Chapter 3: — "Cheerleading, Part 1 — Go Team, Go Trouble"

I wasn’t expecting to wake up to disaster.

“Haruka,” Mom said, knocking gently on my door like she was offering me snacks instead of psychological warfare. “Your father and I had a little talk last night.”

I sat up slowly. That sentence never ended well.

“You need to get out more,” she continued. “You spend too much time in your room. We think it’s time you joined something at school.”

“…like what?” I asked cautiously.

Her smile was way too suspicious. “The cheerleading team.”

I blinked. “I… what?”

“It’s perfect! You’re energetic, you’ve got great spirit when you want to, and it’ll help you make friends!”

I stared at her like she’d just told me I was moving to the moon.

Cheerleading? Me? 

I could barely survive gym class without tripping over my own shoelaces. And now they wanted me to leap around in public? With pom-poms?

“You already told the coach I’m interested, didn’t you?” I asked flatly.

She looked guilty. “Tryouts are today! It’ll be fun!”

I fell backward onto my bed and groaned into my pillow. “This is actual betrayal.”

And as if summoned by emotional distress, Koko popped out of my drawer mid-yawn.

“Who’s getting banished to what dimension this time?”

I peeked at him through my pillow. “My parents want me to join the cheerleading team.”

He froze midair like someone had pressed pause. “…You’re joking.”

“I wish.”

He zipped in frantic little circles around my head. “No. Nope. No way. That means pep rallies, loud screaming, public humiliation, also skirts, and jumping, what if your knees explode?”

“I don’t think that’s a thing.”

“It is now,” Koko growled. “And I forbid this.”

I sat up. “You can’t forbid stuff.”

“Then I dramatically disapprove with glittery intensity.”

“Great. That helps a lot.”

I changed into my uniform, shoved some cereal in my mouth, and walked to school in a pit of doom. Koko floated beside me, arms crossed and tails twitching furiously.

“This is the end,” he muttered. “You’ll cheer once, then abandon me for glitter and human friendship.”

“I haven’t even tried out yet.”

“Yet!”

By the time I arrived, the squad was already warming up in front of the gym. There were ribbons, high ponytails, and girls flipping in ways that seemed to defy gravity and logic. I gulped.

Coach waved me over. “You’re Haruka, right? Perfect. Come on in, we’re prepping for the football game next week. Big crowd. Bring the energy!”

I nodded stiffly and joined the line of girls stretching and chatting casually like they hadn’t just been dropped into the Hunger Games of school spirit.

And then I saw him.

Sora. On the field.

Helmet off. Blue jersey. Hair pushed back from running drills.

Laughing with his teammates like he’d just invented sunlight.

Something inside me popped like a soda can.

Suddenly, cheerleading didn’t seem so… awful.

“Oh. Oh no,” Koko whispered beside me. “She’s doing the face.”

I couldn’t help it. My heart was full-on pirouetting now. Sora? Was on the football team? And I’d be cheering? For him?

This changed everything.

Coach clapped her hands. “Alright squad, we’re splitting into pairs! New girl, Haruka, was it? You’re with Mina.”

A tall girl with perfect eyeliner and a megawatt smile waved at me. “Hey! You’ll love this. It’s way more fun than it looks.”

I smiled back, a little nervous but… not dreading it.

As we practiced a simple sequence, Mina leaned over and whispered, “You’re really cute. If you’re gonna crush on someone on the team, at least tell me which one.”

My face flamed. “W-what? I’m not—”

She winked. “It’s the one with the mole on his cheek, right? That boy has a fan club.”

I panicked. “I… I plead the fifth.”

Meanwhile, Koko was spinning midair like a grumpy UFO. “No no no no no. You’re bonding?! With the sparkle squad?! You just met her! Where’s your ‘stranger danger’ energy?”

I ignored him. Sort of.

Because honestly? I was bonding.

I even smiled during the routine.

It was hard not to. There was music, rhythm, laughing, and Sora kept glancing over between drills. Once, we locked eyes for a second too long and my legs nearly forgot how to leg.

Coach blew the whistle. “Alright girls! We’ve got one more week until the big game, so keep your moves tight and your spirit tighter!”

Mina bumped my shoulder playfully. “You’ve got real pep-potential, new girl.”

I couldn’t stop smiling. Me. Smiling. In cheerleading practice.

And Koko?

Oh, he was fuming.

“I’m filing a complaint with the universe,” he muttered. “She just high-fived someone. What’s next? Matching scrunchies?”

I waved him off with a flick of my wrist, still riding the buzz of a good practice and a tiny, perfect glance from Sora.

The sun started to dip behind the school building. Practice was ending. Everyone gathered in a circle, planning tomorrow’s routine, hyped and chatty and alive with energy.

Coach grinned. “Tomorrow, full dress rehearsal. Bring your uniforms, girls. We’re bringing spirit to that field whether they’re ready or not!”

As the group dispersed, Mina grabbed my arm. “Hey! You’re sticking around, right?”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

From the tree nearby, Koko stared at me like I’d just signed a villain contract.

“This is how it starts,” he muttered. “Today it’s pom-poms. Tomorrow she’s voted Most Spirited. And I’m forgotten like a half-melted marshmallow.”

I laughed softly. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“I’m your emotional support cryptid! And now I’m losing to a boy in a jersey!”

I turned back toward the field.

The squad was lining up one more time for a picture. Coach called, “Haruka, come on! You’re part of the team now!”

I took a deep breath… and ran toward them.

Koko screamed into the grass.