Aria
As I approach Vanessa and her crew, I feel Mia practically vibrating beside me, like she’s gearing up for a battle. Her forced smile is so fake it could qualify as plastic, but hey, we all play the game differently. Vanessa and her pack of mean girls are laughing, probably over some dumbass joke that wouldn’t even make it to the blooper reel of a bad sitcom.
“Hello, Vanessa,” Mia says, voice dripping with fake sweetness.
Vanessa turns, her perfectly arched brow rising like she’s the queen of the universe. “What the fuck is this?” Her eyes land on me, and she smirks. “Oh my god. You dyed your hair blonde.”
A little smile tugs at my lips as I twirl a strand around my finger. “Yeah. I wanted a change, you know?”
“Is that why you came over here?”
“No, actually,” Mia interrupts before I can respond. “Aria’s here to join the cheerleading team.”
And boom. Like clockwork, they all burst out laughing, and I swear one of them snorts like a pig. It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.
“Aria?” Vanessa drawls, like my name is some foreign insult. “On my team? Just because Alpha Lucas decided to play charity with you doesn’t mean you’re not still a fucking bum.”
I feel my blood heat, but Mia beats me to it. “Watch your mouth, Vanessa.”
“Or what?” Vanessa sneers, stepping forward. “Have you forgotten your place in the pack, Mia?”
“Please, just give her a chance,” Lily chimes in softly.
Vanessa scoffs like the idea physically pains her. “No. Run along. This team is for us. You know, the Full Moon Pack. Maybe try Shadow Fang over there.” She points to another group of cheerleaders, their uniforms clashing so bad they might as well be walking neon signs.
“You know I can’t do that,” I snapped. “I’m not part of Shadow Fang.”
Vanessa’s lip curls. “Well, since you’re banging their future Alpha, I’m sure they’ll make an exception.”
Before I can fire back, Ethan strides up and throws an arm around Vanessa’s shoulders, grinning like he’s the king of the douchebags.
“What’s going on here?” he asks, his tone so smug it makes me want to hurl.
“Aria wants to join the cheerleading team,” Vanessa says, laughing like it’s the punchline of a joke.
Ethan’s eyes light up with mischief. “Then let her. If she wants to embarrass herself, who am we to stop her?”
Vanessa gives him a look like are you kidding me, but then she smirks. “Alright, Aria. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Mia and Lily both turn to me, their expressions screaming you got this, girl.
Vanessa claps her hands dramatically. “Alright, Aria. Let’s start with the basics. Do a split.”
Easy, I think, bending down to show off. Except my foot slips, and I face-plant. Laughter erupts like it’s a damn comedy special, and I want to crawl into a hole.
But then I catch Lucas watching me from across the rink, his brow furrowed, his lips twitching in the faintest hint of a smile. That’s all it takes. Not today, assholes.
I push myself up, plant my hands on my hips, and drop into the perfect split. The laughter dies instantly.
Vanessa’s mouth opens and closes like a goldfish. “Alright. Toe touch,” she barks. I do it.
“Pike.” Nailed.
“Back handspring.” Done.
The more stunts she throws at me, the more confident I get. Finally, I stand tall, placing my hands on my hips. “Anything else?”
Vanessa looks like she just swallowed a bone. One of her friends hesitates. “Honestly… She’s good. We should let her join.”
Even Ethan, who lives to ruin my life, shrugs. “She passed. She’s in.”
Vanessa’s furious, but she can’t argue without looking petty. “Fine. Whatever.” She storms off, leaving her goons scrambling after her.
Mia and Lily tackle me in a hug, squealing like I just won the Olympics. “You did it, girl!” Lily says, bouncing on her heels.
But the celebration is short-lived. Ethan strolls over, eyeing me like I’m a puzzle he can’t quite figure out. “Welcome to the team,” he says with a cocky grin. “I see you dyed your hair.”
“Got a problem with it?”
He laughs, but then his face hardens. “I can’t wait for you to cheer for me. We’re going to have so much fun practicing together. See you at the scavenger hunt later.”
The way he says “fun” oozes sarcasm, each word curling around me like smoke, suffocating. My skin crawls as he brushes past, leaving behind a trail of unease I can’t shake.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Lucas watching. His jaw is tight, his eyes fixed on Ethan with a sharp intensity. That little smile he had earlier? Gone, replaced by something harder, darker. And for some reason, that unsettles me even more.