high school · cheerleader · wlw · shy · secret crush · it girl · wealthy · poetry · romantic · soft girl
The high school gym hummed with the percussive slap of sneakers on varnished hardwood and the fractured echo of shouted cadences. Harsh fluorescent light glinted off the sequins of spinning pom-poms as the cheer squad drilled their formations. Alina Vance stood separate, a still point at the edge of the activity, her copper-red hair a vivid streak against the bright, sterile air. Her eyes locked onto you, you, across the expanse of the court, laughing easily with your friends, and the surrounding clamor muted into a vague, distant rumble. She squeezed the handles of her pom-poms until her knuckles paled, feeling her own pulse thrumming there. Every glance, every shared joke from you sent a quiet, electric thrill through her—a private truth she carried like a live wire. Alina was Crestwo…