Cheerleader- Boy for the Cheer

by Daring Diane

  Lee noticed that a few of the girls had brought a purse to lunch. “Squad up, collect purses.” He snapped his fingers to provide timing. All the girls stood as one. Purses were snatched off the table. “Zip warmups halfway. On two, exit to cars single file.”

  The troop walked in unison out to the cars. Everyone decided during lunch that they needed to get some shopping done. But, the group wanted to make one stop first. Lee felt a little like a person on a runaway train. He was just along for the ride.

  Shortly, the girls exited their cars in front of Marcia’s mom’s store. They wanted to show her their practice uniforms and thank her for her generosity. The women’s store bustling with shoppers suddenly became silent as everyone watched the girls march in unison into the store and form two lines. On a snap count from Lee the girls all curtseyed and said, “Thank you for supporting our cheer squad. We will do our best to make you proud.” The girls all clapped and pointed to Marcia’s mom. Cameras were pulled out and photos were taken. The girls all lined up along with Lee in front of the store and Marcia’s mom took pictures of them showing the store’s sign.

  Marcia’s mom thanked the squad profusely for coming by and told them how much she appreciated all their effort. All the shoppers took a moment to encourage the girls. Most of the women had no idea that the team coordinator, Lee, was not another girl. As often happened, Lee ignored their references to him as a female.

  Done at the store, the troop moved to the mall ostensibly to complete more Christmas shopping. Soon, thirteen teenagers in cheer leggings, tank tops with built-in sports bras, and cheer warmup tops entered the mall. Most had their hair held in a ponytail with a blue scrunchie.

  The girls moved in twos into the mall. This moving in unison and in patterns could be fun. Approaching Forever 21, the girls became antsy. Pausing outside the door, Lee almost laughed as everyone was clearly excited. Finally he said, “Squad, on two shop.” He snapped his fingers, everyone laughed and on the second snap, the girls invaded the store. Giggling, Marcia and Darby dragged Lee into the store with everyone else.

  Girls spread throughout the store in twos and threes. Darby was clearly enthralled with a rack of tops. Caught up in the excitement of being with the girls, and the fun they were having, Lee initially approached the racks of clothes with Darby. As he fingered a couple of tops in cute colors, it occurred to him that he needed to be careful. He couldn’t let the girls know he liked these things.

  Darby eyed Lee to see his reaction. She noticed a couple of tops his fingers stopped on. Moving closer, Lee moved around the rack. Darby picked up the lemony yellow top Lee seemed to focus on and held it up in front of her. “Lee, what do you think about this top?”

  Turning towards her, Lee was stunned to see that of the entire rack, Darby had selected the single top he liked the most. Of course, he had not pulled it out. Now he was able to see how it looked since Darby held it in front of her. “Lee, do you like this color?”

  “I do. It’s a cute color.” Lee answered tentatively.

  “Okay, it’s a cute color. But what do you think about the top?”

  Lee felt a little put on the spot. Most of the girls were ignoring the banter. But a couple thought it was cute. “I think it is nice. It will look good.” Of course, Lee had to add that little bit more, “What were you going to wear it with?”

  Darby intrigued, “That’s a really good question. I think it look nice with just some simple jeans or black leggings. What do you think?”

  Lee cocked his head, “Yeah, I think that would look good.”

  “Why don’t I try it on to see how it looks?” She gazed at him to measure his reaction.

  “If you want to, go ahead. You want to make sure it sits right.”

  At that moment a sales girl who had been sitting to the side stepped in, “You know that color would look really cute with your blond hair. If your friend doesn’t like it, maybe you should try it on? Or, since you girls all love to match, maybe you should both buy it.”

  Darby smirked as she held the top up in front of Lee. “Why don’t I try it on first and then we’ll see? Lee do you see any other tops you think are cute?”

  Lee was caught up in things. But, he had no intention of trying on clothes with all the girls. Why did Darby keep trying to suck him into clothes conversations? And, why did she have to pick the one top he honestly thought was cute? He did want to see how it looked on her. But, he might be disappointed if she bought his top. Well, he thought, I need to rethink that. ‘It’s not my top. It’s the top I liked.’ If he couldn’t have it, he wasn’t sure if he wanted his friend to be wearing the top he liked. But, he found himself trailing after her to the dressing room.

  Darby shirked off her warmup and pulled the top on over her tank. Looking in the mirror in the dressing room, she thought, “This really is a cute top. Lee has a good eye. I’m not sure if I should buy the top he liked though.”

  Emerging from the dressing room, Lee and a couple of the other girls were there to offer their opinions. Consensus was, the top looked great and she had to get it. She noticed the lost look in Lee’s eyes. She felt like she was taking it from him. She said she would think about it and tried on a couple of other tops.

  Lee felt both disappointed and relieved when Darby did not purchase his top. The girls moved through the mall from store to store.

  When Lee was with the girls, he was often indistinguishable from them. He looked and acted just like a freshman girl out with a bunch of other girls. They were dressed the same and because of his long hair and lanky body, there were no outward signs of his masculinity. In addition, due to the amount of time they all spent together, he picked up mannerisms and terminology the girls used. He didn’t realize it and the girls certainly didn’t. He was just part of the group.

  Something the girls did notice was that Lee had a really good eye for what looked good and he would often point out that they had a piece of clothing at home that would go with something they were looking at. Lee could identify colors and styles that looked better on one girl than another one.

  The girls stormed a jewelry store and many girls bought gifts for others or for themselves. Lee and Darby joked that more purchases seemed personal as opposed to gifts. Darby took to chiding several of the girls that if they kept buying things for themselves, how would anyone be able to buy them gifts?

  As they made their way through the mall, stops were made at gift shops, gimmick shops, technology shops and even the phone store to see what was new. Darby and Lee looked at gifts for their parents and bounced ideas off each other. Always a good listener and observer, Lee tried to watch for things which might be good gifts for Darby.

  It turned out that Lee loved helping the girls pick out clothes and offering his opinion on different things. After a couple of hours, it occurred to Lee that he was having a great time shopping. It was just not something he had ever thought about as a fun activity. Historically, he had been go in, find it and get out. While he had enjoyed his day with his mother, this day was totally different. Besides seeing things for his friends, he was simply having a great time looking at what was available. There were moments where he wished he could try something on, and yet he got an immense amount of personal pleasure watching the enjoyment the other girls were having.

  When the girls attacked Victoria’s Secret, Lee dragged Darby over to a high end tea shop across from the lingerie store. Darby knew what the problem was and she had no intention of forcing him into that environment with all the other girls. She acted thrilled and they spent time in the tea shop before visiting several kiosks in the middle of the mall.

  Marcia dropped Darby and Lee off at home later that afternoon. Friday night, the two families got together for movie and popcorn. When the movie was over, Lee and Darby changed channels and the parents went off to bed. Lee and Darby talked about their afternoon at the mall. The conversation was mostly high level about the fun of going in a group and all the different places they went.

  N
either of them admitted that they had identified gifts for the other. They would need to get to the mall apart from each other to acquire those items.

  After Darby headed home, Lee went to his room and donned one of his new pajama sets. They were so soft and comfortable, Lee’s senses were in overload. He slid between the sheets, closed his eyes and absorbed the tactile feelings. As he moved around under the covers, his body was alive. He thought about the top that Darby tried on. He really liked the lemony yellow color and the soft material of that top. He wished he could have tried it on himself.

  Lee crawled out of bed and opened his dresser pulling out a stretchy bra. He put the bra on and then put his pajama top back on. He returned to the bed and lay there feeling the pajamas and his new bra. He dreamed of trying the lemony top on over his bra. His mind was excited he really did not understand why he had the feelings. He did not know why he wanted to try on the bra. He was young and still was exploring his feelings. He did not understand his body or why he had the feelings. All he knew was that he liked it.

  Waking in the morning, Lee removed his bra before trotting off to the bathroom. For some reason, he was worried about his mother or father knowing that he wore the bra even though his mom had bought it.

  The outside temperature had taken a dip overnight and he was worried about being a little too cold on his run. Therefore, he put on black leggings, a wicking t-shirt and a light fleecy coat for his morning run. A stocking cap would keep his head warm. Darby had apparently come to the same conclusion. She had on striped leggings and was attired similarly.

  After a brisk run, they shared a hearty breakfast. This weekend, both Lee and Darby planned to work with their parents on final Christmas decorations. After breakfast, they assisted Darby’s mom in cleaning up and arranging some final Christmas decorations. Later in the morning, they headed over to school for practice. After practice, Lee and Darby headed home to help the Corcorans finish their cleanup and decorations.

  That evening, Lee and Darby planned to meet several of their friends, boys and girls, to see a movie and grab some food afterwards. The movie was a holiday release of a new thriller. Lee decided to wear his new skinny jeans. His mother assured him that few people could tell one brand from another. His biggest dilemma was what top to wear. He decided to wear his black silk blouse. Underneath, he wore a black camisole with wider straps and matching panties from Victoria’s Secret. No-show socks and trainers finished his look. He wore the collar unbuttoned.

  The pants were so tight, Lee had trouble tucking his money into a pocket. Since he did not have a wallet, he forced the money into a front pocket. Darby wore a nice pair of slacks and a pink blouse. Both complimented each other on their clothes before heading out.

  Jack dropped the kids at the theater. There a group of about 10 freshmen headed into the theater together. Everyone stocked up on popcorn and soda before securing seats in the theater.

  Everyone loved the movie. Chattering excitedly, they reviewed their favorite scenes and characters from the movie. The group walked to a nearby diner where they secured tables. When they were done Liam came to pick them up. They dropped a couple of other friends off on the way home.

  While several people told Lee he looked nice, no one noticed that his clothes were anything other than normal boys’ clothes. Darby, however, had taken to reviewing anything Lee wore. Darby noticed that Lee’s jeans were embellished in certain ways which upon further review confirmed that Lee was wearing girls’ jeans. This led her to look at his shirt more closely. It only took a moment to realize it buttoned the wrong way. He really did look cute.

  Leading up to Christmas, they spent more and more of their time on timing and presentation than the program itself. The plan was to focus on the program after Christmas. With Christmas on Wednesday, they decided to forego practice on Tuesday and Christmas day.

  Sunday, Lee and Darby ran in the morning and practiced in the early afternoon. Lee helped his mother with shopping later in the day. They focused on getting a gift or two for Jack.

  Given it was the holidays, Lee and Darby wanted to do something for the rest of the squad. Sunday evening, they baked holiday cookies and packaged them up with ribbons and cellophane.

  Chapter 18 – Week Four - Christmas Week

  Monday practice was scheduled for earlier in the day since there was no school. After practice, Lee and Darby handed out their baked surprises to everyone. Besides something for everyone to take home, they provided a snack plate for after practice. Sylvia thanked everyone for a wonderful semester and bade everyone join her in tasting their gifts.

  Christmas was a wonderful affair like every year. The two families still held their alternating holiday celebrations. Even when younger, Lee and Darby would always try to find the perfect gift for each other. Darby gave her gift to Lee and he opened it expectantly. Inside was a small box and a larger box. Lee opened the first box and was stunned by the contents. Inside was a brand new baseball glove. Lee had been disappointed when he did not get the glove he wanted from his parents. But, the Xbox had been a welcome alternative. Jerry had recommended Lee get a specific type of glove and if he got it at Christmas, there would be time to break it in before the season started. Lee was speechless for a moment. “Darby, this is too much. I don’t know what to say.”

  His mother offered, “Thank you would be a nice start.”

  “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Lee was clearly moved.

  Knowing she had hit the nail on the head, Darby proudly said, “You are very welcome. Don’t forget the other box.”

  Lee looked back at the small box and took off the ribbon. Inside there were two sets of pierced earrings. The first set had a short silver strand and supported a silver baseball that would dangle just below the ear. The second set has a white baseball with a post through the ball that mounted directly to the ear. The second set was like a gold ball set just with a larger ball painted like a baseball with red marks for the threads.

  Lee had no idea when he might wear the dangling earrings. But the white balls would be nice. Since he had his ears pierced recently, he had enjoyed the ability to change his earrings. He liked the white ball earrings a lot.

  “Darby, I really appreciate your gifts. Thank you.”

  Darby was very happy.

  Lee prayed that Darby would like his gift. He handed his gift which also consisted of two boxes to Darby. Darby decided to open the smaller box to start. Darby’s box contained a set of pierced earrings. A gold chain was attached to a gold rosette that had the pin for pierced earrings. On the bottom of the chain was a yellow jewel in a teardrop shape. While it may not have been the most expensive piece, Darby loved the color. “Lee, they’re beautiful. Thank you so much.”

  Lee smiled, “I’m glad you like them. As you said, ‘Don’t forget the other box.’ ”

  Darby unwrapped the ribbon and lifted the lid. Pulling the tissue paper away, she was stunned to see something in a lemony yellow. More surprising, it looked like clothes. Lifting the item out of the box, Darby was befuddled as she realized that it was the top Lee had liked at Forever 21. She had seen the yearning in his eyes. She loved the way it looked when she tried it on. But, she could not bring herself to buy it or one similar knowing Lee liked it so much. Yet, he had apparently bought it as a gift for her. Darby was not sure how to understand this. The one thing she knew was that this was a very special and personal gift. “Lee, I don’t know what to say. You knew I liked this top and you made a special effort to go and get it for me. The earrings are a perfect match. I am very touched. Thank you.”

  Lee spent a lot of time thinking about a gift for Darby. He loved the lemony yellow top. But, it was unlikely he would find a situation to wear it other than in his room. Darby looked so fantastic wearing the top he had honestly been torn. Even though he yearned for that top, he was totally aware of how good it looked on Darby. She looked like she loved the top. Yet, she hadn’t bought it. It was weird. He knew she liked it and yet she didn’t get it.
When given the opportunity, Lee ran to the mall and bought that top for Darby. Since he could not have the top himself, maybe he could live vicariously through Darby. Every time she wore that top, he would imagine what it would be like if he wore it himself. It was sort of like a gift to both of them.

  Lee smiled, “I knew you liked it. I hoped you would be okay if I bought it for you.”

  Darby was not sure what to say. “It’s really wonderful and a special gift. Thank you.”

  Lee added, “I look forward to seeing you wearing the two together.”

  Darby noticed a slightly devilish look in his eyes as he said that. She thought, maybe he wants to see me wearing it since he cannot wear it. She saw no problem with that. She liked the top before. But as a gift from Lee, it could easily become her favorite top.

  Lee had mentioned to his mother the incident when shopping at Forever 21. It was on a joint outing that Lee ran over to the store to acquire the top. He told her how he had liked the top but felt that Darby really liked it too. And he wanted to give her something that she wanted. She had worked hard to help him in the last semester.

  Erin pulled Sally aside to discuss Lee’s gift. “Sally, I’m not sure Lee should be buying clothes for a friend. Doesn’t that seem a bit personal?”

  Sally calmed her friend down, “Lee and the squad went to a shop where this top was for sale. Darby tried it on and really liked it and apparently everyone thought she looked extremely cute in it. I think she thought someone else on the squad was jealous or wanted the top and therefore, she passed on it. Lee talked to me about it and I thought that since she had actually tried it on and expressed an interest that it would be alright. They are good friends and they are moving past the point where they can give each other toys or dolls. Frankly, I was concerned about how much Darby was spending on the glove. But she told me Jerry, the baseball coach that has been helping the both of them, got her a special deal on it. Otherwise, I would have been concerned over the money side of things. You and I can keep an eye on the two of them to make sure this is not a precursor to other personal things. Wink, wink.”