"I still don't know why I'm involved with you."
"Because you love me?"
"Quite the contrary. I believe you don't understand the nature of our relationship. I only stick around because I need someone to lift my worth in this school and kick snotty b*tches ass."
"Still, as a good wife I must keep this one sided relationship going," Alice declared in the locker room and the few eyes in the room turned to us and I glared at her who was giggling at my expression.
"At this rate we are not going to get husbands, leave alone boyfriends."
"I pretty sure Hottie Stone won't mind?" She said winking at me and my expression darkened making her laugh. "Don't worry? I'm not stealing him from you. Actually I don't think anyone can."
"Don't call him that," I whined giving her a pout making her pat my head adoringly like she would a little sister before pulling me out of the locker rooms barely giving me enough time to straighten the small cheerleader skirt that it doesn't ride up my ass. For a moment, I'm glad it's more of a skort than a skirt otherwise we'd be flashing for everyone.
"Looking good Peters," one of the guys whistles and I ignore the catcalls.
For the record, I could care less, but Ethan and Alice are most glad that I came with no arguments. Ethan, because he wants to turn me into his personal cheerleader and Alice, well she's Alice. Given that she's the first friend I made here, she promised to make my time worthwhile. And after she realized my friendship of sorts with Ryder, she made it her mission to prove there was more to me than a 'pretty face and sexy brains'. Her words not mine. That said, she recruited Ethan to sign me up for cheerleading and called it phase one that included her clearing out most of my stuff. To her thinking, if I was fashionable enough I could put my name out there. Sometimes I forget how much this school is mostly centered on money and high places in society, I think as we walk out into the field where the girls are huddled and squealing in small groups as they checked out a few of the footballers preparing for training in the field and Alice immediately gave a look in disapproval.
"You know if they didn't thrive on meaninglessness gossip they would probably not be brainless airheads who only think about boys, shopping and gossip."
"Isn't that a too cliched way if thinking?"
"Believe me, if they aren't doing the three, they are scheming against you? Of course not everyone, but hairbrainness is not uncommon in a cheerleading team."
"Harsh," I said and she chuckled as we walked closer. "But you'll admit you get informed way faster."
"True but that's just one of the pros," she said winking at me before shedding into the skin of her alter ego. The hairbrained cheerleader she just dissed.
I was mostly distant so it didn't seem like a surprise as I stretched alone further away from the groups but no one seemed to mind, especially Henley and the likes who would probably run away from me if I got any closer than three feet to her. As far as I know, she wouldn't be attending anymore parties for the rest of her senior year after the stunt she pulled. I'm surprised she was still on the team after Alice explained this 'being blacklisted'. No being invited to parties, no being on a place in the school heirarchy. Maybe the fact she was Heather's cousin helped her around it.
"You'll never guess what I learnt," Alice exclaimed making her way back to me excited as the chatters nearby got excited and I turned to see a familiar figure making his way into the field the coach on tow. "That's what I was about to tell you. Ryder is back on the team."
"Is he any good?"
"As far as I know, he'd been getting scouted before he stopped playing. I'm pretty sure he'd be ESPN material," she said stretching beside me as I watched him curiously aware of the hostile aura coming from the team. Well, it was more of confused than anything but nevertheless hostile. Let's not forget my own hostility. He had the nerve to ditch me and ignore me all day after all the intimate talk this morning with absolutely no reason, I thought with a scowl before turning to Alice.
"Why did he stop playing?"
"I'm not exactly sure. Actually no one is but majority think that something happened between him and a teacher."
"Really?" I asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah. One week later we heard the teacher was arrested and he never came back to school," she said and I realized that this was actually the first time someone gave me some insight to what had happened. Not even Kaylee who just said he'd been off to military school.
But surprisingly this wasn't the sort of dilemma that was going through my head at the moment, even with all the anger I had before. Watching him strut across the field in his uniform, helmet in hand all I could think was that he really did have a phenomenal butt. As if feeling the weight of my stare, he turned his head pinning me with his own gaze as he looked me from head to toe and a dark look overcame his face. Behind me Alice exclaimed 'Damn' and I shuddered visibly in my skirt as I lifted an eyebrow in question. When we had this conversation last night he looked as if coming back here would be as torturous as signing a deal with the devil.
"Is it just me or is it hot out here?"
"Shut up," I exclaimed as she fanned herself with her hands and doubling in laughter at my expression making me glower at her.
"Okay shutting up now. I would be seriously wetting my panties right now if my guy gave me that look."
"He's not my guy."
"Sure he isn't," she teased leaning against me as we watched them join the team from afar.
"They don't really like him do they?"
"I wouldn't exactly put it like that. He's a good player, rarely has his head stuck up his ass," she said and I raised an eyebrow in question but she didn't seem to catch on. "They know as long as you respect him, he respects you."
She explained and for a few moments I stood there unconvinced until Alice called me to join practice on the P.E teacher's orders before she left us to do our own thing.
"Hey, wanna do something crazy?"
"What level of crazy?"
"Super crazy. Come Di. This will be advantageous to you," Alice said tapping the length of my arm teasingly with her fingers and I watched her pensively trying to gauge how much trouble I would be in.
"How?"
"You said you weren't sure if he had his interests in the right place. What better way than keep him hooked on? Maybe he'll make a move."
"Are you talking about Kyle or Ryder?"
"Why not both? We already figured you have a not-so-secret crush on Ryder and that if Kyle played his cards right you wouldn't mind, so why not raise the charms? If you raise the charms you raise the hearts."
"Why is this beginning to sound like a game?"
"Because it somehow is one. You in?" She asked and I cast a wary glance to the field before giving her a shrug and she squealed before going back to the girls and they joined in the squealing as she skipped back to me. "You ready?"
"What exactly are we doing?"
"You remember the tapes I showed you? The one with our own 'dirty dancing' routine we practiced with while getting ready for your audition."
"I thought that it was banned," I said refraining from pointing out that the name of the routine itself was way off. Ideally, it just involved more bending and twisting in a suggestive manner..? Yeah, I'm beginning to see it.
"Sure, but..they never said anything about using it for practice," she said before one of the girls pressed the music player and everyone seemed to turn and fixate their attention on us as if they knew very well what dance followed. They probably did as they stepped closer as Alice counted us in.
I was a fast learner. Probably the reason the P.E teacher accepted me though my application came in a day later. It is also the reason why despite the fact that I had not been around for the original dance I could integrate myself pretty well in place of one of the girls with a sprain ankle which meant I was going to be showcasing some of my hidden gymnast talent.
"Now," Alice declared and I stepped a few paces before landing my moves. Two consecutive cartwheels that ended with a backflip before I landed with me in a 180 split and I could hear collective gasps as I stood up unaffected.
"No fucking way."
"Why was this dance banned in the first place?"
"It was deemed PG-17. I can see why though."
"What about Diana? I didn't know anyone could be that flexible."
"You right?"
"Hot, brains and sexy curves and now hella flexible. One would surely be a lucky bastard to have her as his girl."
"You can say that again."
Honestly, if I knew that this was the sort of conversation that was going on behind my back, I probably would have thrown a tantrum and a couple of punches, but it was merely the truth. A fact that I bought after the cheer ended in all sexy poses and having been caught in the moment I winked at the first face that caught my eye. Ryder.
By reaction, and whether I was supposed to see it or not, his hand slid down to his front and grabbed his crotch grinning widely at my bewildered expression. Surprisingly in the middle of drooling and all, I manage to question just to what extent he would go to express how much he wanted me despite the fact I loved how blunt he was with me.
"From the bedroom eyes, you're giving each other, I'll say....it worked?" Alice asked and I nodded absentmindedly not breaking my gaze from Ryder.
I was trying hard to make sense why I was feeling rather pouty that there were so many people around, leave alone the fact we were still outside, hence I couldn't jump him any way I wanted. His expression mostly read that he could share the feeling, more so when coach called them back to training.
"Please stop. Spare my single lonesome heart," Alice exclaimed loudly and I turned to her confused.
"What happened to Christian now?" I asked and the arm around my shoulders tensed as I turned to see the tornado in her eyes. It wasn't until I saw fear and regret puddled in those orbs that I remembered I was supposed to have a fuzzy memory of her rocking the balls off the definitely not Christian stud. "I thought you were meeting for lunch yesterday."
"Uh-oh, we decided to call it quits... Last night? You know?" Definitely not Christian, I thought as she quickly brought my mind back to the field. "Uh, I think our plan worked a little too well."
"What?" I asked looking towards Kyle and Ryder were holding each other at a stand off. Honestly, I'm now past bullshitting myself that I had not contributed to whatever new stages there rivalry had grown. Come to think of it, even Ryder had admitted to not liking the fact that I was willing to talk things out with Kyle sometime through eating all that ramen in his room.
"Ready on your end, Montgomery? On yours Stone?"
Rivals!? At a practice game? I was seriously beginning to question coach's skills. Then again I could see where he was coming from. They wouldn't exactly work together at she moment. Why not let them vent it out?....Bad idea.
I couldn't even lift a finger when I heard the clash of helmets after the whistle and Kyle went down. Whatever rivalry they had I was sure I had made it worse.
"Stone, I did not bring you back in to put down my star quarterback."
"Maybe he shouldn't have the title in the first place if he so weak."
Okay he was mad. Maybe I should have offered to do the little dance in front of him. Bet he would have loved that but it's too late regret my decisions, oh well, I shrugged at the thought as Alice pulled me with her trailing Addie who had rushed into the field towards as still down Kyle.
"Oh my God Kyle are you okay?" Addie asked tapping his cheek and I wondered if I was the only one who thought this was an overdramatic reaction. It wasn't as if he had a concussion or anything, right?
"You don't have a concussion, do you?"
"Diana!? You don't ask that," Alice scolded and I lifted my hands up in surrender.
"Sorry, I'm not really planning to play doctor in the future or ever. Sorry Kyle."
"It's okay," he said and I nodded taking a step back as Addie and Kyle focused on keeping him awake just incase. Well, I wasn't needed there anymore, I thought turning around to see Ryder leaning on one of the posts of the closed bench watching the trio with a look of indifference. Someone should really teach him how not to be so expressionless or people would think he's arrogant. I'm pretty sure some players already did.
"For the record, I thought it was a really good tackle," I said handing him a bottle of water from the cooler by the bench.
"Oh yeah?"
"But then again I'm the one who thought that football is all about tackling in pointless competition to flaunt major machoism, suaveness and a show of excessive testosterone."
"Babydoll, is that what you actually think of me?" He asked tugging on my arm as he pulled me closer to him.
"What!? When did we start talking about you? We were talking about football," I said defensively and he chuckled patting my head.
"And I'm a footballer at heart," he said before he paused looking at me.
"What?"
"You really know nothing about football."
"Just collective terms. I have never really had a reason to learn," I said and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"Does this mean you do now?" He asked and at that moment I realized that not even my tan skin could hide the blush on my cheeks.
"School spirit?" I blurted out and the look on his face said he wasn't buying it.
"Not even your brother?" He decided to spare me.
"I'm sure he could play. He's the more outgoing one but he's more interested in cars and guns."
"Oh he's that kind of guy." The kind that was training to be a Mafia lord, sure. But I didn't say that out loud. I doubted something good would come out of it.
"I could learn. About football. What makes the whole game right?"
"Not how I was planning this conversation to go."
"Still, football is a major part of high school. God, why didn't I think of this?" I said not giving him a chance to interrupt.
"Diana.."
"No, when Jaime invited me to his games, I factored my reasons for not going to the fact I was more or less socially awkward and as a result I couldn't stand social events. I never did think of it as part of the whole high school experience.."
"There's no changing your mind about this, is there?" He asked looking at me a smile hinting on his lips as he let go of my arm.
"Of course not. It is going to take time to get used to coming back here after that not so successful first time. But I will work on it," I said decisively feeling good about it.
Of course, I had no idea what do with the new information but I was feeling good about it. How bad could it get?