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[color=slategray][sub]A [@Silver Carrot] and [@BrutalBx] collab
Featuring: [color=2eb82e][b]Madison Weaver[/b][/color] and [color=wheat][b]Lee McCarthy[/b][/color]
Call Between Los Angeles and New York[/sub][/color][/center]
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Madison left the pitch after tryouts, with a bit of a bitter taste in her mouth. That was the part of cheerleading she didn't like. The politics. The favouritism. That was why, despite its reputation as a positive, supportive group, she’d refused to be a Candy. She just wanted clear of that whole world. That poor girl, she wasn’t half-bad. She would have been a dead cert for the team but for this ‘Hana Park’ fast-tracking their way in. Madison wouldn’t tell Hailey no, but she could sure as hell make sure that her golden girl worked as hard as everybody else to become a deserving part of the best cheerleading team around. We’d win more trophies. You just see if we don’t!

She didn’t bother getting fully changed. She just took off her skirt, slipped some jeans on, and threw her jacket on over her cheerleading top and, after stuffing her skirt in her bag, made her way to the car park, got into her aptly-named 2036 Ford Athlete, and drove home. It was her first car, and was still serving her well a year into having learned to drive.

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Dawn Weaver heard her daughter enter the house, though the fifty one year old was too busy in the gym, working her body to its absolute limit, which regrettably wasn’t what it used to be. She eventually decided to call it a day and go welcome Madison home from school. To this day, her own house surprised her. She had grown up in a small terraced house in Perry Barr, Birmingham, England. After that, she joined the army and spent her rest time in barracks. Whilst working for the AWE she was rarely out of hotel rooms. It was only in the past fifteen years that she had started to live full-time like a celebrity, in this massive house with its massive, beautifully furnished kitchen, home cinema, pool in the backyard, and of course, the home gym. She was truly living the dream!

[color=00802b]”Alright, babs?”[/color] she greeted her daughter. Though her accent had been heavily Americanified, she still used Brummie slang, which just sounds very unnatural when you sound more like Ashley Olsen than Ozzy Osbourne.  There’s something very unnatural about an L.A. Celeb mom saying ‘Tara-a-bit’ instead of ‘bye’.

[color=2eb82e]”Yeah, I’m fine, mom,”[/color] Madi replied, grabbing a bottle of water out the fridge. [color=2eb82e]”We had tryouts today. Pretty promising lot this year. Anyway, I’m gonna go chill out on the computer for a bit and see if anybody’s planning anything.”[/color]

Dawn watched her daughter leave the kitchen and run upstairs with an air of pride. Unlike Dawn herself, who amounted to nothing in her teenage years, Madison was incredibly fit, active in the school, well liked, and now holds a position of authority in two of the school’s clubs. Seeing to it that she got into BHHS was the best thing Dawn had done for her. She was worried that it would spoil her, or turn her into a ‘Mean Girl’, but thankfully nothing could be further from the truth.

Entering her room, the first thing Madi did was turn the PC on, and while that was booting up, she dropped her back at the foot of her bed, lay down on her mat, and did twenty sit-ups. By this time, her computer had loaded the home screen and was now slowly loading the plethora of programs she had set to ‘run on startup’. Fifteen squats later, it was ready to go. She sat in her orthopaedic office chair. She didn’t have any back problems, but the chair was to keep it that way. The first things she opened were the internet browser and her messenger program, and began to check her social media sites, of which there were several.

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Lee had been back in New York for a little while, too long in his mind. He has gotten used to the whole LA living thing. Looking after a sick old lady was not his idea of fun but at least it got him out of school. Her WiFi connection or lack there of didn’t help matters either. Sitting in the spare bedroom he had claimed as his own for the last few weeks, baby Wall Street pulled off his brown leather jacket and cracked open a cheap energy drink whilst waiting for the damn thing to finish loading. He has been out of the loop for too long and he was looking forward to getting back into the mix of things.

Once the computer had finally settled on working, Lee decided that his first point of call would be Madison. His ex, his first, his closest friend. Tapping the video call icon, he listened to the 90’s dial up tone he had regretted installing as waited for her to answer. When a beautiful wave of blonde hair graced the screen, he grinned a rattlesnake smile and raised his opened can with a salute.

[color=wheat]”Well, well; Madison Weaver. My heart has stopped beating at the site of your ravenous beauty already. How’s it going, girl?”[/color]]

The girl on screen responded with a roll of her eyes accompanied by a smile which betrayed that she took the greeting in good grace. Though only her head, shoulders and nape were in the shot, she was still clearly wearing her cheerleading outfit, or at least the top. [color=2eb82e]”Oh, you are a regular Casanova, Lee McCarthy,”[/color] she replied in a sarcastic drawl. [color=2eb82e]”Just got back from tryouts. The freshmen are promising this year! What about you? How’re things in the Big Apple?”[/color]

[color=wheat]”I do like that cheerleading outfit. Mm mm, stand up give me a twirl”[/color] Lee spoke with curled lip before placing his can down on the desk. [color=wheat]”I kid of course. New York is New York you know? It smells, people are always angry and there’s a distinct color palette of grey and grey. I can’t wait to get back and see what drama I’ve missed unfold. How’re your folks? Your Dad still 3 sizes too big for the door?[/color]

Her response to the ‘give me a twirl’ comment was to purse her lips in a mock pout and throw a paper ball at her webcam, before chuckling and leaning back as she listened to him. [color=2eb82e]”Dunno what your obsession with drama is. I’ve never really paid attention to it, except for that one time,”[/color] She stopped there, her brows furrowing as she realised that referencing her misguided rebound relationship with a girl two years younger than her might not be good conversation. Lee never seemed to show that he minded, but if he’d got with a younger boy mere months after they split, she knew she’d be upset. Madi hastily moved on. [color=2eb82e]”Anyway, mom and dad are fine. Mom’s a gym nut as ever. Signed a new sponsor deal a few months ago, so she’s been shooting for that. Dad’s well, dad. Can’t get him out of the gym.”[/color] The memories of the both of them being terrified of getting caught so much as cuddling in the presence of The Hammer Of The Gods came flooded back and Madison giggled.

[color=2eb82e]”With you away, I’m realising how few close friends I actually have amongst the seniors. I should really work on that. The time to graduation’s a-ticking.”[/color]

[color=wheat]”What can I say? The kids at school amuse me, plus I have bets on like eighty percent of their social lives”[/color] Lee watched as her face fell slightly, as fading into a memory. Memory was something he clutched on to, something he held onto with all his might. He could feel his memory slipping, getting worse and worse as time passed. The medication and the use of the journals helped but they were just a stall until the inevitable happened. It was only a matter of time.

Madison face soured as she spoke of her lack of friends. It was true to an extent. Lee moves to the [[Beverly Hills just before the start of high school and moved in next door to Maddy. They met whilst running and it’s essentially been the two of them ever since. Maddy found her home on the track but not a lot of friends. Lee hadn’t found a home and simply floated everywhere, with anyone. It was interesting dichotomy.

[color=wheat]”Well then let’s change that. You need to hit up every party. Every social event, all of it. Immerse yourself and let them see you, standout and when I eventually get back will tear that shit up….also just tell them your best friend is a dealer. They’ll love you” [/color]

Madi though about then, then nodded, and 
grinned, with that cocky, ‘fired-up’ expression that always went before Madison doing something brave or reckless as a 14/15 year old. [color=2eb82e]”Alright, you’re on. I’ll start hitting up the parties. Life’s too short not to let go. Not gonna join the Candies, though. That’s where I’m drawing the line. Not to sound vain but I don’t think I’ll need to worry about standing out.”[/color]

[color=wheat]”If you join the Candies, I’ll kill my own self”[/color] Leighton chuckles a little as he lay back into chair. [color=wheat]”Girl, you’re hot as hell. No question but I don’t mean stand out physically. Show them what I see. Let em see Madison, let em love her and let em envy her. You got this”[/color] the hustler picked up his phone and scanned the contents briefly. He had a few more calls to make, tonight was really the only night he had to get in touch with anyone before he had to go back to looking after his grandma. [color=wheat]”Hopefully I’ll be home soon”[/color]

She smiled as she thought about what he said for a few seconds. [color=2eb82e]”Thank you, Lee. I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t take too long now!”[/color]

[color=wheat]”I’ll do my best. See you soon, Madison”[/color] Terminating the call, Leighton pulled a little black book from the desk drawer and began to scribble some notes on it: the date, the time [i]spoke to Madison, talked about her not  feeling included, don’t forget…”[/i] with a great sigh, Lee dropped his pen and turned to look at the rain stained windows at the NYC skyline. He couldn’t weight to be back in Beverly Hills again. Just a little longer...