Here we were.
Dad’s car pulled into the driveway of a large, modern mansion with a perfectly manicured lawn. I stared out the window, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.
"This is home now," Dad said cheerfully, pulling the car to a stop.
Home. The word didn’t fit, but I forced a smile. "Yeah… home."
As soon as we stepped out, the front door opened, and Jeanette — my new stepmom — appeared, all smiles and perfect blonde curls. Behind her, Stacey lingered in the doorway, arms crossed, wearing the same dismissive expression I’d seen the first time we met.
"Welcome!" Jeanette chirped, stepping forward to give me a quick, tight hug. “It’s so nice to have you here finally.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, feeling awkward as I pulled away. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Stacey, on the other hand, didn’t even pretend. “Took you long enough to get here,” she said, her tone sweet but laced with venom. “We’ve been waiting forever.”
I gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Nice to see you too, Stacey.”
Dad chuckled, oblivious to the tension. "Stacey, show Betty around, will you? You girls are going to get along great. And hey, why don’t you help her with the cheerleading tryouts?"
I froze, my heart sinking.
“Cheerleading?” I repeated, turning to face Dad.
He beamed. “Stacey’s the new cheerleading captain here. It’s the perfect chance for you two to bond.”
Stacey’s smile grew wider, her eyes gleaming with something malicious. “Yeah… that’d be fun,” she said, eyeing me up and down.
The sarcasm had burned, but I couldn’t back down now. Dad had set this up to help me before he lives for a business trip. I wanted to believe I could belong here. Maybe, just maybe, if I nailed this tryout, things would get easier.
***
I tugged at the hem of the top of Stacey’s tryout uniform, the one she’d let me borrow, biting my lip. It didn’t matter how many times I told myself I could do this. Something about being here, at a new home, at a new university, surrounded by people like Stacey, made me feel small. The elastic waistband cut into my skin, and the shirt clung to me in ways that made me want to run.
With a deep breath, I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door, heading across campus toward the university gymnasium. My heart pounded with each step, and my hands shook slightly as I adjusted the straps of my bag.
As I reached the gym doors, I paused to take a deep breath. You’ve done this before, Betty. You can do it again.
I repeated the words over and over in my head, but my stomach still churned with nerves. With one final breath, I pushed open the heavy doors of the gym and stepped inside. The huge space felt even more overwhelming as I spotted the squad gathered in the center, stretching and chatting casually. Stacey stood at the front, her perfect blonde ponytail swishing as she led the group through warm-ups.
I was invisible to them. Or so I thought.
As I hurried toward the edge of the gym, my foot caught on something — a gym bag. I stumbled, barely catching myself, but my bag swung wide, crashing into something solid.
That something was a person — a tall, gorgeous, broad person.
I gasped, stumbling back, only to see a drink — bright red — splatter across his chest.
His white shirt was soaked, the liquid dripping down his chest and onto the expensive watch on his wrist. His expression was a mix of shock and irritation, his icy blue eyes locking onto mine with a cold fury.
I froze, my heart plummeting into my stomach. “Oh my God. I-I’m so sorry,” I stammered, fumbling to find something to clean the mess.
Marcus glanced down at his drenched shirt, then back at me. His lip curled in disgust. “You just ruined my drink…my shirt,” he said, his voice low and sharp. “And my watch.”
“I didn’t mean to — ” I started, but Stacey’s voice cut me off before I could even finish.
“Oh my God,” she said, loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear. “Did you seriously just dump your drink all over Marcus Archibald?”
Laughter erupted from the cheerleaders gathered behind her, their eyes glinting with amusement. I could feel the heat rising to my face, my cheeks burning as the humiliation sank in. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go.
Marcus took a step closer, his voice cold. “What’s your name?”
I took a step back and managed to whisper, “B-Bethany…”
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing as he sized me up.
“Stay the hell out of my way, Fat Betty.”