Chapter 12

It took everything the brunette had to climb out of her bed and place her feet onto the frigid floor of her room. She had forgotten to close her window once again after another late visit from Keith and it seemed the temperatures dropped even more overnight.

So the pleasant but quick shower she had did wonders for her and surprisingly put her in a good.

You know, considering the nightmare she had awaiting her for the day.

"Do you have your gym bag?" asked Matt from the front driver's seat. He had agreed to drive her to school so Keith could go to the field with Lotor again. Apparently the captain really wanted to get in some extra workouts that morning for the first game and Keith was an excellent partner to train with.

"Sadly," she smirked.

"Good, don't die at practice," he said, ruffling her long hair.

Pushing his offending hand away, she leaned over the center console and gave him a hug.

"Don't tempt me."

He laughed and she opened the door and closed it behind her,walking towards the girls locker room. Usually she would have headed to the school's gym for early morning practice when it was held, but it seemed Allura made the decision to have practice out on the field sidelines again.

Terrific.

Now all the boys on the team were going to see her in her workout clothes. And that was going to be almost as bad as having to wear the skimpy uniform for the game later that night.

Opening the doors to the changing room, she was relieved and pleasantly surprised to have it empty of all people.

She absolutely hated having to undress in front of anyone and getting into one of the curtained stalls with everyone else in the locker room was almost impossible.

The brunette was self conscious of her body ever since junior high. Kids had compared her figure to that of a boy and even though she had filled out in the hips and chest area over the years, she still noticed that she didn't quite meet the standard size for females her age.

It was embarrassing and she was worried how she would be perceived in such a tight uniform that was issued to the squad.

Pulling the curtain shut, she pulled out the clothes in her gym bag. It consisted of just a simple blue crop top t-shirt and a pair of black yoga pants. She switched out her green converse for a set of old black ones, figuring they would work better in the dirt and grass.

Tugging off her shirt, Pidge stopped abruptly to look at the skin on her upper arm.

The purple and dark color caught her eye and she noticed a bruise covering the appendage.

'Ding'

A notification alert sounded from her phone, telling her she had a message and Pidge grabbed it.

Princess: Practice is about to start. Don't be late.

She rolled her eyes, pulling the crop top on.

The sleeve seemed to cover the mark pretty well, provided she didn't move much. Which…meant cheering created a problem.

Huffing, she untied a black squad bandana that Allura had given her Monday morning and wrapped it around the width of her arm, successfully covering the bruise.

Hopefully no one questioned her about it and just thought it was a representation of her supporting the team.

Tucking her mobile into the tight spandex pocket on her pants, the brunette zipped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder.

The Nike gym bag was a dark green with a thick shoulder strap and she had to tighten it almost all the way so that it hung around hip level. It was Matt's old bag after all and it didn't really fit her small size well.

It had practically fell around her knees when he had first given it to her.

As she stepped outside she made sure to tie back her long hair into a low pony at the nape of her neck and then began jogging down the many concrete steps.

Last practice had almost ended very badly all because she forgot to bring a stupid hair elastic.

One of the girls had thrown her up into a very quick twist and as soon as she was airborne the long strands concealed her vision. She had freaked out and almost missed the arms of the two cheerleaders below her.

So now she made it a habit for the last week, to grab a hair tie from her dresser on the way out of her room.

"Pidge!" Called Allura. The princess was standing tall on the third row of bleachers. Everyone else was stretching below her as she watched them. Almost like a royal looking over her subjects.

"Please tell me someone has heard from Kathleen?" asked Pidge as she sluggishly made her way up to stand by the captain.

She had been in a moderately good mood when she left the house early that morning but now, as she watched all the girls do tiresome exercises, she was reminded of the horrors that she was about to endure.

"Actually, we have."

Pidge's heart sparked at her friend's response, "And?!" she eagerly asked.

Allura chuckled, "She will be returning Monday."

"Yes!!" The brunette cheered, both arms held up above her in immense happiness.

"Jeez Pidge, if your reaction is any indication, I would say you hate cheering," Spoke Nyma as she joined the two.

"Oh I do." Pidge breathed out. "No offense to you guys but what you all do is exhausting as hell."

"At least you can now say you've experienced it though," commented Allura.

"And what a hell influenced experience it was."

A large weight felt like it had been lifted off her chest. She knew there was a small chance that she was going to have to endure yet another week of being a flyer. A small chance that had rode her into the ground with worry.

She didn't even care about how she still had a practice and game. It was her last!

"Ready for one more practice?" Asked Nyma.

"Can't believe I'm going to say this but oh my God, yes."

"Cheerleaders are back," said Rolo.

All the juniors and seniors had been put on the far side lines near the field goal. Iverson wanted some of the younger players to get in position so he could figure out who needed more work without having the experienced ones getting in the way. So Lance and his friends sat on one of the benches and took a break.

Hunk was laying flat on the ground in front of everyone's feet, absolutely worn out.

Lance could relate to. With it being the first game, everything was riding on them. Especially them.

They were the ones who ran the ball. Well, except for Hunk. The big burly teen blocked all the other burley teens that tried to trip them.

Which, by the way, was awesome.

Hunk was a terrifying mean machine during a game. All his protective instincts just kicked into overdrive. Lance had never seen something so hard-core as Hunk taking out a 260 pound rival.

It was bad ass.

Looking up, the cuban watched as his best friend was tossed effortlessly up in the air and caught beautifully.

He thanked the gods that her body weight was nearly nonexistent. He wouldn't have been able to let them throw her around like that If he couldn't trust that she would be easily placed back down.

He watched as she moved over to two different cheerleaders and noticed the choice of outfit that the brunette had chosen.

The blue t-shirt hung loosely from her shoulders, stopping at just above her navel.

Lance flushed and he knew he couldn't blame it on all the running.

Her slender stomach was pale against the morning sun and the cuban was sure if he were closer, he would be able to spot small freckles. Similar to the ones that dotted the bridge of her nose and arms.

She talked and nodded at Allura as the captain spoke to her, pushing her back into a new position between the two girls and before he knew it they had grabbed her, hoisting her up by her converse.

A fake but brilliant smile was plastered on her mouth as she moved her arms to match the movement of the other squad members below her...and then she was pushed up into the air once again and Lance's eyes widened.

Her shirt had lifted even higher as the air and gravity around her worked together to place it right below her breast.

The cuban was sure he saw a tiny glimpse of a black bra peeking out and he whipped his head down a couple of benches where he knew a certain jock was sitting.

Griffin was watching the squad very intently and if Lance had to guess, his gaze was only set on one certain girl.

The same girl he had his sights on. The same girl who's shirt kept riding up.

The player's eyes bulged when he realized that he probably wasn't the only one who had seen the little cheerleaders slip up and glared at the dark haired Jock. He was watching her way too closely to have missed it.

"She's getting better," Keith said to no one in particular.

Shifting his gaze back to the squad, Lance decided to breathe out a breath to relax. He didn't need anyone noticing his anger and jealousy. They would ask what brought it on and he would have to explain that his best friend and who Keith considered a little sister, was unknowingly showing her undergarments.

He didn't need everyone trying to catch a glimpse and Rolo would most certainly try.

"Not that she was bad before but you can tell the practice has been helping," Keith continued.

"I wonder how much longer she's going to have to keep it up," asked Hunk from the ground.

"She's hoping today will be her last, but it's hard to tell when the original flyer will return," answered Lance. He was really wanting today to be it for her.

He missed his best girl. Not to mention she was always exhausted and Lance hated seeing her so downtrodden.

Pidge was sad and miserable without her regular sleep and Lancey time.

"Shame. She would be great at it. Not to mention an extracurricular activity would look great on a college application," commented Hunk.

"I don't think Pidge is really worried about college right now," Lance said, keeping an eye on said girl when she walked over to get a sip of her bottle.

"She doesn't really know what she wants to go for exactly." Keith added. "And she certainly doesn't have to worry about if a school will accept her or not."

"Yeah, she's way smart, man," laughed Rolo.

That she is.

Standing up from his spot, the cuban raised his arms above his head and stretched.

Pidge was back up in the air with hands fisted on her hips. She was going through different poses that Allura was demonstrating for her from the ground.

Lifting one of her arms above her head, made the sleeve slip down slightly and Lance noticed a piece of black fabric tied around her. "What's with the bandana?"

Lotor looked away from where he was eyeing his girlfriend, to see what his team mate was talking about.

Just barely he made out the cloth on his shorter friend. "They're gifts from the school. Each member gets one. Allura must have given her one too."

Lance hummed in response but silently wondered why no one else had one on. Pidge didn't ever accessorize outside of the usual stud earrings and occasional necklace.

She only really wore things that had meaning.

"Shorty must be feeling the vibe today."

Everyone looked at Rolo.

"What?" He questioned.

Keith smirked, grabbing his helmet and walking past the stoner. "Don't let her hear you call her that."

Rolo had a contemplative look for only a second before his eyes widened in realization.

"Oops."

"I can't wear this."

"What?! Why not?"

One of the Girls locker room curtains was shoved to the side harshly, revealing a uniform clad brunette. "Allura, it's short! Really short!"

The princess rolled her eyes fondly and waved a hand dismissively. "You are overreacting."

The brunette turned slightly so she could still see her friend but also so her friend could see her side and part of her back. She pointed down to the hem of the skirt. "Do you see this? It's the end of my skirt. Meaning no more skirt exist, right?"

Allura nodded, wondering where exactly she was going with this.

"Right. And do you know what is an inch higher?" She asked. Allura stayed quiet and looked at her weirdly, confused.

Pidge grabbed the hem and lifted it, "My ass, Allura! That's an ass cheek!"

"Oh my God, Pidge," the princess laughed. "You have spankies on."

"What the hell is a spanky?!"

"The spandex shorts that go under the skirt to make it a skort."

Pidge narrowed her eyes in irritation, "You mean these panties are supposed to be shorts?! They only cover half my butt!"

Allura snickered behind her hand. The brunette was being absolutely ridiculous over an outfit. She couldn't imagine what shopping with her was like.

"The outfit is meant to help with mobility."

"Well it's great the school cares if we can do a split comfortably," Pidge said sarcastically, gripping the ends of her top and trying to pull it closer to the skirt.

At least it did cover her navel. It was just a couple inches above the top hem line of the uniform bottom. "What about us freezing though."

"The school permits under clothes."

"Under clothes?"

"Long black t-shirts under our tops and leggings." Said Allura, going over to the cabinets next to the sinks. She pulled out a clear package of xs black clothing and opened it.

A long spandex shirt was thrown at her and Pidge practically died with happiness over the fact that she could cover more of her skin then the damn set she had on did.

"It's your choice but there's a reason why other girls don't use them this early into the season."

"Which is?" Pidge questioned.

"You warm up fast. You could start off with it if you want but I'dadvise you didn't."

"Ok..what about the leggings?"

Allura shrugged and was about to throw the brunette the black item but stopped short, "Actually, I have something better than these." She left quickly and Pidge heard a locker open and shut before the captain was back with a different bundle of fabric.

"These are thigh high socks and I'm positive these will be much better for you."

The brunette didn't question her and shrugged, placing them in her bag and beginning to shut the 'door' back so she could undress and then they could return to lunch.

"Pidge, what is that?"

The brunette looked to her friend questionably.

Light blue eyes were staring straight at her lifted arm that was pulling the curtain.

Oh shit, I forgot my bandana.

The uniform shirt was completely sleeveless and she had totally forgotten to tie the bandana back around her from when she took it off after practice. She was lucky that the shirt she picked this morning was a long sleeve.

Lucky until this point.

"Oh uh, it's nothing. Just a bruise." She couldn't lie. It was right in front of the girl.

"Is that from lunch yesterday? Did Griffin do this?!" Anger spread over the princesses beautiful face quickly. She was absolutely disgusted with the idea that someone she went to school with, had harmed her friend.

The captain stepped closer and gently grabbed a hold of the small girl's arm. She looked as if she was examining it. "Pidge! There are finger marks!"

The brunette had to do something, had to say something. Allura was furious at this point and she wouldn't put it past her to storm the school in rage. "It was an accident!" She spoke hurriedly.

And it was. After thinking it over, Pidge realized that the jock probably hadn't noticed how tight his grip had gotten. He was angry and she couldn't blame him for feeling his own emotion.

He and Lance were in the middle of some kind of rival and she was stuck in between.

If she had judged Keith from how he got jealous when Lance joined them, she wouldn't be his friend.

It was normal. Friends were fought over all the time. Plus, Griffin was a football player. He probably forgot his own strength all the time.

Right?

"He didn't mean it." Pidge spoke again. This time slower.

"Pidge." Allura said simply

"I know, ok. I know that's like the universal excuse for people in abusive relationships but we aren't together. We are just friends and this was 100% an accident."

The captain gave her a thoughtful look. She was most likely trying to find any untruthfulness in her expression but Pidge knew she wasn't going to find any.

Letting out a tense sigh of air, Allura nodded her head. "Fine, but the minute this happens again-"

"You'll beat serious football player ass," Pidge stated with a laugh. "I know."

"Exactly," Allura smiled. "Now come on and cover that arm. We wouldn't want the boys seeing it."

No, they wouldn't.

"I'm pretty sure if I close my eyes right now, I'd fall asleep."

Lance chuckled. He and Pidge were sitting criss cross on the Theatre stage, facing one another.

They were participating in a social exercise that Principle Coran had set up. Which consisted of the students pairing up and basically having a stare down.

"Eyes are the key to the soul. It's how some people communicate. During a play or the middle of filming, an actor/actress can speak to their co-star with just the simple emotions in one another's eyes. It's how the mood of a certain scene can be set between them. A shared look of horror between two main characters can be a simple copy of one's expression. Therefore building up a fake atmosphere of fear," the Principle had told them. He then promptly had everyone find a friend so they could learn to read each other's eyes.

And in this moment, all that Lance was picking up, was exhaustion.

"As the person who has been staring at you for the past 10 minutes, I agree. You look worn out, pidgeon."

"I am," she whined pitifully and Lance never wanted to scoop her up so badly. "My body aches, my head hurts, my eyes are burning," she complained.

"Oh, pidgey," said Lance. He slowly leaned a hand out, his long arms reaching her face easily.

The minute his warmth touched her skin, her eyes slipped shut.

His touch was soothing to her, just like her nuzzling into his palm was to him.

He so wanted to carry her out of the class and take her home.

He didn't want her cheering in exhaustion on a cold field. He didn't want her doing something she hated. He wanted her snuggled in her bed and resting the long day away all weekend.

"It seems someone has decided to take a break," spoke Principle Coran as he squatted down by the two teens. He thankfully spoke quietly as to not disturb the dozing girl.

"Sorry Principle Cor-"

The man lifted a hand to stop his student.

"I'm very aware of the grueling schedule Ms. Holt has had lately." He twirled the ends of his large mustache between his thumb and pointer finger. "She has done the school a great favor and agreed to take on cheerleading as a solo flyer," he smiled kindly. "The girl can sleep all she likes."

Lance let out a sigh of relief and thanked the older man.

"Why don't you two head to the back. You are dismissed from today's exercise but after the weekend I expect two very awake and enthusiastic students."

The cuban nodded. He absolutely loved his Principle. The guy understood all of them. He connected well with his students because he tried to put his feet in their shoes.

Lance had never been more grateful.

Keeping his handd on her cheek, he sat up on his knees slowly and slipped his arms under her legs. She squirmed a bit when he placed her head on his shoulder and moved the hand she had found comfort in.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled out sluggishly.

They got a couple of odd looks by the few students he had to pass but luckily not many seeing as the two always preferred to sit behind everyone.

"Shh, querida."

He stopped at the back wall and slid down it with his back, landing with a thud. She fisted her small hands in the front of his shirt when he lowered her between his stomach and bent knees.

She's so damn cute.

Eventually, after a couple attempts of her trying to wake herself and open her eyes, the brunette slumped completely against him. Dead to her surroundings.

Lance was so happy he could help her and finally hold her so that she could rest. She had been worrying him all day since she dragged herself into 1st, looking utterly haggard.

He wanted to tell her to go home then but knew she would only disagree with him and try to play off being perfectly fine.

She should have gone home and gotten rest and Allura would just have had to shove her uniform fitting for after school.

But no, Pidge was as stubborn as she was beautiful.

Lance exhaled loudly, pulling the girl closer to him.

She was gonna be the death of him.

"Ok, Pidge. You can do this. You can totally pull this off."

The temporary cheerleader stood in front of her full length body mirror that she had hanging on her closet door.

She had been giving herself a pep talk for the last half hour and she unfortunately didn't feel any better about what she was wearing or where she was going.

A colorful skirt of blue, green, red, and yellow, reflected back at her. The colors followed in that exact order with bits of black lines threading in and out here and there. The waist band was completely black just like her top, which had the word "Lions" filled in with the same colors as her skirt. Weirdly though, the colors blended together in a different order. Green bled into blue just like it bled into yellow and yellow into red.

In all honesty, the design was amazing. She gave major props to whoever came up with the color scheme. But the person who designed the outfit length and size proportions, could go to hell.

Her breast, what little she had, was pressed against her chest in a fitted way. Her bra wire was practically cutting into her at this point. Not to mention the damn breeze that kept blowing between her legs. They literally went as short as legally possible without her being in trouble for public indecency.

How did the girls wear their uniforms at school and not be humiliated by accidentally flashing someone?

The high thigh socks were a nice touch though. Allura was right.

Black and thick stocking socks were rolled up the length of her legs and stopped right around mid thigh. There was about a 5 finger width distance between the bottom of her skirt and the socks. They also kept her pretty warm without looking bulky and fit comfortably into her green converse. Which she cleaned up by the way.

Her black bandana was tied tightly and into a small Bow, Becuase she didn't want it falling off during the game.

She had chosen to take Allura's advice and forgo the under shirt, so she had to cover the mark somehow.

"You will do this," she encouraged once again, pulling her long hair into a high pony. "You will not be nervous and you will not make a fool out of yourself."

"Well, so far you are already off to a bad start."

"Keith!" She yelled, whirling around to see the smirking boy sitting on her window sill. "How long have you been there?!"

He shrugged a shoulder, smiling. "You can do this, Pidge. You can totally pull this off," he said, mocking her earlier words.

"I hate you," she glared.

"Not as much as you do that outfit." The asian pushed off her window and walked over to her. Grabbing the edge of her top, he rubbed the material between his fingers. "Man, Pidge. If I was straight," he punctuated his unfinished sentence with a wink.

She hit him.

"Shut up, you perv. Does it look bad or not?" She stepped back and held out her arms so he could get a good look.

"You look fine," he laughed.

She continued to look at him with a serious expression.

"You look great, Pidge. Really." He said reassuringly.

She nodded, trusting him and quickly grabbed the blue hoodie she had hung up on the back of her bathroom Door.

"You still have his hoodie?!" Keith asked, surprised as he watched her stuff it into her gym bag.

"I keep forgetting to give it to him and tonight will be a perfect opportunity."

"Why tonight?" He followed her out of her room and down the stairs.

"Because tonight is supposed to be cold and I need something to keep me warm during half time."

"What about your own jacket?" Keith smirked.

She could hear the amusement with the situation in his voice. "Mine aren't warm enough." She stated.

"And his is?"

She stopped at the bottom of the steps and turned towards him. "As a matter of fact, yes. It's bigger on me so I'm more covered and warm."

He gave her a doubtful look.

"Wow Pidge, you look amazing."

Shiro was exiting the kitchen with a fond smile on his lips.

"Why is it so short?!" Matt exclaimed, walking in from behind his boyfriend and getting a good look at his baby sister. "Nope. Nu-uh. Unacceptable. I don't approve." He snapped his fingers and pointed up the stairs. "Pidge, go change."

The brunette rolled her eyes.

Her brother was being overprotective and ridiculous as usual. Even if she did agree with his opinion on the length of the uniform.

"I can't, brainiac. It's all they have," She huffed. "Where's mom?"

"She left to go get dinner with your dad since we are all gonna be late coming home from the game," said Shiro as Matt began to circle her and shake his head in horror.

"It's not going anywhere anytime soon, Matt. Trust me, I've tried to wish it away."

Keith and Shiro snickered at her comment.

"Fine, but during half time I want whatever this is," he gestured to her entire outfit. "To be covered."

"Oh," Keith spoke. "She has the perfect thing for just that."

Pidge was gonna beat his teasing ass.

"Whatever," she mumbled grumpily. She opened the door and walked out, heading to the truck.

"Lance is gonna faint when he sees her in that," Shiro said to Keith before he could follow the girl.

Keith nodded at his brother, "Oh yeah, he's definitely gonna die."