"Rian, get up." I sing song, and his eyes flutter momentarily, but remain closed.

My alarm hasn't went off yet, and I'm trying to wake Rian up so I can talk to him. I kiss his cheek, and his lips like he's a male Sleeping Beauty, which he is. I finally manage to pull myself out of the bed, and I walk downstairs and I attempt to make him some breakfast like he does for me. I somehow managed to scrape up some eggs and toast with fruit chunks on the side. I grab my bag and I quickly walk outside to my car and drive to my school.

As soon as I sit down in my first period class, I start texting Rian to let him know that I'm at school.

Alex: I was waiting for you to wake up, but I couldn't be late to school. I made u something small to eat that could hold u over until lunch. Xoxo 😘

Rian: thank you babe, I hope you have a good day. I'll see you soon 😘

I smile, and I'm automatically startled by the intercom system once it turns on.

"Attention all cheerleaders, please report to the auditorium!" The principal announces.

I stand up and take my bag, and I make my way out into the hallway. I meet up with Zariah and Shannon, and the three of us sit next to each other as we wait for the rest of the team to show up. Once they all arrive and begin to sit down, we're all talking amongst each other, trying to figure out why we've been called here.

"Do you know what's going on?" Chelsea asks in a whisper, and I shake my head.

"I don't think that anyone knows, to be honest with you." I reply with a shrug.

"Can I have your attention please?" Our cheer coach asks in the microphone, and we all complain when it squeaks loudly, echoing throughout the auditorium.

"Okay ladies, do you know why I called you here?" She asks, and we all say no and shake our heads.

"Well, the reason why we brought you here is to announce some pretty exciting news. Another school has decided to challenge you guys in a cheer competition, and if you guys win, this school receives a trophy labeling our cheer team as the best team in all of the San Francisco school district!" The coach announces, and we all start cheering and jumping up and down.

Adrenaline races through me, and I clap and cheer as the coach watches us take in the information.

"The competition will be in a month, so we will be practicing all the time. Practice until you drop, ladies. Can you promise me that?" She asks, and we all cheer in unison.

"Can you promise me that we'll take down the other team?"

"Oh, please! We could take them down with one hand tied behind our backs." Phoebe shouts with determination in her eyes.

"Yeah!" The rest of us agree.

"You girls better make me proud."

"Don't worry, Coach. We definitely will take that trophy." Raechel says, and I nod in agreement.

"We won't let you down!" I say, and the girls all agree in unison with me, and I feel like the leader of the pack.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about! After school today, we'll choose songs to perform to and come up with some choreography and stunts you guys could do." The coach says.

I can't wait to destroy the other team.

After the meeting in the auditorium, and after a few classes, it's finally time for lunch and I sit down with Xiu and Savannah.

"What did the cheerleaders get called down for?" Savannah asks, and I'm unable to hold in my excitement, and I'm practically foaming from the mouth.

"Our team is going up against another cheer team at a different school in a cheer competition, and if we win, our school is the best school in all of San Fransisco!" I say, and I watch their smiles widen.

"That must be so exciting! Have you told Rian yet?" Xiu asks, and I shake my head.

"I want to tell him in person." I reply, and they both nod.

"Are you guys practicing after school?" Xiu asks, and I nod.

"We'll be practicing every day until the day of the competition. This is pretty serious and important to the team and I, we can't let down our coach."

"That's understandable, and I know you guys will win. Go Alex!" Savannah says enthusiastically, and I thank for her for the spirit.

"Especially after dislocating my knee and not being able to cheer for a while, I'm more than determined for us to win." I say, and I feel even more in the spirit.

"Look at you go!" Xiu says, playfully nudging me. "Overachiever."

"Hey, you're an overachiever, too." I say teasingly, nudging her side.

I smile at the image of our team winning the trophy, and we'd earn the label of being the best cheer team in all San Fransisco schools. The pressure is definitely on us, and especially the coach because if we don't follow her rules and we train unvigorously, it'll look bad on her as well. I won't stop practicing until I can do the routine by heart.

When I first joined cheerleading, it was one of the main things that gave me the most happiness besides my father and my friends. Now that he's gone, Rian, Xiu, Savannah, and cheerleading is basically all that I have now. Any chance of healing my relationship with my mother is long gone, it's been damaged beyond repair.

As soon as the last bell of the day rings, I speed walk over to the gym, and I'm the first one there. The rest of the team arrives in less than five minutes, and the coach gathers us up together.

"Okay, first day of practice! Have you girls been thinking of songs that we should dance to?" Coach asks, and we all start chattering crazily.

"Work by Britney Spears!" I shout, and I see her take out a piece of paper and write it down.

"Girls, we can do a maximum of six songs! Be aware of that!" The coach says, and some of the girls huff and complain.

"How about Drag Me Down?" LuLu asks, and we all erupt into cheers.

"Okay, Work and Drag Me Down." The coach says. "Any other songs?"

"Shut up and Dance!" Chelsea shouts.

After a while of bickering, we finally choose two more songs. Can't Feel My Face, and Cheerleader. The girls and I all brainstorm some choreography, and multiple stunts, along with the chant.

"Let's go! We won't be defeated! Let's go! We came to win, we came to fight! We won't ever lose! L-E-T-S G-O, let's go! L-E-T-S G-O, let's go!" We all shout in unison, and we continuously practice it over and over again.

"Okay, ladies! Keep practicing!" The coach says, and she turns up the music.

We all move to our spots, me being in the center, and we all start dancing and clapping to the music. Every time we mess up, we stop to help each other out and to teach them the right dance move to do. I feel the overbearing competitiveness in my body, and I quickly become irritated if someone messes up. I know that they're human, and that they make mistakes, but at the same time I don't really care because I'm too driven to even think properly.

"Guys, come on!" I grumble, crossing my arms. "This isn't a joke!"

"We know that, Alex! Everybody makes mistakes." Olivia says, and I don't feel sorry for yelling at her.

"We need to get this right! This means a lot to me." I say, and Olivia just stares at her shoes. "Let's try this again."

The girls all get in their positions, and we practice without stopping over and over. Each time we get progressively better, and by the time practice is over, we're all drenched in sweat and panting like dogs during the summer time.

"Okay girls! Great first practice! Now go shower, you're all sweaty and gross." Coach says, and we all laugh before running to the locker rooms.

I tie my hair back into a bun, and I quickly slip into the shower and pull the curtain shut. I let out a relaxed sigh as the cool water trails down my body.

"Stop touching yourself!" Naya shouts from another shower, and a loud laugh bubbles from my throat.

My mind flashes back to when I still had the splint on my knee, and I was pleasing myself in the shower after Rian had helped me inside. I bite my lip and smile at the memory, and I think about how far Rian and I have come in our relationship already. As soon as I'm finished showering, I say goodbye to the girls and I get changed before I start driving off to see Rian at the hospital.

~~~

I stand at one of the main desks in the middle of the floor, desperately trying to sort out paperwork and medical records. I hear the sound of high heels clicking against the floor, and I'm stunned to see my mom standing right in front of me.

"Mom?" I say in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"A mother can't drive nearly two hours to visit her son?" She asks, and I walk around from the desk to pull her in for a hug.

"It's nice to see you, Momma. I'm just surprised that you're here, that's all." I say into her ear while rubbing her back.

"I wanted to see my son doing what he loves to do. And I came to tell you more news about your father." She says, and her eyes ache with gloom.

"Okay, hit me." I say, and she sighs.

"Well, we're going to try to start chemotherapy sessions and a few other methods to try and remove his cancer, but I don't know if the chances of it being relieved are high. You're all going to have to pray for your father, because that's basically all we have to give him now. Prayer. I'm going to need you to be strong if I don't have good news the next time we speak, okay?" She says, placing her hands on my shoulders.

I nod weakly, rapidly blinking the tears out of my eyes. I hug her again, squeezing her tightly to remove all of the heavy grief in my bones. Once we pull away, I stare into her eyes, which are about to overflow with tears.

"Momma, you've got to remain strong too. Promise me that, please? I hate seeing you like this." I ask, grabbing her hand for comfort.

"It's hard, Rian. It's so hard! He's my husband, and I've known him longer and loved him longer than anyone besides you and your siblings. So it's going to be really hard, Rian." She says out of desperation, and I feel a twinge in my chest as she says this.

"I'll be your backbone, okay? I'll be strong for you when you feel incapable of that." I say, and she smiles.

"Thank God that I have you to depend on. I need you to be my backbone, especially if things aren't looking so great."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Rian. I've been blessed to have a son as special as you are."

"Oh, please. I'm even more blessed to have you as a mom." I say, and she smiles.

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Of course." I say, and she gives me a quick peck on the cheek before turning around and walking away.

Just as she walks away, I feel a hand tap my shoulder. I turn around and I see Alex standing there with a wide smile on her face. That smile could be brighter than the sun.

"Alex, hey!" I say, pulling her into my arms.

"Hey, Rian." She says into my ear, and I smile at how her breath feels as it tickles my ear.

"What're you doing here?" I ask. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, I love seeing you."

"I love seeing you, too, and I knew you'd be here. I have to tell you some pretty exciting news." Alex says happily, clapping her hands together.

"What is it?" I ask, chuckling at her effervescence.

"My cheer squad is going to be in a competition! If we win, our team gets to hold the name of the best cheerleading team in all San Fransisco schools!" She cheers while jumping up and down.

"That's great, that's great! Am I allowed to go?" I ask.

"Of course you are! In fact, I can't wait to see you there as I'm dancing. Knowing that you're going to cheer me on, and even if my team doesn't win, which won't happen because we will, I know you'll still be proud of me." Alex says, her smile widening.

"Of course I'll be proud of my girl, and of course I'll be cheering you on. I'm gonna sit front row." I say, and I lean down and give her a kiss.

I haven't kissed her all day, so finally getting the chance to feels like the best thing in the world. My hands pull her waist against my body, and I feel her warmth and spreads to me as well. Her tongue investigates past my lips, and into my mouth. I pull away for a second, and I grab her hand and we walk into a private room. I lock the door, and Alex smiles eagerly at me as I pin her against the wall. Our tongues reunite again, intermingling more passionately than before.

Nibbling and playing, I knead her perfect butt to come closer to me. Alex moves her lips to my neck, leaving kisses so soft and tender that my skin tingles at the slightest sensation of her mouth. Her lips are warm, and I release a low moan. I cup her face and I bring her lips to mine, making us become one again. My teeth capture her lower lip, and she moans as my teeth graze her lip as I pull away. It's taking everything in me to not bend her over the table and take her right here.

I take my hand and I rub in between her legs, and her back arched against the wall. I smile as I watch her face scrunch up occasionally, and she'll moan my name so beautifully that it sounds like a song.

"Rian, please." She moans, and I circulate my fingers faster.

Her head tilts back, and she's panting while her thighs begin to stiffen. I watch her getting closer and closer to bursting into flames, and we both smile at each other and I nod my head, prodding her to moan louder for me. I take my hands from in between her legs, and I kiss Alex's neck as she's temporarily incoherent.

All of a sudden, I hear my name being paged over the intercom, and Alex and I both let out exasperated sighs.

"Damn it." I mutter.

"Hey, when you get back home maybe I'll still be awake and we'll have time for each other." Alex says, and I smile.

"You're right, Alex. Thank you for the visit, it was much needed." I say raggedly.

"You're welcome. I'm definitely glad that I stopped by, I'm going to visit you more often if this happens each time." She says, giving me a smirk.

"I can definitely promise you that." I say, biting my lip and pulling her closer again.

"I love you." Alex says, and she kisses my cheek.

"I love you, too. I have go back to be a doctor, now." I say playfully, and she pouts.

"Go attended to your lucky patients, I have to go home and do homework and practice. I'll be thinking of you while I do those things, though." Alex says, and my cheeks begin to feel numb from smiling so much.

I open the door again, and I look both ways to see if anyone is in this particular hallway. Once I realize that the coast is clear, Alex and I kiss again before we part ways and I resume my shift, feeling more than satisfied with her visit.