[001] my ride or die

                                   Courtney Morrison and Suki Blair were truly fucked up soulmates.

                                   They'd first meet each other when they were eleven years old at the local park. Suki had been with her mom, and back then, the two of them had been utterly inseparable. Suki loved her mom more than anything and the two of them spent a lot of time together, seeing as her dad was always busy with work. In a way, Harriet Blair was more like Suki's best friend than her mom. They could talk about anything, and Suki adored her mom, worshipping the very ground she walked on. Suki didn't have friends growing up. She was quiet and shy and just awkward in general, leading her to be picked on or just ignored.

                                    But that all changed when Courtney entered her life.

                                    Courtney Morrison was beautiful, blonde, and had the brightest smile Suki had ever seen. She was dazzling and when Courtney approached her to ask if she could sit next to her on the swings, Suki almost thought she had dreamt the entire interaction. But when Suki realized that she wasn't dreaming, she'd let Courtney sit with her on the swings. They'd play together for nearly two hours before Courtney's mom arrived to pick her up, and Suki's mom also came to get her so they could go back home.

                                    From that moment on, the two of them had been as thick as thieves.

                                   They'd either hang out at the park or at Courtney's house since her house was bigger and she had cooler toys. Courtney made sure that her little sister, Nancy, was always excluded. She was younger by a year and yet Courtney treated her like she was beneath her. They purposely shut her out, leaving the two Morrison sisters to grow even further apart as the years went by. Courtney was bossy and always liked to be in control, but Suki didn't mind. She was just grateful that Courtney even wanted to be her friend.  She'd do just about anything Courtney asked her too, just as long as she continued to be her best friend. 

                                    Her mom had a bad feeling about Courtney, one Suki didn't really listen to. But then again, her mom always had bad feelings about things. Terrible nightmares too. She'd take pills but Suki didn't know why at the time. It would only be until much later that Suki would learn that her mom often suffered from delusions. It was known around town and that was part of the reason why kids didn't hang out with Suki, scared that she'd end up just like her mom. But at the age of eleven, Suki thought her mom was perfectly normal.

                                    By the time she turned thirteen, that quickly changed.

                                    The day her mom killed herself, Suki noticed that she had been acting weirder than usual. She was withdrawn, hardly eating, even mumbling to herself. Suki was worried about her. Even her dad had noticed that something was wrong. And yet, he still let Suki go with her mom for a little drive. He thought the both of them were coming back. He couldn't have been more wrong.

                                    Suki knew that something was wrong when her mom drove to a more rural area. She had been eerily quiet, a determined look in her eyes. Suki had a bad feeling but she was doing her best to ignore it. Another terrible mistake.

                                   "Mom, what are you doing?" Suki asked. "Where are you taking us?"

                                   "They're coming for you, Suki. They're going to take you away from me," her mom finally spoke after hours of silence.

                                   "What? Who?" Suki questioned, more confused than ever.

                                   "They're in the wilderness, waiting for you. They're in the darkness. They want to take you and keep you forever. But I won't let them," her mom shook her head. "No, I won't let them take you."

                                    "Mom, you need to slow down," Suki warned.

                                     But she only drove faster, driving off of the road and towards the lake. That was when true panic and fear began to set in for Suki. She knew that her mom wasn't going to stop. This wasn't the mom she knew and loved. The woman driving them straight to their doom was a completely different person. 

                                   "I'm doing this for you, Suki. For us. I'm saving you from the darkness. It has me but I won't let it take you too. I won't let it take you too!" her mom exclaimed.

                                    Suki was crying, seeing her life flash before her eyes as her mom sped towards the lake. She tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge at first. Suki was convinced that she was going to die, her cries and pleas doing little to nothing to stop her mom. Her mom was determined to die and she was going to take her precious daughter with her. At the last minute, however, the door opened and Suki rolled out of the car to make her escape.

                                    She rushed to her feet just in time to see the car go into the water, sinking deeper and deeper into the water. Her mom was still trapped inside, just as she had wanted.

                                   "Mom!" Suki exclaimed, rushing towards the lake in an effort to try and save her mom. But it'd be useless. Suki stopped just inches away from the lake when she realized that there was nothing she could do. She couldn't go in the water since she couldn't even swim.

                                    Suki waited for her mom to emerge from the water, injured but alright. She was holding onto the hope that somehow her mom managed to survive. And yet, there was no sign of her anywhere. She was gone. She had killed herself and if she had stayed inside that car, Suki would have died with her.

                                   Her mom's suicide had been the talk of Wiskayok for months. Everyone claimed they knew something was off with Harriet. She had always been a nutcase since she was a young girl. Charlie Blair was a fool for marrying her and bringing forth a daughter who'd end up just as nuts as her. Most sent their condolences in the form of food and forced apologies. But really, both Suki and her dad knew it was just pity and guilt that brought them to the Blair household. No one had ever given a shit about them before and they only did now so they wouldn't look bad. But after a year, that stopped and everyone went back to ignoring them.

                                    The only person who had been there for her was Courtney and Suki leaned on her fully. Her dad was drowning in grief and beer, completely leaving Suki on her own. Courtney took care of Suki and helped her to come back from the darkness. She helped Suki to become popular at school, changing her reputation from the girl with a suicidal mom to Courtney's loyal subject and best friend. Later, that also became Courtney's best friend and one of the best players on the school's soccer team.

                                   Suki never thought she'd ever play soccer. She didn't have much of an athletic bone in her body. But Courtney wanted to join, given that she needed something to get her frustrations out. And there was nothing better than kicking around a soccer ball on a field and compete against girls that hated your guts. Suki really did it because Courtney did and that was enough for her. They tried out and they were instantly picked, becoming an honorary Yellowjacket from that moment on.

                                    Being a part of the soccer team gave Suki some purpose. It gave her popularity and other students actually liked her. But being Courtney's best friend was everything to her. Courtney was Suki's other half for so long that she didn't know what she'd do without her. There was no Suki without Courtney. They constantly hung out at school and they spent hours hanging out after school, normally causing some sort of trouble. Or if they couldn't hang out after school, they'd talk on the phone until it was really late. A lot of people joked that the two of them were dating due to how close they were. You'd never see one without the other - it was practically impossible!

                                    And they'd make sure that no matter what happened, they'd always be friends.

                                    Fresh from their most recent win which would take them straight to nationals, the two girls were closer than ever. Courtney had her arm wrapped around Suki's, the two girls heading to the locker room so they could get changed. They were preparing for the pep rally to celebrate their win right before they hopped on a plate which would take them to nationals. The whole school was counting on them, seeing as they were close to bringing the small town of Wiskayok to fame. Both girls felt a sense of pride, seeing as they were practically celebrities in their small town. Suki still got looks and people talked behind her back here and there but it wasn't as bad thanks to Courtney. No one talked bad about Suki unless they wanted to feel Courtney's wrath.

                                    And no one wanted to do that.

                                    "Do you want to hang out at my house after the pep rally? My mom will be out on another one of her dates and my sister's going out with some of her friends. We'll have the entire house to ourselves," Courtney offered.

                                    It's not really a question, but more of a demand. Most of Courtney's questions seemed to be. But Suki always said yes. She couldn't stay home, not with her dad. Years after her mom's death, it seemed as though Charlie Blair had yet to recover. He was trying but it obviously wasn't the same. He'd probably never be the same dad that he once was.

                                    "Yeah, sure," Suki agrees. "We can order pizza and watch movies."

                                    "I'll skip out on the pizza. I'm trying to cut back on carbs," Courtney shook her head. "I mean, I could just throw it all back up, but I don't want to fuck up my health before nationals."

                                    "Yeah, I get. I don't think I'll order the pizza after all," Suki replied as they approached their lockers.

                                     "Especially with the party coming up, I think it's a good idea to maybe eat healthier," Courtney continued, leaning against her locker while Suki opened hers to put her books inside.

                                     "You're already skinny. How much more weight do you want to lose?" Suki shook her head.

                                     "It wouldn't hurt to lose a little more. God, I'm so fucking jealous of you. I love your cheekbones. I'm cursed with dimples for life," Courtney pouted.

                                      "Shut up. You know you're prettier than me. Everyone says so," Suki scoffed.

                                      "You're hot too. If only you just put yourself out there, you'd realize that," Courtney offered. The thought of Suki dating anyone makes Courtney actually want to puke though.

                                       "Why bother? All of the boys here are idiots," Suki replied.

                                        Courtney chuckles. "Maybe it's a good thing that you aren't dating anyone. That way, I can keep you all to myself."

                                     "You're better than any boyfriend I could ever have," Suki shrugged. 

                                     "You're damn right. Boys are temporary but we are forever, Suki," Courtney responded.

                                     Suki turns to look at Courtney, faltering at her best friend's words. "Promise?"

                                     "Cross my heart and hope to die. You know no one will ever come between us."

                                     "Not even David?"

                                     "Not even David."

                                     Just then, Courtney's very own boyfriend walked towards the two and Suki rolled her eyes at the sight of him. "Speak of the devil."

                                     "Baby!" Courtney exclaims, running into the taller boy's arms. He picked her up and twirled her around and Suki scoffed at the couple's dramatics.

                                    Courtney always made it a point to show off in front of Suki, almost like she wanted her to be jealous. And in a way, Suki was. Just not in the way most would think. She wasn't so much jealous of Courtney as she was jealous of Courtney's boyfriend.

                                    Suki didn't like Courtney's latest boyfriend, David. But then again, Suki had trouble liking any of Courtney's boyfriends. They were all meat heads who treated Courtney like their property. David Welch was the biggest meat head of them all, a rich one who liked to buy Courtney's love with clothes and other dumb little gifts. Courtney didn't love him, just like she didn't love any of her past boyfriends. But she used him for what she could get. Suki knew this and yet she hated seeing Courtney with him. He always made it a point to show her off like some sort of trophy, having an arm strung around her shoulders or kissing her longer in front of people or even squeezing her ass just to be even more of a tool. Suki didn't know how Courtney could put up with him.

                                  Actually, Suki did know why. He was popular and rich enough to buy whatever she wanted. For now, he was interesting. But soon, she'd get bored of him and then dump him for the next guy eager to buy her love.

                                 "I missed you. I'm so excited to watch you at the pep rally today," David replied, finally letting go of Courtney.

                                  "Oh, yeah?" the blonde smiles, dimples on full display.

                                  "We have to get going, Court. We need to get ready for the pep rally," Suki interjected.

                                  "My girlfriend and I were having a conversation. Do you mind?" David scowled. As much as Suki didn't like David, he didn't like her either.

                                   Suki frowned. "Yes, I do mind. We have something important to do. More important than you two sucking face."

                                  "Hey, I'll join you in a second," Courtney intervened before a fight could break out.

                                  "Yeah, whatever," Suki closes her locker, making sure to lock it before she stormed off and headed towards the locker room.

                                   Courtney watches Suki as she leaves, turning back around to look at her boyfriend. "You don't have to be such a dick. She's my best friend."

                                   "I don't know why you still hang out with her. She's fucking weird, everyone knows it. She's gonna end up just like her mom sooner rather than later," David remarked.

                                   "She's my best friend and way more interesting than you. If you can't handle it, maybe you should fuck off," Courtney shoved him away from her.

                                   "Are you being serious?" David scoffed, offending that his own girlfriend chose Suki over her.

                                   "Did I fucking stutter?" Courtney shot back.

                                   "Whatever. I'll talk to you later when you're not in such a bitchy mood," David replied before storming off.

                                   Courtney rolls her eyes. David might be mad now but he'd definitely forgive her before the day was over. He was actually in love with Courtney, as fucked as that sounded. Courtney couldn't wait for the moment she dumped his ass. He was so annoying and clingy, it drove Courtney insane. Once David was gone, Courtney decided to head to the locker room so she could get ready with Suki and the rest of the girls on the team for the pep rally.

                                   Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa was blasting throughout the now locker room filled with members of the girls' soccer team. Most of the girls danced around, hyping themselves up for the pep rally. But while most of the girls were dancing, Courtney and Suki were in the bathroom getting their makeup done. With them happened to be Jackie Taylor, who was doing Allie's makeup, and Van Palmer who was also fixing up her looks. 

                                  "Are you almost done yet?" Suki complained as Courtney finished her makeup.

                                  "I will be as soon as you stop moving," Courtney remarked. "Something's up with you. You're not still upset about David, are you?"

                                  "Of course I am. He's an asshole," Suki grumbled.

                                  "I won't be dating him for long. Just give me another month and I'll get rid of him. He doesn't mean anything to me, you know that," Courtney explained, shaking her head.

                                  "Does anyone mean anything to you, Court?" Suki couldn't help but ask.

                                  Courtney cups Suki's chin in the palm of her hand, forcing the brunette to look directly at her. "You mean something to me. You always will. You're my ride or die, Suki. Don't forget it."

                                  "It doesn't feel that way sometime," Suki admitted. Every time Courtney dated some new guy, it made Suki feel neglected and unwanted by her. Suki depended on Courtney for everything and a life without her seemed impossible. Suki was afraid of Courtney one day leaving her for some rich guy who could fix her problems. It was probably one of her biggest fears.

                                 She had lost her mom and she wasn't going to lose Courtney either.

                                  "You can be so needy sometimes. You always want my attention. You know what? When we leave this shit hole and go to nationals, we'll spend so much time together that you'll get sick of me. Alright?" Courtney promised.

                                   "Alright," Suki nodded.

                                   Courtney does the last finishing touches on her makeup before cupping Suki's face in her hands. She leans in close, only missing her lips by a couple of inches as she pretends to kiss her. And then she pulls away with a smile, causing Suki to do the same. Suki could feel her heart do backflips inside of her chest at the thought of Courtney actually kissing her. "There you go, you look gorgeous."

                                   "Thanks," Suki smiles before turning around to look at herself in the mirror. She did look pretty, all thanks to Courtney.

                                  "Allie, you all right?" Jackie replied in an effort to cheer the freshman up. "It's just a pep rally. Honestly, I think the whole point is just to give freshmen something to jerk off to later."

                                   "You better be alright. We can't afford you fucking things up for us," Courtney warned.

                                   "I won't," the freshman quickly argues.

                                   Lottie Matthews thankfully rushes inside of the bathroom before a fight can break out between Courtney and Allie, causing Suki to breathe a sigh of relief. "Jackie! Coach wants to see you in his office."

                                   "I'm not nervous," Allie quickly reiterates to both Jackie and Courtney.

                                  Jackie nods before leaving the bathroom and Van decided to do Allie's makeup instead. But Courtney wasn't done with Allie just yet. The pretty, petite blonde was a true tyrant and she didn't stop until she managed to break someone.

                                   "So what's your problem then? You've been moping around all day," Courtney folded her arms across her chest.

                                  "I'm the only freshman that got asked, you know," Allie complained.

                                  Van nods in response. "I know."

                                 "That's what this is about? Jesus Christ," Suki rolled her eyes.

                                 "You wouldn't get it, Suki. It's so unfair. My dress was gonna be amazing," Allie continued.

                                 "Well, hey, at least you can wear it next year," Van offered in the hopes of trying to cheer Allie up.

                                 "You don't get it, Van, 'cause nobody asked you," Allie retorted.

                                 Van frowned as Allie stormed out of the bathroom, leaving a brief yet painfully awkward silence. Suki felt bad for Van. She was a little more of a tomboy and boys weren't rushing to ask her out. Suki and Van were in the same boat on that one. 

                                 "Jesus Christ," Lottie chuckled before walking up to the mirror, fixing her hair. "Does someone want to tell Kelly Kapowski to maybe worry less about prom and more about not fucking up Nationals?"

                                 "I doubt she'd listen with her head so far up her own ass," Courtney rolled her eyes, just as Taissa Turner entered the bathroom.

                                 "Oh, c'mon," Van replied as she made a fake mustache out of strands of her own ginger colored hair.

                                 "If she plays like she did at states -," Lottie began to say.

                                 "Yeah, don't worry. That's not gonna happen," Taissa cut her off before she left the bathroom, leaving Courtney and Suki to share a look. They didn't know what Taissa meant by that but if anyone of them found out, it'd be Courtney. She had a magic about her which made her able to get anything she wanted.

                                  Whether it be gossip, material items, or even people.

                                  The pep rally shortly begun after that, and all of the girls momentarily forgot about their Allie problem. They were like gods to their high school and their small town, and all of the girls got high from that power. It was addictive, whether they wanted to admit that or not.

                                 "Now, our next act needs no introduction. So let's all just make some noise for your New Jersey State Girls' Soccer Champions!" the principal excitedly announced.

                                   The crowd cheered for them as the girls ran out to meet them, bright smiles on their faces. Courtney and Suki were right next to each other, as expected. They stood in front of the crowd cheering for them and even though David was in the midst of that crowd, they didn't notice him. Courtney was smiling right at Suki, and Suki smiled right back at her. Courtney and Suki were as happy as could be and there was nothing that could ruin that.

                                    Absolutely nothing.

(🌲🔪🦌)

word count: 3594
notes: welcome to chapter one! right away we jump into suki's trauma and gets peeks of suki and courtney's incredibly toxic relationship with each other. they are so gay for each other it's actually insane. comment your thoughts and let me know what you thought so far!