chapter two: take my breath away.
tw: body's shaming.
becky didn't sleep again that night. her head was pounding and her heart was full of guilt. for some reason, she felt guilty. she wasn't sure why, her family was fine. but, the nightmare weighed down heavy on her. it was almost like she felt bad for even having those thoughts in her mind.
pulling into the student parking lot at hawkins high, becky got a pretty good spot. days like these, she was always early, meeting up with her co-captain, chrissy cunningham before the rest of their squad arrived at seven in the morning.
they were hosting this morning's pep rally. it was october, and basketball season was starting. tonight, hawkins high was going up against their direct rivals, the falcons.
rubbing her temple with her right hand, becky laid her head on her car's steering wheel, doing her best to aim away from the loud horn.
the girl definitely wasn't feeling her best for today. the entire day would be spent cheering or holding up a fake smile. or both.
cheerleading was something becky picked up in ninth grade after feeling like she couldn't go back to her group of friends. it's not like she was shunned by them, but after what went down with max, she just felt awkward trying to act like she wasn't there.
"'by nera! the flashing thunder!'" max exclaimed as she got into character, reading wonder woman's dialogue from the comic in her hand.
becky just laughed at the girl beside her, her head resting on her shoulder as they shared the laugh. "you're such a dork!" becky commented, the redhead gasping like she was offended.
max closed the comic book, her finger holding her place before fully turning her body to look at her best friend, her mouth agape. "take that back!" she demanded, laughing a bit with her words.
becky, now sat up, just shook her head. "never." she started, "you, maxine mayfield, are a dork. a nerd, if you will." she informed, playfulness ever so slightly coating her words.
max let an amused smirk play on her lips, her eyes slightly squinting. "take it back."
max has leaned in closer to the girl's face, trying to intimidate her. however, becky was far from that. sitting up more in her spot, she leaned her face in closer, too.
"you're a dork." becky spoke lowly, max's music playing in the back almost louder than her words.
with their faces now only being about two inches apart, the girls' eyes began to wander between each other's lips and eyes, taking in the small details of their face they'd never thought to take in before.
max noticed how becky's lips looked like the most inviting thing she's ever seen. they were a soft shade of rose, and they looked fuller to her, now. not like she's never noticed before, but they looked different in this lighting.. or maybe it was this situation.
becky noticed how max's breath hitched, the way her chest stopped moving as much as it was moments prior. she caught max's eyes traveling all over her face, and it's like they were almost asking each other the same question.
why right now felt different than any of their other moments spent with one another?
"is this normal?" becky heard max out of nowhere, her voice lower than usual and confused. she felt like she was in her own world for a moment, almost forgetting that she was sharing this with her best friend right now.
shaking her head, becky shrugs, "i don't know." she responds after a long pause, both her and max not pulling away, but leaning in.
becky was actually pretty happy she joined cheerleading. it may sound cliche and stuck up, but she enjoyed the attention and the friends she made through it. and, of course she enjoyed the sport itself. it kept her busy, she always had something to do. and ever since she was dubbed captain of the hawkins high cheerleading squad with chrissy, it's like she had something to care about. she finally had something she could put her energy into and see the results.
becky was pulled out of her mini nap on her steering wheel at the sound of three loud bangs at her car window, immediately picking her head up. she turned to find chrissy knocking at the girl's window, worry and confusion painting the girls face with furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes.
becky went to turn her car off, opening her driver's side door. looking up at the girl before her, she smiled. "morning!"
chrissy was still a bit dumbfounded, "hey.." she started, hand resting on becky's car door, pulling it more open. "are you okay?" she asked the girl, sincerely.
becky flashes chrissy her infamous smile as she nodded, "peachy keen."
chrissy took this answer happily, smiling afterwards as well. it didn't take her long to move on from that subject, beginning to discuss the rest of their planned day with the girl.
becky grabbed both of her bags from her passenger seat, throwing her yellow tote on her shoulder and her gym bag resting comfortably in her left hand as she got her keys ready to open the gym doors. at hawkins high, they trusted their role model students, like becky, to have a key for their extracurricular's.
unlocking the hawkins high gymnasium double doors, chrissy took a step in before becky, still talking and talking. becky was hardly listening, just nodding with an occasional comment that could fit most contexts.
the girl didn't mean to ignore chrissy, she was just simply not in the right mind space at the moment for this.
it didn't take long for the rest of their team to show up, one of the girls bringing in breakfast treats to celebrate basketball season. becky would be lying if she said this didn't cheer her up just a little bit. her eyes landed on the small box of donuts specifically, her mouth watering.
becky's plump lips curved into a smile, her stomach growling in excitement as well. she was so excited for the donut. but, just as she went for it, she was rudely stopped by one of her teammates. chrissy, specifically.
"are you sure you want to eat that, becky?" chrissy asked, a tone of judgement in her voice. becky hesitated for a moment to answer, genuinely stunned.
"yeah.." the girl says, head tilted a bit. she was honestly so confused. she'd eaten donuts many times with chrissy before pep rally's.
chrissy just nods, looking around at the other girls like they would know and agree with what she's attempting to say. "i'm just worried, becky, that, you know.." she starts.
becky's hand had been hovering over the small box this whole time, chrissy catching her so off guard she paused all movements. that was until now, when she dropped her hand and stood up straight, eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at chrissy. "no, chris, i don't know." she shook her head.
"you just might look bloated before the game, that's all." chrissy rushes out. "it's not a good for us to look fat."
becky was now genuinely shocked. this didn't sound like chrissy—the chrissy she'd grown closer to over this new school year. besides, becky had brought up how she felt about her body to chrissy before, so she was hurt that she was turning this on her now.
becky was skinny, yes. she had a flat stomach and skinny arms that looked weak. but the curves on her body always seemed to make more of an impression on her body. people had been commenting on it since she started high school. some good, most just confused. and some bad ones. she'd gotten used to it from strangers, but her friend? she was hurt.
"what? do you want to be fat?" chrissy asks, face scrunched in disgust. "you're a flyer, are you trying to break the girls bones? you'll weigh down our whole squad!"
becky's let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in since chrissy began making these rude comments, her breath shaky.
"chris.." becky started, but her attention was immediately taken away when she heard the sound of four loud grandfather clock chimes. again.
turning her head, she saw one on the other end of the gym, everything clicking in her mind again. becky wasn't sure what any of this was, but she'd began chopping up all the weird or hurtful things she's experienced in the last day to this.
"you're going to die fat and lonely! do you want to die fat and lonely?" this chrissy gaslit the situation, her voice rhetoric, threatening, and becoming distorted.
the clock chimed loudly, only chiming four at a time, becky overhearing chrissy's voice, repeating over and over again, "do you want to die?" her voice was distorted now. like how her other nightmares had been.
this was different, though. she was awake.
becky just closed her eyes, tears leaving them as she tried to escape whatever her mind was doing to her. this time, she was successful, because soon the intense chiming had stopped and all becky could hear was concern.
"are you okay, becky?" chrissy asked the girl. becky opened her eyes to find herself back in her position from moments ago, reaching for the donuts. "you look like you zoned out." chrissy comments.
becky let out a quiet shaking breath and just nodded, plastering a fake grin on her face. "i'm good. just.. excited for the donut." that was a lie, she almost wanted nothing to do with food anymore. she felt so sick to her stomach, now.
chrissy smiles at her friend, nodding her head, satisfied. "good! it's going to be a long day and, as a flyer, you've always got to have your energy up! that goes for everyone!" chrissy says, her voice getting louder towards the end as she began talking to all of her team.
becky felt like she ate the donut against her own will, but it definitely did energize her in the slightest. she tried her best to drive her mind away from the intrusive thoughts that liked to judge her, but every so often, she kept passing down that street again.
when 7:30 a.m. rolled around, the entire varsity hawkins cheer squad made their way out of the gymnasium where most of the pep rally would be held, jogging out towards the front of the school where most of the high schoolers liked to hang out in the morning before class.
becky and chrissy jogged in the front, the sound of their feet hitting the concrete mixed with their practiced cheering being the only thing they could hear at the moment.
students clapped as the girls came out, shaking their glittery, green and orange cheerleading pom's in the air. the girls yelled out different cheers to get everyone hyped for tonight's game and the pep rally that was only a couple minutes away, bright and inviting smiles plastering their faces.
max sighed as she pulled in the hawkins high parking lot, parking her blue, chevrolet camaro that billy had passed down to her when he finally saved up and bought his new car. neil told him it'd be the brotherly thing to do.
max parked where she always did, everyone having an unspoken rule that whatever car spot you claimed in the beginning of the school year, it was yours. she switched the engine off, her face straight. she was not the most excited for school. max never was, she was just ready to graduate and leave already. her friends made it better, though. becky would've made it better.
the girl rolled her eyes at her wandering thoughts, confused as to why she even thought about her in the first place. that was until she stepped out of her car, her ears being hit with what she called the screeches that came from the hawkins high cheerleading squad. she sighed, remembering that it was the start of basketball season, noticing her school went all out for it. she, for some reason, couldn't stand all of the nauseating school spirit. maybe because in her mind, she subconsciously linked it to a certain girl.
rolling her eyes at the intrusive thoughts once more, max caught the eyes of her friend group walking towards her car. lucas, dustin, robin, and—unfortunately in her case—mike. steve was apart of their friend group as well, but god knows where he could be.
max grinned at her friends as they all congregated around her car, max leaning against her trunk, lucas doing the same while he was decked in his basketball tracksuit, the others finding a place to stand around them.
becky walked up to several people, some in groups at a bench and some congregating by their car, alone. then, she caught the eyes of her friends, who she used to be close with. it wasn't that she didn't speak to them anymore, but going out to the arcade late at night or sneaking into the movies at the mall was something she'd have to leave in her memories. they were all standing by a very familiar blue, chevrolet camaro. she began walking towards them, excited to speak to them all because she missed them so much. however, when she began looking around at everyone, she was not excited to spot the moody-looking redhead that leaned against said car.
her feet were already taking her towards them, so it was too late to back down.
"hi, lucas!" the brunette greeted, excitedly. he was the one she had stayed close with since she disappeared from the group. "dustin, mike, robin!" she greeted as well, the same excitement coating her words. her friendship with the group was an unlikely one to outsiders who didn't know them before high school. they all smiled happily at her. "are you all excited for the pep rally?" she asked, looking around at everyone as she awaited their answers. except for max's of course. and when she accidentally did look at her, she quickly tensed up.
max was staring at her body and becky immediately felt insecure. this was not the time. max didn't even realize she had been staring at the girl until she noticed her body tensing up, quickly drawing her gaze elsewhere to avoid the awkward eye contact she knew becky was waiting to have.
becky changed her face quickly, turning back to everyone with a smile as dustin replied, "totally excited."
she knew he was joking, most of them didn't care for high school sports much anyway. they'd only ever go to support their friends.
however, his sarcasm wouldn't mess with her cheering. "great! go hawkins!" she cheers, bubbly like she hadn't been living in the worst 12 hours of her life.
"i hope you four have a great day!"
becky said four specifically, wanting max to know she wasn't apart of the group she just wished a good day. it may seem childish, but that's where they both were with each other. becky widely smiled at the four before walking off, mike snorting once she was out of ear shot and off to the next group of tired teenagers.
max whipped her head at him as he said a quick, "she really does not like you."
"i don't want her to like me. she's a bitch." max seethed, speaking to mike like this was obvious. it was easy to detect that as a lie. of course max didn't mean it.
dustin just shakes his head, turning to the redhead, confused. "weren't you guys, like, best friends right before ninth grade?"
robin took this as her queue to finally start talking, somehow being louder than her band uniform. "even better—they were gir—"
"robin!" max quickly cut the older girl off, giving her a look to remind her it was a secret. everything that had went down between the two girls was a sworn secret they unknowingly agreed to never speak of again. however, it was the one thing that lingered in their minds almost every day.
"is this normal?" max asked, softly to the girl mere inches away from her.
"i don't know.." becky responded, just as softly.
they both felt so many emotions, sure that they were sharing those emotions just by being so close to each other. max could've sworn she could feel becky's rapid heartbeat. both of their faces had gone a deep shade of red, max's cheeks being the first to turn.
now more than ever did max want to kiss the brunette before her. she wanted to know if her lips were as soft as they looked. so, she went for it.
soon, their soft and now parted lips met in a matter of seconds as everything around them went silent, both closing their eyes in sync. like the kiss had taken away all of their senses.
it was like their lips were made for each other, fitting together perfectly. there weren't any crazy fireworks, but the feeling of warmth and love being shared. all of a sudden, every nervous bone in becky's body had disappeared. however, she did feel like her organs were robbed and replaced with crazed butterflies.
they were both so excited, now. every exhilarating feeling of this moment being something they had never felt or experienced before. something they wished to never lose.
a wide smile took over becky's lips as she pulled away from max slightly, wanting nothing more than to see the girl's reaction. fluttering her eyes open, she caught max's face. it was a good mixture of shock and satisfaction, a grin on her lips, as well, her eyes still closed like the kiss had sent her into a daze.
they had both, truly, taken each other's breath away.
authors note:
don't worry becky babes, max was just checking u out </3
LOL anyways chapter two!!!!! thoughts??? give them to me NEOWWWWW!!!! i wanna know what y'all think!!!!
also, who's excited for more max and becky content???🙋🏾♀️
thank u so much for reading!! cant wait to see u in chapter three!! mwah!!
- love, amari <3