October 2002

Naomi slipped into the dim locker room before the rest of the Bitches would notice her. She stared around at the rows of empty shower stalls, wrinkling her nose at all the different perfume scents that threatened to choke her senses. No one around. Good. She opened her locker and took out her hideous blue and white cheerleading uniform, ready for a night of torment and the harassing comments of football players and her own cheerleader peers.

"I fucking hate homecoming!" she muttered, slamming the door of her locker shut. She began to undress quickly, shedding her black chained pants and blue corset-style blouse. "Fucking HATE IT!" Her frustrated yell echoed off the walls, masking the sound of the Bitches entering.

Cold hands grabbed her bare shoulders and Naomi jumped a mile. "What the fuck?" she asked, whipping around with her cheerleading skirt half on. She noticed the whole gaggle of Bitches and groaned, "Fuck!"

"We heard you talking to yourself again. Cussing... we could tell Coach and put you off the squad for not having enough school spirit," Sarah, the head cheerleader, said.

"I don't care. Just get the hell away from me. Be glad this is the last damn homecoming before we all graduate," Naomi replied, sliding her skirt up.

"Temper, temper," Emily, the second best cheerleader on Clayton's team chided. "Ooh, guess what, Nai? Kentaro was talking about you. He wants to, um, get back together with you. Apparently, you were good in the sack."

"Goddamnit! Why won't you believe that I'm a virgin?" Naomi moaned. "Oh, yeah, I remember. Because you kiss the very ground Kentaro walks on."

"You should talk," Sarah said, sticking her nose in the air as she removed her cheerleading hoodie. "You went out with him last year."

"It was sophomore year. Not last year. And it was the biggest fucking mistake of my life," Naomi said, fully dressed. She took her pompoms and bopped Sarah over the head with one. "So just shut the fuck up about it. I know you're going to fucking tell the whole school about this, so just shut it. And he doesn't want me back and I don't care. The next guy I get is gonna be better than some dickface jock who wants head all the time."

"You know, I totally wouldn't mind that," Emily said thoughtfully as Sarah bristled at Naomi. "Giving him head, you know."

"You bitches make me so damn sick. Just one more year of putting up with you and I am outta here!" Naomi said, sitting down on the bench and watching Sarah's face erupt in a volcano of rage. The effect was actually pretty funny.

Sarah stalked up to Naomi and grabbed the back of her black ponytail, jerking Naomi's head back. "Look, you slut. You're the one who's the bitch. Cursing all the time, badmouthing Coach. And you went out with Kentaro. We don't like you and we never have. We don't even know why you're on the squad in the first place, so just screw off and let us cheer on the boys."

Emily smirked at Naomi, who made a fist and frowned at the Bitches, who were all staring. "The only reason I'm on the squad is because of my fucking parents forcing me. And you know, I actually liked cheerleading. Before I met you sluts and you made my life a living hell, so just leave me the fuck alone and let me wish you were all dead in peace!" Naomi yelled, leaving the locker room and standing in the hall of the gym. She heard the cheerleaders all laughing at her and she resisted the urge to rush back in there and kick the shit out of all of them.

She jogged restlessly out to the track, cursing her best friend Akiira. "Bastard could have at least come out tonight. Dammit! All he wants to do lately is play his stupid video games. Son of a bitch." Her eyes suddenly stung with tears, and she lowered her head, slowing her pace to a walk as she neared the gate to the track. Behind it, the lights in the parking lot were on and glaring, making her have to squint to see who was out. The bus for the opposing team had already come, and spectators were coming into the stands.

The night was clear and bright, a beautiful beginning of October, not too cold, not too hot. Just perfect... but if only she wasn't a cheerleader.

Naomi moved away from the track, to get out of the view of the people, and to avoid the coach, who would probably be looking for her at any moment.

Sure, Naomi had talent out there. Since she was a tiny girl, she'd been holding up little bitches like Sarah and Emily and Michelle while they did all kinds of stunts in midair, wishing so hard she could drop them and crack their skulls open. Her parents forced her into cheerleading to possibly get her to a good college, but Naomi did not even need an extracurricular. Her grades were very good and she had almost been able to skip a grade in elementary school. The only thing that held her back was her attitude. A rebelliousness and distaste for organized life that her parents, teachers, and the bitchy cheerleaders hadn't been able to take from her.

Come to think of it, Naomi thought, that's when my stupid parents started hating me. When I failed to skip a grade. What a bunch of fucking overachievers. She took her hair out of its restricting ponytail and let it spill down her back, almost touching the backs of her legs in the itsy bitsy cheerleading skirt. Maybe when I get back home, Akiira will have something to say for his idiocy. Never mind. Not home. Akiira's place.

The transition to living at Akiira's house was pretty weird for Naomi, since it had only happened a few months ago. That had spurred rumors that she was sleeping with Akiira, or she had dumped Kentaro for Akiira, among other bullshit. Naomi sighed. The stupidity of high school. After this year, it will all hopefully be a thing of the past and she'll never have to do another split or another cartwheel ever again. Hopefully...

"Nai!" came an unwanted voice. Kentaro stepped out of the darkness of the practice field, near where Naomi had been going, lost in her thoughts. "Hey baby. You wanna get back together sometime?"

"You know I fucking never will want to get back with you, you son of a bitch," Naomi answers coolly, turning to walk in the other direction. Masculine chuckles followed her out of the practice field as she turned back to the bleachers and the football field.

"Naomi," Sarah called. "You wanna mess up this whole thing? Come on!"

"Fine, you fucking bitch," Naomi muttered under her breath, thinking of how much she would love to slap Sarah out of her pretention.

As Naomi went through the motions of the team's new cheer, she couldn't help but notice one of the players on the opposing team. Through all the tedium of watching the teams execute move after move, Naomi noticed West Johnston's quarterback, a tall guy with long blue hair. She squinted at the numbers on the back of his jersey, almost dropping Sarah, whose weight she had been supporting.

"Nai!" Sarah hissed. "Pay attention! You want us to look stupid?"

Naomi looked up at Sarah to give her a nasty look, but the girl was concentrating on maintaining her position.

A cheer rose from the stands and West's fans stood up, screaming out a name. Are they saying Salami? Naomi asked herself, stifling a giggle. She listened closer.

"Tsunami! Go 69!" the crowd screams.

Just then, Naomi realized that number 69 was the quarterback, the one she was staring at the whole time. In front of her, Emily did a backflip, almost landing on top of Naomi, who had forgotten to leap gracefully back.

"Dammit!" Naomi said. "Gotta stop looking at him. Probably a goddamn jock like every other football player. Another fucking Kentaro who can't keep his dick down long enough to piss."

The moon shone down on Naomi's face for a minute, so bright it almost blinded her. "Cheer, guys! Cheer!" Emily screamed in Naomi's ear. "We're losing the game!"

Naomi moved out of the unnaturally bright ray of moonlight and blandly went along with the cheering as Clayton lost their own homecoming game.