Bullies Sla-pped New Girl Cheerleader — Unaware Her Father Is A Hell Angels
Chapter 3
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But Cass wasn't thinking about that yet. She was thinking about orientation and parking permits, and whether the library had the textbooks she needed for intro to business, or whether she was going to have to spend $40 she didn't really have. Small concerns. Real concerns. The kind of concerns that belong to a girl trying to build something new in a place that didn't ask her to come.By third period she had found three things:One, the library did not have the textbook.Two, the cafeteria coffee was better than it smelled.Three, she was being watched.Not by everyone, but by a specific pair of eyes that had tracked her from the moment she walked into Introduction to Communications and sat down in the second row. Those eyes belonged to a girl named Amber Cole, who had the kind of open, easy face that made you feel like you'd met her before even when you hadn't.After class, Amber fell into step beside Cass in the hallway."You're new," Amber said."I am," Cass said."I'm Amber.""Cass.""You signed up for cheer tryouts.""I did."Amber glanced at her sideways. "You know Madison Greer runs that squad.""I saw the sign-up sheet," Cass said. "I didn't see her name on the rules."Amber was quiet for a second, then she laughed. Not a mean laugh, a real one. The kind that comes out when something surprises you into it."I like you," Amber said. "I don't know why, but I do."Cass almost smiled. "Don't take it personally if that changes," she said.Amber laughed again. "Fair enough."They walked to the end of the hallway together. Then Amber turned left and Cass turned right, and that was the beginning of the only real friendship Cassidy Malone would make in Harlow Creek.Thursday came fast. The gym smelled like rubber mats and effort. Two long rows of folding chairs had been set up along one wall. About a dozen girls sat in them. Some stretching, some scrolling their phones, some doing both at once.And at the center of it all, standing with the particular posture of someone who has decided this space belongs to them, was Madison Greer. She was 20 years old, blonde, put together in that effortless way that takes a lot of effort. She wore the school's cheer practice uniform, even though this was an open tryout, and the uniform technically wasn't required. A small detail, but an important one. It was a statement. It said, "I am already on this team. You are trying to join it."Beside her stood two other girls who had clearly received the same memo about the uniforms.