Page 10 of The Prom Queen Project
“Now you’re speaking my language.” Meredith nudged my shoulder with her own. “So, how many spots do we have available for new recruits this year, Ms. Cheer-Captain?”
“Obviously, the seniors are gonna make the team, but in general, we’re looking at eleven spots other than me.”
“Who’s our new prey?” Kendra asked, resting her chin in her hands.
I glanced around the lunchroom, my eyes darting from table to table.
As I searched the crowd, my gaze settled on Elliot. He flashed me a quick wink, his grin wide before he turned back to his friends, who were doubled over in laughter at something he had just said. A sharp pang of jealousy hit me as a realization sank in—I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed like that.
“Earth to Clarke!”
“Huh?”
I snapped my head toward Meredith, who was now waving her hands in front of my face, jolting me back to reality.
“Who should we target for our tryouts? Any new and upcoming freshman from the middle school cheer team?”
“Oh.” I cast a lingering glance at Elliot before swiftly averting my gaze. “Yeah, uh, there’s this freshman that really stood out when I scouted the middle school homecoming game last year. I think her name was Camryn.”
“Great!” She clapped. “Subtracting two more spots for me and Kendra, that leaves eight more spots for any stragglers who decide to try out too.”
“Mmhm.”
“Something wrong, Clarke?” Meredith asked, her eyes hinting at something unspoken. “’Cause if you’re not up for this—”
I tried to hide my lack of interest, but it still slipped through in my words. The last thing I wanted was to spend hours judging girls for their enthusiasm and then discard the ones who didn’t fit the cookie-cutter mold of a cheerleader. But that’s what the cheer captain did.
“No, I am. It’s just you guys know there will be atleasttwenty girls who try out and most of them will be complete shit.”
Kendra raised a finger. “Don’t forget that one guy who tries to join the team every year—”
“Andrew Green,” Meredith said while stabbing the lettuce with a fork.
“So, there goes my Friday plans.”
“What plans? You never leave your house on weekends.”
“Just because I don’t hang out with you, doesn’t mean I don’t have plans,” I muttered.
Meredith’s gaze weighed on me as the silence stretched, thick with tension. Her anger was palpable.
My shoulders stiffened as I stared down at my tray of untouched food.
“Well, hey!” Kendra shouted cheerfully. “At least we’ll have each other, so we can all suffer together.”
Yay us.
“Yep.”
A dull thud sounded beside me as another tray slammed onto the table. I didn’t need to lift my head to know who it was. The overpowering cologne and obnoxious snicker were a dead giveaway.
“Ryan,” I groaned while rolling my eyes. “What do you want?”
“Now is that any way to talk to the star quarterback?”
He put his hand on mine. My nose crinkled as I resisted the urge to immediately recoil under his touch. I could feel the bile rise in my throat.
“Is this any way to treat the captain of the cheer team?” I gestured to his hand on top of mine.
