[ 33 ] 2014

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"What's up with Calum today? He's a jerk and all, but he's not one to do something like that. Especially not to you."

-

Unsuspecting, Harley Quinn got in the shower and got ready for her competition. When she was done, she and Andrea asked Calum and Niall to drive them to school. They had stopped in front of Calum's car, which Conrad was highly impressed with. Cars had surely advanced a lot in the last fifty years, and as Harley looked to him expectantly, he realized he would be expected to drive them to school. He gulped a bit nervously. He was sure that he could do it and eventually get the hang of it. The problem was that he would have some trouble in the beginning, which would easily make them all suspect him. 

Instead he got the keys out of his pocket and tossed them at Niall, which was equally as confusing to them. "You drive, mate." The boy with raven hair suggested. 

The three other teenagers looked at him with confusion. Niall and Calum were friends, and went way back. They had met on a school youth trip to Ireland one year. St. Genevieve's Middle Academy had gone on a trip to Europe, visiting with their sibling school St. Patrick's. At that school, the students dormed on campus and only went home during the holidays. Calum had been set up to share a room with Niall for a week. Calum couldn't exactly say that he actually liked Niall at first. He found him to be a bit annoying and every bit of a slob whenever he ate. But they had the same kind of supernatural abilities and that made him somewhat tolerable. Also, his grandfather had explained that whenever he found another shifter like himself, it was wise to befriend them. He never knew when he'd need an ally. 

But as much as Calum actually appreciated Niall and Andrea, he never let anyone else drive his car. His car was his prized possession, a gift from his parents when he became old enough to learn to drive. It was one of the last things from them that he still had. A beautiful black Camaro that was brand new when they bought it for him.

Niall had caught the keys in his hands and both Calum and Harley went in the car first to sit in the back. Niall and Andrea would be sitting in the front. As soon as they sat down, Con--using Calum's body--placed a hand on Harley's thigh. She felt like something was off about it when she felt him give her a squeeze. But she let it go for the moment. The ride to school would be short anyway, and she would probably talk to him about it once they could be in private. But it was something she thought he would know by now. She didn't like anyone touching her without her permission.

They reached the school just in time for the ceremony and the administration allowed Calum to enter the school for the pep rally despite the fact that he was no longer a student of the school. The girls met up outside of the gym with the other cheerleaders and Con looked around the back exit to the gym. It was almost like he remembered it with some things only slightly different. He also found that by looking at the faces of some of the girls there, he had known many of the people who were probably their grandparents. 

He walked over to Harley, who was animatedly chatting with a group of four other girls. One of them wore a jacket with the word Captain on it, as well as the last name Hemmings. Conrad was surprised that someone with that last name could be so pretty. Where he came from in the past, Lucas Hemmings was a loser and no one would give him the time of day, other than his nerdy leadership friends. But that last name was unmistakeable. She had to be a part of that family. As a teacher walked over and informed them that it was ten more minutes until their performance for the students of St. Genevieve's, Con walked over to Calum's girlfriend and placed a hand on the small of her back.

She turned, having jumped a bit nervously. She was nervous because she was about to perform a dance routine in front of her classmates, but also because something about her boyfriend didn't seem right. But she forced a smile onto her face, forcing her thoughts away as pre-show jitters. 

"I'm gonna go find a seat." He informed her, leaning in close to whisper in her ear.

Cindy squealed in delight. "You guys are so cute together."

Harley turned towards her friend and smiled, before turning to the boy she thought was her boyfriend and nodded her head. "Alright then. I'll see you out in front of the school after the performance. Cindy says we're taking a bus out to competition at one. You and Niall can follow us in the car. Or you can take the car back home and ride with the hunters. My dad bought Paul a mini van for the trip." There were so many things he didn't understand about what she told him. 

The most important being that his grandson, a shifter, was so easily and openly coexisting with the hunters. Conrad felt like the hunters were the literal scum of the earth. Their mission was to get rid of all the shifters and then sacrifice themselves like martyrs to make everyone normal humans. There just wasn't any fun in that. 

Still, he nodded and he let his hand slide down to rest on her back side as he leaned in to kiss her. She stiffened against his kiss and her hand immediately went to grab him by the arm, twisting it painfully. "I was meaning to tell you in the car, but then I stopped myself because I figured it was some kind of mistake. But in case you need reminding, please keep this very present in your mind. You may be my boyfriend, and I love you, but the next time you touch me without my permission, I will literally chop your good arm off so that instead of having one mechanical arm, you'll have two." And the glint of anger in her eyes made it clear to him that she wasn't joking. 

"Alright, sorry." He told her. And his words were full of amusement, revealing to her that he was all but sorry.

As he walked away, he heard the two girls talking about him. The captain of the cheeleading squad, who he learned was named Cindy, said to her. "What's up with Calum today? He's a jerk and all, but he's not one to do something like that. Especially not to you."

Harley heaved a sigh. "I don't know. He's been acting weird all morning."

-

The moment the pep rally ended, the girls left the school and piled into the bus that would take them to Campbelltown. Niall and Calum were to follow them there in Calum's car and would be staying in the same hotel as the cheerleaders. Since it was a school trip for Harley and her friends, she would be dorming with Cindy and Andrea as members of the cheerleading squad. Hazel and Dempsey would be staying in the same room with them as well, but were unofficially there. The coach had allowed them to participate with the team because it was a routine they had practiced all year, but since they were no longer students, the school would not be paying for their accomodations.

Con, Billy, and Niall ended up sharing a room together, and they rested for a bit before getting ready to go to the competition venue which was only a few blocks away from the hotel. Truthfully, Conrad wasn't at all interested in some dumb cheerleading competition. But he had to pretend like he cared, at least for the time being. They were planning to all go out together, win or lose, and Conrad was just aching for the chance to get Harley alone so that he could execute his revenge.

The competition started at four in the afternoon, with the girls having gone to the venue to practice at least two hours earlier. The St. Genevieve's team performed in the high school category towards the end of the competition. Niall sat next to Billy and Conrad, his phone out and he was recording the whole thing. He and Billy were beyond proud of their girlfriends while they thought Calum seemed almost bored to be there. Like there was nothing that he wanted more than going home in that moment.

Soon after their performance, the girls went to sit on with their boyfriends to watch the rest of the competition. And a little over an hour later the awards ceremony rolled around. They gave out awards in every category. There was a mini category with the primary school kids, a middle category with the middle school kids, and a teen category with the high school kids. When they got to individual awards, the St. Genevieve's tumbler had gotten an award for her tricks she had done on the mat. There was also a leadership award which had been given to Cindy, she had been doing cheerleading her whole life ever since she had learned to walk. Harley was happy for her friend, who seemed to have a few self confidence issues in the sense that she felt like she wasn't really good at anything special.

Lastly there was the overall group award and as third and second place had been called, Harley felt a lump in her throat. She looked towards Cindy who was practically biting her nails in anticipation. They were worried that they hadn't even placed in the top three, and Harley thought there was no way they had gotten first place at nationals. For them that would mean that they were the best in their category in Australia.

Harley closed her eyes tight and Cindy gripped her hand in hers as the announcer named the winner of the teen category int he competition. 

"And the winner of this years overall group performance in the teen category is...St. Genevieve's Cheerleading!" As he said that, the venue erupted in black and red confetti and she heard the screaming of her team mates as well as the crowd who was there to cheer them on. Cindy jumped into Harley's arms and they both fell to the floor with a thud. Cindy had been cheerleading all her life, and she always saw it as something of an obligation. Her last year at St. Genevieve's, with Harley and the other girls, was the first time she had actually enjoyed cheerleading. And it meant the entire world to her that they had won.

"Congratulations Cindy! All your hard work has paid off and I'm so proud of you." Harley shouted over the music, the screaming, and the confetti being thrown around. Cindy had tears streaming down her face, and was letting out silent sobs. They had also brought out the trophy that was as tall as them, and Rin had received it as co captain, since both her captain and other co captain were currently celebrating on the floor of the venue.

When they got up, they got their picture taken and their family and friends were allowed onto the floor for pictures and celebration. Cindy ran up to Billy and jumped into his arms. Harley did the same with Calum, only she was still feeling a little reluctant and her embrace was more shy than her bestfriend's with her brother.

"Congrats." Con said simply, appearing clearly bored with it all.

Harley smiled a tiny hint of a smile. "Thank you."

She didn't know what else to say to him, but she was relieved she didn't have to say anything because Andrea and Niall walked up to them next. Andrea dropped an arm around Harley's shoulders and asked cheerfully. "Well Quinn, how does it feel to be a national champion at cheerleading?"

Harley turned to her with a smile. This time it was one more genuine, not like the uneasy ones she was giving Calum all day. "To be honest, I never even thought I'd ever be a cheerleader." 

Another group of people soon joined them. It was Billy, Cindy, the originals, and the hunters. Cindy's make up was ruined by her tears, but Cindy was uncaring now. The competition was over and they had been victorious. She said to the four of them. "So we're all going to eat at this really good pizza parlor on the boardwalk. You guys in?"

Niall and the rest quickly nodded in agreement. 

With the competition ended, the girls gathered their things and were on their way to get dinner. It was nearly nine at night when it ended. Their coach was at the restaurant celebrating with them. But she headed back to the hotel quickly and told the girls not to be out too late. Most of them were eighteen already and she trusted that they'd be responsible enough to take care of themselves and their team mates. 

Little by little, her team mates started going back to the hotel. But Harley and her friends stayed behind to have a few drinks. That was something Conrad knew he would like. It would make things infinitely easier for him if they were all not fully within their senses. 

-

this chapter is extremely filler but i havent updated in ages. so here it goes. i will try to have another update soon. hopefully tomorrow since i get out of work at 9am and then i have sunday off. so i won't be busy or snything. 

thank you all loads for reading. 

what do you think will happen next? i already have this all planned out. but i would like to know what you all think.'

as always, thank you all so much for reading and supporting my stories. it means a lot to me. especially after about seven years of writing for this series. it makes me happy to see that some people have not abandoned this series. i hope you're all having a wonderful night.

thank you.

-clary