Here we go! Back to better writing! :P I apologise for the throwup that was last chapter...This is better I promise!

Chapter 12

"Alice!" Savannah spat with all the venom she could muster. I can't believe she just said that!

Alice stopped pedaling on her workout bike and stared at her captain. Savannah marched over to Alice and gripped the handlebars tightly, her jaw clenched.

"What captain Savannah?" Alice questioned her expression confused, but Savannah could see the smirk in her eyes. Don't smirk like that.

"I know what you said about Marti in the locker room." I know her mother's a drunk, but Marti is in no way a rape baby. Wanda is so sweet and tries so hard and Marti knows her Dad died years ago.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alice whispered placing her hands on either side of Savannah's fists and continued to pedal again.

Savannah thought her head might explode if she didn't get to yell and scream at her co-captain within the next minute. She knew she was making a scene and she could feel the eyes of most of her teammates on her back as she grabbed Alice's wrist.

"Meeting. Now."

She tugged Alice off the bike and through the double doors that led to the locker room.

"What do you want Savannah?" Alice hissed ripping her hand out of Savannah's clenched one. "There's no need to yell and embarrass me in front of the whole team if you want to talk about something."

The cheer captain spun on her heel to face Alice. You don't know anything about rape. Her blood was pumping so fast through her veins she thought she might have a heart attack. The cheap yellow light the illuminated the room sent her eyes into a blinking fury she couldn't control.

I'm glad Marti is coming late at least.

"I do want to talk about something. But I'm also captain so I don't have to run things by you before I decide to make a scene."

Alice crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Say something then!"

"Fine!" Savannah screeched. "You have no right to talk about Marti's life behind her back when you know nothing about it. We're supposed to be a family here. You are a bitch and don't want that. I don't even know why you're co-captain!" Her face was getting warm and she couldn't understand the words coming out of her mouth, they just continued to flow in an endless stream getting louder with each sentence. "Marti may be new to the team but she's not new to people making things up about her mother! She gets angry about it. I see it all the time in our room. Yeah I actually know her because I actually live with someone unlike you."

It's so wrong. So so so so wrong! Why does she even pretend to know anything?

"Calm down..."

"Shut up! Don't tell me to do anything! You can't talk about Marti's Mom like you know her life. She wasn't raped! You don't know anything about her life. And Marti was born because Wanda wanted a baby not because she didn't get an abortion!"

"Savannah you don't need to yell."

WHAT?

Savannah bit her lip so hard she thought she tasted blood, but no matter how hard she bit it couldn't keep her comments from spewing out.

"Alice you're a..."

"Savannah what is wrong with you?"

Vanessa walked in through the double doors and her shocked expression wasn't the only thing that let Savannah know she was way out of line.

"Alice what's going on here?"

"Savannah's upset and thinks yelling at people will make it better."

Savannah swallowed and turned to face Vanessa, her palms growing sweaty.

"No," she started, closing her eyes. "Vanessa, Alice is trying to rip our team apart. She's spreading rumors."

"That's no reason to call someone a whore!" Alice whispered with a fury behind her eyes.

Savannah heard the noise before she made any connection about how her hand had moved so fast. Alice was holding her cheek and had taken a step away from her. The captain's palm stung and by the look on Alice's face her cheek wasn't doing so well either.

"Savannah. My office. Now."

...

"I cannot believe you hit Alice like that," Vanessa was continuing to scold as she paced back and forth in her office. "You're a captain, the captain of the Hellcats. You set the example, you're the one to make all the team decisions and keep the team a family."

"But Vanessa!" Savannah interrupted for the third time.

"Savannah, please, you aren't violent. Not with you're team anyways. And you like Alice...enough to respect her."

"Listen! Just listen to what I'm saying! Alice was spreading a rumor about Marti and she wanted to turn everyone against her!"

"But Alice wasn't doing that. Not from what I could tell. She might have just been talking. People talk Savannah, it doesn't mean they're spreading rumors."

Vanessa angled her stare at Savannah who sat in a chair. She rested back against her desk and folded her arms. Her eyes were stern and had a hint of denial in them. Like she can't believe I would ever do something like that.

"What was she supposedly saying that got you all worked up anyways? You're never so...explosive."

A heat rose in Savannah's cheeks and neck. She could feel Vanessa's stare on her body where the bruises used to be. There's a good reason.

"Alice said that Marti was a rape baby and that Wanda only kept her because she was too stupid to get an abortion." It came out mumbled and ashamed. Why should I be ashamed about it?

"So you felt for your teammate?" Vanessa questioned leaning forward slightly.

Savannah nodded and crossed her legs.

"It's okay to do that," the coach continued. "But it's incredibly inappropriate to hit teammates because of it."

"Alice was asking for it!" Savannah shrieked jumping out of her seat.

"SAVANNAH!"

She kept her stare on her coach and tried her best to look intimidating and ferocious.

"You don't act like this, please, tell me what's wrong with you."

She figured it out so quickly! What do I say? What do I do?

Savannah fell back in the chair and slumped forward. Her body kept getting hotter, her internal temperature rising like lava. She could feel tears in her throat but would not let them show their presence on her cheeks.

"I'm taking care of it," she whispered, her stare now at her white sneakers.

"So something is wrong? Let me help you."

Savannah cringed. Bad choice of words.

"No. I don't want it, I don't want people to know about it!"

"Savannah I'm your coach. You can tell me. It's okay to tell me."

Vanessa's hand was on her back. A light touch that should have been positive but seemed to burn her skin from the contact. Everything was too hot and too much and she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Some how she was putting all sorts of pressure on herself to keep it a secret.

"I was raped okay!" Savannah said hoarsely as she jumped out of the chair and away from Vanessa's contact.

She didn't turn to look at Vanessa's horrified expression. Didn't want to acknowledge the sudden shift in air. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes as she tried desperately to calm herself.

"Please Vanessa I have a lot of support already," she whispered wrapping her arms around her stomach. "My family is behind me and Marti and Lewis are too." More lies? Even if half of it is true why does it flow so easily? God...I don't even know anymore.

"I'm so sorry!" Vanessa gushed. Her words were overflowing each other. They were meshing into one big apology, something Savannah wanted nothing to do with.

"It's fine. I'm fine." Even more lies... "Everything's under control. I just don't want it to get out. Please Vanessa, don't try and get into it."

There was a long pause where Savannah stood facing the corner of the office and Vanessa stayed quiet, contemplating the information that had just been thrust upon her.

"Okay."

It came out soft and understanding yet uneven at the same time. There was no beat and the word had been awkwardly split into three syllables.

Savannah turned and met the gaze of her coach.

"You should go home from practice for today though," Vanessa offered. "Alice will be making a scene of it and I think you need to calm yourself down a little." She motioned to the door with one had sliding through her hair. "If you need breaks or anything just tell me and I'll get it."

"Vanessa I don't need special treatment, I need to practice for Nationals anyways," Savannah said monotone. "I don't want to leave early today."

"I'm not asking you to," Vanessa responded taking a step closer. "I'm telling. We haven't even found the money to get to Nationals so it's okay. I have the basics of a routine down in my head but nothing complicated you can't pick up on the spot. You get to miss practice for today. We'll just be working out. Don't expect it again...unless you really need it."

Savannah frowned. Bull...

"I was thinking we could do a calendar shoot for money...and Lewis was talking about a selling dates or something like that..."

Vanessa shook her head thoughtfully for a moment.

"I can think about that all later but I want you back in your dorm right now. Don't bother grabbing your bag. I'll take it in here and have someone bring it back for you after practice."

Savannah fingered the hem of her skirt. "Marti?" she questioned lightly.

"Sure."

R&R is being looked forward too! Hope you can tell me if Savannah still sounds in character/ if you liked it?