Page 45 of Lavender and Linebackers

Camden and Ryder both nod.

“Thank you again,” I say to all of them, relieved to have that one task taken off our plate this morning.

Kelli and I watch as they leave the field.

She whirls on me and eyes me suspiciously. “How did this happen?”

“After the television event, he asked if we needed help, and I said yes. I didn’t think he’d take me up on it. And then last week he texted me for the details.”

She pops a perfectly arched eyebrow. “So we’re texting now?”

“No. Literally, that was it. Stop with the inquisition. We have work to do,” I tell her as I drag her to the check-in table where a group of students have come in and are waiting for us. This event also serves as volunteer hours for some of our high schoolers who need hours for graduation.

Over the next hour and a half, we get everything ready. The check-in table, the social media backdrops, water stations, and the practice zones. More and more people have arrived, and a line has started to form outside the door. I’m reviewing the logistics of the agenda one more time when Ryder wanders over. There’s a faint lingering smell of the cologne he had on the other day, and I hate that I like the smell so much.

“Everything looks really great. I can’t believe this is something that you did.”

What? Can’t he believe it?

I turn to face him. “What does that mean?”

His face blanches a bit. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I’m impressed by this. By you. From what I see and what I know, you’ll build an amazing program here.”

Oh.

How do I respond to this? Having him compliment me feels wrong.

“Thanks,” I mumble, looking back down at my clipboard.

“So, what’s in the backpacks? They weren’t that light?”

He’s trying to change the subject, which I appreciate. What I don’t appreciate is the attempt at small talk. We don’t do small talk. In fact, we don’t talk at all.

“There’s some good stuff this year. The backpacks were donated. We had them monogrammed with our logo. Actually, pretty much everything is logo’d. Inside is their T-shirt, a water bottle, silver pom-poms, purple laces, purple hair ties, a lanyard, a zip pouch filled with lots of health and beauty products like a hairbrush, makeup remover, lip gloss, a mini deodorant, a cooling towel, and snacks. Lots of snacks, and the Tarpons donated a few things, too, like King Silver plushies.”

“That’s really nice.”

“Hey, Alice,” Kelli yells. “I think we’re ready.”

Instantly, a smile splits across my face. Each time we have an event, together we go and open the doors. Something about seeing all the happy faces fills my soul.

“Coming!”

I glance at Ryder. He gives me a closed-mouth smile, and I run off to join her. I can feel his eyes on me. I hate that I like it. Good, let him look. Let him watch me walk away.

The next hour is insane as families come through the door. We always have a lot of siblings, and the parents are even more exuberant about taking lots of photos. The volume of noise has increased, all of the media locations are being used, the breakfast snacks are being devoured, and I love all of it. I love watching the community come together because they want to be a part of something greater.

By eight thirty, it is time to get started. The high schoolers corral everyone into a group, and Kelli and I launch into our welcome speech. We go over housekeeping and safety rules. We talk about the importance of kindness and being there for not only our friends but also others in the community. We talk about the agenda for the day and the overall goal of everyone learning one routine that consists of a short cheer to start, a dance, and then a short cheer to end.

“Today we’re going to break out into six teams. When you checked in at registration, you were given a wristband with your team color. Each team will have a head coach, and I’d like to introduce them to you now. Step on down, coaches,” I say to the six senior cheerleaders who I selected. Each one is from a different high school in a different part of town. While a lot of them have several of their friends here today as well, I thought it was important to diversify our whole group’s outreach. “Everyone say hello to Karla, Amy, Kandi, Lena, Sara, and Brittany. If you have any questions or need anything, ask your coach, and they will help you or direct you to someone who can.”

The idea of the six groups splits them by age and experience. When they all come together, the routine will look cohesive but include different elements happening at the same time, like gymnastics, stunts, dance, and pom-poms.

“Okay. Okay. Okay. Are y’all ready for the most exciting surprise ever?” I look around at all the smiling faces. They’re nodding their heads, completely locked on what I’m about to tell them. “Well, we have to work super hard on our routine today. I mean really hard because the Tampa Tarpons have invited all of you to be their guests and to perform as part of a halftime show at one of their home games in late October!”

Instant gasps, and then the screaming takes over as they jump up and down and hug their friends.

“Don’t worry, parents, there are tickets for all of you as well.”