#The caption for photo 2 says that it was unclear if they were rehearsing of that was an out-of-character moment.

[releasing-my-insanity]

Photos by Ros Clarke, Moorside Holiday Farm Cottage, and Tom Holmes Photography.

[artificialqueens]

But I'm A Cheerleader! - Chapter 18 (Aja x Farrah) - Millie

A/N: I’m going on holiday for three weeks on Sunday, so updates will probably be irregular because I’ll be in a different time zone + for one of the weeks I won’t have wifi. But don’t worry, when I’m home they’ll be all back to normal!!

Aja couldn’t stop smiling. It was stupidly late and Farrah had drifted off long ago, but she was still wide awake. After last week’s unplanned sleepover, both of them had implicitly decided that sleeping in the same bed was actually an okay idea, and there was way more room. Plus, Farrah had admitted that sleeping on Aja’s floor was like trying to get comfy on a bed of nails.

Although they hadn’t been friends long, and Aja had only liked her a short amount of time, she’d certainly fallen fast.

Unable to sleep, Aja was stuck to mindlessly scrolling through social media until she was tired (as one does). She wasn’t paying that much attention until she came to one photo on Instagram that Kandy had just posted: a photo of herself, Momo, Dahlia, and Aja. They all had smiles on their faces and were squeezed in together so they could all fit in the photo. The picture must’ve been over a year old. The caption read, “#TBT. My best friends!”

Aja remembered posing for that photo, partially because they had so much fun that day, but mainly because it was the last time her and Dahlia were proper friends. Looking at it filled her with a sickly feeling, and her previous ecstasy was cut short. She clicked on Dahlia’s tag on the photo and briefly looked through her account, but it was just the same old stuff.

Farrah rolled over and rubbed her eyes, interrupting Aja’s sudden drop in mood. Seeing her there wrenched her heart even more, as she realised the similarities between her feelings for Farrah and Dahlia. Both were (or at least used to be) her close friend, both occurred during high school. Okay, they were pretty vague and common similarities, but the worry she felt towards them was just the same.

“You’re still awake?” Farrah croaked.

“No, I can look at Instagram with my eyes closed,” Aja snapped, although that wasn’t her intention. “Yes, I’m awake.”

“It’s late,” Farrah said. “You should really sleep.” Her voice was soothing, and Aja found herself becoming more drowsy with each word.

“Alright,” she said simply.

She turned off her phone, the pitch black of her room greeting her instead of the harsh light. Farrah nuzzled her head into the crook of Aja’s neck and sighed contentedly; Aja silently freaked out. She closed her eyes and rested her head on top of Farrah’s. Several minutes passed, and just as Aja thought she was about to drift off, Farrah spoke again.

“Can you stroke my hair?” she asked.

Despite being pissed for being woken up, Aja wrapped her arm around her so she could reach her hair in a more comfortable fashion. Eventually, they both fell asleep in that position, Aja stroking Farrah’s hair until she was too tired to do so.

-

That Tuesday was the final game of the season. Everyone was on edge, bracing themselves for what was to come. The Glamazons and The Bombers were neck and neck at the moment, and this game could go in any direction.

The cheerleaders always became the most patriotic when it was the last game. Many of them painted their faces with their team colours, as well as writing its name on their arms and legs in hopes of catching the attention of one of the guys. This year, the Glamazons had opted for a giant, purple flag with a silver RG sewn on gratuitously by Miss Visage and the textiles teacher, and they managed to place it at the top of the stadium where the wind would blow more fiercely and show it off. The Bombers had friends in the audience holding up makeshift posters and signs, most of them covered in demeaning terms meant for the other team. Miss RuPaul didn’t seem to notice, but if she did, she didn’t say anything for the sole reason of drama and competitiveness.

This week was also the last rehearsal before the West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts, and it was safe to say that all of them were absolutely shitting themselves about it. Their routine was pretty much complete now; they just needed to go over it a few more times and it’d be perfect. The worst part about it was not knowing what they were up against, and they had to create new routines even faster than usual. They’d only find out if they got in at the end of August, and if they didn’t make it then tensions were bound to rise between the teams.

The end of the game was fast approaching, but it was still unclear as to who would reign victorious. The cheerleaders had stopped doing their supportive routines and were now just standing there attentively, closely observing the footballers. The scores only had a couple of points between them.

“We’re in the lead!” Sasha whispered loudly to Aja at one point, indicating to the scoreboard. She noticed that there were only a few minutes left.

A huge, goofy grin appeared on her face. “We better win,” she replied.

Sasha nodded.

They all continued to watch the game unfold, and the Bombers’ cheerleaders began to panic; Aja could hear the scared whisperings behind her. The Glamazons had the ball at the moment, and were inching towards another goal… before one player from the Bombers tackled them. The crowd blew up into cheers and praise now that the Bombers had taken control again, and within a few speedy seconds, they’d scored another goal. Aja’s smile dropped.

The few remaining minutes of the game were concentrated on with even more intensity. Mr. Mathews had his hands clasped together as her watch with them, his mouth close to the microphone to announce the winner at any minute. Those anticipated moments passed quickly, and the time was running out.

“3…” Mr. Mathews shouted into the microphone, “2… 1…” He blew his whistle and the footballers froze. “And the winners are… RuPaul’s Glamazons!” he announced before anyone could even look at the scoreboard.

There was a second-long delayed reaction filled with shock and euphoria before everyone erupted into screams and claps, even the people in the audience who were rooting for the Bombers. By only one game win, RuPaul’s Glamazons had taken the crown (or rather, trophy). Although disappointed about losing this year, the B-52 Bombers footballers still clapped.

All the Glamazons’ cheerleaders brought each other into a group hug, holding one another tight. Despite not even playing, they felt like they’d just won, too. Now, all that was left for them was the crowning of Cheerleader Of The Year at the end-of-year assembly, and they all had their fingers crossed that they would win (although, it could always be a Bomber).

-

“Congratulations!” Farrah exclaimed when she found Aja waiting for her outside school. She hugged her tight.

Aja beamed at her. “Technically, we didn’t win; it was the footballers,” she said.

“Well, you’re my winner.” She smiled in return. “Hey, I was thinking… I’m seeing my friends from the LGBT club straight after I get home. Do you want to come? Obviously you don’t have to-”

“Sure,” Aja cut her off. “I’d love to.” Besides the fact that she’d get to know some probably pretty cool, new people, Aja figured that if Farrah did like her, even just a little bit, she could tell by the others’ reactions to her coming.

They set off to Farrah’s house, adrenaline from the game still coursing through their veins.

“So, who do you think it going to win Cheerleader Of The Year?” Farrah asked.

Aja didn’t really know. Over the course of the year, she’d seen so much development in everyone’s performance - anyone stood a chance.

She shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she said. “Shea, Trinity, and Valentina stand out the most to me. What do you think?”

Farrah noticeably winced at the mention of Valentina. “I agree,” she said. “And maybe even Sasha or Eureka.”

Aja nodded. “They can turn it out.”

As always, it only took a matter of minutes before they reached Farrah’s house. She quickly went inside and grabbed a sweater for each of them as they were starting to shiver in their less-than-conservative outfits.

“Where are we meeting them?” Aja asked, pulling Farrah’s sweater over her head.

“Oh, just the park,” she said. “It’s actually the one that James and Chuck do community service at. It’ll be nice to see it clean.” They both laughed.

Soon, they were at the entrance of the park, and peering in, Aja could see a group of people huddled together by one of the benches. Butterflies began to swarm her stomach, but it wasn’t the good kind.

“You okay?” Farrah asked her before they entered.

“Yeah, yeah, just a bit nervous, I think.”

“Come on - you’ll be alright.” She held Aja’s hand and pulled her forward. “Let’s go.”

After walking a few steps, a couple of the people by the bench turned around and greeted them, and they all followed suite.

“Hey, guys,” Farrah said, both of them walking over. “This is my friend, Aja.”

Aja plastered a smile on her face, and they did the same in return. “Hi.”

Farrah looked up at her and beamed. “So,” she said, squeezing Aja’s hand. “These are some of my friends from the club.”

The group waved and said hi to her. Everyone was noticeably cold, and it occurred to all of them that a park in the evening was not the best gathering place, even if it was the end of May.

“I’m Trixie,” one girl introduced herself. “And this is my girlfriend, Katya.” She motioned to the girl stood beside her. Katya was a combination of sexy Russian gymnast and blind fashion designer. Trixie had very… prominent makeup, to say the least, but it suited her well. They looked like complete opposites.

“Nice to meet you,” Katya said in a soft Russian accent, smiling. “We’ve heard lots about you.”

Aja’s eyes lit up. “Good things, I hope.” She chuckled nervously.

“I’m Alaska.” A tall, thin girl came forward and spoke with a low, rough voice. Her platinum-blonde hair was packed on top of her head into a messy bun (although messy was an understatement) and she smiled widely. Aja smiled back at all three.

One of three boys spoke up. “I’m Derrick,” he introduced himself, “and these are my boyfriends, Mac and Nick.”

Aja recognised Trixie, Katya, and Derrick as past students from Tuckahoe High School, and Farrah informed her that Alaska and Mac were there just before Aja and Farrah were freshmen.

“You should totally join the LGBT club, Aja,” Katya piped up. “And there’s a load of other people if you get tired of us.” She laughed.

“I might…” she replied hesitantly. It would be a great opportunity, but the only problem was that she wasn’t out to her mother yet. What would she tell her? She always saw straight through Aja’s lies.

“Please, please, please,” Farrah insisted, gazing up at her with what looked like complete adoration.

“I’ll think about it.” Aja smiled. She’d try her best to resist Farrah’s ‘begging’ face.

-

That evening consisted of random small talk that Aja mostly couldn’t follow, but soon she began to settle in. Everyone invited her into the conversation and were overall very welcoming. When she was with them, she felt an air of acceptance that she’d never felt around other people. Now, Farrah and Aja were on their way home; it’d just got to 9:30pm, and Aja had figured that her mom would want her home by now.

“If it ever came down to it,” Farrah spoke up, “you could date one of the people from the LGBT club. Alaska’s recently single.”

It took everything Aja had to not grab Farrah by the waist, bend down and lean in close, look deep into her eyes, and tell her how fucking oblivious she was. She didn’t want to date Alaska - hell, she’d only known her an hour - or anyone else, for that matter. Aja wasn’t exactly through her any hints, but the frustration still resided within her. She only wanted Farrah, and she wouldn’t settle for anyone less until she knew the other girl’s feelings.

“Nah, I’m okay for now,” she said through gritted teeth.