“Porter has a point. Exercise is important for so many reasons. Mental health for one.”
“My mental health is top notch, ta.”
“I’m sure it is, and we can keep it that way with a bit of light cardio.”
I nod. “We could also keep it that way by doing none of that and leaving me to my life. I mean come on, Sloane. Do you really want to waste your time on a lost cause?Surely, you’ve got better things to be doing, like practising for whatever tournament is coming up, or football game.”
Sloane coughs up a laugh. “Wow, you really don’t want me to help you.”
Slinging my hands in the air, I look at her with pure indignation. “I didn’t ask for help in the first place.”
Another lip bite. “He’ll fail me if you don’t participate. It’s part of the rules.”
“Fuck off,” I snort before realising I just cursed at her. “I didn’t mean that literally,” I backpedal. “I just mean there’s no way he’d fail you. No offence, Sloane, but even if you weren’t the star of the cheer squad, your family owns half the town. Porter would piss his pants if he had to fail you.”
She grins. “True.”
I think we’re getting somewhere. “Great, so we’ll just leave it there then, yeah? Forget all about this.”
Her eyes light up and I’m gonna take a wild guess I’m not going to like whatever she’s about to say.
“Sorry, Eden. Those are the rules, and I follow the rules. He probably won’t fail me, but he could. And if he does, that’s on you. Could you live with that? Taking my dreams away.”
Jesus Christ, how has my day gone so wrong?
“Sloane, come on…”
“We’ll start next class,” she beams. “Bring some workout clothes, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,” she adds, before leaving me standing by the wall looking outraged. I watch her high-five Porter, then join the rest of her squad. He gives me a thumbs up. I’m too shocked to do anything but stand there for the rest of the class.
Eventually, Pia scoops me by the arm and drags me to the locker room. Because my gym period is always at the end of the day, I never shower at school. I’d rather stink for twenty more minutes and enjoy the bathroom at home where there isn’t other people’s hair in the drain.
Today is no different, apart from the fact I stand staring at my tiled wall as the water soaks my hair. Pia dropped me off and I sort of zombied my way up to my ensuite.
“Fuck!” My shout echoes through the bathroom. I was so close to finishing high school without any real drama. Now I’m going to be stuck with Sloane Bishop and fresh air.
What the actual fuck?
2
Sloane
I’m almost at the finish line in the race that is high school, and I’ve finally been given the excuse to talk to Eden. My white whale.
She’s intrigued me for years, but we’ve always run in different social circles. Now, it’s not like I couldn’t have spoken to her earlier. I wouldn’t have been shunned by the cheer squad or anything. It’s just that, for some inexplicable reason, my usually impeccable game is missing when it comes to her.
Whenever I’m close, my usual swagger dries up and all I end up achieving is a smile or a lame, “Hi.” I don’t understand it at all. Becca, my best friend of seventeenyears, says it’s Eden’s accent. She has a theory that my brain short-circuits when I hear or imagine her British accent, which I’m positive is in the realm of possibility. Eden’s voice is delicious. Not uppity like every British accent I’ve ever heard portrayed on tv or in movies. No, Eden is rougher. She uses slang and her regional accent is…common? I’ve no idea if that’s true. I know she originates from the middle of England, and I’ve often heard her tell people she’s common as muck, whatever that means.
I’ve admired her from afar since she arrived at Holcroft, in her tight black jeans and baggy hooded sweatshirts. I don’t think she owns any other clothes, to be honest. The fact I’m so drawn to her is an anathema. Eden is not my type at all. I like my women in dresses and labels, not in heavy boots that look like they’ve seen some hard times. She also hates exercise, or any form of movement that might get the heart pumping above its resting rate. I’m the cheer captain and on track to study sports science in college. We’re completely incompatible, and yet I’m attracted to her. Wildly so.
I’d come to terms with the fact that she’d only ever be a high school fantasy. That was until Mr. Porter called me over in class earlier and came up with some bogus buddy scheme. One that had me partnering up with Eden.
His obsession with getting every person in the class to do some form of exercise is weird, but considering the position it’s just put me in, I’m now a fan.
Eden looked completely horrified when I told her, and at one point I almost felt bad enough to give her a way out. That was until she flexed her jaw and sent tingles up my spine. A strange turn-on, but it is what it is. She reminds me a little of Vi fromArcane,sans the muscle. A potted plant has more definition than Eden. I wonder if she knows how much she looks like my favorite animated character.
Fuck, just the thought of her sends heat to my cheeks. It’s a good thing I’m out and proud, otherwise school would be hell trying to hide my ever-growing crush on her.
Becca almost squealed when I told her what had happened in gym. She’s my biggest supporter outside my family. We were born on the same day and have lived two doors down our entire lives. She’s like a sister and knows everything about me. Becca was the first person I came out to at the tender age of twelve. Mom and Dad were a little later down the line at fifteen.
