The Grumpy Cheerleader
by helmhood

Part 1

I was a high school cheerleader for only one year. Actually, it wasn’t even a full year, just the beginning during football season. I don’t know how I made the squad, but one of my friends talked me into trying out. Although I liked sports, I never considered myself the athletic type. And I had kind of a curvy figure. But I guess that didn’t matter.

So I joined the junior varsity cheer girls and found myself going along with the routines. Not as experienced as some of the others, I never thought I was anything special, just managing the basics. A brunette, I didn’t think I stood out like some of the blondes who seemed to get all the attention. The one thing that did stand out was my personality, which was unlike the typical perky cheerleader.

“Jenna, you’ve got to be more supportive of the team!” Mandy, the head cheerleader was always telling me.

It was true. I discovered that our school football team was very inconsistent, and I did not disguise when I was unhappy with their performance. While the other girls would be enthusiastic during a game, even if our side was losing, I would have a hard time getting worked up. It reached the point where I was critical of the football players, and this really seemed to annoy them. In fact, once I was scolded by the coach in front of everyone at practice when I suggested that perhaps he should be removed. It was embarrassing, but I was convinced there were issues with the play-calling. And the defensive line… and the running game as well. My complaints went on and on throughout the season.

Well, it turned out our school’s team did have a very big game for the divisional title. Like I said, they were inconsistent. They had won their share of games, but lost just as often, which was infuriating. Now they had a tie-breaker scheduled with our rival high school. While everyone was super excited and hyped up, I couldn’t help but feel a bit pessimistic. The whole school made a big deal about it, but I was certain to let people know I thought we would lose.

Finally, the night of the game arrived. The crowd was festive, and there was also tension in the air. It was the nervousness of the fans and also the members of the cheer squad who glowered at me throughout warm-ups. As if I had better be on my best behavior. I caught glances from some of the football players as well. Deep down, I thought they respected me for my appreciation of the game, and pointing out their flaws.

I had my hair pulled back tight, with a ponytail falling down my neck. Some of the other girls were wearing cute pigtails, and a few let their hair fall loose about their shoulders. We were dressed in the orange and black of our school colors, with pleated skirts and tops that were like tank-tops, leaving our arms bare in the mild weather. White sneakers and white ankle socks completed our cheerleader uniforms.

The game started, and our home crowd let out a thunderous roar. I rolled my eyes, but nevertheless played the part, following along with the opening routine to greet the team. After that, it was all over. Not even close. By halftime, our guys were down twenty points, and I was being loudly critical. I even made accusations about the high school officials. Mandy did her best to keep chipper and try to rally everyone. But one look in my direction, and I could see that she was displeased with my lack of spirit. Oh well, I thought.

The score ended as a blowout.

As the crowd of parents, teachers and students dispersed, I tried not to look smug. Really, I wasn’t happy about it. The whole season, I had wanted the team to do well, but I just kept seeing these stupid mistakes. I guess I was only being realistic, and not wanting to get my hopes up when I predicted the disastrous loss.

Because of the disappointment, school officials did not give the athletes a hard time when they lingered around the field after everyone had gone home. Our cheer squad stayed behind too, and soon it was just us hanging out late into the night. I realized why, when one of the football players broke out cases of beer. Sitting around me on the bleachers, were nine other cheerleaders, although this included the three rare guys who were part of the squad.
Opposite us on the field were a dozen of the players. A number of them were the boyfriends or going out with the cheer girls. I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time.

The mood was kind of dark, with them all sitting around dejected. After a while had passed, for some reason I started to rip into the quarterback. I didn’t have anything to drink, so it’s not like the alcohol was making me bold. I just felt like criticizing him in front of the others.

Next to me, Mandy tugged on one of her blonde pigtails and said, “Let up, Jenna. They had a rough game.”

“I’ll say!” I quipped sharply and continued my rant at this big eighteen-year-old.

His name was Ben, and surprisingly, he turned to me with this look on his face. “Jenna, you might be cute, but I’ve had just about enough of you!”

For a brief moment, there was a pause as everyone looked in our direction. Some of the girls were shocked that he had called me out, and I noticed the guys on the sidelines were breaking into wide grins. Did he just call me cute? My own mind started to whirl, a bit caught off guard, and not at all certain of his intentions or what he meant. I watched as he started to get up off the ground, definitely I was now hearing some laughter. That was my signal to move.

“Hey, wait…” I reacted by holding out a hand.

At the same time, I climbed to my feet and started backward, up the outdoor bleachers on the field. Ben was approaching slowly so I lifted my legs carefully, trying not to stumble and embarrass myself. The other girls were laughing and teasing, saying stuff like how he was gonna get me. I didn’t know what they were suggesting. Suddenly, the faces of the other guys lit up, realizing the possibility for some fun. I took a couple more steps higher, as Ben kept coming forward. The chase was on!

The cheerleaders made room for the big quarterback to get through. Just like that, the mood of depression had lifted, everyone was whistling and hollering. But I turned and started climbing toward the higher bleachers where no one was sitting. Because he was also clamoring over the spaces between the seating, I knew I could put some distance between us. The question was, where would I go from there?

When I reached near the top, I spared a second to look back at the scene. The girls and guys from my cheerleading squad were looking back up and waving. The football players on the field had stood and raised their arms, beers in hand. And not too far behind me, Ben was like an oncoming train, covering more ground. I scampered across the bleachers, and saw that my only way out was to climb down and maybe run across the field.

I don’t know why my heart started beating faster. Of course the team and the cheerleaders were mad at me, but I had not considered the consequences of being a poor sport. At least in my eyes, I was only being honest. And now I was being chased. The thought was kind of wild, making the skin on my bare arms tingle.

Once again, I navigated my way down the tiered seating, this time further away from the others so I would be along the edge of the bleachers. Ben was still in pursuit. I had to step over paper bags, plastic bottles, and other garbage left behind by the spectators. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, the stands were pack with a huge crowd roaring and groaning as they watched the game. Now there were only the twenty of us out late at night on school property.

I hit the grass of the sidelines, casting another glance over my shoulder. The girls waved their pompoms in my direction. One boy shouted in a megaphone. The other football players chugged beer and encouraged their quarterback. He was nearly on me, leaping over the sports field seating and causing me to run faster.

“Jenna! Jenna!” I heard my name chanted as I crossed onto the football field.

But they were not cheering me. Instead, it was more like the others were taunting and naming me as the target of this game. When I looked back, I saw the guys from the team start after me as well. Eleven huge young men began rushing. It wasn’t the whole football team, but it almost felt like it. I knew I could never outrun them. These guys were athletes, looking for some fun at my expense. I just kept running.

By the time I reached the thirty-yard line, the first few boys had passed me. They weren’t going to tackle me, I realized, that would be too rough and I might get hurt. Instead, they ran ahead of me… and then turned with the intention of blocking me! They were going to set up a defensive perimeter, cut off my escape. Too late, I nearly fell into the arms of a big strong guy. He lifted me off the ground, and then laughing, put me down again.

Dazed at first, I looked around only two see two other linebackers on either side of him. They had formed a wall in front of me. I spun around and started back in the other direction, back toward the bleachers and mocking laughter. But then the rest of the players reared up, essentially cutting off that path. These guys were making a circle around me. A wide circle, that I had room to run back and forth, but could not get through.

The football players were not dressed in their gear. After the dismal game, they had headed back to the locker room to shower and change. They had been hanging out with us later in casual clothes, jeans and shorts and such. Some of these guys were really good-looking. The cheerleaders, however, had remained on the field all night. I was still in my orange and black uniform. I could feel them watching me as I spun around.

Needless to say, the boys made comments and teasing remarks that had me blushing. I was so flustered that I backed into one young man behind me. Raising my head, I looked up and saw it was Ben the quarterback.

“Hello, Jenna,” he said with a wolfish grin as he started to move his fingers to my waist.

“Oh!” I gasped and prepared to break free, to run away from him.

There was the sound of fabric tearing, and material swishing past my hips. I ran into the middle of the twelve football players who were looking at me with great interest. I felt a breeze on my legs and thighs.

One of the other guys smiled and said, “Well, what do we have here?”

I looked down, and then looked back at Ben in disbelief. He was laughing and holding my pleated cheerleader skirt! This left me standing, surrounded by the players, with my panties on display. Not just any panties. They were my little Care Bear underwear that I had picked out tonight because I did not take the game seriously.

“Give that back!” I squealed, horribly embarrassed.

As I approached the much taller quarterback, he simply rolled up my skirt and tossed it to one of the other players, letting it sail over my head. I spun around and dashed toward the guy who now held it teasingly. When I was near his side of the players, I felt a hand swat my bottom. Then the waistband of my panties was snapped playfully. They really were quite snug on my rear end, which was round and bouncing.

The guy raised his arm high, keeping the skirt away from me. I knew there was no way for me to reach it. Slowly, I backed toward the middle of the circle. Looking around nervously, over my shoulder and side to side, the young men just pointed and laughed. I know I had been a bitch, and they were just getting revenge. I tugged on my cheerleader top as best I could, but all eyes were staring at my lower body.

“What are those?” one of the football players finally asked.

The Care Bear panties were so inappropriate for a girl my age in high school. I was humiliated. I explained that I never do any high kicks or jump around a lot, so I didn’t think anyone would see. Now twelve older teenagers had caught me in the childish underwear. Someone in the group mentioned sarcastically that they noticed I was less than enthusiastic about my cheers. This was a stark reminder of why everyone was annoyed at me to begin with.