Page 62 of Look What You Made Me Do

But she’d never expected this.

She certainly hadn’t expected the way the entire male student population had undergone a magical transformation. Every one of them had traded their awful, shaggy hairstyles for sleek number twos. It had been a gradual change to begin with, subtle, not something she’d noticed. But slowly, as the Demons had done the school proud, more and more boys had joined the ranks.

And, sitting here tonight, it was a sight to behold. She could see eyes again, faces.

Another surprising outcome had been the gradual decline in her truancy rate, not to mention the spring in everyone’s step, from the teachers to the students. Her staff were energized and kids who used to mope around with the weight of the world on their shoulders were walking tall, smiling at her, greeting her with enthusiasm.

The sense of pride and accomplishment Ella felt glowed like a furnace deep inside, warming her soul on this cool evening. Deluca had finally found its mojo and she was starting to really believe that it all might just work out okay.

But perhaps the biggest change of all had occurred in her. For a start, she never would have believed that she’d be voluntarily spending this much time on or near a football field – not in a million years. In fact, a couple of months ago, she’d have rather had root canal and, while she did still think football was stupidly macho, she couldn’t deny its positive effects.

The crowd in the stand opposite started to roar and Ella tuned into the game. The Saber running back was rushing the ball along the ground, storming toward the end zone. Cameron and several Demons were hot on his heels and Ella’s heart crept into her mouth.

Go Cam. Go Cam. Go Cam.

As she watched her brother gaining, Ella realized that even her relationship with Cam had come a long way this past couple of months. He was the happiest, the most settled she’d seen him since she’d dragged him out of Trently.

He attended school, he trained hard, he’d become polite and respectful. And way more talkative. She knew that them becoming friends was a ways off, but for the first time in two and a half years, Ella actually felt it was a possibility. He and Miranda had become quite close, too, and it was encouraging to see that he had the capacity to form human relationships.

He’d always been so distant – it was a relief to see him engaging finally.

Cameron dragged down the speeding Saber and everyone in the hometown bleachers rose to their feet, cheering.

“Good tackle, Cam,” Jake called.

Cameron untangled himself from the wildly kicking Saber and stood, turning to Jake with a huge grin on his face and Ella’s heart lurched in her chest. Cam adored Jake and she knew her brother’s changes had as much to do with the coach – wanting to please him and make him proud – as they did football.

From the sidelines, the Deluca cheer squad did their thing, plump red-and-black pom-poms fluttering through the air as the squad shook them high above their heads.

Deluca, Deluca, we’re the best,

Better, way better, than all the rest.

You wanna, you wanna, put us to the test?

You’re gonna be sad, you’re gonna be sorry,

Cos we’re gonna win, don’t you worry.

Ella had to admit, despite her initial misgivings, the squad was a credit to Miranda and Trish. A melting pot of genders and sizes and ethnicities, they had become an integral part of the Demons’ games in their distinctive red cotton leotards with mandarin necklines, black cargo-style pants and the signature red devil-horn headbands.

Better still was how the entire school, rallied by Miranda, had united to produce them. The senior textiles students had made the uniforms, the art students had enthusiastically taken on the project of the leotard design from the logo – a pitchforked devil – right through to the screen printing, and the PTA had funded them.

And the squad looked amazing. Not hot pants, cutesy-pie like the Sabers but fit and strong and, with red-and-black stripes slashed on each cheek, warrior-like.

Miranda had even roped Cerberus into the team spirit, making the Jack Russell a doggy coat with “Deluca Demons” handstitched across it. And, so he wouldn’t feel out of place, she’d modified a headband to give him his own pair of red horns.

Jake had taken one look at Cerberus that first time and rolled his eyes. But, like a true stray, Cerberus loved the attention and when he wasn’t sitting by Simon’s feet, he pranced up and down the sidelines, barking encouragement at his team.

A roar came from the Sabers’ stand and Ella didn’t have to see to know the opposition had just scored their first try.

“Oh no,” she wailed and clutched Rosie’s hand.

“Don’t worry,” Simon said. “Plenty of time left.”

Simon had become a permanent fixture both at the games and in Rosie’s life and Ella loved how their relationship went from strength to strength. No guy had ever lasted this long the entire time she’d known her bestie.

“I know,” Ella said, but still her insides felt like they’d been scrunched in a tight ball and she watched until half time through the cracks of her fingers when she could bear to watch at all.

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