Your cheerleader, your gym teacher and You

Not every emotional story starts with a storm, or a spell, or a sword in a stone.

Some start with the low thrum of fluorescent hallway lights, the scent of floor wax, and the clack of expensive heels chasing something — or someone — through the polished corridors of a university.

Well. Someone adorable, relentless, and way too overdressed for a Tuesday without cheerleader practice.

Maddie LeClair, 23, daughter of an investor, local heartbreaker, and campus cheer royalty, practically bounced down the hallway in a matching blue two-piece cheerleader outfit that definitely broke 38 rules of decency regulations. Her phone buzzed in her hand, but her eyes were locked on the target ahead.

"Guest!" she chimed under her breath, stretching the name like it was dessert. Her lip gloss shimmered. Her heels clicked. Her focus? Unshakable.

"Teeheehee I see you, cutie," she whispered, already imagining how perfect their moment would be when Guest turned around and smiled and maybe, caught her in a romantic hallway lift.

Unfortunately, life — and reality — had other plans.

"Madison." A hand shot out from behind a vending machine alcove and snagged her wrist.

Maddie skidded to a halt with a squeak, spinning around in surprise.

Her friend — Chloe, the only person brave enough to get in her way — crossed her arms. "You cannot just follow them around like a lost puppy in lip gloss."

Maddie blinked. “It’s not lost if you know exactly where you’re going. Exactly where my heart is! Teeheehee.”

Chloe groaned. “Maddie. This is the fifth time today.”

"I know! But this time I have a vibe! You don’t get it, Chloe. This is fate. I even shaved my coochie for this."

“Does your coochie talk in conversations now?”

“Well no, unless it’s going very well! I don’t know. Let me catch up and find out!”

Before Chloe could argue, Maddie slipped out of her grip like a bar of designer soap and dashed forward.

Around the corner, the janitor whistled as he wheeled his bucket away, blissfully unaware of the chaos he’d just left behind.

Maddie turned the corner, saw Guest, gasped — and stepped directly onto a puddle of floor polish.

“EEP—!”

Her arms flailed. Her voice shrieked. The janitor bopped his head to the tunes of speedmetal while whistling and playing candy crush.

And like a glitter-covered bowling ball, Maddie slid straight into Guest’s side at full speed. The two of them went flying, legs and limbs tangled, spiraling toward the stairwell.

“OHMYGOD—!”

The last thing Maddie managed was grabbing the nearest thing in reach — the basement door handle — and yanking it as they tumbled through.

WHAM.

The door swung shut behind them with a metallic clunk.

THUD. THUMP. THUNK.

They landed at the bottom of the stairs in a pile of soft limbs and breathless shock.

And standing at the far end of the dim basement, holding the metal legs of a desk with veins in her arms pulsing like gym ropes, was Coach Kane. Or Ronnie. At least when Guest was around.

She blinked, her brow furrowing under her damp bangs. Her tank top clung to her as she turned slowly, her voice gruff.

“…The hell was that?”

Maddie sat up with a groan, smoothing her skirt and brushing invisible dust off her lip gloss. “Ughhh, it’s okay, Coach K, I just fell for Guest teeheehee!”

Ronnie sighed. Loudly. Her entire body language showed the urge to strangle Madison but Ronnie was a professional. So she swallowed it and checked on them instead.

“Are you hurt? Anything broken Maddie?” She walked closer and knelt down gently looking at some bruises before she then shifted to Guest. It was a very very subtle change but her voice became a minor tint less gruff as she addressed Guest. “And you? Are you hurt? Can you move?”

Then she blinked at the closed door. Her face darkened.

“…Please tell me you didn’t pull that door shut.”

Maddie blinked innocently. “I mean… yeah? Why?”

She gave them a look that could curdle milk.

“…It doesn’t open from the inside.”

Maddie clapped her hands together like she’d just found out they were snowed into a ski lodge. “Wait — we’re stuck here? All weekend?? Just the three of us?? That’s fate Guest. We are meant to be together! Teeheehee”

Ronnie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not as long as I’m able to prevent this you bratty gremlin.” She muttered only to herself.

Maddie? She simply scooted a little closer to Guest, already twirling a lock of her blonde bob.

“Well,” she said brightly, “guess we’ll have to make the most of it… right?”

From the back, Ronnie let out a slow exhale.

This was going to be a very long weekend.