17 || super soakers
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Much to my displeasure, the day of the cheer car wash arrives and I'm up early and at the school by eight AM.

Yeah. I wasn't happy.

"Where's Ivy?" I whine as Chanel, Nikole, and I set up signs in the parking lot directing cars where to go. "She should have been here fifteen minutes ago with our coffee, and she's never late."

"She'll be here," Nikole says. "Otherwise she would have texted."

I peer out onto the road, using my hand to shade my eyes from the sun. A grin lights up my face when I spot Trevor's car turning into the school. "They're here!" I sing, jogging over towards them. Ryan hops out first followed by Ivy with our drinks. 

"Finally," I exclaim. "What took so long?"

"The line at Starbucks was insane," Ryan replies. "It took like fifteen minutes just to get our order taken."

Trevor slams his door shut and walks around to where we're standing. He twirls his keys in his hands and grins. "So when does the car wash start? She needs a good cleaning," he pats his car.

"I'm not washing your car," I take a sip of my Java Chip Frappuccino.

"The car wash starts at nine," Ivy informs him, answering his questions. "So in fifteen minutes."

Nikole and Chanel walk over to where we're all gathered. Chanel grabs her Mocha Cookie Crumble frappe while Nikole grabs her Iced Hazelnut Bianco Latte.

Trevor snickers at the three of us. "I can't believe you're washing cars in your uniforms."

I scowl. "I know, it's so stupid. And Britney has us all wearing the same hairstyle too." We have our hair up in high ponytails with these ridiculous oversized bows in the school colors.

Ryan rubs his chin in thought. "You all look very...preppy."

"I think the word you're looking for is idiotic."

Nikole rolls her eyes. "Shut up. We look cute."

"Selfie!" Chanel pulls out her phone and angles it above her head. We all gather around her and I flip off the camera as she takes the picture.

"Was that really necessary?" Ivy asks me.

"It's how I felt in that moment so yeah, it was necessary."

"Damn, there's already a lot of people here," Ryan says and we all turn to see a line of cars pulling into the parking lot.

"All Malibu Sharks please report to the pay station!" Britney's voice booms over a megaphone.

I roll my eyes. "That's our cue."

"Come on!" Chanel grabs my arm and I'm reluctantly forced to follow her as she drags me to the pay station. Once we've all convened Britney starts explaining how the car wash will work.

"After students have paid, they'll receive two tickets with a number that corresponds to one of the designated wash zones. They'll then drop one of the tickets in this jar," she points to the jar in question. "After that they'll return to their vehicle to wait. There's only six wash zones so yes, some people will receive the same number. However it's first come first serve, so whoever's in line first with that number gets their car washed first. Simple. Everyone else with the same number has to wait until we finish washing their car and they leave. Any questions so far?"

When no one says anything she continues. 

"You'll form groups of two minimum, three maximum. Then take a ticket from the jar, and that's the car you'll be washing in whatever number wash zone it's in. Double check to make sure they've paid before you start washing. If they've paid, they'll have a ticket. Have them show you the ticket before you begin washing, and make sure it matches the number of their wash zone. If they haven't paid, direct them here. If they can't find their ticket or lost it, also direct them here. Sabrina and I will be keeping a written log of everyone's who's paid and their ticket number so we can double check. We have people directing traffic to make sure there are no accidents and there are also signs to guide everyone. Refer to them if needed. Groups will also receive a tip canister. Make sure you keep careful watch of your tip canisters and take it with you to the next car you'll be washing."

"What's the point of tips if we can't even keep them?" I grumble. Britney's head snaps toward me.

"Did you say something Aubrey?"

I paste on a fake smile. "No, nothing."

"Good," she doesn't spare me a second glance. I stick my tongue out at her and Chanel giggles.

Obviously Nikole, Chanel, and I are a group. After grabbing our tip canister we wait with the rest of the groups while Britney announces over her megaphone that people can start coming up to pay. Already there's a long line of people, with cars going out into the street.

This is gonna be a long day.

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"Geez, did they purposely drive through a swamp?" I gripe as I scrub off dried mud from an SUV. This shit must have been caked on for weeks, because it's having a hell of a hard time coming off.

"Honestly they should have gone through a car wash," Nikole complains.

"We are a car wash," Chanel says.

"I mean a real car wash."

Chanel goes around the car spraying more water on it with the hose. "There. Maybe that will soften it up."

"We've been at it for twenty minutes," I wipe a sweaty strand of hair away from my face. The sun beats down heavily. My once neat ponytail looks a hot mess, wisps of hair sticking to my face from perspiration. I ripped off the stupid bow about an hour into the wash. "At this point we need power brushes, not these flimsy sponges."

We get back to scrubbing and Britney walks by. Her and Sabrina haven't washed a single car today. No, they've been manning the pay station, managing the money, and supervising. I think it's absolutely unfair that we're doing all the grunt work while they just get to sit on their asses, but since they're captain and co-captain, they're entailed with certain 'privileges.'

It's bullshit if you ask me.

"Tick tock," Britney stops. "We've got other cars waiting."

"If you haven't noticed we're having a bit of trouble here," I snap. "Maybe if you'd given us better tools we could get the job done faster."

Britney rolls her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah, excuses. Just get it done. And where's your bow?"

"I took it off."

"Well you're supposed to be wearing it, so put it back on."

"No. It's annoying," I stand up from where I was crouched and face her. "These uniforms are impractical for a car wash. Do you know how hard it is to bend down in a mini skirt? If we weren't wearing spandex we'd be flashing everyone!"

"If you can cheer and do stunts in it, you can wash cars in it," Britney crosses her arms.

"Can we at least have a break?" Chanel asks. "We've been washing cars for two and a half hours now."

"It's not your groups turn for a break yet," Britney replies. "We can't have too many people on break or it will take even longer to get through all the cars in line."

"This is work abuse!" I exclaim.

Britney raises a brow. "Do you want some cheese for that whine? I don't know what you're complaining about, this isn't even extreme labor or anything. I make you guys work way harder at practice."

"You haven't washed a single car today," Nikole points out. "So of course that's easy for you to say."

Britney blows out a breath in exasperation. "Fine. You guys can have your break next."

I open my mouth to say something sarcastic, something along the lines of 'wow, how generous of you,' but Chanel pinches me. I yelp and glare at her. She smiles at Britney.

"Thanks!" She chirps.

"Don't thank me. Just get back to washing," she motions toward the car we're currently working on before walking away.

"Evil witch," I mutter under my breath.

Ivy wanders over to us. Trevor was one of the first people to get his car washed, but he, Ryan, and Ivy still stuck around afterward. They even left to get food and drop Ryan off at home so he could bring his car to get washed before coming back.

"Having fun?" She asks.

"Loads," Nikole says dryly.

"Here, let me help," Ivy grabs a sponge.

"You don't have to," Chanel says quickly. "I'm not even sure if you can since you're not apart of the cheer team."

"It's okay, I want to," she starts scrubbing.

I shrug. "I'll take any help we can get."

With Ivy's help we manage to finish washing the SUV. We even get a fat tip as an apology for the trouble. When the girls weren't looking I slipped a five into my bra.

I freaking deserved it.

Finally we take a break. Ivy brought us food and we sit on the curb eating. I devour my cheeseburger and fries in record time.

"Where are the guys?" Nikole asks.

"I think they're at the front of the school," Ivy says. "There's a bunch of students hanging out there."

I stand up and brush crumbs from my uniform. "I'll be right back."

I head into the gym which has been unlocked for us and use the restroom. It's a relief to empty my bladder as I've been holding it for quite some time now. Being around so much water hasn't helped either. Once I'm finished I flush the toilet and wash my hands before heading back out.

As I'm walking back toward the curb where the girls are I pass by the pay station. Then I double back when I notice a familiar head of dark hair with a white streak waiting in line.

Oh heck no.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, coming up beside Carter. He turns toward me.

"Oh, hey Pinky," he grins. "And what does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting my car washed." Then he drops his ticket in the jar. I quickly snatch it back out.

"No, you're not," then I rip up his ticket. Before Carter can react Sabrina appears out of thin air.

"What are you doing?" She snaps. "You can't just rip up peoples tickets." Sabrina turns towards Carter. "I'm so sorry about that. What number are you?"

"Five," Carter replies.

Sabrina gives him a flirty smile. "Okay. I'll personally make sure you get the next spot. Aubrey's group will be washing you car, and I assure you they'll do an excellent job," she turns to give me a quick glare. "Or else."

Carter smirks and I want nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his face. "Sounds good. Thanks."

"No problem," Sabrina giggles and I'm overcome with the sudden urge to scratch her eyes out.

Sabrina leaves with Carter to direct him to his appointed wash zone. I storm back over toward the girls.

"There you are," Nikole says. "I think break time is over. Britney has been giving us the evil eye."

"I want to pull the ticket out of the jar this time!" Chanel exclaims.

"No need," I reply, my tone irritated. "We're washing Carter's car next."

Ivy quirks a brow. "How did that happen? I thought it was random. Plus isn't he like way down the line?"

"He was until I did something stupid," I scrub a hand down my face in annoyance. "Let's just go."

We walk over to zone five where Carter is waiting, now accompanied by Trevor and Ryan. Trevor tsks at me.

"Aubrey, Aubrey. Don't you know when you bite the dog, the dog bites back?"

I furrow my brow. "What?"

"It means you played yourself," Ryan laughs.

Chanel looks confused. "Wait, what did she do?"

"She ripped up my ticket," Carter explains. "So Sabrina moved me up the line for the trouble."

Nikole, Ivy, and Chanel turn to me at the same time, giving me 'what the hell' looks. I whistle and grab a sponge.

"And I expect her to be spotless," Carter says as we start washing, though his words are directed at me. I shoot him a dirty look and he winks in response.

Carter's car honestly isn't that dirty, so I'm not sure why he came in the first place. It occurs to me that I'm being biased since I didn't have a problem with anyone else coming to get their car washed. However when it comes to Carter, I lose all rational sense of judgement and thought. I move to wash the rear of his car, and I'm so absorbed in my task I don't realize Carter has snuck up behind me.

"You missed a spot."

I look up, Carter's tall frame blocking the sun. "What? Where?"

"There," he points with his combat booted foot.

I follow his boot to see where he's talking about. What the...no I did not! I whip around to argue with him, then stop.

"Okay," I smile instead before wiping my sponge over the supposed missed spot.

"And there," Carter adds, gesturing towards another spot.  "And over there too."

My cheeks become strained from the effort it takes to maintain my smile as I wipe my sponge over the places he pointed out, scrubbing extra hard for good measure. Then I turn back towards him. "There. Look good?"

Carter rubs his chin in thought. "Yeah, looks good."

"Great-"

"Wait...you missed another spot."

My jaw ticks and Carter smirks. "Something wrong?" He asks innocently.

"Of course not," I grit out, dragging my sponge slowly across his back bumper.

"Alright, well I think it's clean now. You can rinse."

I don't need your permission! I want to snap. Instead I grab the hose to start hosing off his car. "I'll finish rinsing," I tell the girls. "You guys can go dump out the dirty water."

"Okay," Chanel says, grabbing one of the buckets we used. Nikole grabs hers and Ivy grabs mine. "We'll be back."

They walk off, Trevor and Ryan trailing after them. I hum to myself as I start rinsing off Carter's car, and I almost forget he's still standing there until he speaks.

"Don't forget to hose down the roof too."

I glare at him. "I know."

Carter shrugs. "Just making sure. Oh and the tires. You know, because the soap drips."

I inhale deeply. He's just trying to get under your skin, he's just trying to get under your skin. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Nope," he replies and I go back to hosing down his car.  I'm nearly done when Carter interrupts.

"Actually-"

Oh that is it.

I turn the hose on full blast and aim it at him, spraying him with water. Carter holds up his hands as if to block the water, not that it helps.

"What the hell!" He exclaims.

"This is what happens when you poke the bear!" I yell. Carter storms over to me and tries to grabs the hose from me, but I'm not giving up without a fight. Water is spraying everywhere as we struggle to gain control of the hose. Even I'm drenched by now.

"Let it go!" Carter shouts.

"Never!"

We've attracted the attention of everyone within hearing distance. Form the corner of my eye I can see Sabrina running over while yelling.

"What the hell Aubrey! Stop!"

Out of nowhere Carter is suddenly infused with the strength of hulk and rips the hose away from me. When I go to try and grab it back he pushes me back against his car and pins me in place with his body. I give up trying to fight against him, mainly because I realize it's useless.

I give him a saccharine smile. "Oh look, your car is clean."

"You are fucking insane," Carter snaps.

"Tell me something I don't know."

We're both dripping wet and Carter glares at me. I glare right back, my chest heaving up and down from the adrenaline.

It's then I realize how close we are.

My smile fades as I look up at Carter. Water droplets drip from the tips of his hair and form on his lashes like tiny crystals. I swallow as I get a memory of him fresh from the shower when I went over to his house. Then I make the biggest mistake when my eyes flicker to his lips.

Suddenly all I can think about is kissing him.

Unlike the first time I wondered it, I actually know what it feels like to be kissed by Carter. And that makes the situation even more dangerous. Suddenly Carter reaches up and my entire body freezes as his thumb brushes against my bottom lip. Involuntary my mouth slightly parts and I gaze up at him with wide eyes. My heart is thudding so loudly in my chest I'm sure he can hear it. Carter's green eyes look several shades darker than they normally do, and it looks like he wants to kiss me.

What scares me is that I want him to kiss me.

I nearly jump out of my skin from the sound of Sabrina's voice. It's like a fog has been lifted and I shove Carter away from me.

"Aubrey I swear you are the biggest pain in my ass!" She yells. "You're supposed to be washing the cars, not washing the customers!"

Normally I'd have something amazingly witty to say as a comeback, but my mind comes up blank. I'm still stuck on whatever the fuck just happened between Carter and I. I glance at him and he looks back at me. I hate that I can't read the expression on his face.

Sabrina is waiting impatiently for me to say something, but I have no words. For once I have nothing to say. My bottom lip tingles from Carter's touch and I can't think clearly. All I know is that I need to get away from him.

Without so much as an explanation I take off, my legs carrying me away as fast as they can. Sabrina yells after me but I don't stop and I don't look back.

♡ ♡ ♡

kissy kissy 😘