by Marian Tee
The girl next to her saw where she was looking and whispered, “Americans.”
Ah. So that was why, Ianne thought. Regalian girls were pretty much old-fashioned, with mini-skirts and bright red lips worn in broad daylight still managing to raise a few eyebrows. If the twins had worn their audition outfits outside the gymnasium, Ianne wouldn’t have been surprised if they had been sent to the dean’s office for it.
“QUIET!”
The girl barking out like a drill sergeant in front of the crowd had everyone straightening their backs, eyes in front. She had a sweet-looking face and was rather chubby, but right now the scowl on her face was dauntingly fierce enough to make Ianne and the others gulp…audibly.
The sound made the girls who were already part of the squad smirk.
“I’m Gee,” the girl Ianne assumed was the squad’s team captain said, “and I’m the boss here.”
Now that was confident, Ianne thought. If only she had been that decisive with him two years ago. Hello, I’m Ianne. And I’m calling dibs on Alex Rockford. The thought almost had her smirking. It usually hurt to think about him, but this time the pinching sensation in her heart wasn’t so bad. Maybe she really was starting to move on.
“…let’s do this fast and simple. Myra here will show you the moves step by step the first time, slow motion the second time, then normal speed on the third time. Believe me when I say that I'm already being reasonably nice by doing that. Afterwards, all of you will do it together without Myra then we will call you one by one in alphabetical order. Once you’re done strutting your stuff, you can leave. No need to say ta-ta, no need to chit-chat, no need for anything. Got it?”
Gee didn’t wait for an answer, motioning for one of the cheerleaders – Myra – to take over.
As she waited for her turn, a random thought floated in her mind.
If I manage to get in, I wish Alex would—
She quickly shoved the thought away, but her face turned red all the same. Her fists clenched. Stop dreaming about him. Alex Rockford had a girlfriend now. He couldn’t be hers…and he hadn’t been hers for over two years.
Chapter Two
Being dumped – and getting over it – is like being forced to use a smartphone because your favorite analog phone died on you.
You just have to accept that you need to start over again and figure things out.
“This camisole top is itchy,” Ianne complained as Middy steered her car to make a right turn. Although Middy didn’t attend the same uni she and Train were in, her school was close enough for the three of them to carpool every morning.
“Quiet about the top,” Middy hissed. “I’m trying to concentrate on driving.” She had only gotten her license a month ago – on her fifth try – and so far, she was still driving at a ridiculously slow pace.
“We’re going to be late again,” Train muttered from the backseat without looking up from her iPad.
“Shut up,” Middy retorted without heat, her attention still fully focused on the road. “It’s not my fault that our universities aren’t allowed to have dorms and we’re forced to drive to school every day even for college. I mean, if they just did everything like America then life would be so much easier.”
Ianne wriggled in her seat as she adjusted her top. “It’s really itchy.”
Train sighed. “It looks good on you, so just ignore the itchy factor.”
Ianne bit back her own sigh. There were really times when she missed the old Train.
Middy was nodding sagely. With the traffic light still red, she could now afford to look at Ianne and she did so with a narrowed gaze. “Stop complaining. Today is your big day. You’re going to find out that you made it to the squad and you’ll be Ms. Popular in an instant.” She snapped her fingers to emphasize how instant Ianne’s expected rise to popularity would be.
She wagged a finger at her friend. “And because you’re going to popular, you need to understand that fame comes at a certain price, and that includes having to suffer discomfort here and then in order to look hot.”
“That doesn’t make sense to me,” Ianne said honestly as she pulled the top away from her body just to relieve the itchiness.
Middy didn’t answer. She couldn’t, with the traffic light turning to a warning glow of yellow.
“Ianne, think of it this way. What if today’s also the day you meet Alex?” Train asked in a very reasonable tone.
Unfortunately, Ianne’s heart reacted to the words in a not-so-reasonable way as it hammered loudly against her chest.
When Ianne was conspicuously silent, Train looked up and caught sight of her friend quietly struggling not to blush. Smirking, Train added slyly, “And what if, he takes one look at the new Ianne, in your super revealing camisole top and bam! He falls for you like a ton of bricks?”
I’m not going to blush, I’m not going to blush—
But it was useless. Her cheeks were already hot enough to rival the sun. Her mind had also gone on overdrive, her most secret Alex Rockford fantasies resurrected. If she closed her eyes, she would not have a problem imagining herself in the arms of—
Her toes curled, but she forced herself to focus on the depressing state of the present – and what was real. “I told you not to mention his name!” Ianne grabbed her bag from the floor and, taking out her super-girly pink brush, she started furiously combing her hair in hopes of distracting herself.
What was happening to her? She had managed to avoid thoughts of Alex Rockford for almost two years and then suddenly, she couldn’t stop thinking about him again. Since that day she had auditioned for the uni’s cheerleading squad, she hadn’t been able to stop her mind from fleetingly drifting towards Alex Rockford as she wondered what he might be doing now and whether he ever thought about her and whether—
STOP THINKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO ALREADY BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE, Ianne shouted at herself in her mind.
The sound of her friends’ laughter broke into her thoughts, and the looks they gave her made Ianne ask defensively, “What?”
“Give it up,” Train said. “You are totally daydreaming about him.”
“And that’s okay,” Middy added reassuringly. “It’s just between us friends. It’s not like we’re going to tell Little Ms. Twit about it.”
“It’s not okay—”
“Just imagine,” Train said in a hypnotic voice. “You’d get out of the car and he’s there, and he totally stops dead when he sees you and…”
Ianne gritted her teeth. I’m not going to listen to Train. I’m not going to—
Middy giggled, seeing how Ianne was doing her best to stay unaffected by Train’s words. She continued in the same tone, “…and when he recovers from the shock of seeing you again, with you so beautiful this time, he practically runs to you just so you won’t disappear from his life. He tells you in that sexy rough American drawling voice of his....”
Clearing her throat to effectively copy Alex’s famous Southern drawl, Middy said gruffly, “Hi.”
Eeeeeeeek!
That was the sound of Ianne throwing all common sense out of the window, and her friends squealed with Ianne. This was her fantasy, dammit. She could very well pretend that Alex Rockford did not have a girlfriend.
They looked at each other, grinning. “What if, right?” Ianne said dreamily.
“It could totally happen,” Middy said supportively.
“Of course it can. You are worth a hundred Zeldas, and maybe this time he’s smart enough to realize it. You’ll knock him out with your new looks, Ianne, and the first thing he’ll tell you is…” Train paused for effect.
Ianne couldn’t stop the giddy smile on her face as she asked in an excited whisper, “What is he going to say?”
“He’s going to say…” Train coughed, also needing to prepare to copy Alex’s Texan accent. “Ianne…can I court you?”
Ianne and Middy stopped smiling.
Train blinked in confusion. “What?”
Middy groaned. “My God, Train
. Nobody asks that anymore.”
Ianne grouched at the same time, “You ruined it. He has a girlfriend, remember? That can’t be the first thing he’d say to me since that would make him a two-timing jerk.”
Train rolled her eyes. “First of all, Middy – you’re dating the wrong guys. Maybe in America, guys don’t court girls anymore but guys here in Regalia still do.”
“In what century,” Middy muttered under her breath.
“And secondly, Ianne, we’re indulging in a fantasy,” Train said in her most pragmatic voice. “Anything goes. It’s a fantasy.”
Before Ianne could react, Middy had already – finally – reached their uni. She and Train quickly jumped out of the car since they only had five minutes to race to their classrooms. “Thanks for driving us,” Ianne told Middy. Train echoed her thanks.
Middy blew her a kiss. “Good luck with the results even though I know you’re a shoo-in!”
Great. From feeling like she was on cloud 9, Ianne suddenly found herself back in waiting purgatory thanks to Middy’s reminder.
Train quickly changed the subject, seeing how Ianne had just turned green. “Middy, don’t be late later. We have that dinner to attend at Andra and Jacy’s college.” She waved her friend away. “Now go. You don’t want to be late again for your first class.”
When Middy drove off, Train looked back at Ianne and found her friend still looking queasy. “Hey. It’s going to be all right.”
“No. It’s not.” The words were forced past bloodless lips.
“Yes. It is,” Train countered. “You’ll find out that you’ve passed and we’ll have something to celebrate later tonight.”
“Or I don’t get in and I have an excuse to get drunk for the very first time since I’m 18 now.”
“Stop being so negative. You are going to get in.” Train dragged her friend inside the school building. A huge crowd had already gathered in front of the large bulletin board posted on the wall. There were a couple of girls crying in the corner, and the sight of them made Ianne wince. Was she going to join them in a little while?
Train pushed her forward. “Go on.”
With a deep breath, Ianne forced her way to the front. The acceptance list was awfully short and a cursory glance told her that it wasn’t alphabetically arranged. So how was it arranged then? According to scores?
The thought had her palms cold and clammy and she bit her trembling lip hard as she began to scan the list, starting at the bottom. It was a struggle to stay in front long enough to check out the entire list, but Ianne managed to keep her place. Years of carrying CPUs had made her a lot stronger than most other girls.
By the time she reached the middle portion of the list, Ianne was barely breathing. The numbers next to the names were enough of a clue to tell her that her initial guess was right. The list was arranged according to scores, which meant she either miraculously got high marks during her audition – or she hadn’t gotten in at all.
When she reached the tenth place on the list and it still didn’t have her name, Ianne’s heart plummeted like there was no tomorrow. There was no way she’d get in now. She had no experience in cheerleading, so what chances did she have against all those who had been carrying toy pom-poms ever since they learned their first words, rah-rah-team?
But since she needed closure, Ianne doggedly continued to read the list, faster this time because all she really wanted now was to lock herself somewhere private and just bawl her eyes out.
5. Anna Torres
Congratulations, Anna.
4. Danica Zelda Baudin.
Good for you, Danica—what?
She blinked several times, wondering if she had read that correctly.
Danica Zelda-what-the-fuck-Baudin?
Surely that was impossible?
Evergreen University of Technology was just that: a university for tech geeks. She couldn’t imagine what the Zelda Baudin would be studying if it was indeed the same person. Ianne hadn’t even seen Zelda near a computer the whole time they had been in high school. Maybe Evergreen had a course about cosmetics for…computers?
She dismissed the thought. It had to be another girl who happened to have the exact same name as the Zelda she knew.
Ianne returned her attention to the list.
3. Dana Maclean
Whoopee, Dana! You rock.
2. Ianne Elizabeth Clayton
Read that again.
2. Ianne Elizabeth Clayton
Oh. My. Gawd.
Ianne didn't bother checking who got the top spot. She blasted her way out of the crowd and virtually crashed into Train in her hurry.
Train took one look at her face, her tear-stricken-face, and let out a loud whoop of joy. She hugged Ianne tightly. "I'm so proud of you," Train said with a sniff.
And because she was such a toughie, Ianne burst into more tears and hugged her friend back just as tightly. No words, no words at all, could express just how happy Ianne was now. She might not have the person she loved, but at least she was finally doing justice to her dreams.
Chapter Three
Second chances in love are a lot like shopping for reconditioned parts.
Not all of them are worth giving another try.
Despite all of Middy’s urgings and Ianne’s, Train stubbornly refused to budge from her decision to attend the la-di-dah dinner prepared by Andra and Jacy’s even more la-di-dah college wearing her everyday “uniform”, which consisted of a collared plain-white blouse and black pants. Ianne understood that it was all part of Train’s stick-to-the-budget plan, but it wasn’t as if wearing a colored top versus her standard white would cost her more dollars.
When they got to the function room, the three of them were suitably impressed. Andra and Jacy were both taking up hotel & restaurant management, and today’s event was meant to test their ability to host a posh event.
Male students were dressed in black tuxes while the girls looked very svelte and gorgeous in their own version of suit and tie, only this time it consisted of a tight-fitting frilly white blouse and a short pencil-line skirt.
“There they are,” Middy exclaimed, and in typical Middy fashion, she ran towards where Jacy and Andra were talking in one corner next to the vacant table reserved for them. Ianne grinned when she saw Jacy’s long-suffering look as Middy gave her an exuberant hug and air-kissed her cheeks. They all took their seats.
“Is Darius coming?” Middy asked, referring to Jacy’s on-off boyfriend since their high school days.
Ianne kicked Middy under the table. Darius and Jacy loved each other like crazy, but they quarreled with each other like crazy, too. If Darius wasn’t by Jacy’s side, that could only mean one thing.
Seeing Jacy’s strained smile, Train quickly changed the subject. “Great news, guys. Ianne made it to our uni’s cheerleading squad!”
Jacy’s face broke into a wide grin. “I knew they’d be stupid enough to let you in!”
Ianne laughed. "Thanks, I know you're happy for me."
Andra came back to their table then, looking a little harried because as PR head, she had to circulate and entertain the guests. "Hey guys." Another round of greetings and congratulations went on, and Ianne basked in pleasure as all her friends showered her with another bout of congratulations.
When the buffet was officially open, it was Jacy’s turn to be praised, all of them oohing and aahing at the mouth-watering variety of food offered.
While still in line, Ianne silently debated how much calories she was allowed to consume for tonight when a voice behind her said, “I think that looks great.”
She glanced behind her, startled, and saw one of the tux-clad guys smiling at her.
It took her more than a minute to realize that he was also flirting with her. What else could it be when he practically glued himself to her side, describing the different dishes on the buffet table and even escorting her back to her friends?
Everyone was looking at her slyly when the guy pulled out the seat for her.
“Enjoy your dinner,” he said huskily as he unfolded her table napkin and placed it gently on her lap.
She could only smile weakly, her heart not skipping one damn beat even though, bent down like this, he was close enough for his breath to fan her cheek.
He was hot. Really hot. But he just wasn’t Alex.
****
She woke up early the next day. It was a Saturday morning and the whole house was still quiet. Ianne knew she should just go back to sleep but she couldn’t, her mind suddenly too busy reliving yesterday’s events.
The cute guy at last night’s event had asked for her number and she had made herself give it even though she was secretly cringing the whole time she had recited her number. But this was for the better, Ianne told herself. It was time to move on.
Her mind drifted to the time she found out about passing tryouts. Had she really made it to the #2 spot during auditions? It felt so surreal she was tempted to go back to school just so she could see her name in big bold letters again.
And then, without warning, her mind resurrected even earlier events, Ianne riding in Middy’s car with Train and all of them imagining a perfect world where Ianne and Alex were together.
Under the blanket, Ianne’s knees shook in instinctive reaction, making her want to cry and laugh at the same time. Why did she keep thinking of him now? She had successfully pushed him out of her thoughts for years and then all of a sudden, he was in her mind all the time and there was no escaping him.
Feeling like she had a drastic need for distraction, Ianne forced herself out of her bed and took a quick shower. As she munched on her toast, Ianne’s mind took a not-so-nice direction, reminding her about her conversation with her dad and brother when she got home last night.
“You’re serious about this?” were her brother’s first words when he learned she was officially a cheerleader now.
