Hours later, Sarah stood out on the field, pom-poms in hand. Kicking and striking poses, she tried to match the movements of her squad-mates. Her mind, however, lay elsewhere.
Something's wrong with my hair, she mused. But what?
Earlier, after changing into her cheer uniform, she had gone to the restroom mirror to touch up her makeup. Seeing her reflection, she had been struck with the feeling that something was off. That impression had distracted her all through her preliminary stretches. By now, she paid very little attention to her surroundings as her puzzlement grew to outright discomfort.
Maybe it's the color. I wonder how I'd look as a redhead. Or a brunette. Brunette might be nice, with dark, dark brown hair, kind of like-
FWEEEEP!
The whistle blast made her jump. She blinked up at the cheerleading coach who had somehow appeared right in front of her.
"Sarah! Pay attention! You should know this routine already."
The other cheerleaders tried to stifle their giggles. Sarah felt her face get warm. "Sorry, Miss Laney. I-I'm just haven't been feeling very well lately."
"I'll say," commented Tiffany from the side. "She's been a total zombie all day. I even had to rescue her from walking into the boy's locker room."
Miss Laney sighed. "Sounds pretty serious. Sarah, I think you should take a break today. Go home, get some rest. I don't want you risking injury before the game next week."
"Yes, Miss Laney."
