UNDER CONSTRUCTION

   “Just a cheerleader?” Indigo repeated, eyebrow raising. She’d seen how hard Rosie and her other friends on the Vixens worked. When it came to being able to dance and move so smoothly, elegantly… well, Indi may argue that is harder than being rough on the Exy court. She certainly wouldn’t be able to do cheer-leading. Still, she wasn’t about to give Patch that satisfaction of admiration. 

  By now, the effects of the pot were hitting Indigo pretty hard. Despite being 5′11″, she was all skin and bone, and things like alcohol or substances affected her quickly. She giggled, opening up to Patch a little more now, despite the history. “We could play truth or dare, I’ve never done that high,” She suggested, feeling too lazy and comfortable currently to do anything too crazy - like scale a building. “Unless you’re chicken.” 

Patch wiggled her fingers dismissively. “Just a cheerleader as in; Exy is a foreign language. I feel like I like my chances against any of the Foxes outside of that,” she said teasingly, swinging her head towards Indigo and arching a cocky eyebrow, before she let out a giggle and finished off the joint, stubbing it and putting it in her jacket pocket to throw away later. 

Watching as he stepped back, running into the door a bit, she lingered in her step as she rolled her shoulders back to try and pull herself together. She was never great at being caught off guard, always one to plan out her day and the way she went about it. But, Rosie was a master of putting on a smile and trucking through it. At least most of the time, when it came to Patch, it was just a bit harder to play pretend. He knew her fairly well, at least more than most around here excluding that of Indigo and Sydney, and now ever so slowly: Sterling. So there was a moment of hesitancy as she tried to gather herself, rolling her shoulders back as she glanced up at him.

As she heard his words, her lips pushed together into a line as she glanced back at the locker room doors, “Oh, uh, I was just….” Clearing her throat, she waved her hand a bit dismissively, “Giving Sterling something.” Pausing, her gaze shifted a bit as she shifted her weight between her feet again, “….something of his I found in the gym.” It was a lie, and she was doing in through her teeth as she tried to save face before shrugging nonchalantly. But she heard the forced tone in Patch’s voice as well, and she took a deep breath as the topic was changed.

Although, it was something that made her doe hues widened even more, her father had contacted him? “He what?” Her tone was a bit sharper as she tapped her nails together, now suddenly anxious and albeit a little confused as well, “What….what did he say? What did he tell you?” Pausing, she ran her fingers through her long red locks, shrugging, “I’m fine. I’m alright.”

Patch felt his smile freeze on his face, feeling a confusing rush of amusement, relief, guilt, and underneath it all, the sting of jealousy. He knew exactly what she meant by that. It was hard not to guess exactly what she was doing. And even though Patch knew he had no right to have an opinion, he was glad it was someone like Sterling that she was… spending time with.

On the other hand, he could remember when it was him she was coming for, and the fact that he gave it up stung just a touch against his better judgement. He had no right to feel that way, no right at all, so instead he tried to focus on the actual problem on hand, which seemed to be how unsettled Rosie was.

“He said… well, he said something about missing medications for your condition?” he offered. He didn’t want to say bipolar outloud, in case someone could hear, but he tried to make it clear that he knew pretty much everything, and he was concerned that maybe his actions had made it worse. Far worse than it should be. 

“Lifesaver.” Jack reached for the cigarette, choosing to ignore Patch’s intrusion upon the truck they were usually rather territorial over. The cigarette was worth it, at least for now. Even the talking was tolerable, at least when it kept them from having to actually make a decision about what they were going to do. 

They did their best to keep the silence up for a minute, hoping that Patch would go away and leave them to their sulking, but there really was something weighing on them. It seemed ridiculous to be spilling their guts in the middle of a parking lot, but in all honesty it’d been pretty ridiculous to be sitting out here in the first place.

So they sighed, pulling off their jacket to offer it to Patch in lieu of an apology. “More people live in Fox Tower than in my entire hometown, y’know?” Not really an explanation, they really had to get better at saying what they meant. “And more people come to our games than lived in the entire county. Stupid, coming from me, but sometimes I hate feeling watched.”

Patch hummed and sucked on her teeth before she blinked in surprise at the proffered jacket. She paused, before she hesitantly took it. “Thank you,” she murmured softly. She was sure Jack like many of the other Foxes and Vixens didn’t know what a jacket on a cold night meant to someone like Patch so used to gritting her teeth and baring it when it got cool. She hadn’t even really registered the cold until she was shrugging the jacket on and zipping it up to her chin. It was… warm. 

She shook herself out of her thoughts and offered them a placid smile. “Thanks, hun. You really know how to charm a lady,” she said teasingly as she lamented the fact that she was too big to pull the jacket down over her fingers. She ashed her cigarette before her smile loosened into something more genuine. 

   Indigo kept her knees up, resting her cheek on the boney knobs with her face turned towards Patch. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she held the smoke in her lungs until the burn was too intense she had to breathe out, and then repeated the action. Indi was careful to keep her face from making any sign of reaction, especially to the sweet words… though it got harder as the game was brought up. “Yeah,” Indigo answered, eyes opening to delicately hand back the still burning joint. 

   She did play well. She knew this… yet it didn’t sit right with the loss. Humility was not something Indigo frequently experienced, but Exy was the exception. “I mean, thanks, but it didn’t really do us any good. We need Grant. It’s - just fucked up, I guess,” Indigo’s energy sputtered out as she spoke, words trailing off, her tone defeated. Patch wasn’t close enough in Indi’s circle to ever see this side of her before, so the blonde forced away the mood and straightened, eyes on Patch again. “Silence is boring. Are you trying to bore me? I was promised a party.” 

Patch took it back without a word, letting the silence settle for as long as Indigo let it. She continued to take short puffs, her lips twitching up as she felt her skin loosen as he mind went a tough foggy around the edges. She passed it again after Indigo spoke up, and she allowed the smirk to grow into a grin. 

“Grant’s only one person,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “But what do I know. I’m just a cheerleader,” she said, sighing out the fresh air. It was immediately followed by a bark of laughter as Patch tuck her hair behind her ear and placed a hand on her chest. “Ouch. Boring? Me?” she asked, her eyes twinkling, her thoughts soft and slow from the pot. “I might be off my game a little bit, but I still have some sort of pride,” she said. 

   It took all her power to hold back the epic eye roll that threatened to knock her vision sideways. “Come on. You don’t think the press cares who fucks who, who breaks whose heart,” The subtle jab was well placed, and Indigo knew it would hit it’s target, though she kept her own expression blank. Eyes on Patch, watching for the reaction. “You’re right, we’re too fucked up for that to be all we get credited with.” 

   With his eyes back on her, Indigo looked away, trying to be carefree. “Wouldn’t you be lucky, in that case,” She responded with a matching smirk, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulders — a habit she’d picked up from Rosie. “Either way, you should stop your bitching before the scary reporters pick up on it, and think you really are hiding something.” 

Patch felt like he would be more insulted if he didn’t share Indigo’s opinion. Deflecting, redirecting, running away. That was all that Patch did. Was his glaring discomfort more or less cowardly than outright hiding. 

Lucas flushed and busied himself with grabbing one of the apples from the fruit basket on the counter. All the cuties were gone; a travesty. “I thought you’d probably be the best person to go to,” he said with a soft chuckle before he turned back around more composed. “Do you want to learn some more?” That was something that Lucas could easily do without too much of a worry about everything else.

“The backyard has the tall fence so we wouldn’t really have to worry about any prying eyes out there.” At least… most of them. Lucas wouldn’t put it past someone to try to look over the fence. It wasn’t like any of the Foxes were inside. Well… Lucas couldn’t be entirely sure about that.

“We can work on some of your stunts or we can work on some cheers. If you’re up for it, I’ve just got to go change real quick,” Lucas added as he stuck out his prosthetic leg. “Should only take a few minutes, I can meet you out there and you can get all stretched out.”

Patch liked to tease Lucas. He’d never do anything about it; Raph was a bro to him, and even though the two of them are taking it nice and slow, Patch wasn’t a complete and total asshole, despite the evidence. He gave the other a salute and popped off of the seat, trotting towards the door. “Wear those shorts I like so much darling!” he sang before the door shut. 

    Part of Indigo felt destroyed with the loss. Her high from scoring — seriously, the best feeling ever had been watching herself get their team that point, heart filling and excitement coursing through her veins. She’d hollered her throat raw during the second half of the game, and had barely said a word since the end. This was rare for Indi, always talking or being larger than life in one way or another. Instead, she’d been sullen, quieter… just trying to keep her hopes from tanking too hard, too fast. 

   She’d been heading over to the den to see a couple of friends fro the Vixens, maybe find some cheering up. The smell of marijuana caught her attention easily, and it wasn’t long before Patch was in her sights. 

   An eyebrow perked up. “Mmph,” Indi greeted, lips pursing to the side as she glanced back over her shoulder, back the ways she came. Her close friendship with Rosie had caused some tension between she and Patch, but… she did offer a tempting distraction. “Not much of a party,” The blonde commented, taking a seat beside her and reaching for the joint. “Bet you’re glad I showed up to fix it.”

Patch chuckled under her breath, watching Indigo out of the corner of her eye, relaxing and crossing her legs in front of her as she did so. Playing with fire. That’s what she was doing, like she always did. Patch felt like sometimes, for as much good as she tried to do, all she was really capable of was being a massive annoyance. And to someone as sweet as Rosie no less. 

But that didn’t stop her from feeling semi-grateful that Indigo had taken her up on her offer, and so she hummed her agreement. “You know I love seeing your pretty face, darling,” she drawled teasingly, examining her nails. They were chipped. Of course they were. As if self-care was something she did when she was spiraling like she was. 

   “Not me. You’re wrong,” Indigo retorted, tilting her head as she looked at him a little closer. All of the things she’d want to hide — there would be no point. She’d spent years being upfront and obvious about everything about herself, to avoid that very feeling of being “found out”. Judgement, now, was almost a sport for Indigo. She looked for people to question her. “I’m an open book, that is why the cameras love me.”

   Something about his last words caught her attention, making her linger for a moment longer than she typically would. “…what is it you think they’re looking for?”

Ah, he had spoken out of turn. As if Indigo, as sharp as she was, wouldn’t be able to pick up on it. Indigo, who was close enough to Rosie that he hesitated to be honest about anything. As if he would normally, but he found that he was becoming more squishy these days anyways. 

“Drama, mystery, cover-ups, scandal. That shit,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “With as fucked up as we all are? We’re basically a feeding frenzy for these assholes,” he said, the bitterness turning into venom as he glowered out the window at where the vans had just passed by. 

“Not today,” Jen shakes their head. “I know I said they won’t pay any attention to us, but I wanted to be ready just in case they did,” They explain. Maybe, it’s a little much, but they like the idea of their dad tuning in and seeing them at their best, even if they’re just in the background.

“You okay?” Jen asks as they take a seat on the couch. “You look a little upset.” 

Patch understood that sentiment, so he nodded, even though he knew he’d never have that same chipper approach to it. 

He couldn’t help but huff out a dry laugh at Jen’s question. He used to be stronger than that, with a see-through mask. Being here, feeling safe, being looked after… it was making him soft. Part of him hated it, bristling at Jen’s question. But the bigger part of him sighed in relief. He ran a hand through his hair. 

The loss was a little bit bittersweet, the Foxes weren’t down and out just yet, but she knew that they certainly weren’t happy to come off a winning streak and lose on their own turf. Rosie never followed Exy that much, not until now anyways, so she wasn’t sure about the logistics but seeing her friends get injured on the court made her livid. She almost tore the ref’s head off when they just looked past Raph getting his hand hurt, thankful for Indigo out on the court to hold the ball so they finally took notice. It was like they didn’t even care.

But she knew Sterling was a little upset about the loss, and while they weren’t anything official or if they would ever be that way, she didn’t like seeing him down in the dumps. So, she did what any girl would do and got him a coffee to bring to him after he practiced for the morning as he usually did. They’d had a talk recently about her slipping out in the mornings, set a few more guidelines, so she knew his schedule fairly well by now because they were doing the whole honesty thing a bit better now. It was her biggest rule, after what happened with Patch and the obvious miscommunication. 

How she ended up being convinced to be pulled into the locker room was still a mystery to her, but she certainly wasn’t complaining, it was pretty emptied out do to a lot of the Foxes sulking in their rooms the morning after a loss. Leaving together would’ve been to obvious, so she snuck out first to give him time to clean up and get ready for his day. Small, plaid skirt swaying along her tight clad thighs, she adjusted it a bit as she slipped out of the locker room only to crash right into a body. A very familiar, strong, sturdy frame as she felt large hands on her shoulders, making her pause as she glanced up.

Patch. Of course it had to be him, and she pursed her lips together which were bare of any lipstick as it was probably smeared along Sterling’s chest and various other surfaces. “I….yeah, had to drop something off.” It was vague, and she cleared her throat as she gave him space, running her fingers through her long red locks as she nibbled on a kiss swollen bottom lip and pushed her hair in front of her face a bit. “Rough game has people down in the dumps I guess.” She was at a bit of a loss of words as she shifted her weight between her legs and shrugged.

Patch scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as she took a step back out of his arms, and he did the same, just a half-step. His back hit the door and he cleared his throat again. He forced himself to collect his thoughts before he blurted something out that was less smooth than this whole exchange. He ended up nodded and crossing his arms.

“Right. Right. Yeah. It was still a good game. I guess hyping people off of the court is… nice of you to do,” he said. God, it sounded so fake. This whole interaction was laced with tension, and not the fun kind. They used to be so seamless with each other. The tension was fun. Had it really only been a month since they had last really talked? Fucking hell.

As often as he thought after Caleb and how he was managing, Rosie seemed to be a step behind in his thoughts always. Especially after the phone call he received from her father, nervous about why she wasn’t answering them. He felt like it was his fault, but he was still too much of a coward to approach her directly. Maybe it was a good thing they had ran into each other like this.

When: Saturday, March 16th

Time: Noon

Who: @rosietommasi

Patch always liked to wait until the Foxes were done practicing before he even thought to brave the locker rooms. He just had to leave his favorite lipstick in his locker at the game last night; it wouldn’t be a proper Saturday if he wasn’t being bothered as he got ready. Besides, he just knew everyone would be in a sour mood, and Foxes have been in and out of the gym all day practicing, as if to punish themselves. It was almost sad. 

But last he saw, Sterling was in here, and while Patch wasn’t sure if he was completely and totally gone, he wouldn’t exactly mind if he happened to be in the locker room looking the way he did, especially after the last time they were caught up together and alone. 

Any cheeky thoughts he was having crashed to a stop as someone familiar and warm smacked into his chest as he pushed his way into the locker room. It startled him, but didn’t cause him any pain; they were too light. He instinctively reached out and steadied the other person’s shoulders with his hands. It was then he registered the bright red hair, and he knew this was most likely going to end poorly. Patch wasn’t a coward, but the last time they had spoken, Rosie had cried, and Patch didn’t know if he could take that again. 

When: Saturday, March 16th

Time: 10pm

Who: @skiesindigo

Patch sighed out, rolling her eyes up to the sky as she leaned her head back against the brick wall that made up the back wall of the Den. The atmosphere on campus was ridiculously depressing, and she hated that it was weighing on him some. Actually cheering on Friday had been a blast; the crowd was attentive, Patch felt alive. But the loss took all with wind out of her sails, so here she was, lighting up a joint and taking a long drawl. 

The wind was nice and cool, and she tilted her head up to the sky, causing her hoodie to fall back. She knew she looked like ass, lipstick smeared from messing around with Caleb earlier to help him feel better about the game and she was definitely sure eyeliner was smudged under her eyes, but she was alone.

Jen takes one last look in the mirror and gives their curls a quick fluff before grabbing their jumbo purse and leaving their room. They know that cameras will be lurking around campus today, though they probably won’t pay any attention to Jen, unless anyone is still curious about what happened with their dad back in September. Still, they want to look good just in case they end up in the background of any footage. 

They can’t help but worried about Grayson. Having the media on campus, while the podcast about his family is gaining popularity seems like a dangerous mix, but hopefully they just get whatever footage they need and don’t ask any questions. Things never seem that easy though.

Jen descends down the stairs and gives Patch a friendly grin, blinking in surprise when they’re met with a more bitter one in return. “Both my sides are good sides,” Jen retorts playfully, angling their made-up face from side to side. “I even put on flasies today, but it was probably a waste. They’re not gonna pay any attention to us,” They laugh as they poke at one of their fake eyelashes, hoping it’s secure after they kind of hastily glued it on.

Patch let out a bark of laughter before he nodded his head approvingly as he took in Jen’s work. He whistled lowly and rested his head on his fist, his smile light and teasing. “You won’t find me arguing there,” he said teasingly, before he shrugged. “Maybe it that isn’t a bad thing. But you are right, you certainly look camera-ready.”

At some point it would end, Lucas knew that much. He wasn’t sure how unsettled he would be by all the cameras and attention on the Foxes–but it had put him on edge. Mostly due to the fact that Lucas couldn’t help but wonder what would happened if the Vixens had the spotlight on them at all. Would his mom see something on television? While scrolling through her phone? Would she call him? Or would she ignore him and pretend he doesn’t exist?

Would his dad see something about him?

There were too many questions and the one person Lucas usually went to was preoccupied. But keeping to the Den had made Lucas a little stir-crazy. Someone would have to keep him entertained. Distracted.

And not too surprising, the perfect person was downstairs. Patch would probably keep him entertained for a few hours. “Good morning to you sunshine,” Lucas greeted as he hopped down the last step and made his way over to Patch. “I’m always leading with my good side. What are you plans for today?” Lucas asked, tilting his head in the opposite direction of Patch’s. “I’m bored and need someone to distract me.”

Patch threw his head back and laughed a little bit, before letting his eyes purposefully linger on Lucas to tease. “You’ve got me there,” he said with a grin, before he wrinkled his nose a little bit. He was still trying to avoid figuring out what he was going to do, so he settled for saying, “Nothing outside, probably,” he said, almost sour as he said it, before he beamed at Lucas.

“A distraction?” He purred with a wink, catching his tongue between his teeth in a smile. “Well, I’d have to say you’ve come to the right person,” he continued, before he folded his hand under his chin and fluttered his eyelashes at Lucas. 

    “Those cameras can bite me,” Indigo retorted with a grimace, and then plastered a fake smile on her face for show. She knew it wasn’t meant in any certain way, and personally, she didn’t mind the scouts and the fuss that was made around this time. 

   In the past, she’d hated her picture taken, or even the idea of accidentally getting caught on film. Hated the way she looked, moved, talked; existed. Now, so much of her life was captured with pictures. Her Instagram full of selfies, a skyrocketing Snapchat score; cameras were no longer her fear, though the scouts did make her feel a bit more pressure. No, it was the idea of being expected to smile or behave a certain way that set her on edge. 

   “I don’t get why everyone freaks out so bad about them - it’s not that big of a deal,” She added with a slight eye-roll, waiting on the landing for his response. 

Patch wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take her statement as a challenge, but it didn’t hit him like one. He shrugged, smirking a little bit. “Unfortunately, not everyone can be as charming as you,” he drawled, resting his chin on one of his hands as he gazed at her placidly. “Besides, it’s Palmetto; everyone has something to hide,” he said with a little quirk of his head. Patch would never trust a camera. Everything can be twisted into something else with the right people involved.