“Hey Hannah, you’re just in time.” Leah hands me a bag of glitter covered construction paper numbers, and cards with sappy quotes that say: go team, and #1 player. We are decorating the football players’ lockers this morning.
“Where are we headed?” I ask Aubrey and Leah.
“We are decorating the lockers at the end of A hall and the middle of B hall.” Leah smiles.
“What classes do you have this year, Hannah?” Aubrey asks as we decorate lockers.
“The usual, I guess. I’m taking an Art design class I’m excited about, and I had to take a P.E. class. I’m taking the self-care class, where you can set your own pace and workout at your own speed. Mrs. Warren helped me sign up for it at the end of last year, because it fills up so fast. I’m not too worried about it anymore, though.”
“I wanted to take that class,” Aubrey states. “It’s the last hour of the day, right?”
“Yeah, it is, thank goodness. I hate PE classes in the middle of the day.” We are quiet after that while we decorate.
Aubrey gives me the side eye several times and then finally opens her mouth. “So, you and Ford Cross, huh?”
“Aubrey!” Leah hisses.
“What? The entire school saw them—” she turns to me. “I mean, saw you and Ford making out on the football field last night after the pep rally.”
I glance at Leah. “Yeah, I swear the stadium went quiet for five whole seconds when you two kissed.”
“Girls were crying after they saw you two,” Aubrey says.
“Yeah, I heard,” I mutter.
“Did you know there is a fan club devoted to Ford?” Aubrey is way too enthusiastic about this conversation.
“There’s one for Jack and Tyler, too,” Leah adds.
“Fan clubs? Please tell me you’re kidding?”
Leah shakes her head. “Dead serious.”
Aubrey pulls out her phone. “Yeah, it’s crazy. I’ll send you a link and my login info. You can look for yourself.”
“You joined?”
“We just wanted to check it out,” Leah says.
“You too, Leah?”
She shrugs. “We had to join to look at the website. You have to use your school email address to sign up.”
I close my eyes, trying to calm my anxiety.
“Maybe she shouldn’t look at it.” Aubrey glances at Leah.
“Why? What’s on it?” Whoever made the website probably hates me because they think I’m dating Ford. Maybe I am. I told Ford, I loved him last night. Things are so complicated.
Leah grabs my hands. “Nothing bad. The site has a strict no-hate policy. Someone posted pictures of you and Ford on the football field. They’ve generated a lot of gossip. Some pictures look like you’re arguing and show you running off.”
I lean my head against a locker, contemplating whether I want to hit my head repeatedly against it. “Thanks for telling me. I needed to know.” My chest constricts, and stupid tears roll down my cheeks. I thought this day might end in tears, not start with them. This is a bad sign.
“It will be okay, Hannah. You have the entire cheer squad behind you. We’ve got your back.” Leah rubs a hand down my back.
I stand up straight, wiping my tears away. “Thanks.” I sniff.
“Oh.” Leah pulls me into a hug.
