by Bella King
“Good, you didn’t have a choice anyway. We need the whole team there,” Morgan said cheerfully. “It’s after school, so you’ll have to stay late, but that’s the life of a cheerleader.”
I had no issues with that. It wasn’t like I was doing anything interesting at home. I usually scrolled through my phone and ate ice cream for a few hours before even attempting homework. Representing Greywood Academy would be a better use of my time, for sure.
The game was set for 5 PM, and I met the cheer squad in the locker room to get ready. Jennifer was doing everyone’s makeup, and I was first in line.
“You have to go really dark with this stuff. It might look goofy up close, but they don’t see you up close. It’s like old movies. You really need to exaggerate your movements and features so the audience can get a clear view of you,” Jennifer explained as she put on my makeup.
I nodded in agreement, which caused her to make a mistake with my mascara.
“I swear to god, Faith, if you weren’t new on the team this brush would go into your eye. Keep your damn head still,” Jennifer scolded.
I guess this was the aggression that Morgan had warned me about. Jennifer was super helpful until you pissed her off. I kept my head so still for the rest of the makeup application that the muscles in my neck were cramped by the time she got done.
“Next,” Jennifer said loudly, pushing me aside.
I stumbled a little before straightening myself up. This was no time for me to slip up and make a fool of myself. I was slowly gaining respect from the other women on the cheer squad, and I wasn’t going to mess it up on my first game. Now was the time to prove myself.
I waited patiently for all the team to be finished and ready to go out on the field. Morgan gathered us up and went over our routine, which everyone already knew by heart since we had practiced it nonstop for a week.
Morgan ended with a pep talk and a shout out to Bethany who was still at the hospital with her broken legs. After that, we jogged onto the field to cheer for The Greywoods rugby team.
I immediately spotted Troy and the gang on the field, doing warmups while the crowd got settled in. They were dressed in their rugby uniforms, which made ample show of their muscular thighs. Like it or not, Troy was built like a Greek god. I found myself staring at him even though I hated him.
Morgan spanked my ass as she walked by. “Don’t fraternize with the enemy,” she said with a wink.
I snapped back to attention and took my eyes off Troy. I didn’t want Morgan to think I actually liked that man. He may have been smart and handsome, but he was a douchebag like the rest of the team.
Morgan signaled for us to start the cheer, and we all jumped into place. I kept glancing at Troy, who was standing at the front of the team to watch us while we jumped and twirled while chanting the slogan, “Greywoods are the best! Greywoods never rest!” It wasn’t the cleverest rhyme, but it worked.
I believe we performed quite well, and Troy stood nodding his head at us while we disassembled and retreated to the edge of the field to cheer from the sideline during the match. I could have sworn that Troy’s eyes were on me almost the entire time as we left the center of the field. It was odd and I wondered why that was. Maybe he was surprised to see such a shy woman on the cheerleading squad.
I watched the guys on the rugby team play expertly on the field. They clashed with the opposing team head-on, pummeling them in a blur of muscular rugby bodies. I was confused as to why anyone would want to play such a violent sport, but Troy didn’t seem phased as he led the pack. He literally plowed straight through three people near the end of the game with little effort.
While the players from Crimson High looked like someone had thrown them in a tumble drier for a few hours, The Greywoods looked almost like they hadn’t played at all. Troy was without a nick or scratch, his brown hair still perfectly in place while his body glistened with a light layer of sweat.
We had won the game, of course, and the cheerleaders jumped up and down as the players left the field. We waited until everyone had left to go back to the locker rooms and get changed back into our regular clothes and remove this caked-on makeup.
I was a little slower than the others getting back to my usual self. I felt like the makeup was impossible to remove without some heavy-duty makeup remover, which I didn’t have on me. After washing my face a dozen or so times, I looked around to see that everyone had already left the locker rooms. I was there alone.
Chapter 7
I gathered up my stuff, thinking of taking a shower before leaving school. I actually liked the showers in the locker room better than the one my parents had installed at home. It was super fancy and everything, with dramatic lights and a glass door, but the water pressure sucked major dick. It was frustrating because our previous shower had been fine, but my parents insisted on replacing it anyway. I always said it was due to them having more money than sense.
I put all my stuff together on the bench and stripped off my sweaty cheerleading uniform, walking over to one of the shower stalls with my towel and hanging it over the door. I stepped into the shower and turned on the water.
A few sputters and a burst of hot water later, I was relaxing under adequate water pressure. Perfect. I tilted my head back and let the steaming hot water run through my hair. I had to wear it up so tight all day at school that it was such a pleasure to let it loose at the end of the day. Today had been especially long because of the rugby math after school, so it was great to finally have my hair down.
I liked to spend ten minutes under the hot water before I actually started cleaning myself, but I didn’t even get to the end of that when I heard the sound of the locker room door open. Maybe someone had forgotten something and was coming back in to get it.
That idea was squashed almost immediately when I heard heavy footsteps. It sounded like a man, probably a very large man, that had entered into the women’s locker room. I froze. I was the only one in there, and I was completely naked. They surely would hear the shower water running and see my stuff, knowing very well that the place was occupied.
I listened closely as the footsteps came toward my stall. My heart began to race in my chest as I tried to think about what I would do if someone tried to get in. I looked around the stall for something to fight with. It wouldn’t be the first time that I would have to fight my way out of a situation like this. The bullies at my last school came very close to sexually assaulting me in the bathroom one time.
I still had nightmares about that. Crowds of guys much bigger than me closing in as I stood naked and alone with nobody to help me. I was stronger than that now. I knew how to fight back. AT the very least, I would be making some marks on the next man who tried to lay his hands on me.
I spotted a metal tray hooked into the wall that held the soap. I quietly removed it and gripped it in both hands as the footsteps stopped in front of my shower stall. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. I would rather go to prison for bashing someone’s brains in than let myself fall victim to a man.
I heard Troy’s voice from the other side of the stall door. “I didn’t expect to see you on the team,” he said in a strong, deep voice. “I don’t care what Cindy says about you. I think you’re kind of cute.”
I knew this trick already. He was playing mind games with me, trying to get me to second guess my friendship with Cindy. He wanted to get me alone. What he didn’t know was that I had been through all of this before. It wasn’t going to work on me again.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” I said firmly, standing my ground and reminding him that I wasn’t the weak young woman he may have mistaken me for. I may not have felt very strong, but I didn’t want him to get that idea.
Troy chuckled. “I just wanted to say hi. What, you don’t like me or something?” He teased.
“We can talk later at school,” I replied.
“We’re already at school, Faith. I just wanted to let you know that Greywood Academy isn’t all
that safe of a place for people who interfere with the rugby team. Everything is cool between us now, but don’t start getting ideas from people like Morgan. That bitch will get what’s coming to her, and I wouldn’t want to be around her when that happens,” Troy growled.
Things were getting nasty. These threats were real, and I didn’t care that Cindy had brushed them off as exaggerations. Troy was a dangerous man and I needed to watch my back around him. I gripped the metal tray in my hand tightly as I spoke to Troy. “Is that all you came here to say? I’m not meddling in anyone’s business.”
“Good,” Troy replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodbye Faith,” he said, sounding slightly amused.
I heard his heavy footsteps walking away, then leaving the locker room entirely. I didn’t loosen my grip on the metal shower tray until several minutes after Troy had left. When I felt it was safe again, I jumped out of the shower, throwing on my clothes as quickly as I could.
Instead of going out the door, I found a small window in the corner of the room and climbed out of it onto the field, running back to the parking lot at full speed. I got to my car and shoved the keys into the ignition, peeling out of the lot leaving tire marks on the asphalt. I didn’t slow down until I was far away from campus.
I rushed up to my room when I got home and buried my face into my pillow, bursting into tears once again because of Troy. He had done nothing to hurt me, but his threats felt real. I was afraid that this would turn into something much more extreme. I didn’t even know who to talk to about it because the teachers seemed to like Troy, Cindy always apologized for the jocks, and apparently Morgan and the rugby team were on very bad terms.
I needed to at least tell Morgan what Troy had said about her. She was the one person that I actually felt safe around. She would defend me if anything happened, and it would be shitty of me not to tell her about the treats Troy had made about her. If something happened to her and I withheld information that could have saved her from it, I would never be able to live it down.
Troy couldn’t bully me off the cheerleading team, but he did make me a lot more cautious about going anywhere in the school alone. I decided that no matter what, I was always going to have at least one other person with me. The shower at home sucked, but nobody was going to barge in on me there when I was alone.
I shuddered to think what could’ve happened to me in the locker rooms alone with Troy. He was a massive man, and there would have been no way for me to defend myself with him. A small piece of blunt metal would do nothing against a giant that split heads for fun on the rugby field. It would be easy work for him.
I tried to push it all out of my head. I needed to get some rest and find Morgan tomorrow at school. I couldn’t let Troy terrorize my thoughts once I got home. This was my safe space, and nobody would get to me here. Everything would be okay in my bed with a nice hot cup of tea.
I flipped open my laptop and put on my favorite TV show, snuggling up until I was called downstairs for dinner. My parents would probably know that something was up. They were used to seeing me come home looking like hell after getting bullied. I didn’t want to disappoint them. Changed schooled wasn’t easy, nor was it cheap.
I tried to put on my happiest face as I walked downstairs for dinner, faking a smile so big that you would have thought that I had just won the lottery. I hoped that it would be enough to fool them.
My dad noticed and asked me about it. “School is going well, huh?” He asked, taking a bite of his steak as I sat down.
“Oh yeah, I’m trying out for the cheerleading team. They want me on,” I said cheerfully.
My mom chimed in. “That’s wonderful, Faith. See, you just need to put yourself out there and things will be fine. You’re a smart woman and I want you to remember that.”
“Thanks,” I said, digging into my food.
My dad nodded in agreement. “You look like you had a good week so far. We’re proud of you.”
I didn’t feel like I was having a good week, but I suppose it could have been worse. I was being accepted on the cheerleading team and making friends, even if I was making enemies in the process. It was better than nothing.
Chapter 8
I sought out Morgan straight away when I got to school the next day, breezing through the halls until I spotted her. She was tall enough to stand out in a crowd, so it wasn’t difficult. I walked up to her and tapped her on the arm.
Morgan spun around and flashed a smile. “Hey Faith. Great job yesterday, by the way. I think you’re going to do well on the team,” she said cheerfully.
“Thank you,” I said, then looked around quickly. “Uh, do you think we could talk somewhere in private real quick?”
Morgan frowned. “What for?”
“Troy said something to me yesterday. I just want to talk to you about it.”
Morgan immediately grew concerned and wrapped her arm around me, leading me around the corner into an empty classroom. She closed the door and turned to me. “What’s going on with Troy?”
I suddenly felt this heavy pressure, like I was being interrogated. I shrunk down in front of Morgan, crossing my arms defensively. “He came into the locker rooms while I was taking a shower and -”
“What?!” Morgan exclaimed. “Are you okay? Did he do something to you?” She blurted, searching my face for some indication of what had happened.
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. He just told me not to get involved with what’s going on with the rugby team. I honestly don’t even know what he meant by that.”
Morgan’s frown deepened. “That bastard. I know exactly what he means, and he and his buddies aren’t going to get away with that shit on my watch.”
“Another thing,” I added, almost forgetting the most important part. “He said that you would get what’s coming to you.”
Morgan squinted her eyes. “Yes, they’re up to something. I recommend that you stick close to me. Like it or not, being a cheerleader comes with some extracurricular activities that aren’t always pleasant, and I’m not talking about cheer practice or rugby games.”
I didn’t especially want to be involved with whatever was going on. I didn’t like how Morgan assumed that I would be fine with getting into this with her. I just wanted to tell her about what Troy had said, not dig into the situation between the two cliques.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, well, I’m not really trying to get involved in that sort of drama. I just wanted to tell you about Troy.”
Morgan laughed bitterly. “It’s too fucking late for that, Faith. These guys don’t stop at threats, believe me. Bethany is down because of them, and it looks like I’m their next target. You’re either with the team or without the team, you got that?”
I nodded slowly, trying to figure out where I stood. I didn’t want to lose my new friends and risk being labeled as an outcast because I knew that would lead to bullying. At the same time, hopping into a warzone when our enemy was a bunch of 200 plus pound jocks didn’t sound that great either.
Morgan wasn’t giving me a lot of choices here. She already assumed I was with the cheer squad. By default, I was.
“Can I think about this?” I asked quietly.
Morgan shook her head. “You can win the game, or lose the game, Faith, but you can’t sit the game out. It doesn’t work that way at Greywood. If you try that, you’ll lose. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I nodded. This was a small school and it was close-knit. This was the type of place that try as you might, you won’t go unnoticed. You would either get sucked up into a group of friends or sucked up in a group of bullies. I thought it better to go with friends.
Morgan studied my face again to see if I had really gotten the point.
“I’m going to stick to the cheer team, but you need to let me in on what’s going on,” he finally said.
A grin spread across Morgan’s face. “You’re not officially on the squad until initiation anyway. Tonight, we’re going to do that, but it involves you taking o
ne for the team. I’ve had this one in the works for a long time, so if you don’t fuck it up, you’re going to look pretty good to everyone on the cheer team.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked nervously.
“Meet me behind the school once the bell rings. We’ll talk about it after classes,” Morgan said, opening the classroom door and slipping out into the hallway.
I breathed a heavy sigh and glanced at my phone to check the time. Fuck, almost time for class. I turned to leave the classroom, but a large hand shoved me back. I stumbled back and caught myself on a desk. I looked up to see Troy’s large figure blocking the door.
“Were you just talking to Morgan?” Troy asked with a frown.
“What’s it to you?” I replied defiantly.
Troy shrugged. “Only that I told you not to get involved with our business.”
“I wasn’t.”
Troy stepped toward me aggressively. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Faith. Do you think you’re safe here at school? Do you think you’re safe around your friends?”
I didn’t reply.
“Where are they, Faith?” Troy asked angrily, gesturing with his hand around the empty room. “Nobody is here to help you.”
“Leave me alone,” I demanded, my eyes scanning the room for an exit. There were no windows in this one. If things got ugly, I would need to fight my way out.
A cruel laugh slipped from Troy’s mouth. “I haven’t done a damn thing to you, but you’re making it really difficult not to. This is your last warning. If you don’t mind your own business, you’re going to be in for a hell of a senior year.”
I didn’t move from my place against the desk as Troy pulled out his phone and frowned. “Time for class. See you later,” he said, turning and leaving me in the classroom alone again.
I ran out of the room after a moment and headed to class. I would have to be a lot more careful about being alone at this school. Troy didn’t miss a chance to terrorize me.
Chapter 9