Protector (TFP)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ -ᴀ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴘᴇᴇᴅ-

"If it's about not knowing the team, there's an easy fix for that!" Sierra announced, slinging her bag forward and digging through it.

"It's not that," I mumbled, the smile on my face wavering when she blatantly ignored me. When she found what she was looking for, she snatched the paper out of my hands and scribbled something on the piece before handing it back to me. I glanced at the unfamiliar street name on the corner of the paper before lifting an eyebrow, my eyes meeting back with hers.

"There's a street race happening tomorrow at 8:00, and the team and I are going to watch," Sierra explained, stuffing her pencil back into her backpack. "You should come with us!" She invited, another grin stretching at her lips. I shook my head, but before I could say anything, Sierra was talking again.

"Before you say no, just think about it." She insisted, backing away from me toward the group behind her. "I hope to see you there!" With one last wave in my direction, Sierra walked over to the girls, ending the strange conversation. 

My eyes followed her for a second before I focused on the flyer, re-reading it for what felt like the hundredth time. Even though I still had no interest in joining cheer, I couldn't help but be drawn back to the address in the corner.

Should I go? On one hand, it was probably dumb of me to go to what I figured was an illegal street race, and I knew that if I were caught, I would be grounded for the rest of my life. But I couldn't remember the last time I let loose and had a little fun.

It can't be that bad if people from school are coming. I thought, smoothly folding the paper and forcing it into my pocket. With a tired breath, I moved my legs toward Jack and Raf, figuring they were waiting for me. I knew I was right when I saw both of them already in their vehicles, the spiky-haired boy playing a game on his phone.

"Sorry I took so long. I was a bit distracted." I apologized as I approached Jack. The boy didn't respond to me, instead opting to gape at me with a dumbfounded look in his eyes. I lifted an eyebrow and moved closer to him, the boy still not acknowledging my presence.

What's with everyone today? I wondered as I waved a hand in front of his face. I looked to Arcee for an explanation when he still didn't react and the motorcycle snorted in amusement.

"Don't worry. He'll come too in a second." As if the words sparked something in his brain, Jack snapped out of his trance and leaned toward me.

"You know Sierra!?" He yelled, the disbelief evident on his face. A few students turned their heads toward us, and Jack shrunk in his seat, his cheeks heating in embarrassment. "You know Sierra?" He repeated, this time much quieter than before.

"Not really," I answered slowly, taken aback by his weird behavior. "I just met her a few minutes ago. She just wanted me to join the cheer team." I explained, purposely omitting the invite she had offered me only a few seconds earlier. "Should I not talk to her?" I inquired cautiously, unsure what triggered Jack's sudden alarm. He quickly shook his head, his eyes widening at my words.

"No, you should talk to her! She's not a bad person or anything. She is super nice and cool... and pretty." His jumbled sentence trailed off as his attention moved over to the Auburn-haired girl, and a dreamy sigh escaped him as he leaned against the handlebars. Realization hit me like a train as everything started to make sense, and my lips upturned into a smirk.

"Oh, I get it now." I voiced, drawing his attention back to me."You have a crush on Sierra~" I teased, leaning closer to the now tomato-faced teen. I resisted the urge to laugh at his attempts to tell me otherwise, and once he saw the amused look on my face, he stopped, hiding his blush under his hands.