More Cheerleaders!


***

Xandi is filled with uncertainty as she gets ready for school the next day. I can tell by the way she rakes her lower lip between her teeth, and how she keeps shaking her head as she mumbles her thoughts to herself. She’s processing, and there is a lot to process. Mainly, she is asking herself: “Where am I going to find a team to help me?” Literally, those words keep coming out of her mouth. They are the only true coherent thought I can pick out.

“Maybe I could…no…but maybe…” She sighs and adjusts her cheerleading uniform accordingly. It’s game day, so the uniform is a requirement to boost the morale of the players and fellow students.

High school is not Xandi’s favorite place to be. There, she goes by the name of Candy, which is the correct pronunciation of her name, but not the correct spelling. It is not a name that is thought of highly, it seems. There are stigmas involving stupidity to overcome. Her blonde hair doesn’t help matters in that department. Well, her blonde hair streaked with color. Xandi still maintains all of her gifts.

She holds a strand of vibrant blue hair that’s fallen out of her ponytail in front of her eyes to admire. “I’m going to miss you. I’m going to miss all of you. But…it’s time.”

Xandi still has all of her colors, and my heart hurts for her, but she’s right. It’s time to let go of them all.