Not Just Another Cliché

Weeks have passed and we are approaching our last week of high school and to be honest, it scares me.

Me and Casey are improving in our relationship. We are talking a little more now but things aren't still 100%.

"Hey Emily." Jamie says to me while I sit on the bleachers doing my math.

"Hey Jamie." I smile awkwardly.

We haven't talked since he found out about me and Casey. He hasn't been around because he visited his grandma in hospital in Seattle for 2 months.

"How's your grandma?" I ask.

"Better. I heard about Casey. I'm so sorry Em, how is he?"

"It's hard for everyone. He doesn't talk about it though."

"Casey was always the type of guy to just go with things. What's the point of winging when there's nothing you can do about it? Casey always said that when someone got injured during a game."

"He is smart in a different kind of way." I chuckle and Jamie joins in.

"I heard about him and Amber." He brings up after a minute of silence.

I sigh and lift my head, "I am really not in the mood for an 'I told you so' Jamie."

"I wasn't gonna say that Emily."

I send him a 'sure you weren't' glare and he chuckles.

"Okay maybe I wanted to but I wasn't going to. I know how deceiving Amber can be and I don't like be on the other side of the evilness either."

"How would you know?" I question.

"Because Amber is my, step-sister." Jamie tells me while leaning on his knees and curling his lips as he grits out 'step-sister'.

My eyes shoot open and my mouth agapes.

"Step-sister?" I repeat.

"My mom left us when I was 4 and Todd was 7. Last year my dad finally moved on and we were happy for him until it was time to meet the families and Amber showed up. My dad and her mom then announced they were getting married and because he was so happy, I didn't have the heart to tell him about Amber."

"Jamie I didn't know." I choke out.

I never knew Jamie's mother left him when he was young.

"How would you? I never told anyone."

"So Sonny is?" I question.

"My moms sister. People just assumed she was my mom and I never corrected them. Do you really think my moms name would be Sonny Dawn?" He chuckles and I smile awkwardly.

"You wanna get out of here?" Jamie asks standing up and squinting.

I look around at my books before taking a deep breath.

"Sure." I agree.

I begin packing up my books and then throw my backpack over my shoulder and skip down the steps with Jamie.

"Where are we going?" I ask as we walk past our cars in the parking lot.

"Do you remember when you and Casey had a fight because he was going to a party with Amber during the Pretty Little Liars season 2 marathon?" Jamie reminds me and I chuckle as I look at the ground as we walk in sync.

"I remember."

"And you went to the courts, and just sat on the benches. Then I appeared and we actually played basketball."

"I was brutal." I chuckle and Jamie joins in.

"Worst I've ever seen." He teases and I hit him gently shouting 'hey' making him laugh harder.

"So that's where we are going?"

"There's a load of seniors going down for a bit."

"So it's a party?" I hesitate.

"Not exactly. There's no alcohol or anything just a few people from our year sharing memories of high school and talking about all the senior traditions coming up."

"Will Casey be there?" I ask silently.

"I don't know Em. But if he is, just ignore him. I hear the cheerleaders are planning to do a dance."

"They are?" I ask in shock.

I'm the captain so shouldn't I be the one who comes up with stuff like this and even if I wasn't, I'm still on the squad, I should be informed about this stuff.

We make it to the courts and everyone greets us with smiles and hugs.

I sit on the table of a bench laughing with Jamie Seth and Holly until I hear even more giggling coming from a corner.

I look over and see Casey beside a table with Amber seductively tilting her head side to side biting her lip sitting in front of Casey on the bench seat with her cheerleading skirt riding up her leg.

I ignore it until the giggling becomes louder and I look over and as soon as Amber catches me eye, she grabs hold of Caseys cheeks and brings her lips to his.

I sit there shocked until I suddenly jump off the bench and run away.

I lean against a wall outside the courts and run my hand through my hair and start rubbing my arms up and down.

Jamie comes running out and looks around before his eyes meet me and he walks up to me.

"She's a bitch Emily. I'll tell my dad on her." Jamie jokes and I can't help but chuckle.

"If only I knew you were step siblings when she slapped me." I muttered under my breath.

"She slapped you?" Jamie bolts.

"It's no big deal Jay, it was weeks ago."

"It's not right Emily. Amber has to be stopped."

"Give me a time and place and I'm there." I scoff.

"Come on. Let's go back in." Jamie says reaching his hand out to meet mine.

I take my hand in his and take a deep breath then push myself off the wall and walk back into the courts.

The cheerleaders are in the middle of the courts when we walk back in. It looks as if they are about to do their routine.

Holly looks at me with confusion written all over her face. Looks like she wasn't involved in this either so.

"What's going on?" She asks as I sit beside her on the table.

"I have no clue." I sigh.

They begin a routine I came up with and by the end, Amber is wearing a dirty smirk and takes a microphone off the senior DJ that controls all pep rally's and dances.

"This routine goes out to little ms perfect cheerleading captain Emily Hunter who had no idea this was happening. So much for amazing captain eh? And her sidekick Holly Collins isn't much good either. Looks like your captain let you all down when she paralysed our QB." Amber speaks.

I take a deep breath when she brings that up. How dare she!

"Amber that's enough." Casey interrupts.

"Oh Casey baby, butt out. Emily isn't the Angel you all thought she was. Far from it. She gave juniors false hope and made them look like fools when she made Casey St Cloud and Seth Mitchell go to their prom with them. Way to make the ugly and fat stand out Em."

Everyone turns their attention to me and I feel tears blur my vision.

"Amber stop now." Casey shouts.

"Oh Case, I've only just begun." She says to him and then turns her attention back to me.

"Emily distracted Casey at the game a few weeks back which made him fall and become this." She says pointing at Casey in his wheelchair.

"Shut up Amber. You have no friends." Jamie yells.

"Shut it Jamie."

"Why are you lying Amber?" Holly stands up and defends me.

"You may have had everyone with the junior slagging but people know what happened at the game. How is it even possible for Emily to paralyse someone from cheering? If that was the case, you had some say in it too. We all did." Holly continues as she gestures to everyone in the crowd by holding her arms out and spinning around.

"You are a fool Amber." Holly spits.

"Says the one, your the one with a two-timing boyfriend. But you knew that didn't you? When you were all off on your double date vacation, you read a dirty little text from me to your precious boyfriend Sethy here."

Holly looks back at Seth and then at the ground as she shakes her leg.

"That isn't true either. Nothing happened between us Amber you just have nothing better to do with your life that you love to mess with other people's lives." Seth joins in.

"Well do you really think Seth just got bored of his parents fighting? That party in Houston was fun wasn't it Seth." Amber smirks.

I stand up finally defeating the monsters in my head telling me not to do it and speak my mind.

"You see Amber, I have people sticking up for me. Holly and Seth defended me and each other, Casey begged you to stop and Jamie just got fed up but throughout all this nonsense, I didn't see anyone breaking their neck," I look at Casey and close my eyes,"sorry bad choice of words. I didn't see anyone risking their asses to defend you when we were fouling you so what does that say about me and you?" I rant.

Amber let's out a evil chuckle and looks right at me with a devious grin.

"I don't need people to stick up for me. I'm not 5 and in the playground." She cocks out.

"That and that I've friends who don't care about the risks of sticking up for me. Just face it Amber, your so called friends are just using you for popularity. I bet you don't even know their middle names, their favourite colour or even their birthdays. You're a joke Amber Banks."

"Of course I know that stuff."

"Oh really, what is Katies middle name, favourite colour and birthday then?"

She looks back at Katie and then back at me and begins to stutter.

"Um, Violet, Pink and 4th of June."

I look at Katie and raise an eyebrow.

She shakes her head with fear like she knows Amber is gonna kill her for it.

"Wrong. Charlotte, blue and 17th of August. What does that say about you and me Amber?"

By now everyone's eyes are on us and I'm no longer scared of her because I know whatever she's saying is shotty.

"It shows you're a stalker."

"No, it shows I'm a good friend. Me and Katie weren't that close in 2nd grade but close enough for me to remember that stuff."

"Well what about your actual friends? What are their middle names, favourite colours and birthdays?" Amber tests me.

"Holly Nadia Collins, pink, 30th of March. Seth Josh Mitchell, green, 25th of January. Jamie Mason Dawn, red, 5th of May. And Casey," I turn my head to look at him and then drop it, "Casey Tyler St Cloud, blue, 31st of May. Just before mine." I recite.

"Oh and did you notice that as soon as Casey was done with me, he ran to you. You mean nothing to him Amber. You are and always will be, second best."

Amber stomps her foot and clicks her fingers for her girls to follow her but they don't.

She turns back and stares at them sending evil glares.

"Girls." She screams but they still don't move.

"Whatever. I never liked yis anyway you sluts." Amber barks.

Everyone looks at her when she walks away and I sigh a breath of relief. Damn that was terrifying.

"Good job Emily." Everyone says as they walk pass me to get home.

Everyone leaves and then it's just me and Casey.

"Fair play Em. She finally got what she deserved." Casey compliments.

"Yeah well, no thanks to you." I say throwing my backpack over my shoulder.

"What?"

"You started this whole thing. If you just stayed away from Amber, she wouldn't have thought she won and just let things go. You reignited the fire and I was the one who got burnt." I walk away not looking back.

I walk to my car in the school parking lot and when I hop in, I just sit there for a while trying to fight the tears.

"Things finally feel over." I say to myself as tears slip down my cheek.

*******
Guys I'm gonna have a sequel no doubt but I don't know what to call it. Any ideas? It has to have Not Just Another in it so I'm thinking Not Just Another Summer Vacation or Not Just Another College Cliché. Something along the lines of them so let me know what y'all think.

Vote/comment/follow

Only a few chapters left but don't worry, this is definitely not the end of Emily and Casey and gang.

Lots of Love.

-Maddie🤘🏻🤘🏻

P.S. I'm thinking about making a 'Not Just Another' series! Lemme know what you think if people actually read this stuff hahaha.