“I still say it would be easier if you just asked her on a date,” Becca mumbles.
“It’s not just about that,” I say, a little defensively.
Becca rolls her eyes.
Mom senses the rising tension. “Make sure you’re not stretching yourself too thin, honey.”
“I won’t, I promise.” Hopefully that’s a promise I can keep. “And Becs, we will still be together for cheer, and nearly all of our classes.”
With a sigh, she nods. “I know, I’m just being a little extra. My period is due and I’m feeling sensitive.”
Ugh, I feel her pain.
“Want to watchBrooklyn Nine-Nineand eat ice cream?”
“I love you.” She grins, stuffing a meatball in her mouth.
“I’ll make popcorn,” Mom says. “But only if you eat all your dinner.”
It’s a running joke. Nothing stops Becca from finishing her plate, and mine usually.
Eden is by her locker when I finally find her. It’s lunchtime,and I have roughly ten minutes before I have to get to the football field. We’re doing a run through of our routine for the opening match on Friday. I’m buzzed for it.
“Eden.”
She turns to me, looking surprised. Damn, she’s cute.
“Um, hey, Sloane.” She looks up and down the corridor like she’s expecting me to suddenly realize I’ve made a mistake and it wasn’t her I wanted to talk to.
“So, I have a schedule worked out. I wondered if you’d like to go over it after school?”
“Not a nightmare then,” she mutters to herself, stuffing a book in her bag. She has stickers covering the inside of her locker. I spot theArcaneone immediately. I will be bringing that up at a later date, for sure. “Sure, where do you wanna meet?”
“Do you like burgers?”
“If they’re veggie,” she says.
Eden’s a vegetarian? How didn’t I know that? “They sell veggie burgers.”
She surveys my face for a moment before answering, “Sure. Meet here?”
I nod. She’s not a woman of many words, but I hope to change that as we get to know each other. Smiling, I wave like a dork before retreating. My heart is doing a little hopskip as I walk away, adding some sway to my hips. I’ve no idea if she’s watching, but on the off chance she is, I want to give her something to think about.
The squad is already on the field warming up. We’ve practiced the routine relentlessly in the gym, now we just have to get it right out here. The good thing about run-throughs is we attract a fair amount of people to the bleachers. Some are bored and have nothing better to do. Some, like Harvey, want to perv, and others are a little in awe. They’re usually the kids who want to be on the squad but never had the courage to try out. Whatever their reason, it’s good for us. It’s not quite the atmosphere of the game, but it gets us pumped.
“We fucking rocked it,” Becca cries after the third run through with no errors. The squad high-fives and hugs.
Clapping loudly, I draw their attention. “That was awesome! I couldn’t be happier. We’re ready.”
Daniella, one of my flyers, high-fives me. “Best team ever, S!”
Smiling widely, I go around each of the team members and either high-five or fist bump them. We are a solid squad, the best Holcroft has seen in decades.
Turning to grab my bag, I’m surprised to see Eden leaning against the bleachers, watching. She catches my eyeand gives a two-fingered wave. It shouldn’t affect me like it does. But tell that to the warm feeling in my abdomen.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, I smile back. I’m just about to head over when Trent and Mikey, the squad’s base pair, haul me up on their shoulders.
“Put me down.” I laugh. They continue to chant the school’s motto, carrying me back to the gym. My eyes shift back to Eden, who is still watching, but her expression looks tight. After a beat, she sighs and leaves.
