Chapter 7

MY HEAD IS EXTREMELY ACHING. I felt the excruciating pain inside my head when I woke up earlier.

I was drunk last night, according to Zoey. Mom was upset, but I insisted on not drinking. That is to say, I did not consume any alcoholic beverages.

We fought for a while, but Zoey's expression changed when she heard something from my mother. Then mom was tending to me like a baby again.

Wow. Zoey's ability was incredible. I'm curious what she said to my mother to instantly change her mood.

Anyway, it's a good thing the "drinking" incident occurred on a Friday night because we don't have school today. But I still have to go to school because our coach, Miss Peyton, said we would have a quick meeting, and it couldn't wait.

As a result, I had to continue with my studies. Mom dropped me off and will pick me up after the meeting is completed.

Despite Mom's medication for the hangover, I am still dizzy, but it is manageable this time. I went straight to the cheering squad room and sat down next to the girls.

"Do you feel all right?"

"How's it going for you?"

These were the girls' inquiries. Even though I'm not actually okay, I just said okay.

They appeared concerned and questioned me further when Miss Peyton spoke up. Our cheer captain was by her side.

"First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate everyone on a job well done; congratulations, champions! Let's pat each other on the back and congratulate one another," the coach said. "All right, this is going to be a quick meeting because I know some of you are still hungover from last night's party."

The squad let out several 'oohs' Stella and Naomi were making fun of me, but Camila was unusually quiet and just stared at me.

"Now, as you all know, Piper is your senior, and starting next week, all senior students are required to concentrate on their academics and stop all extracurricular activities, including any club activities, so all senior cheering squad members will be graduating; on the team today." That's exactly how it works. It was heartbreaking, but the school only wanted the best for the students. Particularly the graduating students.

"So, we're here because we're going to announce the new captain of our team," Miss Peyton said, and Camila stiffened. Her eyes are filled with hope, and I can see it in them. "Would you please do the honor, Piper?"

"Thank you, Miss Peyton. I will certainly miss you all, but we all know that nothing is permanent in this world, and life must go on. Don't worry, if I have spare time, I will make sure to visit you around. But so much for that; I know you are all excited to meet your new squad captain. I am asking everyone to please respect your next captain as much as you have respected me. Don't forget about teamwork and camaraderie. Let’s all welcome your new captain, Olivia Ruby Martin!"

I was utterly shocked. Are you kidding me? Why? What's the deal with me?

My teammates are applauding and congratulating me, but I... What exactly is going on here?

"Olivia, come here to the front," Piper motioned for Martin to approach her.

"Congratulations, Oli, and go!" Naomi exclaimed as she pushed Piper away.

"So, we all know Olivia here is a sophomore turning junior, and even though she's still in her sophomore year, I believe we can all agree that Oli has the potential to be a captain on the team, right?"

My teammates exclaimed, "Yes!"

I looked around at the girls, but only Naomi seemed genuine in her cheering and smiling at me. Damn. Even Camila is smiling, indicating that she is dissatisfied with the turn of events.

"We had three candidates for being the squad captain. You might not have noticed, but since the start of our practice this year, I have asked help from the staff to get their candidates from the team and score each based on their performances, academically or extracurriculars. That is why Olivia has been chosen. Congratulations, captain," Piper gently patted my shoulder as she said those words. "Could you give us a brief speech?"

I couldn't believe what was going on, so I stuttered when I tried to speak.

"Ah, I-I'd like to thank everyone for their support; let's work harder, and I promise to do my best as your captain," I couldn't think of anything else to say. What happened continues to astound me.

The meeting went quickly, as Miss Peyton stated, and I am still buzzing. Now that I'm completely sober, I'd like to tell you about it. I was simply overwhelmed, but the announcement made me very happy.

The team congratulated me, but I didn't see the girls after our other team members circled me. I feel Camila is upset about what happened, so I sent her a message instead to check in on her.

Before I could text her, she was already outside the school. She even brags about how punctual she is. She claimed it was a natural instinct of a mother. I simply laugh at her.

I was eager to tell her what had happened, but she said Uncle Zaldy was home and we might be having dinner at our favorite restaurant, so as much as I wanted to tell her the good news, I kept it to myself first and will announce it in front of the family later. I was curious to see how they reacted. I know they will be pleased for me, but I want to share my success with my mother and the other two people who are very important to me.

~*~

WE VISITED AYAKO'S RESTAURANT. This is one of our favorite places to eat. As usual, we opted for their private room. It benefits me because I don't have to be concerned about my surroundings.

While we were eating, Uncle Zaldy asked, "How was school?"

Zoey replied, "It was fine."

"Hey, Zo," Mom said, "I heard you're the top one again this period; keep up the good work."

Zoey is, indeed, a very bright young lady. She's a quiet, low-key, humble young lady who excels academically.

"Thank you very much, Mom," she said with a smile. I'm not sure why, but every time Zoey refers to my mother as "Mom," I get a tingly sense of satisfaction.

"I'm hoping Olivia does well as well," Mom said.

"Wow, Mother, I'm in the top three; I'm not number one, but I'm number three," I grumbled.

"I'm only kidding, dear," Mom said with a smile. "Seeing both of you excel in your studies was more than enough for me."

"It's not a big deal, Mom," I explained.

"However, I heard that someone was named captain of the cheerleading squad," Uncle Zaldy explained.

Instead, it was I who was startled.

"Congratulations, captain!" my family exclaimed, and I was astounded when a waiter appeared with a cake and placed it on our table.

I can't help but smile from ear to ear.

"Make a wish!" exclaimed Zoey, who appeared to be overjoyed.

"It's not my birthday," I joked.

"There's a candle, so just make a wish, Vi," Zoey persuades me.

I just smiled and did what she said.

"How did you know?" I asked after they had finished congratulating me.

"Well, it was all over Instagram; did you forget you're famous at school, Vi?" Zoey asked.

"Really? Who posted it?" I inquired.

"It was from Piper," she explained.

"I am so proud of you, Vi," Mom said.

"Thank you, Mom, and thank you, Uncle Zal and Zoey."

I'm overjoyed. Everything is going so well. Oh, my wish for a happy high school experience is indeed coming true.

We went home after a delicious dinner. I was in Zoey's room, watching her play on her Nintendo Switch. You can only hear Zoey talking a lot when she's with me or when she's playing with her games. Yes, she is one of the loud players.

I was lying down on her bed, and she was comfortably sitting beside me.

I was going through my social media accounts. Instagram is where I spend the most time. Camila captioned a photo of us with heartfelt congratulations. Camila assured me that she was fine and relieved that I had been chosen as the squad's captain. Though she admitted to being hurt at first, she was relieved that one of us was chosen rather than a random squad member. I trusted her.

Stella and Naomi congratulated me and posted photos of us and the girls. I am overjoyed that they are so supportive. It felt surreal, but I have to admit that I enjoy the attention and position I've gained in the squad. I had finished checking my social media accounts and went to bother Zoey.

"Zo, are you not done yet?" I asked as I hugged her from behind. I take a look at her Nintendo screen.

"Almost done," she said, her hands tapping away at whatever she was playing. It was pretty gruesome, and there were a lot of zombies. I have no idea what she's up to. I'm not a gamer.

"Let's watch Netflix," I insisted.

"Yeah, sure," she said, still playing. "What do you want to watch?" she asked.

"There's this Korean drama that seems interesting and has received a lot of positive feedback."

"All right, one more time and... Done. Yes! I won!" she exclaimed. She was so overjoyed that she strangled me and kissed my face lightly.

I couldn't stop laughing at what she was doing. Zoey is very affectionate, but she only shows it to my mother and Uncle Zaldy.

"So, what are we going to watch?" she inquired, taking a seat beside me. She was now lying down.

And, of course, I leaned against her shoulder and opened her laptop.

We started watching the Korean drama It's okay not to be okay when Zoey's phone started buzzing, and I could clearly hear it because I was close to the bedside table where she had placed it.

"Someone is spamming your inbox," I explained.

"Who exactly is it?" she inquired. She was preoccupied with the drama she was watching. Actually, it was pretty good. All of the positive feedback was accurate. It was a fantastic tale. I was just caught up in who was inundating Zoey's inbox.

I took her phone from the bedside table and looked up who was messaging her. Yes, I am aware of her security code.

"It came from... Con-con? Who is she?"

"Ah, that's Nova. She might be sending me a lot of memes again. Let me..." she said as she reached for her phone when I opened the message from "Con-con."

Zoey was correct. It was all about memes. She took her phone from me and placed it next to her.

"I warned you. Con-con might be bored. Let's just watch this. Let her find another person to bother. This is an excellent Korean drama, Vi," she said, hugging me even tighter.

Fortunately, she didn't notice me pouting. That Nova, though. Uh-oh, con-con. But why would Zoey want to conceal her phone? Grr. Nova!

The entire time we watched the drama, I pretended to be Ko Moon-Yong, and Nova was the antagonist trying to bring the protagonist down. Nova was either the reporter Moon-Yong shoved up the stairs or the man she grabbed his hair from.

Fortunately, whenever there was a scary scene, Zoey hugged me tightly. I was, at the very least, relaxing. Zoey, like Ko Moon-Yong, was my Moon Kang-Tae and safety pin.

If it weren't for Zoey, I'd like to shave that Nova Coney girl.

And why are you behaving this way? You're jealous, aren't you?

My alter ego is speaking now, isn't it? Of course, I'm envious because I'm her one and only best friend.

Is this the actual reason?

Yeah! There is no other explanation. So please stop bothering me and making me overthink things!

I'm having a real battle with myself right now. Is this what happens when you watch Ko Moon-Yong? Well, I'm not sure any longer.

I slept in Zoey's room after watching, and I always have a peaceful sleep when I sleep near her.

Zoey is more than just a safety pin for me. She's a safe haven for me. I believe.