Page 177 of Cruel Steps

“How?”

She didn’t reply, just kept smirking as she rubbed her pom-poms together. I didn’t get to interrogate her as the football team was announced. They rushed out of the tunnel, fire exploding at the end of the blowup wolf’s head they exited through. Cody waved at me, and so did a few of the other guys. I couldn’t remember their names, since most of the team referred to each other by last names; it made it harder for me to keep track of who was who.

When Holden’s name was announced, the home crowd went wild, cheering for him. He stopped when he got to me, and I smiled at him. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but I appreciated getting to see him. He grabbed me around the waist, and I gasped as he pulled me into his arms, dipping me. Then Holden kissed me deep before righting me and continuing his jaunt onto the field. I stood frozen as the crowd went wild, hooting and hollering louder.

Colter jogged out with the rest of the team, smirking at me. He was dressed, but still wasn’t playing. The medical staff hadn’t cleared him yet, much to his dismay. He stopped in front of me and lifted my chin up, closing my mouth. He spun me around, putting me back in my spot on the line. I’d been standing in the middle of the field, the players going around me.

“Always the show off. I’ll get mine later.” He winked before jogging off. My cheeks heated, and I tried not to look at the girls around me, but it didn’t stop them from nudging me and giving me conspiratorial looks at what had transpired. The cheerleaders broke off the line first, flipping and cheering as they headed to their end of the field.

“Good luck today,” one of them said to me.

“Um, thanks.”

Jenny laughed at me as we brought up the end of the Wolfettes. “Emerson Adams, breaking barriers everywhere she goes.”

I shook my head, embarrassment at being put on the spot overwhelming me. We took our spots on the sideline, sitting down until it was our time. We’d run out there during timeouts and in between periods to do short numbers, but our primary performance was during halftime. Today, we wore traditional skirts and tops with HC on the front in black, teal, and magenta for Homecoming. However, we had something special planned for halftime.

The game started, and my focus zeroed in on number three.

The game was brutal.

The Wolfettes stood to the side of the tunnel, and I chewed my lip as I watched our guys huddle around Holden. The score was 7-6, with the Royals in the lead. The Wolves hadn’t made it into the endzone yet, our points from two hard-fought field goals. There were four minutes left in the second quarter, and we were supposed to be changing for halftime, but none of us had moved.

The huddle broke, and the guys lined up at the line of scrimmage. Holden started his cadence. It was third down, and we were inches from a first, but the Royals had held us on our last attempt. The stadium’s home side was silent, everyone holding their breath as we watched. The ball was snapped, and Holden faked a handoff to the running back, the play they’d tried earlier. He pulled his arm back and launched the football deep into the air.

My gaze swiveled down the field, tracking the ball as it flew toward number fifteen. His fingers wrapped around it, and he took two steps before the Royal defenseman tackled him to the ground. The ball slipped, and he fumbled, the football bouncing free. My heart sank as another Royal picked it up and ran in the opposite direction. They didn’t get far, the offensive line stopping him at their thirty-yard line, but it didn’t matter.

The play was dead, and the Wolves sulked off the field as the Royals’ offensive line trotted onto it, our defense joining. I tracked Holden as he slumped onto the bench next to Colter. Colter said something to him, but Holden shook his head, hanging it as he stared at the ground.

“Come on, we gotta go,” Jenny said, motioning for me to follow the girls. We were the last two left. With a sigh, I followed, my heart staying back on the field. Football had never felt this intense before, but I’d never been in love with two players, so there was that to consider.

The rest of the squad was subdued as we changed. Our halftime piece was a new routine we were showcasing tonight. We’d been working on it for the past two weeks and I was excited about it.

Pulling on the uniform, the melancholy fell away, and a jittery feeling took its place. I’d helped Leigh choreograph this one. The girls had wanted to do something special for Homecoming since I’d been nominated. I hadn’t told Holden or Colter; I was too nervous no one would like it. It differed from our standard pieces, but the girls were adamant about doing it. Even Kimmy and Brittany had learned it without much commentary. The Wolfettes had proven me wrong with my earlier assessment of their skills. They were willing to practice long hours to perfect this number. It was the most complex and intricate routine we’d done.

“You ready to shine?” Leigh asked, hip-checking me.

“Something like that.” I chuckled nervously, finishing the last piece of costume.

We’d gone with jazz for this routine, so our costumes were 1920s inspired. We wore black fishnet tights with rhinestones along the back, black shimmery shorts, and a tuxedo-type top with suspenders with a sheer black long sleeve bodysuit. The total look had a throwback flapper mixed with Rocky Horror vibe to it.

The room sparkled with rhinestones, and nervous chatter filled the air. Everyone checked each other, ensuring our costumes were in place, and then we headed back out of the tunnel. We stayed hidden as the last few minutes counted down. The Royals still had the ball and were close to scoring again. The Wolfettes all held hands, attempting to send our positive vibes to the defense to hold them.

With twelve seconds on the clock, the Royals opted to bring out their kicking team for a field goal. The kick was good, giving them a four-point lead. Both teams headed to their locker rooms, and we held our hands up to clap theirs as the Wolves passed by. Holden did a double take when he saw me, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open. I blew him a kiss as I ran out onto the field.

I didn’t have to turn around to know my two boyfriends had stayed to watch. I could feel their eyes on me as we took position. Adrenaline spiked, giving me that extra kick I needed. The girls circled around me, their poms covering me in the middle.

A mashup of Meghan Trainor’s “Been Like This” and Neon Trees’ “Everybody Talks” started over the speaker system, and we counted as a unit. The songs had bouncy beats, making them great to dance to. Add in the lyrics, and it was the perfect song for Homecoming. The girls had wanted to make a point to all the haters.

As the lyrics started, the poms moved out and showed me in the center. I’d incorporated burlesque moves, making this feel like a classic Broadway production. Another thing I’d been wrong on was pom dancing. I’d believed it to be contrived and straightforward, letting my own prejudices and feelings cloud my judgments.

The truth was, dancing at this level was hard, and pom dancing meant every single one of us had to be in sync. They were an extension of us, giving a great visual effect as we moved together across the field. It was breathtaking, and I loved how this routine looked. Add in how the lyrics accurately captured how I felt, and this was one of my favorite dances.

I spun and stretched my body, feeling the music. I wouldn’t apologize for who I was or how my body looked. People could talk smack all they wanted, but it wouldn’t change who I was.

The team hit our marks and positions, flowing effortlessly from one to the next as we kept the beat. Our poms hit their angles, giving the visual oomph we were going for. The crowd got into it, oohing and aahing at each image we created, spurring us on as they sang along to the music.

We spun in sync, our legs lifted and our arms out, and each Wolfette performed their heart out. It might only be a halftime show, but it was our chance to shine. And if Leigh had her way, it was our ticket to Nationals. As the music picked up, our steps became more complicated. We grooved to the music, our poms sparkling in the lights as we hit each point. My heart pumped loudly, my smile was wide, and I spun as joy filled me.

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