Joan scanned the cafeteria with new uncertainty. In the past, she would just head straight for Karyn's table, but now, she felt herself hesitate.
Are we still as close as before?
She took a step in Karyn's direction, but before she could proceed further, Nicole's voice got her attention. Looking over, she saw the girl waving her over to another table. With a relieved sigh, Joan waved back and approached the one friend she could be sure about at present.
As she drew near, her relief faded as she noticed that Sarah and her posse also shared the same table. In the past, Jon had been thoroughly conditioned to avoid the head cheerleader at all costs or be prepared to suffer the blonde's cold judgment and the football team's swift retribution. It seemed, however, that Joan was now accepted into her presence. Despite herself, she felt curious.
Swallowing her nervousness, she set her tray down next to Nicole's and smiled a greeting towards the others. Sarah gave her a curt nod and a smile but otherwise remained silent.
At her side, Tiffany wrinkled her nose. "Joan, what's with the baggy sweater? Bad enough you're always wearing boy clothes. Now you're just embarrassing yourself, and all the rest of us, too. Seriously, you may be in the squad, but if you want to stay in, I suggest you make a few improvements to your image." Redirecting her accusatory gaze to the blonde at her side, she demanded. "Sarah, you're the fashion guru here. Haven't you talked to her about this?"
"Of course," Sarah replied, trying to concentrating on her chicken salad. "I've offered my help several times already, but it's not like I can force her to accept it. 'Sides, only the coach can kick her off the team, and she's not gonna do it based on her clothes."
"That's a shame," Tiffany snorted.
Nicole glared at her. "Why is this so important to you? You're always picking on her."
"I don't mean to pick on her." The other girl's tone turned reasonable. "But your friend needs to realize that when she looks sloppy, the whole squad looks sloppy. Having her personal style's one thing, but now she's got more than her own image to think about. I'm sure our captain would agree, wouldn't you, Sarah?"
A brief hint of annoyance flashed across Sarah's face as she carefully put her fork down. "Tiff, you bring this up every time. You really need to chill." Meeting Joan's eyes, she continued. "But Tiff's right. As captain of the cheer squad, I'm gonna have to insist that you try to look your best during school hours. If not, I may not be able to remove you from the team, but I can tell the girls not to talk to you outside of practice. I really don't want to do that if I don't have to."
Tiffany barely hid a triumphant smirk. Nicole, on the other hand, gave her friend a worried look. Her eyes begged Joan not to make a scene.
