Re: FIC: The Complex Lives... (Part 6)

["byrdrobbie" <Byrdrobbie@xxxxxxxxx>]

I enjoyed reading your story. I liked how you made it seem as if 
they were your average teenagers going to play in a footballgame.



--- In buffyloveswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "S.M. Cilia" <cilia@t...> 
wrote:
> Hi!
>
> Another update for CLCQ here. This one has been plagued by serveral
> real world issues namely; my work load, Howard the beta beast's
> sickness and Dutch the proof girl's apparent disaperance from the 
face
> of the planet. So this might look a bit odd considering that it 
didn't
> get proof-read and that Howard was seeing double while beta-ing it 
and
> as for me, well I'm nuts to begin with :)
>
> So here it is, another chapter in the ongoing fluff that is CLCQ! 
>
> The Complex Lives of Cheerleaders and Quarterbacks
> Cilia
>
> Chapter Eight: Road Trip
>
> The scene in the Sunnydale High parking lot was that of utter 
chaos,
> and it wasn't the result of the bimonthly big bad--that had been 
taken
> care of the previous night. No, the source of this disturbance was 
far
> more human in nature. In the middle of it all stood the calm 
figure of
> Coach Jameson, appearing almost otherworldly in his stillness. The
> buses waited, already loaded, but a small problem had arisen just
> before departure. The problem wasn't pretty and it wasn't nice; it 
was
> Principal Snyder. There may be a 'pal' in principal but this one
> surely isn't anybody's pal.
>
> "The school board, in conjunction with the parents council, has
> decided that it would be improper to have her alone with the boys 
for
> that many hours," Snyder argued.
>
> Coach Landis bore down on him but was gently held back by Coach
> Jameson, who had taken a stance between the two combatants. "That's
> the biggest load of hog-wash I've ever heard," she exclaimed.
>
> Snyder shrunk back underneath her gaze. "Th-the board feels that
> morally--" He started to pull himself up to his diminutive full
> height, but Coach Landis wasn't going to be stopped.
>
> "She needs to be with the team! It builds unity and spirit. Having 
the
> playmaker ride with the cheerleaders makes no sense and could only
> hinder our efforts to win," she argued.
>
> The two groups watched on. The boys were sad to see the only girl 
in
> the group go. The girls were torn between feeling down over not 
having
> more members of the football team on the bus and happy about having
> the quarterback there.
>
> Buffy watched with sleepy interest. The buses had to leave
> early--really early--and she'd just planned on sleeping off a long
> night of getting rid of the bimonthly big bad. Some of which still
> clung to the bottom of her shoes, as a matter of fact.
>
> "I'll ride with the cheerleaders," she said in a sleepy voice, 
ending
> in a very unladylike yawn. Coach Landis and Snyder were too busy
> arguing to hear her.
>
> Coach Jameson did hear so he smiled at her and nodded his head for 
her
> to go ahead.
>
> "Guys, get on the bus," she ordered the football team with a sleepy
> wave of her hand. Much to her surprise, the football team filtered
> onto their bus, thought not without getting their share of jokes 
in.
> 'Don't think I'll ever get used to them just obeying,' she thought,
> stifling another yawn.
>
> "But I want to ride with the cheerleaders," Wild Bill quipped with 
his
> roguish grin on full display.
>
> "I'll dress in drag if it'll get me onboard that bus," Xander
> suggested to the roaring laughter of the team and, of course, to 
the
> huff of Larry.
>
> "Yeah me too. I mean, not the drag, but...hell, you know what I 
mean,"
> Harry added.
>
> The twins just nodded their heads with a smile.
>
> This all caused the quarterback to give a 'why me' sigh before 
giving
> them their marching orders. "Harry, first off, Annika would kill 
you.
> Wild Bill, she'd kill you too for 'dragging' Harry into it," she 
said.
> She looked at the twins. "As for you two...well, you two would be
> okay," she admitted and the boys gave her big happy smiles. "But it
> would be kind of missing the point of separating me from the boys,"
> she explained.
>
> The boys hung their heads in mock sadness and marched onto the bus.
>
> The groups quietly filed into their respective modes of 
transportation
> under the drone of the ongoing argument, until it was broken by the
> rumbling of starting engines. Coach Landis made a mad dash for the
> cheerleader bus as her final statement to the school board: if 
Buffy
> couldn't ride with boys, then she wouldn't either.
>
>
> ~*~*~*~
>
>
> Willow sat in her seat on the bus. She'd been on the bus since the
> argument started and was studying for the History exam next week. 
In
> her lap were her History book and her notebook; she wasn't going to
> fall behind in her perfect grades just because she now liked to 
dance
> around in a short skirt and drool over Buffy.
>
> "Drool over Buffy? I don't drool, do I?' she thought to herself 
while
> she doodled on the edges of her notebook in a flowery script.
>
> '"Willow Rosenberg-Summers." Wow, where did that come from?' she
> thought starring down on the page. Underneath it she 
wrote, 'Wiffy,'
> then smiled and drew a heart around it. 'There, "Billow" works 
too,'
> she thought, her mind running through her thesaurus.
>
> "Is this seat taken?" a sleepy voice asked.
>
> Willow quickly hid her notebook before her brain even registered 
the
> owner of the voice. "Bu-Buffy?" Willow stammered while the 
quarterback
> slipped into the seat next to her.
>
> "That's my name, don't wear it out," Buffy said and flashed a 
sleepy
> little smile.
>
> "You want the window seat so you can sleep?" Willow offered.
>
> Buffy just nodded with a sleepy look on her face. "I do, but I 
don't
> want to stand up," she muttered while leaning up against Willow.
>
> "It's okay. I'll just step over you and you can take my seat," 
Willow
> said, not fully thinking about what that move would entail.
>
> "Okay. We can try," Buffy nodded.
>
> Then the maneuvering began in earnest. Willow raised herself up and
> stepped one leg over Buffy's feet so she was hovering over Buffy. 
As
> Buffy was about to scoot over, the bus lurched and, instead of the
> window seat, she ended up with Willow in her lap, blushing bright 
red.
> "Hey! Willow and Buffy are making out!" somebody called out and 
Buffy
> blushed even redder.
>
> "We're not even out of the parking lot and they're already going at
> it," Cordelia said a little loudly.
>
> The bus erupted into giggles, but was quickly silenced when Coach
> Landis came stalking to the back of the bus. Julia, to her credit,
> tried to conceal her amused smile at the sight of Buffy with 
Willow on
> her lap. "And what do we have here?" she asked, winning an Oscar 
for
> keeping in full coach mode despite the situation.
>
> "Buffy wanted the window seat," Willow explained while she stood 
and
> the slayer scooted from underneath her. She quickly completed the
> maneuver and sat.
>
> Buffy took her new seat with a guilty smile and her embarrassment
> showing on her face. "Sleepy," she explained to Coach Landis with 
her
> honesty face firmly on display.
>
> "Very well. But no more funny business from you two," Coach Landis
> stated firmly. A small smile was tugging at the corner of her 
mouth.
> "Yes, ma'am," Willow said, then she busied herself with her 
notebook.
> "Yes, Coach," Buffy replied with a yawn while leaning against the
> window. The last thing she saw was the 'You are now leaving 
Sunnydale'
> sign speeding past her.
>
> Next to her, Willow was having a hard time focusing on her books 
since
> she kept glancing at the sleeping quarterback. During one of those
> glances, Buffy suddenly turned and nestled her head on Willow's
> shoulder. The cheerleader tried to suppress her "Eep!" It did get 
out
> but, thankfully, she managed keep it down to a mere whisper.
>
> Buffy snuggled a bit closer.
>
> 'Oh, warm Buffy,' Willow thought and leaned back against Buffy to
> provide counter-balance. 'So much for studying.' She smiled and
> shifted into a more comfortable position. 'This is nice.'
>
> While the bus drove on, Willow continued sneaking in the 
occasional look.
> ~*~*~*~
>
>
> When Buffy woke up a few hours later--somewhere between Sunnydale 
and
> San Diego--she noticed the state of utter boredom in the bus. Then 
she
> noticed where her head was resting; or, more to the point, on whom 
it
> was resting.
>
> Willow was happily doodling something in her notebook, having grown
> quite comfortable having Buffy leaning against her.
>
> When Buffy glanced at the page with a sleepy eye, she smiled a very
> happy smile, but decided to spare her friend the embarrassment.
> "Morning," she mumbled and stretched her arms into the air.
>
> Willow snapped her book shut. "Eep! Buffy, you scared me!" she 
quietly
> exclaimed.
>
> Buffy hid an amused little smile and couldn't help but stroke 
Willow's
> cheek with her fingers. "Thanks for letting me sleep, Wills," she 
said
> with a happy smile.
>
> Due to the mix of Buffy's touch and the loving smile that was being
> beamed into her eyes, Willow blushed and started to babble, "Well, 
you
> looked really sleepy and you decided I was a good pillow and, 
well, I
> am a good pillow and you're kind of warm and--"
>
> "Keep it down, you two," a grumpy Cordelia, sitting in front of 
them,
> called out, thus breaking both the babble and the mood. "Some of us
> are trying to nap," she complained.
>
> "You won't get any prettier," Buffy answered back with a giggle.
>
> Moments later, a disheveled Cordelia, wearing a sleep mask on her
> forehead, popped up from behind the headrest. "Say that again?" she
> demanded with a growl.
>
> Willow hid her face behind her History book.
>
> "I mean, how can one add to perfection?" Buffy deadpanned.
>
> Cordelia completely missed the sarcasm while Willow sighed behind 
her
> book.
>
> "Well, the Toro's cheerleaders are apparently very 'hot'," Cordelia
> explained. "So we must try." She put her hands on her hips, 
elbowing
> the girl sitting next to her in the face in the process.
>
> "Hey! watch it, Queen C," her seat mate groaned.
>
> Willow recognized the voice as belonging to Jennifer, a senior that
> she had some sneaking suspicions about.
>
> "Sorry," Cordelia apologized, then went on, "But, as I was 
saying ..."
> Thus, poor Buffy and Willow were treated to a long lecture on the
> greatness of the Toro cheerleading squad at Rancho Carne High 
School.
> Although their team apparently sucked more than the 'Backs once 
did,
> their cheerleading squad was the pride of the school.
>
> "My reports tell me that their head cheerleader is a girl named
> Torrance and she's kind of like Buffy--only that she cheers 
instead of
> playing football," Cordelia concluded.
>
> Willow and Buffy burst out giggling. "'Your reports'. You sound 
like M
> from James Bond," Buffy giggled.
>
> Willow just hid behind her history book, but her laugh was
> unmistakable and music to Buffy's ears.
>
> Cordelia really did look silly though: with her sleep-mask on; 
hair in
> disarray; hands firmly on her hips; kneeling on the seat, facing
> backwards. Add to that the fact that she was going on like some
> government official debriefing her agents for a dangerous mission
> while looking like that, and it was indeed giggle-worthy.
>
> "Cordy, sleep," Jennifer ordered and gave Cordelia's butt a small 
smack.
> Cordelia yelped out, "Hey! Hands off the goods," then grabbed her 
mouth.
> This brought on another giggle fit from Buffy and Willow that, this
> time, spread through out the bus.
>
> "Cordelia, Jennifer. I don't need to separate you two, do I?" Coach
> Landis asked from the front of the bus.
>
> That only increased the laughter.
>
> "No, ma'am," Jennifer called out. "Cordelia was just going back to 
her
> nap," she explained while she pulled Cordelia down into the seat 
again.
> The rest of the trip passed in silence. Well, silence in term of
> noise, but some brains were very loud in their plotting and 
scheming.
> Or, in some cases, just totally focused on the person sitting next 
to
> them. As the rising sun greeted the buses while they thundered 
towards
> San Diego, nobody could suspect what would happen in the coming 
days.
> ~*~*~*~
>
>
> Buffy sat in the locker room going through her pre-game ritual. She
> could hear the distant roar of the crowd over the laughter of the
> cheerleaders while she pulled on her gloves and stared at her 
locker.
> They'd managed to check into their hotel, get unpacked, then get to
> the field on time and in one piece. Now, she just sat and went over
> the speech Coach Landis had told her to make.
>
> The cheerleaders filed out past her, each one giving her a pat on 
the
> shoulder and a kind word--well, a suggestion for after game 
activities
> and a flirty touch sometimes--but she didn't mind. Anything to take
> her focus off things for a bit. Her stomach was like a butterfly 
farm.
> This would be her first game away from home; away from the
> understanding home crowd.
>
> "Buffy, you'll do great," Willow said, being the last cheerleader 
left
> in locker room. "Now stand up," she ordered.
>
> Buffy obeyed with a smile.
>
> "You're a great quarterback," Willow said firmly while she drew the
> black lines under Buffy's eyes with her slender fingers. "A good
> leader an-and--" she stammered when Buffy again captured her hands 
in
> hers in an odd sense of deja vu.
>
> "Willow," she whispered. She gave her cheerleader a small kiss on 
the
> lips. "Thank you."
>
> "Just looking out for my quarterback," Willow whispered. She 
blushed,
> thinking she'd perhaps stressed the 'my' a bit too much.
>
> "Go cheer," Buffy said with a laugh in her voice and gave Willow a
> wink. "I'll be okay," she assured her.
>
> Willow's face lit up and she impulsively kissed Buffy before 
skipping
> out of the locker room. In yet another feeling of deja vu, she 
passed
> Coach Landis, who smiled at her again.
>
> "They're ready for you, Buffy," Coach Landis said.
>
> Buffy stood up with her helmet in her hand. One could almost hear
> theme music following her as she made her way to the boy's locker 
room
> across the hall.
>
> "You know what you're going to say?" Landis asked.
>
> Buffy firmly nodded her head.
>
> She entered the boy's locker room. The group parted before her when
> she made her way towards the blackboard. Each player gave her a 
raised
> helmet or a thumbs up. Even Larry grunted an acknowledgement. She
> stopped next to the coaches and turned, looking at the expectant 
faces
> of her teammates. "How was the trip?" she asked with a smile.
>
> She got the laugher she'd hoped for, along with some comments about
> the unfairness of the school council.
>
> She went on after the laughter died down, "I know this is a big 
night
> for a lot of us. First road game for the new players like me, a 
chance
> at some long overdue payback for the rest of you." she was greeted 
by
> a chorus of confirmations. "Now, this may be a weaker team than the
> Bulldogs--" She paused while another wave of laughter and 
remembrance
> passed over the team. "But!" she called out, quieting the group so 
she
> could continue. "But, we mustn't get sidetracked! We have to play
> hard! Play fast! And most important of all, play to win!" she
> exclaimed, marking each point by pumping her helmet forward.
>
> "I want you to hit them harder than we hit the Bulldogs. I want 
you to
> run faster, tackle fiercer, fight for every ball, and play with 
fire
> on every possession!" She paused and looked around at the boys that
> were counting on her. "Because this isn't about winning or losing,
> this is about pride. Our own pride, the pride of this team, and the
> pride of our school. We thought we'd lost it years ago." She looked
> around with fire burning in her eyes, most of the team on their 
feet
> by now. "We took the first step in the last game, now we go a step
> further. We play this like it's our last game. We play until the 
other
> team can't stand or throw, block or run. We're going to dominate 
them
> on every front and we're going to win!" She shouted thrusting her
> helmet into the air, "Because, what are we?"
>
> "War pigs!" the team roared in response.
>
> "What are we going to do?" she asked, pumping her helmet into the 
air
> again.
>
> "Dominate!" the team roared back.
>
> At that, Buffy shook her hair loose and firmly put on her helmet 
under
> the roaring approval of the team. "Then let's go and crush them 
into
> the turf!" she shouted.
>
> The team followed her out of the locker room and onto the field,
> leaving a stunned Coach Jameson and a madly grinning Coach Landis 
behind.
> "Girl's got spunk," Coach Landis commented as the coaches headed 
after
> them.
>
> "That she does," Coach Jameson muttered as he watched the team rush
> out the tunnel toward the light and the roar of the crowd.
>
> The team burst out of the tunnel and onto the green field of 
battle.
> The cheerleaders cheered, the mascots hammed it up, and the home 
crowd
> shrank back at the fire that seemed to radiate off the Razorbacks.
> This team was here to win and not even the quarterback's blonde 
locks
> could distract the crowd from feeling their impending doom.
>
> In the stands, a man taping the game zoomed in on her and started
> filming the game with great enthusiasm. Bob was a camera man at the
> local TV-station who had come to watch his little girl cheer for 
the
> Toros. 'Now, this is newsworthy,' he thought and he checked his bag
> for extra tape.
>
>
> TBC...



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"It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kinda love you."
Buffy & Willow, 'Choices'

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