a/n: I know everyone's bitter about Ariana Grande right now but REAL TALK: This is a bop. Also the guy in the music video (Charles Melton) looks like he had his face vacuum sealed. Like, I love that kid I think he's hilarious but I'm just stating the facts guys.

Rosalie had seen Joanna in nothing but a sports bra and basketball shorts, so she figured she could handle Joanna in a bikini. She didn't want to, nor did she, look into the reason why Joanna In A Bikini was suddenly enough to make her heart race. There were bigger things to worry about, like their upcoming match, and making sure the entire team was out of the pool and fed by noon if they ever hoped to be ready for warmups at two in the afternoon.

Joanna, however, kept her basketball shorts and t-shirt on long after the other girls left their coverups at the beach chairs. Rosalie stood at the table in the warm mist of chlorine water in the air. Her bare feet settled on damp, prickly concrete as she watched Joanna from across the table.

Joanna took a seat in one of the plastic chairs with a heavy sigh that she caught halfway through, eyes hooked on Rosalie's. Joanna was quick to look away, teeth toying with her lip piercing.

"Pools aren't really my jam," she said.

"So it seems," Rosalie said.

Joanna gestured towards the water not far from their table. "You should go swim. I'll watch everyone's shit," she said.

Rosalie looked out at the pool area. She turned her eyes up to the glass ceiling letting in the bright sunlight despite the overcast. The waterpark was centered around a jungle-gym of sorts topped with a massive barrel balanced on a bar. The bucket tipped further and further as it filled with water, and she could see Brynn with her arms up at the very top of the jungle-gym, awaiting the eventual downpour.

When the water dropped, the girls' screams echoed across the pool area and reverberated off of the vaulted ceiling. The tall, foggy windows on the sides illuminated the lazy river looping around the park, and passing in front of where Rosalie dipped her toe into the water. Lukewarm—the perfect temperature for swimming.

"Rosie," Joanna said, and the harsh edge to her voice made Rosalie realize that she was being scolded.

Rosalie stopped an oncoming empty tube with her foot. It had two loops, and was precisely the reason why she stopped it.

She pointed down at it and looked back at Joanna. "But I need a partner for this."

"No you fucking don't."

"Rules are rules," Rosalie said with a shrug. She grinned, though, and Joanna scowled at her. It just made her all the more happy, since Joanna was rising to her feet, cursing under her breath.

"Fine. Get in the damn tube and wait for me," Joanna said.

Rosalie clapped her hands and raised her fists in triumph. She crouched down to hold the tube still before twisting around and dropping back into the tube. Water sloshed up the sides of it as the tube bounced under her weight and recovered fast, raising her over the water with her arms hooked around the back of the tube.

She was facing their table when a group of girls passed—clustered together and more likely than not from a rival team. Rosalie glanced after them before turning back to where Joanna watched after them, her hands on the hem of her basketball shorts. She already had her shirt off, revealing Brynn's suit underneath.

It was a simple black bikini top with thick straps that looped around Joanna's neck. There was a gap between her breasts where the fabric twisted together around a gold hoop. Rosalie could only assume that Brynn stopped wearing it because she outgrew it. Joanna was perpetually stuck in a small frame.

Joanna shimmied the basketball shorts down, and Rosalie knew she should probably look away, but a patch of black smudges on Joanna's hip caught her eye. Brynn's bikini bottoms exposed an otherwise hidden tattoo that linked with the tendrils of smoke on her wrist tattoo. They wove between the fronds of a fern leaf curved over her upper thigh. Rosalie couldn't imagine why Joanna wanted to hide it.

She stopped that train of thought as soon as Joanna was close enough for Rosalie to realize why the tattoo was even there. It might have been made to compliment her wrist tattoo, but her opposite hip and thigh were bare.

As Joanna stepped up to the water's edge, Rosalie caught a brief glimpse of red streaks—almost like raw scratch marks—across Joanna's inner thigh. The tattoo on the other side covered it.

Joanna jumped with ease and plunged into the water through the empty side of the tube. She popped back up, lifting her arms to hook on the tube.

Rosalie cleared her throat and said, "How do you afford tattoos?"

"School was covered in Kaiserslautern," she said, pushing off of the side of the pool. They bumped into the opposite wall before the current carried them along, spinning to the center. "I worked a lot over there. Made good money, wasted it all on tattoos and piercings."

"Where did you work?"

"At a mall in the area. Folding denim jeans and shit," she said.

Rosalie hummed thoughtfully, but her mind was stuck in place. Specifically, the lines marking Joanna's thighs. It explained Joanna's long shorts during practice when every other girl sported scrawny running shorts. Joanna likely appreciated the cold weather for the sole purpose of wearing leggings to games and practices.

Rosalie just assumed it was a fashion choice.

"It was bad last year," Joanna said.

Rosalie turned to meet Joanna's eyes. Joanna was watching her with those light, brown eyes. She didn't look as uncomfortable as she did sitting in the plastic chair fully dressed.

"I know you're thinking about it," she said. "And I know Brynn would worry about it. I got the tattoo in Germany before moving back so I wouldn't be tempted to do it again. I have no reason to, anyways."

"Doesn't it... hurt? To do it?" Rosalie asked, voice quiet.

Joanna shrugged, lips pursed. She acknowledged the girls lined up on the edge of the lazy river, feet dangling in the water. They were Knights, and so Joanna waited until they passed the girls before answering. "Yeah, that's the point. But I was kind of helpless on my other team. It's how I learned that trick, purposely not defending the goal."

"How did that help?"

"It did for a while, but blackmail does wonders. Very effective method of getting people to do what you want," she said with an added wink in Rosalie's direction. "I'm playing for you, Killer. There's literally nothing else that you know that would get me to defend your goal."

"What were they blackmailing you with?" Rosalie asked, but she knew it was a stretch to ask. Joanna waved a dismissive hand in the air, and it signaled the end of that conversation. She figured that whatever it was, Joanna would talk if she wanted. If it was important, she'd tell Rosalie someday, but perhaps not during the season.

Rosalie trailed her fingers over the surface of the water as the current carried them around the bend. Joanna shifted behind her, and shuffled forward to rest her arms on the tube where their sections connected. She propped her chin up on her forearms and looked up at Rosalie, who straightened a little in her seat under Joanna's attention.

"So... you like swimming, just not the atmosphere of a waterpark?" Rosalie concluded. Joanna nodded. "That makes sense. Pools are kind of revealing."

"And therefore, inherently hormonal. But only past the stage where you start to develop crushes. Before that, everything's all shits and giggles," Joanna said. Rosalie laughed.

They came upon a fork in the river, one calm and relaxing, the other passing beneath a waterfall into a tunnel. Joanna steered them towards the tunnel framed by fake, tropical plants. Bridge railings lined the top, and some guys from another team were gathered up there, talking and laughing with one another. One of the guys waved over at them, leaning against the railing as he called out, "Hey girls!"

"Hey, cutie," Joanna said in a falsetto, valley girl accent. Rosalie had to cover her mouth to keep from cackling out loud.

Joanna pushed off of the ground, having to dip a little out of view to do so. The pool bottom dipped as they went beneath the waterfall. It roared in Rosalie's ears, drumming hard against the rubber surface of the inflatable tube. Rosalie gasped, laughing as her hair flattened over her eyes. She swept it back, looking both ways through the tunnel before landing on Joanna, who was pitched into the shadows aside from the highlight around her frizzy hair. The glow was dimmed through the waterfalls that signaled the start and the end of their tunnel adventure.

They came through the other side, escaping the bubble beneath the bridge where the sounds of the waterpark were muffled. Now, they could hear it all again, crisp and bright. Joanna glanced up at the railing where the same guy was waiting for them.

"What team are you girls on?" he asked.

"We're scoring for the same team, buddy," Joanna said. She raised a peace sign up before putting it to her mouth.

Rosalie screamed in horror, slapping her upside the head. It didn't take long for her to dissolve into embarrassed laughter as the guys on the bridge pestered their friend for hitting on a lesbian.

Rosalie put her head in her hands until they were out of view from the bridge. Joanna was giggling to herself until Rosalie slapped her on the arm again and said, "That isn't funny! Oh my God, I can't believe you did that."

"I've been wondering how your crush is going," Joanna said. She wiggled up a little until she was sitting on the edge of the tube, facing Rosalie. She braced her hands on either side of her lap, shoulders pushed up as she tipped her head curiously and reminded Rosalie that she should be blushing right now. "How's that going? Are you still afflicted?"

"You make it sound like an illness," Rosalie muttered. "But it's... getting better."

Joanna pursed her lips. She leant forward a little, over her side of the tube until she was bracing her hands on the connecting segment beside Rosalie. Rosalie ignored the fact that, like, this, Joanna's breasts were very real and not hugged by a goddamn sports bra. "Are you still into me?" she asked.

Rosalie put a hand to her face and said, "Yeah, the crush is still there, if that's what you mean."

The waterfall had drenched Joanna's hair, turning it a darker red against her pale skin. Her hair fell in tight waves from her shoulders the longer she stared Rosalie in the eye. "Good," she said. "But know that I am always willing to seduce you again."

"When did you ever seduce me?" Rosalie squeaked.

She never considered anything Joanna did to be a form of seduction... But that day in the locker room certainly felt like it, being caged in by Joanna's hand on the locker, that devilish grin on her lips.

Joanna only smiled, though, and Rosalie wondered if Joanna knew exactly what moment she was thinking of.

She watched Joanna's eyes slip downwards. Rosalie felt conscious of bikini linings, and reassured herself that everything was covered underneath her swim shorts. Still, she felt the need to adjust the straps on her suit as Joanna let out a wistful sigh.

"What?" Rosalie whined.

"Nothing. Just disappointed. And here I thought I'd get to see you in a bikini. Figures you'd wear a one-piece," she said.

Rosalie rolled her eyes with a nervous giggle. "Is that what got you to come down here?"

"Maybe it did," she said. Rosalie's smile faltered, and she met Joanna's eyes once again. It was difficult maintaining eye contact, especially when Joanna was over there looking like a proud, sly cat.

The river glided in with the current of people traveling in clumps from the other branch in the lazy river. Rosalie was alarmed by the sheer amount of inflatable tubes and people, and it took some maneuvering for Rosalie and Joanna to find their place among the people. As they joined the crowd, Rosalie felt discomfort prickle up her spine, and she turned around to find the girls behind her staring, and the girls at the side staring as well.

She looked forward to where one of the girls traveled in a single tube, a hand resting on the back of the tube in front of her, and the other reaching up to pull back her hair. Rosalie was staring before she could stop herself, heart frozen in her chest and sinking as she realized that the Knights weren't the only team who thought to come to the pool before their match.

Drew Mendoza, with all their height, somehow made lanky desirable. They had their long, tanned legs hooked over the tube, and a hand in their light blonde hair. Rosalie could see the sharp eyeliner framing elegant lashes. She could never understand why people wore makeup to the pool, but Drew gave her a little sense of why.

Drew tipped their head and met Rosalie's eyes with a smile. "Nice to see you again, Rosalie," she said.

Rosalie swallowed whatever cutting words were on the tip of her tongue. Drew might have been competition, but they had to be professional. She reminded herself of Coach Heather, and just the thought of that woman being anywhere at anytime managed to scrape together an amiable response.

"You as well," she said, voice light.

Drew gestured around the girls circling them and said, "Welcome to the Eagles' nest. I can't say we were expecting Knights."

At the indication of more than one Knight, Drew glanced over at Joanna. Rosalie looked back at Joanna, who's jaw was tight, sour expression returned. Her eyes were narrowed. Rosalie turned back to Drew, who was now smiling, eyes bright.

"Joanna Spencer. My, my, what a surprise," they said with delight. "Girls, we are in the presence of greatness."

"Dare I ask why you know about me," Joanna bit out through clenched teeth before slapping on a plastic smile.

Drew readjusted their position, an elbow propped up on the edge of their tube. By now, their teammates who hadn't noticed Rosalie and Joanna were now staring. Rosalie's stomach twisted tight, an inkling of nausea settling in.

Drew's gaze was unwavering, smile equally so. "Oh, I know everything about you, Spencer. You and your winning goal against Adams. As if I'd take my eyes off Adams after everything they put my team through, but I didn't realize we needed to worry about Bradshaw this year. Where did you learn aim like that?"

"Target practice."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, targets made of your heads on spikes," Joanna said. Rosalie slapped a hand to her face. "We're done here. Killer, let's go."

Joanna lifted her end of the tube and ducked out towards the edge of the pool. Before she could brace her hands, Rosalie hopped from the tube, only for her splash to be accompanied by a dozen others.

One of the Eagles from behind them drifted between Joanna and the wall, a hand on her hip and the other stretched across the ledge. She smiled innocently as others gathered, blocking the exit and filling the lazy river with empty tubes. Rosalie had her back against her tube, and looked back to where Drew stood no more than two inches away from her face. She'd only been this close to Joanna, and any proximity of this magnitude was enough to shave a year off of her life.

Drew held a hand to the tube behind Rosalie, a smile on their face. They tipped their head to the side, a damp strand of blonde hair shifting on their forehead. "I can't imagine how you'd fare without... that deal, Mason."

Rosalie's chest seized up, breath caught in her throat. She glanced, wide-eyed, over at Joanna, who was now staring at Drew with eyes that could kill. Joanna took a step towards them, and Rosalie watched as Drew's teammate held Joanna back with a hand to her shoulder.

"What deal?" Rosalie said, looking back to Drew. There were so few people that knew, and of them, Rosalie wasn't sure who would have blabbed. She didn't know anyone who had connections to the Eagles, not at Bradshaw.

The way Drew said it made Joanna's deal sound breakable. Rosalie hadn't thought to worry about Joanna losing interest, but given the feral look in Joanna's eye now, she knew she didn't have to worry about that.

"That's cute, Mason. Real cute. Valedictorian, captain, and gay. It's all a girl could ask for," Drew said.

"Try bisexual, asshat," Joanna seethed.

"I'm sure you could have been valedictorian, Spencer," Drew said. They turned their full attention onto Joanna. Rosalie stared at Drew's profile for as long as it took for Rosalie to process Joanna's silence. Drew gave a nonchalant shrug and said, "If you hadn't disappeared for, what was it? Oh, that's right, an entire month. Skipped finals and everything."

"I'm this close to breaking your fucking nose," Joanna sneered, lips pulled back from her teeth. She jerked forward, but Drew's teammates had a hold on both of her arms.

"Careful. One more bloody nose and you might get expelled. That wouldn't be so bad for us, though," they said with a gesture around to the Eagles surrounding them. Rosalie stared desperately at Joanna, but she realized that if Joanna wanted to start a fight, her anger level now was enough to ignore Rosalie completely.

"Almost makes me think something happened. You know, I wish I knew," Drew said, tapping a finger to their perfect jaw. They shook their head and shrugged dismissively. "Ah, well, I'm sure there's something out there. I'll be on the lookout."

At that exact moment, a voice rose up, approaching them from down the river. Rosalie gasped in relief. Ray. "Hey, hands to yourselves. And here I thought we weren't in elementary school anymore," Ray said, stepping along the damp concrete.

She came to stand over Joanna and the two Eagles holding her down. The Eagles stepped aside, and Joanna shoved one of them hard enough to send them staggering. Ray crossed her arms, eyeing them all as Rosalie pushed away from Drew and to the edge of the river. Joanna planted her hands on the concrete and heaved herself out before turning to help Rosalie out. Rosalie accepted her hand, only to stop, crouched on the concrete, as someone took her other hand.

Rosalie turned to where Drew held her hand. They held it daintily, their thumb over Rosalie's fingers. She could have tugged away if she wanted, but stayed put.

"No hard feelings, captain to captain," Drew said, eyes on Rosalie as they leant forward and kissed Rosalie's knuckles. "Maybe we'll see you out there, if you're able to hang onto your keeper."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Rosalie said with a tight smile. She pulled her hand away and pushed up to her feet. She didn't look back as she stepped between Ray and Joanna and walked away, grabbing their wrists as she went. When she let go, her hands were shaking, closed into fists.