Chapter 10: The Weight of the World

The first sign of what was coming arrived late one night, in the form of a text from the blackmailer. Lexie stared at it for a long time, unable to believe what she was reading. The message was blunt, demanding: “You’re pregnant. You’re going to keep the baby. Don’t even think about abortion. You will need to resign from the team. Your cheer career is over.”

Lexie felt the room spin. The pregnancy test she had taken just days before had confirmed it. She’d been so overwhelmed by the knowledge that she hadn’t told anyone, not even Jake, though deep down she had known it was only a matter of time before the blackmailer found out.

The reality of it all hit her in waves. She wasn’t just losing her cheer career—she was losing everything. The blackmailer, in their usual cold, transactional manner, had ordered her to carry the baby to term, marking the end of Lexie’s identity as the perfect, confident cheerleader she had been.

The next day, Lexie walked into the cheer practice, her heart heavy in her chest. She tried to hold her head high, but every step felt as though it were sinking deeper into mud. The girls were all gathered around, chatting, stretching, their laughter echoing in the gym, unaware of the weight on her shoulders.

“Hey, Lexie! You good?” Whitney asked, her voice full of concern.

Lexie could only nod, her throat tight. She had to do this, tell them what had happened. She had to face it all. She cleared her throat and stepped forward, but before she could speak, her eyes fell on something that made her freeze in place.

In the parking lot outside, one of her teammates, Carly, was climbing into a brand new Escalade. The gleaming, black SUV was so out of place in the otherwise humble college parking lot. Lexie had seen Carly around for months, and she knew Carly came from a modest background. She had heard rumors that her family struggled to make ends meet. But now, here she was, sitting behind the wheel of a luxury car that seemed almost absurd.

It was a detail that struck Lexie in that moment—something she would later wish she had paid more attention to. But for now, the bitterness of it was drowned by the immediate task at hand.

“Coach,” Lexie began, her voice shaky, “I need to talk to the team.”

The coach, a woman who had always been a steady force in Lexie’s life, raised an eyebrow but motioned for Lexie to go ahead. The team quieted down, sensing the seriousness in the air.

“I—” Lexie hesitated, feeling the sting in her eyes. “I’m resigning from the cheer team.”

There was a collective gasp.

“I’ve been pregnant for a few weeks,” Lexie continued, pushing past the lump in her throat. “And ... and I have to take care of it. I can’t keep up with cheerleading. I just can’t.”

A hushed silence fell over the room. The girls exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to say or how to react.

Whitney, who had been her closest friend on the team, was the first to speak. “Are you sure, Lexie? I mean, you don’t have to do this alone. We’re here for you.”

But Lexie saw the judgment in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if Whitney was just being polite or genuinely concerned, but Lexie didn’t feel like she belonged in that space anymore. Not with what was happening to her life.

Later that day, Lexie had to face her parents. It was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She called them, her stomach twisting into knots, and told them about the pregnancy.