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While the first-week-back buzz had died down for everyone else, Elizabeth Daisy Albright walked through the doors of Fernwood Heights like it was the opening night on Broadway. The building, the classrooms, the people that filled them - everything felt charged with possibility. While everyone around her dragged their feet reluctantly across the corridors, Lizzy moved with hopeful purpose, holding on to each glance and word that came her way. It was the final year of high school, and every moment mattered.
This had been the outlook that Lizzy had carried with her through her whole life, and so far it had served her well, mostly. It was how she climbed her way socially, from the very bottom to somewhere vaguely close to the top. Long gone were Lizzy’s days of being laughed at and name called, those people who once shunned her out now regarded her as a friend, finally accepting her relentless greetings and offering the camraderie she could once only imagine. Sure, the change in respect might not have had anything to do with her, more so her affiliations; that being with the cheerleaders and Charlotte. Regardless, a younger Lizzy would envy the senior version of her that stepped into the corridors, and she was determined to use this year to only build from that, holding onto the person she’d become, as well as the connections she’d built.
Going into senior year meant one other thing - it was the last chance at fresh starts. It was something Lizzy had thought about in this returning week back when crossing paths with once-friendly faces. And it played unavoidably on her mind as she looked at the sign-up sheet for the cheerleading squad. Every day since they had been back, Lizzy had come back to the list that hung on the wall, watching as it progressively started to peel with each name that got added, the edges curling with repeated handling. The list had populated with so many unfamiliar names, presumably freshman, as well as ones she recognised, belonging to people trying out again, or requesting return to the squad. But every time she looked, Lizzy never found the name she was looking out for.
Looking up from the sheet, Lizzy spotted her from a distance, sifting through her locker and keeping her head down. Eventually working up the courage to approach, Lizzy hovered on the other side of the locker door, awaiting the slam that would announce her presence. It still surprised her when it came- mainly because it meant Keir was looking straight at her. “Hey,” Lizzy greeted with a smile.
Approaching Keir hadn’t always been this nerve-racking. On the contrary, they used to be close friends, one of Lizzy’s first real friends even, and they talked all the time. Lizzy bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, reminding herself that Keir was still that person, despite the way she was looking at her right now. “I noticed that you haven’t signed up for the cheerleading squad this year,” She told her, feigning ignorance to the less-than-positive reaction she was getting. This wasn’t the first time she had been given looks of disgust and disapproval by Keir, it probably wouldn’t be the last. It also wasn’t the first time Lizzy had tried to get through to her again, to recover their friendship, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
“Come ooon, Keir,” Lizzy started, her voice enthusiastic and lightly teasing, as if no time had passed between them nor distance made. “No one can do cartwheels like you, everyone knows that,” She continued. “Everyone’s been gunning for your big senior comeback. Especially me.”
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