A/N: YAY! Techno song used: .com/watch?v=pOAi2Nu32Os&feature=related
I'm back from hiatus...sort of. I've been writing a real novel with made-up characters and everything.. I know...exciting. Hey, does it say the name of Steph's school? I'm going to make one up, so don't hate me hahaha.
Chapter 12: Being Followed
Pinky is lying? What's going on with her? Maybe if I talk about Sportacus later, it will make her feel better.
Robbie pretended to laugh. He pretended to be someone he wasn't. He pretended the jocks were cool people when really, he despised their urge to play and talk about sports more than Sportacus. He also pretended that he went to class while Stephanie went on with her day. Robbie actually went into the bathroom and hid in a stall for an hour wishing he had cake to occupy him.
Nevertheless, Robbie couldn't help but think of Stephanie in her gym outfit. He usually wasn't a perverted person, but he wished so hard to see her tank top and shorts again, running around with such enthusiasm for a game. Robbie knew earlier that day that the only sports he would ever watch again were the ones Steph played. However, a good boxing match wasn't too bad from time to time. Seeing grown men making fools of themselves while beating each other up was pretty amusing.
Lunch passed by slowly. Steph glanced over at Robin from time to time, seeing him either laugh with the jocks or run his fingers through his light brown spiked hair. Tiffany tried making a few jokes, but Stephanie wasn't laughing. Her horrible day had to end soon.
"I'm sorry, Tiff." Steph finally admitted halfway through lunch, "I'm just having a bad day."
Lily interjected, "You don't have to go to cheer practice if you don't feel good. Alice would understand."
"I better go," Steph admitted. "I can't quite grasp the ending to our choreography for the competition on Friday."
Robin's attention was caught like a fish on a hook.
Lily replied kindly, "Alice can help you, but you need to be willing and out of this bad mood."
"I can do it," Steph said. Regret bore down on her the second she finished speaking.
Lunch ended and students scmapered about like rodents. Classes were almost done for the day, but not soon enough for neither Robbie nor Stephanie. Robbie decided not to attend anymore classes for the day. He waited patiently in the bathroom stall for the day to end. However, since patience wore a little thin in such a cramped space, he decided to explore the school a little more.
Robbie had a strange sensation in his stomach. Something told him to walk to the cafeteria, even though lunch had just finished. A sweet smell filled the air around him. He closed his eyes and smiled . . . Someone has cake.
In the heart of Robbie, he knew taking an entire cake from the school's kitchen was a troublesome idea. Yet, Robin considered it a much better plan than sitting around all afternoon. The sweet confection tasted marvelous, and was enjoyed even more so because no one had seen it disappear. Every morsel was devoured with care as if it were a cake-tasting job and Robbie would be payed thousands of dollars. He savored if as if it would be the last thing he ever ate.
Stephanie slouched in her chair as the seconds-hand on the clock ticked away moments until the school day ended. When the bell finally lurched out its horrendous tone, Stephanie bolted to the classroom door and left behind the weight from her shoulders. She didn't care about homework today. Her only priorities included quickly going through her cheer practice and napping at home.
"Confusing, huh?" Alice talked loudly to her cheer team. "Once Stephanie's here, she can help us. She is my accomplice, after all."
The pink-haired female made her way quickly to the women's locker room and out into the football field. Her team was already practicing, and already talking about the competition.
"Friday, we'd all better be prepared for the worst." Alice continued, "No slacking, and especially no insecurities. You have all done this before, and won. We can win this year. We're better, stronger, and - I'd like to add - even more spectacular than last year because of our outfits. Our routine will blow the judges out of the water. Ah!" She spotted pink hair and said, "Stephanie, I'm glad you could come. Tiffany said you weren't feeling too well."
"I'm a little better," Stephanie replied. "It was a rough day." She adjusted her pink and black skirt and forced a smile on her face.
Lily, who stood next to Stephanie, mumbled, "I hope you really are alright. We're four days from the competition. We have to pull ourselves together."
Silence fell upon Stephanie like the weight she thought had vanished.
"Now," Alice began again. "Stephanie, if you would please come to the front of the group, we can go over the whole routine and explain any troubling parts."
The few steps to the front of the formation felt heavy and worrysome. Alice walked to her nearby boombox and pressed play. The cd inside spun rapidly and began to jut out a techno version of The French Cancan. The group immediately began to go over their choreography without the aid of their pom-poms. Stephanie and Alice jumped in and carefully watched each member dance on the grass to perfection.
"Stop." Alice yelled and ran to shut the boombox.
The cheerleaders whined and moaned.
"What did we stop for?" Lily asked. "I was doing so well."
"What the hell is this?" Alice pointed at a boy approaching the group. "Who the hell are you?"
Stephanie blurted, "Robin! Oh, he's new here. . . Been following me all day." She hoped no one had heard the last bit as she stepped towards him.
Robin grinned from ear to ear and said, "I guess I should apologize for intruding."
"You aren't bothering me," Stephanie admitted. "but the rest of the girls are a little annoyed. We had to stop our practice because you showed up."
"Can we get on with this?" Alice shouted through the impatient female-gathering.
"Sorry," Robin responded. "I'll sit in the grass somewhere until you're done. I've nothing to do today, so I was going to see if you'd want to take a walk later."
Stephanie felt her heart skip a beat. She nodded. "Sure. Just wait by the school's exit over there. It goes into the gym if you get bored. We should be done in about an hour."
"Fine by me." Robin smiled again and turned on his heel to walk away.
Was that pink frosting on his cheek?
Tiffany commented as Stephanie passed by, "He seems to really like hanging around you, Stephie."
"Can we leave the drama for later, girls?" Alice announced, "We only have a little time before I set you free to do your thing. Now, back to our cheer. This time, with pom-poms."
The group took their hot pink pom-poms from a pile and returned to their beginning formation: three people in front, four in the center, and five in the back. The song began and so did the dancing and cheering. Stephanie would have rather left for home, but actually felt some stress relief as she used her energy.
"Alright ladies," Alice spoke as she caught her breath. "We went over the routine a few times now. I answered all of your questions, even the ones you should have known already. As of right now, it's almost four-o'clock. I've kept you for awhile, so it's time to send my chickadees back to their mama hens. You have tomorrow off, but I want to see you all Wednesday, no excuses. We will have full access to our gym thanks to the boys basketball team. Thursday, however, we will be using the gym along with them. Limited space makes for more mistakes, and it will be our last practice before Friday. I tried to get the coaches to switch practice days, but you know the school system."
"I'm hungry," Tiffany stated. "Can we leave now?"
"Yes, goodnight girls."
Stephanie bolted to the gym doors and found Robin sleeping on the stone steps. His empty facial expression reminded her of peace, and how much she longed for that feeling again.
Gently, she poked Robin's shoulder. "Wake up, Robin."
"-But I don't want to eat steamed vegetables, Mama!" Robin's eyes shot open and he looked at his surroundings in a sharp panic.
"You're so weird," Stephanie joked. "Are you still up for that walk?"
Robin jumped to his feet. "Am I ever! . . . Where are we walking?"
Stephanie laughed. She had almost forgotten Robin's lack of knowledge of her hometown.
She simply answered, "Come with me."