“Let’s go Wildcats, let’s go!”  My pompoms went into the air and I waved them around while the sound of shoulder pads mixed with helmets.  Bodies crashed together and the play was over before it even began.

We lost.

It was our biggest game—the last game of the season.  The only part of my college career that I cared about ended when our team lost the bowl game.  It was time to hang up my short skirt and pompoms.  It was the best season the team had while I had been a student there, but none of us went back to the locker room feeling very excited.  The cheerleaders that were dating players dressed quickly and ran off to console their boyfriends.  I put my stuff in a duffel bag and went home alone.  There was a time when a certain blue eyed, blond haired back-up quarterback would have been waiting for me, but when the starter went down, he got the top spot on the team.  That meant every girl in the school started throwing themselves at him and he no longer had time for a virgin that didn’t put out.  It wasn’t the first time a guy had said goodbye when I didn’t spread my legs.  I had been through it in middle school and high school.  There was no reason for college to be any different.

I guess I’ll have more time to focus on school now that the season is over and my love life is nonexistent.

Without the short skirt and revealing top, I was practically invisible.  The glasses and ponytail I wore to class every day with barely one layer of makeup certainly didn’t enhance my appearance.  With the season over, things returned to normal and I finished college without much fanfare.  My family came to see the first Franklin girl from Florence, Alabama get her degree from a major university and then I drifted into the workforce.  An accounting firm in Texas needed some cheap labor to mash buttons, so my education earned me a starting salary and a desk beside all the others that didn’t graduate top of their class.  It was a peaceful life living from paycheck to paycheck in my dingy apartment in the heart of Texas, but it didn’t stop the memories.  Every time my head hit the pillow, I was on the sidelines again, cheering so loud my lungs hurt.

Let’s go Wildcats, let’s go!

***

“MIA, THERE’S A MIXER after work at the Lone Star Pub.  You should totally come!”  Debbie, one of the other women at the office, tapped my desk as she walked past and then turned to the desk next to mine.  “Cindy, are you in?”

“Yeah!”  Cindy nodded enthusiastically, but I didn’t reply.

I really do need to get out.

The mixers.  It seemed like Debbie managed to scrounge up enough interest for a new party every week.  I had been working at Texas Pride Accounting for nearly six months and I still hadn’t made it to one.  I kept saying I would, but when my butt hit the couch and the television came on, I couldn’t find the energy to put on fancy clothes.  I spent the day trying to convince myself it was going to be different when the day ended, but in my heart, I knew it was unlikely.  As much as I wanted to go out and possibly meet someone, the office life just wasn’t exciting enough to keep me partying until dawn like my college days were.  I finished my workday, and when it was time to clock out and go home, I was already exhausted and thinking how awesome a nap would be before I finally went to bed.

“Rick was asking if you were going to be at the mixer.”  Debbie held the door open for me as I approached the exit.

“He was?”  I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“He’s got a crush on you, but I think he’s too scared to ask you for a date.  I bet if you come out with us tonight, he would finally get some courage after a couple of drinks.”  She winked at me.

Rick wasn’t a bad looking guy.  He was a bit of a geek, but the suit he wore to work every day enhanced his look.  He was also the only guy at the office that showed even a tiny bit of interest in me.  I wasn’t motivated to date him, but since my options didn’t seem to be expanding, I was open to giving him a shot.  My cheerleader credentials weren’t going to land me a date at the office unless I stripped down to my underwear and started cheering people on at the copier.  That seemed like a route to unemployment instead of marriage.  I went home and avoided the couch, searching through my closet for something that still fit my curves without showing off the five pounds I had put on since graduation.  A couple of hours later, I was walking into the Lone Star Pub feeling more nervous than I did the first time I walked into a frat party my freshman year.

“Mia!”  Debbie walked over and waved when she saw me.  “Damn girl, you clean up good.  Why don’t you dress like this every day?”

“It isn’t really appropriate for the office.”  I shook my head back and forth.

“You’re crazy.  The bosses love legs.”  She put her arm around me.  “Mia’s here everyone!”

***

I WOULDN’T CALL THE first hour a total disaster, but I was a bit out of my element.  It was clear that everyone there had formed a bond and I was kind of an outsider.  I finished my first drink quickly and started on my second.  There were two distinct groups at the pub and the other one seemed to be a lot livelier than ours.  There were plenty of couples and people that were all alone, but my attention kept getting drawn to the group of very attractive girls on the other side the bar.  They were putting back shots like I did in college, laughing and hanging all over each other.  I tried to stay focused on my group, but I couldn’t help but stare.  It was like a memory unfolding, calling on me to embrace it.  I was almost startled when I felt a hand on my arm.

“Mia?”  I turned to see Rick smiling at me.  “I’m glad you decided to come out with us tonight.”

“Hey, Rick!”  My response was too loud, especially when the music ended before I finished his name.

“Can I get you another drink?”  He motioned towards the bar.

“Sure—actually, I’ll walk over with you.”  I followed him towards the bar and saw Debbie winking at me as I walked.

He’s got me alone.  I’m away from the pack.  If he’s going to ask me out, now is the time.

Rick ordered drinks and I took a seat at the bar while we waited.  He made small talk, nervously dancing around whatever question he might have wanted to ask me.  I tried to smile and show interest, but he wasn’t making it very easy.  His eyes kept drifting over to the group of girls and I seemed to take a backseat to them.  From my seat at the bar, I was closer to them and able to hear their conversations.  I recognized the terms they were using, the formations they were joking about—they were cheerleaders.  They looked a bit older than most college students, but they were throwing around cheerleader terms like I used to do with the squad.  When Rick finally lost his courage or his interest and invited me to rejoin the group, I decided to walk over and talk to them instead.

“Hi, I’m Mia.”  I raised my hand awkwardly.  “I couldn’t help but overhear.  Are you all cheerleaders?”

“Like you don’t recognize us?”  A woman with brown hair threw a few strands of curls over her shoulder and stared me down.  “We’re the Texas Cowboys squad, obviously.”

“You’re cheerleaders in the NFL?”  My mouth fell open in shock.  “Wow, that’s awesome!”

“Please don’t ask for autographs, darling.  We’re just trying to have some girl time.” Her faced turned to a scowl and the rest of the group started to stare at me like I was a lost puppy begging for a treat.

“No!  Not at all.”  I shook my head quickly.  “I was a cheerleader in college.”

“Oh, one of those.”  The woman with brown hair smacked her lips.  “Couldn’t make a pro-squad?  It’s okay darling.  Not everyone who gets to swing pompoms in college is good enough for the big time.”

“I mean...”  I felt my face flushing with embarrassment.  “I’ve never tried out.  How does that work?”

“Your cheer coach didn’t get an audition lined up for you?  You must not have been very good.” A blonde titled her head with a sarcastic scowl as she joined the conversation and the rest of them nodded their heads in confirmation.

“Well...”  I looked down at the floor.  “How do I audition?”

“Look it up online, and please leave us alone.  We don’t have time for fans right now.”  The group turned away from me and started talking amongst themselves again.

Was I this horrible to people that tried to talk to us in college?

I did as they requested, but I had a new focus.  I had thought about trying out for a team after college, but the girls were right, my coach didn’t think I was good enough.  The cheerleaders at the bar were pretty, but they didn’t look like anything more than normal people when they weren’t wearing their uniforms.  I went home and looked up the information online.  Tryouts were less than a week away.  I tried to reassure myself as I filled out the information.  I knew there would be a lot of other girls competing for whatever limited spots they had, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.  After I filled out the form, I looked online for some local gyms.  I had less than a week to try and get myself back in shape.  I hoped it was enough time.  The last thing I wanted was to embarrass myself by looking like a klutz when I finally got another shot at the one thing I loved more than anything else in the world.