The Wildcats

The civic center is an older, squat building with a large gymnasium attached. I haven't been there in years, since I played basketball on a recreational team as a child. As I park in the worn asphalt lot next to it, carefully swerving around a pot-hole and a group of teenagers dressed in matching white and red colors, I think that it hasn't changed much. It looked as old and dirty back then as it does now.

I park the Camry and look over at Colette in the passenger seat. She also wears a matching set of white and red clothes, her school and my alma matter's colors. She checks her hair and makeup in the visor mirror, then grabs her phone from the center console. "Ready?" I ask.

She nods and pulls the door handle. As she climbs out of my car, I wonder how the school allows the girls to wear these clothes to an official school event. Colette wears a bright red halter top with a large white "W" on it and a pair of short, white denim shorts. The halter top hangs loosely from her boobs, creating a two-inch gap between the fabric and her porcelain stomach. The shorts are no better, clinging to her curves and nearly blending in with her pale skin.

"Thanks again for driving me," she says, shooting me a smile, as we walk into the civic center together for the rally.

"I'm glad to help. And, I was coming to watch Kelly anyways."

Colette nods and continues in her high voice. "That's sweet of you. I wish I had a brother to do that for me. It's cool that you and Kelly are getting closer you know. It makes me kind of jealous."

I chuckle at my cousin and place my arm around her narrow shoulder. "Come on, you know I am here for you. There's enough of Dom to go around." The nootropic still coursing through my veins picks up on her skin prickling beneath my touch and the sharp intake of breath as I pull her into the crook of my shoulder.

"Yeah, maybe. But with college coming up soon, and computer science studying... I don't know how much time that I have."

I ponder for a split second and let go of Colette. She settles back into her walk beside me as the civic center looms ahead. The sound of loud music and cheering emanates from the building. "I could help you study. Help you with your projects. I don't know a ton about artificial intelligence and machine learning, but I can learn."

"You remembered?"

"As if I could forget that shrewd expression and you so aggressively correcting your Mom. Ha."

Colette giggles and lightly punches me on the shoulder. "Yeah, well fuck you," she continues chuckling. We reach the doors of the civic center, and Colette pauses outside. I turn to face her and look into my cousin's eyes. I see a loneliness there that I haven't noticed before, although it is now exceedingly audience to my nootropic mind. "Ready to go in?"

"Ready," I nod and follow behind her.

We make our way into the gymnasium and climb up the bleachers to the topmost level, about twelve feet in the air, and lean against the concrete block wall. Around us, students and adults dressed in white and red go wild: clapping, yelling, and dancing to the mindnumbing music that blasts us from every speaker. Colette brushes against me as the people around us bump and prod us with their movements. She remains reserved, simply standing in silence and scanning her eyes across the crowds.

After a minute or two, the music shirts, and a deep, hearty voice comes on the speaker.

"Welcome, Wildcats!"

The crowd surges and screams even louder than before.

"Introducing our wonderful cheer team, please welcome the Wildcats Cheer Squad!"

The music shifts again, and a pair of double doors on the other side of the gymnasium swings open. A line of girls dressed in matching cheer outfits streams from it in a carefully orchestrated wave, with Kelly at the center. I prod Colette with my elbow and point, and she smiles back at me.

The cheer squad launches into a choreographed dance routine that begins with a traditional cheer line and transforms into an acrobatics group. Kelly is propelled into the air by her squad maters until she is standing on a cluster of hands, one knee upraised and hands in the air. Her smile beams at me from across the room. The girls supporting her share matching smiles, each as beautiful as the next.

I spot Mary, Kelly's big-boobed friend, in the group of girls holding up my sister. The cheerleading outfit does little to hide the bounce and sway of her large breasts, and I find myself distracted by them as the routine continues. The girls break apart into an array of dancing sensuality. I continue tracking Kelly and Mary, focusing on the girls, thinking. Imagining.

Before I know it, the cheerleaders are slowing and reforming into a line in front of the bleachers. The voice comes back on the speaker, and the football teams stream out to greet us.

Dan runs at the front, his arms raised and his roar almost audible even through the noise. Kelly's smile falters at the sight of him, and I fight to calm my emotions. I don't know why the sight of him inspires a sudden flame of anger, but I quench it as best as I can.

Colette taps me on the chest to get my attention. As I look over, she points at Dan and then sticks her fingers out in a double thumbs-down position. I chuckle at my cousin and nod in agreement. There isn't any point in trying to talk about it now, as the noise would drown out anything we say.

As the last football team member lines up in front of the bleachers, the announcer comes back on the speaker to outline the details of an upcoming game. I zone it out, too distracted by the cheerleaders re-aligning themselves next to the football players in an interweaving pattern. Kelly, likely due to her position as cheer captain, takes a position a few feet next to Dan. Mary is two spots over, next to a player that I realize is the braces-laden boy from the lake house.

My agitation surges again, and I look away. Why am I being so emotional? Although Dan is a dick, he isn't currently doing anything. I don't even know Mary. I try to examine the feelings before the nootropic expires, but I feel the **** leave my body before I can make any progress.

My mind slows, and I sag against the concrete wall. People continue to jump and surge around me. Colette gives me a concerned look, but I ignore her for now. A few minutes later I am back to normal, watching my sister and her friend continue through another routine as the football players exit.

As they finish, Colette grabs my arm and pulls me down the bleachers. We push our way out of the gymnasium and she says, "Let's get out of the crowd before they finish. I want to meet up with Kelly when she comes out."

"Okay, sure," I agree, and follow my cousin. She guides me through an old pair of doors that takes us outside and around the edge of the gymnasium until we arrive at another pair of doors that lead into the back of the gym.

Colette and I chat about her studies for a moment while we wait. Slowly, people begin to stream from the doors. Adults, students, and so on. People dressed in business casual, Wildcats colors, and everything else. A football player makes their exit, then two. "The cheerleaders will be last," Colette says.

Dan and his group of friends come through the doors. His eyes immediately narrow as he notices me and Colette, but he continues past without saying anything. His friends look away. I notice a yellow bruise on one of their jaws.

"I'm glad he's ignoring us," Colette continues, as Dan jokes around with one of his friends in the distance.

"I just hope it stays that way," I agree. Although I have another nootropic pill with me, I don't want to risk forcing two in a single day. I don't know the side effects.

Examining the pills is something I intend to do, but unfortunately, it requires money. Lots of money. There is no way I can reverse engineer the pill or even study the side effects without having a large piece of capital to set aside for the effort. Until then, I can only do the best I can with what I have. Continue focusing on my work, try to grow that capital, and push forward.

"Dom!" I hear Kelly's voice shout. She explodes through the gym doors with a massive grin and runs over to me, immediately wrapping her arms through mine and pulling me into a sweaty hug. I hug my sister back, enjoying the feeling of her warm body in my arms, despite the moistness of her skin. Her blonde hair hangs loosely down her shoulders and is damp with sweat, although it still smells like strawberries.

"Great work out there," I say, smiling at her.

"Yeah, you kicked ass," Colette agrees. Kelly breaks away from me and hugs Colette. "Ew, Kelly, you're disgusting!" my cousin shouts, pushing her away. "Take a shower first or something."

"She can't help it," I hear another voice say. I turn back to the doors to see Mary standing there, still dressed in her cheerleading outfit with her straight brown hair pinned back. Her angular face broadens into a grin as she meets my gaze. "Hey, Dom. Enjoy the view from up there?"

"It was going great until the football players came out," I smirk. Kelly appears beside me in punches me on the arm.

"Hey, don't perve on my friends," she says, rolling her eyes.

"It's okay," Mary grins. "I don't mind."

"I'm sure you don't, slut," Colette chimes in.

Mary breaks into another giggle and waves at us. "See you two tomorrow."

"Bye, Mary," Colette says, and I realize she was joking. Kelly waves after her friend and blows her a kiss.

"So, did you see the entire routine?" Kelly asks, turning back to me.

"I did. Start to finish. Even the weird part where your team danced around the football players."

Her brow furrowed. "Yeah, that part is weird. I think our cheer teacher is kind of a perve."

I lean in and whisper into her ear. "I can't blame him, with a beauty like you leading the team."

Kelly blushes and swats me away. "Shut up," she murmurs, before turning to Colette. "How was it? I'm surprised you came."

Colette points to me and says, "I couldn't leave this doofus to himself. He'd end up lost in the bathroom for two hours wondering when the rally would start."

"I-" I start, but she continues.

"Besides, I thought I should see my cousin cheer at least once before we graduate in a few weeks. This is your last rally, after all." Shit, I didn't know that. The last one is the only one I managed to come to. It dawns on me why Kelly never liked me much before. Why would she? I was a shit brother. I never came to her events and never tried to support her. I mean, I knew that was the case, but it hits me like a truck. A sobering thought of how I need to improve for her.

Kelly giggles and smirks at me. "Well, I am glad both of you came. Thank you."

"Maybe I can treat you two girls to some dinner?" I ask, motioning to the car. I had already warned Mom and Ashley that I would take the girls out somewhere after the rally, so we wouldn't be expected home for a while. Esmere is out working this evening, leading a series of yoga classes at the gym where she rents a space.

Kelly's eyes light up and Colette grins. "I pick!" Kelly exclaims, and I nod in agreement.

"Sure, Kelly. Whatever you'd like."