Karyn stepped out of the locker room, fully-clad in the Lake Point High School cheerleading uniform, and full to the brim with confidence.
But as she stepped out onto the grass of the football field, she faltered. Somehow, Karyn felt that this was right, that she was meant to be here, but simultaneously she also felt that she had no idea what she was doing. It was that interaction with Jon. Something changed in that moment. Something felt right. One minute she was arguing with her shoes--
Arguing with her shoes? What was she, schizophrenic? No, it was something to do with Jon's stone. Her shoes had been talking to her all day in Sarah's voice. And she'd been fighting them all day, but then she found Jon at the end of the day, and suddenly everything felt... better.
Karyn gave a little self-satisfied smirk to the floor as she thought about Jon. She had him wrapped around her little finger.
Okay. No doubts. Just go for it.
Karyn clasped her hands together, took a deep breath through her nose, and bounced three times on the balls of her feet.
Then she marched straight into the group of girls in matching cheerleader uniforms. Uniforms that matched the one she was wearing, herself. Because this was her group. This was where she belonged.
Karyn spent the next two hours practicing routines and dance moves. But the longer she practiced, the more natural it all felt. There was this part of her that kept saying this shouldn't be as easy as it was, that she shouldn't be as comfortable talking to Nicole and Amber and Tiffany and the others, but that part seemed to fade even as Karyn's actions proved it wrong.
Of course Karyn belonged here. Of course Karyn got along with the cheerleaders. She was a cheerleader, after all.
