Archive of Our Own ^beta

     “Watch where you’re fucking going!”

     “Excuse you?” A voice pipes up, startling Regina out of the glaring contest she’s currently having with some skinny bitch’s forehead. Skinny Bitch hasn’t looked at Regina directly yet, but that’s fine. Regina can wait.

     “Hey, Blondie! You don’t get to talk to her like that,” the voice says again. This time, Regina bothers to look for its owner. She’s very impressed with what she sees, but she does a damn good job of acting like she isn’t. Hair that isn’t quite red enough to be red, but too red to be strawberry blonde, is curled into loose waves and tucked back in a high ponytail. Even curlier tendrils have fallen out to frame a far-too-pretty face, all high cheekbones, wide blue eyes, and glisteny pink cheeks. A glance down at the girl's lips reveals the cutest upturned cupid's bow, which is currently extra pronounced with the way her bottom lip is pressed against it, her mouth set in a tight almost-frown. Regina’s eyes tick down for just a moment to find crossed arms, an “I <3 North Shore” t-shirt, and soffe shorts. 

     The girl clears her throat, tapping her little foot at Regina as she glares, and Regina has to bite back a grin. 

     “Did you need something?” Regina deadpans. No matter how cute this girl is, she will not be outbitched at her own gym. And surely not by a cheerleader!

     “Yeah, I need you to pull your head out of… out of your admittedly very nice ass and apologize to Karen. We didn’t realize that open gym hadn’t ended yet,” the girl says, her shoulders straightening even as her voice wavers.

     Regina grins at her, hearing only the compliment at first, before she processes what the girl said. “Open gym? Why the fuck would you think this was open gym?”

     “Um, ‘cause you’re here,” the girl replies, mirroring Regina’s belligerent expression back at her. Regina fixes her face, and the girl does the same. Hmm. “We have a private practice scheduled for 4:00, but it’s still five till. We didn’t realize there were still other people using the floor.”

     “Private practice?” Regina asks, now more confused than ever. “You rented out the gym?”

     “Just the floor. To run a tumbling clinic?” the girl says, her statement sounding more like a question. 

     “Who okayed that?”

     “Uh… Mike?”

     Regina doesn’t even respond to the girl before she stalks off to Mike’s desk, ready to give him an earful. 

     “It was nice to meet you!” The girl calls, lifting her hand in a half-wave that Regina pretends not to see. 

     “No it fucking wasn’t,” one of the other cheer girls mumbles, followed by a stream of giggles. Regina hopes the girl who called her Blondie isn’t laughing, but she doesn’t know her voice well enough yet to say for sure. And she can’t turn around to check, because that would be demoralizing. Instead, she marches up the stairs to the little observation box that Mike uses as his office. 

     Regina doesn’t knock before throwing the door open. 

     “Jeez, Regina, I’m gonna have a heart attack—”

     “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

———

     Mike spends nearly 30 minutes trying to explain why, for financial reasons, he has to let people rent out certain apparatuses from time to time. Regina goes ballistic when she learns that the cheer girls renting the floor is not just a today thing, but a biweekly occurrence from now until cheer state. If they win state, they’ll be booking the floor at least twice a week every week until mid June. 

     Regina tries not to think about it. 

     She slams Mike’s door behind her once she’s heard enough and stomps to the end of the tumbl trak, ready to blow all the little cheer bitches socks off. 

     She knows they’re watching, because Regina George is just the kind of person you can’t help but watch. As she lines up at the start of the trak, she wonders if she's being ridiculous, and quickly decides that she probably is. However, it is important to assert herself at the top of the hierarchy at this gym. She’s the queen bee, the star of the show, the greatest thing to ever come out of Mike Schwek’s “Schwek Shack” (it’s a stupid fucking name, but Mike has the nicest facilities in a 100 mile radius, so she tries not to detest it too much), and these little high school cheerleaders need to know that. They may be a big deal among the sea of uglies and poors at North Shore, but here, they’re just the chalk streaked on the floor Regina walks on. 

     That familiar fear starts to creep into her stomach as she throws her first trick, but she tamps it down. She does progressively harder tricks her next two times down the track, but even she’s not super impressed with them. A quick glance at the cheerleaders shows that they aren’t either, but a couple of them are still watching. The redhead (?) catches her looking and smiles, wiggling her fingers in a tiny wave that has Regina’s stomach doing flips far more impressive than anything she’s landed today. 

     The girl’s attention quickly shifts when one of her teammates—a short girl with an unbearably peppy smile and ultra-curly hair—finishes a complicated tumbling pass that ends in a back tuck. Well, Regina thinks it’s the end until the girl somehow leaps from landing her back-tuck into a flawless toe touch, her giant smile only growing over the course of her pass.

     Even Regina is impressed. Regina knows enough about physics to know that what the girl just did is not impossible. From doing gymnastics for the last 18 years (she could execute a flawless somersault before she could walk), she also knows it’s really fucking difficult, and yet, the tiny girl has made it look so easy. 

     In technical terms, it’s hard as shit.

     Never one to be one-upped, Regina does something even harder. Something nearly impossible. 

     It’s a skill Regina could never dream of competing, but with the added bounce of the trak, she knows she can throw it. Landing it is a whole other issue. She eyes the mattress-thick mat at the end of the track, takes a deep breath, and hopes it’s enough. 

     After running halfway down the track, Regina leaps, hanging in the air for one, two, three seconds before she slams her legs into the trak and rockets herself back up. She’s still ascending as she completes the first flip, before her upward momentum runs out on the second, at which point she does a half-twist. She’s falling as she begins her first full-twist during her third flip, somehow sneaking in a fourth flip before her feet blessedly find the mat for her blind landing. She holds herself there for a second before her momentum, combined with her lack of balance on the super-cushy mat, bowls her over completely, and she flops onto her back. She lays there and grins like the flop was intentional, hoping the cheerleaders are stupid enough to buy it. 

     They must be—or at least, some of them must be—because a smattering of applause breaks out. Well, a smattering is generous. Two people clap: the tallest girl—the one who got in her way and nearly killed her on the floor earlier—and the cute one that stood up for the stupid girl. The one that Regina wants to kiss. 

      What?

     Regina suddenly can’t breathe, and it’s not because she hit the ground too hard after her trick. 

     The curly-haired girl who did the impressive tumbling pass that spurred Regina’s ridiculous trick starts clapping too, and it brings a smile to Regina’s face. Regina rolls off the mat and onto her feet, turning toward the gymnasts and pretending she’s just noticed the applause. The cute one smiles at her, opening her mouth like she’s about to say something when Vic throws the door from the lobby open and starts screaming.

     “George, what the fuck were you thinking?” He snaps, stomping over to Regina. He’s only her height, but between his thick Russian accent, his massive, tattooed arms, and the vein bulging out of his bald head, he’s far more intimidating. 

     And that’s saying something, since Regina is considered by most major sports outlets to be the bitchiest gymnast in America. (She doesn’t mind the reputation. She’s not here to make friends. And, hey, she was never going to be the queen of gymnastics with names like Simone Biles and Shilese Jones in the mix, so she doesn’t mind being the queen of bitch . At least she’s the queen of something.)

     “Are you a fucking idiot? You’re an insecure little girl who needed to show off for some cheerleaders? You like being injured? You want to do it again? You like everybody feel bad for you, cry, say boohoo, Regina George, she could be so good, but she get hurt. You like that?” 

     Regina’s being ascends above her body the second Vic starts screaming, floats above and watches all of this happen, like she always does when Vic gets like this. Or her dad, or her choreographer, or anyone else. 

     He keeps screaming, gets in her face, gets as close as he can without touching. 

     It would bother Regina if it was happening to her, but it just… doesn’t feel like it is. She’s not really here, hasn’t been since she almost died, since she almost got to be done with gymnastics forever. 

     But no. She pissed off God, and he left her here to rot and do fucking flips until she either ages out or gets too fucked up to continue. 

     “You make me sick, Regina. Try making yourself sick instead. You’re fat,” Vic says, the final blow striking deeper, taking root in Regina’s mind. Vic must be really mad at her if they’re having this conversation again. She’s bigger than she was before she got hurt, but with nearly a year off for the first time in her entire life, her body finally grew like it had been trying to since she hit puberty. She went from looking like a twelve year old to looking like a woman, which is how she’s supposed to look at eighteen. And she got five inches taller, for fucks sake. How is she supposed to weigh the same as she did before?

     The slam of the lobby door brings Regina back to reality, back into her body, and she realizes just how exhausted she is. 

     She catches the cheer girls looking at her, and she turns away. 

     “Take a picture, losers. It’ll last longer,” she says as she walks off. She quickly gathers her things in the locker room, throwing black joggers on over her practice leo and slipping her feet into her sneakers. She should finish her reps and do a proper cooldown, but she can’t stomach being here any longer. She needs to get home and into the safety of her bedroom before she has time to really think about anything Vic said. 

     She struts out of the locker room and through the open garage-style door of the gym, avoiding Vic and the lobby altogether. Someone might call for her as she walks, but she’s not a hundred percent sure, and she’s not really in the mood to talk, anyway. She’s pulling open the door to the jeep, wishing more than anything that it was summer and she could just fling herself inside and let the wind roar in her ears until she can’t hear Vic screaming anymore, when a small hand lands on her arm.

     Regina glares at it like it’s a fly, waiting for it to remove itself. She’s about ready to swat it when a soft voice asks, “hey, you okay?”

     And that’s really all it takes to open the floodgates. 

     That’s how world bronze medalist Regina George ends up curled into a ball in the back of her car, crying on the shoulder of a girl she just met an hour ago. 

     To her credit, the girl doesn’t seem phased at all. She pats Regina’s back and makes the softest little humming noises, and her presence is weirdly calming, is the thing. Regina usually has these freakouts by herself—she’s been an expert at self-soothing (or at least, surviving her own self-destruction) since she was six, when her first coach deemed it “too distracting” to have her mother in the mix at meets. While the other little girls would finish a skill, salute the judges, and run to their mothers to either be consoled or congratulated, Regina George would salute and then return to her seat. Sometimes, she’d look up at the observation box to try and see her mom. After one too many faces of disappointment, she quit looking. 

     It’s been a long time since anyone has been there to comfort Regina, is the point, and now this girl is doing it. Regina doesn’t know why she is, but she also doesn’t want her to stop. She might not survive it. 

     “I thought the trick you did was really cool,” the cheerleader says, like Regina’s a seven year old who just fell off his bike after screaming “look ma, no hands!”

     “You would,” Regina scoffs, feeling the heat of her self hatred rising. No boil overs, Reg. You can do this.

     “I do,” the girl confirms with a little smile, choosing to ignore the fact that Regina’s being a bitch. It makes Regina curious, makes her want to push until this girl has something harsher to say back, but she also… doesn’t want to push her away. 

     And that? Hey, that’s fuckin’ terrifying. 

     “So are you just, like, squatting in my car now?” Regina says, because she has to get away from the girl with strawberry blonde hair and wide blue eyes and that sweet, soft voice that’s saying things to her that are far too nice. 

     “Oh, uh,” the girl’s hands scramble around on the seat, locating her phone after a beat too long. “Yeah, I should probably get back. I just—look, I don’t know what your situation is, but if you ever wanna practice with us, we—”

     “You can’t do the skills I need to practice,” Regina says, that cockiness creeping back in. 

     “Probably not,” the girl concedes, her lip twitching just a little. She’s irritated, Regina realizes, and Regina doesn’t know whether to hate that fact or love it. “But you might be surprised.”

     Regina watches the girl fiddle with her phone for a few seconds—wait, that’s Regina's phone —before she hands it back to her. 

     “We practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6:30. I put my number in there in case you ever want to join,” the girl says, shooting Regina one last tight-lipped smile before she pops open her door. 

     “Wait,” Regina asks, grabbing the girl’s arm. “What’s your name?”

     “Cady. Cady Heron, captain of the Lady Lions Cheer Squad and the North Shore Mathletes. You?”

     “Regina George, actual gymnast.”

     “Ah,” Cady says, her face morphing into a disappointed cringe. “So you’re one of those.”

     “One of what?”

     “One of those “actual gymnasts” that thinks cheer isn’t a real sport. And here I thought you’d be a feminist.”

     “And here I thought the captain of the mathletes would be smart enough to tell the difference between yelling and wearing a short little skirt and doing death-defying stunts.”

     “Guess we were both bound to be disappointed, then. See you around, Regina.”

     Cady slides out of the backseat before firmly shutting the door. She doesn’t look back once as she struts into the gym. (And Regina would know, because she didn’t take her eyes off Cady for a single second.

———

     Their relationship is largely voyeuristic in the beginning, and not because Cady is watching her . 

     Regina’s pissed, actually. She’s Regina Fucking George. She has 300,000 Instagram followers. She’s on the goddamn national team. She is one of the brightest stars on gymnastics’ biggest stage. She’s certainly the brightest star in Bumfuck, Illinois. 

     So why does Cady Heron seem entirely immune to her blinding glimmer?

     Whenever Cady’s at the gym, Regina spends all the time she’s not actively practicing watching her. Cady does not return the favor, much to Regina’s dismay.

     Cady greets her at the beginning of every practice with a smile and a gentle hello, but that’s literally it. She spends the whole time she’s there hyping up her silly little cheerleader friends and giggling at everyone’s mistakes—not in a mean way, but in an “Oopsie! Happens to the best of us. Let’s try that again. You’ve got this!” sort of way. Regina has never done anything in this way. Prior to Cady, she was unaware that this way existed. 

     It takes three weeks for her to snag Cady’s attention again. Vic’s lighting into her for being lazy on vault—which is a fair enough critique—but Regina is tired and sore and the rod in her back fucking hurts. The cynical part of her wonders, if she feels like this at 18, how’s she going to feel at 30? (The even more cynical part of her tells her not to worry, because there’s no way she’s making it to 30. Maybe it’s because she has a lot of undiagnosed mental health issues, but letting this even more cynical voice speak actually kind of helps her feel better.) 

     Once he’s done swearing and telling her how fucking sick he is of looking at her, Regina sighs and dramatically splays herself across the vault. She’s not sure how long it’s been when a gentle voice pulls her back to the present.

     “Hey,” Cady says, and Regina wonders if the head rush she gets is from laying with her head dangling off the back off the table or from Cady Heron’s presence. Considering it gets worse when she feels a gentle hand on her thigh, she’s going to blame it entirely on Cady Heron. “You okay?”

     “Mmh,” Regina hums, still draped over the table. Cady’s hand disappears from her thigh, which is quite disappointing until her face appears, leaning over Regina’s. She’s looking down at her with the cutest scrunchy-nosed concern, and Regina can’t help but grin back. She probably looks horrifying from this angle, but she’s not thinking about that. All she can think of is Cady leaning over and kissing her like Kirsten Dunst in that one Spiderman movie. 

     “Are you not horrendously dizzy laying like that?” 

     “Horrendous is a strong word. Plus, I spend a lot of time on my back. This isn’t so bad.” 

     Regina tries to wink at her own innuendo, but being upside down this long is genuinely affecting her blood flow. She wonders if maybe her brain is severely lacking oxygen, because she ends up shutting both of her eyes and feeling like she’s falling. Cady grabs both her arms as she flails, murmuring a quiet you’re okay . 

     And for the first time in a while, Regina feels like she is. But, that may just be the lack of blood to her brain talking. Or is it too much blood to the brain? Regina can’t remember. She was never all that good at biology. Physics is sick as fuck, obviously, but living beings are gross. Regina never wanted to know more about any of them.

     Cady helps her back into a sitting position, hanging onto Regina under the guise of “making sure she’s not too woozy.”

     Regina’s brain returns back to normal after just a few seconds, but she can’t fight the tug of a frown when she twists ever so slightly wrong and her back twinges. 

     Cady drifts closer. 

     “What’s wrong?” She asks, eyes so wide and so, so blue. 

     “Nothing. I’m recovering from an injury. I hurt my back last year a couple weeks before worlds.”

     “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cady says, her hands tightening just the tiniest bit around Regina’s waist. “Do you—is it like, locked up? Do you want me to massage it? Would that help?”

     Regina grins. 

     “Are you coming on to me, Cady Heron?” She teases, pinning her tongue between her teeth in a grin, and Cady backs away. 

     “I—it wasn’t—no,” Cady stammers, her cheeks going impossibly red. Her hair is snatched back in a high ponytail again today, so Regina’s able to see that pretty flush creep across cady’s cheeks, up her ears, and into her hairline. She wants to kiss the purple-red ridge of Cady’s ear, but she somehow refrains. 

     Regina George has self control. Who knew? 

     (Everyone, probably. But maybe Cady doesn’t know that yet, so Regina is teaching her, and Regina likes that she can help Cady Heron learn new things. Especially about her favorite subject—herself.)

     “I was just trying to help,” Cady says, her eyes finally darting up to meet Regina’s. When she catches Regina’s grin, she huffs out a half-laugh and drops her hands. 

     “Thanks,” Regina says, gently squeezing Cady’s arm. “Really. But I’m okay. I just need to get some rest.”

     “Sure,” Cady says, reaching up to tuck her flyaways behind her ears. There aren’t many, but it gives her something to do, at least. “Are you calling it quits for the day?”

     Regina bristles at the idea that she ever calls it quits —she literally snapped her spine in half and still didn’t get to call is quits —but she tries not to show that it bothers her. She doesn’t know Cady, not really, but she knows enough to know that Cady didn’t mean anything by it. 

     “Probably soon,” Regina says. She has to work a little bit longer because her brain says she has to, even though her body is ready to “call it quits.”

     “I sent the girls home early. Think we all need a little bit of a break.”

     “Mmh. Screaming Go! Fight! Win! For hours on end must be exhausting,” Regina teases, hoping it comes across as playful and not insanely bitchy.

     Cady rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. 

     “Honestly, it’s hard work. Especially for a football team that’s 2-11. They haven’t won a single home game. Do you know how hard it is to try and pretend to be excited when you’re getting slaughtered 56-0?” 

     “That is… a really good point, actually,” Regina says, feeling her teeth peek out in a too-large smile. “I definitely couldn’t do that.”

     “Well, I can’t do anything harder than a standing back tuck, so you’ve got me beat there,” Cady teases, weirdly warm at the way Regina’s just admitted that there’s actually something Cady is better at than her. She immediately felt the need to remind Regina that she’s far superior. 

     It makes Regina’s smile a little wider, so Cady can’t bring herself to regret it. 

     “If you ever want help learning anything new for your tumbling passes,” Regina says, offering to help someone for probably the first time in her life. She’s not sure if she’s doing it right, but she thinks Cady Heron knows what she means. 

     “I don’t work on a lot of new skills,” Cady admits, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. “We—there’s a pretty strict rulebook for what we’re allowed to do or not do, and I—well, I kind of have all the stuff we’re allowed to do down.”

     “Impressive,” Regina says, nodding her head. She does mean it, but she’s so used to being a sarcastic little bitch that she’s worried it comes out all wrong. Gosh, why does this girl make her so worried she’s doing everything wrong? “I have a pretty good grip on most things, but, you know. People are inventing new skills all the time. Mostly Simone, but sometimes one of the other girls manages to do something new.”

     “That’s really cool!” Cady says, that cheerleader enthusiasm coming through strong. “And I really appreciate your offer, Regina. I just… I don’t want to waste your time, you know? Because I know you’re very important, and your time is very important, and—”

     “My time could never be wasted on you,” Regina says, patting herself on the back mentally for saying something so smooth. She’s usually incoherent when it comes to Cady.

     “Cool,” Cady says, the prettiest peach color staining her cheeks. She grins big at Regina, clearly trying to fight it off but failing. “Would you maybe wanna hang out sometime, then?”

     “Outside of the gym?” Regina asks, her head tilting in confusion. She doesn’t really… exist outside of the gym. She graduated high school at sixteen, and it’s been all gymnastics, all the time since then. Not that she ever really had a life before that. She did have a friend, though. Janis. Sometimes Regina wonders what she’s up to. She hopes that, wherever she is, she’s doing okay. 

     “Yes?” Cady says like it’s a question. “I mean, you’re here every time I’m here, I know that, but you must go home at some point, right? Unless… oh god, do you live at the gym?”

     “Yeah,” Regina says, pouting just a tiny bit for sympathy. “I actually live right up there, in Mike’s office. Sometimes I sleep under his desk, and sometimes, when he’s mad at me, he makes me sleep on the beam. I actually sweep the floors, too, just to earn my keep.”

     “Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it,” Cady says, gesturing to the chalky floors. 

     Regina laughs. She really likes this girl, and she hopes to god that the feeling is mutual. 

     “Would you maybe want to get dinner after practice sometime? Or go for icecream?” Cady asks, and Regina’s mood immediately tanks. 

     “No food,” she says too quickly. “I mean… I’m on a really strict regimen. So maybe we could… take a walk, or something? Or, um… watch a movie. Or like, play board games, or something,” Regina rambles, because she doesn’t know what you’re meant to do with your friends as a teenager. The last time she had a real friend, she was nine. 

     “Sure,” Cady says, that unbelievably cute smile peeking out again. “Do you want to come over to mine?”

———

     Regina didn’t realize that when Cady asked to hang out, she meant, like, now. She warns Cady that she still has a beam routine to work through, but Cady assures her she doesn’t mind waiting. 

     Regina has mixed feelings about being watched. She simultaneously feels like everyone should be watching her at all times because she’s very talented and gorgeous, and also like she never wants anyone to perceive her ever again, because all she does is make stupid mistakes that almost get her killed. 

     It’s tough, existing inside Regina George’s brain.

     Having Cady’s eyes on her is a different experience altogether. It’s like she can feel them at all times, like she knows Cady is watching her intently, but she kind of likes it. She mostly tries not to look at Cady, instead focusing on her routine, but every time she sneaks a glance, Cady is watching attentively. She always greets Regina with a big smile and a goofy thumbs up, or even a round of applause when she sticks her dismount. It makes her feel a little silly, and a lot special, and it makes her want to show Cady Heron all of the other parts of herself and see what she thinks. Would Cady clap for her proficiency in doing makeup, or maybe for the way she sings along with the radio? Would she think Regina was just as neat in sweats and glasses, analyzing the angles of her landings on her iPad for hours and hours? Regina thinks she might, and the feeling warms her from head to toe. 

     Regina makes a big show of her final landing, pleased as peaches when Cady claps and cheers. 

     “This is a closed practice,” Mike says from his office, where he’s just poked his head out of the door.

     “I’m sorry,” Cady says immediately, bowing her head. “I didn’t mean to break any rules.”

     “She’s with me,” Regina says, standing up straight and tall. (Okay, she’s not straight. But she is tall!) “She was here for tumbling practice, and I talked her into staying late. You know I love an audience.”

     Mike rolls his eyes, and Regina lets loose a quiet sigh, relieved that her excuse has worked. She’ll happily stand up to Mike any day of the week, but for some reason, the idea of him knowing she has any sort of affection for Cady makes her wildly uncomfortable. 

     “Well, show’s over. I’m heading out for the night. You sticking around, Regina?”

     Regina shakes her head. 

     “Cady and I have plans.”

     “Oh? What are you up to?” Mike asks, clearly surprised.

     Tragically, Regina has no answer. 

     “We’re gonna go watch a movie,” Cady says, smiling all the while. 

     “Sounds fun,” Mike says, looking at Regina until she meets his gaze. “Don’t have too much fun, though, okay? It is competition season, after all.”

     “Of course,” Regina says, turning away from him. She knows what he means is “don’t eat anything,” because god forbid she look like a grown woman and not an emaciated child. “Ready to go?”

     “Sure!” Cady says, shooting Regina a little smile. It’s pathetic, how much better it makes Regina feel. 

     Cady follows Regina out to her jeep, and Regina’s a little surprised when she gets in. 

     “You don’t have a car?”

     Cady shakes her head. 

     “Gretchen always drives me to practice, and then usually home after. Or my mom comes to get me, if she can’t. Is that—is it okay that I’m driving with you?” 

     “Of course,” Regina says. She wonders if Cady always asks if everything is okay, if she ever apologizes just for existing.

     “Great! I can give you directions, too.”

———

     On the ride to Cady’s house, which is only a couple miles away, Regina learns that Cady grew up in Kenya until high school, when her mom took a job at Northwestern so that she could have a “normal teenage experience.” She met her friends Gretchen and Karen the first day of freshman year, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Gretchen was determined to make varsity cheer, so Cady helped her train, and ended up falling in love with the sport. Now she’s the captain, Gretchen is her Co-, and Karen, the one who almost killed Regina, is not in a leadership position on the team, but she is incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. 

     “She’s the glue that holds us all together, really. Sometimes I’m a little out of touch, or Gretchen is a little uptight, but everyone loves Karen.”

     “Sounds fun,” Regina says, because it kind of does. She’s never really been part of a team besides the national team, and that’s not really your typical team. They only see each other for a couple of weeks before international competitions, and there’s a lot of turnover. There are a lot of rivalries as well—especially with her, the bitchiest girl in American gymnastics—so it feels less like a team and more like a co-op. They’re working together, but ultimately, everyone is in it for themselves. 

     “It really is!” Cady says with a grin. “I know most people think cheer is silly, but it’s really important to me. It’s taught me a lot, and it’s a ton of fun.”

     “I believe it,” Regina says, an amused smile finding her face as Cady directs her into a driveway. The house is much smaller than Regina’s, but then again, most houses are. Cady’s quick to hop out, but she waits for Regina near the front bumper until she’s ready to go in.

     Cady opens the unlocked door without knocking. 

     “Mom, I’m home! And I brought a friend!”

     “One second!” A voice calls. The woman is already smiling when she rounds the corner with a tea towel in hand. “Hello, Malaika. New friend?” she asks, looking at Regina. She doesn’t appraise her in the way that most people do, no slow look up and down trying to find a flaw or a problem. She just offers a glance and a little smile. 

     “Yeah! This is Regina, we met at the gym.”

     “Oh! Are you a cheerleader too?”

     “No,” Regina says, but she offers Cady’s mother a small grin. “I do gymnastics.”

     “Cool!” The woman says, and Regina can’t help but smile a little more. She sees where Cady gets her adorkable enthusiasm. “Well, I’m Betsy, Cady’s mom. It’s so nice to meet you! Are you hungry?”

     “No,” Regina says too quickly. Her stomach aches with the reminder that she hasn’t eaten since this morning, but she ignores it. Poor thing is used to Regina’s neglect after all these years, and it hardly makes a sound. 

     “Oh, well, that’s alright! Can I get you tea, or something? I’d hate for you to just have to watch us eat.”

     “Oh, no, it’s okay,” Regina says, shooting her the best smile she can muster. “I have a protein shake in the car. I’ll go grab it.” 

     She’s out the door before anyone can even respond, doing her best to take deep, calming breaths as she walks. She pauses for a moment at her trunk, pulling out a “birthday cake” flavored protein shake that in actuality tastes like stevia, creatine, and ass (derogatory), but it’s better than the plain chocolate one, so she’ll take it. 

     She jumps when she closes the trunk and Cady is there, a guilty look on her face.

     “Hey, sorry. I didn’t think about the fact that it was dinnertime, and—”

     “Totally not a big deal,” Regina says, even though it is for her, because she has a fucking eating disorder because of her gym-related dietary restrictions. If she admits that this feels like a big deal, Cady’s going to think she’s mentally ill, and that is not something Regina wants. “I just—I can only eat certain things.” 

      Without feeling the need to throw them back up.

     “And that’s totally okay!” Cady says, almost like she’s trying to convince Regina. She’s so expressive, and Regina wonders if she’s ever exhausted from being so… on all the time. “I can totally just eat later, if that’s better for you.”

     “Totally not,” Regina says, shooting her a smile. Maybe totally is Cady’s nervous tell. “I’ll drink my shake while you guys eat. Don’t worry, it’s not weird. I do it all the time.”

     “Your family doesn’t eat the same food as you?” Cady asks, tilting her head in confusion.

     “Nah. Plus, we don’t—we don’t really eat together a lot. We’re just on different schedules,” Regina says, like the fact that she never sees her family is totally normal too. Regina George is totally normal—except in the ways she’s extraordinary, thank you very much. 

     “Oh,” Cady says, nodding her head. “Okay.” 

     Regina just sort of awkwardly nods. 

     “Are you sure this is okay?” Cady asks, her lip pinned between her teeth. 

     “Totally,” Regina says, shooting her a little smile.

     Cady laughs. 

———

     Dinner with Cady’s mom is surprisingly pleasant. She asks questions here and there about Regina, oohing and ahhing at the appropriate moments, but she doesn’t push for any information Regina doesn’t willingly offer up. It doesn’t feel like the interrogation that dinner with her own parents always does, and for that, she’s grateful. She learns a lot about Cady over the course of dinner, absolutely enamored by the way she tells her stories, sparing no detail. Cady tells her mother everything, and something in Regina aches for a relationship like that. Regina’s a lockbox; a safe; an impenetrable vault of bitch that no one has ever managed to crack the code for, especially not Regina’s mother. Cady’s come closer than anyone has in years, and Regina knows how sad that is, considering the fact that she and Cady barely know one another.

     They settle in front of the living room TV after dinner. Cady asks if Regina wants to watch anything in particular. She doesn’t, until it comes out that Cady’s never seen any of the Twilight movies, at which point Regina becomes a woman possessed, insisting they watch them right now . 

     Cady laughs and acquiesces without any sort of pushback. Regina wonders if she’s always so easy to convince, or if she’s only this way for Regina. She knows it’s probably the former, but she chooses to believe that Cady’s only a pushover for her. 

     It doesn’t take long for Cady to become entirely enthralled by the shitty teen movie playing on the modestly-sized television. Regina pretends to watch the movie for a bit, but eventually, she just gives up and watches Cady. She’s seen the movie at least a hundred times, so it’s not like she’s missing anything. Kristen Stewart is still hot and awkward, and the Cullens are still weird and twitchy.  

     Cady catches her gaze, and Regina is so captivated by the way the too-blue hue of the movie reflects off of Cady’s bright eyes that she forgets to look away. 

     Cady smiles at her, at first slowly and then all at once, like she’s lost control of it. Regina tries to smile back, but the delayed shock of being caught causes her to jolt a little, and she tweaks her back. Cady immediately notices the discomfort on her face and reaches a hand out, placing it gently on Regina’s leg. 

     “Is it your back?”

     Regina hums, looking away. She was irritating enough without the snapped spine. The constant chronic pain has turned her into a needy bitch, and she hates it. 

     “Do you want to lay down? Here,” Cady offers, guiding Regina’s head to rest on her thigh. 

     Regina complies, trying not to notice the goosebumps on Cady’s bare thigh as she presses her flushed cheek against it. She tries to lay still, but eventually, her back aches too badly and she has to readjust. She inadvertently ends up scooting closer to Cady, whose breath hitches for a moment before she gently strokes Regina’s hair. 

     Regina sighs embarrassingly loudly, but Cady doesn’t tease her for it. She just keeps running soft fingers along her scalp. 

     Gina doesn’t notice that she’s fallen asleep until she hears Cady call for her to wake up. 

     “Hey, pretty girl,” Cady says, her cheeks going noticeably red, even in the low light of the living room. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I figured you would probably want to sleep in your own bed, and not on a junky old couch. You know, with your back and stuff.”

     “What time is it?” Regina asks, looking up at Cady like a loyal dog setting eyes on its owner for the first time in months. 

     “About eleven.”

     “Eleven?” Regina says far too loudly. She sits up quickly and tries to get herself together. “You should’ve woken me.”

     “I’m sorry,” Cady says, looking contrite even though she’s done nothing wrong. 

     “Don’t apologize,” Regina tells her. “It’s not your fault. I just meant—I just feel bad that I fell asleep on you. You could’ve woken me up to… talk, or something.”

     “Hey, I didn’t mind,” Cady says, her smile going so wide that it borders on goofy. Regina wants to kiss it. She doesn’t even care if their teeth clack together. “Feel free to fall asleep on me anytime. God, sorry,” Cady giggles, grabbing at the back of her own neck. “That sounded… less cheesy in my head.”

     “It was kind of disgusting,” Regina grins, “but I think I can let it slide.”

     “Nice of you,” Cady sneers, but she’s still giggling, and Regina has the overwhelming urge to kiss her again. 

     Regina pulls away and quickly stands up, desperate to put a bit of distance between them, even though it’s truly the last thing she wants. 

     “Thank you. For tonight. I don’t—it’s been a while since I did something that wasn’t gym-related.”

     “Sorry I bored you to sleep,” Cady apologizes, and the worst part is, Regina thinks she might mean it. 

     “You absolutely didn’t. I just—I’m really tired. Like, all the time. Ever since I got hurt, it’s been really hard to find a position comfortable enough to get any sort of quality sleep. I usually don’t make it an hour before I’m tossing and turning. So really, I should be thanking you. Not just for tonight, but for the nap. It—you should feel special about the nap. Not boring. Okay?” Regina rambles, hoping she doesn’t sound as pathetic or embarrassed as she feels. 

     “Okay,” Cady says softly, gently squeezing Regina’s hand, which at some point must’ve knotted itself in Cady’s. Regina squeezes back before she pulls it away, taking two big steps back. “Would you, um—do you maybe want to do this again sometime? Like… we could have a sleepover. If you want. Maybe you’d sleep better if I—um. Yeah. Maybe this weekend?”

     Regina shakes her head. 

     “I’m in the gym all weekend. How about next weekend? I have a competition Friday and Saturday. Not much of a competition, really—mostly just local girls—but I need to show my face at as many meets as possible after being off for most of the last year.”

     “It’s a local competition?” 

     “Yeah. It’s at the Welsh-Ryan, at Northwestern. There might be a couple other national team contenders there, but it’s not a well-traveled meet. That’s why it’s only Friday-Saturday.”

     “Do you want to come over after?” Cady asks, hopping up on her feet so that she and Regina are at eye-level. Or, well, closer to eye-level. Regina’s probably half a foot taller, but she’s a little hunched at the moment, so they’re not too far from one another. 

     (Cady wishes they were closer.)

     Regina just sort of stares at her. 

     “Sorry,” Cady says again, shaking her head. “I’m sure you’re super tired and that you probably just want to rest after—”

     “No, that’s perfect, actually. The only time I ever take a full day off is after competition. I could actually stay the night Saturday and not have to leave insanely early the next morning for practice. I mean, if you want! I’m—I’m down for whatever you want,” Regina says. She’s never had a sleepover before, but if a sleepover with Cady is anything like accidentally napping with Cady, Regina definitely wants to have a sleepover. 

     “Saturday is perfect!” Cady says, actually bouncing onto her toes when she speaks. It brings a dopey smile to Regina’s face, but she’s too excited to care. 

     “Perfect,” Regina parrots, rocking onto her toes before she can help herself. Cady’s energy is just so infectious, even as tired as Regina is. 

     Cady grins up at her, and Regina has to leave right now, before she does something insane, like kiss Cady on the mouth until the sun comes up. She turns and marches to the door, fishing in the pockets of her joggers for her keys. 

     Cady follows, padding in sock feet to the door, where she toes on a god-awful pair of birkenstocks. 

     Regina looks back at her in confusion. 

     “Where are you going?”

     “To your car. To walk you out.”

     “I can make it to my car,” Regina says with a tiny laugh. 

     “I know. I’m walking you out because I want to.”

     Regina shakes her head, but she doesn’t protest as Cady follows her out the door. 

     She turns around when she reaches her car, looking at Cady as if to say “okay, I’m here.”

     Cady shoots her a smile before throwing her arms around Regina, hugging her tight. Regina hugs her back, hoping Cady can’t feel how quickly her heart is beating. 

     “Goodnight,” Cady says, holding the hug a little longer than Regina expects, but not in a bad way. If anything, Regina is pleasantly surprised. 

     “Goodnight,” Regina replies, pressing her cheek to Cady’s head. Cady scampers back to the porch when she lets Regina go, slipping inside the storm door once Regina’s in her car. She stands and waves until Regina’s driven too far away to see her anymore. 

———

     Friday is kind of brutal. Regina garners the highest scores in the qualifying rounds on every event but bars, which has never been her strongest. A forced bail during the final tumbling pass in her floor routine shakes her up. It was too reminiscent of her last big fall, the one that nearly did her in, and she’s having a tough time shaking the feeling of panic that’s currently trying to crawl its way inside her chest. 

     It must show on her face, because Vic doesn’t even tear into her for fucking up. All he says is “we’ll deal with this on Monday.” Which, you know, might set Regina at ease if she didn’t have to do the same stupid routine tomorrow. 

     Saturday starts a little later, since some of the girls have already been eliminated. The twenty qualifying all-around competitors, as well as a number of specialists, are introduced in batches starting at 10am. First the specialists on beam, bars, floor, and vault, in that order, followed by the all-around competitors. Regina will be competing in every event individually, as well as the all-around, so she’s not introduced until the final batch of girls. 

     She’s surprised to hear screams when her name is called. Her mother is somewhere, she knows that, but she’s probably wandering around a concourse trying to find good enough cell reception to livestream her reaction to the event. Her father will show up later if she feels like it. 

     Regina looks around to find the source of the sound only to see Cady Heron and a couple of her cheer-squad friends decked out in full regalia. Regina laughs, directing her introduction wave in their direction, which makes them scream louder. 

     She quickly schools her face and steps back into place when she remembers where she is, remembers the reputation she has to uphold. 

     It does make her giddy, though, to know that Cady is here. Cady, who knows the meet won’t be over until at least six. Cady, who texted and said she’d try to make it in time for the last event if she could. 

     That little liar. 

———

     Regina’s rotations move in the same order as yesterday: vault, bars, beam, floor. In this competition, scores start over for day two, so she’s randomly assigned a spot in the first rotation. She’s among the very first competitors for vault, and she completes both of her vaults with minimal error before she even has time to stress about it. In round two, she’s the last athlete to do her bar routine since she’s now the current leader, so once she gets bored of watching her competitors, she looks out at the crowd and tries to spot Cady. 

     Cady waves as soon as Regina looks in her direction, and it makes Regina’s stomach flutter in a not entirely unpleasant way. The tallest of Cady’s friends (Karen, the one who almost killed Regina) starts waving too, but she’s not looking at Regina at all. In fact, Regina watches Cady try to point Regina out, and even still, Cady’s tall friend can’t see her. 

     The short one with bouncy hair—Gretchen, Cady’s Co-Captain (Regina has learned a lot about Cady’s friends this last couple of weeks, thanks to Cady’s frequent texts and their brief gym interactions)—grabs Karen’s chin and slowly points it toward Regina. Regina gives a tiny wave when she thinks Karen is looking, and Karen waves really hard and starts bouncing. The other two bounce in excitement with her, and even Regina has to admit that they look really cute. She’s starting to understand the benefits of having cheerleaders, actually. Maybe this is why teenage boys are all so insufferable. If Regina had a horde of pretty girls who followed her around and proclaimed her superiority constantly—even in times of mediocrity—she’d probably be insufferable too. Well, more insufferable. She’s pretty bad now, but it could be worse. 

     She could be a man. 

     Vic calls her name and she looks to him immediately, a pit opening up in her stomach when she sees his look of displeasure. God, can she not act like a teenager for five fucking seconds? Is that a crime?

     Her bar routine is the best it’s been since she got hurt, and it just might be enough for her to win the event finals. It’ll give a small but unexpected boost to her all-around score too, which can’t hurt. 

     Apart from a pretty significant wobble on her first wolf turn, Regina kills her beam routine. All of her connections are clean, all of her jumps exude power, and each landing is two-footed and precise. She snaps her feet into place after every leap, satisfied with the way they smack against the beam. 

     Because she’s leading, she’s scheduled to go very last on the final rotation. She’s almost two points ahead of the girl in second for the all-around, which means that if she can get through her entire floor routine without royally fucking up—like, falling out of bounds on her ass more than once, fucking up—then she should take home the win. 

     It’s a lot of pressure going last, but Regina has always excelled under pressure. It’s a skill she had to learn in order to survive, and it’s a skill that led her to becoming a serious contender on the national stage, and eventually a national team member. She’s hoping it’s a skill that will take her to next year’s olympics. 

     She’s flawless through her first two passes, hitting every skill and beat and bum-bum-bum in time with her lyricless music. She pops out of her landing on her third pass because she over-rotates a little, but that’s not the end of the world. Her fourth pass is the one she bailed out of yesterday—the one where she competes the same skill that almost killed her last year, a skill she hasn’t landed successfully in months—and the panic washes over her all at once. Her body is on autopilot as she finds her corner, then starts her run. She throws the skill, but halfway through, she loses herself in the air and flails. She manages to land on her back instead of on her head, avoiding any major injury, but thanks to the metal rod through her spine, the fall still hurts like a bitch. 

     And okay, her pride hurts too. Getting hurt once was embarrassing. Fucking up the same skill again during her comeback? 

     That’s entirely demoralizing. 

     Regina rolls up to her feet and completes her routine as best as she can, pressing her lips together in the fakest attempt at a smile once she finishes. She briefly salutes the judges before she’s hurrying off the floor and toward her bag. She wishes she could run to the locker room, but she won’t be allowed to leave the arena until the scores are announced. 

     She has the highest score for the all-around competition, as well as on bars, beam, and vault. 

     She doesn’t place on floor. 

     This makes Regina the all-around winner, as well as a specialist winner in three events. It’s an incredible accomplishment, and certainly something to be proud of… if you’re not Regina George, former US National Team floor specialist. 

     For Regina, this only feels like a loss. Nevermind the fact that she looked better than ever on the bars, that her beam routine was nearly flawless, that she’s getting stronger every day. No, all she can focus on is the fact that she ate shit and probably fucked up her poorly cobbled together back in the process. 

     Gone are her smiles from earlier, when she spotted her one and only friend and her friend’s friends in the stands. Now, as Regina stands atop of four podiums, she can barely manage to press her lips together and pretend she’s pleased.

     Cady is waiting for her at the competitors exit, still as bouncy with excitement now as she was at 10am. 

     “You were incredible!” She says as soon as Regina is through the gate, wrapping her in a tight hug. Regina’s back twinges at the contact, but she craves Cady’s touch so badly that she doesn’t even mind. She winds her arms around Cady’s shoulders and holds her tight, unable to register any of the words Cady is saying, but able to understand from her excited tone that the words must be praise. This doesn’t feel like those other times when Regina goes word-blind, like when Vic’s yelling at her, or her father’s on her case about competitions, or her mother’s speaking softly about what sorts of foods Regina should or shouldn’t eat. 

     This feels so, so much better than that. It’s not like Regina’s blocking out the words because she has to in order to hang onto her fragile sanity. She’s just basking in the warmth of the moment, not worried about what Cady is saying because she knows she doesn’t have to defend herself against it. 

     She’s holding Cady too tight and for too long, she knows that, but she just can’t let her go. 

     “Regina Reneé,” her father’s voice cuts through Cady’s excited hums, immediately igniting the burning feeling in her back. “What happened out there?”

     “I don’t—I just—I lost it, in the air, and I couldn’t—”

     “I lost it, daddy, I fell,” her father imitates, sneering down at her. “That’s not good enough, Regina. What happened out there?”

     “Excuse you,” Cady says in a tone so polite that she’s sure her father heard excuse me , “But are we talking about the same competition? The one where your daughter just won the all-around and every single specialist event, bar one? Even the two she was not projected to win?”

     “Who the fuck are you?” 

     “Hi, I’m Cady Heron!” Cady says with a megawatt smile, pulling one arm away from Regina in order to offer Regina’s father her hand. “Captain of the Lady Lions Cheer Squad and the North Shore Mathletes, and Regina’s friend.”

     “Regina doesn’t have friends,” he says dismissively. 

     “And yet, here I am!” Cady says, still with so much pep. It’s gonna drive ‘ol Bartley George absolutely nuts, and Regina is obsessed with that. 

     “Regina doesn’t have friends,” her father insists. “She has goals. So it sounds like it’s your fault she’s lost her touch.”

     “She clearly hasn’t,” Cady bickers back. “We did watch the same meet, right?”

     “I’m not so sure,” Bart sneers at Cady before looking towards Regina. “How did you meet your insolent little friend, anyway?”

     “She practices at my gym,” Regina says, her voice quiet and small in a way Cady’s never heard. 

     “Hmm. Perhaps Mike and I need to have a chat about what sort of… distractions he’s allowing in his gym. You are an elite level athlete, and I pay elite level money for you to win, not to have a freak out on the floor and fuck your chances for a specialist spot on the national team. Do you understand me?”

     “Yes,” Regina says, barely above a whisper.

     “What?”

     “Yeah. I got it,” she says, a little bit of that fire coming back. 

     “Good. This better not happen again,” he snaps, storming away. “Find your own way home.”

     Regina just stands there for a while, trying to absorb the impact of her father’s verbal blow without breaking into a thousand pieces. It’s something Regina’s heard many times before, but it still hurts just as bad as the first time she heard it. 

     “I’m gonna fucking kill him,” Cady says lowly. Regina whips around, shocked by her fervor. “Seriously. Where does he get off? He—”

     Cady sighs, cutting herself off. Regina can see the impending apology on the tip of her tongue.

     “Don’t apologize.”

     “Right,” Cady says, tightening the arm she has around Regina’s waist. “I just—you’re incredible, Regina. Like… on a completely different level. You were phenomenal today. I thought I knew what to expect from watching you practice, but this… I’m obsessed with you.”

     “Yeah?” Regina asks, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 

     “Yeah,” Cady says with red cheeks and a nervous laugh. 

     “Obsessed enough to give me a ride home?” Regina asks, trying to make a joke since the plan was to go to Cady’s anyway. 

     “He was serious?” Cady asks, a look of disbelief on her face. “He would leave you here?”

     Regina just nods. Her father is big on public humiliation as a form of punishment, and what could be more humiliating than your own parents deciding they don’t want you?

     Cady winds her other arm around Regina and hugs her tight. 

———

     Regina is a little surprised to see Betsy waiting by the car when Cady leads her outside, but she’s not upset. Betsy is sweet and highly complementary of Regina’s performance, and she even offers to take the girls for ice cream. 

     Cady reads the look of panic on Regina’s face, so she immediately says no thanks and pulls Regina into the backseat, but still, it was nice of Betsy to offer. (And even nicer of Cady to not be weird about Regina not wanting to go.)

     Cady keeps an arm around Regina’s waist the entire drive. Regina tries to downplay her win, but the Heron women make sure to emphasize just how incredible they think she is. 

     Betsy begs off to her home office once they arrive, and Cady pulls Regina to her room. 

     “I’m going to change out of my uniform. Do you want to take a shower?”

     “With you?” Regina asks, and Cady can’t tell if she’s kidding until finally, Regina cracks up. 

     “Mmh, maybe tomorrow. I’m a morning-shower sort of person,” Cady says, rolling her eyes. Regina can’t resist giving Cady a little squeeze. She’s not sure what’s going on between them, exactly, but whatever it is, she wants it to keep happening. “I’m sure you brought all kinds of skincare and fancy conditioner with you, but just in case, all my stuff is under the sink. The bathroom is right across the hall.”

     Regina wants to ask how Cady knows she brought an entire aisle of skincare products with her, but she refrains. Instead, she gives Cady one more squeeze, grabs her overnight bag, and heads across the hall. 

     She tries not to take too long, but the hot water on her back feels amazing after her fall, so she ends up being in there for a while. 

     Cady is reading and annotating something when Regina returns, combing her fingers through her freshly blow-dried hair. She and Cady are becoming fast friends, but there’s no way they’re at the natural-hair stage yet. Regina’s already makeup-less. She’d sooner give up pants than give up heat-styling her bangs. 

     Cady smiles up at Regina when she knocks on the door frame (after Regina does a solid 75 seconds of silent staring like a total creep), closing her book on the bedside table and motioning for Regina to come in. 

     Regina quietly shuts the door behind her, then lets out a sigh. Cady pats the bed next to her and Regina climbs up, wondering if Cady would mind being her human pillow like she was last time. 

     “I know it’s early, but I’m really tired after the excitement of today, so I thought we could just, like… watch something. Or talk. Or listen to music, or… whatever you want, really.”

     “Can we lay down while we do it?” Regina asks, and Cady nods enthusiastically. 

     “Sure!” 

     Regina tries to get comfortable in Cady’s bed, but because of her aggravated back injury, she can’t help but toss and turn. 

     “You can totally lean on me. If you want,” Cady’s quick to add. 

     “You don’t mind?” Regina asks, but she’s already moving her head to Cady’s shoulder. 

     “Not at all. However you’re comfortable, I’m comfortable.”

     Regina starts just sort of leaning on Cady, but it’s barely half an hour before she’s literally laying on top of her, one leg and one arm thrown over Cady and the other tucked under her own body. She’s sure it looks awkward, but it feels incredible, because the position takes all the stress off of her mid and upper back. She’s still in pain, but it’s much less intense. 

     Having Cady’s arms wrapped around her helps too. The power of distraction, or whatever. 

     They chat about everything and nothing as they lay there, from their favorite colors to their daddy issues. Cady’s dad left her mom for a 24 year old grad student, and Cady only ever sees him at the holidays. Regina wishes her dad would leave, but he doesn’t. She realizes that’s probably a fucked up thing to say after Cady’s story, but Cady rubs her back and tells her that she wishes Regina’s dad would leave too. 

     Betsy pokes her head in with a tray of snacks—mostly fresh fruit and nuts—some time later, and Regina awkwardly shuffles away from Cady when she does. Cady keeps ahold of her hand, gently squeezing it even as Regina starts to panic. What if Cady’s mom thinks there’s something going on between them? And what if she hates Regina because of it? What if—

     “You okay?” Cady asks after Betsy leaves, gently skimming her thumb across the back of Regina’s hand. 

     Regina leans away, but she doesn’t let go. 

     Cady squeezes her hand and shoots her a gentle smile. 

     “Fine,” Regina says, nodding her head nervously. “I’m sorry if I got you in trouble with your mom.”

     “What?” Cady asks, her brow furrowing. 

     “Your mom saw us… close. It probably looked suspicious, even though it was just—even though you were just helping me. Because of my back.”

     “Oh, she totally doesn’t care. I sleep like, under Karen and Gretchen whenever they stay over. It’s no biggie.”

     “Right,” Regina says, pulling her hand away. 

     Cady shoots Regina a funny look. 

     “Did I say something wrong?” Cady asks, eyes wide and mouth pressed into thin line. 

     “No,” Regina says a little too quickly. “I—um. I’m not very good at this “friends” thing, and I just—I’m worried I’m going to do something wrong and it’s going to make you hate me.”

     “That’s not gonna happen,” Cady says, confident in a way Regina’s not sure she’s ever been. She’s a cocky little bastard in the gym, but that’s because she’s talented. Cady is sure of herself in her everyday life, and Regina’s never been like that. “Now come back, I’m cold.”

     Cady lays down and then gently tugs Regina with her, pushing her into the same position as before. 

     “Are you comfortable?” Cady asks, her words nothing more than a hum against Regina’s forehead. 

     Regina nods, pressing her cheek against Cady’s chest. She is comfortable, and that almost makes her feel a little uncomfortable. Comfort is not something Regina George is used to feeling. 

     “Good,” Cady says, and Regina thinks Cady might’ve pressed a kiss to her forehead. It only takes a few seconds for her to convince herself she imagined it. “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

     “Sure,” Regina says, even though her stomach is tying itself in knots. 

     “Why were you so worried when my mom came in? Are you—it’s not because you're, like, embarrassed for someone to think we’re close, right?”

     “No, not at all,” Regina assures her, and she thinks it’s the truth. “It’s just that, um. I was worried she would have a problem with it, and I didn’t want that to come back on you. My parents definitely would’ve had a problem with it.”

     “Oh,” falls out of Cady’s mouth as she strokes Regina’s back. Gently, so as not to aggravate her injury. “That’s—I’m sorry to hear that.”

     “S’fine,” Regina says, pressing her face into Cady’s neck. Cady tightens her arms around Regina, and Regina is concerned by how much better it makes her feel. “They have problems with a lot of things.”

     “I see. Are you, um. You’re, like, safe at home, right? They don’t…”

     “I’m fine,” Regina says, but she doesn’t elaborate. She almost asks Cady what she means by “safe,” but she thinks that would probably reveal too much. “They provide a very luxe life for me. I have a custom jeep, a closet full of designer clothes, and I’m a gymnast. It’s kind of the most expensive sport you can be a part of. I’m very privileged.”

     Cady doesn’t respond with anything but gentle touches for a few moments. Just as Regina’s eyes start to slip shut, Cady asks, “What about the other stuff?”

     “What other stuff?”

     “You know, like, the parent stuff. Do they help you with your homework?”

     “What?” Regina asks, lifting her head to look at Cady. “That’s—I’ve been out of school for a couple years. I graduated early to focus on gym, so there’s no homework to help with. That was kind of a stupid question.”

     Regina knows she’s coming off all aggro and defensive, but she doesn’t know how to not. 

     Luckily, Cady seems unphased. 

     “That’s cool that you graduated early,” Cady says, still tickling gentle fingers along Regina’s back. “You must be really smart.”

     Regina doesn’t respond. She’s not smart, but she doesn’t want Cady, Captain of the Mathletes, to know that. She doesn’t want Cady to think less of her.

     “Do they make your favorite dinner on your birthday?” Cady asks. 

     “What does that have to do with anything?” Regina huffs. 

     “Just curious,” Cady says, her voice so soft and so slow. Her fingers never pause their gentle touches. 

     “We’re not big into food,” Regina says back. 

     “Do they tell you how proud of you they are when you do something incredible?”

     “I don’t do a lot of incredible things.”

     “You did something insanely incredible today,” Cady says, pulling her head back to look Regina in the eye. “You’re so incredible. You do incredible things all the time.”

     “Yeah, like fuck up my floor routine so badly that I don’t place?”

     “Regina, you won every other event. You won the all-around.”

     “Against what competition? That was a nothing event. I shouldn’t even have been there.”

     “So then why does it matter that you lost? If it was a nothing event,” Cady says, her tone firmer now. 

     “Because I am not supposed to lose. I’m Regina Fucking George. I’m a winner. I’m a world medalist. I’m supposed to be an Olympian. And how am I going to do that if I can’t even fucking place at a nothing competition in my best event?”

     “You sound like your dad,” Cady says, and okay, that’s—

     Regina rolls away and gets up off the bed, marching towards the door. She’s not sure where she’s going, but she knows she’s going away from Cady. 

     Cady slips between Regina and the door, pressing her back to it to keep it closed. 

     Regina rolls her eyes. If she wants to get out of this room, a five foot tall cheerleader in soffe shorts isn’t gonna stop her. 

     “I fucked up,” Cady says, looking up at Regina with glassy blue eyes. “I shouldn’t have just come out with it like that. I just meant—I just meant that you’re being really hard on yourself for no reason. You should be nothing but proud of what you did today. I remember what he said to you after the meet, and it sounded a lot like what you just said right now, and I hate that. You’re incredible, Regina. In so many ways. Please don’t think what he says is the truth.”

     Regina nods her head, her jaw so tight that Cady can see the muscles in her neck flexing. She wants to run her tongue over them, but she shelves that thought for now, because she’s not a fuckboy monster. 

     Regina doesn’t speak, just glares Cady down, her hand resting on the door handle but never trying to open it. 

     Cady lifts her hands in surrender, stepping away from the door and closer to Regina. 

     Regina stays entirely still until Cady’s arms brush her waist, at which point her shoulders fall forward and she breaks down. 

     Cady wraps Regina in her arms, holding her up and murmuring soothing words against her forehead.

———

     Their night is tense, but Regina doesn’t go home. Even when she’s irritated with Cady, she still likes her more than anyone else. Plus, it’s not like Regina has another friend to run to. Vic is the closest thing she has to a friend, and he’s a verbally abusive Russian man that gets paid to belittle her. 

     Cady Heron is a much cozier alternative (and a much better hugger). 

     Things are a little better in the morning, when Regina wakes up to Cady wrapped around her back, protecting her from bad dreams and monsters in closets. 

     Her stomach growls something awful, which wakes Cady up. Cady insists Regina either stay for breakfast or let Cady take her somewhere.

     After an egg-white omelet filled with veggies and no cheese, Cady takes Regina home. 

———

     They don’t speak again until Tuesday, when Cady shows up half an hour early to tumbling practice and finds Regina getting absolutely reamed by Vic on the floor. 

     “I have twelve year olds that do this perfect, Regina. Twelve. You’re eighteen. You could do it last year. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

     “I’ll get it this time. I just need five minutes, and—”

     “I need five more minutes, papa. I am too lazy to do it now,” Vic mocks, but it doesn’t even register to Regina. “I need a drink. Be perfect when I come back, or you will run until you die.”

     Regina doesn’t even nod, or blink, or acknowledge what he’s said in any way. She just stands and stares after him until he’s gone. 

     “Reggie?” A voice says from behind her, and she jumps. “Sorry. I just got here, and I heard… I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

     “Fine,” Regina says, still not looking at Cady.

     Cady gently grabs her arm, and finally, Regina meets her gaze. 

     “Hey,” Cady says, squeezing Regina’s bicep. She trails her fingers down Regina’s arm until they find Regina’s own and get all tangled up. “Fancy seeing you here.”

     Regina rolls her eyes, and Cady blows out a breath. Regina gets this faraway look sometimes, like she’s somewhere else entirely, and it never fails to scare the shit out of Cady. 

     “Is it cheer time already?” Regina asks, defeated. She was supposed to land this trick hours ago, to shake off her competition jitters from this weekend. 

     “Nah, I’m early. I know I’m not supposed to come in, but I wanted to see you. I missed you,” Cady says, a bit of an awkward laugh bubbling out at the end. 

     “Why?” Regina asks, genuinely unable to fathom it. 

     “‘Cause you’re my friend,” Cady says, squeezing her hand. “And I like you.”

     “Oh,” Regina says, tilting her head. 

     “Yeah,” Cady says, her cheeks heating. “Were you doing your floor routine?” 

     “Trying,” Regina says, blowing out a loud breath. “I still can’t make it through my final pass without completely fucking it up.”

     “Can I see?” Cady asks, and Regina looks at her like she has three heads. “I mean—not on the floor, obviously, because I don’t want you to get hurt, but maybe into the pit?”

     “Why? Does seeing me fail on such a basic trick get you off, or something? I bet you and your little friends could throw it no problem,” Regina sneers, before she catches Cady’s expression and softens. “Sorry. I’m—fucking up and not being able to fix it puts me into full bitch mode.”

     “It’s okay. I know you’re stressed,” Cady says, shooting her a soft smile. Regina wants to squeeze her tight and never ever let her go. “Will you show me?”

     Regina nods. 

     She drags Cady over to the foam pit that lines the back edge of the floor by the hand, only letting her go once it’s time to try. 

     She does her run up and starts her pass, still feeling that horrible dizzying panic when she reaches that infamous trick. She lands in a heap in the foam, and Cady has the nerve to clap for her. 

     Regina glares up at her from the pit, only her head sticking out, and Cady can’t help but laugh. 

     “Happy?” Regina asks once she’s back on the floor, walking up next to Cady. 

     “Thrilled,” Cady says, still grinning. Her smile slips as she hesitates. “Can I make a suggestion?”

     Regina’s first instinct is to be offended, but she pushes it aside. It’s just Cady, and Cady doesn’t have it in her to suggest something to sabotage Regina. She’s just trying to help.

     “Why not?” Regina says. Regina George taking advice from a cheerleader on how to fix her tumbling? Stranger things have happened. Right?

     “When you throw your final move, you’re pulling your chin out instead of tucking it. You aren’t trusting yourself to land it blind. It’s slowing your rotation just a tiny bit, and I think that’s why you’re getting lost in the air.”

     “I’m not pulling my chin out,” Regina says, waving Cady off. She knows better than to make such a basic mistake like that. 

     “I’m just telling you what I saw,” Cady says, raising her hands just a tiny bit in surrender. “Will you just… just try it one more time? For me?”

     Regina huffs, but she does as Cady asks. She does her run-up and throws the trick into the pit, concentrating on tucking her chin this time. 

     She’s shocked when her feet hit the foam pit in what she knows would’ve been a perfect stick. 

     “Oh my gosh,” she says as she climbs out of the pit, running to throw it again just to make sure it’s not a fluke. 

     She lands feet-first again. 

     She finds her corner, and gets ready to take off to complete the pass when she hesitates. 

     “I should wait for Vic to get back. Just in case I need a spotter.”

     “I’ll spot you,” Cady says, shooting her a little smile. “I always spot the girls when they’re trying a new trick. I know that this is different, but—”

     “It’s not that different,” Regina concedes, which makes Cady grin big. 

     “What was that?” Cady asks, making a big show of putting her hand up to her ear. 

     “I’m not saying it again,” Regina says, sticking her chin up in defiance. “Shut up and spot me.”

     “Sure thing, babe,” Cady says, tossing her a wink. 

     Regina shakes her head and tries to fight the flush that colors her cheeks. She places Cady where she may need help, then marches back to her corner. She really should wait for Vic, but she’s just too excited. 

     Regina starts her run, launching into her first jump before she slams her feet into the ground and throws the infamous trick. 

     She feels Cady’s hand on the small of her back during her final rotation and into her blind landing, which she makes. It’s not a stick, but she’s landed balanced, and on both feet. 

     Cady starts cheering, her hand still on Regina’s back, and Regina pulls her in for a tight hug. 

     “You did it! I’m so proud of you! I knew you were gonna kill it, Reggie,” Cady says in her ear. 

     Regina can’t stand to just hold her anymore, so she pulls back and does quite possibly the dumbest thing she’s ever done. She hauls off and kisses Cady Heron right on the mouth. 

     Cady definitely wasn’t expecting it, if her surprised gasp is anything to go by, but she doesn’t seem to be complaining either. 

     She’s just started kissing Regina back when Regina pulls away, leaving her cold and wanting. 

     “I’m sorry,” Regina says, the panic visible on her face from a mile away. “I wasn’t—I didn’t—”

     “Don’t apologize,” Cady says, a little laugh bubbling out. “The only reason you need to apologize is if you don’t plan on doing that ever again. Because if this was a one and done thing… well, that’s just cruel.”

     Regina’s eyes shoot up in surprise, but before she can say anything, Vic comes stomping onto the mat. 

     “You! Out! This is closed practice,” he yells, pointing to the door. 

     “Leave her alone,” Regina yells back. “She just helped me land my trick.”

     “Oh?” Vic asks, looking back and forth between the girls as if he’s missing something. He’s too curious to be as verbally abusive as usual. “Let me see.”

     Regina nods, squeezing Cady’s hand before she trots back to her corner and lines everything up. Cady tilts her head to ask if Regina needs a spotter this time, and Regina shakes her off. 

     Cady steps back and starts praying. Not because she doesn’t have faith in Regina, but because she just wants everything good for her all the time. 

     Regina takes off, executing her pass like she’s never had a problem with it. Her landing isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damn good, and there’s hardly a trace of anxiety on her face. 

     “Holy fuck,” Vic says in that thick Russian accent that Regina’s sure he turns up on purpose sometimes. “Well… I am happy with this. Maybe the cheerleader should stay.”

     Regina nods, then turns to Cady and grabs her hand. “Will you stay?”

     “Of course,” Cady breathes, squeezing Regina’s hand. “I mean, tumbling practice starts in like 10 minutes, but I would still stay. Even if it didn’t.”

     “Grool,” Regina says, her face going bright red. “I mean… great. Cool.”

     “Grool,” Cady laughs.

———

     Cady’s laughing about something with Gretchen and Karen when Regina walks up, already in sweats and slippers with her backpack thrown over her shoulder. 

     “—heard from Aaron?” Gretchen asks, her eyes widening when she sees Regina over Cady’s shoulder. “Oh, hey Regina. Um, congrats on Saturday. You were amazing!”

     “Thanks,” Regina says, and she actually means it. “I was really happy that you guys were there. I’ve never had friends before. I mean, friends that would come to my gymnastics meets. And certainly not in uniform.”

     “It was so cool!” Karen says, smiling at Regina, all white teeth and big, empty eyes. “I didn’t know you were like… the best. Are you going to go to the Olympics?”

     “I hope so,” Regina says, hoping she hasn’t just jinxed herself by admitting that. The universe has a way of shutting her up when she gives voice to her desires. 

     “That’s way cool!” Karen says, still grinning big as she pulls Regina in for a hug. Regina is stiff, but Karen doesn’t seem to mind. Once she finally releases her, Cady slides her hand into Regina’s and squeezes. 

     “Thanks,” Regina tells Karen, giving Cady a squeeze back. Gretchen looks back and forth between the three of them, and Regina can tell that she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. Gina wants to tell her to spit it out, because she’s curious about this Aaron guy, but she decides that’s probably not the best thing to say to Cady’s friends. Instead, she settles on the much more socially acceptable “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

     “We were talking about Chicago pride!” Karen says, hopping up and down a couple times in excitement. She’s stupid, sure, but she’s very cute. Regina’s gotta give her that. “Cady’s boyfriend bought tickets with us, but now he can’t go.”

     “Because they broke up,” Gretchen adds, because she can definitely read the look of shock on Regina’s face. “Cady doesn’t really like to talk about boys.”

     “I’m just not sure how I feel about them as a concept at the moment,” Cady adds, a half-smile on her face.

     “Bad breakup put you off men forever?” Regina asks, gently swiping her thumb across the back of Cady’s hand as she smiles down at her. 

     “No,” Cady says with a little laugh. “More like… pretty blonde gymnast who consumes my every waking thought has me wondering if I even like them anymore.”

     “Oh,” Regina says, a goofy grin stretching across her face. “That’s good to hear, actually.”

     Cady hums, knocking their shoulders together. 

     “Not to make any assumptions,” Gretchen says, eying Regina carefully, “but you could totally have Aaron’s ticket to pride, if you want. I can get it from him.”

     “When is it?” Regina asks, even though the thought of pride makes her stomach clench. 

     “The last weekend in June,” Cady says, swinging their hands back and forth. 

     “That’s when Olympic trials are,” Regina says, surprised to find that she’s disappointed. Did she actually want to go to pride? “Not to jinx myself, but… I’m kinda hoping to be busy that weekend.”

     “Fair enough,” Cady says, beaming up at her. She doesn’t seem disappointed at all, and Regina’s glad. She’d hate to disappoint her only friend (although, maybe she has three friends now?), who is also her crush and possibly the love of her life. Not to be dramatic, or anything. 

     “We were going to go get fro yo together,” Gretchen says, speaking in that twitchy, nervous sort of way that Regina assumes is just her normal. “But I kind of have a lot of homework. Maybe you can take Cady home, and we can go some other time? She needs a ride.”

     “I can definitely do that,” Regina says, giving Gretchen a little nod. Regina did not have her pegged as a master wingman, but here she is. 

     “Great! Cads, we’ll see you later,” Gretchen says, giving Cady and Regina quick hugs before she drags Karen away. 

     “Can we still get fro yo?” Regina hears Karen ask as they walk away. 

     Gretchen nods. 

———

     “I like you,” Cady says when Regina pulls into her driveway. They’d been quiet on the drive over, both nervous to make the first move. Thankfully, Cady’s decided to be brave. “And maybe I read the cuddling and the handholding and the kiss totally wrong, but—I’m kinda hoping you like me too.”

     “I do. Like you, I mean. Like, a concerning amount,” Regina admits, a laugh bubbling out. She feels stupid and reckless and free all at once. After a lifetime of unmet expectations and religious adherence to the rules, confessing her crush to her new best friend kind of feels like the coolest, scariest, greatest thing in the world. 

     “Grool,” Cady says, fitting a hand around Regina’s face to pull her in closer. 

     “Grool,” Regina giggles, pressing their lips together. 

———

     None of the plastics end up going to pride. But don’t worry! They’re not upset about it at all, actually, because they spend the last weekend in June road tripping to Minneapolis to watch Regina compete at Olympic trials. 

     They even show up in custom uniforms to cheer Regina on. It’s dopey, and goofy, and maybe a little stupid, but Regina loves everything about it. 

     In the months since her comeback, she’s become both a better gymnast and a better person. She’s still a sore loser, but her reputation as the biggest bitch in US gymnastics has given way to a much more favorable one. 

     Now, she’s the gayest bitch in US gymnastics. 

     Everyone loves Cady, of course—Regina most of all—and it’s now become a thing among the announcers and fellow fans to say hi to Regina’s “squad.” Grecthen, Karen, and Cady have all gained a substantial social media following, and they make up goofy little cheers to do at each of Regina’s events. Sometimes, they even get the other fans involved. 

     Regina had planned to keep their relationship under wraps initially, but when her mom caught her and Cady kissing in the gym parking lot one day and the world didn’t implode, she realized she didn’t want to hide. People already didn’t like her. If she came out and they still didn’t like her, at least she could blame their hatred on homophobia instead of her horrible personality.

     Regina’s dad freaked the fuck out, of course, but his desire to have an Olympian as a child won out over his desire to be an openly homophobic fuckhead, so he’s been publicly supportive. Or rather, he hasn’t been publicly unsupportive .

     Betsy was a saint about the whole thing. Cady told her pretty much right away when they started dating, and Betsy hasn’t missed a single one of Regina’s events, whether she’s watched it in person or via stream. She’s here tonight, but she’s sitting with June, who has actually made an effort over the last almost-year to be, like, human. It’s been a little weird, but Regina’s enjoying the change. 

     They announce Regina’s name, and she smiles and waves at her perfect, goofball girlfriend and her best friends. There are other people in the audience wearing SQUAD shirts to show their support, and Regina is overwhelmed by it all, but in a good way.

———

     She takes fourth overall, meaning they won’t want her for the all-around. However, she has the second highest score on floor and the third highest on beam and vault, which may be good enough to land her a specialist position. Her nerves are going insane, but she thinks Cady’s may be worse, if the image on the jumbotron is anything to go by. 

     Her sweet girlfriend looks like she’s about to vomit. She clutches one of Gretchen’s hands and one of Karen’s. Her jaw is so tight that Regina knows it must be hurting her, knows she’ll need to use gentle fingers to soothe the ache later. 

     Cady manages a half-laugh when the person behind her points out that she’s on the jumbotron, but it’s not very convincing. 

     Regina waves both her arms and jumps up and down to try and get Cady’s attention. She doesn’t at first, but then the jumbotron switches to an image of her flailing about, and she sees Cady’s lips tick up in a smile. 

     Regina blows her a kiss and does heart hands, looking directly at her in the crowd, and Cady does the same back. Her mouth moves as she shoots a thumbs up at Regina, and even though Regina can’t hear her, she knows Cady is saying you’ve got this . 

     Always one to complete her end of the deal, Regina mouths I’ve got this back at Cady and sticks up her thumb. Regina from a couple years ago would be mortified by this saccharine display of lesbian affection, but present-day Regina is basking in the sweetness. 

     She manages to get her heart hands up once more before someone taps her on the shoulder and tells her it’s time to go in and see the committee.

     Here we go.

———

     Cady watches the stage like a hawk, feeling sicker and sicker with each name called that isn’t Regina’s. Cady is mentally preparing a speech in her head about how proud she is of Regina for even making trials when the final name for the Olympic team is called. 

     It’s Regina George.

     Cady goes fucking feral, crying and jumping and tossing her pompoms into the crowd. Karen and Gretchen are just as excited, hugging Cady and each other and taking a thousand pictures. Cady’s almost stopped crying when Betsy and June find them in the crowd, and the waterworks start again. 

     She’s still shaking and sweating and splotchy when an attendant comes to find her and take her backstage. 

     Regina is bouncing on her toes when Cady sees her, looking the wrong direction down the hallway. 

     Cady whistles—or tries to whistle, really, but she’s such a mess from all the tears that it doesn’t quite sound right—and Regina turns, beaming when she catches sight of the love of her life. (She’s set on that title now, sure in a way she’s never been about anything before. That’s the Cady Heron effect, she supposes.)

     Regina’s fast but Cady’s faster, and in their excitement, they sort of collide in the middle. 

     “I’m so proud of you,” Cady whispers, cradling Regina’s face in her hands as she kisses her over, and over, and over. 

     Regina buries her head in Cady’s neck, tightening her arms around Cady’s waist in a way that must be uncomfortable, but Cady doesn’t seem to care. 

     “I wouldn’t be here without you,” Regina says, more sincerely than she’s maybe said anything in her entire life. 

     “I wouldn’t be here without you, either,” Cady says, giggling a little, ‘cos duh . 

     “I love you,” Regina says against her skin, absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what she feels for the woman who made her whole. If the choice were between an Olympic Gold and her perfect girlfriend, she wouldn’t even have to think about it. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

     “I love you too, my Olympian,” Cady says, and it’s so cheesy and so fond that all Regina can do is kiss her again.