Jessica adjusted her ponytail and wiped her hands across her sweaty forehead. She could feel her elevated pulse pounding in her ears and her clothing was stuck to her body in the most disgusting way, almost like a second skin.
I don't even want to imagine about how red my face must be right now, she thought. Then again, everyone in here looks like a mess.
People might think cheerleading is a glamorous sport, but cheerleading practice is the total opposite.
The squad had been rehearsing a series of complicated tumbles and dance sequences for over an hour. Jessica could feel her muscles begging for relief, especially the ones in her legs.
There was still over half an hour of practice to go, and no chance of an early finish. Clair was a demanding captain and pushed everyone to their limits. She never had a problem calling out anyone she didn't think was putting in the effort.
The girls on the squad who didn't really like her, called her the Bitchy Little Dictator behind her back. Or at least they thought it was behind her back.
Clair of course knew exactly what everyone thought and said about her. It never phased her.
Jessica didn't really mind the gruelling pace of practice, though. She'd always enjoyed cheerleading. It made her feel strong and graceful - it was something she knew she was genuinely good at.
The afternoon's hard exercise had even made her hangover less of a horror show. She didn't feel anywhere near as queasy as before.
From the edge of the foam practice mat, Clair was scribbling notes in a notepad. She signalled they were going to start rehearsing the heel stretch - one of their signature acrobatic lifts. The crowds always cheered loudly at football games whenever the girls performed it.
Jessica stepped forward to get into her position, along with three other girls. As the top of the formation, all eyes would always be on her. And she had to admit, she liked it a lot.
There weren't too many other times in her life when she could be the centre of attention, especially in front of a decent sized crowd. But she was known as the best girl in the squad at performing the heel stretch, as well as several other challenging poses. Besides having the flexibility to straighten and lift her leg until it was almost vertical, she also had exceptionally good core balance. Even better than Clair.
Of course, her balance on its own was only part of the equation. Jessica had to also rely on the support of the girls beneath her, hoisting and holding her in the air, then catching her safely when she fell to the ground.
And that day, as she vaulted into her position at the top of the pyramid, a little twinge of doubt prodded at the back of her thoughts. She couldn't really say why. She'd done the same lift dozens of times before without any problems.
But as she began to lift her left leg until her calf ended up nearly against the side of her face, she both saw it and felt it.
It was only a subtle move that she saw, nothing too obvious. Just a little flexing of a wrist.
Unfortunately, it was the wrist of a hand helping support Jessica's right ankle.
The hand belonged to Lauren Halliwell.
And when she withdrew her strength, the support structure holding Jessica up high quickly began to falter.
That was both the beauty and the problem with cheerleading. It truly was a team sport. The squad members relied heavily on each other, knowing that any small mistake could lead to a dangerous fall.
For only a split second, Jessica's eyes met Lauren's. The redhead's expression was bland.
The look in her eyes said she had absolutely no desire to act like a team player that day.
Jessica's body began reacting to the threat before her mind could really understand it. Purely on instinct, she both dropped her left leg and twisted her body so that when she landed awkwardly, it wouldn't be directly on the one limb. She could really do without suffering a broken leg.
The only thing worse would've been landing upside down and snapping her neck.
Everything started happening in slow motion, giving her an oddly clear view of events in the gymnasium.
Lauren's expectant face. The rising shock of the two other girls beneath her, when they realised they couldn't support her weight on their own. One of them screamed out a warning.
Clair's wide eyed stare as she put down the notepad and realised what was about to happen. Her mouth opened like she wanted to scream as well, but there was no sound made.
Jessica watched her surroundings tip on a rather crazy angle before her eyes. For a surreal moment she felt almost weightless, suspended in the air like an angel defying gravity.
That feeling left almost as soon as it came, replaced by something far worse. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.
And then she felt herself starting to fall. The gymnasium floor and it's woefully thin foam mat started rushing towards her.
Well fuck, she thought. This is probably going to hurt.
Jessica tried desperately to tuck her limbs against her body as she braced for the impact.