Summary: Raven McCall is the 15 year old younger sister of Scott McCall-Beacon Hills resident Alpha. After all that went down last year with Stiles's possession, Raven didn't know how to tell her brother her biggest secret. She is were-wolf. Scott knows something is up with her, her scent changed to reflect her wolf but he can't bring himself to confront her. How can he? He has his own secrets.
A/N: All outfits are on my profile. Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Wolf world. I only own Raven.
A/N: The song inspiration for this chapter is Heart of Gold by Ashley Huff and in the cafeteria Battle Cry by Imagine Dragons
Rating: M
Word Count: 6, 930
Reviews are always appreciated!
Thank you goldenemu, jenny. bates. 961, noemi-fin, IndigoChild624, and Kenny94 for following/favorite-ing my story!
Quick reminder: Ins: Raven, Laila + Collin, Sophia + Brady, and Cady + Drew. Outs: Bullet (Brady's friend), Jason (Drew's friend), Marco (Collin's friend), and Sabrina (Raven's friend.) Rachel, Sasha, Stanley and Madeline are all people that used to be friends but now competing against Raven's friends/group.
Chapter Three
Previously on: Surviving the Wolf
"My name. It's Liam." He flashes his dimples at me before turning back to his book.
"Nice to meet you...Liam."
As I read the book, I sneak a few peaks over at him, trying to convince myself the silly grin on my face is not because of him.
I'm 99.9% certain I failed.
"Hey!" I automatically turn at the shout and see Liam. He wiggles between two large Seniors and jogs over to me.
"Hi." I greet him, smiling a little at the flustered look on his face. His green-blue eyes are bright as he leans against the locker beside mine. An awkward silence falls between us as I fish my Italian book out of my locker. I shut the door and face him, hugging the book to my chest.
"So...What's your next class?" Liam asks, scratching the back of his neck and I raise my book so he can see it. "Italian?" He asks, his eyebrows raising. "I thought you would take French." He says and I tilt my head to the side, watching him carefully.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, and he freezes.
"Oh! Uh, because you're a girl and girls like French and I- I'm gonna stop talking now." He mumbles, looking down at his backpack strap. I giggle lightly and tug on his arm as we walk.
"It's okay." I reassure him. "I was just messing with you. I would have taken French but I already speak it semi-fluently." I explain and he looks down at me, smiling.
"You already know how to speak French?" He asks and I laugh.
"Yeah, Laila (she's my best friend) and I were determined to go to France one day and so we learned it together...Or at least I learned it. Laila got distracted by Italy so we decided we would take this class. But then she forgot to tell her mom, who signed her up for the wrong class and now she is learning French instead." I explain and he nods, his green eyes focused on me.
"That's pretty cool. But yeah, I'm taking Italian too. It's my next class." He says, lifting the book in his other hand for me to see.
"Cool. It'll be in the same classroom as mine." I tell him, as we head for the door.
"Why wouldn't it be?" He asks, a confused look on his face and I laugh as I open the door.
"Because I'm taking Advanced Italian." I tell him and enter the classroom.
"Wait! What?" He calls, following me as I sit in a desk by the window.
"Yeah, I'm doing this advanced course." I tell him and shrug.
"I thought you said you were learning it?" He says, sitting in the desk next to me.
"Well I was but over the summer I found one of my friends could speak Italian and he taught me to speak it well enough to be put in Advanced." I tell him, remembering how frustrated Enzo would get with how easily I picked up the language. Apparently there must have been some way I was cheating because (according to him) it was impossible for a person to pick up a language that quickly.
"He?" Liam asks but our teacher sweeps in and roughly sets down his papers.
"You might want to move. The Italian noobs are seated on that side of the classroom." I tell Liam and he gets up and sits down on the other side of the room.
"My Advanced students, your first assignment is to pick a student new to the Italian language and mentor them throughout the year. Is that understood?" Mr. Brunner asks in Italian.
"Sì, signore." (Yes, sir.) We chorus back at him. I get up and move over to Liam, grinning at the confused look on his (and the other new students) faces.
"Guess what? Signor Brunner has decided to pair the advanced students with the less advanced students." I tease and he grins.
"Excuse me? Are you two pairing up?" I look at the beautiful blonde standing beside me and then look at Liam. 'Time to test him.' I think to myself and turn to him, raising an eyebrow. He looks between the two of us and nods.
"Yeah, I already paired with Raven." He says and she moves along, visibly disappointed. I look him over before flashing him a bright grin.
"Let's move over her-"
"Excuse me sir, but what did you want us to teach out partners first?" Someone asks and I wince. Mr. Brunner is infamous for believing the age old adage "sink or swim." Basically, that means he expects us to teach our students by ourselves and insure they get can pass the tests, both oral and written and he gets very irritable at someone for needing to go to him. He once said "you have your phones, use those. Leave my brain alone!" Scared the poor kid half to death.
Sure enough, Mr. Brunner's eyes are narrowed as he rises to his full height. I look at the blonde girl that wanted to pair with Liam and feel a flash of pity.
"What do you think I want you to teach them? Russian? This is an Italian classroom, you will teach your partner that!" He berates and she flushes, staring down at her feet. "And if your paired student doesn't pass the tests I give, then the both of you will get F's for them. Is that understood?" He asks and she nods, her cheeks a bright red.
"Dio mio!" (Oh my god.) I mutter, my mind racing through what I should teach Liam first. I'm fairly certain neither of us want an F. I lead Liam over to the seat he was in before and pull my book to me. "So, I guess we will be starting at the beginning." I tell him and he gets out a notebook.
"Time to learn." He says, flashing a smile at me and I laugh.
"Tempo per imparare." (Time to learn.) I agree and he wrinkles his brown in confusion.
"What?" I laugh and shake my head.
"Nothing."
"Wait but if that is that verb, what does this one mean?" Liam asks and I laugh.
"We just went over this!" He blushes but doesn't back down.
"Fine, it's basically the same thing but you use this one in formal situations and this one in informal situations. Got it?" I ask and he nods, looking relieved.
"Yeah, thanks." He writes it down and finishes just as the bell rings.
"Class dismissed." Mr. Brunner calls out absently and I quickly get up, urging Liam to do the same.
"What about homework?" He asks and I shush him.
"Sometimes, if we are lucky, Mr. Brunner won't assign it." I explain and swing my bag over my shoulder, moving quickly to the door. Liam catches up to me as I leave the classroom.
"What's your next class?" Liam asks casually.
"Geometry." I tell him and he nods.
"See you at lunch?" He asks and I nod, waving as we separate. As I walk to my Geometry class, I can't help but blush at the dimpled smile Liam flashed me before he left.
XXX
"Class dismissed! Make sure to do chapters 1 - 5 for tomorrow!" Mrs. Anderson calls and I toss my homework from last night on her desk before quickly walking out.
"Man! That class is brutal!" Laila exclaims and I laugh as we head to our lockers.
"Agreed! It was way more intense than any of our middle-school Honors classes." Sophia agrees, nearly vibrating with excitement. After we stop at our lockers, we will be heading to lunch.
"So, did you hear about Sean Walcott?" Cady asks, crossing the hall to join us.
"What about him?" I ask and she leans in.
"His parents were killed last night and he almost was too. He managed to escape to the police and is in the hospital right now." Cady says, nodding at the shocked looks we are giving her.
"Wait, who was Sean again?" Laila asks, concerned.
"He was the cute one that I had a crush on two years ago." I remind her and she nods.
"Wow. That must be rough for him. Maybe we should make him a card or something?" Laila asks and I nod.
"That's a good idea. We can do it after try-outs and take it to him when we finish." I agree and they nod.
"Forget about that! Have you met the new kid? He's hot!" Sabrina pipes up, staring at someone over my shoulder. I ignore the looks Laila, Sophia and Cady are giving her in favor of turning around. My eyes meet Liam's and he grins at me, half waving. I recognize Mason standing beside him and grin at them, turning back to the girls.
"You mean Liam?" I ask, shutting my locker.
"You know him?" Cady asks and I shake/nod my head.
"Kind of. He was in my World History class and my Italian class." I explain and they grin at me.
"What was he like?"
"Is he smart?"
"Forget that! Does he have a girlfriend?" Sabrina asks, brushing off Laila and Cady's questions. They throw her nasty looks and I give them a warning glare. They roll their eyes but cease the nasty looks.
"Funny and shy but also self-confident. Yes, he is smart and I don't know." I answer Sabrina and she squeals.
"I'm gonna go introduce myself!" She says and darts over to him.
"Wow." Laila says, her green eyes narrowed at Sabrina.
"I know right?" Cady exclaims.
"That is so rude!" Sophia agrees and I look at them with confusion.
"What?" I ask and they throw me looks.
"Really? You already have dibs and she is over there throwing herself at him." Sophie says nastily and I roll my eyes as we start walking to the cafeteria.
"Relax guys. I don't really care. If he likes her great, if he doesn't also great. Now let's go take care of cock-sucking hags from hell." I mutter. They pause before bursting out in laughter and almost against my will I can feel myself smiling. This is why I love this group. They can always make me laugh, no matter the mood I am in. "Ready?" I ask, pausing before we go in. They exchange looks before nodding at me.
We enter the cafeteria, laughing at a joke and immediately spot the guys. The lunch tables are lined in columns going from the floor to ceiling windows all the way to the other side of the cafeteria. We have one of the tables by the wall. The columns are 7 in each and we have the table right in the middle. From our table, we can see the entire cafeteria and the entire room can see us.
We veer towards the guys, dropping into our seats. I sit on the left side, right up against the window; that way I can sit criss-cross with my back against the window and face all of my friends.
"Hey! We got you guys your lunches." The guys greet us and we grin. I roll my eyes, feeling a little left out with all of them making out.
"All right. Knock it off." I say and they all pull apart. "Jeez, keep it in your pants!" I tease and Cady tosses a bun at me. I duck and laugh as it hit the person behind me.
"Whoops." Cady says as she leans on Drew. He drops an arm around her shoulders and kisses her temple.
"That's my girl!" He jokes and we all start laughing again.
"Hem, hem." Rachel coughs, standing at the head of the table, flanked by Sasha, Madeline and Stanley. Recognizing the attacking position, I get up and walk to the head of the table, forcing her to step back. I place a lazy smile on my face as I lounge against the table, knowing that Sophia and Laila are flanking me.
"Do you need a cough drop?" I ask, raising my eyebrows innocently. She flushes but stares me right in the eye.
"How are you guys?" She asks with false sympathy and I can see the people around us watching eagerly, waiting to see who the reigning Freshman Popular's will be. "I saw that video on Facebook last night. You poor thing, you must be so embarrassed." Rachel says, oozing innocence as she aims her barbed words at my friend. Unfazed, Sophia just laughs and crosses her arms.
"I don't know what you are talking about. I am proud of the video of me winning our 3rd grade dance recital." Sophia shoots back and we snicker at Rachel's confused face. I pull out my phone, quickly get the video and hold it up to her face.
"What do you think?" I ask her and she narrows her eyes at the cute image of a tiny Sophia dancing on stage in a tutu and leotard.
"Cute." She sneers and I nod.
"I certainly thought so." I agree and that earns a smattering of giggles. Rachel crosses her arms, a narrow-eyed, nasty look on her face.
"I don't know how you took that video down but I will get you for that." She hisses and I snicker, tossing my head.
"Oh, wow." I wipe an imaginary tear away and her jaw tightens. "That-that's really cute. Quick question, is being stupid a profession (you know, where you can take classes and stuff) or are you just gifted?" I ask, tilting my head to the side and my group laughs behind me as Rachel backs a step.
"You think you are so fucking high and mighty? Well, guess what? You're not!" Rachel hisses. "You are just a bitch and it needs to stop!" She says loudly and Sasha nods behind her.
"What the hell are you nodding for?" I ask her, venom in my voice. "You fucking traitor!" I accuse and she flinches back.
"I-I-"
"She is your cousin!" I shout, advancing on the stuttering girl. "The very fact that you could betray her like that!" I shake my head at her, disgust on my face. "Pathetic!" I sneer. Her face screws up and tears well up in her eyes.
"Hey! Back off and stop being such a bitch!" Rachel says, darting in front of Sasha.
"I'll stop being a bitch, when you stop being a stupid fuck! Which will be never!" I retort and she lunges forward, landing a resounding slap on my face. My head swings to the side and I clench my jaw, anger flaring in me. My wolf stirs, angry at the pain swelling out from my cheek. I take a few deep breaths, making sure my eyes don't flare and my claws don't come out...that is, my physical claws. I look at Rachel, my blue eyes burning fiercely and she pales a little. I hold up a hand and she flinches a little.
"Oh no! Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you...unless you try that again." I snarl viciously. "Because believe me! I will not allow you to lay another hand on myself or my friends." I hiss, anger in every syllable of my words.
"You don't scare me." Rachel retorts but I can see her hair darkening with sweat and my nose twitches as her fear-scent grows stronger. I laugh harshly, advancing another step, Laila and Sophie at my flanks.
"Right." I drawl, a sarcastic smile on my face. "Then why are your hands shaking?" I ask and she automatically raises her hands to check them.
"They aren't!" She says, thrusting her hands in my direction.
"I know but the fact you had to check..." I shake my head at her, tsking and moving forwards. She falls back a few steps before standing her ground. "Now, I am going to give you the chance to back off." I tell her conversationally and she strides forward.
"And if I don't?" She asks, her face right in mine. I smirk darkly as I move so we are pressed up against each other.
"Then I will make you back off...bitch." The watching crowd 'ooohs' as Rachel's eyes flick away for a second. I keep my eyes locked on hers and step forward. Forced to move, she takes a step back. I take another step forward, and another and then another. She trips over someones bag and stumbles backward, falling to the ground. My hand shoots out and I catch her wrist, suspending her over the ground.
"Back off." I order but Rachel sneers at me and shakes her head defiantly.
"No." She says and I open my hand, letting go and making her drop to the ground. She hisses with pain as I stand over her, my arms crossed.
"You should have back down." I tell her quietly and turn to walk back over with my group. The people surrounding us back out of my way as I calmly move to my table.
"There she goes, being a bitch again!" Rachel says loudly from behind me and I tense my shoulders and face her; a bright smile on my face.
"A bitch is a dog, dogs bark, bark is from trees, trees are nature and nature is beautiful. So I just want to thank you for that lovely compliment." I tell her brightly and she flushes as the crowd openly laughs.
"Why are you always so sarcastic?" She asks, grasping for something; anything to help her win. "Is it because your dad left when you were a kid?" She asks and anger crashes down on me. My wolf rises and I struggle to keep her back as I freeze.
"Oh shit." I hear Scott whisper in the complete silence. The anger swells in my chest and I feel the intense urge to hurt her. I stride towards her, my face screwed up with anger and my steel blue eyes flaring wolf-like with anger.
"The fuck did you just say?!" I shout, getting right in her face. "How fucking dare you?!" I shout at her, a guttural growl lining my words; raising my hand to slap her. She stumbles back, her face white with terror. I pause and struggle not to physically lash out at her. "You just crossed the line." I state, lowering my hand; my voice eerily calm. She whimpers and I sneer at her. "To answer your question honey, sarcasm falls out of my mouth...just like stupid falls from yours." Her face reddens as she gets some of her equilibrium back.
"Excuse me?!" She asks and I make an aggressive move forward. She flinches and backs up and I grin brightly into her face, anger still burning hot in my eyes.
"Oops! See there it is!" I snark and she blinks her eyes rapidly, turning to flee. "Adios...fucker!" I shout after her fleeing form. I turn to Rachel's three friends and they freeze. "Do you three have anything to say?" I ask and they shake their heads. "Then get the fuck out of here!" I bark and they jump, hurrying away.
"Ah, not you!" I point at Sasha and she freezes. "You have Sophia to answer to." I step back, allowing my beta to take the lead. Sophia stalks to her, nearly vibrating with anger.
"How could you do that to me?" She exclaims angrily.
"You don't even like him!" Sasha shouts at her, thinking she is talking about Stanley. "You already moved on! Why do you even care?" Sophia shakes her head.
"You don't get it. I don't care about Stanley. I care about you not checking to see if I was okay with you dating him! I care because you gave the bitch Rachel an embarrassing video of me to post on Facebook! I care because you betrayed me in every way! Not because of some guy!" Sophia retorts and Sasha closes and opens her mouth; at loss of what to say. I step forward, resting a gentle hand on Sophia's shoulder. She steps back, allowing Laila and Cady to comfort her.
"I think it would be best if you go." I tell her seriously, my arms folded.
"But-" She starts to protest, her eyes wide.
"Go!" I bark and she runs out of the cafeteria in tears, just like her former leader/friend. I turn around, steadily meeting the eyes of the crowd before re-joining my table. "Hey Soph. How are you?" I ask and she smiles weakly at me.
"I'm fine. I feel a lot better now. But what about you? I know it was harsh, what she said about your da-"
"It's fine." I cut her off, my face hardening. Getting the message, she nods and I sit down in my spot, crossing my legs. There is a moment of silence before Drew breaks it with a snort.
"Did you see that bitch's face when she ran out? It looked like a pigs!" He exclaims and we stare at him before breaking into helpless laughter. Around us, the cafeteria noise slowly starts up again. Relaxing a little, I un-clench my hands and hide a hiss of pain. During the confrontation with Rachel, I clenched my fists when my wolf almost broke out and pierced my palms with my claws. As I watch though, I can see the wounds slowly closing and I use a napkin to wipe the blood off.
"I swear! I though you were going to kill her when she slapped you!" Collin jokes and I flick some peas at him.
"Jerk." I mutter and he grins, an arm resting comfortably around Laila. The aura at our table is much more relaxed. Especially, now that we don't have worry about Rachel.
"Raven, I need to talk to you." I look up and see Scott standing there, a stern look on his face. Stiles hovers at his shoulder, his eyes flicking between me and my brother.
"Fine." I sigh, pushing away from my spot, shooting a smirk at my friends. The girls snicker, knowing I will give Scott an earful if he tries to reprimand me and the guys just look clueless. I follow behind my brother, not missing the curious looks being shot my way. They aren't sure if they are approving of us being the new leaders for the Freshman or if they should hate me and my group.
"What the hell was that?" Scott asks as I plop down at the table, stealing a fry off of Stiles tray. Stiles makes a face at me and I make one back before turning to Scott.
"What was what?" I ask innocently and Scott scowls, sitting down across from me.
"What was you making fun of that poor girl until she ran out of here in tears? I thought you two were friends!" Scott says and I smirk at him, not forgetting the piling lies he has amassed since I got back home.
"Well, sounds like you know exactly what it was." I tease, stealing another fry. Stiles sighs in exasperation and shields his tray with his arms. I giggle as I chew the fry and Scott frowns.
"Raven!" He snaps and I flinch, paying attention to him.
"Fine! You want to know what that was? That was me getting back at Rachel for being a bitch last year! That was me establishing who is at the top of the Freshman. That was me doing what I do best...looking out for my group. Protecting my group. Look, I don't interfere with your pack, I would appreciate it if you didn't mess with mine." I snap and (not giving him a chance to respond) stride back to my table.
"What was that about?" Laila asks, the only one who isn't afraid of incurring my wrath. I roll my eyes and lean back against the window, closing my eyes.
"Just my brothers being jerks."
"Class dismissed." I bolt out of my seat, books clasped firmly in my arms. I spot the girls and a wide, beaming smile lights up my face as I meet them.
"Ready?" I ask and they nod, excitement visible in their eyes as we shove our stuff in our lockers and take off to the lacrosse field. We climb the bleachers and sit down, the girls watching me.
"When will the girls have to do in order to be qualified?" Cady asks, her auburn hair glimmering with gold under the sun. I hand her a folder with her name on it and the information in it.
"Last night Lai and I called Coach and she gave us a list of things that we should look out for." I explain, handing out the other two folders.
"What time do you think the girls will show up?" Laila asks and I stare at her.
"They are already showing up! Don't you notice the girls down there watching us?" I ask and Sophie shudders.
"They can be kind of creepy. Watching with those eager eyes." She shudders again and I wonder how she can watch (and love) horror films and be scared of a few fan-girls.
"Kind of?" I ask and wave to Malia and Kira as they take a seat a little below us. "They are full on creepy!" I exclaim, smiling sweetly at the girls grouped at the end of the bleachers.
"Wow, way to be blunt!" Cady jokes and I grin.
"Why thank you!" We giggle together and I love the way we feel like a united group.
"Oh look!" Laila exclaims and I follow her gaze. Collin, Liam and a guy I think is called Garret are marching out onto the field. Liam gets in the goal and I catch his eye before he lower the lacrosse mask. I smile brightly at him and wave. He winks cheekily at me before lowing the mask.
"Uh oh! Looks like someone has a crush!" Sophia teases and I roll my eyes.
"I wonder what Sabrina will think?" Laila asks nastily, her tone conveying she really doesn't care.
"Hush you guys!" I reprimand them and they fall silent. I watch as Liam crouches in the goal and smile. 'Nice form.' I think to myself, way to familiar with lacrosse. It is one of the bad things about having an older brother, he just drones on and on and you tend to pick up a few things.
Garret and Collin start tossing balls at Liam and he ends up catching every one. He deflects and catches with an expert grace that makes me wonder what he would be like as a wolf. I quickly toss the thought out of my head, I really don't want to end up jinxing him.
"Wow, he is good!" Laila exclaims and Cady giggles.
"If I didn't have a boyfriend..." She trails off and I laugh.
"But you do, so put your tongue back in your mouth!" I joke and Cady blushes a little, laughing with us.
"Is someone getting jealous?" Sophia teases, knocking her shoulder with mine. I roll my eyes but a small blush refuses to go away.
"Okay guys, we need to-" I cut myself off when Liam leaves the goal, moving towards us. My phone starts beeping and I frown, shutting the alarm off as we move down the bleachers. "We need to get through these try-outs quickly. Just a note, the girls that were previously in our squad, we will be keeping if they can still do the old exercises and stunts, agreed?" I ask and they nod.
"So what are we looking for?" Cady asks, going through her papers.
"A few reserves, two new flyers because Sam and Andy are going to a different school-"
"Really? What one?" Laila asks, perking up.
"Um, I think it was Devenford Prep. Why?" I ask and Laila shrugs.
"No reason."
"All right!" I call out, my girls spread out behind me with their clipboards. "Those of you who have dressed in the clothing we told you to, step forward." About half of the girls step forward while the rest look confused. "Those of you who didn't step forward, you are dismissed. We don't need anyone on this team who doesn't obey orders." I say dismissively and they leave, looking outraged.
I notice one of the girls arguing with another girl before the girl leaves and the other one turns back to us.
"We are already half down." I call out, striding forward. "As you can tell, we aren't messing around. Some of the smallest things can have you dismissed, I suggest you bring your best today because we will accept nothing less. Now, give us ten scissor kicks."
"What are scissor kicks?" A girl asks and I groan.
"This going to be a long day." I mutter.
XXX
"Are you guys happy with our choices?" I ask and they nod, bouncing along beside me as we move through the halls.
"We are going to be awesome!" Laila squeals and I pause, watching Scott talk to Kira. She looks frustrated but then Scott leans in a kisses her on the lips, leaving her shocked.
"Oh my god!" I whisper-squeal as Scott walks past us, completely unconcerned. "When did that happen?" I ask and Sophie shrugs, looking a little shocked.
"Just now?" Cady suggests, pointing at a confused looking Kira. I have to stifle a giggle as she robotically walks away as the bell rings.
"Wow." I mutter. "Things really are changing."
XXX
"Ready?" I ask, tying the laces on my black sneakers and getting up.
"Done." They confirm, standing up too.
"Good." I slip on my red watch, grab my phone and we head out to the field. I tighten my ponytail, smiling at Liam as we pass him waiting for Coach Finstock.
"Good luck out there!" I call, waving at him.
"Thanks!" He calls after me, and I catch a glimpse of his slow smirk spreading across his face and lighting up his blue-green eyes.
"So." Cady starts casually. "When were you planning on telling us about those?" She points at the five little black-birds on my ankle.
"And about this." Sophia chimes in, pointing at the yin/yang symbol with wolf paws on either side. I grin sheepishly at them and shrug my shoulders.
"I don't really know." I shrug again. "I just figured you'd notice them and it looks like I was right...again." I tease and they laugh. Laila eyes the field, watching Collin and the guys waiting for their coach. I stop at a clear patch of grass and plop down, deciding this is where we will be stretching.
"So why did you get them?" Laila asks, doing a split. I arch into a back-bend as I answer her.
"Well, the birds represent my family. Scott, Stiles, Mr. S, Mom and myself." I push my feet off the ground so I am in a handstand. My clover necklace dangles under my chin and I arch my head away from the tickling sensation. "The one on my shoulder is basically a reminder to myself that there is a fine line between the good and the bad and I should be careful not to fall too far off either side." I lower my feet so I am just bending over and straighten, stretching my hands to the sky.
"That's actually pretty cool." Sophia admits, sitting down and stretching her arms to her toes.
"Hey, you know what they say!" I say happily, reaching back and grabbing my left ankle, stretching it out and reaching with my other hand in front of myself. "Tattoos are a girl's best friend!" I tease and Laila scoffs, in a hand-stand now.
"I thought I was your best friend!" She says and I giggle, letting go of my left leg and grabbing my right leg.
"You've been replaced!" We burst into giggles, all of us sliding into splits.
We hold our arms above our heads before lowering them to our right side, pressing our palms into the grass and slowly raising ourselves from the splits. We push off and for a split second are in the air before our feet land. Falling into a rhythm, all four of us are in sync. We throw ourselves into three cartwheels before throwing ourselves backwards and doing three backhand springs. Wide grins are covering our faces as we finish with a round-off (a cartwheel where we twist and have a rebounding hop after our feet first hit the ground).
We laugh, hugging each other, the feeling of unity only heightened by our routine.
"That was incredible!" Liam says, jogging over. I face him with a wide grin on my face.
"Yeah? Thanks." He grins and lowers his head, rubbing the back of his neck and looking at me from under his eyelash. I raise an eyebrow, resting a hand on my hip. "Would-"
"Raven!" Scott calls, walking over.
"Hey-" I turn to greet him but he cuts me off.
"What the hell are you wearing?!" He shouts and I look down at my black sports bra and red exercise shorts.
"Clothes?" I snark and he stares at me.
"Not enough of them!" Scott shouts, glaring at a few passing guys.
"Scottie, relax!" I laugh, pushing him forward and away from me. "This covers me more than my bikini does. What's the big deal?" I ask and Stiles's mouth falls open.
"The problem is all of these horny teenage boys ogling you!" He says, flailing his arms in the direction of the field. I roll my eyes and shift to my left leg, propping my hand on my hip.
"Stiles, you guys are over-reacting. And even if guys are ogling me, that is my problem and not yours. It's none of your business." I tell him and Scott shakes his head.
"It becomes my business when my little sister is flaunting herself like a piece of meat before a-"
"Pack of wolves?" I cut in, a knowing smile playing around my lips. "Relax Scottie, these guys know they can look but not touch." I reassure him, gently pushing him out onto the field.
"No! I don't want them looking!" He protests and I sigh.
"Merde." I mutter. "You just don't give up! Look, if it bothers you that much, then go pummel them into the ground during practice, just leave me alone. I don't need my dorky older brother hanging around during my squad try-outs!" I complain.
"What?! You can't have your try-outs here!" Coach Finstock shouts, waving his arms around as he storms over.
"And why not?" I ask, facing him as my girls move to have my back.
"Because all you will do is distract my guys and I don't need that bull shit. It's bad enough with the crowd in the bleachers!" He shouts and I look him over for a second before flashing a sweet smile and taking his arm; leading him away.
"Coach! You have it all wrong. The presence of my girls will motivate them to work harder to impress us and vice-versa. It is a win-win for the both of us. Besides-" I lower my eyes. "We don't have anywhere else to practice. The gym is taken right now." He sighs but nods.
"Fine! But the moment your girls start screwing around!" He leaves the threat hanging in the air and I laugh as I back away to my girls.
"They won't! Besides, the guys need to get used to us! We will be cheering at the games!" I shout, spinning on my heel and jogging over to my girls.
"No flirting with the guys or Finstock is kicking us off the field." I tell them sternly and they nod, pouting.
"Well what about you? You are already distracting one guy." Laila points at Liam. I roll my eyes at her and jog over to him.
"So you were telling the truth about being able to speak French." Liam says and I laugh.
"Of course! Why would I lie about that?" I tease and he grins, blue eyes lighting up.
"Why did you say merde?" He asks and I sway closer, grinning at him from under my lashes.
"Because it is French and my brother can't understand it-" I lean closer. "And everything always sounds better in French." I lower my voice and whisper in his ear, resting a hand on his chest. "Even a word as nasty as fuck." I say clearly and then saunter away, loving the way his eyes darken at my words.
As I put the girls through their paces, I watch as Coach puts his guys through their paces. They are currently running around the field and I laugh as I notice Liam at the front and Stiles lagging far behind the rest of the group.
"All right guys! Take five!" I call jogging over to Stiles who has collapsed on the ground, panting for breath. Scott and I reach him at the same time and grab an arm. Scott holds Stiles as he takes deep breaths.
"Whoa Stiles. Slow down your breathing. Here." I slowly pour some water in his mouth. He gulps it down and his breathing slows down but not much.
"Who came in first?" He pants and I snicker.
"Certainly not you." I joke and he shoots me a glare before following the direction Scott nods his chin in. I bite my lip as I notice Liam doing push-ups, his muscles clearly outlined in the tight grey shirt he is wearing.
"Hey!" Scott snaps at me and I look at him innocently.
"What?" I shrug my shoulders but the light blush spreading on my cheeks gives me away.
"He isn't human." Stiles gasps. "What is he? Like a Were-Cheetah? Does it even exist? Is that a thing?" Stiles asks, watching Liam (who has yet to take a break from the push ups.)
"I think he's just good." Scott says reluctantly and I laugh, sneaking another peak at Liam.
"I'll say. How many push-ups is that?" I ask and Scott scowls.
"I'm gonna puke, take me somewhere." Stiles mutters and Scott nods.
"Okay." He starts dragging Stiles away.
"Okay." Stiles agrees, his eyes locked on the still moving form of Liam.
I roll my eyes and jog over to my group.
"Alright girls. We are taking 3 laps around the lacrosse field. Any stragglers will be cut!" I announce and they stare at me. "Well? What are you waiting for?" I shout and they get moving. I clap hands with Laila and we take off, easily catching up. "What the hell is this?" I holler. "My grandma could outrun you guys! And she's dead!" I call out. They groan but pick up the pace. I exchange a smirk with Sophia, easily jogging to the front. "Those of you that can keep up, with me!" I call and pick up the pace, loving the rhythmic burn of my muscles stretching and releasing.
The pound of feet behind me motivates me to pick up the speed and my ears pick up the sound of a few people lagging behind. I spin so I am jogging backwards and grin at them.
"C'mon! I know you can do it! We aren't half way around and are only on the first lap! Keep it moving!" I yell, jogging past Coach Finstock. I spin back around and slow to a steady lope. Sophia catches up to me and shakes her head.
"This is sad to watch." She confides and I laugh.
"This is all we have to choose from though-" As I finish speaking, I hear loud shouting and turn my head. I stop dead in my tracks, seeing our old team racing onto the field. My jaw drops and I look at Sophia.
"Surprise." She smirks and I squeal.
"Thank you!" I shout and take off towards the group, easily pouring on the speed. "Andy!" I cry, leaping into his arms. He laughs, spinning us around. "Oh my god, I can't believe you guys are here!" I say happily and he laughs, letting me down.
"We couldn't miss out!" He exclaims, eyeing the guys on the field. Andy is gay and that is probably a big reason why he chose to come. For the muscled guys working out on the field. "Shall we?" He asks, and I nod, jogging back out into the field and over to where the group paused.
"They are not into this whole working out thing." I confide in Andy and he grins.
"Neither were you at first!" He points out and I slap him on the shoulder.
"Andy! You are supposed to be on my side!" I cry and he laughs, shaking his head. We reach the group and my old team comes to a stop. "Girls, this is my previous squad. They are here to help me choose who will be replacing them." I report, tossing my head. "You don't impress them, you don't get on the team." I shrug and start jogging. My old squad surrounds the noobs and herds them after me.
"You heart the Captain! Impress us!" Andy shouts and they start jogging.