Mickey sat down heavily in the counselor's office, still in her cheerleading uniform, the bright red and yellow colors standing out against the beige walls of the room. She sighed, her ponytail swinging as she leaned forward, frustration etched on her face.

"They just won't accept me," she started, her voice filled with exasperation. "No matter what I do."

The counselor, Mrs. Hayes, looked up from her notepad and nodded gently, signaling for Mickey to go on.

"It's all of them, really, but especially Jessica and Amy. Jessica's the captain, so whatever she says, everyone else follows. And she... well, she ignores me, like I'm not even there. During practice, she won't even look at me when I'm talking to her. Yesterday, I tried to suggest a new move, and she just... waved me off like I was some annoying fly."

Mickey shifted in her seat, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her pleated skirt. "Amy's worse. She's always whispering with the other girls when I walk by. I know they're talking about me. They laugh and give me these looks... you know, those fake, sweet smiles that are so obviously mean? And when we're doing routines, she'll purposely bump into me, like, making it look like an accident, but it's always just me she bumps into."

Mrs. Hayes raised an eyebrow. "How does that make you feel?"

Mickey let out a sarcastic laugh. "How do you think? It makes me feel like I don't belong, like I'm never going to be one of them."

She bit her lip, her frustration turning to sadness. "I've tried everything, Mrs. Hayes. I've been nice, I've complimented them, tried to hang out with them after practice. I even brought snacks one day for the whole squad. They ate them, sure, but they didn't even say thank you. And the worst part is, whenever I mess up---even the tiniest thing---they all look at me like it's the end of the world. Like I don't deserve to be there."

She paused, her voice dropping as she admitted, "It's like no matter what I do, I'll always be on the outside. They've all been friends for years, and I'm just... I'm just not part of the group. I don't know what else to try."

Mrs. Hayes listened intently, her hands folded in her lap. "Have you ever talked to any of them about how you feel? About what's going on?"

Mickey shook her head. "No. I mean, I've tried, but they're just... it's like they don't care. And if I bring it up, I feel like they'll just make fun of me more. They'll say I'm being too sensitive or dramatic."

Mickey's frustration mounting. "It's like they think I don't belong because I'm older than them. I returned to school to finish my degree, and yeah, I'm not in my early twenties like most of them, but I still love cheerleading. I worked so hard to make the team, but they just see me as some washed-up older student."

The room was quiet for a moment as Mrs. Hayes processed everything. Mickey sat back in the chair, crossing her arms defensively, her face a mix of anger, hurt, and exhaustion. She had clearly been holding all of this in for a long time, and now that it was out, the weight of it was visible.

"Do you think they do this on purpose?" Mrs. Hayes asked softly.

Mickey hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I do. It's not just that they're ignoring me---they're deliberately making me feel like I don't belong. And it's working."

Mrs. Hayes leaned forward slightly, her expression calm and thoughtful. "Mickey, I know this feels overwhelming right now, but there are ways to handle this. Maybe it's time to focus less on what they think and more on how you can find your own place, regardless of their approval. That doesn't mean giving up on being accepted---it just means not letting them control how you feel about yourself."

Mickey sighed again. "I don't know how to do that."

Mrs. Hayes smiled softly. "That's what I'm here to help with."