Hey guys! So I am so sorry that I have been neglecting this story! Things picked up again and I just got aronud to fiddling with this idea again tonight. Hopefully I didn't lose too many of you.

Also about Savannah slapping Alice...honestly I thought it was very in character of her for the situation because in the pilot episode she was about to slap Marti for calling cheerleaders football groupies. I think she would slap someone if they put down on something she believed in.

Also while I can't promise this will be updated every two week religiously I can promise it will be finished. The plot is all plotted (lol) and it's just a matter of fleshing things out now and bringing together a few techincal things.

Everything Belongs to CW.

Chapter 14

I walk forward into the gym. It's dark in here. This is the time I assume Savannah usually gets here. This should be her. I should be her. Or rather I should have her fucking spot. I deserve that spot and it was supposed to be mine before she transferred here. GOD DAMNIT! I cradle my knee and peel off the stripping skin with a wince. I forgot where the light switch is.

I flick it on after some searching blindly against the wall and light illuminates the locker room. Some idiot— probably a janitor— forgot to move one of the metal benches back into place. I kick it and snarl as my foot throbs, but I ignore the pain and walk over to my locker. Vanessa should be here soon, I think as I check the clock on the wall. It's almost seven.

…

The words float through the air of the gym.

Lazy whispers and sometimes frantic conversations, in the far corners.

'She's not it anymore'

'No it's not permanent'

'Vanessa said so though'

'Get your ears checked, it's her now!'

Everyone is huddled. No one knows how to react, or even they even should. She's been acting strange lately, right? It makes sense. Marti will be made.

'Marti will be ready to destroy her'

'Is that them now?'

In a flurry of motion the squad hops on various exercise machines or starts running laps, and some even stretch or lift light weights. Alice just walked in and her white teeth are peeking through her lips as she smirks. She walks, or rather marches over to the bulk of the squad like she owns the place —she might as well now. Her mouth opens and her little tongue darts out to wet her lips. Some of the cheerleaders cringe and quickly look away. She looks like she's about to speak, her mouth forming words about to tumble past her lips when thing interrupts her.

"No way in fucking Hell."

(This is where it would end, but I feel I've neglected everyone so you're lucky.)

Marti and Savannah stood in the middle of the gym. The middle of the workout area. Alice turned on her heels and gave them both a bitchy smirk.

"What are you doing?" Marti asked, bewilderment clear on her features.

"My job," Alice stated forming a 'C' with her hand. "Captains do get to address the whole squad and give orders, don't they Savannah?"

Marti was visibly shaking. Her arms glued to her sides in an attempt to keep herself from rushing Alice and punching the stupid smile off her face. Better yet rip her friggin lips off. Marti glanced to the brunette beside her and through her rage could barely see the tears shinning in her eyes.

Oh God Savannah.

Marti turned and looked toward Vanessa's office, thinking of what Alice could possibly have on their coach that would make her crumble. And even when she knew about what happened to Savannah. She knew how hard she was trying, how hard she had it. (A few things had slipped from her drunken lips last night, including a call from a certain Daniel Patch)

Marti couldn't help it when she started to walk up to Alice. Couldn't help it when her arms shoved the shorter girl backwards. Didn't stand to stop once Alice retaliated and shoved her back. The shouts and screams and hisses were deaf on her ears as she pushed Alice again and suddenly she was winding up, ready to punch. Alice's eyes had no fear, they were egging her on. If Marti hit her she had a reason to kick her off the squad. She had reason to get her scholarship revoked.

Suddenly she was being pulled back by an unknown force. She struggled against the hold on her waist, ignoring the whispering at her ear and then the shouts, as she clawed at air trying to at the least scratch Alice.

"Marti chill out!" Lewis yelled. "Calm the hell down!"

She couldn't. She could not calm down when a bitch had gone behind her friend's— best friend's back and wormed her way to the top of their hypothetical pyramid.

"She's a bitch, Lewis!" Marti hissed as her feet returned to the floor boards.

"I get it," he whispered, his arms still locked around her waist. "I know what you're feeling, but you can't hit her. That isn't gonna make things better for Savannah."

"She could at least talk to Savannah about it," Marti whispered with a venom. "She could make her look like less of a fool when she walked in this morning."

"Maybe Vanessa didn't want to tell her...maybe she wanted to talk with her this morning?"

Lewis pulled Marti so her back was flush against his chest. He bent his head to rest on her shoulder. His breath ghosted across her cheeks and he pressed his lips to her temple.

"I found a place that does some religious counseling," he said softly. It calmed Marti down the slightest bit. His lips would have been a better distraction however. "They don't cost a lot of money either...it's near here too. Just four miles from downtown."

Marti relaxed even further into his grip.

"Can I let you go now?"

"No."

They both watched as Vanessa jogged out of her office— A little late coach— and grabbed Savannah by the wrist, shooting a look at Alice and then glaring at Marti.

"She's mad," was whispered into her neck.

"I don't care," Marti spat as she started to shake again.

"Marti go wait in the locker room!" Vanessa yelled. Like she actually yelled, and Marti would have been impressed if she hadn't been so pissed off. "Savannah will come get you when I want to see you. And everyone else, including you Alice, takes fifteen laps and then do one of the circuits set up on the white board."

Lewis let his arms slither from her torso and he straightened up as Vanessa took Savannah with her to her office.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm a fuck up. But I don't fucking care. God damnit Vanessa! What the fuck!

"Are you going to be okay?" Lewis asked.

Marti swore she was seeing red all over again.

"You look a little...enraged."

"Big word Lewis," she scoffed. "I'll be fine. In the locker room."

Lewis cocked his head at her and then started jogging with the rest of the team around the gym. Marti kicked the door to the locker room open and then proceeded to kick the lockers, her foot throbbing. She whipped one of them open and slammed it shut. Just...fuck.

...

"It's not going to last forever," Vanessa said sitting back on her desk.

Savannah was planted in one of the crappy plastic chairs in front of the desk. Alice was captain. She made Alice captain without even telling her. It wasn't that she was mad at Alice, or even Vanessa. She was mad at herself because she had just given up on her team. Given up on her dream, her life.

"I was going to tell you before practice but you showed up late," Vanessa continued. "I wanted to talk with you privately. I was trying really hard to avoid something like, that, happening this morning. I guess I didn't try hard enough."

"No you didn't..."Savannah mumbled low enough so Vanessa either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.

"Alice came to me and proved her point."

"Did you tell her?" Savannah gasped, her blood pumping wildly under her skin.

"No! No, I didn't say anything," Vanessa assured standing up straighter. "She already knew...I thought you told her."

"I didn't tell anyone except Marti...and Lewis."

Vanessa took this information and thought for a moment.

"Maybe Lewis told her..." she mused and something tightened around the brunette's heart. "Either way she was proving a point. She wanted to help Savannah, she really did. She thinks that it might be too much for you to have to worry about a team when you have other bigger problems going on in your life.

Alice isn't captain forever. It's temporary. Just until you have this figured out and it won't be as stressful for you. And Marti reacting like that...that's another stress. You need stress free right now. Cheer leading isn't something that is stress free. It's stressful situations both physically and mentally. Maybe you should take a break."

"I can't lose my scholarship," Savannah whispered looking to the ground. She didn't want to fight with Vanessa. She was right after all. "I'm okay to participate though, I have a clean bill of health. It's been a long enough."

It was hard for Savannah to understand why Alice would know, or why she would want to help her, but she didn't have much a choice but to accept it.

"Okay..." Vanessa said unsure. "But before you go back to practice can you get Marti from the locker room?"

"Yes."

…

The first thing she felt were arms around her, a body sneaking in to rest comfortably against her back. This warm presence a gift compared to the cold steel of the lockers. It sent tingles through her stomach, down her spine, to the nerve endings in her legs. Hands tightened around her torso and then she was flush against the person behind her, between their legs. The person's petite body curled around her and a head rested against her shoulder blade as she sat between their legs.

"I'm okay," the soft voice said against her skin.

It was scary to think how out of control she had gotten for this body. How soft she was for this body.

"I'm sorry," she whispered making a move to turn but the arms held her in their place on the floor.

"Just stay a minute," the voice said firmly. "I need it too."

So Marti slumped against Savannah and held her tiny hands in place across her stomach.

"Alice isn't captain permanently," she continued. "Just until I can get this under control. Then it's my spot again."

"Why her?" Marti hissed, her voice going hoarse from her growling.

"Because she knew," and the words made Marti tense. "She knew enough to talk to Vanessa about it."

"H-How?" was all Marti could squeak.

She felt her real captain's shoulders shrug. "I don't know, Vanessa just said she knew about it."

"Oh."

Savannah nodded against Marti's back and sighed.

"It's like at night when you hold my hand," she whispered. "I just need to hold you for a minute. I just— I don't know."

It was Marti's turn to sigh. She squeezed Savannah's hands tight between her fingers.

"I get it," she said. "Sometimes you just need to hold on to something."

"Vanessa wants you in her office," Savannah yawned quietly. "She's mad at you. She doesn't want people to attack Alice about it."

Marti felt her heart thud loudly in her chest. Thinking about it got her going again.

"She deserves it!"

The tired sigh that escaped Savannah's lips and crept past her neck made her forget her anger. She felt bad for ever making things hard for Savannah. All I wanted to do was make things easier.

"I don't think she does...not anymore."

"Fine," Marti said stiffly.

Savannah nuzzled her back and squeezed her tighter.

"Try mentioning a sexy calendar shoot to raise money for Nationals to her, okay?" Savannah chuckled.

"What?" Marti asked a little confused as to where the comment came from.

"Just tell her, it'll put her in a better mood."

They both sighed then. Savannah's breath stretching out in invisible planes across Marti's bare shoulders, and Marti's breath escaping into the infinite space spread out in front of her. Neither moved from their spots for a few beats. Then they stood and brushed themselves off and took a few deep breathes before walking out to the other side of the locker room. The side where life actually existed and things couldn't be compared to bedtime which consisted solely of providing comfort for both girls.

So how was that? Also do you think Alice will confront Savannah about her rape? Or keep herself behind the scenes?

Oh, and I recently discovered that prompts are just about the best thing ever thought of. If anyone has a prompt they want me to take a shot at and write something about Savarti or anything give me a message! I would love to test myself and bring something like that to life for anyone of you!

This archieve has been super slow with updates and interest so I'm hoping to bring it back to life a little with a few one shots or two shots. Look forward to them!