The lights over the field lit up as the sun set in the distance.
The bleachers were filling up as students and their families took their seats for the game. Johnny and Max picked out a spot towards the center of the home team bleachers at the top row so that they could get a great view of all the action. Andrew and Shawn sat beside them. The announcer was stationed in a tower above the concession stand between the two sets of bleachers.
Whereas the home team bleachers were predominately full of people wearing blue to support the Grove High Growlers, the fans in the other set of bleachers wore black for the Westview Warriors. This was the first game of the season for both teams, which considered each other to be rivals.
The school band was in the top corner of the home team bleachers and they played their drums and horns to buildup anticipation for the game to begin.
Angela stood on the side of the field wearing her formfitting blue cheerleader uniform along with the rest of the squad. As much as she wished the uniform was less revealing, since the other girls showed no signs of being self-conscious, she decided to do the same.
Coach Swanson walked up to the cheerleaders, serious faced as ever. “I would like to tell you that you have all done a fantastic job preparing for this moment. Your hard practices have shown that you are more than ready for tonight, and I hope you girls all have fun motivating the crowd and supporting our football team. Jessica, the squad’s all yours.”
“Alright, Grove Girls,” Jessica said enthusiastically, “Let’s start this off right.”
As the coach walked towards the bleachers, Jessica led the cheerleaders to face the crowd and get into position.
Kayla, Melissa, Carol, Angela, and the rest of the squad all awaited their head cheerleader’s lead. As Jessica raised a fist in the air, the whole team shouted in unison, “G-R-O-V-E, G-I-R-L-S.”
They alternated their hands and arms as they each spelt out the letters. As they finished spelling it out, they repeated it again, this time with some dance moves accompanying it.
Next, they all shouted, “The Grove Girls are here for you, with lots of moves and cheers, and as the Growlers win, the Warriors will shed tears.”
Their school’s crowd burst out laughing and clapping, while the other team’s fans snickered and some booed.
The cheerleaders just smiled and waved to the bleachers.
“Oh, man,” Johnny said to Max as he leaned as far forward as he could, “Grove Girls rock.”
Max laughed. “Calm down dude, you are practically drooling!” With a glint in his eye, he continued, “They sure know how to rock those uniforms.”
“I wish we would have sat closer to the bottom of the bleachers,” Shawn began annoyed, “so we could see them even better during the game.”
Andrew silently agreed. At the top of the bleachers, they could see the cheerleaders’ bodies, but their faces were unrecognizable from that distance. He could just imagine the way they looked up close. Despite the thoughts going through Andrew’s head, he did not feel comfortable saying them out loud. He figured that he could think whatever he wanted to, as long as he kept it to himself.
“Well, you can see the game better from up here,” Johnny said, “and the halftime show too. We can get some close ups after the game.”
Max just smirked and nodded in agreement.
“Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls,” the announcer said over the loud speakers, “put your hands together for the Grove High Growlers.”
Darren led his team in front of the bleachers, and they passed by the cheerleaders as they waved to the crowd. The squad cheered as they jogged on by.
Angela noticed that some of the football players were flirting with the cheerleaders instead of waving to the crowd. One guy passing by Angela winked at her and blew her a kiss. She blushed, half from embarrassment and half from the attention.
Jessica glanced at her and smiled. She mouthed, “You go girl.”
Angela smiled awkwardly and her gaze followed Carson onto the field.
Could he actually like me? Angela wondered. She had always been shy of boys and had previously never given them much of her attention; always instead preferring to work on her ballerina skills. It was exciting thinking a boy might actually be attracted to her. Do I like him back?
Angela shook off those thoughts and just cheered along with the squad.
When the Growlers were all on the field the announcer said, “And now let’s welcome their rivals tonight, the Westview Warriors.”
The opposing team came from around their set of bleachers and their school cheered them onto the field. The Grove High fans just booed and put their thumbs down at them.
Darren met the other team’s captain at centerfield. The referee did the coin toss and the Growlers won it. They chose to have the ball kicked to them. After the players on both teams lined up in position, the game began.
The cheerleaders rooted on the Growlers as they ran with the ball. “Let’s go, Growlers, let’s go!” The school band’s drummer played along with the cheering.
After the first and second downs, the Growlers were close to the Warriors’ end zone. With a faked pass and a breakaway, their team scored a touchdown. The fans clapped and the squad cheered.
While the other team had control of the ball, the cheerleaders chanted, “Defense, defense.” Over and over again they repeated the same words, and the crowd soon shouted them as well.
Johnny, Max, Shawn and Andrew were having fun cheering on Darren as he scored several times. Carson made some great tackles and interceptions which prevented the Warriors from scoring often. As the second quarter came to an end, the Growlers had a major lead. Both teams left the football field for halftime.
“Darren is making fools of those Weasels,” Max said gleefully.
“I bet the Weasels are shaking in their locker room right now,” Johnny added.
Shawn grinned. “This is a great way to start the season off.”
“Yeah,” Andrew said. He was not really into sports, but he was having some fun watching his friends on the field. Especially since their team was dominating.
The school band played some various songs while many fans stretched and bought things from the concession stand. Andrew and the guys stayed in their seats because they didn’t want to lose their place. They could see all the plays from there and they knew the halftime show was about to begin.
Jessica rounded up the cheerleaders after they took a quick break and she brought them to the edge of the football field.
The band finished their song and then set their instruments down.
“And, now,” the announcer began, “please make some noise for the Grove High cheerleaders as they dance to Spotlight.”
All the girls followed Jessica out to centerfield. They walked slowly, allowing the crowd to take their seats and get ready for their performance.
Andrew watched as the girls lined up in two rows, one behind the other, and they lowered their heads and stood still. “This is going to be great,” he muttered as he felt his pulse begin to accelerate.
As the music began, the cheerleaders started to breakout in synchronized moves.
“Spotlight, all eyes on me,” the lyrics said, “this girl’s moves are your fantasy.”
Andrew realized the song was very provocative, which only fueled his interest in watching the cheerleaders’ suggestive dancing. At that moment, he was glad he wasn’t attending his old school. St. Peter’s rigid rules would never have allowed the girls to perform that song. Andrew loved every second of it.
While half the cheerleaders continued dancing, the other half started to do flips. Jessica and Kayla did some forward flips, and Carol and Melissa did back hand spring flips. They went opposite directions, then headed back and flipped right past each other. Angela was in step with the other dancers, and soon the girls were all synchronized once more.
Towards the end of the performance, the Grove Girls moved
their bodies with the beat of the song, imitating the singer’s clear intentions with the lyrics. The cheerleaders practically strutted in front of the crowd.
Angela focused on the moves without questioning them like she used to. She wanted to be as flawless as possible to fit in with the squad and impress everyone with her talent. Nearing the final moments, she felt like the music freed her from being so conservative. She loved the complex movements and quick changes in the dancing.
As the cheerleaders all moved as fast as the music, the intense beat finally stopped and all the girls struck a different pose for the crowd. Each girl held a smile as the fans gave them a standing ovation.
“Yeah, woo,” Johnny screamed as he jumped up and down.
Andrew stood on his seat and clapped along with Shawn and Max.
The cheerleaders waved and exited off the field as the football players charged back out there. The Warriors started the second half strong, but their determination for a comeback was not enough to damper the Growler’s huge lead. Darren managed to speed past the defense for a few more touchdowns, and Carson continued to block the opponents’ advances.
The last quarter ended with Darren catching a quick pass and scoring a final touchdown. As the time on the scoreboard came to an end, the Growlers rejoiced in victory. The cheerleaders stood there congratulating their players as they headed off the field towards the locker room.
As Carson approached Angela, she began to blush again.
“You did great out there,” Angela blurted out.
He let the other players continue past as he stopped beside her.
“Thanks for cheering us on,” Carson said smiling. “We couldn’t have won without your support.”
She grinned and replied, “You’re sweet.”
“Listen,” Carson said as he reached out and gently touched her arm, “maybe we can talk sometime.”
“Okay,” she said as she nervously bit her lower lip.
Carson grinned, his eyes fastened on her lips, and then he ran off and caught up with the team.
“You guys were stellar,” Jessica said as she faced her teammates. She turned to Angela with a wide smile, and said, “You really brought it tonight. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks,” Angela said warmly. She felt incredibly happy and excited.
As the cheerleaders left the side of the field and walked closer to the bleachers, Johnny gestured emphatically and said, “Come on, you goofs. Let’s go.”
Andrew glanced at Shawn confused, and he just shrugged his shoulders.
“Hurry up,” Max said as he hurried away, “or you’ll miss your chance.”
“What?” Andrew asked.
Johnny yelled over his shoulder, “Just get down to the bottom of the bleachers, quickly.”
When they hopped over the final row and reached the railing overlooking the field, Andrew stared at the guys, still confused. Johnny glanced slyly over the edge and to the side, and then waited for the right moment to speak.
“So,” Johnny said casually, “what did you all think of the cheerleaders tonight?”
Max replied in a similar tone, “They were great.”
“Very amazing halftime show,” Shawn said with a smile.
Andrew was trying to think of what he was going to say to the guys. He could barely notice a hint of blue clothing beyond the railing as people were walking past them below, but he ignored it. He remembered how the cheerleaders were dancing very suggestively to the song during halftime, and it made him grin.
“The Grove Girls were super hot,” Andrew relished. “I wish they would perform that song again just for me. Those cheerleaders are babes.”
“Excuse me?” Jessica shouted angrily as she stood there with the rest of the team staring up at them from below. “Keep your fantasies to yourself.”
Andrew’s friends tried to hide their faces as Jessica gave him a scolding look. Some of the other cheerleaders started to mumble comments about him. His face turned bright red as he looked at the squad and said, “I’m sorry, I—”
Then he stared right into Angela’s eyes and his mouth dropped open in shock and confusion. Her eyes were narrowed and she looked like she was holding back tears.
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Finding Faith Page 14