Cheerleader Kait Dredd -

"I know," Kait said quietly. "It's better."

She launched into a back handspring that turned into a layout, but mid-air, she twisted into a combat roll and landed in a low, feral crouch, her eyes scanning the empty bleachers as if looking for an enemy. cheerleader kait dredd

She plucked the varsity letterman jacket off the bench—the one reserved for the squad captain—and put it on. No one stopped her. No one could. "I know," Kait said quietly

The other girls flinched.

Kait straightened up, smoothed her skirt, and re-tied her ponytail. She walked over to Coach Henderson, close enough that the coach could smell the spearmint gum and something else—a faint trace of ozone, like after a lightning strike. No one stopped her

There was nothing "bouncy" about it. It was a martial art disguised as a cheer routine. Each "Hey!" was a percussive, guttural shout. Her jumps weren't toe-touches; they were airborne scissor kicks that could take a man’s head off. Her arm motions were sharp, angular, brutal—like she was shattering invisible glass with her forearms. She chanted, but the words were wrong.