Blondie- A Jake 'Hangman' Seresin fanfiction

Chapter 12

"What's her favourite band?"

"Fleetwood Mac," Jake smirked.

The girls had arrived at the beach to find that Jake, Rooster, Coyote, and Bob were the only other ones there. Bored, and ignoring Phoenix's winks and raised eyebrows, Lainey had begun to quiz Jake about Georgie, who was building a sandcastle with Bob a metre or so away.

"Favourite song?"

"California Stars, Billy Bragg and Wilco."

"Name of her childhood pet?"

"Smoky."

Lainey sighed dramatically, flopping onto her back in the sand. "I give up, I'm out of questions. You're too good at this boyfriend shit."

"Thank you Mars, I'll take that as a complement."

"You'd take anything as a complement, smartass. You still don't deserve her." Lainey pointed an accusing finger at him, causing the others to smirk. "She's an angel, and you're like, literally the devil incarnate."

"Lainey, too far," Georgie insisted.

"Everyone knows that only witches fuck the devil," Phoenix added.

"He looks up grinning like a devil," Lainey sang.

"Sorry Lain, not even Taylor Swift lyrics can get you out of this one," Georgie said. "As punishment, run all the way to the sea and back."

"But the tide's like, all the way out," Lainey groaned.

"Don't complain, or I'll make you sing all of Cruel Summer as well," Georgie grinned.

"Fine." She got to her feet slowly. "Hangman, I am sorry I called you the devil. I will now run all the way over there and back."

"Run, Forrest, run!" Phoenix yelled at her retreating back, giggling with Georgie. "Oh dear," she sighed through her laughter, "we have done nothing but be horrible to her today."

"Yeah. 'The cheerleader effect is real'? You basically implied she's ugly," Georgie agreed.

"I did tell her she looked really hot like ten times afterwards."

"What's the cheerleader effect?" Rooster asked.

"The theory that people look more attractive in a group," Phoenix explained. "If you're on a dating app, you're supposed to make your profile picture a group photo or something."

"Here comes everyone else," Bob pointed out.

"And Lainey's coming back," Coyote added.

They muttered and giggled like a group of schoolchildren whilst Maverick explained the rules of dogfight football, not that they were very complex. He then elected Hangman and Rooster team captains, insisting that he would only be refereeing.

"Do yourself a favour, and don't pick me," Georgie told Jake. "I was cheer captain in high school. I haven't held a football since I was twelve."

He picked her anyway.

Rooster did the same, meaning Georgie and Phoenix were on opposing teams, but they could still make excited eye contact with each other when Jake picked Lainey and Coyote for the same team.

Georgie soon abandoned all her worries about not having held a football since she was twelve and had fun with the others. The game was very fast and confusing, and before long, very sweaty. She was cheering for Bob, who had just scored a touchdown, when Maverick called a break. It wasn't necessarily half time, because no one was really sure quite how long they had been playing, and at any rate, they had no idea what the score was.

"See?" Jake slung an arm around Georgie's bare shoulders. "Nowhere near as bad as you thought you'd be."

"I'm still a better cheerleader, though," she shrugged.

"Could you do a backflip?" he asked, handing her a bottle of water.

"I could. I doubt I still can, but I definitely could." She sighed. "Everything was so much simpler in high school."

"Preach," Phoenix agreed. "Although, it occurs to me that you're probably only saying that because you were one of the popular kids."

"Are you kidding?" Georgie grinned. "I could've run that school if I'd wanted to. I was cheer captain, prom queen, I had boys coming out of my ears... it was great."

"If you weren't such a nice person, I'd hate you," Phoenix said, and Jake laughed.

"Fair enough. I was like the friendly version of Regina George."

"Regina Georgie," Bob smirked.

"But really. It was great. I could break up with the outside linebacker in homeroom and be making out with the quarterback by lunchtime." That sent a ripple of laughter around those who were in earshot.

"Speaking of making out," Rooster said, nodding his head towards Lainey and Coyote, who were some distance away, kissing passionately.

"About time!" Phoenix cheered.

"And you get to live another day," Georgie grinned, nudging her. "I was really worried about what Bradley might do to me if I killed you."

"What?" Rooster and Jake said simultaneously.

Georgie laughed. "There's nothing to a bit of murder between the girls."