Heartstrings | Johnny Lawrence x (y/n) | 1984 |

| 32 | Hoco

AT SCHOOL 8PM

The energy in the gym was electric as the crowd waited for the cheer squad to perform at Homecoming. You were in the middle of your teammates, adjusting your cheer skirt and grinning at the excited buzz around you. The loud music pumped through the speakers, and you could feel the anticipation building.

"Alright, this is it!" your friend Katie said, bouncing on her toes with excitement. She nudged you playfully, "Hope you're ready to blow everyone away!"

You laughed, shrugging. "Always! And you know the Cobras will be yelling loud enough to make up for the rest of the crowd."

"I saw Johnny out there too, by the way," said Jenna, raising her eyebrows. "Looked like he was staring you down the whole time, probably doesn't love how short this skirt is."

Rolling your eyes, you smirked. "Let him stare. He knows he's the one who needs to give me space right now. If he doesn't want to lose his mind out there, that's on him!"

The music kicked up a notch, and your team got into position. You quickly shook out the nerves, focusing on the routine you'd rehearsed so many times. As the cheer began, you couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence. Each move, each jump, and each flip seemed to charge the crowd's energy. The students around the bleachers started gathering closer, shouting and cheering as your team hit every beat.

Right in the front were the Cobras, hollering and clapping the loudest. You could hear Dutch shouting, "Let's go, girl!" and Tommy chanting your name over the music. Daniel was there too, offering a proud smile, his eyes gleaming with genuine excitement for you.

You threw in a high kick, and the crowd roared even louder. Your cheer skirt flipped up, catching Johnny's attention—his gaze zeroed in, and you noticed his slightly jealous frown as you landed back on your feet. You smirked, feeling the thrill of his eyes on you despite everything that had happened. He clapped, caught between pride and envy, watching as you effortlessly commanded the crowd's attention.

The performance ended in a final flourish, and the crowd erupted into applause. You could feel your teammates hugging you, the energy contagious as you all laughed and high-fived. The Cobras and Daniel rushed up as you hopped off the makeshift stage, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Girl, you killed it!" Bobby said, slapping you a high five. "Had the whole crowd watching, but I think we were the loudest by far."

"You really nailed that last jump," Tommy added, his face lit with admiration. "Seriously, didn't know you could jump that high."

"Hey, no one ever doubted it, right?" Dutch said with a grin. "Our girl's got more skills than the rest of this team combined."

Daniel chuckled, shaking his head. "They're not wrong. That was amazing out there."

"Thanks, you guys," you said, cheeks warming with pride. The whole squad's support made you feel like you were on top of the world. Just then, you glanced over at Johnny, who was still watching you with that mixture of admiration and jealousy. His jaw was tight, but there was a soft look in his eyes as he looked at you. You tilted your head, giving him a knowing look.

He cleared his throat, pushing through the group to come closer. "You looked... great out there," he muttered, voice low enough that only you could hear. "Everyone loved it."

The tension lingered between you for a second, his gaze flickering down at your uniform and back up to meet your eyes. It was like he wanted to say more but held himself back, knowing you weren't quite ready to hear it.

"Glad you liked it, Johnny," you replied coolly, raising an eyebrow. "Just remember—cheering's my thing, not yours."

His lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "Believe me, I noticed."