Building Blocks (Carleigh)

[Corrine Moliere]

To say that Cori was still adjusting to life at Hammel would very well be an understatement. Though really it was no surprise. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Particularly the cafeteria. It was so large and filled with so many people come lunch time. It was also here that Cori experienced something new to her. 

Choosing where to sit. 

Being the new kid was always hard - especially when you never had been before and even more when you'd never dealt with school politics. Cori was a friendly girl, but most people here already seemed to find their groups of friends, and she was more than a little intimidated. So far, she'd mostly ended up sitting by herself, or sitting with classmates who acted as though she wasn't there. 

Today though, she didn't even make it that far. The first thing she saw when she entered the cafeteria was a group of girls in uniform. Cheerleaders. Cori had seen a few movies featuring cheerleaders, but it was her first experience actually seeing them in real life. Little surprise, she was fascinated. They were performing, trying to work up school spirit or something, she guessed. 

She found herself standing off to the side, watching them eagerly, all thoughts of eating lunch gone from her mind. In truth, she could see the foundations of their moves which were familiar - dance. But it was also unique, altered in ways that made it into it's own form entirely. That was what excited her most. It was new and fresh, even if there was an element familiar about it as well. 

"Wow..." she breathed softly as she watched in awe. 

[Carleigh Davidson]

A small group of cheerleaders stood off to the side in the cafeteria, Carleigh included. Dressed in identical uniforms, they worked through a small routine, which was mostly static given their environment. From personal experience, Carleigh was use to performing in the gym or outdoors, but one of the girls suggested a change of place. Give new students a chance to see the performance.

Although by nature she was not a nervous person, Carleigh found herself a little on edge. The cafeteria was a busy place, an unfamiliar environment for their routines. She'd seen the band perform in here a few times, but nobody paid much attention. Everyone just wanted to eat and talk to their friends, which was understandable. Nonetheless, the cheerleaders were willing to try and see if the change of place would help recruit more people to the team.

They moved in time, rhythmically and in sync. It was an older routine that had been revamped without the tumbling and cartwheels normally associated with cheerleading. A wide smile was plastered on Carleigh's face, clapping and going through the motions.

Blue eyes landed on a younger looking girl, standing nearby with a starstruck look on her face. It was a reaction the blonde hadn't seen for awhile, since most people tried not to associate with the group known for the most school spirit. A lot of the students here were apathetic, so it seemed. It was refreshing to see someone who showed the slightest bit of interest.

After the routine was finished, Carleigh stepped aside and approached the dark haired girl. "So, what did you think?" She asked, beaming. "It looks like you're the only one who noticed our presence." Carleigh added her attempt at a joke.

[Corrine Moliere]

Cori watched in absolute rapture as the squad performed. It was perhaps a bit strange that a girl who had performed so often could be so fascinated with such a thing, and yet that was exactly what caught her attention. It was something familiar and yet entirely different from what she had known all her life. In that moment, she felt something she had thought she had lost - that ache to perform.

They moved in sync - a feat that was always rather impressive. She thought she saw moments that had perhaps been meant to transition into an acrobatic trick, but had instead been adjusted. Even then, it was only with a practiced eye that she could guess at such changes. After all, cheerleading was known for tumbling and yet there was none. Each movement led to the next and each member seemed so very happy to be doing it. Cori was all too familiar with a show smile, but she couldn't help but believe that each cheerleader's bright smile had to be genuine.

The routine ended far too quickly for Cori's preference, though before she could turn her mind back to the all too intimidating task of finding a place to sit, one of the cheerleaders was approaching her.

The young girl was surprised when the older cheerleader actually did stop to speak to her of all people. She laughed at the girl's joke - perhaps a moment too long as nerves took over. "Oh I doubt it. You guys were so good," she gushed. "And you're all so happy that it's practically contagious!"

After a slight pause, her expression turned a hint more serious. "Would you mind if I asked..." she started timidly. "Well, was there originally tricks in the choreography? Er, tumbling and stuff I mean?" She just wanted to know if she had been right in her guess. Well, and maybe she wanted to find out what kind of tricks cheerleaders really did. She couldn't help but be curious!

[Carleigh Davidson]

The routine had definitely been adjusted to fit within the confines of the cafeteria. There was no way any of the cheerleaders felt comfortable enough in the busy space to tumble around, especially around so many students. Students, who were unpredictable and could mess up the routine with one small step. Although the show was not as entertaining, it still provided something in contrast to the normal lull of the lunch hour.

The blonde had caught a few eyes glancing in their direction, but the younger girl had been closer and appeared to show more interest in what was going on rather than the vacant stares of other students who were bored.

Her smile widened instinctively as the dark haired girl complimented the routine. "Thanks!" Carleigh accepted her kind words; that was the sort of thing she wanted to hear. To see smiles on students' faces instead of being painted with frowns. "We practice, a lot."

Nodding, Carleigh's grin grew. "You have a good eye," She said before continuing on. "Originally, there were more tricks. But we decided against it since the space here in the cafeteria isn't as forgiving as grass or the gymnasium." Retying her ponytail, Carleigh said "You have previous experience with cheerleading? Because someone without some background knowledge normally won't notice that."

[Corrine Moliere]

Cori was practically bouncing with enthusiasm. "You can definitely tell," she said quickly. After all, no one knew how much practice was needed to perform cleanly as much as Cori did. Before she came to Hammel, her life had been virtually nothing but practice. But she was sure it wasn't like that for the cheerleaders. It was obvious they were doing it because they enjoyed it. They had other things in their life and this... this they did for fun. Not that it wasn't hard work, but it was more than that too.

"You were all really really good."

She blushed slightly, acting bashfully as the older girl offered a compliment. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense," she said with a nod. "It's probably more crowded in here than in the gym too," she guessed. "Plus its not like it's a set stage area really. Not with kids walking around so close and all." It was this point where she began to realize that she was rambling and so she pursed her lips together tightly, trying to calm her nerves. Cheerleaders were just so cool.

"No, not with cheerleading," she answered quickly. "But I am... well, I was a dancer. Back home." She chuckled nervously. "I did mostly ballet and acrobatic. I guess some of the tricks must be pretty similar though or something." Cori turned a little shy again as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Cheerleading looks more fun though," she admitted.