Chapter one
Skirts swaying with the movement of hips exposing thighs for a tenth of a second. Cheers being chanted through soft rosebud lips in convincingly false smiles. With every jump, breasts bouncing in their short and tight tops. Each component hypnotizing on their own, but brought together caused a near come-to-Jesus experience.
Crystal always found herself making her way towards the football field after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that was when cheer practise took place. She had a fatuation with cheer for the longest time; she doesn't and never had any real interest in participating, but she just chalked it up to admiraring the impressive backflips and witty chants.
The green uniforms complimented each one of the girls' complexions, even with the sweat dripping from their foreheads down to their cleavage they looked heavenly. There was not a chance in hell they were going to lose in the playoffs next week looking like that and with their routine.
"Crystal!" A voice yelling her name broke her focus. She turned around to find the source, until she landed on her boyfriend of two years standing in the parking lot, "If you wanna a ride home it's now or never!"
Crystal looked back at the girls on the field, who were taking a short water break. She wished this didn't have to be cut short, she loved showing her support for school sports. She sighed before jogging to the parking lot.
"Finally!" He chuckled nervously once Crystal got into his old red rustbucket he called a car, "I thought I was gonna have to physically pry you away. What were you doing there anyway? Interested in being a cheerleader now?"
Crystal crossed her arms, "I just like showing my school spirit, is that a crime?"
He grabbed her chin to have her face him, "Of course not. Y'know, I'm gonna miss you"
"Miss me?" Crystal giggled, "I'll see you tomorrow at school"
"Oh yeah right," He bit his lip and brought her face towards his. She took a deep breath before connecting their lips; she didn't close her eyes, she never did, she never enjoyed kissing him enough to close her eyes.
His tongue swirled around in her mouth, not a pleasant feeling but she guesses there's worse, like walking on burning coals or ripping off a hangnail. Her mind wandered back to the cheerleaders, she couldn't see them from the parking lot but her imagination worked just fine. Her attention left the boy attached to her lips, focusing completely on the cheerleader daydream and she closed her eyes in bliss.
***
"Pass the roast beef," Crystal's father asked. Her and her parents were gathered around the table, scooping the food her mother had prepared onto their plates. Crystal grabbed the dish, (her parents noticing the lack of meat on her own plate) and passed it over to her father, "Thank you Cream Puff"
Once their plates were full, her mother reached out one of her hands to Crystal and the other to her husband, "Charlie, will you say grace please?"
"Of course honey," He cleared his throat, everyone lowering their heads, "Dear Lord, please bless this food that we are about to eat. We thank you for the abundance that You have provided. Please help us to follow Your path, the one you intended us all to follow. And Lord..."
Both parents peared up at their daughter, "Please help us to obey the roles in life You set for us. For all that is natural and... healthy... and sacred, in Your name we pray. Amen."
Crystal furrowed her brows, this evening's prayer seemed strange compared to their typical prayers and her father wasn't one to stray away from the norm. She didn't think much of it and dug into her meal.
***
Crystal was seated in front of her vanity, brushing her thick dark curls, not caring if she pulled too hard. She's had this night time ritual since she learnt to take care of her hair herself. She felt like a princess, taking in her reflection. She knew pride was a sin, but how could she not find herself absolutely stunning with her light eyes, soft and warm skin, her charming smile, the sprinkle of freckles on her left cheek, there wasn't a part of her that wasn't beautiful in her eyes.
She put down the hairbrush. Her yellow nightgown fell just below her knees when she stood. She slid under her sheets, cuddling the strange pillow she made a few weeks ago. It was a bunch of colourful circles sewn together with smaller circles in the centers, it was very soft and Crystal could barely sleep without it at this point.
Crystal reached over to shut off her lamp, her parents were heard discussing something in the kitchen. But her door muffled their hushed voices and frankly Crystal was too tired to care about what they were talking about.
***
Crystal skipped over to where her best friend and boyfriend were whispering something to each other.
"Shh, she's coming-"
"Hey Jan! Hi sweetheart," She waved at Jan, and gave a quick kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. Just as she pulled away he grabbed her by the waist and crashed their lips together, forcing his tongue in her mouth.
"Meet me out front," He told her, walking away from them and down the hallway. Crystal wiped her lips on the back of her hand, trying to forget the feeling of his tongue swirling around in her mouth like a fish on deck.
"Don't you hate it when boys do that?" She asked Jan. Crystal struggled with her locker combination a few times before she succeeded in opening it. On her locker door there were many pictures she took last year during the playoffs. Though none of them were of the football players.
Jan looked out from inside her locker, "Actually I think it's pretty fun"
"Oh," Crystal thought about Jan's words for a moment, "Well maybe he's just not doing it right"
"Yeah, maybe," Jan didn't sound very convinced of what she said. Crystal just shrugged it off, she grabbed her books from her locker and dumped them into her bag. She struggled yet again with her lock.
"Here, let me do it," Jan nudged her away from her locker, "You go see your little lover boy"
"Oh, thank you!" Crystal flashed her a smile before turning around and speed walking down the hallway.
***
"Hey sweetheart? Is there a reason we're going so slow?" Crystal asked her boyfriend. They had been driving for fifteen minutes now, normally a six minute drive. She watched as an elementary schooler passed them on a bike with training wheels.
"Oh, heh whoops. Just have a light foot today I guess" He didn't make an attempt to speed up. Crystal noticed he was refusing to make eye contact with her. She slumped into her seat, watching as other drivers made some unkindly gestures at them.
By the time they arrived at her house, Crystal had nearly fallen asleep twice. The car was parked in the street, behind a white van with a pink symbol of Venus intertwined with a blue symbol of Mars.
Crystal tore her gaze away from the van, she reached for the door handle but it swung open before she could.
Her parents stood in the doorway, "Hi Cream Puff, how was school?"
"It was fine. What's going on?"
Her parents just stared at each other. Crystal rolled her eyes and pushed past them. Waiting inside the den was Jan, a few other cheerleaders and a middle aged woman she didn't recognize.
They all watched her with pity in their eyes, "Who died?"
"Hello Crystal," The woman held out her hand, Crystal shook it, "I'm Ms C. Your parents and peers have something important they wanted to discuss with you, now I'm here to help direct that conversation"
Crystal stared at her, then at her classmates, "I'm sorry, I think I'm confused"
"Why don't you come sit down. I made your favourite!" Her mother directed her to their brown sofa. On the coffee table in front of her were melting homemade ice cream cookies, she decided against taking one.
"Now that we've all taken a seat and we're all comfortable. Charles why don't you start this conversation?"
"Crystal-" Her father stood from his chair, "We all love you. We all love you very much. But lately we've noticed some... concerning behaviours from you. We're afraid you're being influenced by the-"
"Mija, we're afraid you're-" Her mother interrupted, "a... lesbian"
Crystal's jaw dropped, "Huh?" She looked around the room, they all thought this?
"I myself was once a gay. I work for a place called True Directions, where we help youths such as yourself to understand the cause of your homosexual tendencies and how to heal them"
"Tendencies? What tendencies?" Crystal couldn't believe this, what would bring them to this conclusion?
"Well, lately you haven't been taking any meat with your dinner" Her mother answered.
"So?" Crystal snapped back, "That doesn't mean I'm a-a-"
"One of the first signs of a lesbian is a change of diet to vegitarianism" Ms C. interrupted.
"Oh and I found these in your locker-" Jan held up her photographs of the cheer squad, "and don't think we don't see you staring at us during practice"
Ms C. smirked at Crystal with a cocked brow.
"There was also this in your bedroom," Her father held up her pillow for everyone to see.
"Breasts in artwork and/or decorating"
"They're not-"
"You don't even like to kiss me!" Her boyfriend exclaimed.
Crystal looked at everyone in the room, she convinced herself at one point they were all going to jump up and yell that she's been pranked and then all this was going to be over.
She breathed out after a few minutes of silence, "So you all think this?"
The room kept quiet, Crystal wasn't sure if it was because they were ashamed or they thought the answer was too obvious to say out loud. But their silence told her the answer she dreaded.
"I can't believe this"
"Denial is the first step of healing. We'll delve more into it at True Directions" Ms C. placed her hand on Crystal's knee, she swatted it away.
"Healing?"
"It's like rehab, it's where you'll get rid of these bad thoughts and feelings" Her mother answered.
"It'll only be for a few months Cream Puff, you'll be back with us before you know it" Her father slumped down on the couch beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"There is no way in hell that I'm going-"