Chapter 289

• Chapter 5 - Cherry
• Seeing Cherry practice while unaware of my presence was for some reason therapeutic. She was so energetic and full of life while around me that I wasn’t sure if it was simply a show for my benefit. But I could see now that it was just her natural personality and I loved that about her. Before I realized it, I had walked towards (or perhaps drawn like a magnet to) where they were practicing and Cherry spotted me. Her already wide smile became even wider and she waved to me enthusiastically. She motioned me over to her but I resisted; not wanting to disturb them. She came bounding over to me like she was impersonating Tigger, grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to meet the others.
• Cherry said, “Guys: this is David,” and then pointed out each of the girls by name. They were all wearing a variation of the same thing: skin tight yoga shorts, a tight tank top of varying colors, and white sneakers. Olivia was the only one I would remember and that was because I knew her from before. A few of the girls eyed me either knowingly or suspiciously—which one it was, I wasn’t certain—and I wondered how much information Cherry had shared with her friends.