Chapter 5: — "Cheerleading, Part 3 — Showtime"

The next afternoon, I stood in front of my closet, staring at the cheerleading outfit hanging there like it was mocking me.

“Alright… I can do this,” I muttered under my breath, pulling the uniform out and tossing it on my bed. With a sigh, I stripped down, humming a random song while digging around for my socks.

“Mm-mm-mm~ cheerleader disaster~” I sang off-key, completely oblivious to the glowing menace floating behind me.

“Ahem.”

I froze. My stomach dropped. Slowly, I turned my head—

“KOKO?!” I shrieked, grabbing the closet door and slamming it in front of me like a shield. “HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING THERE?!”

He crossed his tiny misty arms, looking utterly unbothered. “Long enough to wonder why your humming is even worse than your fashion sense.”

My face burned red hot. “Y-YOU WERE STARING AT MY BUTT!”

Koko burst into laughter, twirling in midair like he’d just won an award. “Don’t blame me! You’re the one walking around butt-naked in your room! What am I supposed to do, close my eyes?!”

“This is MY room!” I snapped, still peeking from behind the closet door. “I’m allowed to be naked if I want to!”

Koko smirked. “Yeah, well, next time give me a warning before you decide to moonlight as a nudist colony.”

“OUT! Get OUT!” I yelled, chucking a sock at him.

He dodged it with ease, still cackling. “Fine, fine. But don’t take too long, Miss Peachy Cheeks, or you’ll be late to your big pom-pom debut.”

I groaned, burying my head in my hands.

By the time I got to the field, my stomach was a tangle of nerves and fabric. Mina waved at me with a huge smile, pulling me into the circle with the rest of the squad.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” she whispered, giving me a quick pat on the back.

I tried to focus. Really, I did. But the second my eyes wandered toward the football field, there he was.

Sora. Number 5. Running drills with his teammates, his hair catching the sunlight like it had been personally styled by the heavens.

My chest fluttered so hard I nearly dropped my pom-poms.

Mina noticed instantly. She leaned closer and whispered with a mischievous grin, “Uh-oh. Somebody’s got heart-eyes.”

“I-I do not!” I stammered, gripping my pom-poms like they were stress balls.

She smirked knowingly. “Sure, sure. Tell that to your tomato face.”

I hid my cheeks behind my pom-poms.

The warmups began.

The other girls shouted in sync, clapping and stomping with perfect rhythm. I scrambled to keep up, my arms swinging a half-second late, my voice squeaking on the cheers. Mina stayed beside me the whole time, whispering the counts under her breath so I wouldn’t fall behind.

“One-two-three-four—arms up, not sideways!” she hissed.

I corrected myself, nearly smacking the girl next to me in the head with my pom-pom.

She shot me a look. I mouthed “Sorry!”

Mina covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Meanwhile, out on the field, the players were charging, colliding, practicing plays. The sound of cleats thudding against grass mixed with our chants, creating this buzzing, electric atmosphere that made my blood race.

Every time I sneaked a glance at Sora, my timing faltered. Like when he sprinted down the field, weaving past defenders with effortless grace, I forgot to clap on beat. Or when he threw his head back, laughing with a teammate, I missed my cue entirely.

“Focus, lover girl,” Mina teased through gritted teeth while still smiling for the crowd.

“I am focusing!” I hissed, waving my pom-poms half a beat too late.

“On Sora’s hair,” she muttered.

My face burned.

By the time the actual scrimmage started, my nerves had melted into something else: excitement. Our cheers rang out, our steps fell into rhythm, and little by little, I started feeling like I belonged.

“Defense! Let’s go defense!” we chanted, stomping in sync.

And for a moment, I forgot about being awkward. I just… had fun.

The whistle blew, and the crowd scattered into applause as the scrimmage ended. Mina high-fived me, her eyes sparkling. “See? You survived.”

“Barely,” I laughed breathlessly, wiping sweat from my forehead.

And that’s when it happened.

The players jogged off the field, helmets tucked under their arms. And right in the middle of them—Sora.

He glanced up. His eyes found mine instantly, like it wasn’t even an accident. And then... he smiled. A soft, easy smile.

And he raised a hand. Thumbs up.

For me.

The world blurred. The noise, the cheerleaders, the crowd, everything melted away except that tiny gesture.

My heart somersaulted so violently I almost fell over. My face burned so pink I probably looked like a literal cherry blossom tree.

“Ohhh my goshhh,” Mina sang under her breath, nudging me with her elbow. “Thumbs up boy. He totally noticed you.”

I could barely breathe. My knees felt like jelly.

Behind me, however, a storm was brewing.

“Oh, great. Wonderful,” Koko hissed, his tails flicking violently as he floated above me. “Mr. Sparkle-Shoulders gives you a thumbs up, and suddenly you’re melting like a marshmallow in a bonfire!”

I ignored him, still clutching my chest like my heart was going to launch out.

“Ohhh, Mina this, Sora that,” Koko went on, his voice rising. “What about me, huh?! The one who literally makes your lightbulbs work! The one who keeps your secrets! And THIS is how you repay me?!”

I kept ignoring him.

He screamed louder. “DON’T IGNORE ME, YOU FLUFF-OBSESSED JELLY DONUT! I HOPE THAT THUMBS UP GETS A CRAMP!”

Mina gave me a puzzled look. “...You okay?”

I forced a smile. “Y-Yeah. Totally fine.”

Meanwhile, Koko was still in the background, clutching his chest like a soap opera star.

“BETRAYAL! TRAGIC BETRAYAL!” he wailed. “This is worse than the milk incident!”

I bit my lip to hold back laughter.

Maybe cheerleading wasn’t so bad after all.