She's Not a Cheerleader

Chapter 9- Friend or Flirt

It was Wednesday, game day. I was walking to sixth hour with Lucas right now.
"So we have Spanish homework and that's it?" He asked.
"We have history as well." I say and we stood by the classroom door.
"Oh, right." Lucas nodded.
We stood in silence waiting for the bell to ring.
"I have something to ask you." Lucas said nervously.
"Alrighty." I say.
"Will-" Lucas said and got cut off by the bell.
"What?" I asked through the loud crowd.
"I'll just ask you later. Meet me by the lockers after your game." Lucas said and we walked in the classroom.
In sixth hour, Home Ec, we were copying notes about cooking safety. It was really boring. On game days Lucas had someone else carry his stuff so I could get to the gym, he's really sweet like that.
Taylor came running up to me.
"Hurry, Hannah is about to get asked to homecoming." Taylor said and I started rushing for my stuff.
"By who?" I ask and close my locker.
"Dunno, someone just told me and ran off." Taylor said and we sprinted down the hall.
"Whoa, slow down cuties." A freshman called.
Taylor and I gave a dirty look to him and ran into the locker room. I quickly braided my hair, pulled on my black spandex, jersey, and knee pads. I slid on my volleyball shoes and grabbed my phone to record.
"I need your guys help." A boy said behind us.
"Why?" I ask.
"I'm asking Hannah to homecoming." The boy, Carter, said.
"Really?" I said in awe.
"Yeah, can you help me set up the volleyballs to say 'HC' with a question mark?" Carter asked.
"Of course." I say.
"I'll distract her." Taylor said.
We split in different directions and I started taking out the volleyballs. We set up the white ones as the H, the blue as the C, and the yellow as the question mark.
"So have you two been dating?" I ask.
"No, but we sit next to each other in two classes and I really like her. I've also been reading online articles and her friends giggle when I walk by, so that means something right?" Carter said.
"Definitely." I smile assuring him.
Carter and I waited for Hannah and Taylor. Everyone yelled and cheered when she came out. I clapped and gave Carter room.
Hannah gasped and ran up to him. She smiled and hugged him. I'm guessing that was a yes, so I clapped. Usually I'd be mad they did it before the game, but Hannah doesn't bet distracted. I checked the time and saw we had about ten minutes before we had to warm up.
"Will you help me find Lucas? I shouldn't be asking you, but I need to help him with something." Gavin said to me.
I jumped, because I didn't know he was next to me.
"Sorry, yeah of course. I have to be back here in ten minutes." I say and he nods.
I followed Gavin in the hallway.
"Maybe he's at his locker?" I ask.
"No, I checked there." Gavin shook his head.
We headed down the main hallway to check the commons.
"So when are you going to ask Taylor to homecoming?" I ask, trying to start a conversation.
"I want to, and I need to soon, but I don't know how." Gavin said.
"Right a play in words on a volleyball. It's simple and cute. Ooh, how about donuts? I would love to get asked to homecoming or prom with donuts. Like something cute written on it like, 'I donut want to go solo at Hoco.' That'd be cute." I smile.
"Really?" His eyes widened.
"Yes, really." I say, thinking something was up.
"Oh, nuts, you have to go warm up." Gavin said in an actual tone of defeat.
"Um, right. I'll help you later if you don't find him." I say and jog back to the gym.
I ran into the gym and gathered the team together. We stretched then started warming up.
"Alright girls, big game." I said in our huddle before the game.
"Right, we have to beat them." Hannah said.
"We have been the first group of girls to ever beat this team. I am not willing to lose to them now, especially when I'm team captain. Let's make this year three we've won, girls. Let's do this." I say.
Coach called off positions and I had first serve.
"Balls up!" Taylor called out when I tossed the ball to serve.
My serve went over and I quickly went to my base position. They tried to set it, but they just caused it to go out of bounds. I serve five times and got us four points. The thing about his group of girls is that they specialize I'm serving, but what allows us to neat them is that we dominate at everything. Once we rotated and I was in the four spot the core was 13 to 6 we were winning.
They served, we passed, then set, then I spiked. I hit a girl in the face, I didn't mean to but I did. She got a bloody nose and had to be substituted out. Next serve Olive hit the ball, which didn't get the point. Well, it sort of did. They passed it out of bounds and it took them four hits to get it over, so we got our point.

"Good game." I smiled to the last girl in line.
We just finished giving high fives to the other team, the sailors. What a stupid name.
I finished taking down the net and was talking to Taylor by the door. She was smiling because she hit a really nice spike.
"Can I tell you something crazy?" I ask.
"Of course." Taylor nodded.
"I think I want a homecoming date, or even a boyfriend. I don't know, really. I just think I have enough trust in myself to not get distracted." I whisper to her.
"That's good, and I trust you as well." Taylor laughed.
"I know that I'm not getting a homecoming date anytime soon." I roll my eyes.
"You never know, you are one the most popular girls I'm our grade. The school, even. You'll get a date." Taylor smiled a suspicious smile again.
"Ok, but please don't call me popular." I say.
"Hey, you two. Good games." Gavin said.
"Thanks." I smile.
"So, do you guys want to go out to the diner with Lucas and I?" Gavin asked.
"Fine with me." I say.
"Sounds fun but we have my car." Taylor said.
"You two can just drive separate." Gavin says.
"Ok, we'll come." I say.

Taylor and I pulled into the diners parking lot. The bell rang as we opened the door and sat down next to Lucas and Gavin.
"It's so cold out." I say and sit across from Lucas.
"Well maybe if you guys didn't have to wear such short shorts." Lucas shrugged.
"Like you don't check girls out?" Taylor raised her eyebrow.
"Maybe I check out one but I don't want other guys who will take advantage of girls looking at them." Lucas said.
"One guess who if was."Gavin rolled his eyes and laughed.
"It's probably Olive." I say and look at the menu.
There was a pause where no one talked.
"Hello my name is Quinn, I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink or any appetizers?" Quinn, the waitress, asked.
Why do they always say the same thing and in the same happy voice?
"I'll have a water." Taylor said.
"I'll have a root beer." I smile.
"Can I have a coke?" Gavin asked and she nodded.
"I'll take a water, please." Lucas said.
"Any appetizers?" Quinn asked.
"No we should be good." Gavin smiled.
"Are you sure? On weekdays if you're on a double date or just date you get appetizers half off." Quinn pointed to us.
"Oh no," I say explaining how we aren't a couple.
"She means that we'll take the nachos, we are definitely on a date." Lucas smiled and cut me off.
"Alright I'll be back in a few minutes." Quinn smiled and pranced off.
"What was that?" Gavin asked.
"People say their nachos are the best around and I don't want to pay full price if I don't like them." Lucas shrugged.
"Sure." Taylor agreed sarcastically.
"Yeah, really. Besides would it really be that bad dating me?" Lucas asked.
I hid my smile and just shrugged. I almost let out a giggle but I didn't.
"It wouldn't be torturous. Doesn't the half the school think we'd be cute together, then the other half thinks we are low key dating?" Lucas asked all of us.
"Apparently a twenty something year old named Quinn thinks so too." I say.
"Well she's not wrong." Gavin said.
"You guys were voted most likely to get together last year." Taylor said.
"That's a thing?" I ask.
"Well... Not really." Taylor said.
"Did anyone think that Hannah got asked to homecoming kind of early?" Gavin asked.
"Yeah, it's in like three weeks." I say.
"I might be able to play in the homecoming game. I have a doctors appointment later." Lucas said.
"That'd be great." I smile.
"Here's your drinks." Quinn said and handed our drinks to us.
In five minutes she came back with a plate of nachos.
"If I had a date then we could go shopping for dresses together." Taylor said and eyed Gavin. He held his hands up I'm surrender.
"Me too." I giggle except I knew I wouldn't have a date.
"Yeah Lucas, step it up." Taylor said and I laughed.
"She already rejected me multiple times. I can only be broken so many times." Lucas said.
"A man who tries more shows a girl that he likes her." Taylor said.
"Changing the subject. Tay, I was looking at black dresses online and there was this cute one and a pink one you'd like." I smile.
"Really?" She asked.
"No I just wanted to change the subject." I say.
Our appetizer came and their nachos were really good. I noticed Lucas kept on looking at me. Once I looked up and he quickly looked away then smiled. I feel like he was flirting a lot today.