GREEK TRAGEDY
::  ii. | the big game

Brooke approached Ashely and Lucas with Peyton. Lucas immediately knew that was his cue to exit. He usually doesn't stick around for girl chat and he barley knows Brooke and Peyton. The blonde turned her head towards her two friends who looked very anxious, well mostly brooke and slightly excited.

"Hi." Brooke began, "So I have a favor to ask."

"Oh god." Ashely mumbles as she faces Brooke, "What now?"

Brooke's eyes grew wide with more excitement, "So we're short on cheerleaders and I was hoping you could fill in?" She saw Ashely's face, "I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't so desperate."

Ashely sighed, "I can't. Listen I can shake my ass and hips to a good song any day. But pom poms and an outfit? No. Just . . no."

"There's no one else!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Well . . " Peyton unfolds her arms, "There's Ryland. She has experience and can do a split way better than Ash."

Brooke shook her head, "No way. Absolutely, not."

"There's nothing else we can do Brooke." Peyton exclaimed as she glanced at Ashely then back to Brooke, waiting for an answer.

The burnette sighed, "Fine. But you're asking." With that, Brooke walked away. She wanted nothing to do with Ryland. She hated the idea of them working together but it was the only option now.

Ashely pointed Peyton in the direction of Ryland, so she could go track her down and do Brooke's dirty work. She never understood the beef between Ryland and Brooke, it never made any sense. Peyton was always so curious about their history but Brooke never talks about it and she assumed neither does Ryland.

Peyton headed the way Ashely pointed, which was down the hall and a turn to the right. Luckily, she saw the blonde talking with that tutor girl. Peyton didn't want to interrupt, so she waited by the fountain till they were done.

After a moment or so, Peyton finally looked up from her phone and saw Ryland now heading the other direction from her locker. Peyton ran up beside her, catching the blonde off guard.

"We need to talk." Peyton matched the same pace as her. She assumed Ryland was heading to her next class and she didn't want to be late.

"Brooke's making you do her bidding?"

"You can say that." Peyton was just about to continue and ask her if she could help but Ryland abruptly stopped in her tracks and turned to Peyton.

"— Then I want to hear it from her. If Brooke needs my help then she can man up and ask herself." Ryland interrupted.

"You play dirty, edwards." Peyton commented just as Ryland was one foot in the classroom.

"That's the game, isn't it?" Ryland lastly said before entering the classroom and leaving peyton out in the hall to go find Brooke.

• • •

Peyton went to go find Brooke and the boys were in the gym. They were practicing in the gym while the cheerleaders were just walking in. All of them walked in with Peyton following behind but there was no sign of the cheer captain, Brooke Davis.

Peyton had eventually found and convinced her to go talk to Ryland herself. So that's exactly where the burnette went. Though Ryland was in class, that didn't stop Brooke from barging in and convincing the teacher to speak with Ryland outside. Luckily, this particular teacher was very chill so he didn't care much.

Ryland got up from her seat and met Brooke outside the classroom door. Her arms were crossed over her chest, she couldn't believe Peyton actually convinced her to ask herself. Even though she already knew of Brooke's reason of being there, she played dumb anyway.

"I'm missing my class. Can you hurry this up?" Ryland stood stern across from Brooke.

Brooke annoyingly sighed, "I'm one cheerleader short. Ashely doesn't want to help, so you in or not?"

"Do I get one of those outfits?" Ryland wiggled her brows.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Sure."

Ryland gave her a small smile and Brooke returned it with a forced one. Once Ryland went back into the class, Brooke let out a sigh of relief that it was finally over. She dreads a lot of things in her life but that was top tier for her.

• • •

The big game had just started, the first quarter. Basically every student was there. Ashely was the bleachers with Haley, cheering on their friend who was the new member of the cheerleading team. It wasn't permanent but they still wanted to support her. However, Chad was at the River court with Lucas, skills, mouth, jimmy, junk, and fergie.

They didn't care much for school games or whatever but they weren't mostly there because Lucas' half brother, Nathan Scott. They were aware of each other but that didn't stop them from hating each other. That meant, Lucas had his friends and Nathan had his. Two separate lives that never intertwined with one another.

While the boys began to play a game, Haley and Ashely were yelling at the top of their lungs when their team made a point. As Ryland cheered with the pom poms in her hands, waving them in the air . . . that's when her and Jake caught each other.

It was like a ghost, she felt like she was looking at a ghost. He smiled at her, she quickly looked away. She meant when she said she swears off her ex's. She didn't hate Jake but the wound was still fresh.

An hour and a half had went by, Jake passed the ball to Nathan. Nathan dribbled, getting around the opposing team but he didn't have a clear shot yet so he passed the ball to tim who was wide open. Nathan then ran into the middle where he was free, then Tim gave the ball back to him. Nathan ran it out because he wanted that three pointer.

Time was ticking down fast in the last quarter. Nathan was dribbling the hall still as he stood behind the three pointer line. The opposing team coming at him and just as the other team was about to block, the ball left Nathan's hands seven seconds before the buzzer was going to go off. It was now or never, win or lose.

And they won.

The crowd went wild, cheerleaders, and the team.

Ashely and Haley ran down the bleachers to Ryland. The three friends hugged as they jumped up and down. Ashely then departed from them to talk with Brooke and Peyton, her other friends. She thanked Brooke for letting Ryland fill in.

As they talked, Jake looked over to Ryland as he walked back into boy's locker room with his teammates.

But I guess it's true what people say, you don't know what you have until it's gone.

a/n:
thoughts on Jake
& Ryland?