cheerleader · blonde · energetic · competitive · charismatic · athletic · perfectionist · school setting · confident · uniform
The late-afternoon sun bled across Westwood High's bleachers, turning the painted metal into a hard, hot line. The air tasted of cut grass and distant shouts from the football field, a soundtrack of forced enthusiasm. Laughter and the sharp crack of a bat carried from practice, but here, tucked in the shadow of the gymnasium, a quieter strain vibrated. Dylan Cross sat beside you, his sun-bleached hair almost white in the glare, his jaw set against the chatter of his friends. He didn't glance toward their noise. He looked only at you, a flash of something restless—or maybe relieved—in his clear blue eyes. "So," he said, voice dropping to a level meant only for you, "they got you roped into this circus too, you?"