Daisy in a Meadow

7 - Cheer Squad

After a lengthy conversation with Ruby that took up the entirety of our lunch, I learned much about her. Just like me, she was a senior. Her parents had just gotten divorced, which was why she'd just moved here. It was also why she had no friends.

She'd asked me to introduce her to the rest of my friends. When I told her I had none, she wasn't discouraged. In fact, she'd insisted on me coming over to her house after school, so that we could be lonely together—her words, not mine.

"Do you ever wonder what things would be like if you had no hair?" Ruby asked as she hung upside down from her bed.

"No, not really."

"Because I do," she carried on. "I mean, I can't imagine not being a ginger. My parents literally named me Ruby because my hair is red. Without my hair, I wouldn't even have a name!"

"I'm sure they would've named you something else," I sat up thoughtfully. "Say you were blonde. Maybe they'd have named you... Sunshine."

"What kind of a horrible name is Sunshine?"

"My mother's name is Sunshine," I frowned.

"Oh," she froze. "I'm sorry."

A smile fell onto my lips.

"You liar," she laughed, whacking me with a pillow.

I giggled. "Jokes aside though, now that you mention it, I think my hair's had a bigger impact on me than I realize."

"How so?"

"Well, kids can be mean, and growing up, it wasn't rare for someone to pet my hair like I was some animal, or marvel at how long it was, as if black girls can't have long hair," I admitted. "I always felt like it made me different in a bad way. Over time, though, I've learned to love my curls. They're my favourite part about myself."

Ruby was quiet as she listened to me. Then she blinked. "You, Daisy Johnson, are a badass."

*****

The next day at school, I was standing at my locker when Ruby came running up to me.

"Did you hear? Did you hear?" She was excitedly waving a flyer in my face.

"What?" I was bewildered.

"Cheerleading tryouts are this Friday!"

I quirked a brow. "You cheerlead?"

"Yeah, I was on the team at my old school," she replied. "But, Daisy, the team here is hardcore. Do you think I even have a shot?"

I was a bit hesitant. To put it simple, the Oakland High cheerleaders were horrible human beings. The captain, Heather, was Anthony's girlfriend. That should say enough. However, I didn't want to discourage Ruby. After all, she looked like she was practically going to explode with joy.

"I think you'd be stupid not to try out," I said.

She squealed and jumped up and down before running away. Just then, Malcolm approached me. Standing behind him was Andre, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but next to me.

"Who's the chick?" Malcolm asked.

"Who?"

"The ginger, of course."

"Oh, that's Ruby, my new best friend," I grinned.

"No," he dramatically clutched his heart, stumbling back against the lockers. "Y-You're replacing me?"

I laughed at his dramatics, but my smile quickly fell once he began to slide onto the ground and groan in pain.

"Boy, get up," I whisper-shouted. "People are looking."