But I 39-m. Cheerleader -

“Yes. And?”

I mean: you see a skirt. I see armor.

I didn’t mention my three-inch binder of sources. Instead, I said: “But I’m a cheerleader.” but i 39-m. cheerleader

Here is what people don’t understand about cheerleading: it is not a denial of intellect. It is a discipline of projection. You learn to count in eights while holding a flyer’s ankle. You learn to smile so wide your cheeks ache, even after you’ve dropped the stunt and your back hits the mat. You learn that timing is a kind of truth. You learn that loud is not the opposite of smart —sometimes, loud is the only way to be heard over the roar of a gymnasium full of people who have already decided you don’t belong. “Yes

She’s used to it. And she’s already counted you in. I didn’t mention my three-inch binder of sources

We are not a series of contradictions. We are a routine: each move flowing into the next, the high-energy chant making space for the quiet huddle, the fall making the recovery mean something.