Say My Name

Chapter Three

Betty tried to run back to the other cheerleaders with the megaphone in her hands.

Luckily, the cheerleaders were still on the sidelines, ready to run out onto the field to perform their dance.

Out of breath, Betty reached Veronica and handed her the megaphone and car keys.

"What the hell took you so long? Why were you talking to those guys?" Veronica asked with concern.

Betty bent over to place her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I... uh —"

The loud buzzing sound from the scoreboard interrupted her. The football players ran off the field and Cheryl clapped loudly as a signal to get ready.

"I'll explain later," Betty said, raising her voice to talk over the loud fans in the stands.

Out on the field, Betty took her position behind Veronica. She was standing in the fourth row with three other girls lined up to the right of her. The cheerleaders had formed a diamond; Cheryl the only one in front. Betty was on the outside acting as the diamond's point and had her hands on her hips, ready to go.

Betty watched as Veronica picked up her megaphone and shouted into it. "B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S!" Each cheerleader clapped once in sync with each other. "The Bulldogs B-B-Bulldogs are better than the rest!" The cheerleaders clap once again. "B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S!" One clap. "The Bulldogs B-B-Bulldogs are better than the rest!"

The cheerleaders cheered and Veronica set her megaphone off to the side and got back into position.

There was a moment of silence where each cheerleader had their heads down and the crowd came to a complete hush. The deadly silence had Betty hearing her own heart thumping inside her chest.

It wasn't long before a remix version of Pour it up by Rihanna was blaring on the overhead speakers.

Throw it up, throw it up (throw up)

Watch it all fall out (fall out)

Rihanna sang over the speakers and Cheryl was the only one allowed to dance to those lyrics as the rest of the cheerleaders had to stay still.

Pour it up, pour it up (pour up)

That's how we ball out (ball out)

The two girls behind Cheryl broke out into their dance, still leaving the rest of the girls frozen.

Throw it up, throw it up (throw up)

Watch it all fall out (fall out)

Veronica's cheer line was up, swaying their hips back and forth seductively.

Pour it up, pour it up (pour up)

That's how we ball out

Betty's line was next. She was now in the spotlight, forced to remember each move Cheryl made her practice over and over again until her legs gave out.

"Pour it up, pour it up" She leaned all her weight on her left hip, bent down at her waist and dragged her hands down her left thigh slowly. "That's how-" She immediately moved her hands to her right thigh in a snake-like formation. "-we ball out" She repeated that same movement, ending on her left thigh.

Once Betty's lyrics had ended, all of the Cheerleaders started dancing together with the rest of the song.

Cheryl's dances were always a little too seductive for Betty's taste. She had more hip locking and butt popping than any other cheer routine Betty has seen. Betty was surprised by her song choices, as well. She couldn't figure out how Cheryl got away with using them, but Cheryl being Cheryl, she manages to get away with just about anything.

In the middle of the song, Betty was numb to the point where she couldn't feel her feet any longer, but she wasn't as nervous as she was before she started. The movements came naturally to her, and her adrenaline was at its peak.

Betty didn't dare to look at any of the other cheerleaders during the routine because she knew that would mess her up. She kept her eyes locked right in front of her, and her mind locked elsewhere. She bent at the waist, flexing her butt out as she kept her legs straightened and slid her hands down her legs. Once she flicked her head up again and proceeded to the next move, her eyes shifted to a different spot and her heart almost slid to her stomach when she recognized the men in black attire.

There. Standing on the left side of the bleachers, leaned against them, his eyes were deadlocked on her, it was him. His arms were crossed at his chest, and from a distance, it seemed as though his eyes did appear to be on her. Or maybe he was watching one of the other cheerleaders. Or maybe he was watching Veronica. Or maybe...

No. Why do you care so much? Focus.

Betty managed to look away from him and focus on something else as she continued with the rest of the routine. Though her mind couldn't help but wander off from time to time. She found herself imagining the way she looked while she swayed her hips back and forth while her hands slid from her chest down to her bellybutton.

Or the way she opened her mouth slightly, flexing her jaw and had her left brow raised a tad bit to add to the seductiveness of the dance.

Her body was flirting and she wasn't even aware of it.

Betty and three other cheerleaders ended the song with a backbend. As the last beat dropped, Betty arched her back backward and her hands hit the ground. She had practiced doing a perfect backbend for months now and was satisfied with who got to see it. A little part of her wanted Archie to see it, but she knew he was busy in the locker room with the other players getting ready for the 2nd half of the game.

After the clapping in the stands died down, the cheerleaders got out of their final position and Betty tried to avoid looking at him, but somewhere in the middle of Veronica yelling her name, the football players running out onto the field again, and the crowd cheering, Betty didn't feel distracted enough to look away from where he was standing.

Her eyes were drawn to that exact spot but desperately started to roam around the area when he was nowhere to be seen.