“TITANS!” they holler as one.
“I can’t hear you!”
“TITANS! TITANS!” We chant.
We lose the coin toss, and Mountain Ridge takes the ball. It doesn’t matter if we won. I would’ve opted for defense. I’m going to show these bobcats who they’re playing with tonight. When Jack, T., and I turn around to run off the field, the cheerleaders have lined up, making another tunnel only at the end of this one isn’t a banner to run through. It’s Hannah. She gives me a sheepish smile and waves. This definitely wasn’t her idea. All three of us run up through the tunnel. I give Hannah a tender kiss on the lips and then kiss her charms. “You’re all sparkly,” I say with a smile.
She rolls her eyes. “Aubrey and Piper got carried away.” She grasps my hand but reaches up, giving me a quick kiss, then kisses my right palm. “Make this moment matter.”
“You know I will, Baby.”
“Have a good game,Stud.”
“It’s going to be spectacular now.”
“Whatever I can do to help.” She shrugs.
I wink at her, then glance behind me at jack and T and nod. I walk past Hannah but turn in time to see Tyler and Jack slap Hannah’s hands in a high five.
The noise from the crowd in the bleachers is defining. It’s electric, and my team feeds off it. We play our best game yet. By the third quarter, we’re up by thirty points. Coach pulls all the first-string players, and even with the second-string playing, we score two more touchdowns. We all stand on the sidelines, cheering and dancing for our teammates.
When the buzzer sounds ending the game, the stadium from our side of the field is deafening. I can’t even hear the band playing. There’s a tug on my arm, and I turn to see Hannah smiling and jumping up and down. I grab her waist and lift her, hugging her. “Climb on my shoulders,” I yell.
“Okay.” She nods, and I help her onto my shoulders. We run out onto the field, both of us screaming. “Go Titans, and we’re number one.” Beckett puts Piper Lockwood on his shoulders, and more of my teammates do the same with their girlfriends and the other cheerleaders. We stand in the middle of the field with all the players, cheerleaders, parents, and students chanting, “LHS is number one.”
After the crowd dies down, I lift Hannah off my shoulders, but I catch her around the waist, holding her to me.
“What are you doing?” She laughs, hitting my shoulder. “Put me down.”
“Have I told you today that I love you?”
“At least twice.”
“I love you, Hannah Clark.”
She pats my cheek, scrubbing her fingers through my messy hair. “I love you, Crawford Cross.” She reaches up, kissing me.
I let her down, and we walk hand in hand toward the school locker rooms. “Are you riding home with your parents?” I ask, scanning the parking lot for them. We don’t have to ride the buses home if our parents sign us out. My dad had a conference in New York he couldn’t miss, and I told my mom that tonight’s game wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t want her driving out here alone. It wasn’t easy, but I talked her into not coming.
“Nope. They didn’t come.” She smirks at me.
“Jack told me this morning they were,” I say, confused.
“Both Hank and Scotty were feeling sick. A flu bug is making the rounds in their class, and my dad has had a long week. So we told them to stay home. It’s only one game.”
“You’re riding the bus home?” I ask, a smile taking over my entire face.
“Yep.” Hannah leans in, sniffing my neck. “So, if you want to sit next to me, you better hurry and shower.”
41. Make Out City
Ford takes off running toward Mountain Ridge’s school gym entrance but then abruptly stops and runs back, giving me a quick kiss on the mouth. “I’ll see you in ten. Sit close to the back.”
I roll my eyes and shoo him. “Okay, now go.”
He turns around, walking backward with his arms open. “I’m going, I’m going.”
Leah comes up, standing next to me. “Boys,” she mutters.
