Author's note: This is what comes to be when I'm stuck on how to write for chapter 8 of Supernova! Thanks for the kind reviews for the previous chapter of this one; glad it was of enjoyment :D Had this idea for quite some time, just didn't know how to write it. I watched a lot of YouTube videos for this and was thinking, "yo. This is light work for our girl." You'll get what I mean. I'm hashing out the timeline of these, so this one takes place after chapter 3 and before chapter 4. It's also a two-parter, but I don't even know when part two will come. Wrote this one to rid that writer's block and push out more content.

Summary: Chad was the one who requested this of her in the name of the TND in the first place, so why did he have to act like such a jerk about it?


I hate this. I really, really, really hate this… but not as much as I hate Dickson.

Rachel took a deep breath in the school bathroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't shake off the feeling that he was setting her up to fail, and setting her up for embarrassment and shame for as long as her high school career called for it.

Her throat was dry as she took a glance at her oversized blue T-shirt and black shorts. There was no way she could make it through today, but if she did, it would be great for gathering any conspiracies against the Kids Next Door and being one step ahead. She could have denied this little mission of sorts, but Maurice asked her so nicely and Abigail had already passed up on it.

That was after Chad approached her about it last week.

As soon as she closed her locker, the blond boy entered her field of view. He held up a white paper bag.

"What's this?" she asked, her brows furrowed in suspicion. They started to stroll the hallway, still somewhat empty due to the early hours.

Chad continuously smiled at her with a slight twitch, only for it to add to her distrust of him at the current moment. "A meatball sub. I want you to have it for lunch. Also, how have the buses been lately? Do you need a ride home later? Maybe for the rest of the month?"

"You're being weird," she replied, eyeing the bag again. She did love that cheesy ooey-gooey goodness with marinara sauce… but still. His acts of extreme kindness were bizarre. Either he was starting to have a crush on her or he did something bad that warranted damage control. She opted for the latter. "What did you do and how long will I be mad at you for it?"

"Nothing!" he defended. "Geez, why can't I be nice without you thinking I have a motive?"

Rachel gave him a stern look. This she learned from her mother when it came to disciplining Harvey. Using it earned her respect as the Supreme Leader. The look was perfected over the years. Her somewhat cranky mood from waking up at six am just amplified its effect.

"Okay, fine!" Chad conceded. "There is a motive, but it's nothing bad. I just need a favor."

"Get on with it…"

It was way too early in the morning to consider favors.

"Well… tryouts for cheerleading are in a few days, and the TND needs someone from our side to infiltrate them."

She laughed in his face, of course. That woke her up. What in the world? Why would he ask that of her when he had those girls at his feet feeding him the information?

Well, it turns out the cheerleaders are not big fans of his as of current. Drama.

Chad broke up with Veronica, and went out with Rosie, only to hang out with Violet a week later.

"It's not like any of them were exclusive," he said. "Can you imagine if Stacey didn't quit cheer for dance squad?"

"You're an idiot."

Cheerleaders who took part in the Teen Ninjas were something else; they had their own little group at the hangouts. Piss one off, piss all of them off was their mentality. Obviously, his information gathering tactics were only going to take him so far… and Rachel had to pay the price. The cheerleaders were pissed at him, and in turn, didn't trust him nor wanted anything to do with him.

She said no, and took the meatball sandwich anyway.

When Maurice asked her to do this, however, it became an important request. She couldn't say no, even with the ghost of a funny smile he had at the end.

:

:

"How'd it go, champ?" Her ride asked her enthusiastically as if he were some sort of soccer dad. Rachel glared at him in response as she settled in the shotgun passenger seat. At least she didn't have to take public transportation for a month.

"My double back handsprings and my aerials are perfect, apparently," she said flatly. She relaxed against the window and started laughing at the absurdity of being an actual cheerleader. "They said I'd be a good flyer. But I need to work on my pep."

Chad beamed. "See? I knew you would be amazing at this."

She imitated a buzzer sound. "Wrong. I'm a gymnast. I do stunts, sure. But cheering? Really? The plan is get in, get out after a few weeks. Word of advice: take a break from dating one for at least two weeks, idiot."

"Hey! Think of this as a challenge," he countered, trying to escape the subject of his past 'girlfriends.' "School just started up and things have been pretty quiet on our part. It's usually the cheerleaders and the jocks who make the first moves against the KND. You'll get more field missions and you get to avoid paperwork."

That argument immediately won her over, though she didn't show it. Rachel preferred quieter infiltrations, but the paperwork aspect of being part of a big organization was something she had always hated since being promoted to Global Command years ago. Frankly, it was getting boring.

"I'm never going to hear the end of it from Fanny," she uttered to herself. They made fun of the cheerleaders together, so what would it say about her to suddenly join them?

"Like you said, in and out. Until we get what we need. You might even like it at the end."

"Yeah, sure. But I swear, if you and Maurice are laughing at 'my pep,'" she air-quoted, "both of you are dead. I don't care if both of you are higher-ups."

He snorted. "Chill out. It'll be fun. It's another way to participate in school activities, and I know you've been itching to do something else besides student council."

She groaned. "I'm going to regret this."

:

:

Her name was on the list. She made it, not that she doubted her abilities too much. The captain said they would work with her on her energy and attitude. Rachel was good at blending in; she just didn't think she would ever like this.

The uniform… was something else. When she first tried it on at home in front of her mirror, she felt absolutely awkward and uncomfortable. Red and gold weren't necessarily her favorite colors to wear, and the short white skirt reminded her she had legs. She always thought her knees were too wrinkly to expose out to the world. Never had Rachel taken on an infiltration job where she had to show so much skin.

Harvey, in all his decommissioned glory, busted into her room like an annoying little brother would asking her where their parents were. When he saw her, he stopped in his tracks and saw what she was wearing.

"You? A cheerleader?! I thought you were planning your Halloween costume a month ahead!"

She chucked a pillow at the door.

:

:

Rachel could hear the imaginary cheer music with clapping in her head as she performed her stretches with the other girls.

"Okay, Mack."

That was what the girls liked to call her after Rosie, the curly blonde captain and one of Chad's ex-girlfriends, created the nickname. It turned out to be pretty easy to gain her approval from how easy Rachel made performing stunts seem.

"Show these amateurs how a proper back handspring is done."

"Sure."

She walked over to the corner of the mat on the gymnasium floor, before making a running start. She showcased her backbend, handstand, and back walkover swiftly.

Rosie clapped alongside the newbies. "See girls? That's how it's done."

"But," Violet interrupted, chewing her gum and blowing a bubble. "She has to work on her facial expressions. She looks so serious."

"She's right, Mack. Your form is perfect, but like we said on day one… we need to work on your attitude," Rosie reiterated. "It would be a shame and a waste to let your talents go, ex-gymnast and all."

"Yeah? Sorry. I'm just not used to it," Rachel explained. "The school doesn't have a gymnastics team and I spent my freshman year in student council. I just wanted to get back on my exercise flow, you see."

"I know what she can do!" chimed a ninth grader, with an Asian accent. It was Kuki. "Just try smiling the whole time! It's easy!"

The rest of the girls giggled at that, and it made Rachel's lips curve upward just a little. She needed to ease up if she wanted this to work.

:

:

It was the first time in a long time where Rachel had people to hang out with other than Fanny, Maurice, Abigail, and Chad. Her other Teens Next Door associates didn't really count. Rosie was slowly opening up to her in the past weeks, grooming her to be a better cheerleader, and Rachel waited for the girl to fully trust her with any malicious plans. It shouldn't be hard, as the head acknowledged Rachel sometimes hung out with Maurice and Chad, though mentioning Chad brought a bitter taste to the older girl's mouth.

One thing that surprised Rachel since joining the squad was that it wasn't bad at all. She must have been dramatic when she complained to Chad about it (seriously, the inability to control teenage feelings had to go). The exercise she was getting was great and the girls weren't horrible. It wasn't one of those cliché high school stories, in which becoming a cheerleader made all the boys gawk and fall for her, the popularity suddenly booming, with drastic change. She promised Fanny that when she told her that she made it in the squad.

Then again, it had all only been practice. Tonight was their first cheer function. It was important she nailed the peppy facial expressions and stunts for Rosie and the rest of the girls to think she was reliable. If all went well, she might be getting the intel she had been working weeks for tonight at Rosie's sleepover.

Hopefully, Kuki's advice on smiling every time she landed on her feet (or was just on her feet in general) would be enough.

:

:

Before first period, Rachel zoomed by the junior hallway as quickly as she could to get to the sophomore area, in an attempt not to feel self-conscious. She needed to reach her locker for her hoodie. She put her hair up in a ponytail, secured together by a ribbon that matched.

Cavallero and Chad were talking about tonight's game by their lockers. Both pairs of eyes caught glimpses of the girl who power walked by them.

"Yo, is that Rachel?" Justin inquired, his eyes widening to confirm the person who passed.

Chad turned around for a short second. "Yep. She's part of the squad. Why are you so shocked?"

"I mean, I haven't seen her around lately. I didn't think she was the type to wave pom-poms around."

"What's it to you?"

"She's kinda hot. She was already a cute girl, a bit pouty at times, but now?" Justin smiled and paused. "Hey. You guys are kind of friends… she got a boyfriend by any chance?"

Something inside the taller boy twisted and coiled. It felt weird and he wasn't used to it. "She doesn't date."

:

:

"Seriously Chad, I can't be seen with you alone in the library while it's being renovated. People are going to get suspicious if we leave together," Rachel whispered. Not only was it empty, but it was dark as well. The light flickered, with the cloudy skies unable to contribute any illumination from the outside.

"Oh hush, your friends already know I'm your ride home," he justified, mirroring her quiet tone. "Let them think what they want to. Why do you care now?"

"It matters, you idiot! If Rosie thinks something is going on between us more than a chauffeur-passenger relationship, she won't trust me. She kinda hates you, you know. But I can't imagine how Veronica feels, since Rosie kicked her out because of you."

Chad gave her a look. "Rachel McKenzie, gossiping?"

"No. Rachel McKenzie, wondering why girls' brains turn into mush around Chad Dickson."

He smirked and trapped her in between his arms against the bookshelves. "I'll have you know, someone's turned into mush for you, and all you did was walk by in this cute little number."

At that moment, Rachel felt her heart beat just a little bit quicker. He was close in proximity. Why did he have to do this at all the wrong moments? Make her feel like her skin was electric? Slow her breathing down? It reminded her of the party at the end of the year a few months ago. She gulped as she waited for him to speak again.

"Justin… wants to ask you out."

Wait. What? That was unexpected.

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"Really?" She didn't like or think of Justin Cavallero in that way, but it was an interesting fact. The feminist inside her told her it was because of the uniform, but the teenage girl feelings told her to be flattered. Whatever, it's not like anything would come from that.

"You sound pleased. You interested?" Chad sounded bitter, as he eyed her person up and down. Her lips were colored in and her eyelashes were longer than usual. From what she's told him a few days ago, things were moving accordingly to plan in her building rapport with the girls. On a personal note, it was starting to rub him the wrong way. Rachel was turning into eye candy for Cavallero and whoever else, with Rosie's help for sure.

His current tone was sardonic, a contrast from when he offered her his bribes a few weeks prior.

"No," she said as she scrunched her nose. "It's just weird that your 'best friend' is."

"Well, too bad. I told him you didn't date."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"It doesn't matter. You just said you weren't interested!"

"I don't appreciate being spoken for, you dunce!"

He scowled. "You didn't become a cheerleader to get a date for homecoming. Have you forgotten the mission?"

She felt insulted. Did he forget who he was speaking to?

"Of course not, but that isn't the point!" she retorted. Rachel escapes his arms. Her blood started to boil, but it simmered down in a fraction of a second when she decided to turn this around on him. She stopped in her tracks. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? That's the best you could come up with?" he replied, putting up a front.

"Right. Sorry. I was pulling your leg," she joked weakly. She started walking again but had a few words to leave him before exiting the corner. "But you know… assuming I'm still cheering by homecoming, I will need a date. Maybe it's time I start getting to know Justin better."

"Wait, McKenzie–"

Two years in the TND and they were still fighting about petty things? Tonight would be the night she reminded him that he wasn't her Supreme Leader, and she wasn't some incompetent cadet.