Chapter Twenty-Five - The Perfect Moment.
Wendy's mind was a peaceful land of dreams as she lay snuggled beneath her blankets. She was toasty warm amongst her mountain of pillows and her giant duvet as a smile graced her deeply asleep face. Just as her body was about to release a rather loud and comfortable snore, the deathly silence of her room was abruptly shattered.
Rolling over from one side to the other, Wendy growled at the dull humming that reverberated between the four walls of her bedroom. As her eyes reluctantly fluttered open and she slowly began to wake up, the teenage girl frowned at the vibrations coming from her mobile phone. The device continued to bounce and shake against the wood of Wendy's bedside table as she eventually reached over and grabbed it.
Checking the caller I.D., Wendy rubbed her weary eyes and answered the phone, "Stan?"
There was a short silence before his charming voice echoed through the phone, "Hey, baby."
"What are you…" Wendy paused to check the time on her phone. Two minutes past one in the morning. Wendy sighed, "What's going on?"
Stan's response was immediate, "Look out the window."
Bolting upright at his incredibly suggestive command, Wendy was suddenly feeling a lot more awake. She ran her hand through her long, black locks and finally pushed off her blankets, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
As Wendy approached her bedroom window, she licked her lips and slowly pulled back the blinds, "What am I supposed to be looking…"
Quickly trailing off in surprise, Wendy soon answered her own question as her eyes narrowed at the figure of a long, dark sedan parked outside her house. As the headlights flashed at her twice, Wendy sensed her heart begin to race in anticipation, "Stan, what are you – "
"Screw waiting to find the perfect moment, I couldn't wait any longer" he cut her off, speaking delightfully down the phone, "We're gonna' make our own perfect moment. Right now."
Thoughts of their conversation from just a few short hours ago came flooding back to Wendy. After her father had attempted to sit them down and reprimand them for their evening adventures, Wendy and Stan had stolen a last few moments together in her bedroom before he had to go home. And the teenage girl remembered exactly what she and her boyfriend had been talking about.
Placing her hand on the glass of the window, Wendy's skin tingled as she bit down on her bottom lip and murmured longingly into the phone, "What are we gonna' do?"
From the driver's seat of his car, Stan smirked expectedly.
"Whatever you wanna' do."
The final joint cries of overwhelming pleasure and the intense panting that filled the small space of the car instantly fogged up the frosted windows. Their muscles were strained, their naked bodies were gelled together by sweat and saliva, and a welcomed sense of satisfaction ached in both of their abdomens.
Breathing in the addictive scent of him from where her face was nestled into the crook of his neck, Wendy heard Stan groan and sigh once more. She felt goosebumps radiate across her skin as he tenderly kissed her shoulder. Slowly pulling back from him, the teenage girl kept one hand delicately clasped to the back of her boyfriend's neck.
Her breathing was still rapid as a small laugh escaped her.
"Did it feel that good the first time?"
Stan echoed her laughter, a seductive smirk crossing him as he heaved an elated breath.
"I'm pretty sure this time was just way better."
Stan's car was pulled up nearby Stark's Pond, hidden away under the cover of the trees. The passenger seat was rolled forward as far as it could go, giving him and Wendy all the room they needed in the back. Stan was sitting upright in the seat with the beautiful girl opposite him straddling his legs face-to-face. Her neck had sort of been bent the entire time to stop her head from hitting the roof, but it had all been better than nothing.
At least they had finally gotten some time alone.
Smiling up at her affectionately, Stan was simply mesmerised by the exquisitely bare frame of his girlfriend sitting in his lap. He pulled Wendy in for a loving hug, pecking at her neck as they continued to listen to the cheesy, romantic music playing from his phone on the front seat. The dark haired boy squeezed her tightly, never wanting to let go.
As their bodies continued to come down from the hormonal rollercoaster and readjust to normality, Stan's eyes widened for a split second. He gently pushed Wendy back and lifted her up slightly so he could fall out of her. Looking down at himself, he glanced back up at his raven haired beauty, smirking cheekily at her.
He had ensured to remember to bring a condom.
Swapping some innocent giggles, Stan wisped some of Wendy's longer locks out of her eyes and clutched softly at her hips, "Are you good? Did it hurt much, or…?"
Wendy scrunched up her nose with a shrug of her shoulders, "Just a little," she answered, "I think 'cause of the angle… but I'm good."
Stan's blue orbs mirrored the happiness in the brown of Wendy's, "Good," he whispered to her.
There was an instance of blissful silence between them as Stan adjusted his grip on Wendy. Moving his hands to the small of her bare back, he innocently crept even lower, joining his fingers together and pulling her further along his lap towards him.
Simply beaming at her, he cleared his throat, "Should I take you home?"
His gentle tone sent a shiver racing up Wendy's spine. The world outside the car may have still been completely black with darkness, and Wendy may have had absolutely no idea what time of the morning it was, but even so, she wasn't quite ready for this perfect moment to end just yet.
Grinning back at him through adoring eyes, Wendy cupped Stan's warm cheeks with her hands, "In a sec."
More than happy to oblige, Stan completely melted into the sweet exchange with his girlfriend, tingling at the sensation of her soft peck at his lips. He pulled her closer still, gently running his hands all the way up her back. The faint hairs on the back of Wendy's neck stood up as she felt the gorgeous boy opposite her delicately claw at her skin.
The moment truly was completely perfect. And neither Stan nor Wendy had known it was possible for either of them to ever be this happy again.
After stewing in this thought for a few peaceful moments, the two of them finally re-dressed themselves and set out on their way back home and back to bed. Stan was slowly driving along, the headlights of his car leading him through the darkness. His left hand was on the wheel, while his right had a tender hold of Wendy's where she was sat beside him. The dark haired girl was slouched down comfortably in the passenger seat, quietly gazing out the window.
The loud, pleasured cries and affectionate moans of each other's name that had previously filled the air of the vehicle had now been exchanged for utter silence. But at that particular point in time, the quiet spoke an uncountable amount more than endless words ever could.
The intense love that had re-blossomed between the two teenagers could easily be heard amongst the silence. It could be seen amongst the darkness, and they could both merely feel it through the connection of their touch. Nothing else needed to be said.
As Stan finally pulled up towards Wendy's house, he came to a stop at the bottom of her neighbour's driveway. After the trivial confrontation that had occurred with her father earlier that evening, the last thing both Wendy and Stan needed was to be caught out by him again.
Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Stan let go of Wendy and put his car into park, switching off the ignition. Instinctively, she glanced up at him, a smile gracing her lips. Within the next second, however, she felt a frown cross her at the slim concern that seemed to be apparent in her boyfriend's face.
Her mouth went a little bit dry as she cleared her throat, "What?"
Noting the sudden worry in her tone, Stan shot Wendy a small, reassuring smile as he reached for her hand again. He blew out a gentle sigh, "This is okay, right?"
Wendy felt her brow crinkle, "What is?" she asked timidly, "Us?"
"No, no," Stan immediately clarified, "Not us as a whole, just… like… this part of us," he went on, struggling to find the words, "I mean… just how fast we've moved, and we've gone from nothing to everything, like, instantly and I just…"
Watching on with a tender expression as her boyfriend sighed to himself, Wendy examined the concern and care and love pooling altogether in Stan's blue orbs. Her heart melted as their vision locked and Stan simply gazed at her.
"The only thing I want is for you to be comfortable."
With a small shake of her head, Wendy was in pure awe. The only thing she could will herself to do was hold the giddily goofy grin she had plastered on Stan. She knew exactly why he was so worried about her all the time, and while she never necessarily wanted to mention it out loud, the thought was one that drummed in the back of her own mind, too.
But Wendy was also certain that no amount of past pain, torment and tragedy could ever substitute or minimise what she wanted and needed between her and Stan.
"The only thing I want," Wendy responded, a blush settling into her cheeks, "Is you."
Her words echoed with relief in Stan's very core as his skin tingled and he sensed the redness in Wendy's face emerge across his own. The teenage girl squeezed his hand, staring at him with absolute confidence.
"Stan, I'm good."
Each instance of confirmation from her was filled with more and more reprieve for Stan. At long last, the teenage boy quietly nodded his head. Wendy trusted him, and Stan trusted that this fact would remain. The two of them were going to be just fine.
Softening his expression, Stan brought his voice to a gentle murmur.
"I'll cya' in a few hours?"
Giggling slightly at the notion, Wendy rolled her eyes at the thought of having to get up and go to school later that morning. But it had certainly all been worth it to spend this time with Stan.
Without saying a word, Wendy allowed her actions to speak for her as she leant in and ran her fingers against Stan's cheek as they exchanged a tender kiss goodnight. She desperately wished that he could sneak back inside with her and fall asleep in her bed, but surely now it was safe to assume that Wendy would be having sweet dreams regardless.
Indulging in the warmth of her skin against his for a moment longer, Stan soon pulled back, grasping at Wendy's thigh as his vision pierced hers.
"I love you."
Wendy's heart skipped a beat.
"Love you."
The devoted sentiment swapped between them reverberated in silent ecstasy for a second or two longer before Wendy reluctantly opened the passenger door and climbed out of the car. Stan watched on, following her with his eyes along the sidewalk and up the front path of her house until she was safely back inside. His heart was still thumping blissfully in his chest as he turned the car on and took off down the street, glimpsing at Wendy's house once more as he drove past.
Back inside her family's home, Wendy shut the front door as quietly as she possibly could and turned around to find the dark, empty living room. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Thankfully it seemed that her parents had refrained from waking up in the middle of the night to find their daughter gone.
As she crept up the wooden stairs, Wendy tip-toed down the hallway and quickly ducked in behind her bedroom door, grinning in successful reprieve. She slipped out of her furry, winter boots and shrugged off her jacket before pulling back the blankets on her bed.
Just before she sleepily collapsed back into the warm cacoon, Wendy narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper she had left sitting on her pillow. Picking it up, she scanned over the words she had written once more.
'Firstly, please don't freak out – I'm okay, I'm with Stan.
Secondly, I love you, I'm sorry, please don't be super furious with me'
Glimpsing at the clock by her bed, a second relief crossed Wendy.
The times that the teenager had spent in Malibu fighting with her own distressed emotions and running away from demons had not only been the most devastating moments of her life, but were also some of her parents' darkest days, as well. Wendy knew that it would absolutely destroy them if anything that horrible ever happened to her again. And that was exactly why she had decided to risk getting caught that evening.
There was no way Wendy had been prepared to take the slim chance of either her mum or dad waking up to discover her empty bedroom. Despite how much trouble she would have gotten herself in by leaving the note behind, it also certainly would have reassured her parents that she wasn't in any danger.
But – luckily for her mother, her father, and for Stan – Wendy hadn't needed it.
And instead, she had simply got to relish in one of the most magical nights of her whole life.
Staring down into her cereal bowl the next morning, Wendy tried to force down yet another yawn.
It was eight-twenty in the morning. While that could easily be considered a reasonable hour for any normal person, the teenage girl had been reduced to an absolute exhausted heap when she somehow managed to drag herself out of bed that morning.
As she scooped an extra teaspoon of sugar into her hot cocoa, Wendy resisted the urge to rub her weary eyes so as not to ruin her makeup. Right as this thought crossed her, the raven haired beauty bolted upright in her seat at the kitchen bench and tried to produce a more vibrant expression on her face. Her father had suddenly entered the room, dressed in a suit and ready to head to work for the day.
"Good morning!" Mr. Testaburger chirped happily. He walked around the centre island of the kitchen to give his daughter a kiss on the top of her head.
"Morning, Dad," she answered him, trying not to mumble.
Watching on from where she stood by the fridge mixing her own cup of coffee, Mrs. Testaburger raised a curious eyebrow at Wendy.
"What's the matter, angel?" her dad went on to ask, "You sound tired, did have a bad sleep?"
Wendy gulped. Clearly her attempts at concealing the results of her late night adventure were not as convincing as she may have thought, "Uh… yeah, ya' know, just tossed and turned all night."
Holding in a nervous breath, Wendy continued to stare up at her dad. As his expression softened, the teenager felt a wave of relief wash over her.
"Well, you just don't go working yourself too hard at school today, okay?"
"Okay," she echoed with a small laugh, watching as her dad grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl before quickly kissing his wife goodbye, "Love you."
"I love you both, too," he sang out, heading for the front door, "I'll see you tonight!"
The precise second that she heard the front door close shut, Wendy felt the bags collapse back in place under her eyes. Stifling a muffled groan, she summoned the courage to stand up from the bench and walk her bowl over to the sink, but right before she could, he mother's voice abruptly filled the large room.
"So, just a bad sleep, was it?"
Wendy frowned for a second, "Um, yeah. Just one of those nights, I guess."
Pausing for a moment, Mrs. Testaburger seemed to be gathering her thoughts, "Really? Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with what I found up in your room when I got your dirty laundry this morning?"
The sight of the small, square piece of paper that Mrs. Testaburger revealed from the pocket of her dressing gown made Wendy's heart completely freeze. Her mouth went dry as she tried to will some words to form from her lips, but her thoughts were so scattered that she wasn't even sure where to start. Why the hell hadn't she thrown it out?
Without needing any clarification, Wendy's mother placed the bit of paper down on the bench and carried straight on, "What time did you get back to bed?"
A dozen options became available to Wendy at this question. She absolutely strained her brain for a swift second or two, but no matter how many lies she was able to conjure up, the expression on her mother's face screamed at her to just cave and tell the truth. Mrs. Testaburger was still and looked oddly calm, and yet somehow, that was a million times scarier to Wendy than any amount of fury ever could be.
The teenager gulped, "Two-thirty."
The older woman's demeanour didn't change. In fact, if anything, Mrs. Testaburger's appearance only softened, "Wendy, honey, I know I went easy on you last night because I remember what it's like being seventeen," she began, bringing back to light their awkward run-in at the gas station, "But you have to try and understand at least a little bit where your father's coming from."
Wendy remained deathly silent, allowing her mum to continue.
"He only went so crazy because he worries about you, baby," she offered gently, "We both just want to make sure that you're happy and careful and safe."
As this sentence slowly drifted through Wendy's mind, she thoroughly dissected each word that her mother had spoken to her. As she did, and the tone of voice and underlying implications slowly became more apparent to her, Wendy felt a flicker of anger spark in her guts.
"Mum. It's Stan," she spat simply, "Those three factors aren't even a slight concern."
"Honey, I know, but we only want you to be sure – "
"He was my first kiss when we were eight years old," the teenager bravely cut in, "I think we've done a pretty remarkable job of taking things slow."
Sighing to herself as she gazed down affectionately at Wendy, Mrs. Testaburger took a moment to bite her tongue. She didn't want to get into an argument with her daughter over this situation. Of course she understood how much Wendy adored Stan, but that wasn't necessarily her or her husband's ultimate priority. It was keeping their daughter safe, and making sure that she didn't repeat any of her past mistakes.
"I know. And I know you're both smart enough to do things safely," she admitted, "But it's just after everything that's happened, with Malibu, and with Griff-"
"Mum," Wendy snapped in again, this time with slightly more venom. The name her mum had been about to speak was like poison to her. Wendy couldn't stand to hear it, "Can you just…" she stumbled, "This doesn't even have anything to do with… like, there's no comparison. Not with Stan, absolutely none."
As strong and commanding as Wendy was trying to sound, the older woman could easily detect the pain and sorrow that coated her daughter's voice. This may have been a conversation that Mrs. Testaburger felt needed to be had, but not at the expense of Wendy's happiness. Not right now, anyway. Instead, she strictly narrowed her eyes at the teenager.
"You will not sneak out with Stan like that again, do you understand?"
Sucking in a deep breath, Wendy reluctantly nodded her head as she sensed the sickly feeling in her stomach begin to settle. She supposed she had gotten off pretty easy.
"Yes," she agreed, "Sorry."
Finally allowing a smile to find its way across her face, Mrs. Testaburger shook her head slightly at Wendy. She hadn't actually been all that surprised upon discovering the exploits of her teenage daughter. Wendy and Stan were obviously head over heels for each other – they had been for nine years. Her mother understood that. And she also knew that despite what had happened, her daughter wasn't going to do anything irrational or stupid.
"Good."
Wendy wasn't a little girl anymore. And nothing was going to stop her from growing up even more.
"Now," Mrs. Testaburger spoke genuinely, "Do you want to go on the pill?"
Instantly, Wendy's emotions flipped from trivial anger to anticipation and disbelief. The last word that left her mother's lips made her face completely light up for the first time that morning.
Well, the first time that morning since she had climbed out of Stan's car, anyway.
Pulling his arm all the way back, Stan huffed out a deep breath as he launched the football yards down the field. He watched it fly through the air and safely land the grasp of one of his teammates. Smiling with pride in himself, the quarterback hunched over and stifled a small yawn.
Even on days like these where Stan was utterly exhausted, he was always committed to putting in his best efforts when it came to football practice.
There was exactly one week to go until Stan, his coach and the rest of the football team would be heading off to compete in a pre-season, knock-out tournament. The competition was open for any high schools nation-wide to apply, and it was going to be the first time that South Park would ever compete. Because of all this, Stan was absolutely determined to perform well.
Playing football and being a quarterback was always something that had been such an important part of Stan's life. As soon as the ninth grade had begun, making a star of himself in high school was all that Stan had been able to think about. But then, of course, it was only a few short weeks later when his life had taken a turn for the worse.
After Wendy broke up with him and moved to California, Stan lost all interest in football – hell, he lost all interest in every aspect of his existence. Even after he learnt to feel better and managed to re-build his life, the teenage boy still hadn't been sure whether he was going to use his sophomore year to get back out on the field.
But now, he was one of the only two junior students who played in the starting line-up, and Stan felt relief every day to know that he had given himself and his football one more chance. After all, it had definitely shown him the value in giving certain other things asecond chance, too.
Straightening himself up, Stan kept the small smile plastered to his face as he slowly jogged over to the sideline to retrieve another ball. Just as he reached the edge of the field, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and instantly sensed his grin grow.
"Well, hey there, hot stuff."
The easily recognisable tone of sarcasm made Wendy freeze on the spot before she twirled around and narrowed her eyes at Stan. She was dressed in her P.E. uniform and had been walking laps of the oval with Bebe and Nichole towards the end of the gym period before lunch. Glancing at her two friends, they quickly took the hint and rolled their eyes with a typical, girly giggle.
Stan kept his eyes glued to Wendy as she strolled away from Bebe and Nichole and over towards him. Her hips were swinging from side-to-side in her little gym shorts which hugged her frame perfectly. The mere sight of her not only reminded that dark haired boy why he happened to be so tired that day, but also why the entire adventure had been oh so worth it.
Thoughts similar to these were still consuming Wendy's mind, too. It was all she had been able to think about for the entire day – the pure bliss that had filled her soul, the intense feeling of being completely connected with Stan, and the exciting offer that her mother had made her later that morning.
Suddenly remembering this, Wendy blinked and forced the notion to the back of her brain. Even as Stan had picked her up and driven her to school that morning, Wendy hadn't told him that her mum had asked her about going on the pill – not yet. It was a decision she needed to make for herself, and she didn't want to get Stan's hopes up until she had time to properly think about it.
Besides, it wasn't like they didn't have fun and reliable system at the moment, right?
"How's the practice going?" she sang out sweetly to him, snapping Stan from his trance, "You gonna' be ready to dominate next weekend?"
"That's the plan," he answered, taking a step closer as she finally approached him. Pausing for a second or two, Stan licked his lips, "I wanted to talk to you about it, actually."
Wendy frowned, "What about it?"
Smirking at her, Stan reached for her hand and skimmed his fingertips with hers, "I want you to be able to come."
Her skin tingled at his touch as she stared at him adoringly, "Stan," she laughed, "You know all the spectator spots are already filled."
"Well, yeah," he droned matter-of-factly, "Those spots may all be taken, but there's two other groups that have to have exceptions made for them. Footballers…" he trailed off, holding in a wishful breath, "…and cheerleaders."
As soon as this final word left his mouth, Wendy felt her delighted expression slip slightly.
Each year that one of the high school football tournaments took place, it was hosted by a different city across the nation. This time around, the team from South Park would be hopping on a plane in a week's time to fly to Phoenix. An old, run-down summer camp just outside the city with three or four large football fields had been completely renovated and brought back to life for all the students to stay at for the course of the weekend. This included players, cheerleaders and a small number of spectators – all of which had already been selected before Stan and Wendy got back together.
And all of which left them in their current conundrum.
"Stan," Wendy repeated blankly, "I'm not on the squad."
"Well, yeah, but Bebe's junior captain," he argued, "All you'd have to do is say the word and she'd – "
"I know, I know," Wendy hastily cut him off. She huffed out a breath as she tried to ignore the spark of curiosity in his blue eyes, "She already asked me, but…"
Upon this admission, Stan sensed his vision widen as Wendy tripped over her own tongue.
"…but, I said no."
In a stunned silence, Stan allowed his jaw to hang open for a moment, "You said…" he shook his head, "But why?"
Bringing up her arms to uncomfortably fold across her chest, Wendy stubbornly shrugged her shoulders, "Because I'm just… I'm just not into cheerleading anymore."
Stan's sharp response was immediate, "That's a lie," he pronounced, chuckling at her, "You love it, you've always loved cheerleading."
"Well, I don't anymore," she spat back.
"Were you on the squad at your old school?"
"Yeah… for a little while," she murmured, "But then I quit."
"You quit?" Stan echoed. By this stage, not only were his words resonating hers, but Stan's demeanour had also shifted to match Wendy's. His arms were heatedly crossed and his stance was strong and persistent as he continued to gaze down at her, "That word is not in your vocabulary, Wendy, you've never quit at anything in your entire life."
"Well, I did at this, okay?" she suddenly sniped, throwing her arms out to the side as her tongue remained coiled. The second she realised how vicious she had sounded, Wendy felt a coldness rush over her at the hurt bewilderment in Stan's face, "So, can we just… can we just drop all this, please? I really don't want to talk about any of it."
The exact millisecond that this final sentence left Wendy's lips, Stan felt a lightbulb abruptly flash on inside of his brain. This was not the first time recently that he had heard Wendy plead with him over something like this. There were many, many things from her old school that she didn't want to discuss, and yet, all of them were based upon one common feature.
And as this factor became apparent in his mind, Stan clenched his fists and felt his skin crawl.
"What did he say to you?"
Wendy felt her body tremour. She wasn't sure what was worse – the thought of the person that she knew Stan was referring to, or the level of intense anger that doing so had quickly caused in her boyfriend.
The teenage girl gulped, "Stan, I… I'm sorry, can we – "
"No, Wendy, tell me what he did, what did he say to you to make you quit?"
Gazing into his eyes, Wendy stayed quiet. The brink of Stan's vision may have still been swimming in wrath, but she knew that none of it was directed at her. Underneath his exterior, Wendy could see all too clearly the concern and love that Stan was truly trying to project. Finally, she sensed her body loosen.
"He… um…" she took a second to properly gather her thoughts, "He plays football, too. I mean, I joined the squad as soon as I moved there, so he was okay with it to start off with, but then a little bit after we started dating..." a brief pain shot across Wendy's chest, "He said I wasn't anywhere near as good as the other girls… and that I was embarrassing him and I should just quit."
Taking in a deep breath to force down all the bubbling emotions that were consuming him, Stan sensed himself completely seething. The pure domination and control that it sounded like Griffin had held over Wendy was unfathomable to him. It made Stan want to scream, and not only because the whole situation was despicable to begin with, but because of the fact that this was his girl who had been mistreated so badly.
It killed Stan to know that the love of his life had gone through so much turmoil, but he also knew deep down that expressing all this to Wendy wasn't going to make her feel any better. So instead, as he sighed and did the best he could to centre himself, Stan opened up his arms and beckoned Wendy towards him.
"Come here."
Instantly, Wendy dove into Stan's grasp, standing up on her tippy-toes and lacing her arms around his neck as he hugged her waist as tightly and affectionately as he could. He was sort of sweaty from practice, and his current state of body odour wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but Wendy didn't care. All that mattered to her was how safe and warm his embrace felt against her body.
Breathing in the scent of her luscious hair, Stan brought his voice to a gentle mumble, "You are an amazing athlete, and an amazing dancer. Wendy, you're beautiful."
The sweetness of his words was still something that Wendy wasn't quite used to hearing again after all this time. She squeezed him tightly once more and then broke back a little bit so she could stare up into his eyes with appreciation.
Glimpsing back at her just as lovingly, Stan lightened the mood with a smile, "And I want you to come with me, okay? I don't want to spend a whole weekend away from you."
Wendy felt delicate goosebumps pop up over her skin. Of course she felt the exact same way – she didn't want to spend any time longer than necessary away from Stan. But that couldn't stop her from feeling so unsure of herself.
"So will you talk to Bebe? Get her to give you that spot on the team?" he gently coaxed her, "You wouldn't just be doing it for me – I know you really want this, too, Wendy. Please, baby?"
Biting down on her bottom lip, Wendy stifled a laugh and shook her head in disbelief. How did Stan always manage to say just the right thing?
"Okay," she finally conceded, smiling at the goofy grin on her boyfriend's face, "But only if…" she paused, hesitating, "… only if we can really try to stop talking about him so much, alright?"
Trying his absolute hardest to ignore the pain in her voice, Stan decided it was probably best – for now – to take the easy road and just agree to Wendy's terms. He wasn't going to make anything harder for her than it had to be.
"Alright," he promised her, turning up his lips in a cheeky smirk, "But if I ever meet this guy, I'm still gonna' kick his ass."
As the bell for the start of lunch sounded in the background, Wendy ultimately allowed a laugh to escape her at Stan's protective threat. Keeping her arms firmly in place, the dark haired girl hugged her boyfriend once more before the young couple exchanged a tender peck on the lips.
As much as Wendy hated talking about Griffin, she knew that doing so with Stan wasn't ever going to be able to hurt her.
"Coming to lunch?" she asked him, finally changing the subject.
"In a few minutes," he answered, "I just want to run through a couple more plays with the guys."
Reaching down for his hand, Wendy clutched at his fingertips and allowed their grip to linger as she slowly started to walk away, "Okay, I'll cya' in a sec."
"Okay."
Stan felt his heart flutter as he watched Wendy saunter back towards the main building of the school. He was beyond happy that he had been able to convince her to join the cheer team again and come to Phoenix with him. It was definitely going to make his trip a thousand times more enjoyable.
Keeping the smile glued to his face, Stan turned around and ran towards the rest of his team. To him it seemed that his teammates were the only people still occupying the field, when in actuality, Stan was completely oblivious to the two female figures sitting at the top of the hill at the end of the oval.
Darcy sighed to herself. She continued to pick bits of grass out of the ground and throw it away in frustration. A slim moment of hopeful anticipation had crossed her when she spied Wendy toss her arms out to the side and watched on as she and Stan seemed to be getting heated with one another. But then, of course, the dark haired couple had made up, and Darcy had felt her heart splinter at the sight of them kissing.
"I tried for so many months to get him to treat me like that…"
Glimpsing over at sadness in her best friend's face, Leah's chest ached for Darcy. The blonde girl hated that her best friend was so miserable, and even worse than that, she despised that it was all because of some boy.
"It's only the honeymoon period," Leah offered gently, "It's not gonna' last forever."
Darcy fiddled with the hem of her gym shirt, "Oh yeah?" she challenged, "How do you know?"
Squinting her eyes and gazing across the field to watch Wendy finally disappear back into the building, Leah shook her head with angrily gritted teeth.
Someone had to pay for hurting her best friend.
"Well… we're just gonna' have to make sure of it."
Ooooh. How daunting...
LOOK HOW QUICKLY I UPDATED, PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW :) I truly appreciate it!
Till next time guys,
Reneyyyyyyyyyyy x