“It’s awesome here!” Spencer enthused, making sure she’d fully chewed and swallowed the mouthful of chicken and bacon wrap she was eating before speaking the words.

We’d abandoned the studio in favour of grabbing a quick bite to eat before lunch had all sold out and we continued with our recording session.  On our return from the canteen I’d vowed to show her the most peaceful place to hang out away from the hustle and bustle of the school playing fields and quad, and that was how we found ourselves climbing out through a classroom window and sitting down on a grass verge that overlooked the caretaker’s personal allotment just off school grounds.  Nikki had introduced me to the spot over the summer.

“It’s a nice place to chill out in… away from everyone,” I told her, closing my eyes to enjoy the heat of the sun on my face.  We fell silent for a moment.

“It’s weird being here…” Spencer finally began.  I opened my eyes, unsure where she was going with her statement.  Weird being with me?  Under my gaze she soon continued, explaining herself further.

“… at school, surrounded by so many students but to still feel so -”

“- alone?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she sighed, taking another bite of her wrap and washing it down with a mouthful of coke.

“You seem to do okay though,” I said, “you’ve got a lot of people around you all the time.”

It was true.  Even though she was new she seemed to always be in the company of a large circle of friends.  Granted, they were all Madison’s friends, so hardly the best company, but they were still company and it surprised me that Spencer wasn’t as satisfied with them as they all were with each other.  Maybe she was just better than them.  In fact, scratch that; she was better than them.

Spencer scoffed, sounding as though she was choking on her food.

“That means nothing,” she told me.  “I seem to have found myself part of a group I had no intention of joining.”

I was surprised by her honesty.

“Cheerleaders?” I asked.  She half nodded.

“I’ve always been a cheerleader, but never part of the pack,” she told me.  “I enjoyed the routines but it was never like a lifestyle for me back in Ohio.  Here it seems that being one automatically means you have to be the quintessential cheerleader… it’s a way of life – a group mentality – not just a pastime!”