Page 4 of How We Loved

“See you guys back at home. Love you all,” Sandy says.

“Love you guys,” I reply back as Ben starts to run with me on his back.

He carries me to the locker room, then sets me down.

“Wait here. I’ll be quick,” he says before he turns and jumps on our other friend Eli, congratulating him on the win as our quarterback.

I sit outside the locker room by myself, trying to gather my thoughts from the speech Coach gave, when Natalie Spencer—yes, from Spencer Ranch and Dalton’s sworn enemy turned girlfriend—heads to where I’m standing with her friend Ashley, who’s dating our other friend Marcus, followed by her friend Susie.

I still can’t believe Dalton and Natalie went from hating each other more than anything in the world to head over heels in love. I’ve never seen Dalton so happy, so she’s been a welcome addition to our little group.

I can’t hide my smile when I see Dalton’s number 81 painted on her face. They had to keep their relationship a secret due to their families being enemies. Thank God they finally got her dad’s approval and they don’t have to hide their relationship anymore. For a second there, I thought Dalton’s Dad would ruin everything for them, but love always wins.

Seeing her out in public, stating she’s his, fills my heart with hope that I, too, will find someone at some point—I just have to leave Leighton River first.

“That was super emotional,” Natalie says as she gives me a hug.

“I know. I’ve been dreading this moment for a while. I’m so sad it’s all over,” I say, blinking away more tears.

“I can’t believe it took me four years to realize just how much fun these nights are,” Natalie says. “I totally missed out.”

“I tried to drag you along many times, so don’t blame anyone but yourself,” Ashley teases, and Susie agrees.

Natalie had so much hatred for what this town had become since TimeLand had taken over that she didn’t participate in any part of it. I’m glad she and Dalton pushed each other’s buttons enough that she finally saw the light and changed her mind to join us. It’s been nice, having a girl to hang out with too. Having three guy friends is great, but sometimes, you just want a girl around.

Eli is as quiet as they come, and though he might be talking to some girl, we’d never know about her until it was over. Ben, on the other hand, doesn’t hide his relationships, though they never last long enough for me to be friends with any of them.

Yes, I have other friends from cheerleading and school, but none of them are as close as the guys.

“This place is massive. How can people find anything?” I hear a male voice ask, making me laugh.

Our stadium—our whole school for that matter—is unlike anything in surrounding towns, thanks to money donated by TimeLand.

“What are you looking for?” I ask when they come into view from the building they just walked around.

“Oh, hey, look who we have here,” one of the guys says. “How are you ladies doing tonight?”

Two guys stand there in Ariat jeans, boots, and cowboy hats, grinning at us girls. Just by their looks, I can tell they are from the visiting team, as no one dresses like that here, but on them, I like it.

“Hey yourself,” I flirt back. “Are you lost?”

“No, sweetheart. I think I’m found. What’s your name?” the slightly taller one asks.

He has gorgeous green eyes with a small dimple that peeks out on each side when his smile gets bigger. I glance at Natalie, who grins at me, not denying how cute they both are even though she’s spoken for. When she raises her eyebrows slightly to me, I know she’s egging me on to continue talking to them, so I do.

“I’m Maya—Maya Young—and these are my friends Natalie, Ashley, and Susie.”

He points at Natalie. “I see she’s taken by number 81.” Then, he points at Ashley. “And she’s with number 24, but what about you two?” he asks, pointing at me and Susie.

I smile sweetly. “That depends.”

He steps a little closer. “On what?”

“On your name,” I tease.

He smirks. “I’m Trevor—Trevor Bryant.” He raises his eyebrows lightly as he copies the way I said my name then points to his friend. “This is Nick.”

“Nice to meet you, Trevor.” I lean to the side to see his friend better. “Hi, Nick.”

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