Faking IT!AU- Lauren is still a bitch. Shane is the best gay friend ever. Karma is climbing rank in cheer, and Amy actually has some athletic skill.
Amy's Got Game!
"And the score is 23 to 14 with Hester High's first ever female quarterback, Amy Raudenfeld bringing her team to victory!" Shane says cupping his hands around his mouth and then making fake crowd cheering sounds.
"Knock it off, Shane! I'm the wide receiver. Do you even know anything about football?" Amy asks giving him a light shove. "I know Danny Thompson's butt has never looked better!" Shane replies cheekily. Practice had been grueling, baking in the hot Texas sun. Amy swiped at the sweaty strands escaping her messy bun, clinging to her forehead as she and Shane started toward the parking lot.
"I think we stand a chance of winning this year." She says with the smallest of grins.
"Well, yeah. Ever since your mom got the news station to do an exposé and your best lesbro-" he says pointing to himself,"- claimed discrimination based on sexuality, Coach Jenkins had to put you on the team. And damn, you can pull that look off so well. I bet you might even get a girlfriend finally!" Shane finishes giddily.
"I don't know, Shane. I think I should probably focus on not getting killed on the 30 yard line. I know the guys are okay with me being on the team since I can take a hit and I have skill, but not all high schools are like Hester."
"Whatever you say, Raudenfeld, but don't think your reluctance will keep me from setting up my favorite Bed-head Betty. See you tomorrow! Poison Lauren's dinner for me, yeah?" He skips off to his car with a wink and a wave, blowing a kiss when he closes his car door.
Lauren's car still sat empty in the parking lot, so cheer practice must still be finishing up. Slinging her duffle bag higher on her shoulder, Amy headed toward the gym to wait. "Man, I need my own car." She sighed under her breath.
Jessica Kitswell, cheer captain, was leading the girls in what looked like a cool-down session or something.
Amy took a seat on the bleachers a little higher than where the cheerleaders piled their bags and pulled her Chemistry book out to start on her assignment. The first week of school and she already has a ton of homework.
Amy was defining the vocabulary for the chapter as cheer came to an end.
A throat being cleared caught her attention as the girls came to gather their things.
"Hey. You're our new quarter back right?" A blonde Amy didn't recognize asked.
"Uh, I'm actually the wide receiver. I'm the one who catches the ball. I'm Amy."
"Oh, I know who you are. You're big news, Amy. I'm Shelby." The girl said extending her hand.
"Bad news?" Amy asks shaking hands while looking nervous.
"Not at all! You've got a lot of support from the student body. Most of us think it's totes awesome to have a girl on the football team." Shelby grins encouragingly.
"I think it's a mockery of the role we as women were born to play." Lauren cuts in, ruining a nice moment. "We are supposed to be on the sidelines, cheering on the brave men fighting for our honor. But I guess you, being a lesbian, hate that idea, huh?" She shoots a smug grin.
"I think its cool." A soft voice speaks, breaking the tension.
"No one cares what you think, new girl!" Lauren growls at the cute little auburn haired girl.
"I do. You can be a bitch to me, Lauren. As step sisters, we've earned the right. But don't pick on some innocent girl just because she disagrees with you." Amy shoots a 'do not fuck with me' look. Lauren huffs and turns to pick up her stuff.
"I'm sorry about that." Amy says apologizing to the girl.
"It's okay. Thanks for standing up for me for standing up for you. Whoa. That could be confusing. And I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll just stop talking."
Amy chuckles at the girl's antics. "Can I at least know who attempted my rescue?" Amy asks.
"Amy, hurry up or I am leaving your big dyke ass here!" Lauren shouts.
Amy is torn away. "Maybe I'll see you around." Amy says as she starts after Lauren.
"Karma!"
"What?" Amy turns back to the girl confused.
"My name is Karma. Karma Ashcroft." The girl smiles sweetly.
"It was lovely meeting you, Karma." Amy says.
'Hmm, Karma is not always a bitch, huh?' Amy smiles to herself at the thought.
"Push 'em back! Take 'em down! Defense! Defense!"
Hester High's Bulls were playing their first game of the season against the Westbricke Wasps. The turnout was bigger than usual since everyone had heard about Hester's newest football player. The cheerleaders were leading the crowd in an uproar. Shane had on Amy's spare jersey. Two red stripes were painted under his eyes. He was always a proud supporter of men wearing tight uniforms and rolling around on the ground together. Jessica, Shelby, and Karma were front and center of the crowd leading the cheers. Lauren was fuming in the back row, obviously feeling like her talent was overlooked. Karma was spot on with her rhythm and timing. Shelby was probably the most enthusiastic. Jessica stood like a proud parent, all smiles and grace.
"Take him! Take him down! Sack that quarterback!"
You could hear Karma cheering the loudest, in her slightly husky tone. She was all smiles as she did an almost perfect toe-touch. Lauren was a half-beat behind on the routine. Ashley, the secondary captain, definitely noticed if her glare was anything to go by.
Amy was in full action mode. On defense, she was the safety. It was third quarter, and the wasps were one touchdown ahead. Their quarterback snapped the ball, and Amy was gone like bolt. Off the forty yard line, quickly crossing the thirty, getting close to the twenty, Amy looked up to see where the ball was in the air. It was closing in. She was almost on top of the wide receiver for the wasps, but he was about to be in for a surprise. Will Johnson, corner back for the bulls, bulldozed the guy as he kept his eyes on Amy and the ball. The ball was inches from her grasp, and Amy leapt into the air and snagged it. She sprang into action sprinting back down the field as fast as she could dodge her opponents. She got just past the fifty, when she got slammed to the ground.
The crowd got quiet. The referee came over to check on Amy.
"Are you okay? Are you injured?"
Amy made motions toward her body to signal she was winded but okay.
The crowd was cheering again as Danny and Will helped Amy stand.
"Excellent interception, bro!" Will shouted punching her shoulder.
Looking toward the stands, she saw Shane giving her a thumbs up.
"Rau-den-feld! Rau-den-feld! Rau-den-feld!" Karma and Shelby led the chant looking onto the field. The girls sent her a wave. Amy could barely wheeze out a breath, but she kept a smile on her face.
A couple of weeks later into their winning streak, Liam Booker was throwing a huge party. Amy didn't care much for Liam, but he was Shane's other best friend so she was obligated to go. For the first time in her whole high school career, Amy had people recognizing her. As soon as she arrived, she had a drink in hand and people patting her on the back. It felt good to have people notice her.
"Heyyy thur, quarterback. You don't got helmet hair?" Some girl said leaning heavily into Amy.
"Whoa. You have been drinking, huh?" Amy tried to right the wobbly girl.
"Jus'a'lil" She slurred back, winking.
"Hey there, All-star! I see Amber wanted to congratulate you." Shelby said eyeing the scene with a laugh.
"Shelbs, she doesn'ave helmet hair!" Amber said throwing herself to Shelby.
"I noticed, babe. She doesn't wear a helmet all the time, silly." Shelby whispered grinning at her fellow cheerleader like they had a secret.
Amber started giggling. "I'll take care of her. Have some fun, Raudenfeld. You earned it. Let's get you home, bestie!" Shelby said as she wrapped an arm around her friend.
Amy chuckled and leaned back, eyeing the crowd. There was a certain appeal to parties. Once she found out what that appeal was she might go to more of them. Netflix, a onesie, and her bed sounded like a much nicer way to relax. She looked down towards her cup, wondering how long she was 'required' to stay before she could ditch.
"You look miserable. It wasn't that hit you took in the second quarter, was it?"
Amy looked up to see Karma in front of her, and damn. She's hot.
"Ah, Karma! No, I just, umm, was thinking. I just kind of want to be home right now. Parties aren't really my thing." Amy said fidgeting, twirling some of her hair in her left hand.
"You remembered my name?" Karma asked shyly.
"Well, yeah. You're hard to miss. You're like the all-star of the squad. I see you like a beacon. Plus, it's not everyday someone stands up for me." Amy smiled sweetly.
"I'm really not that good. Everyone knows who you are now! You were amazing tonight! Are you sure that hit in second didn't hurt?" Karma asks scooting towards Amy as drunken teens run past them half-dressed.
"It really wasn't th-Ah!" Karma puts her hand to Amy's ribs stopping her sentence.
"If it didn't hurt, why did you yelp? How bad does it hurt? Is there a big bruise?"
Karma doesn't give Amy much chance to respond before she leads them through a throng of sweaty, drunk bodies. She tosses Amy forward through a lit doorway and slams the door closed, locking it. Amy barely has time to register they are in the bathroom before Karma is inching up the side of her shirt. Her hands glide smoothly up her ribs, and she sucks in a breath.
"Amy! This looks so painful! Why didn't you tell anyone?! Can you breathe? I'm goi-"
"Karms, slow down! It's okay. It's a bruise on top of my ribs. It's not actually bruised ribs. I'm okay. It's just tender to the touch." Amy said, reaching for Karma's shaking hand on her side.
Karma looked up, "You called me 'Karms.' Who said you could do that?" There's a twinkle in her eye that let's Amy know she's not in trouble.
"You just dragged me around like a rag doll and felt me up in a locked room. Who said YOU could do THAT?" Amy laughs, making Karma smile.
They're still holding hands on Amy's side when there is a knock on the door. Karma smiles and slips her hand from Amy's as she goes to open the door.
"See you around, Raudenfeld." Karma winks and Amy might have found a reason to like parties.
Sometimes they see each other in the halls at school. They shoot a smile or a wave to the other. Sometimes they talk at parties. You could almost say they are friends. Amy's popularity keeps growing as more people become aware of how well she handles any injury. Students are proud of their team. The bulls keep winning. Karma keeps cheering. Amy keeps smiling.
"Raudenfeld, get your ass over here!" Coach Jenkins shouts at her. They are in the semi-finals. The score was tied. This was the toughest game they have had yet. It was against their biggest rivals, Tucker Hill's Eagles. Ray Fitz, the bulls quarterback just got his shoulder dislocated in that last play. Will was going to have to sub as their quarterback which would leave Amy slightly vulnerable.
The ball was snapped. Amy took off running as hard and as fast as her legs would go. This would be their last play. If she didn't catch this, it was all over. She made a connection with the pass and hurdled over an eagle that dived for her legs. Her legs were burning. Her chest was tight, and she felt everything go quiet as she dodged everyone headed for her. So close. This is it.
"Touchdown, bulls!" The announcer shouted. Then everything went black.
"AMY! AMY! WAKE UP! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Amy groggily opens her eyes. Her helmet is off, and she is being crowded by coaches, the ref, and a medic.
"Wha?" She tries, but it hurts to talk. Her head is spinning; she blinks.
"You got sacked after you made the winning touchdown. Do you remember that?" The medic questions.
She nods. "How many fingers do you see?" She correctly indicates two.
"Follow the light." He instructs.
"All signs show she doesn't have a concussion, but we should still take her to the hospital to get checked out." He says to the coach.
"We will take her." Amy's mother is standing close by with Lauren and her father.
Amy's mom cries the whole time. She tells Amy how proud she is, how scared she was, and that she just wants her baby girl to be okay. Amy is relieved all her tests come back clear. She is, however, told she is benched for the next game. When Amy goes back through the waiting room so they can leave, there's a crowd of Hester's finest: Will, Shane, Liam, Shelby, Karma(and some of those kids she always sees at parties, but never got their name) are all there.
"Amy! You worried us sick!" "Are you okay?" "Do you have memory loss?" A handful of people try talking all at once. Amy is grateful when her mother calms them all down. She and Lauren, who is being a decent human being for a change, handle their questions while Lauren's dad signs Amy's discharge papers. Karma scoots over to Amy while the chaos continues.
"You sure took a hell of a beating, Raudenfeld." Karma says, or rather chokes out. Amy looks right into Karma's eyes because- fuck- she looks like she is about to cry and Amy REALLY doesn't want that.
"I'm fine. A little bruised, but I am fine. They told me I can't play in the championship though." Amy tries to smile.
"You're kind of more important than a game, you know?" Karma finishes gently as if she is afraid Amy will close up.
"Thank you." Amy says seriously.
"You're welcome, show off." Karma sticks her tongue out at Amy, trying to lift this weird atmosphere around them.
"Hey! Be nice to me. I got hurt!" She pouts at Karma.
"Grow up, Aims!" Karma lightly slaps Amy's arm.
"'Aims?' Are we friends or something?" Amy lifts a quizzical brow.
"You called me 'Karms' before, so I can certainly call you 'Aims!'" Karma raises a challenging brow right back, with a devilish grin.
"Friends, then." Amy gives a megawatt smile.
Everyone wishes Amy well and promises to check on her through the weekend to make sure she is okay.
Amy phone vibrates on her nightstand when she gets home.
I got your number from Shane. Quit trying to get yourself killed, and admit when you are in pain, bitch. -Karma
Then another message comes seconds later.
P.S. You are adorable even when you smell like dirt and stinky boys. ;)
Amy types a quick reply.
Quit picking on the defenseless!
Btw, your cartwheels are very distracting on the field. Killer gams, Ashcroft. ;)
Amy sleeps soundly.