The bleachers were alive with noise as the marching band played carefully rehearsed upbeat music. Students, parents and teachers gathered together, collecting in mass numbers into the rows of seats in the bleachers around the football field that had been so neatly mown that morning in preparation for the first big football game. It was dark out already, but the flood lights lit up the football field in a brilliant white light, illuminating every metre so that nothing would be missed for those who were watching.

Alice stood in her Cheer uniform with fluffy blue pom-poms attached to her hands, shimmering them from side to side as she stood at the edge of the field, holding a smile on her face as she searched the crowds for her parents and younger sister. A hand stood out from the crowd as it waved, and Alice grinned and waved her Pom Pom enthusiastically as she laid eyes on her parents and Charlotte who were wrapped up in warm coats and hats, waving excitedly at her too.

The energy surrounding Alice made her heart thud hard against her chest. She felt nervous and excited to be on show to the whole school as a cheerleader, dressed in a uniform that dripped with high social status. Their job for the length of the game was to keep big smiles on their faces and cheer the team on, obviously, and at no point relax or stop paying attention. This game was just as important to Cheerleaders as it was to football players, Juniper had constantly reminded them of this the whole week.

Alice turned around, deciding to look away from the crowds and glanced towards Candice who was watching the field with interest after having obviously zoned out, although she managed to continuing to shimmer her pom poms since they were under strict instructions not to stop.

"Are you nervous?" Alice asked, walking over to stand next to Candice, whose hair had been styled in perfect large curls which was almost the opposite to Alice's high, long ponytail.

"Not really," Candice replied, "I'm just trying to remember the rules of football so I know when to cheer," she giggled and Alice grinned as she laughed too since she wasn't that sure of the rules either even though she loved watching the game.

"Go eagles!" A few of the cheerleaders cheered, catching the attention of the two girls as the others cheered and waved their Pom Poms wildly. Alice and Candice joined in after glancing at each other with knowing, excited expressions...

From this moment, each of them knew nothing would be the same... things would change during school, their social lives would change, their private lives would change too, probably... now that Alice was getting closer to the Magnus Johnson, the star quarterback and secret psychopath, she knew that there was some invisible spotlight on her in more than one way, especially after the video of her kissing him circulated around Facebook.

Minutes passed slowly as the cheerleaders cheered and continued to hype the crowd, they'd begun chanting eagles over and over again, getting the students of Summerland High to cheer and chant louder simultaneously as their football team began to make their way onto the field along with Penticton High. Alice glanced over, her eyes landing on Magnus who was walking at the front of the line, she recognised him instantly by the way he walked, even though she couldn't see his face. The cheering seemed to get louder as he looked up towards the bleachers then turned his head towards the line of Summerland Highs Cheerleaders... Alice could feel it when his gaze landed on her, the hairs on her arms and across the back of her neck stood up on end and she smiled warmly and shook her pom poms a little more to show her support.

She couldn't see his eyes or facial expression, but a warm sensation travelled over her before he looked away. And she took it as a sign that he's appreciated her gesture. "Eagles! Eagles! Eagles! Eagles!" The crowd chanted with heavy enthusiasm as they walked onto the football field and gathered into formation for the Down.

Alice watched Magnus intently, feeling the world drown out around her slightly as she focused her gaze, examining his confident body language... she'd watched him play football before and compared what it was like then to what it felt like now. When she was a sophomore, it was almost as if she was watching from the other side of the glass. But this year, she was inside the room, watching someone she was growing familiar with... and there was a strange promise of something more for them hanging in the air.

The game began, and Alice watched with excitement, but knew she couldn't just stare in awe like she used to. "Set!" She heard Magnus call loudly to his team and her body tingled at the sound of authority in his voice. The tension began to build as everyone waited, the seconds passing by slowly... the bleachers were silent, apart from the occasional whisper or rogue cheer of the excited game watcher. "Hut-hut," she heard him say and the two lines of football players seemed to crunch together as the ball was passed back to Magnus.

Alice cheered excitedly as the game began to move quickly. Candice side glanced her, a smile playing on her lips as she saw her best friend cheering for the guy she liked, although it faltered slightly as she began to think about who that guy was in particular. She'd tried to ignore it, her conscious whispering to her that she should have tried harder to steer her best friend away from on obviously dangerous person, but it seemed to be too late now.

Summerland High made football look easy. They scored their first touchdown quickly, moving into the end zone whilst barely being touched by the opposing team. The bleachers cheered wildly, and Alice could even hear a few boo's as Penticton High's supporters felt the sting of Summerland's easy points. Tensions got high quickly, and it was almost as if Alice could see the static electricity sparking off their heads as each team regrouped and the game carried on.

When half time came around Alice had a bottle of water in her hand already and a hopeful smile playing on her lips. The Summerland High football team walked off to a round of applause from their supporters since they were already vastly ahead of the other team...and it didn't take long for Magnus's gaze to find Alice quickly as he left the football field, and walked over to her as the rest of his team went to sit down on their designated bench and regain some of their energy. "Here," Alice said softly, holding out the bottle of water as Magnus got closer.

He said nothing as he took off his helmet, his hair flopping into his eyes slightly since he hadn't bothered to style it and took the bottle from Alice's hands. She'd already unscrewed the lid for him and watched with subtle awe as he took a heavy gulp of water before licking his lips. "Thanks," he murmured as he looked over her face, seeing that glimmer in her eyes. "Are you enjoying the game?" He asked, his gaze on her lips for a moment since they were stained a familiar shade of red. He heard her cheering for him every time he'd scored a touch down or ran with the ball, and couldn't help but feel the warm, grateful sensation wash over him

"Yeah," she replied, feeling a warm sensation wash over her as they held eye contact. Her hips ached subtly with need as the edge of Magnus's lips hinted at a smirk.

A few metres away, Juniper watched with a blank, annoyed expression. She could see the energy moving between them, the subtle smiles and low voices as they spoke only to each other. She watched angrily as she saw Magnus continuously looking at Alice's lips. "Alice!" She snapped angrily, "Shouldn't you be warming up?" She asked with a tone dripping with bitterness.

"Oh- right," Alice replied quickly and looked back at Magnus. "I should warm up before the thing," she said shyly then laughed a little as he smirked.

"Sure," he agreed and she smiled more before murmuring a goodbye and making her way over to Candice who was texting, and attempting to mind her own business unlike the rest of the team. They began to stretch and warm up together a few minutes before the routine began, and Alice and Candice could feel the anticipation in the air, mixing in with their nerves and excitement for their first Cheerleading routine in public.

After this day, they would have a spotlight hanging over their heads, and each of the girls was suddenly more than ready to handle that burden. As they made their way out onto the centre of the field the crowd cheered and clapped wildly for them. Adrenaline rushed through Alice's veins as she smiled and got into position... her eyes scanned the crowd, her gaze finding her parents and her smile widening as her little sister waved at her...

She could feel the hairs on her arms standing on end as the Summerland Cheer squad waited for the noise level to lessen, and her gaze moved from her parents to the golden eyes of Magnus Johnson stood at the edge of the field watching. She felt her cheeks warm with a blush and looked away, not wanting to distract herself by looking at him for too long.

"Ready?" Candice whispered from where she was stood,

"Ready." Alice replied moments before the music began. The squad moved in perfect synchronisation along with the beat of a mash up of All by love by Major Lazer and No Tears Left to Cry by Ariana Grande. Their choreography appealed to the masses, causing even more enthusiastic cheers and claps from the those watching. Alice danced with accuracy and elegance, her high pony tail swishing from side to side as she moved...

Magnus watched her intently, his eyes moving from her thighs to her face... he scanned her body shamelessly, his arms folded and his expression unreadable and yet... approval poured from his gaze. She seemed to glow as he watched her, and maybe it was because he was paying attention to only her, or maybe it was the way the floodlights reflected off her skin, but she seemed to stand out.

The routine didn't go on for long, and after three minutes it came to an end, allowing the cheerleaders to breathe as they soaked up the applause whilst also waiting for the school photographer to get a photo of their signature eagles position. "Go eagles!" they cheered, causing the audience to start chanting the name of the football team again as Alice and the rest of the cheer squad shook their Pom poms and jogged off the football field...

... the rest of the game carried on with it playing mainly Summerland's favour. Alice watched with enthusiasm, finding herself deeper engrossed into the game than she originally believed she would be. Her eyes never left Magnus, apart from the occasional glance at the opposing team when one of them would get close to tackling him. Juniper and Lucy, who was also in Magnus's friendship group, watched Alice in silence, their faces blank and annoyed at how un-subtle she was being with her feelings towards Magnus. He would turn his head towards her every now and then, which was now becoming obvious for those watching who he was looking at.

She cheered for him without shame and seemed to irritate those within his friendship group around her. "I get we're meant to be cheerleaders, but that is so extra." Lucy whispered, her eyes rolling as she glanced at Juniper.

"Remind me why I let her on the squad again?" Juniper muttered, side glaring Alice once more as she clapped and smiled enthusiastically. "God, it's like she's forgotten everything that's happened. As if she could just replace Veronica."

"You think she's trying to replace Veronica?" Lucy asked, turning her head to fully look at Juniper, who's expression was laced with anger and subtle jealousy.

"I mean look at her." Juniper murmured angrily, "She's gagging for it." She continued, referring to the way Alice was looking at Magnus. "How she's suddenly wanting to be a part of the group... she wants Magnus all to herself... I wouldn't be surprised if she had something to do with Veronica being murdered that night. Seemed a little suspicious that she suddenly turned up at the party to me."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked back towards Alice and watched her carefully, feeling her dislike for the petite blonde growing. They didn't bother to cheer as the rest of the crowd did, and continued to glare at Alice. "So what should we do?" Lucy asked, her voice low as she looked away from Alice and exhaled slowly.

"Let's remind her of what this lifestyle is really about, shall we?" Juniper sneered, a dark smile taking over her face just before she glanced at Alice Murphy again. Lucy smirked and chuckled under her breath, liking the idea of in some way showing Alice what this lifestyle was really like....

Suddenly, a loud clattering of helmets and the drawled out verbal winces of second hand pain from the crowd caught their attention, and their eyes darted towards the field, seeing two football players on the ground. Alice's lips parted in shock, her hands paused by her face as she stared. "Holy shit that must've hurt," Candice hissed, cringing herself as she stood next to Alice, her hand covering her mouth.

One of the Penticton high players had tried to tackle Magnus as he's run to score another touchdown, but instead of being taken down like the other players, he has put his shoulder first and flipped the player over it, causing him to land hard on his back. Alice had almost watched it happen in slow motion, the way Magnus had done it so easily made her skin warm but she couldn't help but feel bad for the player that was now lying unconscious on the ground.

The game was stopped and Magnus angrily threw the ball down and exhaled heavily as he walked away from the scene and towards Trey who had been watching. The medical team ran out onto the field to examine the other player as the bleachers watched in anticipation. "You couldn't just take the tackle, could you?" Trey laughed quietly, aware the most of the players team mates were around them.

"Nope," Magnus murmured back as he turned back to see what was happening before he looked over to see Alice's reaction from where she was stood. She had her arms folded now, and was watching the medical team fuss around the other player with an unreadable expression now. They'd called for a time out as the player was examined and brought back around from being out cold, and the ref came up to Magnus to publicly kick him off the field for avoiding the tackle in such a way and causing an potentially long term injury to the other player, who was now complaining loudly of back pain.

Half of the crowd boo'd in his defence as Magnus walked off the field, but Summerland High's supporters took over, chanting his name loudly. The marching band joined in, playing an upbeat theme to almost taunt the opposing team as they played a joyful song to their best player being sent off the field. Alice was surprised at how subtly dark things turned, and she picked up and waved her pom poms like the rest of the squad to welcome Magnus to the side lines.

Summerland was known for their prestigious sports teams and nothing seemed out of the ordinary when it came to beating other schools at them. Yet, it was only today that Alice started to see the dark side of Summerland. They cheered for their warriors even at the expense of another player, it was a taunting technique... and she could see it throwing the other team off since the volume of music had drowned out the other teams boo'ing.

Alice watched Magnus momentarily converse with his coach before he was sent back into the changing rooms. He still had his helmet on, so she couldn't see his facial expression and she wandered if he was okay. The energy was still very much vibrant around the bleachers as the game carried on, and Alice bit her lip, feeling the urge to go after him still as she waited a few minutes. After ten long minutes had slipped past she gave in, taking her pom poms off her hands and walking back to put them on the bench behind her. "Where are you going?" Candice asked, confused as to what was happening.

"To pee?" Alice replied, laughing a little before she walked off. She knew there was another entrance into the boys locker rooms from inside the school and cursed herself silently for being so into him that she'd seek him out not even before the game had finished.

Inside the school it was quiet, excusing a few students talking at the end of the hallway in the opposite direction she was walking. Her footsteps echoed slightly as her sneakers tapped against the floors, her ponytail swishing enthusiastically. She always thought the hallways looked creepy in the dark, especially since the lights were automatic and came on if they sensed any movement, and flickered in such a way that it made her eyes hurt a little. She was quietly thankful she reached the door to the locker room quickly.

Politely, she knocked before she opened it a little, peering in to see half of the room dark with looming rows of lockers. "Magnus?" She called softly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She walked towards the light at the far end of the hallways, wondering how she'd find him... she expected to see him once she turned the corner, but the row between two lockers was empty. "Oh," she mumbled quietly to herself, wondering now if he was actually inside the locker rooms or had wandered off and decided to go home early.

"Alice?" A familiar male voice asked and she jumped a little but turned around, seeing Magnus stood behind her, dripping with fresh hot water with his skin steaming slightly and a towel wrapped around his hips. Her lips parted, her eyes dropping down to his chest, seeing the tattoos covering arms, and a few on his chest... she felt her own skin warm as she looked over his body, his shoulders and arms were thick with subtle muscles, and his abs were defined and radiated strength. "What are you doing in here?" He asked as she looked up to meet his eyes.

"I-" she began as he stepped closer, moving around her to his locker that she was stood next to. "I wanted to... see how you were..." she managed to say as she breathed in and smelt the delicious scent of soap wafting from Magnus's skin.

"I'm fine," Magnus chuckled quietly, finding it amusing how she was acting.

"Okay," she breathed, knowing that she'd probably gone pink. She'd expected his body to look like that, so she was unaware as to why she now felt so flustered and surprised. "Well, I'll just leave you to get dressed and um," she mumbled, turning away and then pausing as she heard the muffled sound of a towel hitting the floor.

"You don't have to leave." Magnus replied, and Alice refused to turn around and stood very still. Magnus smirked to himself as he pulled on his boxers then reached for his deodorant. "I've got boxers on."

"Oh," she sighed heavily, letting her shoulders relax since she had been fighting the urge to turn around and answer a question many, many people in this school wondered. "What happens now?" Alice asked, turning to look at him bashfully whilst knowing there was about fifteen minutes left of the game with a sure win for Summerland.