Chapter Text
Jackie Taylor had never been the most patient person.
Her mom would say she was "born with a short fuse." Waiting didn't spark anger in her, though. Jackie was more into getting frustrated. She'd get restless at the smallest sign that something might take even a moment longer than she wanted it to.
From things she couldn’t control- like tapping her feet in annoyance, waiting for the sun to hurry up and set so she could go stargazing at night during a sleepover with Shauna.
To heaving heavy sighs at the microwave, willing her popcorn to pop faster so she and Shauna could kick off a movie night. Or standing arms crossed, checking her watch every two seconds, waiting for the last of the Yellowjackets to finish in the locker room so she could meet Shauna at her car.
Right now was no exception.
Jackie sat in the far back row of one of Wiskayok’s many ancient yellow school buses, the vehicle stuffed with Yellowjackets and all their overnight bags. The girls plus Coach Ben were headed out of town for a couple of pre-season games starting that night, and the distance was just far enough to warrant the team staying overnight in a hotel.
Jackie checked her watch for the umpteenth time. They still had about 90 minutes left of their drive. Down from the 92 minutes it was the last time she checked.
Her knee bounced as she capped, then uncapped her Strawberry Lip Smacker absentmindedly, adding another coat to her already moisturized lips. Jackie let her gaze fall to her left while her thoughts got away from her.
Beyond the cracked open window, the tall trees lining the New Jersey turnpike blurred as the bus sped down the highway, outside breeze flowing in, keeping them cool on the otherwise warm bus.
But Jackie’s eyes didn’t reach the trees.
No, Jackie’s focus was on a much better sight.
Her eyes landed on the girl sitting to her left. Why would she ever choose to look at boring trees when she had Shauna Shipman next to her?
Calm and steady, Shauna was the antithesis of Jackie. Her feet didn't tap, her breath didn't sigh, her eyes didn't wander. She simply used one hand to hold open her paperback and the other to move to Jackie's left knee. Jackie held her breath as she felt Shauna give her a soft, steadying squeeze before returning to her book.
She eyed the spot where Shauna's hand just was, heat still searing on her skin.
Did Shauna know how much one touch could undo her?
Jackie looked up at the carefree faces of her friends, animated girls stood up tall on their knees, enjoying each other. Enjoying girlhood.
They talked loudly, each one trying to be heard over all the others as they laughed, shared gossip, and belted out misremembered song lyrics. Right now, there was a pretty endearing, fully off-key rendition of a Liz Phair song going on, the album basting from someone’s boombox.
They seemed so excited to be together.
It was sweet, actually.
Her girls.
Her friends.
Her team.
All together, on the first trip of the season.
And yet all Jackie could think was:
I cannot wait to get the fuck away from these girls.
Not because she didn’t like them! No, Jackie actually loved the team. Most of them, at least. She was even excited for the weekend ahead—in theory.
But at that exact moment, she didn't want to be surrounded by her friends, laughing, joking, singing, making memories. All of that sounded like torture to her because at that moment, Jackie Taylor only wanted one thing:
to be alone with Shauna Shipman.
Not the best way to start off your first year as Captain of the team. After three full years as a Yellowjacket, to her somewhat surprise, after the teams' first practice back, Coach Martinez pulled Jackie aside to let her know he'd officially chosen her to become team Captain for her senior year. It took her totally by surprise. It was definitely something she'd wanted, hoped for, even let herself whisper about a few times before acknowledging it would probably go to someone more like Taissa.
But Shauna always believed in her. The second she told Shauna the news, she tilted her head, looking over from the drivers seat in her car, into Jackie's hazel eyes to tell her, “Duh, Jax. Of course you did. The gig was made for you. I knew you were a shoo-in from day one.”
With a blush and a smile, Jackie accepted the compliment. She also accepted the milkshake Shauna bought them to share at the diner on the way home in celebration, cheers-ing to their senior year together with Jackie as captain, and Shauna as her star midfielder.
Shauna always knew what to say to her.
Unlike Jeff, who gave her a sour face at the news, commenting, “Are you sure want that? Feels like a lot of time and responsibility babe. Don't you wanna focus on other things this year?” Waggling his eyebrows like he and his actions were anything other than revolting. Like Jeff's only focus was on himself and whether or not Jackie making captain would take away from his time with her. Not what mattered to her. Or her future. Or her interests. God, he was the worst.
Encouragement like Shauna’s helped Jackie get the confidence to feel like these girls were her team. They may not have all been the closest of friends, but they’d spent the last three years working towards a common goal, fostering a mutual respect and understanding between each other.
Jackie was genuinely excited to kick off the season with them!
Again, she was in theory.
At this exact moment, the only thing she could think about, the only thing she could care about was the prospect of spending the night alone in a hotel room with Shauna.
Jackie wanted, no, needed alone time with Shauna. Their fall semester started a few weeks prior, and after being blessed with a summer of nonstop jackieshauna time, the difference in amount of time they got to spend alone together was staggering.
With Jackie’s parents going on regular vacations and Shauna’s mom working nights, Jackie got her Shauna fix all summer. She had become addicted. But now, with the responsibilities of Senior year, Jackie’s Shauna supply was almost totally cut off.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to go cold turkey. The girls obviously still had classes and soccer together. But right now, with all their homework and Jackie’s new captainship duties, she and Shauna’s only time alone lately had been relegated to their short drives to and from school.
Which was why Jackie was so excited about this weekend.
Outside, the sun was setting, casting the sky in a pink and yellow haze as she watched the day turn to night, knowing that in about 86 minutes, it would be completely dark out by the time the Yellowjackets would arrive at from East Haven High for the first pre-season game.
After that, the plan was to head back to the hotel, where Jackie could have her early night alone with Shauna, before everyone would get up bright and early the next day to take the bus to Centerport for tomorrows' afternoon game, then back home in time for what would hopefully be a Saturday night sleepover, also with Shauna.
Two pre-season, out-of-town games would be the perfect kickoff for Jackie’s captainship, she decided.
Neither of the teams they were set to play were highly ranked (if ranked at all), so it would be a good opportunity for Jackie to test out being in charge in a lower-stakes environment than usual.
Coach Martinez usually liked to control every detail at the start of a season, only letting the new Captain have so much say until they proved their worth.
But to Jackie’s delight, Coach Martinez wasn’t here. Instead, Coach Ben, their assistant coach, who cared a hell of a lot less, was in charge until Monday.
Not because he wanted more responsibility- no. Ben was quite happy where he was as Assistant Coach. He wasn’t the most important on staff, in fact he was proudly openly expendable, staying distant enough to feel okay if he wanted to quit at the drop of a hat, just in case he decided to finally give in and move to the city.
But that weekend, Coach Martinez had to stay behind. Something about therapy with his wife? Who cared. Jackie had more important things to think about!
One of those things being, Jackie now got to make the rooming assignments for the team trips, a new perk of her captainship. She took her position seriously, wanting to make everyone as happy as possible with her selections.
Jackie Taylor was a firm believer that a bonded team was a successful team.
So, since sophomore year, Jackie had insisted the Yellowjackets attend as many of the same parties that they could. Even though most of the girls came from different friend groups, theoretically, everyone would feel included.
And, they’d know no matter whose party it was, they would have at least one person they could count on if things went sideways.
When Lottie’s parents went out of town, Jackie would pitch Yellowjackets movie nights at her mansion. Both to keep Lottie company– Jackie knew what it felt like, being constantly left behind by your parents. Before Shauna, the loneliness Jackie felt when her parents left town could be crippling.
So, Jackie wanted to make sure Lottie never felt like that, not if she could help it. And if these movie nights also served as a great opportunity for more bonding with just the girls, who was she to complain!
So for that weekend, the assignments Jackie chose were: Jackie and Shauna together, obviously.
Tai and Van together, too. Jackie noticed that the duo had become really close lately, probably not as close as her and Shauna, but Jackie kept catching them whispering to each other, so maybe they were on their way there.
Lottie and Nat would most likely be okay. This was more of a swing to Jackie, but she had seen them sharing looks in the locker room or laughing at some of the same jokes, so she went with her gut. Plus, someone like Lottie could probably keep Nat out of trouble, if she needed to.
The last two Varsity girls were Mari and Laura Lee. Their pairing more a product of Mari being, well, polarizing to put it nicely, and Laura Lee genuinely seeming to get along with everyone.
With the JV girls, well, Jackie didn’t really know them yet.
Their pairings were more hopeful guesses, shuffling them with whoever they usually sat next to in the locker room and crossing her fingers she didn’t room together any mortal enemies.
Jackie offered Misty a solo room, a thank you for all her hard work, but Misty insisted on being treated just like “one of the girls.” Jackie wasn’t the most shocked, Misty did love being included. And Jackie sort of understood where she was coming from.
If she had the choice between rooming with Shauna and rooming alone, she’d room with Shauna every time. But if it was between being by herself or being paired with someone else? There’s no way she’d pick staying with anyone who wasn’t Shauna Shipman.
Though if she did get her own room, she’d just end up inviting Shauna to stay with her anyway.
So, Misty was going to be rooming with some JV girls. They were used to being placed in groups of three in a room anyway.
Plus, Jackie knew if she put Misty in with any of the other Varsity girls, she’d end up with whoever it was sleeping on her and Shauna’s floor just to get away from Misty, which was simply not on the table for this weekend.
Misty would be shacking up with two of the new girls, Melinda and Jessica? Something like that. The one with the hat and her friend. Based on their short interactions before and after practices, they seemed like Misty’s vibe.
Jackie was killing it at this captainship thing. And her reward for such a great job? Two days of quality, one on one time with her favorite person.
Jackie checked her watch, applying another coat of Lip Smacker.
45 minutes to East Haven.
The next few hours felt like a blur. Before Jackie knew it, they’d already arrived into town, started and both finished the game, winning it in a complete blowout. It was the shortest game in Yellowjackets history. By the second half, the girls were up by so much, the other team ended up forfeiting.
East Haven was apparently known as the “second worst team in the district," which was good for the Yellowjackets, who largely arrived to the field half-asleep after napping through the drive.
Even the players that didn’t nap were massaging out their muscles, cramped from the hours spent on the uncomfortable bus. And yet, here the girls were, fresh off an unprecedented win of 7-0, and headed to the hotel. All by 9pm.
Back on the bus afterwards, Jackie tried to find a way to give the girls a post game congratulatory speech that didn’t seem like gloating. Not the easiest feat.
“It almost feels offensive, winning like that.” A guilty smile crept up on her face.
“It was kind of awful for them.” Shauna admits, holding back a laugh.
“Are we allowed to celebrate beating girls who kept getting confused which side they were playing on?” Lottie grimaced.
“Yeah, it’s hard to consider it a success knowing more than one member of our team fell asleep standing up during a play.” Nat joked.
“I was resting my eyes!” Mari muttered. “At least I was standing! Van laid down in the goal!”
Tai beamed, holding up Van’s left arm in victory: “And yet they never scored on her!”
“That may have been one of the easier games we’ve played, yes, but, every win deserves a celebration! So let’s pat ourselves on the back, enjoy the easy night, and hope we go against an actual team next!”
Nat chuckled. “And uh, Mari and Van, if you need any caffeine pills for the game tomorrow, the gas station’s just down the road.” Nat instinctively dodged the swat coming her way from Mari as their banter continued.
“Fuck you, Scatorccio!”
“In your dreams, Mar!”
“Yeah yeah, you wish, gaywad."
Mari and Nat kept their half-hearted argument up until the bus came to a loud stop outside the hotel, brakes screeching with the effort.
The girls rose, excitedly grabbing for their bags, ready to get the night officially started, but Jackie was way ahead of them, determined to get off first. She’d been ready for this moment. From the second Mari and Nat started arguing, she'd begun collecting her and Shauna’s bags, keeping them in an easy position to grab and go at the drop of a hat.
However, her plan was slightly thwarted. Before she could make it to the front, Coach Ben stood in his seat, holding his hand up to stop everyone before they departed the bus. He looked exhausted before he even started speaking.
“Ladies, check in is at the front desk. By now you should know your room assignments. If you want to, er, hang out, I trust you’ll all be responsible and back in your own rooms by midnight. As a reminder, tomorrow, bright and early, we get back on this wonderful, humid, non-air conditioned bus where will will take a very bumpy, very hot, two hour ride to Centerport. So with that in mind, think hard about how much, uh.. fun you want to have tonight.”
The girls barely listened, but nonetheless, a chorus of “Thank you, Coach Scott’s” rang out from the aisles as he turned away, beelining his way off the bus with a parting, “Please don’t make me regret this!”
A few minutes later, Jackie found herself parked under the hotel room’s air conditioner vent. She let the cool air wash over her, letting out a deep groan, and relaxing for what felt like the first time that day, a giant weight sliding off her shoulders.
“Oh my god, this is heaven.” She moaned, throwing her head back.
Their room wasn’t anything fancy, but it was certainly enough for them. It was clean, had some nice amenities– a modest bathroom, with a standing shower and a bathtub. A tiny desk, complete with a coffee maker they'd never use. And two plush, queen sized beds, their clean white duvets making them look all too inviting. Everything they'd need.
The moment Shauna opened their door, Jackie had gone straight for the thermostat, cranking the air down as far as it would go while Shauna lugged their bags in by herself.
Jackie closed her eyes and let the icy breeze wash over her.
It had only been a few seconds, but the room was already noticeably cooler, well on it’s way to Jackie’s ideal temperature, i.e. so cold the girls would have no choice but to cuddle up under the covers later.
Jackie had a lot of hobbies she enjoyed. Playing soccer, swimming, stargazing, (all with Shauna) but none brought her joy like the way cuddling with Shauna Shipman did. It was by far, one of her favorite pastimes. Jackie tried to avoid most hugs or physical contact with people as best she could, preferring verbal affection if she had to accept any at all, but not with Shauna.
Shauna was the exception to the rule, and she always had been.
Whether it was them at 9 years old, cuddled together on the couch, faces tucked under a blanket because Shauna insisted “Friday the 13th can’t be that scary, it’s about a day of the week!” Or falling asleep in the back of Shauna’s moms car, happily crammed together next to way too much luggage for a week-long Shipman family road trip.
They were like magnetic legos, always finding each other, and always fitting together.
Shauna dropped their bags on the desk, watching Jackie revel in the AC. “No no, I’ve got the bags. You cool off. I’m sure your thighs are killing you after assisting on four goals tonight. Oh wait, that was me!”
Jackie loved when Shauna got cheeky with her. She bit back a grin before responding. “Sure yes, you assisted, beautifully, I might add, on those four amazing goals earlier tonight. But I am currently a little sweaty. And isn’t that just as important?” She grinned, batting her eyelashes at Shauna.
“Obviously." Shauna said, a playful grin taking over her face. "I can’t believe I had the nerve to make you think otherwise!” She wasn’t actually annoyed at bringing their bags in. (In fact, Shauna even offered to do it). But she enjoyed the game of pretending all the same. Also, it helped that bringing in the bags was something that didn’t take much effort on her part but always put a smile on Jackie’s face.
“Put that stuff down and cool off with meee! We can unpack later.” Jackie whined, holding out her arms, beckoning Shauna towards her.
“You mean I can unpack later?”
“Tomato tomato.” Jackie pronounced the words the same.
When she got close enough, Jackie grabbed Shauna by the shoulders, placing Shauna’s body in front of her so she could face the vent, “See how great this is?”
Shauna threw her head back, letting out a deep groan at the feel of the cold air. “Okay, I am never leaving this spot.”
Jackie’s eyes lit up. Not just at hearing Shauna groan— though that… that was definitely a sound Jackie enjoyed. A great sound. A great, distracting sound.
Shauna was probably joking when she said it, but Shauna never leaving that spot was exactly what Jackie had been wanting to hear. Okay, maybe Shauna could leave this specific spot by the air conditioner. If she needed to use the bathroom or something. Or when they, at some point, moved to the bed to cuddle up together, but otherwise, Shauna wasn’t allowed to leave this spot.
Jackie stepped in, moving a little closer to Shauna's back and resting her chin on her right shoulder. “You did play great tonight.”
“Yes, what a feat beating a team of imbeciles.” Shauna chuckled, soft and sarcastic, hiding a small shudder. She was primed and ready ready to blame it on the air conditioner if Jackie noticed and pointed it out.
“I’m serious, Shipman!”
Jackie spun Shauna around to look her in the eye, hands still on Shauna’s shoulders. The two of them stood arms length apart again as the air blew against Shauna’s back, hair continuously falling into her face.
Shauna pushed her hair behind her ear each time, but the fix only lasted a second, the strong breeze of the air conditioner blowing her hair right back in her face.
“We may have played against what may very well have been be some sort of charity league, but you-" Jackie leaned back a little, eyeing Shauna up and down before continuing. "You ran every play like you were up against olympic athletes. Found every pocket, made every connection, executed every sweep. It was impressive.” She cleared her throat. "You, uh, you looked good."
Shauna blushed, breaking Jackie’s gaze.
She motioned to fix her hair again, but Jackie beat her to the punch, reaching up to tuck Shauna’s hair behind her ear.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love the girls, and they're great players and all. But sometimes I wish I could have a whole team of just Shauna clones.”
A fond scoff slipped out of Shauna before she could stop it as Jackie leaned back dramatically, looking to the sky in faux awe.
“Just me and like 18 Shaunas. Can you even imagine?”
Shauna rolled her eyes, half-hearted, teasing. “I’m sure you can. And probably already have.”
There was a weighted beat for just a moment before Shauna looked back up through her lashes at Jackie before asking the question waiting on the tip of her tongue.
“So if you did have an army of Shaunas at your disposal, what, uh, what would you do with them?”
Jackie let go of Shauna’s shoulders to tap her chin, pretending to really think on it. About ten thousand thoughts came to mind, but Jackie wasn’t sure how many of them she could say without clueing Shauna in on how insane her inner monologue was.
It was only 9 o’clock. She could tow the line.
“Hmm… let’s think. Other than play soccer together?” She squinted at Shauna, bright eyes dilated in the dim light of the room. Shauna could count her eyelashes if she wanted to.
Jackie had really nice eyelashes. Had Shauna ever complimented Jackie’s eyelashes before?
Wait, how long had they been standing this close?
Shauna and Jackie somehow found themselves less than a foot away from each other. Shauna’s breath caught, eyes darting around, looking anywhere but directly at Jackie.
“Yeah, other than soccer.” She spoke softly, unsure of how she was supposed to play this right now.
But Jackie just tilted her head, playful, seemingly unaffected by their proximity.
“If I got to pick anything at all, anything I wanted to do? Just me alone, with all my Shaunas?”
Jackie leaned in even further, now only a few inches away from Shauna’s face, hazel locked onto deep brown. Okay, she had to know what she was doing. Right?
Shauna nodded, barely getting out a “mhm” through a gulp.
“If I had 18 Shaunas in front of me right now, in this room…”
Jackie’s eyes dropped to Shauna’s lips, then back up at her eyes. She bit her lower lip.
She definitely knew.
Shauna couldn’t remember the last time she took a breath. She felt like she hadn’t taken a breath in years. Now that she thought about it, had she ever breathed? She couldn't say. Right now, all she knew were Jackie’s eyes looking into hers. Jackie’s lips getting closer, close enough that Shauna could smell the Strawberry Lip Smacker Jackie always wore.
“I would probably ask my Shaunas to…”
Shauna stayed still as Jackie got even closer, lips a hairs breadth apart. And just when Shauna thought Jackie would close the gap between them, just when she thought she might connect their lips, Jackie swerved to the right, dodging Shauna’s lips completely, bringing her mouth to Shauna’s ear instead.
Jackie whispered into Shauna’s ear, so close, her lips almost grazed Shauna’s earlobe, breath hot on her neck.
“Unpack my bags for me.”
With that, Jackie stepped away from Shauna, falling back onto the luxurious bed. She propped herself up on her elbows with a smirk, watching Shauna struggle to figure out what to say.
“Huh?”
Shauna let out a shaky laugh as she blinked out of her stupor.
“What’s wrong, Ship? Have something else in mind?”
Shauna cleared her throat, wiping nonexistent lint off her shorts. “It’s just a lot of Shaunas on the one task. Maybe their talents would be more useful spread out?” She shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant despite her bright pink cheeks.
Jackie crossed her legs slowly, tempting Shauna to break their eye contact. One corner of Jackie’s mouth curled upwards, matching the eyebrow she raised as well, gaze still locked on Shauna’s.
“I actually had plenty more activities in mind.” Jackie looked away, glanced down at her fingernails, feigning nonchalance.
Shauna almost choked on her spit in her haste to respond. “Like- like what?”
What was Jackie saying? Was she saying what Shauna thought she was saying? Or was she–
Jackie’s next statement interrupted Shauna’s thoughts. “It might be better for me to just show you instead of tell you." She got a playful glint in her eye as she decided what to say next. "After I get unpacked, of course."
Like a bolt of lightning, Shauna shot up, hurrying over to the desk that held her and Jackie’s bags, almost breaking the zipper off Jackie’s bag in her haste to open it.
Jackie suppressed a laugh, looking up at Shauna through her lashes. “Seems like you’re in quite the hurry. Did you have any thoughts as to what I might do with all those Shaunas, Shauna?”
Shauna looked at Jackie, blank, scared to give anything away by answering Jackie’s potentially loaded question too honestly.
“What? No. I was thinking about— I just remembered I still haven’t picked a bed, so.” Shauna blurts.
Shauna continued to battle against the zipper of Jackie’s bag as she looked back and forth between the two beds, deliberating.
It was a pointless endeavor.
Jackie knew which bed Shauna would pick.
Shauna knew which bed Shauna would pick.
But they’d done this every time they stayed at a hotel together, all the way back to the first Taylor family vacation Shauna tagged along for, back when they needed a running start to get up onto the tall hotel beds.
Shauna would pretend to weigh the pros and cons of each, from the more normal criticisms,
“This one is gonna be too sunny in the morning.”
“This blanket looks too itchy.”
To the more abstract, “This one has more pillow-y pillows.”
“This one will be better to watch funny movies from, but that one is better for scary.”
“This one feels like it’s made for eating pasta, and that one feels like one for sleeping.”
No matter what Shauna pretended to weigh, the choice of bed was always the same.
Without fail, once Shauna was finished with her rounds of intensive deliberation, she’d be ready to announce her verdict.
Every trip, every hotel, every time, Shauna would look to Jackie, and say, as if it were a brand new, novel idea, “Maybe the bed closet to the corner?”
It was always the bed was closest to the corner.
Even if it that bed was better for eating pasta, Shauna would choose it. She always wanted the extra feeling of security of sleeping as close to the wall as possible.
One of the many many reasons Shauna loved when Jackie spent the night at her house was because Shauna’s bed was already against a wall. It meant that when Jackie spent the night, Shauna’s spot tucked away in the corner would have an extra barrier, an extra layer of protection.
It made her feel safe, being tucked away like that, knowing Jackie was there, a protective force between her and the door. Shauna always got the best sleep on those nights.
Not that Jackie was the biggest, strongest person in the world. Certainly there were people bigger than the 5'4 soccer player, but Shauna knew deep down, Jackie would do whatever she needed to to keep Shauna safe.
Jackie never minded sleeping on the outside, either. Her preference for anything had always been whatever choice would make Shauna’s life better or easier. Whether that meant sleeping closer to the door, or helping wrangle an errant zipper before it drove Shauna crazy, that’s what she would do.
Jackie extended her hand in a “gimme” motion, waving Shauna nearer.
Shauna deliberated whether or not she should give up on the zipper, but in the end, her desperate need to unpack immediately outweighed any embarrassment she might have had, so she handed over Jackie’s bag with a sigh.
Of course, Jackie got the zipper immediately. However, Shauna’s mild embarrassment left as quickly as it came when she remembered her task, eyes narrowing as she dug into Jackie’s now open bag with a fervor.
“So, has a decision been made in the bed department yet?” Shauna looked back, mid-way through unpacking a set of Jackie’s pajamas, sly smile on her face.
“Funny you should ask!" Shauna raised her hand up, a you're never gonna believe this gesture. "I actually have kind of a crazy thought for tonight. I was thinking... maybe the bed closest to the corner?”
Jackie let out a loud laugh.
No matter how she dressed it up, Shauna saying the phrase, “Maybe the bed closest to the corner?” would always get a laugh from Jackie. Her real laugh, too. Not the demure, muted one she used at school, or around Jeff and the other obnoxious boys on the baseball team.
The big, loud, unembarrassed laugh. More a cackle than anything else.
The laugh she saved for Shauna, for movie nights, for every single damn time Shauna repeated that dumb phrase.
Hearing Jackie’s cackle never failed to make Shauna giggle, which of course, made Jackie laugh even harder, and so on, until they were both doubled over, out of breath.
Back at home, this level of fun almost never went unchecked. In fact, it usually led to an imminent loud knock on Jackie’s bedroom door– a warning from one of her parents, eager to ruin her and Shauna’s fun the moment it started infringing on their “quiet time.”
All of a sudden, Jackie stopped her laughter, going silent, eyes wide.
“Wait, shhshhshh- Shauna, wait. Do you hear that?”
Shauna quieted in an instant, hurrying over to the bed to stand in front of Jackie. She stayed silent, listening for anything out of the ordinary. But save for the sounds of some kids outside playing by the pool a few stories down, there wasn’t really anything she could make out.
“I don’t hear anything.”
After another beat, Jackie cracked, “Yeah, exactly!” Jackie’s features melted back into a smile.
“Because we can laugh as loud as we want without my dad stomping upstairs to scold us through the door. ‘Jacqueline, that’s a lot of laughter for two girls who are supposed to be doing their homework.’”
Shauna pushed Jackie’s shoulder playfully.
“You asshole! You scared me!”
Noting Shauna’s close proximity, Jackie took advantage, grabbing her hand. She did her best to look as contrite as possible while holding back her giggles. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I had to.”
She pulled Shauna down to sit beside her at the foot of the bed, their hips and thighs touching. Shauna let out a huff as she let herself be manhandled, mumbling out, “Your dad has to know him saying things like that only makes it worse, right?”
“Oh, unfortunately Nathaniel Taylor the Third has no concept of anything. Unless, of course, it has anything to do with whatever he does at work, or a “fine glass of scotch.”
Speaking of scotch, maybe Jackie should find them some alcohol for the night? Not that they’d need it. Jackie never needed to be drunk to have fun with Shauna, but a few drinks wouldn't hurt to help them relax.
Maybe Jackie could call Nat and Lottie’s room and bribe them to bring over some drinks. Ugh, but then they’d want to hang out.
As fun as it might be to drink a little with Shauna, it was more important for Jackie to have uninterrupted alone time with her. Maybe there was a mini fridge in here. Shauna interrupted Jackie’s tangential thoughts with an impression of Jackie’s dad, complete with an extremely inaccurate pompous accent.
“Jacqueline, this bottle of scotch is older than you. Need I remind you how much it cost?”
Jackie giggled at Shauna’s words. It wasn't the best impression of her dad by any means, but Shauna was the only one who actually could say she knew him. Other than Jeff, but that was barely. A few words exchanged over some tense dinners, or a quick word about whatever baseball team they cared about. But Shauna saw more of Jackie's dad than she did her own. She really was the only one Jackie let see all versions of herself, and her family, for better or for worse.
“Why does he think that will impress us? Who is that for??”
They’d been asking themselves this same question for years, yet Jackie still came up blank, her father remaining a mystery. “It’s not even that he’s a whiskey snob or anything! I think my dad’s just an asshole!”
Shauna grabbed Jackie’s knee tight, struck with a realization.
“You’re so right! If he knew anything about whiskey, he’d have noticed we’ve been cutting that same bottle of three hundred dollar scotch with water since Freshman year. It's gotta be half water by now at least!”
That made Jackie crack up even harder.
Half of Jackie was focused on Shauna and their current discussion about Jackie’s dad and his not-so-elevated liquor habits, but the other half had dedicated all of it’s energy to the petite hand still resting atop her knee.
It made her all too aware of the fact that they were squished up next to each other. Sides fully touching. With Shauna's hand on her knee. She turned to her side, looking into Shauna's eyes, realizing just how close they were when—
—almost immediately, two heavy knocks on the door interrupted them.
“Oh my god, Jackie." Shauna looked amazed. "Did our laughing summon your dad?”
Thankfully, they had not summoned Jackie’s dad.
Though Jackie’s open elation over all of her and Shauna’s uninterrupted alone time may have jinxed them. There had to be a Do Not Disturb sign somewhere around here.
Jackie cracked their door open to find the rest of the varsity Yellowjackets crowded in the hallway surrounding her and Shauna’s door- Natalie and Lottie at the front.
Did Jackie summon them?
Did her wish come true, and Nat read her mind and came to deliver drinks to her and Shauna and then leave them alone the rest of the night?
No, that would be too perfect. Plus, it also wouldn’t explain why the rest of the girls were with them, blocking their doorway.
“What do you want?”
Jackie didn’t bother being particularly friendly. She was really enjoying Shauna’s hand on her knee before they knocked. Also, the prospect of teasing Shauna about her army of Shaunas.
Would they all be identical Shaunas? With the same personality and habits? Or would some be a little softer, a little sillier, a little bossier?
She’d have to decide what she’d prefer specifically before the clock hit 11:11, just in case.
Shauna shot Jackie a look, but Jackie only shrugged. Why was she supposed to be nice right now? She clocked out of being Yellowjackets Jackie an hour ago. Now she was Shauna’s Jackie.
Fine.
“Sorry. What do you want, my friends? Better?” She even faked a smile, too.
Shauna shot Jackie a questioning look as Lottie pulled their door open as wide as it would go.
“Grab your stuff. Party in our room! Coach Ben went down to the bar, and based on his face, I think he'll be there a while, so we’re grabbing everybody!” It was a bummer, but that did make more sense than the entire team coming to bring Jackie and Shauna liquor.
Nat held up her backpack, proud. “I brought party favors!”
What were the chances Jackie could convince Nat to just give Jackie some of those party favors and then leave the two of them alone to go party without them?
Jackie did her best to look apologetic, shaking her head solemnly.
“Sorry guys, we can’t! I don't like to drink the night before a game.” That statement was sort of even true! Usually. Sometimes.
Okay, once in a while Jackie didn’t like to drink the night before a game.
“Night!” Jackie moved to close the door, making a mental note to request a Do Not Disturb sign from the front desk after everyone left, but Nat held her hand up, stopping any momentum the heavy door would’ve had.
“Jackie, this is Centerport tomorrow.” Nat added.
“Okay?” Why was she still stopping the door?
Nat continued. “You know how East Haven is the 2nd worst team in the district?”
“Yes, that was pretty clear tonight.” She was still stopping the door from closing. Jackie didn't want to make it clear how much she was pushing against it, but when did Nat's tiny arm get so freakishly strong?
Jackie started to get suspicious. Jackie very clearly told them they couldn’t come, yet they didn’t seem to be showing any signs of leaving. Nat’s hand was still on the fucking door.
“Centerport is the only team that sucks ass more than them!” Mari noted.
Noticing Jackie’s hesitancy, Lottie added, “How often does an opportunity like this come about?”
Van jumped onto the peer pressure bandwagon, “Cap, we gotta take advantage of the astonishing levels of suckage on our opposing teams this weekend! It's historic.”
“Tai, are you seriously okay with this?” Hello! Weren’t they constantly being taught to avoid peer pressure?
Tai was the only other serious contender for Captain this season, she took the game just as seriously, if not more seriously, than Jackie. She’d definitely tell shut this down.
“They’re kinda right. Every other game will be harder than these two, so why not take it easy tonight?” Tai reasoned.
“How are you so sure tomorrows team sucks too? What if it’s just a tactic to get us to let our guards down!” Jackie didn’t necessarily care, but she also didn’t want to lose. This could be a two birds, one stone situation.
She continued, “I may have overheard Coach Martinez and Coach Ben talking in his office yesterday. Since Martinez knew he was gonna be out this weekend, he set it up to have a couple foolproof games so Ben would have an easier time and he wouldn’t get dinged for missing the trip.”
Damnit, Jackie was supposed to be in there for that meeting. Why didn’t she go, again? She could've sworn she wanted to.
A look of recognition came over her face as she remembered her reason for skipping.
Shauna had been taking a long shower.
Not that Jackie was watching. Shauna had just gotten a little extra muddy on the field at practice, so she needed a longer shower afterwards to really thoroughly scrub her body down and wash her hair. And if Shauna happened to have wanted to talk to Jackie while she did it, who was Jackie to say no?
Jackie was running out of excuses to avoid this party.
She looked to Shauna, hoping to communicate telepathically– tell these guys no, you’re supposed to stay in with me–.
Shauna was skilled at many things, but unfortunately, telepathy was not one of them. She wasn’t reading Jackie’s thoughts at all. On second thought, maybe Shauna’s lack of mind reading was a good thing.
Nat didn’t miss a beat, “We could win with our eyes closed.”
Tai elbowed her, smiling. “Nat, come on... We could do it playing backwards, too.”
Laura Lee popped her head up from the back of the clump.
Great, even she had something to say!
A nervous smile crept in, “Us giving them little to no effort might boost their morale.”
Nat gave a wolfish grin. “See? Even Laura Lee agrees! Plus, Lottie brought cranberry juice and that vodka you love…”
Jackie was torn. First, she didn’t even wanna go. But there were only so many times she could push back before people started getting annoyed or questioning why she was so dead set on not hanging out with them, especially after pushing for more team bonding.
Maybe she could play the Captain angle! It must be kinda antithetical to, like, encourage her team to do a bad job! Tai is most likely right, and Centerport is most likely terrible, but Jackie just made Captain! Did she really wanna start out her season like that?
Yes! That’s a great excuse.
But, on the other hand, being Captain meant knowing when to pick her battles. Maybe she’d want something else from them later. Was there a compromise?
Shauna felt her hesitation and offered a suggestion. “Maybe we could just go for a little?”
That would be an okay compromise. Wait, could Shauna read her mind?
SEXSEXSEXSEXSEX
Jackie narrowed her eyes, checking Shaunas for any sign that she just heard what Jackie was thinking.
Nope. Still not a mind reader.
Shauna took Jackie’s blank look to mean “go on” so she continued, “Remember last month, when I didn’t want to go to that kegger at Alyssa Bender’s house?”
Jackie smiled. Oh, she definitely remembered that night. How could she not? That was the night she got Shauna to wear the boob dress and sit on her lap in the car. Tai agreed to DD, which meant everybody got to ride in her Jeep. Usually there were enough seats for all the girls, but that night, Laura Lee decided to join at the last minute, which meant one person didn't have a spot. The girls either had to squeeze in, or somebody had to sit on someone else's lap.
Van was quick to look at the girls, insisting squeezing in wouldn't be an issue at all- they barely took up any space as is, but Jackie insisted, immediately volunteering her lap for Shauna to sit on, "That way nobody has to be squished."
Alyssa Bender lived a little ways out, too, off some back roads.
So Jackie got to hold Shauna tight, her body pressed firmly down on Jackie's lap for a good thirty minutes, the last ten of which, Shauna spent facing Jackie instead of the window. The terrain made it necessary for them to hold onto one another tighter— Shauna's arms around Jackie's shoulders, hands draped behind her neck, with Jackie's arms around her waist, pulling Shauna into her as the SUV bounced over poorly paved roads. Jackie's arms were the only thing keeping her from totally bouncing out of the seat, so she had to hold on that tightly.
She’d never been so happy anyone lived out in the boondocks. Ten whole minutes of Shauna bouncing on Jackie's lap, her position putting Jackie’s gaze perfectly in line with Shauna’s–
“—Who was it that pushed me and the rest of the Yellowjackets to go because “team bonding makes for bigger wins down the line?” Shauna put on her best “Captain Jackie voice,” interrupting Jackie’s train of thought.
Oh right. She did do that. It was an adorable impression, but it was still annoying for Shauna to use Jackie’s own words against her. On the other hand, Shauna remembered what she said!
Jackie’s nose crinkled, her expression a little awed.
She knew Shauna listened when she talked. She was her best friend. Obviously, she listened when Jackie talked. But Jackie did feel a special kind of thrill hearing her words repeated back to her, a small reminder of how much attention Shauna really paid to her.
“You’d wanna go for just a little?” Jackie looked to Shauna.
“One drink. Then we come back and you can… get your beauty sleep before you lead us to another insane victory tomorrow.”
Beauty sleep? So Shauna thought she was pretty. Was calling her pretty in front of all their friends. Jackie pretended to deliberate a little longer, tamping down her smirk every time she let herself think about Shauna.
“Hmm.. Cranberry juice you say?”
“Yep.” Lottie smiled, backing up slowly, her eyes focused on the duo, like a siren luring Jackie and Shauna straight to their doom.
“Concentrate or the real stuff?” Jackie inched closer to the door as Shauna grabbed their shoes.
“The real stuff. Not a can in sight.” Nat nodded. “And before you ask, yes, it’s organic!”
“How organic?”
“Jackie, this cranberry juice is so organic, the bottle tells you the exact bog they pulled the cranberries from.”
Jackie threw her arms up, playful. “Fine fine!”
Shauna was so lucky she’s adorable. Van cheered, pointing finger guns Jackie’s way. “There’s the captain I voted for!”
Mari scoffed, “I didn’t vote for her.”
Lottie looked up, introspective. “No one did.”
“Exactly! Coach picked me, which is basically a proxy vote from you guys.” Jackie looks back at her and Nat, steely, “Did you invite everybody or just varsity?”
“We called all the JV's rooms first. But we knew you’d take a little convincing, hence the full-service, door to door package. ”
“You invited Misty too, right?” Her eyebrow went up in an arch.
“Yes, even her. No one is gonna feel left out at the first afterparty of the season.” Lottie nodded.
That was a pleasant surprise Jackie wasn’t really expecting. Obviously, as Captain, Jackie felt it was her responsibility to make sure everyone felt included. But the others didn’t have to, especially for a secret party in one of their hotel rooms. They could've just invited the seniors and tried not to talk about it at tomorrow's game.
A what they don't know won't make them feel left out vibe.
She knew the others didn’t necessarily love Misty or want to party with her. Misty could be a little odd, but maybe that was only because she was constantly left out! She didn’t make the team her freshman year, so she probably had felt a little othered from the jump.
Also, semi-related, Jackie caught Misty staring at her. A lot. It was on it's way to creeping her out for sure. Whenever Jackie caught Misty's eye, she wouldn’t look away, Misty just kind of, smiled at her? Barely blinking. Sometimes she waved, but a lot of times she mostly just… stood and watched?
As Captain, it’s probably better to keep someone like that close. Just in case Misty tried to go Tanya Harding on one of them.
Jackie let her and Shauna’s door close behind them as she raised her hands, placating. “All right all right, we’ll come! But seriously, one drink!”
It was a good plan.
They’d stay for twenty minutes, tops. Jackie would have one drink, stay moderately sober. Then she and Shauna could be back in their room by ten. Maybe they could even steal some extra liquor on the way out as a reward for showing up.
Easy.
She looked to Shauna, eager to confirm the details of her plan. Maybe on the way there, they could come up with hand signals they could use in case Shauna wanted to leave even earlier than the twenty minutes they were promising.
Except, Jackie’s eyes fell on blank hotel wallpaper instead of Shauna.
Where’d she even go so fast?
Jackie got her answer after raucous laughter and hard coughs caught her ear.
A few feet away, standing between Lottie, Nat, and Van, was Shauna, the group all currently taking down Malibu shooters.
Nat and Van pretended to retch.
"How do you drink this shit?"
"It tastes like sunscreen!"
This was fine! Just because Shauna was a few drinks in didn’t mean they still couldn’t leave in twenty minutes. Maybe Shauna was just front loading her drinks now, so she didn't have to drink at the party. Maybe they'd just do a quick lap there and be back to their room even earlier than ten!
She didn’t pick out much of what the girls were saying as the bunch chatted excitedly, gaining in volume with every step, but Jackie did overhear someone shout, “Did someone say shots??” and the rest of the group immediately cheering.
Jackie looked longingly back at her and Shauna’s closed door, that twenty minutes feeling more and more impossible with every step they took.
As Jackie looked back in front of her, she caught Shauna looking at her from the other side of the cluster of their teammates.
Shauna gave her a goofy smile and a wave, eyes a little glassy from the alcohol already.
Fuck.
This night was going to be much longer than she wanted .