up, I jump back 

into beginner stance with a smirk on my face at the Mulan look–a–like look of shock that’s w 

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ritten all over her face. 

“Well, Aspen, was it?” Coach asks. At my nod she continues, “We do still have to hold formal 

auditions, but you are definitely at the top of the list,” she says with a huge grin on her face. 

Take that Asian Betty. 

All of the girls murmur excitedly behind their Coach while their Captain just sits back glaring at me. After the impromptu cheer tryout, we head out to the track to run some laps. 

The track that I’d forgotten surrounds the football practice field. 

Great! 

Just what I need, more exposure to the four horsemen. 

Ignoring them, I start off slow so that my muscles can warm up and then gradually quicken my pace until I’m going at a pretty fast clip. By the time the final bell of the day rings, I have sweat dripping down my face, my back, and every other inch of my body from my shoulders 

to my toes. 

‘Great work today ladies. Clark, wait up!” Coach yells just as I move to climb the steps. Instead, I make my way over to Coach and walk with her. “You’re one hell of an athlete, Clark. 

Your tryout today was hands down the best that I have ever seen, and you just ran a mile in 

four and a half minutes. I bet with practice we can even shave off some of that time. Have you run track before?” 

“I usually just run when I need to get my mind off of something.” I say with a shrug as we close in on the gym. She just looks at me with a look of astonishment. 

“Damn,” she mutters under her breath, likely not realizing that I could hear her. Walking across the hardwood floor of the basketball court, we’re almost to the tunnel leading down to the changing rooms when she speaks again. “Spring is kind of an offseason for Cheer, I think it would be great for you, the track team, and even the school, if you were to join.” 

“Thanks. I’ll definitely take it into consideration. And does that mean that I made the 

squad?” I ask a note of excitement in my voice. 

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*As I said, I still have to hold tryouts, but if I have anything to say about it, which let’s be 

real, I have all the say. You’re our girl.” With a wink and a smile, she heads off in one 

direction and I go into the locker room to change. 

Maybe there is one good thing that hopefully comes from having such a shitty day after all.