*Beauty*
At 8:30 on a Friday night, with streetlamps lighting the car pack with a romantic hue, I kissed my seven-year crush William Johnson.
Will's lips were as soft as I'd imagined.
He was an amazing kisser.
My hand, the one that wasn't boiling alive on his chest, nestled into his glorious black locks. My chest sputtered as his arm came around my back, holding me up as my legs threatened to give away. I could feel his muscles through my thin cheerleading vest, sending pulses of heat up my spine.
The press of his lips against mine was gentle. And yet the burning flushes rocketing beneath my skin refused to let me describe it as chaste.
My mind emptied to nothing but his sweet scent and the warmth of his skin. One thought shoved to the forefront:
He was kissing me.
William Johnson was kissing me.
I couldn't believe it.
The moment was endless and too short at the same time.
Slowly, torturously, he pulled back, stopping just centimetres away from my lips. Electricity sparked on my skin as his fingers stroked my face, tracing a fiery line from my ear to my jaw. His breath tickled my lips and I licked them.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured.
I bit my lip.
It still hadn't hit me yet.
William Johnson--seven year crush extraordinaire--thought I was beautiful.
William Johnson--seven year crush extraordinaire--kissed me.
I must be dreaming.
And yet the trembles that ricocheted deep in my bones grounded me back to reality. This was real. William Johnson, my seven year crush, called me beautiful. William Johnson, my seven year crush, kissed me.
William Johnson, my seven year crush, liked me.
I couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't be taking advantage of you."
I shook my head. He was completely wrong. He wasn't taking advantage. If anything, I was taking advantage of his perfect lips.
Please kiss me again.
The words pulsed in my skull and my lips parted, the words lying on my tongue.
All that came out was air.
I felt my heart sink as Will began to step back. His eyes clouded. For a moment, before and after he kissed me, they were finally clear, revealing the emotions he always masked beneath black framed glasses. But the shutters were coming down.
I was losing him.
No.
My fingers clutched his shirt, weakly preventing him from leaving. He blinked and glanced down at me, his expression puzzled.
The words came out in a whisper. "Please kiss me."
His eyes widened.
I tried to ignore the boiling sensation on my face.
Wow, Ellie, not embarrassing at all.
Will nodded just slightly before craning his head back towards mine. His lips brushed against mine before he finally pressed them to me. His hands were careful, cupping my jaw and chin. My body was still, unable to react as my heart quaked in my chest.
Slowly, he became braver. His hand buried into my hair, tugging softly on the strands. His fingers on my waist nudged me closer, till our bodies touched.
My heart sped.
His lips parted just the barest of inches and I gasped as sweet minty warmth drifted into my mouth. Tentatively, his tongue slid against my lips.
My heart raced and my fingers trembled as one hand slid up his back while the other slid deeper into his silky black hair.
I was kissing William Johnson.
And he was kissing me back.
The sheer perfection of this moment was incomparable. Heat grew from my chest, spreading through my entire body and making me lightheaded.
This was a moment I'd dreamt of throughout the past seven years. And yet the reality was so much better than my million and one fantasies.
Nothing could ruin this moment.
Nothing.
"What is going on here?"
I'd spoken too soon.
Hearing her voice was like being doused with acid.
I flinched, my hold on Will breaking.
Catherine stood several feet behind where Will had originally stood, her arms crossed and eyebrows raised. Her gaze was sharp, her glare shooting daggers through me.
"What are you guys doing?" She snapped.
My gaze jumped to Will. Will's focus was on a spot behind me, a pained expression on his face. His fingers clenched and unclenched and for the first time I noticed the red dusting on his cheeks.
Woah.
He was so perfect.
"Hello? Did you not hear me the first time or is your bimbo cheerleader mind too slow to process what I'm saying? What. Are. You. Doing?"
I blinked rapidly, realising I'd been staring at Will, mouth agape for the last few minutes.
Totally not embarrassing.
I staggered back, gulping in reaction to the rage pouring from Catherine's eyes.
"You little slut, what were you doing to Will? Throwing yourself at him like you do to all the flipping footballers? Who do you think you are?"
My gaze flickered to Will before sinking to the ground. "What? I don't--"
"Shut up!" she barked. "You're just a dumb--"
"Catherine," Will snapped. "That's enough."
Will turned to face her, standing in front of me. My eyes locked on his back, expansive and firm.
My heart stuttered as his hand wrapped around mine.
"Don't speak to her like that," he said, voice hard. "I won't have you insult her. She's not a slut and she wasn't doing anything to me."
Catherine huffed in shock. "Are you joking Will? You're defending her? Against me?" She gestured to herself. "Who you've known for ages? Are you serious? That slut was throwing herself all over you!"
"Catherine!" Will snapped. "Stop it!"
Catherine flinched. Her hands, rolled into fists, trembled. "You are ridiculous Will. I can't believe you're doing this to me," she said, her voice low and hurt. "Ridiculous."
The air was tight and tense. Catherine's glare was full of hatred. And yet, there was hurt swimming at the edge of her hazel eyes.
The kind of hurt that came from a personal betrayal.
Almost as if she liked him.
Almost as if she had a crush on Will.
I could feel my heart sinking.
"Ellie?"
Will and I's hands immediately flinched apart.
Gemma's strawberry blonde hair was silhouetted by the yellow hued streetlights. Her brows, perfectly defined and shaped, crumpled in confusion.
Dang it.
Blinking rapidly, I stepped out from behind Will.
"Oh, hey, Gem! What are you doing out here?" I said, voice as peppy as I could make it.
Catherine barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Great. More Barbie dolls. Just what we need." She shot a glare at Will. "I'm heading to the car." She twisted swiftly, stomping towards the further end of the parking lot.
Will's gaze flickered between me and Gemma. I felt my chest ache.
"I've got to go," he said softly, his voice so quiet that I doubted Gemma heard him.
He lingered for a second longer, and in that moment I just wanted to grab his hand, to force him to stay. "See you."
Then too fast, he was leaving.
And our moment was over.
"Bye," I murmured though I doubted he heard me.
My gaze followed his smooth gait as he headed in the same direction as Catherine.
Please don't leave.
"Ellie," Gemma repeated.
She'd strode closer now and her gaze jumped from Will's figure to me and then back.
"Why were you talking to them?" she asked, frowning.
My heart thudded faster.
Had she seen us holding hands?
Speaking of which, had Catherine seen us kissing?
I shrugged. "Just was." Just kissing my seven-year-crush. You know, the norm.
In my dreams.
Gemma raised a sceptical brow. Finally, she offered: "Tutoring stuff?" Her expression became sympathetic. "You poor baby, stuck learning chemistry and what not." Calculus Gemma, Calculus. Then Gemma tilted her head, her expression slightly puzzled. "I thought you'd be upset about cheerleading. You know..."
I frowned, attempting to remember what she was talking about.
Then it dawned on me: cheering, falling, and leaving the stadium.
I'd completely forgotten.
"Oh," I gasped. "I forgot all about that."
Gemma laughed. "Really? You did?" Abruptly, she frowned and guilt stole her expression. "Sorry I came out so late. Coach was being a royal pain. I would have run for it but I had to wait till she couldn't see me. Madison and Layla are distracting her right now. You know, with last term's suspensions and all, I can't get in trouble again." She smiled. "I'm really glad you're okay."
I beamed back. "Thank you for checking up on me."
Gemma grabbed my hands, shaking me till I giggled. "No need for thanks. We're BFFs, I'm always going to be there for you." Gemma glanced back at the stadium. "Do you want to head to the locker room? The girls are waiting."
I nodded. "Sure."
Gemma grabbed my hand, tugging me in the direction of the girls' locker room.
I glanced back, hoping to get one last glimpse of Will. My eyes met dark cars.
Oh, Will, I can't believe it.
I can't believe you like me.
*
Through the thick red door of the locker room, the sounds of female voices, laughter and chatter spilled out into the empty hallway.
The voices hushed to whispers as Gemma shoved the door open, striding in. The girls glanced up at me, whispering amongst themselves.
Madison and Layla jumped up instantly.
Madison launched herself at me, pulling me into a crushing hug. "Oh, Ellie, are you okay? Are you hurt?" she drew back, looking me over. "We wanted to follow you but Coach wouldn't let us."
"We should have anyway," Layla added, resting a hand on my arm.
"It's alright. I'm fine." Better than fine. I'm amazing. I'm over the moon. I'm perfect. "It was just a little fall."
Madison frowned as her gaze examined my face. "Did something happen?"
I blinked, feeling my heart speed up. "Why?"
Did she know? How would she even find out?
"Your hair is messed up," she said. "And your skin's red."
I felt heat rush to my face. My fingers leapt to my hair, brushing it out in an attempt to make it neater. I laughed awkwardly.
Madison sighed. "Anyway, we've all been worrying about you." She nodded to the rest of the team. "Right, girls?"
The girls agreed, speaking sentiments.
I smiled, grateful. "It's okay. I'm fine. I'm great. Thanks for worrying guys."
Murmurs of 'good' and 'yay' floated around the room. I could barely process them. My mind drifted back to Will and the image of his face, only inches away from mine. Up close, gazing into his eyes, I could see every miniscule detail of those emerald irises. The memory of the way he'd looked at me was forever imprinted into my mind.
I nearly jumped when a loud snort came from the corner of the room. Chelsea sat at the other end of the room, nested between her best friend and her posse. Chelsea tapped away on her phone while Angela and Angelica giggled under their breaths. Tiffany simply smiled, her face smug.
"What was that?" Gemma snapped.
Chelsea blinked up innocently. "Are you talking to me Miss Henderson?"
Gemma's glare could kill. "Yeah, I am talking to you. What was that snort about? What right do you have to disrespect Ellie?"
Chelsea snorted again, raising an eyebrow at Gemma. "Are you joking? She fell and ruined our entire routine. It was absolutely ridiculous, especially for our so-called Head Cheerleader."
Gemma barked out a humourless laugh. "Really? You really think that? You think I didn't see what you did?"
Chelsea's face tightened.
"You moved your hands on purpose. You wanted her to stumble. What, you thought if she got injured you could become Head Cheerleader? For real?" Rage poured off Gemma in waves and her fists clenched and unclenched. "Who do you think you are?"
Chelsea crossed her arms. Her lips were pursed and she avoided Gemma's gaze. "I don't have to listen to this rubbish."
"Rubbish? You know what? Why don't we go outside so you can say that to my face you stupid piece of--"
"That's enough Henderson." Coach waltzed in, her gaze firm as she stared down Gemma.
Gemma's eyes narrowed. "She is sabotaging our team, injuring our captain, and that's all you can say?"
Coach watched Gemma for a moment and a sense of foreboding came over me.
Gemma hated it when she did that.
I squeezed Gemma's hand.
"Whatever happened was a mistake." Coach's eyes flickered to me. "Are you alright Kent?"
I nodded.
She weighed me up. "Can you do the finale?"
I nodded again. "Of course."
Coach nodded her head in return. She clapped her hands, getting the attention of all the girls. "Okay girls, I want you out on the field in five seconds, ready to do the finale."
Then she waltzed out.
"This is stupid," Gemma muttered under her breath.
"Don't worry about it," I murmured back.
"If she pulls that stunt again..."
"It'll be fine," I replied. "Besides, I've been cheerleading since I was a toddler, a little movement from her shouldn't have made me fall. I was off my game." I squeezed her hand before she could deny my statement. I turned to the girls. "Ok girls, routine 29A, we can do this!"
The girls whooped, waving their pom poms in the air. Madison handed me mine.
"Let's do this," she smiled.
"Yeah," I replied, feeling a smile inch onto my face.
The rest of the night passed without event. My gaze lingered on the crowd throughout the performance, only to encounter Will's absence. Despite my disappointment, the memory of his kiss hovered over me, making every cheer move I made more enthusiastic.
I still couldn't believe it had happened.
I was thinking about Will as the crowds dispersed from the field, heading home.
Gemma skipped over to me, her face sporting a mischievous smile. "Madison can't drive you home," she said.
I frowned. "Why not?"
Gemma waved a hand, dismissing the question. "Car share thing for a party tonight. Remember, you said you couldn't go? Anyway," her grin widened, "guess who landed you a ride?"
I laughed, drawn in by her enthusiasm. "Who?"
"Me! With a certain someone..." Gemma stepped aside dramatically and gestured towards a figure in a bulky football uniform.
Oh, darn it.
I stifled a groan as Justin Markson waved at me from across the field, flashing me a glowing smile. Around him, his teammates chuckled, throwing friendly punches at him.
"After that fall you need some loving care." Gemma wiggled her eyebrows. "I hear Justin is really good at administering that."
Before I could protest, Gemma had already dragged me to Justin's car.
"See you later, alligator," Gemma chimed, blowing me a kiss as she skipped away.
In seconds, she'd jumped into Madison's car on the other side of the lot and they were screeching away.
I sighed. I really needed to talk to those guys about their matchmaking. It was interfering with my life.
After a few minutes, the footballers emerged from the stadium, laughing raucously.
Justin smiled as soon as he noticed me. As he split from the rest of the guys, they grinned at me and patted him on the back.
"Hey," he said, his lips stretching into a grin. "Heard you needed a ride."
I forced a smile. "Yeah. Thanks for you know...offering."
Wow, this is awkward.
Still smiling, Justin unlocked the car, gesturing for me to get in.
I sighed as I sunk onto the leather seats. Justin got in after me, and began fiddling with the radio. After a few moments, he stopped on a radio oozing out low sultry music.
He glanced over at me and I quickly turned to face the window. The memory of sitting with him at the cinema was still clear in my mind. There was a pause, as if he was waiting for me to turn around, but I kept my gaze fixed on the window. After a few moments, he started the car.
As the car slowly left the parking lot, my gaze ran over the spot where Will and I had stood just an hour ago. Though the memory was still vivid in my mind, it felt like a far away dream.
On the way to my house, Justin chattered nonchalantly, talking about football, the game and the scholarships he was likely to get to play football at college. I responded with nods and agreements.
Finally, his car stopped outside my house.
Justin turned to me. "So, here we are."
I nodded, glancing longingly at the house. My fingers immediately grasped the door handle. "Yeah. Well thanks for--"
I stopped as I spotted my dad's Mercedes rolling into the driveway. Tessa and Amelia, along with my parents, emerged from the car. Tessa was still in her cheerleading uniform, her light blonde hair in a high ponytail. Amelia trailed after her, practically dragging herself out of the car. Her hair was loose, brushing against her waist and hips as she walked.
Justin whistled. "Those are your sisters?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
My parents had a rule that they had to attend their daughters' cheerleading events as much as possible. It was usually on a cyclical schedule. This week they attended Tessa's school's game, next week they would attend mine. They ensured that Tessa and I went to different high schools so we both had an opportunity to become Head Cheerleader of our teams. It was also a cardinal rule that every single performance of ours was recorded, whether they were there or not.
My mom stepped out after them, her steps sleek and graceful as her stiletto heels hit the tiled driveway. Her painted lips moved as she talked to my bemused looking dad.
"Your mom is..." Justin trailed off.
I sighed as my mom did what I was hoping she wouldn't--she glanced over.
She blinked in surprise as her eyes flickered between me and Justin. Then a smug smile manifested on her face.
It could only get worse.
Tessa and Amelia followed her gaze. Tessa very loudly 'Oohed' while Amelia raised a surprised eyebrow. Finally my dad turned to see what everyone else was looking at. His eyebrows furrowed and he pursed his lips as his gaze fell on Justin.
And it just got worse.
"Thank you for the ride. I've got to go." Before Justin could protest, I'd already scurried out of the car and towards the front door.
Tessa squealed as she followed me through the doorway. "Who was that hottie mctottie?"
"Just some guy," I replied.
"Dumb jock probably," Amelia muttered as she dumped Tessa's cheerleading bag, which she'd carried inside, onto the floor. She turned and made her way up the stairs.
Mom floated in after her. "It would have been nice if you'd introduced us, hon. I had no idea you had a boyfriend. Isn't he that quarterback? Justin Markson? It's about time you started dating, I was getting worried you'd be single forever."
"She's too young to date a guy like that," Dad muttered, shutting the door. "In fact, she should never date a guy like that."
Mom rolled her eyes, giggling. "A guy like that? You used to be the school quarterback, remember honey?"
"Yeah," he groaned. "Exactly."
I sighed. "He's not my boyfriend. Don't say stuff like that Mom."
She just hmphed, her expression one of disbelief. Then her lips thinned.
Here it comes.
"Ellie, what happened today at cheerleading? I got a text from your coach saying something went wrong?"
Of course.
Translation: How dare a Kent daughter make a mistake when cheering?
It was my Mom's prerogative to monitor all our cheerleading activities. She'd asked the coach to update her with everything. It was likely she already knew what had happened.
I shrugged. "It was an accident."
Dad's face furrowed in concern and he tugged me into a hug. "You alright darling?"
"I'm fine."
Mom continued to peruse me with pursed lips. "I feel as if your continued focus on academics may be hindering your cheerleading."
My dad shot her a look. "Felicia."
She held up her hands. "I'm just suggesting an idea." She paused, sighing. "Anyway, I booked you some extra classes in cheering just in case. Gymnastics, tumbling, the usual. You know you can't achieve the things your sisters have without effort, right?"
Dad's lips were pressed tightly together, his gaze warning as he stared intently at Mom.
"Yeah," I agreed,
"I'll text you the details, ok?"
I nodded. "Ok. I'm going to head upstairs now."
Dad patted my back. "Alright hon. Remember to come down for dinner, cool?"
"Cool." I turned to walk up the stairs. As I reached the top, I heard my parents speaking in rushed whispers.
My legs felt like liquid as I stumbled towards my room. The weight of all the events of today threatened to crush me.
I shut my door behind me and gazed at my wall. Surrounding my window, the wall was covered in cheerleading posters and inspirational quotes. What no one knew was that half of the quotes were from a speech Will had given to the school two years ago, at the Principal's request.
I'd memorised every word from that speech.
My affection for Will had always been a secret. I'd hidden it because of my cowardice, because of my fear of rejection.
So I couldn't believe what had happened.
I sunk onto the ground as a light sensation poured through my entire body.
William Johnson liked me.
Life would never be the same.
***
Hope you liked that chapter guys :)
This chappie is dedicated to an avid voter and commenter :) See you next chapter my beauties ;)
God bless xxx
Yemi Everest