Bree swings me to her side and orders several other girls, the prettiest ones, to stay back. She snaps several shots of the entire team. I try to smile for the picture, but the gutting fakery all around me is like tasting bitter acid.
She posts it on the cheerleading squad’s Instagram account with the caption ‘Captain is back!’ then shows it to all of us. The girls ooh and aah for a while before their attention drifts to the latest gossip going around the college.
We walk down the hall. Bree and I are at the front, and the others follow like they’re our ducklings or something.
This was my life? Come on, Old Reina, you could’ve done better.
Not that I’m judging or anything.
“Someone saw Jason Brighton outside this morning,” one of the girls says over her gum.
Her friend gasps. “No way.”
“Yes way.” She pulls out her phone and opens an Instagram account with the handle devils-for-the-win. Sure enough, there’s a picture of Jason’s pickup truck pulling out from behind the college’s student parking lot. Jeez. I can’t believe someone managed to spot him even though he parked that far away.
“What’s that loser doing here?” Bree snaps.
She has a squeaky kind of voice that really gets on my nerves. I’m tempted to hit her upside the head every time she talks that way. It’s like she has zero respect for anyone.
Old Reina, why the hell were you even friends with her, let alone best friends?
Before I can come to Jason’s defense, Lucy whispers, “Maybe he came to spy for the Knights.”
“I’m sure that’s not it—”
I’m cut off by a fuming Bree. “I’m going to tell the dean about this.”
“There’s no need,” I tell her.
“What do you mean there’s no need, Rei?” she scoffs. “They’re our rivals and the game isn’t far away. Do you want them to beat our asses?”
Okay, I definitely underestimated the whole rivalry thing between the Knights and the Devils. If the cheerleaders are so worked up about this, it must be huge.
In that case, it’s better they don’t know I asked Jason to drop me off. Obviously, the Knights aren?
?t welcome around here.
Maybe that’s why I kept my friendship with him secret?
I really hope that’s the case and not some other snobbish reason.
“This is me.” Bree leans in as if to kiss me, but she doesn’t. She only says, “Muah, muah,” on each side of my face and stalks off to class.
Things continue being awkward as the rest of the girls follow behind me. I test it and try to hobble faster, and they also quicken their pace. I walk slower, and they slow down, too.
Okay, this is ridiculous.
I stop and face them. “Walk beside me.”
“Uh…we don’t do that.” Lucy bites her cheek.
“You and Bree are always in front,” another says.
“Well, that changes now. I’m not your mama duck.” My attempt at humor falls on deaf ears. They watch me with quizzical expressions, and none of them laugh.
I shake my head. “Just come over here.”
One by one, the girls abandon their backup-dancer positions and trickle to my sides.