-Sozie: the popular football player, who leads Maphia into understanding her high school life.

-Coach- the bubble squad team coach

Author & Editor: Zana Youssef 

Author & Illustrator:  Sundos Alani

Illustrator: Sophia Alcala

Maphia, lonely and unpopular girl, that wants to find a way to become popular.  In order for her to become popular she thinks she needs to join the Bubble Squad, the high school cheer team,  so she can impress a boy named Sozie. He's the varsity football teams' quarterback. Sozie just broke up with his girlfriend and is now single. Maphia thinks that being on the cheer team  means being popular and noticeable. In reality,  being popular means you are important to your group of friends, no matter who they are or what they look like and when you are important to people in that way it makes you popular.  Maphia thinks being popular makes you “in” with people and also  that if you're a cheerleader or a  football player, you're automatically classified as  popular. 

While Maphia was at tryouts for the Bubble Squad, she notices Sozie playing football and realizes how cute he is.  As Maphia's  feelings grow for Sozie, she built a plan in order for her and Sozie to be together forever. She tries plans A-Z, from buying new clothes, to wearing makeup. She put too much effort into looking good but ended up looking like a clown and embarrasses herself even more. “Congratulations Maphia, welcome to the Bubble Squad”, coach said. Maphia was so excited thinking that she finally is popular. As the big camp occurred, Maphia and her team won and Maphia was really happy when she saw  Sozie in the crowd.

             The next day, Maphia was really anxious to go up and talk to Sozie. After  she was done with practice,  she grew guts and went up to Sozie. Maphia looking like a clown goes up to Sozie and tells him, “I noticed you watching me cheer”.  Sozie had the biggest impression on his face because he wasn’t there for Maphia. “Hey Maphia, if  that's your name, I wasn’t here for you,  I was here for my sister”. Maphia was so embarrassed and confused that she ended up crying in front of everyone.

            Sozie felt really guilty for saying the truth, but he couldn’t lead on a lie. Then he came to realization, that she was just trying to become popular and fit in. “Maphia, stop crying! Just because you made cheer doesn’t make you popular, and you shouldn’t believe all those high school myths about cheerleaders and football players dating”, Sozie says. Maphia's tears stopped, and all along she realizes that Sozie was right. She also realized that she embarrassed herself. “Im sorry about everything and I know I was wrong”, Maphia says. Sozie and Maphia became close friends after talking it out to each other.

            Being popular doesn’t have to be  with you joining a sport or looking good. Being popular means that you have to be caring, nice, and funny to others. Being popular also means to be yourself and not care what others think of you. That’s what Maphia realized after embarrassing herself and having a meltdown in front of everyone. That’s the lesson Maphia learned during her high school years. All along she realized being popular wasn’t worth changing who you are, what you do, or who you date, it's about how you present yourself as a whole.