Mom Forced Me Into Pom-Poms - Part 3

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About two hours later, after he had composed himself and was playing video games to try to forget his troubles, his mom came rushing into his room, house phone in hand. 

"It's Crystal," she exclaimed, flush with excitement. "She wants to speak to you."  He didn't want to speak to Crystal unless it was to have her tell him he didn't make it.  

Reluctantly, he took the handset from his almost hyperventilating mom.  "Hello," he said, hesitantly. 

"Is this Jess?" came the familiar voice from tryouts.  "Yes," he answered, timidly.

 "Congratulations, Jess. I'm delighted to inform you that you have made it onto the team for the 14-15 season. Well done. You are now officially a Spartan."  He didn't know what to say. He could see his mom looking at him frantically, bursting with nervous tension.  "Um, thanks," he mumbled. 

 "You are welcome, Jess," Crystal said. "You were awesome. The best trout of the day. Now let me have a word with your mom."  

He handed the set to his mom, who almost snapped it from him in her eagerness. He didn't really hear what they spoke about. His head was spinning; his mind was in a daze. He was now actually officially a cheerleader for his school. What was he going to do? 

How was he going to live it down? 

What was he going to say to Brian and his other friends? He wanted to die.  His mom finished talking to Crystal and then enveloped him in an enormous embrace.  

"I'm so proud of you, Jess," she gushed. "I just knew you'd make it. It's wonderful that you are continuing the Skelton family tradition like your mom and aunts and grandma. I could just hug you to death."  

That might be a solution to his problems, Jesse thought, if she did hug him to death because at the moment he couldn't see any other way out.  "Crystal says that you will have your first meeting as a team in the school hall at ten tomorrow. 

She says not to worry about anything, and that they will fill you in tomorrow on all you need to know. Oh, isn't this so exciting?" she gushed, hugging him even tighter. "I wish I was your age again."  

Then his own cell started to ring; the familiar Spiderman ringtone he loved so much, but after the Brian conversation, he didn't love quite so much anymore. He hoped it wasn't another of his friends. 

He didn't feel like talking to anyone.  Instead, it was the now all too familiar overly excitable voice of Ashley de Klerk. He didn't remember ever giving her his cell number. 

 "Hey, Jess, did you make it? Did you make the team?" she squealed, words tumbling over each other.  "Yeah," he answered, staccato-voiced.  

"Oh my god, that's awesome. Me and Megan did, too. Isn't that just, like, so amazing? I can't believe we all made it. Oh my god!"  Oh my god, he thought to himself, too. Is this what I'm going to have to put up with from now on?  

"See you at the meeting tomorrow," she squealed again and hung up before he had a chance to say anything else, even if he had felt so inclined.    

He had difficulty sleeping that night. His dreams were filled with images of girls squealing and clapping and dancing. 

He kept hearing Ashley's voice and then the calmer, more authoritative, voice of Crystal. 

He pictured himself surrounded by girls, all of them dressed the same, and he looked and acted just like the rest of them. And then he would hear Brian's voice shouting at him, and all his old buddies laughing at him, sneering at him, calling him names, telling him what a pretty little cheerleader he was.  

It felt like he had scarcely got any sleep when he was awakened by the sound of his bedroom curtains being drawn and his mom calling to him.  

"Up, up, Jess," she said, clapping her hands busily. "You've got another exciting day ahead of you."  No, no, I've got a horrible day ahead of me, he thought.  She pulled down his duvet.  

"Go and shower, Jess," she commanded. "And make sure your legs are nice and smooth. Here, let me feel them."  

She ran her hand swiftly up and down his legs as he lay there and pronounced herself satisfied that they were still perfectly smooth.  "You don't need to shave them then," she said. "Well, I guess it has only been a day. But make sure to wash yourself really good, and then I'll help you get ready."  She was waiting for him when he returned. 

He saw the clothes lying on his bed and, for one brief frightening second, he thought he saw a skirt on top of them. It was a new pair of coffee shorts that matched the color of one of the skirts he had been practicing in. 

 A few minutes later he was dressed: white cap-sleeved top, sky blue coffee shorts, white ankle socks, and Nikes. 

The clothes no longer felt weird on him, but he still didn't like anyone seeing him in them.  "We are going to have to do something with your hair," his mom said, as she brushed it out, "but it'll just have to do for now."  

He knew he needed a haircut. He hoped that was what she was referring to.  After breakfast, she told him to put on his cheer jacket. Then, she handed him the large cheer bag and drove him to the school.  

She remained behind the wheel after they pulled into the parking lot.  "You listen to Crystal and the other girls today, hunny," she said, looking back at him. "I've got some errands to run, and I'll be back to pick you up at eleven. 

Crystal told me that you should be finished by then. Now, run along."  Reluctantly, he climbed out of the car, dragging the pointless cheer bag behind him. He felt himself tense up again.

 It was going to be even worse facing all these girls on his own.  The car pulled away and he made his way slowly to the school entrance. Thankfully, it was much quieter today. 

There were only a few people around.  As he entered the building, he thought he saw a couple of boys farther down the hallway. Then it dawned on him. Football practice was starting up today, too. Oh shit, he'd forgotten all about that. He couldn't have any of those boys his friends see him like this. 

He had to avoid them. Quickly, he scampered towards the hall. It was far easier to face the girls his new cheer companions than to encounter one of his football buddies.  

Crystal was standing at the doorway as he reached the hall. She gave him a big smile.  

"Hiya, Jess," she said, "just go inside and sit with the other... sit with the girls. I'll be along in a minute."  

A circle of chairs had been set out at the top of the hall, and most of them were occupied. Ashley waved excitedly at him as he approached.  

"Hey, Jess, sit here," she commanded. "I kept a seat for you."  

The other girls studied him closely as he took his seat, and smiled and said hi. 

He felt his face burn up again. He felt so out of place with all these girls, even if he was dressed the same as them.  He knew some of them, Ashley and Megan, of course, and also Cassie, who was the sister of his friend, Brian, and Britney, who was a neighbor. 

He also knew Crystal's companions, Cindy and Tiffany, who were the judges yesterday. The other girls he recognized from school and from tryouts, and was vaguely aware of most of their names.  In all, there were 15 chairs in the circle. Just two remained unoccupied.  

The girls were talking excitedly among themselves, a mass of braces and hair ties and lipgloss and perfume. Ashley was just about to ask him something when Crystal and a younger girl joined the circle.  

Once she took her chair between Tiffany and Cindy, Crystal clapped her hands and appealed for quiet.  

"Welcome," she said. "I'm pleased that you have all made it on time. First of all, congratulations to our new cheerleaders. 

You all did very well yesterday. I know each of you will be a great asset to the team.  

"Now some rules I want you all to take note of before we begin. 

The first rule of cheer: is always to be on time, whether for practice, a meeting, or a game. You will be dropped from the team if you are late more than two times for no good reason." 

 I must remember that escape clause, Jesse found himself thinking.  

"Second rule of cheer," Crystal continued. "Always dress appropriately. I'm glad to see you're all wearing proper tops and shorts. 

The new girls... umm... cheerleaders will be given a list at the end of the meeting of the items that you will need to purchase from our cheer store for both practice and games. Everyone must wear the appropriate clothes at the appropriate time; otherwise, you will be booted off the team." 

 Great, a second escape route, Jesse thought to himself.  

"Third rule of cheer," continued Crystal, "Practise, practice, practice. There will be three formal practice sessions every week, but every cheerleader will be expected to do extra work on her own or with her friends. 

Not learning the chants and routines and not making sufficient effort will also get you kicked off the team."  Jesse noted her use of the female pronoun but decided to let it pass. Hopefully, it was just that she forgot. 

 "Fourth rule of cheer," Crystal went on. 

"No jewelry when cheering and always wear your hair up."  

At least that doesn't apply to me, Jesse thought.  

"And the fifth rule of cheer is always wearing a smile. 

I'm serious. You are cheerleaders, representing Madison Heights. You will always show spirit and always wear a big, bright smile on your face. I don't care if it's your time of the month, or your boyfriend has just dumped you, you will always smile and present yourself as the cheerleader that you are. 

We don't tolerate long faces or pouty girls on this team. Understand?"  Ashley covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Crystal glared at her.  "What's so funny, Miss de Klerk?"  "You keep saying girls and there's a boy here," Ashley laughed, pointing at Jesse.  Jesse wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.  "Oh," said Crystal, a little embarrassed, as the other girls giggled. "I'm sorry, Jess. I'm just so used to dealing with girls. I don't mean to keep referring to you as a girl."  "It's okay, M..Miss," Jesse replied, his face bright red.  The girl smiled at him. "Just call me Crystal or Coach," she said.  Then, clearing her throat, she straightened up a little in her chair.  

"Okay, since we have eight new cheerleaders on our team for this season, I think it's time we formally introduced each other. We'll start here on my left with Cindy."  

And so each girl spoke to give her name and age. Before he knew it, it was his turn. He spoke softly and quickly. 

 "U mm. I'm Jesse Skelton and I'm eleven years old, almost twelve." 

 "Jesse or Jess?" Crystal intervened. "You are listed here as Jess and your mother calls you Jess, so I guess that is your name, right? And that's what we will call you."  He hung his head as the girls tittered. That was it; his life couldn't be any more over than it was now.  "Is Jess short for Jessica?" 

Cassie asked, laughing, and all the other girls laughed, too.  

"Of course, it's not, Cassie," said Crystal. 

"You are all to be nice to Jess, understand? It's not easy for a boy to join a team like this and he needs the support of all of us.

 On this team, we all stand together, united as one. Do I make myself clear?"  "Yes, coach," they nodded in unison. 

 It made Jesse feel just a little better.  

"Okay now," Crystal continued, "as you know, we have a new uniform this year."  Some of the girls started to clap, interrupting her words. That worried Jesse a lot; he didn't know anything about a new uniform.  

"You are to go to the store room immediately after this meeting to pick it up. Here is a list of the items you will be required to purchase," Crystal continued.  

Tiffany started to pass around printed sheets with information on them. When Jesse received him, he glanced at it quickly.  

It said:  The Madison Heights uniform package this year is FANTASTIC and includes the following: Shell top w/lettering  Skirt  Underliner  Briefs  Bow  Shoes  Socks  Shorts  Backpack  Jacket w/lettering  Pants. 

He was relieved to see pants on the list. Maybe, he hoped, that was meant specifically for him.  

"Make sure you get every one of the items on the list," Crystal continued, "and wear them when appropriate. 

You will also need a copy of the schedule for this season. It lists all practice and game times. Put it where you will see it easily and make sure never to miss a date on your schedule. You can also download the schedule from the school website."  

This time it was Cindy who handed out the sheets with dates weeks and months marked on them. Again, Jesse scanned it quickly. Oh my god, he thought silently, there are so many dates. It's like cheer is going to take up all my time.

 "Finally," 

Crystal resumed, "Here is a consent form your parents are required to sign. It just means that they are happy to have you on the cheer team and understand the obligations and requirements that go with having a child on the team. 

Your mom or dad can sign it and you can bring it in to practice tomorrow. Understood?"  

The circle nodded as they each accepted a large brown unsealed envelope from Tiffany.  "Okay," Crystal said, signaling to the assembly to quieten down again. "That's about it for our first meeting of the season. The cheer store will be open about now. 

Mrs Hayes has a list of all your names and she will sort each one of you out. 

Our first proper training session will be from 6-7.30 tomorrow evening in this hall. I expect to see all of you here in good time."  As she finished speaking, the girls started to break out of the circle, talking excitedly. Jesse glanced towards the back of the hall and saw several moms standing there, waiting, including his own. She was talking intently to a mom beside her.  Jesse hesitated. 

He was scared to approach Crystal and her friends, but he had a question he just had to ask them. The three leaders halted their conversation as they saw the boy nervously approach.  

"What is it, Jess?" Crystal asked. "What's up?" 

 "Umn, I... I..." he began, his eyes focused more on his feet than on the girls, "I was just wondering, like, do I have to get the same stuff from the store as the other cheerleaders?"  

"Of course," Crystal replied. "It's a requirement. Didn't you hear me say that every cheerleader must get all the items that are listed?"  

Jesse nodded, hanging his head. He knew they were amused by his question. He was sorry he even asked them.  "Don't worry about it, hunny," Crystal continued. 

"You're part of the team now, but, hey, if you're really worried, I'm sure we can work something out." 

 "Thanks," he whispered, feeling a little more relieved as he turned to make his way towards his mother at the back of the hall. They would be able to work something out, he assured himself. 

Crystal promised they would.  "Hey, sweetie," his mom greeted him. "How did your first meeting go?"  "It was okay, I guess," he replied, sullenly. 

His fellow cheerleaders were already at the back of the hall, talking excitedly, eager to get their cheer supplies, and giddy at the prospect of what lay ahead. But he felt none of that. He felt like an outsider, an intruder, thrust into an alien environment against his will. 

He should be out on the field with the boys right now, practicing football, with his helmet and pads, not queuing for a cheer uniform with a bunch of squealing girls.  

His mother noted his somber mood.  "Come on, smile," she said, touching his arm lightly. "You know the rule. I'm sure Crystal told you: cheerleaders smile. I want to see you smile. Now stop being such a sourpuss and give me a big smile."  

He looked up at her and smiled. A forced smile. It was the best he could do.  "Now, let's get going," his mom continued. "We've got to get your cheer supplies. Show me the list you were given."  He handed her the brown envelope and printed sheet. "Wow, looks like a fantastic package," she exclaimed. "I can't wait to see you in your lovely new stuff."  I can wait, he thought to himself. I can happily wait forever.  They made their way from the hall deeper into the school to where the supply store was located. 

Most of the girls had got there before them and had already formed a queue. 

Mrs Hayes was attending to Britney and her mom who were first in line. He just wanted them to hurry up. Get on with it, so he could get out of there. 

At least the girls weren't trying on any of the supplies they were given. 

He would just die if he had to try it on right there with all those people around.  

His mother was talking to the mom ahead of them, but he wasn't really listening. 

The only good thing about this awful nightmare, he found himself thinking, was that his mom seemed so much happier now than she used to be.  As the queue shortened, he saw Ashley at the top, with Megan as usual right behind her. They could scarcely contain their excitement. 

Being cheerleaders was something they had always dreamed of.  Ashley and her mom waited while Megan got her supplies, and then both girls and their moms headed for the door.  

"Hey, Jess," Ashley called out when she saw the boy and his mom. 

"Hey, would you like to call over to my house later, like, just to hang out and stuff with Megan and me? It would be, like, super fun. Mom," she said, looking up at her mother, "would it be okay if Jess called over, please, please?"  

Ashley's mom looked at Jesse's mother and, seeing her nod of approval, replied, "Sure, he can. Jess would be most welcome." 

 "Awesome," Ashley said, clapping her hands. 

"We can talk about cheer and school and stuff."  Jesse didn't want to have to hang out with Ashley and her friend any more than absolutely necessary, he didn't want to be sucked into their alien little girly world, he had enough of girls for one day, in fact for the whole summer, but he knew that, like with everything else lately, he had no choice in the matter. 

He would be spending the afternoon at Ashley's. 

 "Thanks, Ashley," he heard his mom say. "I think it's so kind of you to want to hang out with Jess and include him in your activities."  She turned to Ashley's mom.  "When shall I drop him over?"  "Two o'clock would be good," Mrs de Klerk answered, "and I can drop him home later if you like."  

"Sounds perfect. That's settled then," his mom said. "See you girls at two." 

 "Bye, Jess." "Bye, Jess," Ashley and Megan said in unison, waving him goodbye as they followed their moms from the room.  "Isn't it just great that you're making lovely new friends already, Jess?" his mom gushed. 

"They will be far more suitable friends for you than those boys you used to hang around with."  

Jesse knew for sure that wasn't true, but he knew better than to contradict her now.  

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jesse found himself at the top of the queue, by the door to the supply room. Mrs Hayes was standing there, smiling benignly at him.

 If she was amused by the fact that he was a boy, she didn't pretend otherwise. His mom handed Mrs Hayes the supply sheet and gave him his name.  

Mrs Hayes assessed him quickly.  "Mmnn, you look like you're a Medium, Jess," she announced, "just like most of your friends. The material we use is rather stretchy, but if anything doesn't fit, just let me know, and we'll get you sorted right away. Okay, sweetie?" 

 "Sounds great, thank you," his mom replied.  Mrs Hayes vanished for a moment before returning with a large, neatly wrapped, plastic-covered parcel.  "Here you go, hun," she said, handing it to him.

 "Enjoy cheer. I'm sure you're going to be great at it."  Jesse took the parcel from her. It was heavier than he thought, and he almost let it fall.  

"What do you say to Mrs Hayes, Jess?" he heard his mom prod him from behind.  "Mmnn, thank you, Mrs Hayes," he replied, softly, shyly, before turning away to get out of there as fast as his legs could take him.    

His mom had a huge, big smile on her face all the way home in the car.