“Watch Bay,” E tells me, pointing up. I look and watch Bay walking out onto the higher diving board. He stands with his back to us and jumps backward, twisting his body like a corkscrew and entering the water with very little splash.
“Wow,” I say. “That’s so cool.”
“It is. Now Alex will try to outdo him.” Alex takes his place at the end of the board, but facing out. After a few bounces, he jumps off and does somersaults with his legs straight, entering the water just as smoothly as Bay.
“They’re crazy good, E,” I comment. I know little about diving, but to me, they look like pros.
“They really are. Wait until you see them diving together. Come on, let’s do another dive,” E encourages me.
I climb back up after E does a cannonball. I follow suit by doing one of my own. We each take turns doing whatever we want, diving into the water, and it’s so much fun. My legs get tired quickly, though, so I excuse myself and join Seb in theshallow end.
The guys are getting crazier and crazier with their dives. From the pool’s far end, Seb and I laugh and cheer for them. Eventually, we all get tired and head back upstairs after drying off. Seb and I both do salt soaks while everyone else showers. I get some recovery cream massaged into Seb’s shoulder and back when he’s done, before remaking my bed and getting under the covers.
Popcorn is passed around as we watch another action movie. I must have dozed off during the movie, because I wake up to Nick in the kitchen with the lights off. I turn on the tv and hold the remote in the air over my head. A minute later, Nick grabs it from me, and I fall back asleep.
It’s a packed crowd for the championship game on Sunday, and I’m surrounded by the guys, Troy, and Zander. The cheer team is hyping up the crowd as the players warm up, and you can feel the excitement in the air. Gabby lent me her extra set of pom-poms to wave around during the game. I have my jersey on, and I painted my cheeks blue with the guys’ numbers. Everyone else is in some combination of blue and white as well. Both teams seem to have an equal number of fans today.
The players take the floor after the light show and introductions, and the game begins. Both teams are pressing hard from the moment the game starts, and every point is hard won. Seb and E are working seamlessly, as usual. We’re on our feet cheering non-stop for them. As the buzzer sounds at halftime, the game is tied. The cheer team performs an amazing routine to keep the crowd hyped.
The second half starts just as fast-paced. I’m waving my pom poms in the air as we all stand and cheer for the guys. Seb and E play the entire game without a break, both drenched in sweat, but the game is tied when the clock runs out.
The teams take a break, and then the game starts again in overtime. The teams trade baskets back and forth evenly. One of the other teams’ starting guards fouls out with one minute left. That gives Seb the opening he needs. He sinks a 3-point shot with seconds to spare, and we win the game by 1 point. The fans press forward to run onto the court to celebrate with the team, while Zander and the guys surround me until they pass.
Seb and E are pushing their way out of the crowd towards us. I get picked up in a sweaty hug and swung around. “We did it, Sunshine!” Seb gives me a huge smile.
“You did Hurry. Congratulations,” I smile back. “Congrats E.”
The coach yells for the guys to come back, so Seb sets me down as we all take a seat to wait for them. The third place team joins the other two teams on the court, and the players receive their medals. Seb gets awarded MVP for the tournament. We all holler and cheer as he accepts his trophy.
Zander offers to take us all out for a celebratory dinner. After the guys shower, we drive to a little Italian restaurant, and the food is superb. We all go our separate ways after dinner, as I head home with Zander.
Chapter 31
Seb is waiting for me on the steps when I get to school Monday morning. After our usual hug, we walk inside to find the rest of the guys surrounding my locker but facing away from us. “What’s going on?” Seb asks as we approach them.
“You have an admirer,” Bay says with a frown. He points to my locker as the guys move aside for me to get through. There’s a rose taped to my locker door.
“Who is it from?” Seb asks.
“We do not know,” Alex replies as I grab the red rose off the door.
“It smells good,” I say, taking a whiff. I pass it to Bay as I switch out my books and store my gym bag. Taking the rose back, I stick it on my backpack, ready to head to class. Turning around, I see the guys are all fixated on the rose. “What?” I question.
“Is that a good idea, Sunshine?” Seb asks, pointing to the rose. “It’s like you’re accepting the affections of some random dude you don’t even know.”
“Uh, it’s just a flower, Seb. I’m not accepting a marriage proposal.” I roll my eyes at him.
Seb actually looks concerned. “You never know, Sunshine.”
I think the guys are overreacting, so I ask Alex if he’s ready for AP Bio. He nods, and we walk to class, leaving the rest of the guys todisperse.
Walking into the cafeteria with Alex at lunchtime, a huge banner celebrating the basketball team is hanging on the wall. Seb and E are sitting at another table with their teammates. “What’s going on?” I ask Alex.
“I forgot about this,” he replies. “The cheer team is serving the basketball players lunch today for winning the championship. The kitchen staff makes a special meal.”
“Oh, cool,” I respond, following Alex to our regular table. Bay and Nick are already sitting there. “Hi guys,” I wave. It takes a minute, but I get a “Shortie” from Nick. We dig into our lunches as Reesa joins us.
The cheer team comes out of the kitchen carrying trays of food. They serve each basketball player, then take seats between them. Cara sits next to Seb, and Ana sits next to E. That aggravates me because I know Seb and E aren’t interested, but I try not to pay them any attention. My eyes involuntarily drift back to the guys a few times as we eat, and I notice Cara smirking at me. She puts her hand on Seb’s shoulder and leans over to say something in his ear. He jerks back from her, which makes me smile a little, and I focus back on my food.
