A/N: This is going to a be a modern Clem/Sarah High School AU. I know there's canonically 4 years between them, but for the sake of the logic of high school, they're going to be closer ages to each other. So… they're both about 17-18 years old here.

Splitting Colors

Chapter 1

"You'll call me if anything goes wrong, right Sarah?" asks Carlos as soon as he pulls up to the curb.

"Yes," Sarah unbuckles her seat belt in the passenger seat.

"I mean it. If anyone says anything mean to you or even looks at you funny, you make sure you tell me, or tell your teachers," advises Carlos with concern.

"Okay, dad," Sarah stuffs her water bottle into the backpack between her feet and zips it up, clearly more in a rush to leave than he is.

"Or if you decide to call me and I don't answer, you can always text me too," urges Carlos.

"Dad. Can I go now?" she begs, the strap of her backpack already clasped in her hand.

"Alright. Have fun, sweetie," he leans over the console to give her a quick peck on the cheek, a proud smile lingering on his lips. "I'll pick you up at—"

"—3:15, got it," adds Sarah, opening the car door. The morning sun beams down on her as she swings her backpack over her shoulder.

"I love you," Carlos leans over to peer underneath the ceiling of the passenger side, his hands still on the wheel.

"Love you too," she shoots him a quick smile before shutting the door behind her.

Jamming the other earphone into her ear, Sarah turns up the music on her phone before stuffing her hands in her sweater pockets, the noises of the crowded school walkway completely drowning out.

Despite trying to come into her first day at St. Richards High with a bright smile and positive attitude, she can't help but notice the way the rest of the students already seem to be staring at her as she walks by them. Of course, what else did she expect being the new kid? She just hopes she'll actually manage to make a friend on her first day. Not that she had planned on talking to anyone, but still, that would be something.

She makes it to all of her morning classes just fine, despite the constant anxiety she'd had that she might get lost or they'd say her name wasn't on the class list or something else ridiculous like that.

Just before lunch, all the classes are summoned to the gymnasium for the mandatory pep rally that Sarah wouldn't exactly say she's excited about. Her old school in Jackson was so small that they didn't even do pep rally's. It's something that Sarah wasn't sure was a real thing in schools; she'd only heard about them in movies. She's not certain what to expect, but judging by the overwhelming noise level of the entire school being in one room together, she assumes everyone's pretty excited.

Her old school probably had about a quarter of the people here, and they were never this loud. Nevertheless, Sarah manages to find a free spot in the middle of the bleachers that isn't already taken by someone.

From the minute she'd walked into the gym, she swears not a single person even looked her way. Everyone is too preoccupied with chatting and laughing with each other, probably catching up with their friends after the long summer break. Sarah can't relate to that feeling.

Thankfully, when someone approaches her from the aisle, she's saved from having to appear super awkward being the only silent one amongst a crowd of rowdy teenagers.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Her gaze is met with a lanky boy with light brown hair and freckles scattered all over his face. He wears an orange plaid button-up with a white long-sleeve underneath, his bulky backpack draped over one shoulder. Out of everyone else here, he seems to look the least intimidating out of everyone, but Sarah figures that's probably because he's the only one that had bothered to speak to her all day.

"No, not at all," she responds, shifting over on the bleachers so he can fit next to her.

"You're new, right?" the boy asks after stuffing his backpack in between his feet. Sarah can hardly hear him over all the chatter.

"Yeah," she responds, smiling politely as if it'll cover up her embarrassment.

He scoffs. "Welcome to hell." He adjusts himself in his seat. "I'm Duck, by the way."

"Duck?" She almost wants to laugh.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird. My real name is Kenny Jr. but I just go by Duck." he explains. "Don't ask why. It's a long story," he adds after noticing the girl's confused expression.

"I won't mention it," Sarah chuckles. She appreciates his friendly banter. It actually makes her feel better about everything, like she's so much less tense all of a sudden. "I'm Sarah."

He grins. "So uh, how's your first day so far?"

Sarah glances around the vast gymnasium, debating how honest she should be. Everyone still seems to be settling in their seats as they wait for the pep rally to start. A couple people shuffle across the bleachers in front of them and they have to squish themselves back in order to make room.

Reflecting on her day, it hasn't been terrible, but the morning had seemed to go by agonizingly slow. Sarah hadn't realized that being in such a big school meant that everyone had their own friends already, therefore no one would even notice the new person in the room. Then again, she's not sure if that's considered a good thing or not.

"It's…what I expected, I guess," Sarah decides to say.

"Not really a talker, are you?" observes Duck with a smirk.

Sarah releases a breath and shyly brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I guess I'm just… kinda overwhelmed."

"That's alright. I totally get it," he reassures. "I was the new kid constantly when I was younger."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Duck nods. He leans forward in his seat, his elbows resting on his knees. He stares longingly across the gym. "It fucking sucks. But hey, if you ever need someone to show you around, I'd be more than happy to."

"Thanks," grins Sarah, genuinely appreciating the offer.

"No problem."

Sarah figures since the boy is being so kind to her, she should at least try to further the conversation too. She also swears she can hear her dad's voice in her head telling her not to be shy and to try to talk and be nice to people. "Do you…know a lot of people here?" When the words leave her mouth, she realizes it's kind of a weird question, but she really doesn't know what else to ask.

"Nah. I mean, I'm kind of an outsider," comments Duck. "Like, I don't really talk to people, I just…observe them, I guess. It's better that way."

Sarah ponders over that statement, suddenly reminded so much of what it was like being at her old school. "Yeah," she agrees with a soft voice. Duck's description of himself is something that Sarah is all too familiar with. She doesn't bother mentioning it though.

"But I know enough to know my way around and stuff, which is kinda crucial if you wanna survive here." continues Duck in a joking tone.

She eyes him for a moment and then casts her gaze out towards all the people in the gym. "Okay, so… if you were to observe this room," she begins slowly, becoming curious. "What do you know?"

He straightens his posture, following Sarah's gaze. "Well," Duck begins, taking a dramatic breath. He gestures towards the other end of the room. "Over there in the front you got the freshmen, all sticking together. And… the seniors in the back. You know, the ones that actually bothered to show up to this pep rally." He directs Sarah's gaze to another part in the gym. "You got all the teachers by the wall there, the band geeks; typical, I know. The football team, and… of course, the cheerleaders."

Sarah follows his eye line across the large space, taking her time to view over all the different crowds he had pointed out.

"Yeah, everyone really just… stays in their own groups at this school. Which is quite unfortunate." Duck adds.

Sarah hadn't noticed until now all the identical purple uniforms that some of the students are wearing, obviously representing their supposed school colors. The group of football players up on the ends of the bleachers all wear matching sports attire, complete with different numbers printed on their jerseys. Some of them even have black lines painted on either sides of their faces, slightly going overboard with the school spirit in Sarah's opinion.

Mats are laid out among the gym floor, and there's a group of girls chatting with each other and stretching in the corner by the wall. They're all wearing purple cheerleading uniforms with short pleated skirts, white long sleeves, and the school's logo and mascot of an Eagle printed directly on the front.

Then Sarah's attention is caught by one of them being lifted in the air by a small group of other cheerleaders. They all hold her foot above their heads as she stands upright on one leg, the other knee raised up. The girl plants her hands on her hips, a bright smile shooting outwards. Some of the students begin cheering as she sends an enthusiastic wave to someone among the stands. A couple of the football players even whistle at the display before she hops down and is lowered to the ground again.

"And… who's that?" asks Sarah. Even though they're just practicing, Sarah is somehow unable to look away after the brief performative act.

"Oh yeah. That's Clementine Everett," answers Duck casually, clearly not as entertained as the people who had been cheering for her just now. "She's pretty far up there on the scale of… notoriety, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, she's… cheer captain, and obviously the best one on the team cause she's been doing it her whole life. She's… always the one to throw the big house parties at the beginning of the year which automatically bumps you up on the scale of being everyone's favorite person, believe it or not." The two of them continue to watch the girl from a distance. "Plus, there was kinda that whole… situation that happened last year that really got everyone knowing her name."

"What situation?" Sarah turns to Duck with peaked interest.

For a moment, he looks as if he's debating whether to continue speaking or not. "Well… there was a rumour going around that she got knocked up last year," he reveals, keeping his voice low. "But I mean, I'm not surprised. She's probably fucked every guy on the football team by now."

Sarah turns her head towards the girl again, not even realizing how her own jaw hangs open.

Clementine has dark hair with various curls falling out of the low bun she wears. The loose strands frame her face, as well as that absolutely captivating smile plastered on her lips. Sarah watches across the gymnasium as the girl practically skips over to someone in the bleachers. She begins stretching her arms in various positions while talking and laughing about something that Sarah can only wonder about.

"Was it true?" asks Sarah.

"Not sure," shrugs Duck. By the tone of his voice, he doesn't seem to really care about the answer to that. "Like I said, I don't talk to people. I just hear things."

When the entire room suddenly begins cheering and clapping, Sarah's attention is then drawn to the man walking out onto the floor. He has greying hair and a beard, fully dressed in a suit and looking quite professional for a school environment. Then again, there are already so many things about this gym alone that reads as way more formal than any of Sarah's previous schools.

She leans towards Duck, watching the man approach the podium by the stage. "Who's that?"

"That's Mr. Greene. He's the principal," informs Duck.

"Alright everyone, settle down, settle down," Mr. Greene announces into the microphone, gesturing with his hands to quieten everyone.

A couple of boys sitting somewhere behind Sarah are hollering and fist-pumping for some reason as the rest of the room begins to die down. "Yeah, go Greene!" one of them shouts in a deep voice.

Sarah finds it quite comical actually, but follows the rest of the crowd and ignores them.

"Wow, thank you so much for that very warm welcome, thank you," Mr. Greene continues. "And I welcome all of you back to a new year here at St. Richards High School. I hope you all had a wonderful and well-rested break and I'm so glad to see all of your smiling faces back at our school this year."

He goes on to welcome all the freshmen and discusses news of all the events that are coming up this year. However, Sarah isn't really paying attention anymore, and is instead wandering her gaze and observing everyone else in the room. Most of the students in the bleachers seem engaged, but she also notices that some are looking down at their phones and failing to be discreet about it.

It seems like forever has gone by when Mr. Greene finally decides to wrap up the inspirational speech and move on to whatever's next. Sarah realizes the students probably hear a similar one every year.

"And now, to kick off the new year, an exciting new performance from our very own cheer team! Let's give a big warm welcome for the St. Richards' Eagles!" The man gestures dramatically out to the floor with his arm, clapping and stepping away from the podium as all the cheerleaders skip out onto the mats.

The crowd goes wild. The cheerleaders smile and wave to the crowd, bringing so much energy onto the floor with them that Sarah is beyond curious as to what she's about to see. The students cheer and holler for them as they take their places among the open space. Eventually, the noise begins to die down and there's a few moments of stillness as they all hold their poses.

Then the music starts up and everyone begins to move.

The first thing the crowd sees is Clementine being tossed multiple feet in the air in the centre of the floor. She kicks one leg to the sky in mid air, then tucks her arms in and quickly spirals back down again in one motion. The girls cleanly catch her before she hits the ground. Everyone begins to cheer.

All the while, more cheerleaders are doing multiple jumps and flips all around them. The sound of the music is energetic and fast-paced, with so many electronic sound effects layered over top of the deafening sound. It's definitely something that Sarah would never listen to, but everyone seems to love it. Even though the music is so loud, Sarah swear the crowd is even louder.

They arrange themselves into a new formation. In unison, they leap into a toe-touch, reaching a full split in the air, followed by a straight back flip. They then fan out once more among the floor.

There are now five of them being lifted with Clementine's group back in the centre, all moving in synchronization.

Held suspended in the air by one leg, Clementine kicks her leg up and holds it by her head. The crowd erupts with more noise. She then hops onto the opposite leg, grabbing her one foot and extending it upward behind her, her legs in a full split. Releasing that foot, she then balances with her arms out and one leg extended behind her, before hopping out of it and spiraling back down to the ground. They catch her at the bottom, the other groups doing the same.

Despite the fact that there's so much going on, and so many girls moving at once, Sarah always finds her eyes coming back to Clementine. The girl seems to be the main feature of the entire performance, often taking the front and centre position. Duck had mentioned she's the best one on the team, and man, he definitely wasn't lying. On top of all the impressive stunts, she just has this energy that she carries with her, like she's having the best time of her life out there.

Sarah didn't realize that cheer was so…complex. They never had a cheer team at her old school, so the little knowledge she'd had about it just came from movies. But all those ever portrayed were pom-poms and stuck-up girls in skirts who didn't actually do anything but look pretty. But now watching this, 'impressed' is even a huge understatement. Sarah also doesn't understand how they can have no fear being tossed so high in the air, as well as doing flips like that.

The performance wraps up with all the girls spreading out on the outer edges of the mats. At different times, they sprint across the floor in small groups and solos, jumping into various cartwheels and roundoffs. When it's Clementine's turn, she leaps into a roundoff and directly into a series of back handsprings, travelling in a continuous diagonal line across the floor.

The routine ends with all the girls hitting different poses. Some of them fall into a split position on the ground, while others kneel on the floor or stand with their hands on their hips. Clementine on the other hand, is lifted up in the air once more. She extends her arms out above her head triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear. Two other groups do the same on either side.

As soon as the music stops, the deafening audience erupts into more applause. Half of the football team immediately whistles and hollers loudly from the bleachers, rising to a stand and pumping their fists in the air.

Duck claps and cheers from directly next to Sarah. She does the same, although she isn't nearly as rowdy about it as every one else seems to be.

Duck looks over to her with a wide grin. "Whoo! Quite the start for your first day, hey Sarah?" he shouts over all the noise.

Sarah only chuckles in response, amused at his enthusiasm. She watches from above as all the cheerleaders prance out of the gym.

Mr. Greene begins announcing something into the microphone over the sound of the roaring crowd. However Sarah is hardly paying attention, because all she can do is wonder what exactly it is about that girl that seems so interesting.

A/N: I've shared a youtube video on my profile that somewhat resembles what the cheer routine would have looked like. I understand that it is footage from a competition and logically a high school team would never be as advanced as this, but it just gives you an idea of what cheer actually looks like, if any of you are interested. I also aim to upload some drawings for this story as well, which I'll upload to my profile as future chapters come out.