Myrcella
Friday night was a big night at Kings Landing High. The football team was playing the first game of their district play offs. Myrcella was sitting with her parents in the stands watching her brother play. She was excited for her school, but she secretly hoped that the other team members would hurt Joffery.
Down on the sidelines the cheerleaders were cheering and keeping the crowd happy. Sansa was kicking and waving her pompoms. Her voice was clear and loud as she led the crowd in the chants. In a week Myrcella watched as Sansa became popular. There was something about her that made people want to be around her and do things for her.
Myrcellas father was there and he was drunk and making lude comments about the cheerleaders. Ned Stark was sitting by her father and was trying to keep his voice below a bellow. Arya and Bran were there as well. Bran was on his Kindle and would cheer whenever the crowd did, but he was not watching the game. Arya was intermittingly texting and talking to Myrcella. She didn't know who Arya was texting, but she had a smile on her face.
Myrcellas phone chirped.
Hey Myrcella. Where are you-? Gendry
Sitting with my family.
Can you get away? - Gendry
I think so. Where are you?
Concessions stand with Thoros and Hot Pie. Hot Pie wanted chili fries. - Gendry
That is just like him. I'll bring Arya with me.
Cool see you soon. - Gendry
"Arya do you want to go meet the guys at the concession stand?" Myrcella asked. Arya didn't respond. "Arya! Are you there?" She waved her hand in front of Aryas face.
"What the hell Myrcella! That was not cool." Arya snapped.
"She did ask you a question. You were the one ignoring her." Bran said from beside her.
"You asked me a question? I'm sorry I was distracted." Arya said
"Its okay. The guys wanted to meet at the concession stand."
"Oh. Okay. Hey mom Myrcella and I are going to the concession stand to meet some friends. I have my phone." Arya said to her mother.
"Alright dear. Do you have money?" Catelyn asked.
"Yep. We will see you later."
The girls headed down the stands to the ground and made the way between the spectators cheering for the team. They wove their way to the concession stand to find their friends at the counter getting Hot Pies chili fries.
"Arya, Myrcella glad that you came to join us." Thoros said when they got up to where they were had gathered.
"It is better then hanging around our parents and my mother making a fuss about every hit my brother takes." Myrcella said.
The stadium cheered. The team had done well and scored a touchdown. The band started to play and the cheerleaders led the crowd in a cheer. Arya looked at Myrcella and rolled her eyes.
Gendry and Hot Pie joined them and they walked out of the stadium to the parking lot where there were a large group of people. Beric and Aegon were waiting by Gendrys car. There were laughing and joking
"Are you going to the party at our house after the game?" Myrcella asked Gendry as they walked.
"There is a party that we heard about in another part of town. We were going to go there. It is not going to be the jock squad and their groupies. There are going to be real people there." Gendry said.
"Oh." Myrcella said dejectedly.
"You can come with us if you want. And Arya too." He flicked his gaze over to her.
Myrcella smiled. "I would, but I have to go to the party at my house."
Aegon heard this and came over and slung his arm around her shoulders. "You know that you don't want to be there. Come with us. It will be more fun."
"I don't think my mother would allow it. She is okay with hosting parties, but not okay with me going to them."
"I don't want to go to the party at your house either. No offence but all the people going are all asses." Arya said, still looking at her phone.
"Isn't your sister going to be there?" Aegon asked.
"Yeah with Myrcellas brother."
They all chuckled at the face that Arya made. Myrcella thought that Arya looked like she had eaten a lemon. It was not a secret that Arya had quickly grown to dislike her brother. She could not really blame her. Arya had come across him bullying a freshman and intervened. Joffery had called her a little bitch and had said that if she got in his way again she would pay. Arya called Joffery a ball-less wimp for having to pick on the young and the weak to feel like a man. When Myrcella got home from school that day Joffery had cornered her and slapped her for being friends with Arya. She didn't tell anyone about that. There were no marks on her so no one was likely to believe her.
"I have an idea. Why don't you stay over at my house tonight? My parents will let us go to the party with the guys if we get home by one." Arya said a mischievous glint in her eye.
"That is a great idea. That way you don't have to put up with the jock-straps and the rest." Beric said.
"I don't know. My mother is protective. She says she is a mother lioness and they do not let anything mess with their cubs."
"Then ask your father. He will say yes." Arya said.
That was a good idea. Myrcella knew that her father would say yes, just to piss her mother off. She decided that she would. One night of rebellion was something that she could do. It was not like her real friends would be at the party at her house, she was already with them. She would have more fun with them.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"Excellent!"
"I'm going to text my dad and ask him. He will talk to Robert for us. And I will tell him we are going to get something to eat with our friends so we won't have to go back to the stands and you won't have to face your mom." Arya said, her fingers flying over her phone as she talked.
"You sound if you have a lot of experience in deception." Gendry said a crooked grin on his face.
Arya looked up from her text and shot him a fuck off look and the others laughed.
"You are lucky she didn't hit you. I saw your arm from the other day when you told her that she would never be able to tighten the bolts on a tire without using the drill. The bruise was perfect." Aegon said.
"My arm is still bruised and sore." Gendry said, his smile growing bigger. "And she was able to do it. She's a strong Little Wolf."
Myrcella saw Aryas head snap up. There was a look on her best friends' face that she had never seen before. It was both sad, wistful, and held a deep longing all at the same time. The two held each other's gaze for what felt like an eternity. Myrcella felt the first trickle of jealousy enter her. She quickly banished the thought. Arya was her friend. But at the same time she didn't know what she felt for Gendry.
During the week Myrcella had come to the realization that she was in fact in love with Gendry. She had liked him since the year before when he had come across her at a park trying to get her little brother to climb down from a tree. Tommen had gotten stuck and Gendry had climbed up to the boy and helped him down. They struck up a friendship from that. Tommen still called Gendry his Hero for helping him.
She had had a fleeting crush on Aegon, but it was more of a superficial crush because of his good looks rather then anything else. Seeing Gendry show interest in Arya made Myrcella realize that she was in love with the most blind man in the world.
She figured that if she went to the party that they would have the perfect opportunity to spend time together and she could make her feelings known. She hoped that Aryas plan worked.
She heard Aryas phone chirp.
"They say yes! Let's leave now. I don't think that I could show anymore school spirit tonight." Arya said.
"Who's riding with who?" Aegon asked.
"I can hold five. And you only have your bike. I don't know how this is going to work out." Gendry said.
"Bike?" Myrcella asked turning to Aegon.
"I have been working on a motorcycle for a while and I decided to take her out tonight." Aegon blushed looking at Arya.
"Myrcella was telling me this earlier that she had always wanted to ride on one. I told her about riding with my brothers. Why don't you ride with Aegon to the party?" Arya said her face back on her phone.
Myrcella shot Gendry a look. He had a slightly pleased look on his face. She felt her heart sink a little. A new idea was forming in her mind. She called it 'make Gendry jealous'.
She let her face light up in a bright smile as she turned to Aegon and laid her hand on his arm.
"Could I ride with you? I would love it."
She saw him gulp. She knew that she could be devastatingly charming when she wanted to be.
"Sure."
The others piled into Gendrys car. Arya sat up front with Gendry. She saw them chatting. Arya had put her phone away. Her felt the prickles of the green eyed monster poking out.
"You are going to have to hold onto me tight. I promise that I won't drive to scary." Aegon handed her a helmet. She saw Gendry roll down his window.
"I will make sure to hold onto you. Nothing could make me stop." She tried to put a purr into her voice as she swung her leg over the bike and looped her arms around Aegons lean waist.
"We will follow you." Gendry said. Aegon nodded and started up his bike. Then they were off to the party.
Bran
Bran sat in the stands and lessened to the commentary to the game. The Kings Landing Knights were winning so far 27-0. They were in the first half of the game and things were looking good for the team. But he was more interested in what he was reading on his Kindle. He had never read Shakespeare before and they had been assigned to find a monologue from one of his plays to perform on Monday for the class. He had chosen Mark Anthony's monologue from Julius Caesar, and had it memorized, but he found the other plays fascinating and had decided to read all his work.
He felt his cell vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. There was a text from Meera on it.
Will you stop reading and come down here?-Meera
Bran looked up and looked around. At the bottom of the stairs leading up to where he was sitting Meera was leaning on the railing looking at him. He smiled and set his Kindle down.
There I stopped reading happy now?
Meera smiled as she read his text and nodded her head indication that she was indeed happy that he had stopped reading,
Come join me and Jojen. We were going to go get something to eat. I can drop you off at your house when we are done. –Meera
Let me ask.
Okay-Meera
"Mother can I go get a bite to eat with my friends?" Bran asked.
"Do you not feed your children Mrs. Stark?" Tyrion Lannister asked. "That is the second one to ask to go out and eat."
Catelyn smiled thinly at Tyrion then turned to look at Bran.
"You may go. I want you home by ten thirty at the latest." She said.
"What time did you tell Arya and Sansa to be home tonight?" Rickon asked.
"One." Ned said.
"Then why does Bran have to be home by ten?" Rickon wanted to know.
"The same reason you have to be home by eight when you are with your friends. Because of our ages." Bran told his brother. "Mother can you keep my Kindle and take it home for me?"
"Yes darling. Have fun and be safe." Catelyn said.
Bran walked down the stairs to the stadium to where Meera was waiting. She grabbed his hand without saying a word and lead him to the parking lot. Jojen was there waiting. As soon as they got within sight of her brother she released Brans hand. He did not understand why she had taken it in the first place but he didn't really care. He just found it odd.
"You found him. Was he doing what I told you he would be doing? Reading?" Jojen said.
Meera nodded.
"And was he in the section I told you about?"
Meera nodded again.
"And did Tyrion say what I said he would say when Bran asked to get a bite?
Meera nodded again.
"What do you think Tyrion say if you know so much?"
"Do you not feed your children Mrs. Stark?" Jojen asked.
"And how do you know that?" Bran asked.
"He saw him say it." Meera said.
Bran stood there and looked between the two Reed children and could only stair at the in disbelief.
"How did you see it? Were you watching me?" Bran said scoffing at what his friends said.
"I have been watching you all week Bran." Jojen said.
"You have been stalking me?" Bran was outraged.
"He has not been stalking you. But he sees things." Meera said walking over to Bran and put her hand on his arm.
"Has he had a brain tumor? Is there something going on wrong with your head?" Bran demanded.
"I am just observant, like you. Let's go. I am starving. A milkshake and burger sound great." Jojen was sliding off the front of the car where he had been sitting.
"I am not going anywhere with you." Bran said backing up from Meera.
"Wait Bran, come with us and we will explain everything, honest." Meera said earnestly.
Bran was torn between knowing want was happening with his new friends head and feeling like they were playing a trick on him. Like with all things his curiosity got the better of him and he agreed to go with the Reeds.
Sansa
She loved being a cheerleader. She was always happy about doing it. She loved that she could get an entire crowd on their feet and cheering for the football players. She truly felt like she was giving the players a reason to play. She had been over the moon after school on Monday after her talk with the cheer coach. She was granted into the squad with opened arms and all the girls were kind to her.
She had found her in. She saw her path to get her crown. Now all she had to do was get a little more popularity and she would have her dream. It had been her dream since she was small to be Prom Queen. She had found her aunt Lyanna's crown as a girl and had worn it around for weeks. She looked at pictures of her aunt when she won. There was a glow about her, a power about her that made her aunt seem like she could do anything. Bring men to their knees, rule the world. On that one night of her aunts prom Lyanna had been on top of the world. She wanted that too. To honor the aunt that she never knew, to show that the Starks held that power still. So she stood there doing high kicks, shaking her pompoms and she felt that pride surge with in her.
She was excited about the game. She truly loved football. There was something beautiful and graceful about the game to her. She had always been the one to watch it on TV at home. She was the one who understand the rules and plays in her family. It was her thing. When she wasn't leading the crowd she was intently watching the game.
The team worked very good together. They flowed together and knew what the other was thinking of. They stopped every pass, they caught every throw. She was a little amazed that the team didn't rally around the QB Joffery; they took their direction from Sandor. He was the heart of the team. He yelled only when someone did something wrong, he encouraged when someone did felt like they were not doing good, he praised when someone was good. Sansa noted that Joffery only bullied and praised himself.
Sansa had agreed to go out with him before she had seen what he was really like and now she didn't think she could break it off with him. In the last week he had shown his cruelty and possessiveness in the extreme. He walked her everywhere at school, called and texted incessantly, and she found out from Bran that he had threatened her sister. When she confronted him about that he had laughed and said that it was a misunderstanding. When she asked Arya she said the same thing. But he was also very charming when he wanted to be. She understood why he was so popular. He had money and spent it on everyone. He bought his friends then he kept them around by bulling them.
She cheered and rooted for the Knights. She put her heart into it. She was ecstatic when they won the game and was the one leading the spectators onto the field to congratulate the team. She reached Sandor first. His eyes were bright and he was extremely pleased with the win.
"You played amazingly Sandor. I have never seen anything like the way that you on a field before." Sansa said as she gave him a fast congratulations hug.
"It was a team effort." Sandor grunted.
"You were still amazing." Sansa said as she let him go.
"Sansa! There you are. What did you think of my playing?" Joffery demanded as he made his way over to them. He put his arm around her waist.
"You played very well Joffery." She said, feeling uncomfortable with Joffery clutching her to him.
"I was fantastic, everyone else was okay. Come on Hound we have to change. I have a party at my house to get to. Sansa you should wear your uniform, I like the way you look in it." Joffery said over his shoulder as he walked away.
"You don't really have to stay in the uniform if you don't want to." Sandor said in a soft voice.
"Its okay. I don't mind staying in it. I can always change at the party." Sansa said dismissively.
"Okay. I will meet you outside the lockers to go to the party." Sandors' voice rippled.
"You don't have to do that. I am sure I can get a ride with Margaery. It is not a big deal."
"I said I would take you. I do not go back on my word once it has been given." Sandor said.
"Alright I will meet you outside the locker room." She said.
Gendry
He was driving across town to a party that he had heard about. It was being thrown by senior that he did not know. It was not that much of a surprise to him, he knew his friends and that was about it. The party was at some guy named Jaqens house. He was pleased at the arrangement of who rode where. Arya was sitting next to him. He was happy that Myrcella had gone with Aegon. Now Aegon wouldn't be there to distract Arya from him and he didn't have to see the moon eyed looks Myrcella kept giving him. Then only bad part was that Arya was on her phone the whole time.
"Who are you texting with Arya?" Hot Pie asked.
"My older brother Jon. This is the longest I can ever remember not seeing him. He is my best friend." She said.
Gendry breathed a sigh of relief. It was only her brother, not that mysterious guy that she walked with after her art class. His lip curled back in a snarl just thinking about that guy. It was enough that he had to compete for Arya with his best friend, but a strange guy was something else.
They pulled up to the house that the party was at. There were plenty of people and they all piled out of the car. Aegon and Myrcella were parking beside the car.
"Aegon that was ssooo much fun. I really enjoyed it. Maybe you could teach me how to drive it someday." Myrcella said. She shot a look at Gendry as she said it.
Just what Gendry needed. Myrcella thinking that she can make him jealous by flirting with Aegon. Didn't she know that Aegon liked Arya? Wasn't she supposed to be Aryas friend? Weren't girls supposed to talk about that kind of thing? The opposite sex mystified him.
"Alright let's get into the party and see who all is here." Thoros said. "Maybe I will get lucky and I will find love."
"I doubt it Thoros. One look at you and any woman will go running." Beric said as he climbed out of the back seat.
The two got into a playful shoving match and they walked up to the door to the house.
It was opened and a crush of people came spilling out. There was music pulsating from inside the house. Gendry lead his group into the house and they saw some people that they knew from school.
"Hello lovely girl. I am very pleased that you could make it." The speaker was the two toned hair guy that walked with Arya from her art class to her poetry class every day. He looked over at Arya, she had a smile on her face.
"Jaqen is this your party?" She asked.
"It is. I just received word that our valiant Knights have just won their game. And who are all these people that you have here with you?" Jaqen indicated to the group ringed around her.
"These are my friends. Myrcella, Hot Pie, Thoros, Beric, Aegon and Gendry." Arya introduced her friends.
Jaqen nodded his head at the names that were indicated. Gendry glared daggers at the new comer. There was something in the way that this guy looked at Arya that he didn't like. He looked over to Aegon and he had an identical look on his face. He looked like he wanted to rip the guys face off and stomp it into the ground.
Sandor
He walked out of the locker room and saw Sansa standing waiting for him just like she said she would. He felt a stirring in his lower extremity. She should not be allowed to wear that cheerleader uniform. Her body looked to good to be true. Mouth wateringly good came to mind. He cursed Joffery for making him be alone with her. All he wanted to do when he was alone with her was take her into the first secluded place that he could find and have his way with her.
"Lets go." He barked.
She followed behind him to his car. He opened her door for her and then went to the drivers side and they went to the party. They drove in silence but it was not uncomfortable. It took twenty minutes to get the Red Keep and the party was already in full swing. Sandor got out of the drivers side and he went around to Sansas side and opened it for her. He offered her his hand to assist her out. She took it. Like with every time they touch he feels the electricity jump between them. She released his hand.
There are already people past the point of intoxication loitering around the grounds. Sandor led Sansa to the back of the house to the pool house where Joffery always had his parties. The music was pounding and loud. He went over to a barrel that was full of ice and grabbed a beer out of it. He would only drink one beer tonight. He couldn't get drunk tonight. He had to drive Sansa home.
Joffery was already on the verge of being drunk. He saw Sandor and Sansa behind him.
"Sansa there you are. How the hell did you get here? Did you walk?" He stumbled over to her. He tried to kiss Sansa, but she ducked away from him and all he was able to do was give her a wet slobbery kiss on the cheek. Sandor saw a flicker of anger cross his eye.
"I had to wait for Sandor. Remember he was the one that drove me here." Sansa said.
"Did you have a go with her Hound? Is that what took you so long? Have you been sniffing around my girl?" Jofferys voice was getting louder and they were starting to attract a crowd of on lookers.
Sandor balled his hand into a fist. He did not want to punch the little worm; he would if the little shit didn't stop pushing him. He had been doing that all week. In the locker room after practice they he would brag about how he was going to get into Sansas pants and that she was going to be the crowning jewel of his collection of sexual conquest. He had just been turned down by Margaery Tyrell the week before and he was just using Sansa to make her feel bad for not going with him. When Sandor heard that he wanted to use Jofferys face as a mop and wipe it all over the floor. He felt that way whenever he was Sansa and Joffery together.
"Joffery are you serious? I would not do that. What do you take me for? And besides you never even asked me to be your girl, have you. Now stop making a scene and take me onto the dance floor." Sansa said stepping between the drunken fool and Sandor.
Sandor released his clenched fist from its death grip to a slightly relaxed fist. He tried to control his breathing. He tried not to let his eyes follow Sansa. He saw her turn and look at him. There was something about the way that she was looking at him made him want to go over to her and rip her away from Joffery.
"Sandor why are you letting her go with him? Can't you see that she has a thing for you?" Margaery asked from next to him.
"She likes him. If she didn't why would she have come here to be with him?" He said in his sandpaper voice. What she was saying could not be true. Sansa did not like him.
"She is trying to use the user for some unknown reason. Myrcella told me and Arya told her. She doesn't really like him. Talk to her." She said.
"I talk to her everyday Margaery. Now leave me alone." He walked away into the crowd. He walked further away from Margaery and the things that she had said. He walked away until he was no longer surrounded by people. He found a tree and sat down to be alone. He liked being alone. He knew that it was always going to be this way. He was going to be alone for the rest of his life so he just better get used to it.
Arya
She felt the tension swirl around her. She looked at the guys on all sides of her. Jaqen was looking at Gendry, Gendry was looking at Aegon, and Aegon was looking at Jaqen. Then they all looked at her. She did not understand what was going on. She turned and looked behind her at Myrcella. There was something going on with her best friend as well. There was to much drama for her and she felt like she was the center of it all.
"Jaqen can you point out where a guy can get a soda around here?" Thoros said from the back of the group.
"Come this way. The drinks are over here." Jaqen said.
Arya watched as they went into the party.
"Hot Pie lets go dance!" Arya said grabbing Hot Pies hand.
Out of all he friends that she had made in Kings Landing Hot Pie was the one that she felt would explain things to her. They didn't end up on the dance floor, they ended up in the kitchen of the house where they could talk.
"If I asked you a question would you tell me the truth?" Arya asked.
"I will. But you might not like what I have to say." Hot Pie said.
"What happened back there? I felt like Aegon, Jaqen and Gendry were going to take off their pants and compare sizes. And Myrcella looked hungry and lost. I just don't get it Hot Pie. Please explain it to me. I feel like I am causing all this." Arya said.
Hot Pie took a deep breath and just looked at her as if she was stupid and was blind as well.
"You have no idea?" She just continued to look at him. "You really don't. Well I didn't think I would be the one to tell you this, but those three guys out there all have a thing for you. And your best friend likes Gendry. She has for years now."
Arya just stood there unsure of what she was hearing. It was not possible. There was no way in hell that there was a guy out there that liked her, let alone three. What the hell. She had a suspicion about Myrcellas feelings for Gendry. But she didn't know for sure. Why was Gendry letting her be around him without telling Myrcella that he wasn't interested? That was so rude. But wasn't she doing the same thing with the three guys she just learned liked her?
But was she sure that she didn't like one of them? She did like them, but as friends. But was that all? Could it become something more someday with one of them? If so which one? This was just too much for her. She didn't want to think about any of this tonight.
"Lets go get me a drink Hot Pie. I think I need a big one."