Despite earlier wanting to maintain some dignity despite your... current situation, you find yourself skipping behind Counsellor Layla as she leads you and the others to the outdoor gymnasium, where several safety mats cover the ground.
The group gathers and you find yourself strangely energised, feeling more active then you’ve ever felt before in all your long hours of playing games. The images of the Counsellor jumping through the trees like a Ninja, just like something out of one of your RPGs.
As the gymnastics group gathers around, you find it easy to distinguish between those from the cheerleading group and newcomers, mostly because you never got a chance to change.
As the newcomers go to change into leotards, you nervously raise your hand.
“Uh, should we be changing as well?”
Layla looks over at you with a smile,
“No need. Your uniforms already suit the activities well enough. Plus I’m sure a bunch of young cheerleaders like your shelves will love the chance to practice in your uniforms.”
You glance over to find Holly practically beaming at the prospect, and you find a smile unwittingly forming in your face which you soon relent and allow in the name of sticking to playing your role... can’t have anyone think anything is up with you, you justify to yourself.
“Alright girls! Now do any of you have any experience in gymnastics?”
Before you can think, you feel your hand shoot up, along with most of the cheerleaders including Holly. You immediately feel embarrassment at letting your enthusiasm for Ninja stuff get the better of you, especially as you’ve never actually done gymnastics before, but much to your surprise you are easily able to hide this concern and embarrassment and project an aura of confidence which rivals even Holly.
“Ah Gracie right?”
You find yourself easily nodding in response to the name,
“I hear you really stood out during cheer practice. Why don’t you go show off some of those skill for the newcomers hear.”
Again you flush with embarrassment, anticipating an epic failure which will expose you and humiliate you in front of everyone all at once. Yet still instead of any of your fears showing, a stunning smile which you can just tell projects confidence you never knew you had finds its way into your face, highlight your flawless pale skin and pretty auburn hair.
With only a quick glance at Holly, who gives you any encouraging smile, you find yourself moving to the centre of the field. Closing your eyes to brace yourself for humiliation, you suddenly feel the wind running through your hair as you roll across the ground in a cartwheel.
Without pause for break, you suddenly move into a another gymnastic move, and another, and another. You jump, you roll, you even roll through the sky in a barrel before landing perfectly on your two feet in a typical cheerleading pose.
Clapping ensures and soon other girls join in. You continue to practice various gymnastic moves alongside Holly. You wonder if this ability is also part of the magic, a familiar feeling bubbles inside you, the same excitement and joy you felt during cheer practice.
You find yourself able to pull off any gymnastic move with familiar ease, even with the uniform and skirt on, in fact if anything you feel the cheerleader get up just makes you feel even better.
As much as a part of you is reluctant to admit it, you feel disappointed when the activity ends. As you begin to leave to see where you’re supposed to go next.. or to perhaps go investigate their camp and figure out why you turned into a girl, the couch suddenly approaches you.
“Hey Gracie. Just wanted to say good work out there, I can see you have experience.”
You stare at Couch Layla as you consider a response, after that display it’s very unlikely she’d believe you’re a beginning. Or that you’re a boy turned girl who is magically able to preform feats of athleticism your old self would never have been able to do before.
“Uh yeah! I’m on the Cheer Team at my High School back home! Came here to test my skills over the school break so I don’t go rusty and let the girls down when I get back,” you say with a giggle. The story was one you came up with as the words came out of your mouth but despite that every word comes out naturally with confidence.
“I can see that. I’m sure you’ll do your team proud Gracie. Now you better head off to your next activity, don’t want to leave the other counsellors waiting.”
You smile and let out another giggle, a part of you finding out girlish it sounds and how easily it escapes your lips somewhat disturbing, However before you can think about your actions, Holly suddenly runs up and practically jumps onto you.
“You didn’t tell me you were on a Cheer Team! We could’ve been Cheerleader BFFS! We could swap stories and tips the marches we’ve cheered at!”
“Gah! Holly, get off me please. And uh... sorry. I guess I forgot to mention it... also wait you’re a cheerleader?” You say the last part with a hint of confusion as you remember Holly’s earlier comments on cheerleading.
“Well duh of course I am. Didn’t I say so earlier?” She responses back as if your some ditz who can’t remember basic facts about your BFF- uh... roommate.
“I.. didn’t you say earlier after cheer practice that you’ve never cheered before today?”
Holly goes silent as her face suddenly looks strained as if considering your words carefully.
“No I definitely remember telling you about how I’m on my cheer team when you asked, why else did you think I’d sign up for cheer practice.”
Now your face strains as you think back over the memory of your talk with Holly after cheer practice, your head become dizzy as the memory blurs. Now that you think about it, Holly did say she’s been a cheerleader for some years didn’t she? Why did you think otherwise... but still something seems off..
“But didn’t Counsellor Crystal say our activities were assigned based off some questionnaire. How did you sign up for a specific one.”
Holly looks at you weirdly.
“We all choose our activists Gracie, what you are talking about? You were gushing at me earlier about how you picked Cheer practice remember?”
As the dizziness increases you do have to admit you do have some memories forming of that.
“I remember... so why did you just get on my case about not telling you about how I’m on a cheer team?”
“Wait I did?”
Both you and Holly stand looking at each other, confusion evident in both your expressions.
“Wait.., what we’re talking about just now...?” Holly asks quietly.
You rub your head as you find most of your recent memory blank or blurry, yet something prevents you from feeling overly concerned at this. You find yourself latching onto one of the few recent memories you can still recall clearly.
“Uh... something about cheerleading.”
Holly’s face suddenly brightens up as a smile dons it.
“Oh right! I was just telling you about this new way the girls and I back home did a pyramid, you see....” Holy begins and soon trails off into a rapid paced story of cheerleading, which you find oddly easily to follow. In fact despite only ever having watched cheerleaders once on TV, you find yourself surprisedly knowledge on cheerleading and even find yourself contributing to the conversation.
Talking with Holly about various cheerleading techniques is so enthralling that you don’t even think about investigating how you became a girl, finding the conversation too interesting to break away from.