Jenna's heart jumped to a gallop, and she nodded with more commitment than she felt. With her stomach twisting like one of those parachutes they played with in gym class, she didn't think shovelling prime rib and roast potatoes down her throat was a good idea. Especially if she had to do it sitting in that seat.
"So you know what's coming, right?" A player with a long braid down his back asked Tina as he reached out for the salad tongs.
She raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully the plate of prime rib."
The guys laughed, and Sharla snapped for one of them to pass her the meat. She tsked. "Mike, do not harass this girl until she's gotten a chance to enjoy the food."
"I wasn't going to harass, I just want all the embarrassing stories about these guys."
A guy at the end of the table who was shockingly handsome raised his hand. "I second that."
"I want all the dirt. I'll give you my email if you'd rather take your time with the details," the player with long wavy blond hair added. A woman next to him with long, dark hair and olive skin rolled her eyes and laughed.
Tina raised her hands. "Okay, okay. I think we have to start with the strong man contest of grade eleven."
Hoots and applause sounded around the table, and Jenna couldn't help but laugh. She turned her back on the table and focused all her attention on helping Chris set up his equipment as Tina fielded questions.
"No, it was a fundraiser for their community team . . ."
Chris looked up. "I've got this. If you want to?—"
"I thought I'd go over the shot list."
He nodded once and went back to camera assembly. Jenna pulled her tablet from her purse and flipped open the cover, but her eyes wouldn't focus.
"Gentry—well, you all know him as Country now—was the first to jump up?—"
"Of course I was. I was the strongest."
Pressure built behind Jenna's eyes as Curtis and Ryan booed him, and the image of a church cultural hall flooded her head.
"Gentry, get your ass off the stage!" Ryan could barely talk through his laughter.
Jenna leaned against the cool cinder block wall, observing the antics in front of her. The gymnasium was filled to the brim with unsuspecting community members lured in by the fundraiser signs.
Gentry pushed past Ryan and swaggered up to the platform with a grin that made her want to pinch his cheeks.
"First task!" shouted the emcee, their high school science teacher, Mr. Keller. "The Keg Lift!"
Gentry approached the metal kegs filled with sand. Jenna’s dad had been up late with Mr. Kersey and Mr. Trembley making sure they were all within five kilograms of each other.
Gentry hoisted them high above his head and stacked them, one after the other, his muscles rippling under the strain. He played the crowd like a mandolin, and Jenna wanted to run up onto the stage and kiss him right there in front of everyone.
Curtis groaned. “You winning that competition was like Noah being voted for the Hart Trophy.”
"Bullshit, I did the whole course successfully!" Country crowed as Chris stood up with his camera mount ready.
"You cheated on that tire flip. Ryan, back me up!" Curtis turned, and Ryan coughed a laugh.
"The only thing I remember was Country running off the course?—"
Blood rushed in Jenna's ears. She knew exactly where Ryan was headed with this recounting of events, but she couldn't think of any way to keep him from finishing his sentence.
"—and taking the bleachers two at a time until he got to where Jenna was sitting, then he kissed her in front of the whole crowd."
"The pastor tripped and landed on Mrs. Guddenhauf's lap trying to chase him down," Curtis jumped in.
"No kissing in the church!" Ryan altered his voice to sound like an old German woman and did it justice.
