DISCONTINUED
Alina Fairgrieves-Byers and Gabriel Burton have learned to expect the worst, but that doesn't make things less disappointing.
𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄
( 𝐎𝐂 𝐗 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑 )
( 𝐎𝐂 𝐗 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐘𝐄...
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putting the 'pep' in 'dyspepsia'
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. ✧ ・゜. +・o ✧
In front of a giant orange sign with HAWKINS TIGERS CAN'T BE BEAT scrawled in green and white markers, the cheerleaders performed a complex routine that made Gabe's head spin to just think about. With one girl being thrown into the air like a ragdoll and somersaulting several times before landing in the arms of her teammates, another cartwheeling across the dirty gym floor, and the rest waving their pom-poms in the air like bursts of green and orange fireworks, Gabe wasn't exactly sure what to focus on. Plus, with all of the cheering from the crowd—apparently, despite the early hour, most of the student body was very excited about the upcoming basketball game—and the loud music from the marching band, there was far too much going on.
If he was being honest, Gabe didn't exactly understand the point of pep rallies. Sure, they were meant to get people excited about their local sports team, but why were they even meant to care in the first place? Maybe the people actually on the teams could be excited about upcoming games, but why drag the Average Joe into it? It wasn't like they had rallies for art or music.
Mike and Dustin weren't even trying to pay attention. For the past five minutes, they'd been rambling about their girlfriends—Mike was listing off his plans for everything he'd do with El in California, while Dustin raved about his upcoming reunion with Suzie at summer camp. The open way they spoke about their partners made something in Gabe's gut twist. He'd never be able to go on about Will like that.
"Now, look, I'm not saying that my girlfriend is better than yours," Dustin drawled, right as Max slid in beside Gabe. He let out a sigh of relief, glad to have someone present that wasn't totally girl-crazy, and gave her a smile. Max just looked down. "It's just that Suzie's, like, a certified genius."
"You do realize El saved the world twice, right?" Mike asked.
"And yet you still have a C in Spanish."
"Hey, Max," Gabe tried, nudging his friend with his shoulder.
Max, red hair pulled into a haphazard bun, headphones hanging around her neck, finally turned to meet his gaze. "Hi," she said. Her tone was almost flat.
