#HateThatBoy

by Yesenia Vargas

  I stopped at the third door on the left. It was closed, but I could hear the teacher on the other side. Turning to Noah, I said, “Here we are.”

  He studied me, but I gave him my brightest smile. My mask was already on, and he wouldn’t see beyond it. No one did.

  “Have a great day.” I walked off.

  I knew Krista liked to hang out in the girls’ bathroom after lunch, so I walked in and found her preening her sleek blonde hair in front of the mirror.

  Her reflection stared back at me, her heavily lined hazel eyes meeting my own. “Tori,” she greeted, expression unforgiving.

  “Krista.” I took a few steps toward her.

  “What, are you here to admit to the truth once and for all?” She continued touching up her hair. “I know you and your friends have been saying all kinds of horrible stuff about me online.”

  I crossed my arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but—”

  She glared at me. “Don’t pretend you don’t know about it. It might be an anonymous Instagram account, but everyone knows the cheerleaders created it.”

  My brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  Krista spun around. “The @WorstofWestwood account.”

  Huh? “That account’s been dead since last year.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Wrong again. Looks like you guys have revived it. So much for pretending to take the high road.”

  She turned back to the mirror, and my eyes narrowed. Was she telling the truth? It sure sounded like it.

  “I have no idea what’s going on with that stupid account. If I knew it was a cheerleader who posted from it, I’d shut it down, but I have no idea who it is.” I took another step toward her. “All I know is you need to leave Julie and the rest of us alone.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You always were an excellent liar. And you’re just as bad as the rest of them. Don’t act all high and mighty when you started treating me like trash during freshman year just like everyone else.”

  “That was a long time ago. And a dumb thing to do.” If she wanted an apology from me, that was the best she was going to get. “Don’t act like you turned the other cheek or something, Krista. You’ve been just as mean to us, from the beginning. It wasn’t our fault you were cut from the squad.”

  She clenched her jaw, silent for a second before walking toward the door. She stopped, gripping the handle. “Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, Tori.”

  The door slammed closed behind her.

  On my way to my final class of the day, I found Mia at her locker. Mia was a senior and co-captain of the squad. She would graduate in a few months and move on to college, but she already seemed above petty things like high school drama.

  If anyone could help me but stay out of the chaos, it would be Mia. “Did you know about the @WorstofWestwood account?”

  She shrugged. “I heard someone posted something, but you know I think it’s dumb.”

  I held my books in my arms, studying her face. “Do you know who’s behind it?”

  She shut her locker and shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “Do you think it could be one of us? The cheerleaders, I mean,” I said.

  She gave me a look of skepticism. “It better not be. Coach Davis would kick that person off the squad so fast… My cousin goes to Eastview, and she said someone was expelled for cyberbullying.”

  We began walking to class. “All I know is Krista thinks we’re behind it, and she’s determined to get revenge. I don’t think we need to be worrying about something like this with state just around the corner.”

  “If I hear something, I’ll let you know, but honestly. Is she still not over that? That was years ago.” Mia shook her head.

  I sighed. “Tell me about it. But you know some of the girls made her life miserable for the longest time. Up until last year.”

  “Well, it better be a thing of the past because you guys know I hate drama. If you see or hear anything, let me know. I’ll get Coach involved if I have to.”

  I nodded, and we went our separate ways. If Krista kept giving Julie a hard time, I would definitely let Mia know.

  I made it to science and found my seat. Halfway into the lecture, everyone’s phones began buzzing from inside book bags and pants pockets. Mr. Nguyen was too busy jotting stuff on the board to notice the rest of us checking our notifications.

  Lindsay texted me, telling me to check the @WorstofWestwood account pronto.

  I did just that and almost gasped. The post last night about Krista had gone viral on Instagram. Someone had reposted one of Krista’s selfies. Even I had to admit it was a nice picture, but @WorstofWestwood had shared it on their account with a pretty horrible caption.

  I scrolled to the comments. They were just as bad, and I recognized a few of the names from our school along with several dozen other names I didn’t know. Probably people from other schools. Random people on the internet. And they had been pretty mean.

  They called her the worst names and made all kinds of crude comments.

  I shook my head and made sure Mr. Nguyen was still writing on the board.

  Snickers echoed throughout the classroom, and I turned to see who it was.

  One of the football players had turned around in his seat and was showing it to his buddies.

  Claire sat behind them, a triumphant smile covering her face. Alice, one seat over, quietly high-fived her before going back to taking notes.

  The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Mr. Nguyen grabbed his things and sped off along with everyone else. The classroom was empty in a matter of seconds, but I called out to Claire and Alice. They walked toward me.

  “It was you?” I asked in disbelief.

  Alice’s gaze shifted down, but Claire kept her face carefully neutral. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I stepped closer. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. That was a horrible thing to do.”

  Claire rolled her eyes. “You heard the things Krista said about Julie, not to mention the rumors she spread about the rest of us. It was just as bad as what was in those comments. We had to do something.”

  I knew better than to accept her excuse. “You should have gone to Coach Davis about it. You know this could get you kicked off the squad.”

  Claire looked like she could laugh. “What? Two weeks before our biggest competition of the year? I don’t think so.”

  I scoffed. “You know Coach cares more about this kind of thing than winning.”

  Alice’s eyes widened in fear, but Claire remained sure of herself. “Maybe Coach cares more about this than winning, but you don’t.”

  For several seconds, the only sound was that of people heading to class a few feet away in the hallway.

  “You need to delete that picture,” I finally said, voice low.

  Her eyes remained on mine, unafraid. “I didn’t post it.”

  “Then get whoever did post it to take it down. Or I’m going to Coach Davis.”

  I grabbed my books, and I left without another word. I wasn’t sure, because I kept my gaze forward, but I thought I finally saw Claire’s face fall.

  Three

  That afternoon at practice, Coach Davis pushed us harder than ever before, and I did my best to act normal and hope Claire did the right thing.

  “Girls, the state competition is next week! We cannot be flubbing stunts right now,” she yelled from the stands.

  If you saw Coach at a grocery store, you’d hardly be able to tell her from any typical older woman with short, dyed blonde hair and a couple grandkids. But her hardened, “I mean business” look gave her away.

  I stood on the blue mat in the gym, chest heaving.

  She was right. Lindsay and her group couldn’t get the hang of the new stunt. If they did that at state, it would cost us the championship for sure. Being part of this squad was hard work, but being one of the best teams in the state made enduring the long prac
tices worth it.

  “This team has placed at state for the last nine years, and I’m not about to end that streak now.” Her eyes swept the gym, making eye contact with every single one of us. I held my gaze steady when it was my turn, but several of the girls looked down or away instead.

  “From the top,” Coach Davis called out.

  We scrambled into formation. I ignored the pang of hunger from my stomach. It wasn’t anything new. Head down. Arms out.

  Meanwhile, the last few P.E. students made their way out of the gym. Usually, it was easy to ignore their stares, but today, someone new caught my eye.

  Noah Thomas paused at the double doors and looked my way.

  Wishing he would just leave with everyone else, I led the chant, keeping my gaze forward.

  We yelled in unison, filling the gym with the sound of our cheers. My arms remained stiff as they went through the motions.

  Then music filled the gym.

  Making my way to the corner of the blue safety mat, I mentally geared myself up for what was next: my first stunt.

  No room to think about who might be watching.

  Deep breath and go.

  I sprinted several steps before propelling my body into the air. Front walkover, round off, back handspring tuck, front walkover, round off, double back handspring.

  My body knew what to do, and not having to think about anything else except getting my moves right. That was the best part, especially when every other cheerleader was in the same state of mind. I landed perfectly, spreading my mouth wide in a smile.

  Then onto the dance part of our routine. More stunts. More smiles. Endless smiles.

  This time, Lindsay and her group nailed the new stunt, and Coach nodded in approval. “Excellent.”

  I couldn’t help but glance toward the double doors of the gym, but Noah was gone, the place now empty except for us.

  Coach Davis continued. “But a couple of you on the left are half a second ahead of the rest of us,” Coach yelled. “That’s unacceptable! The judges do not take kindly to a squad that is out of sync. From the top, ladies!”

  We moved into place once again, and I wiped the sweat from my brow using my cut-off t-shirt as I went. “Come on, girls. Let’s make this the last repeat,” I said.

  As the junior co-captain for the squad, it was my job to encourage the rest of the girls and keep their heads up along with the senior co-captain, Mia. It was also our job to make sure the girls stayed on point, but Coach did a good enough job in that department.

  “She’s right. Finish strong!” Mia yelled.

  I took a deep breath, and the music started. It was like something in the squad clicked into place, and suddenly, we were in sync again. We nailed every move and landed every stunt perfectly, every girl cheering and moving to the same beat. When we were like this, we didn’t have to remember to smile. It just happened.

  This time, I was in a lift, a double-base liberty, along with two other groups.

  Lean but strong arms pushed me up until I stood seven feet in the air. Four hands held on tight to my right foot, steadying me. My leg muscles stiffened, hard as rock. If I relaxed them now, I’d go tumbling down. I raised my arms into the air in a V and lifted my other knee, smile at the ready.

  I came down in a basket toss, only to be pushed back up for our pyramid. Zoey and Hanna were in the air beside me, and they pushed me up too.

  Heights no longer scared me. They were part of my normal, of this world that formed such a large part of who I was. These were the moments I lived for.

  With the help of my base, I flew into the air, spinning before landing in another basket toss. My long, toned legs remained stick straight until I was on the ground again.

  “Perfect,” Coach Davis called out as the music came to an end.

  Relief swept through me.

  “We will do our practice performance at the upcoming pep rally. See you all tomorrow morning. 6 a.m. sharp.”

  Early morning practices weren’t my favorite, but they came with the world of cheer.

  Somehow, I found the strength in my legs to make it to my water bottle. The cool water hit my parched lips.

  These two-a-days were grueling, but if we were going to win state and then place at nationals, we had to give cheer our all.

  When I walked into literature the next day, the first person I saw was Noah.

  And to make matters worse, he was in the seat next to mine, with the same smug smile on his face like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  I set my stuff down and took my seat without acknowledging him. I could practically hear his smirk.

  Turning to him, I said, “You weren’t in this class yesterday.”

  He shrugged. “Schedule change. Aren’t you thrilled we have this class together now? I know I am.”

  I rolled my eyes and faced the front again.

  Where was Harper? She usually got here before me.

  Of the three empty seats in this class, what were the odds he’d end up in this one? I glanced up at the ceiling, like the universe might actually answer that question.

  Meanwhile, Noah grabbed his laptop from his bag and opened it on his desk. He typed away, the sound of the keyboard filling the silence between us.

  I wondered what he was doing. Homework? Playing games? Hacking into the county grading system? It was impossible to tell from my seat.

  The bell rang, and Harper walked in, rushing to her assigned seat two rows over.

  “Hey!” she whisper shouted as Ms. Holloway began speaking.

  I gave her a wave and got ready to take notes.

  “Class, please welcome Noah Thomas. He’ll be joining us the rest of the semester.”

  Noah closed his laptop with a tight-lipped smile.

  Most of the class turned toward him with indifferent expressions, but a few of the girls eyed his long, wavy hair. It crested just over his eyes and only made the cobalt in them stand out more.

  But I also saw the way my ex, Gary, and a couple of the other cheerleaders looked at him, like he was a nobody. Not one of their own. In their minds, he already didn’t exist.

  Ms. Holloway began the lecture, and Noah’s low voice drew me away. “So much for a warm welcome.”

  I automatically looked his way. “What’d you expect? Something befitting the Queen of England?”

  His lips stretched into a grin, and his eyes crinkled a little because of it. “That would have been nice. But it sounds like the only one who receives the royal treatment around here is you.”

  I shook my head but allowed myself a little amusement at his snide comment. Maybe the next few months of sitting next to him wouldn’t be so bad. I didn’t know what it was about Noah, but already, he seemed to see right through me. He definitely didn’t treat me like everyone else did. Like I was some kind of queen bee to be feared when, deep down, I was just like everyone else.

  Noah wasn’t afraid to throw some snark right back at me. It unsettled me.

  When Gary’s gaze lingered on mine a little too long, the smile fell from my face.

  Noah turned in Gary’s direction, and I was glad Gary was now looking elsewhere.

  Pretending not to notice Noah or Gary, I picked up my pencil and wrote down the notes the teacher neatly scribed across the white board.

  Whatever, I had more important things to worry about.

  My phone buzzed, and I peeked at the message while the teacher rifled through papers at her desk.

  Harper: New boy, right? He’s cute ;) You should see the way he looks at you.

  I turned toward Harper and shook my head slightly, looking at her like she was crazy.

  She had to be.

  But the way her eyebrows shifted up and down and her eyes went to Noah and back to me told me she thought otherwise.

  Was I the only one with any sense around here?

  Anyways, after Gary, I was so done with boys. No, thanks. I’d rather be single. Cheer had to be my one and only focus right now, with our state competition
just around the corner.

  Coach Davis would probably make me do bleachers if she found out her junior captain was starting a relationship and risking getting her heart broken right before a huge competition.

  That had been Julie last year right before a big showcase competition leading up to state. Her boyfriend of two months had broken up with her, and she had become completely useless.

  Not to mention how sad and pathetic I became last semester when Gary ditched me right before Homecoming for a cheerleader from another school. Talk about humiliating. It hadn’t taken me long to realize I’d dodged a bullet, though. At the end of the day, he was a complete jerk and waste of time.

  He was the starting quarterback of the football team and was just as good as me when it came to putting on the perfect facade in front of everyone. Including me. He wouldn’t fool me twice, though. Beyond that thin uppermost layer, all he cared about was himself.

  Ms. Holloway held up the book we were reading. “Please get out your copy of The Great Gatsby.”

  So we were reading today. It was better than writing. We had just turned in a big paper last week, so I was glad we were taking a break.

  “Go ahead and start reading chapter eight silently. I’ll set the timer for fifteen minutes, and then we’ll discuss,” Ms. Holloway said, then came over and handed an old copy of the novel to Noah.

  He thumbed through the pages until he reached chapter eight. “I bet you can’t read all of this in fifteen minutes,” he whispered.

  I rolled my eyes at the lameness of his challenge. Without another look at him, I exhaled and began reading, letting my long, loose curls form a wall between us.

  It was impossible to focus, though, because my mind went back to Noah and why he was still talking to me. When the guys at this school talked to me, it was usually for a specific reason, like asking me out.

  Part of me wondered if that was the reason he kept getting my attention, but I knew that couldn’t be it. He’d made it pretty clear what he thought about me.