“Spirit,” said Ryan. He laughed at the lack of amusement on my face at his reverent tone. “Trust me.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“You’re going to love it.”
Now, I wouldn’t say that, but I’d give it a chance. Cars were parked in the back, along with tables set up for games and food being passed out. Everyone had a drink in their hands—from the students to the others who had returned to campus to relive their youth, who, I could only believe, owned the cars with BU alum plastered on the rear. All of them were dressed in different shades of green, as if they were preparing to make a run for it into the woods nearby and see who would blend in the best.
“Hey, Ryan!” someone yelled, running directly up to us. “You finally got here. For a while, I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
Ryan grinned, looking down at the can of beer that was pressed into his hand. He tipped it to the side in thanks but made no move to drink from it. “How long have you guys been here?”
“We have to get moving soon. Coach wants us ready for the game early so that we won’t be a mess like last year.”
Ryan snorted, as if recalling the distant memory.
“So we had to start the tailgate early.”
Laughing, Ryan nodded. He noticed the rest of his old team, appearing just as enthused as the guy I had seen before, sitting in the sports house.
“Trevor, right?”
He gave a small smile, flashing his teeth. “That’s me. You’re Lu.”
“That’s me.”
“Well, come on.” Trevor wrapped an arm around Ryan, pulling him farther into the condensed group of people. “For a little while, we weren’t sure if you were going to show. The team misses you, whether you think so or not.”
Ryan cast a glance over his shoulder before his hand snuck out, grasping onto mine so that he knew that I was following behind. Immediately, as we approached the group of people, some sitting on the tailgate of a truck, they got up to greet Ryan. It truly was almost a homecoming as they asked him where he’d been and if he needed a drink. A few of them glanced toward me as Ryan held on to my hand still, making sure that I didn’t get lost in the collision of people.
With a hand squeeze, I let go of his hand as he was pulled farther along into the group.
You okay?I saw his mouth move.
I nodded. Go.
Along with the mass of broad football players with streaks of paint over their cheeks, other girls stood, also looking at me up and down as I stood on the edge. Practice jerseys were knotted high under their boobs, much like mine. Their stomachs, however, were painted in different letters to spell out their cheer when they stood—hopefully—in the right order.
“I like your dress idea.” One girl with braids over her shoulders approached me after about a minute of me looking around.
It was a scene of organized chaos. Even the school administrators looked to be taking part in a few parking spots over.
The girl was short, yet she didn’t let that stop her eyes from scanning down at the way the skirt draped over my legs. “It’s really cute.”
“Thanks.” I looked for anything on her expression that wasn’t sincere. I found nothing. “I like your face paint.”
She lifted a hand, careful not to touch the gold lines that looked more like petals coming from the outer corners of her eyes. “Thanks! You’ve never been to the homecoming game before, huh?”
“I think I’ve been to as many games as I can count on my one hand alone.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry. As long as it doesn’t get too hot out and you don’t end up sweating for most of the day, it’s fun. Just relax. Most of the girls are nice if you want to sit with us while the game is happening.”
“Oh,” I said with a small shake of my head. I looked over to where Ryan was talking with his teammates. “I’ll be with Ryan, but we can sit near you guys if he’d like.”
“He wasn’t cleared to play yet?”
“He’s doing his physical therapy.” I paused. “But I don’t think he’s coming back.”
The more people who kept asking, insinuating otherwise, made me question it. I cocked my head toward Ryan again. He fit in well with the other guys, loud and charming.
