But today I had something more important to do than worry about all of that. Today, I had to win a cheer off.
I stood in the locker rooms at the Pitball arena, diligently tying the pink ribbon intended for my hair into a choker around my neck as Bernice knelt behind me and drew on my ass cheeks with the face paint.
My entire mini squad were in the process of doing the same thing. Everywhere I looked, hair ribbons were becoming chokers, smoky eyes and blood red lips were replacing the sticky pink lipgloss Marguerite’s squad usually plastered on and ass cheeks were being decorated. Perfect.
Bernice finished her paint job on my ass and stood up beside me with a grin, rearranging her cleavage in the navy crop top with the silver ZA printed on it.
I glanced around at the group of girls as they all beamed with excitement.
In fact, I was smiling too. As much as I hated to admit it, cheerleading was actually fun. And these girls were all pretty cool. Bernice was like my soul sister. Snarky comments and bare faced insults tumbled from her lips in a way that was so cutthroat that she often drew a surprised laugh from me. As a squad, we laughed a lot and we’d worked our asses off to perfect this routine. Much to my surprise, I actually cared about winning this thing for more reasons than just kicking Marguerite and Kylie’s asses. I wanted to cheer at the upcoming Pitball match against Aurora Academy, screaming my sister and Geraldine’s names as they played.
“Is everyone ready?” I called, drawing the attention of my squad as I prepared to give them their pep talk.
But before they’d finished calling back to me in excitement, the locker room door opened.
“Make sure your fannies are tucked away!” Washer called as he strutted straight into the room wearing a Lycra all in one suit which I guessed was intended for cycling. The thing was red with a silver zip running down the centre of his chest which of course wasn’t even closed half way. It had cut off sleeves and ended at his knees but with how tight the fucking thing was, he might as well have been naked.
“We’re just heading out to the pitch,” I said through gritted teeth as he wiggled his way through the group, brushing his hands over the girls’ arms as he passed and drawing faint sighs from them as he exerted his Order gifts over them.
Since he’d been allocated to assist Orion with overseeing Pitball and Cheer practice, we’d been subjected to these kinds of visits way too often and if I had to listen to him suggest we add more bending and splits to our routine one more time, I was gonna scream.
“I just wanted to come and offer my services for your performance,” he said with a wide smile. His teeth were too white in his orange face, but it seemed to be a choice he’d made. “I just feel like the finale would really pop better if you were all wet for it.”
“What?” I asked with a frown.
“You know, a water display at the end. Just a little squirt or two and you could all be flicking wet hair around as you pump and grind to the music and-”
“We can’t exactly change up our routine at this point,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Okay,” he agreed, sounding disappointed. “But maybe you girls can use it in your next one?”
“Maybe,” I agreed in a tone which clearly said no fucking way, barrelling on before he could make any other gross suggestions. “Right, girls – let’s go fuck up those bitches!”
Yeah, my pep talks rock.
The girls whooped in excitement as they all ran out into the stadium, heading onto the pitch and I jogged out amongst them.
We found Marguerite’s squad, Team Twinkle, already assembled before a section of the stands where Orion had gathered the Pitball team to watch us. Professor Prestos and Principal Nova were waiting too, each holding clipboards to score our routines.
“Oh good, the Heirs got front row seats,” I muttered as I spotted them and Bernice snorted a laugh.
“Well at least you can show that Dragon what he’s missing,” she joked.
Her words instantly made my gaze flick to Darius and the heated look he was giving me made me want to straighten my cheer uniform self consciously. I didn’t, because I refused to give a shit about what he thought, but still.
Washer swept forward to claim a seat beside Seth in the front row and I exchanged a smile with Darcy as I spotted her front and centre next to Geraldine.
Marguerite turned to look at us as we moved beyond her squad to take our own seats.
“Get comfortable watching from the sidelines, Vega,” she snarled, her upper lip curling back. “Because this is the last time you’ll get to wear that uniform.”
“Don’t say that,” Caleb groaned. “Seeing Tory in her cheer uniform is a damn important part of our practice sessions. Isn’t it Darius?”
I tried to fight it but I couldn’t help but glance at him again and I was instantly sucker punched by the filthy look in his black ringed eyes. It really shouldn’t have been legal for him to look at me like that because then I just ended up remembering where those looks had led us before and how that wouldn’t be happening ever again and – gah.
“Yeah. It is,” Darius agreed, running his hand over the stubble lining his jaw as he sat there in his letterman jacket. Apparently the team wasn’t going to practice at all today and this session had been given over to our competition, so he was wearing jeans and a black shirt which clung to his muscular frame beneath it. Not that I appreciated anything about the way he looked. But if I had, I’d have to admit he looked good enough to lick.
“It’s kind of sad how desperately you’re trying to get his attention after he turned you down,” Marguerite said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “And it’s kind of pathetic the way you keep lingering around him like a bad smell dressed up in desperate.”
Errr pot and kettle? Seriously, is this bitch for real?
“What’s the matter, Marguerite? Are your manticrabs biting or are you just stressed out because you know the Vixens are about to wipe the floor with you and your basic bitch routine?” I taunted.
Marguerite tossed her red hair and stepped towards me, raising her voice to make sure everyone heard what she was going to say.
“I just don’t see how you ever could have thought he’d say yes to you,” she said. “I mean, sure, you’re a Vega. But what does that even mean? That you’re the daughter of a man who brought chaos, death and terror to his people during his reign. You didn’t even grow up in Solaria. You’re practically a mortal,” she spat like there could be nothing worse than that. “You don’t know anything about being Fae. You were raised in a gutter and learned to spread your legs to get what you needed from men who you tricked into falling for your shit with your trashy clothes and near constant position on your knees for sucking cock. You’re scraping by here on your power level alone, but no true Fae would ever follow a cheap pair of trashy whores who don’t even know our customs let alone how to claim their power with class. It’s no wonder Darius said no to you. Can you imagine how embarrassing it must be for him to have his Mate go around screwing every guy on campus? You’re a cheap, ignorant, gold-digging bitch. And everyone in Solaria is praising their lucky stars that he had the good sense to say no to you.”
Anger prickled along my skin at her outburst and I opened my mouth to tear her a new one, but before I could, Darius spoke.
“Roxy said no to me,” he said in a low voice which cut Marguerite short. “Not the other way around. And I’m pretty sure I told you not to talk shit about her once already.”
Marguerite balked, her face paling as her lips opened and closed like a goldfish. She stammered something which might have been the start of an apology, but he didn’t give her the chance to speak it.
“I don’t know where you get off claiming to have something going on with me anyway. I barely even dated you and I certainly didn’t take an interest in anything you had to say. I fucked you because I was bored. And I dumped you because I hadn’t realised that getting into your pants would be even more boring. So keep your fucking mouth
shut about me and Roxy otherwise we’re going to have a problem.”
I flushed hot all over, my jaw grinding as I tried to figure out how I felt about him jumping in like that. I’d never been the girl who needed saving by the valiant knight.
“Asses in seats, Vixens,” Orion said lazily as he waved my squad towards the stands to watch Team Twinkle do their routine. “Contrary to popular belief, watching cheer squads dance about is not actually a hobby of mine and there are other things I’d like to do with my evening once this is wrapped up.”
“Maybe I should be the head judge then, Lance?” Washer suggested enthusiastically casting a hopeful look at Nova like he thought she might give him the position. “I’ve been something of a cheer enthusiast my whole life and I know all the ways their flexible young bodies should be bending and flexing and moulding into the moves. So, if you want to swap, I can-”
“Is someone gonna get the music playing or what?” Orion barked, totally ignoring him and I was swept along in the midst of my squad as we took seats in the second row up behind the Pitball team.
I ended up in a seat right behind Darius as Kylie fiddled with the sound system to set it up for their routine.
“I didn’t need you to jump in and rescue me,” I muttered, unable to bite my tongue as I looked at the back of his head.
Darius turned in his seat and rose an eyebrow at me. “I was just telling the truth. I’m not asking you to thank me.”
He rested his arm on the back of his chair and my knee brushed against it, sending a shiver dancing up my leg.
“So you were just in the mood to point out how terrible she is in bed?” I asked, ignoring the pang of jealousy that went through me at the thought of him and her.
“Yeah.”
“Was she really that awful?” I asked because morbid fascination was a bitch and apparently I was in the mood to torture myself.
“It was like sticking my dick into a sack of potatoes and shaking it around to see what happened,” he deadpanned. “I would have had to question my own performance if it wasn’t for the way she was screaming.”
“Is that so?” I refused to blink at the subject matter, but my fingernails were most definitely cutting into my palms. I just had to hope he couldn’t tell.
“Yeah. She sounded like a pig with a carrot stuck up its ass. I didn’t even finish.”
A laugh tumbled from my lips before I could stop it and suddenly all of the other Heirs, Geraldine, Darcy, Orion and well everyone actually, were swivelling in their chairs and staring at us.
“Liar,” I hissed.
“Am I?” There was a smirk playing around his lips which drew my attention to his mouth and suddenly I was too hot in my skimpy outfit and memories of the two of us tangled together on the throne at the Palace of Souls were slipping to the front of my mind.
The first beat of the music started up and everyone looked away from us as Team Twinkle began their routine to Can’t Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake, but Darius stayed looking at me for a moment longer.
“Well, at least I have her beaten in that department,” I teased. “You definitely finished with me.”
“Yeah. I could come just thinking about you,” he agreed. “And I do pretty frequently.”
My lips popped open and I almost let him render me speechless before forcing myself to respond in a low voice. “Well that’s handy, seeing as we’ll never be touching each other again.”
The smirk fell off of Darius’s lips and shutters slammed down behind his eyes as his expression darkened. “Thanks for the reminder, but I’m well aware.”
He turned away from me before I could try and take it back. I hadn’t meant it as a taunt or an attempt to drive the knife in further. I’d just blurted out the first thing that had come to mind. And it wasn’t the first time I’d done that to him and hurt him. I felt like I was so preprogrammed to go on the defensive all the time that I almost couldn’t stop the shit that poured from my lips sometimes. Just like when I’d told him that us being together meant nothing to me. The urge to be honest and tell him how much this was hurting me too swelled in my throat. I almost did it, but I couldn’t. It was weak and selfish of me, but I’d never been good at being vulnerable and I wasn’t even sure what the point to it would be now.
My gut churned guiltily and I released a breath. Maybe Gabriel had a point about me needing to own more of my shit. I probably owed him an apology too.
I stared at Darius for another moment but as Marguerite leapt into the air, my gaze was drawn to her squad instead and I let it drop. It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. I’d made my choice. It was better that I continued hating him and he hated me too. Even if that thought just knotted me up inside and left me aching.
I noticed Caleb watching me still and glanced at him as he offered me a dazzling smile. I frowned a little as I returned it, wondering what he was after and he flicked his fingers, a single leaf spinning from them before he tossed it into my lap.
I glanced down at it, seeing the words which he’d formed on it.
Do you want to come on a hunt with me again soon?
I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was thinking. We’d basically agreed that we weren’t going to be hooking up again and the hunt stuff had really just been foreplay for us. But I had to admit that I was tempted. I missed the rush I got from the hunt, trying to escape him as adrenaline coursed through my veins. And really, the biting wasn’t that bad. But if I won I’d have to think up a different prize…maybe I could convince him to give me some tutoring with my earth and fire magic…
I pushed my magic into the leaf, changing it so the the word maybe stood out on the waxy surface instead then flicked it back at him before focusing on Marguerite’s routine.
Team Twinkle were good. I hated to admit it, but they were. They worked seamlessly together, jumping, spinning, shaking their colour changing pom-poms and combining magic with all kinds of impressive gymnastics.
“Tuck that hiney!” Washer called enthusiastically. “Flip that dipper!”
I bit my lip as I watched them, nerves warring inside my stomach like a hoard of angry wasps.
“C’mon Minor, I know you can spread your legs wider than that – get it right over your head!” Washer yelled.
I exchanged a look of disgust with Bernice as she gave me an exaggerated shudder.
As the routine came to an end, Kylie and Jillian shot up into the air, spinning as they came back down and landing perfectly just as Marguerite threw a fireball up over their heads. As the flames began to fade, the words Go Zodiac! flared within the fire.
Team Twinkle were all beaming with triumph and shaking their pom-poms or jazz hands respectively as the music faded and I had to wonder whether or not our finale would be appreciated.
The Pitball team all clapped, a few guys from the sub bench whooping their support as they moved over to congratulate the mean girls. I was guessing they were the manticrab spreaders, but I couldn’t say I particularly knew any of them.
“Come on then, Vixens, let’s see if you can top that.” Orion pointed us forward and we headed down to the pitch as Bernice hurried over to start our track.
We’d gone for something a little different to the usual peppy routines. Our song had a fast beat and plenty of spots which encouraged tricks and flashy magic. It was really more of a show piece than a dance, but I didn’t mind admitting the whole thing was shit hot.
I took my position in the centre of the squad, not a pom-pom in sight as we all leaned on each other and waited for the music.
My heart was pounding with a combination of nerves and excitement as the girls all closed in around me. On the one hand I knew this was just some stupid routine for a club I hadn’t even wanted to join, but there was something freeing about doing something for no other reason than having fun and I was actually hoping really damn hard that we were about to win.
U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer started up and the music took over as we all leapt into motion, dan
cing in perfect synchronisation in moves that were pretty well suited to a night club but worked all the same.
Two of the water Elementals threw a sheet of glimmering ice crystals before us and we sprang into a set of flips, twists and cartwheels. Every time the backup singers called wooaah, a different pair of squad members were thrown into the air, shooting flames, ice, or flower petals from their palms. Then the air Elementals shot above everyone else.
I stayed in the centre of the pack, twisting and grinding between the other girls to the music as I sent a combination of all of my Elements flying at different times in the routine.
As the music hit the breakdown, Bernice and Alexa tossed me up into the air and I shot above the rest of the squad, using my air magic to propel me up with a mixture of flames, ice crystals and petals all falling from my fingertips as I spun on the spot. I descended just as the verse kicked off again and the other girls all flipped and cartwheeled around me.
“That’s it! Legs behind your head!” Washer cried, but I only had eyes for Marguerite as I moved between two of the other girls and we formed a line with all of our hips locked together, winking at her as we ground our hips in a way that may have been bordering on pornographic. But if she was going to go around calling me a whore all the time, I didn’t want to disappoint.
Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 28