Because the but was a lie. The but suggested that my real self was hiding behind the pompoms, that the skirts and the chants were a distraction from the actual me: the reader, the debater, the future lawyer. But here is the secret I have learned, standing on the sideline of my own life:

She’s used to it. And she’s already counted you in.

These days, when someone tries to dismiss me with a smirk and a “but you’re a cheerleader,” I don’t get defensive. I don’t explain. I just smile—full, bright, the kind of smile that says I know something you don’t —and I say:

So go ahead. Underestimate the girl with the pompoms.

After class, she asked what I wanted to write my final paper on. I said I didn’t know. She said: “Write about the magic. Write about what it costs to be the one who makes everyone else feel brave.”

But I 39-m. Cheerleader May 2026

Because the but was a lie. The but suggested that my real self was hiding behind the pompoms, that the skirts and the chants were a distraction from the actual me: the reader, the debater, the future lawyer. But here is the secret I have learned, standing on the sideline of my own life:

She’s used to it. And she’s already counted you in. but i 39-m. cheerleader

These days, when someone tries to dismiss me with a smirk and a “but you’re a cheerleader,” I don’t get defensive. I don’t explain. I just smile—full, bright, the kind of smile that says I know something you don’t —and I say: Because the but was a lie

So go ahead. Underestimate the girl with the pompoms. And she’s already counted you in

After class, she asked what I wanted to write my final paper on. I said I didn’t know. She said: “Write about the magic. Write about what it costs to be the one who makes everyone else feel brave.”