NISHA

Everything Nisha wore was part of a calculated effort to get Addison Bridges, after three painfully long months of little dates, to be her official girlfriend.

Adding together Nisha's favorite lip gloss, the one that made her lips look plumper, pinker, and more kissable. Plus, the way she painstakingly straightened her black hair to make it look all silky. Multiplying her chances by wearing a simple sweater underneath her cheerleader lettermen's jacket and a huge button with Addie's face on it. It's been on her jacket since homecoming, a beacon that said:

JUST ASK ME ALREADY.

This all equaled to Nisha being the perfect girlfriend material. 

If it wasn't so obviously important to Addie, Nisha would've asked to be girlfriends from the beginning. After the first date at an Ice-cream shop, after Nisha fell for Addie's eyes that sparkled when she laughed and the dimples dug into her cheeks. After they laughed so hard, Nisha thought they were going to get kicked out. After the ice-cream shop wasn't enough and they basically spent the entire weekend together.

It took one weekend for Nisha to realize her whole life could be one long weekend when she was with Addison Bridges.

Addie invited Nisha to their first date spot all over again.

Perfect choice.

She even called ahead to reserve the exact table they met up for the first time. Nisha's heart was already fluttering, but once she saw the vase of roses waiting for her, Nisha's heart popped out of her chest, shot into the sky, and burst to become a whole new star in the solar system.

Nisha sat at the very edge of her seat, her back stick straight as she waited with great expectations, like a dog waiting for their reward. Nisha didn't hear a single other word as she waited and waited for one question.

Addie sat across the table wearing some of her uniform, the track pants, the t-shirt from last summer's cheerleading camp, and her own lettermen's jacket. A part of Nisha was kiddy they matched tonight. Her short sandy bob had every hair perfectly in place. Nisha thought about kicking the table and just laying one on her, anyway.

Nisha only found out about Addie's wishes from the cheer co-captain Elspeth. She told Nisha gravely, as if she was administering bad news. "Nisha, you can't be the one to ask her."

"What?" Nisha had asked. "Why?"

"It's important to her. If she asks you, you'll be the first person she's ever asked out in her whole life. She wants it to be you."

That was so long ago.

Longer than Nisha wanted.

"Nisha?" Addie said like it wasn't the first time.

"Hm?" Nisha asked and picked at her melting peppermint ice cream.

"When do you leave again? To visit your family?"

"Oh, tomorrow afternoon. We planned on leaving in the morning, but my mother wants to get some last-minute cooking done."

"Tonight is your last night here, right? Have you packed?"

"Um, yeah." Nisha nodded. Her heart pounded. This sounded like it was leading up to something, and Nisha was strapped in and ready to go. "Yes," she said, hoping to encourage Addie to continue. "I won't be back until the New Year."

"But..." Addie swallowed nervously. She hasn't moved her hands from her lap since they sat down. "But I can call you, right?"

"Of course!" Nisha got so excited, her knee hit the top of the table and her milkshake tilted over. Gasping, Addie stood to catch it, but just knocked it completely over. The milkshake slapped the top of the table, chocolate milkshake splashing across the table like a typhoon crashing into Nisha's shirt. The cold took a bite out of Nisha, who yelped and slammed her thighs into the top of the table, causing Addie's milkshake to almost topple over.

Addie jumped up and grabbed hers. "Oh my god. Are you okay? I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Nisha said, though it wasn't fine at all. "I'll uh—" She looked around and her face warmed, realizing the scene they were making. "It's fine," Nisha said, though it wasn't fine at all. "I'll uh... Let me just run to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay, yeah," Addie said, as hectic as Nisha was on the inside. Addie started mopping up the spilled milkshake with the pathetic three sheets of napkins until one worker came over to help. Addie unleashed a slew of apologies, while the worker assured her this happened all the time.

It may have happened all the time, but how often did it interrupt a love confession? Miserably, Nisha dragged herself to the one room bathroom with the horror lighting that revealed every pour in her face. Nisha grabbed the edge of the porcelain sink and took a deep breath.

Thankfully, this wasn't Nisha's lowest.

She had been lower.

Her freshman crush on the former cheerleading captain had her handing out flyers for a charity car wash dressed in a giant chipmunk mascot uniform. It was a used suit. And Nisha spent the next week scrubbing the smell of sweat and desperation off her skin.

Sighing again, Nisha worked up the energy to clean herself up from a mess to something decent. A soft knock on the door told Nisha Addie was still feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Nisha," she said, her voice so soft and sad it made Nisha even sadder. "This isn't really how I was planning to go today."

"It's really okay, Addie," Nisha said and opened the door. In Addie's hand was a bundle of clothes Nisha instantly recognized. Nisha smiled. "I'm just happy I got to see you before I leave."

Addie offered the clothes. "Here. It's just my practice clothes. They're clean—" she quickly added.

"Thanks, Addie." Nisha hugged the clothes to her chest and wished that Addie could spontaneously gain the power of mind reading, so she'd stop worrying.

"Well, uh." Addie nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll let you get dressed."

Then she scurried away, and I leaned out of the bathroom to watch her go without thinking I was watching. She shook her head, whipping around her hair into a mess. Grinning, Nisha sunk back into the bathroom and changed out of her date outfit and into what would hopefully be her tomorrow girlfriend's track pants, T-shirt, and sweatshirt. Everything was a little baggy and Nisha had to roll up the bottom of the pants. She slipped her letterman's jacket back on and sighed.

Another knock on the door scared the crap out of Nisha. "Just a sec!" She squeaked.

"Nisha!" Addie said with more horror than Nisha had ever heard.

"What is it?" Nisha pushed the door open as she shoved her feet back into her shoes. "What's wrong?"

Addie pushed her head inside, searching. "Did I hand you The Gregor by accident?"

"Huh?" Nisha queried her brow. "Uh, no-"

"Are you sure?"

Nisha frowned. "I think I would know if you handed me a lawn gnome."

Addie's eyes widened. All the color in her face vanished. "Oh, no."

#

TWO DAYS AGO

"It's not fair that the cheerleaders never get to hold onto The Gregor," Addie said to Trevor, the quarterback for the Creekside Chipmunks. He was technically a friend. They all ran in the same circles, played at the same parties, and usually worked together to make homecoming great.

But in all actuality, the cheerleaders were a foreign concept. Some noise at their games. And now two of them were getting in his face right when he finished practice. They were out at the football field, shivering from the cold.

"Why would you even need him?" Trevor asked, almost like he was adding onto a joke. He even took a swig from his Gatorade like douche bag.

"After the break, we go to Nationals," Nisha jumped in. She joined Addie at her side, becoming a glaring wall. "We want the trophy, and we want all the luck we can get."

"The cheerleaders have never taken care of The Gregor. Ever."

"So? What does that have to do with right now?" Addie asked.

"Why wouldn't we get to use it?" Nisha asked, planning to put Trevor in a corner. Other than being the quarterback, he was also Tabby Conner's boyfriend, who was on the cheerleading team too.

Nisha glared at him, daring him to say Cheerleading isn't a real sport. That The Gregor only went to real sports teams, so they didn't apply. But the cheerleaders wanted it. This was their chance to bring a shiny gold winning trophy to this school. It was their turn for glory and fame. And The Gregor guaranteed that.

Anyone who had ownership of The Gregor always won, always got what they wanted, and always succeeded.

Trevor glanced at the other guys on the team.

"And you can't say he's been reserved," Addie cut him to the chase. "We already asked all the other teams. They have nothing going on before our meet."

"Sounds like I've got no choice."

"You have a choice—" Nisha snapped "—to not be a dick and just let us watch him for the Christmas break."

And that was how Addie, the cheerleading captain, got The Gregor for the first time in Chipmunk history... a mysterious history. Honestly, Nisha didn't know when The Gregor came into the world or who figured out its mythical powers of luck and success. She just knew when Trevor put the little gnome in her hands, it felt like the weight of the entire world.

#

NOW

Addie started running and Nisha followed close behind, surprised to see Addie grabbing their bags and rushing right out the door. "Did you leave him in your car?" Nisha asked, her heart pounding.

"No! Leaving him there made me nervous! Ironically," she grunted, jumping into the back of her car, searching through the random junk she had left there for months, like a hoarder's house. Nisha glanced at the parking lot and noticed a small red spot.

Over the shoulder of a tall, gangly guy was a small red hat. "Addie," Nisha said, tapping her leg that was sticking out. "Addie."

"What?"

"Addie, I think that guy has the Gregor." Nisha couldn't wait anymore. She started dashing across the parking lot, kicking her shoes behind her and letting her bare feet hit the cool pavement. It felt strange and bruising, but this way she could run faster.

Glaring at the gangly guy. He flinched when he noticed her and started running faster. She could see it for sure now. That guy did have The Gregor.

The Gregor.

A small lawn gnome with a pair of sunglasses super-glued to its face. The most important relic in their entire school. Probably the whole city.

And two cheerleaders fumbled it.

This guy with dark floppy hair and a generic gray sweatshirt underneath a coat. He had red converse. Regular jeans. She wished there was something more interesting that she could burn into her memory. Tall wasn't a good enough descriptor. Everyone was taller than Nisha.

"NED!" someone shouted.

There was a car parked by the street with a few people hanging out of the windows. This was the first time in her life when she wished she knew the name of cars, but she noticed a rainbow bumper sticker alongside the pride flag for nonbinary people. In the other corner was one that said, "Bigfoot is real and he is gay. Don't believe me? Ask him!"

One person threw open the door and motioned the gangly guy to hurry. "Come on! Come on!"

"Hey!" Nisha shouted. "Stop!"

But this Ned guy didn't stop. He threw himself and took The Gregor with him, before the car peeled onto the street and screeched through the night. Nisha stumbled to a stop, her chest scratchy and feet aching as she caught her breath.

She stood there, bursting out of her body with want. She burned, wishing to sprout wings and chase after that car. Shaking her head, she turned to Addie close behind and said, "Those idiots just kidnapped The Gregor. Who the fuck is Ned?"

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out."

Ripping her bag off her shoulder, Addie cursed and slammed the duffle onto the sidewalk.  

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Surprise! There's more players in this game. These poor girls did not ask to be a part of Ned Flowers's spiraling episode, but here we are. Lol. And now they're after him! Let's see where this goes... 

But I miss Sam! Let's go back to him in the bathroom with Griffin in the next chapter. But before that, don't forget to leave a comment to tell me what you think! What's your first impression of the cheerleaders? Do you think they're EVER going to become girlfriends?? And what do you think about Nisha and her POV? 

If you like this book, check out my other two! They're completed, gay, and a lot of fun!