Page 56 of Tangled

“Yeah, you’re right, Mr. G.,” Tristan nods as he catches up to his buddies and heads for the gym.

It’s a Friday, which means the football team is playing tonight. It’s another big game for the school and ASB has really been trying to increase school spirit this year. The fact that our football team is actually winning games this season definitely helps the cause.

Slowly but surely, half of the students in our school filter into the gym, climbing the bleachers, and taking their seats in the designated class sections. Since I have primarily juniors, my class is attending the upper classmen assembly. Lower classmen attend their own rally earlier in the day.

I stand at the side of the room, greeting a few of my fellow colleagues as we all make our way in and wait for the students to get seated. School events like this offer the opportunity to converse with some of the other teachers on the campus that I don’t see on a regular basis and to watch the kids submerge themselves in the high school experience.

I think back to when I was in high school and on the football team. I lived for pep rallies—getting the school hyped for the game, sitting on the gym floor while watching the cheerleaders perform their routines, listening to the cheers from the other kids chanting my name. As one of the key running backs on the field, I had a stellar reputation for helping our team win.

Now as a teacher, I try to balance the need for structure and doing well in my class with enjoying these types of activities. I think the key is letting the kids have both.

“Hey, man,” Drew comes up beside me, patting me on the shoulder.

“Hey. You ready for tonight?”

He nods. “Yup. This is going to be a defensive game, for sure. Tanner has been working with them all week. I’m pretty confident we have a great shot at a win, though.”

“Well, after how well you guys played against Ashland, I think so too. Where’s Tammy?” I ask, perusing the room.

“She came to the first assembly. She teaches mostly freshman this year. Poor woman,” he shakes his head as I huff out a laugh. Drew slides closer to me, whispering in my ear. “But it looks like your woman has just arrived,” he teases as my eyes lock on Olivia gliding into the gym. She’s deep in conversation with a student, but her smile is still eye-catching and her deep red hair makes her stand out in the crowd.

It’s been almost a week since our date and I’ve had the hardest time staying away from her, in fear of making myself seem too desperate to see her. I did text her though a few times in the evenings and I may have made some excuse to stop by her classroom during our prep period on Tuesday. Then I made sure to conveniently meet her in the teacher’s lounge on Thursday for the baked goods from the restaurant class. Okay, maybe I haven’t been as sly as I hoped, but she never seemed bothered with seeing me. In fact, her reaction was just as elated as mine. However, we do have plans tonight, which is the only reason why I think I’ve been able to talk myself down from stalking hereveryday this week.

“God, she’s gorgeous,” I say a little too loudly, which makes Drew break out in laughter beside me.

“Damn, man. Do you hear yourself?”

I shake my head. “I know. But seriously, Drew. Look at her…” I gesture with my hand, then quickly put it down. The last thing I need to do is draw attention to us and feed the rumor mill.

“I’m going to just agree without looking so I can appease you and avoid getting myself in trouble with my wife. But hey, keep putting yourself out there, man. This side of you since you started seeing her is refreshing,” he clasps my shoulder again before walking away. Since Drew is the head football coach, he has to speak during the rally.

I find Olivia again just as she walks over to me, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey, there, Mr. Garrison,” she slyly speaks while turning around to face the gym, taking residence right beside me.

“Hi, Miss Walsh,” I reply, chuckling as I feel like we’re trying to maintain our composure next to each other without drawing wandering eyes to us.

“How has your week been?”

I turn to her, searching for her gaze. Just as she faces me, I speak.

“Long,” I answer honestly, knowing that looking forward to our date tonight has made time pass so slowly.

“Mine too,” she says while her eyes bounce back and forth between mine.

Before I can speak again, the band starts playing and the football teams runs out to the middle of the gym floor, shouting and jumping up and down as the crowd of students and teachers cheer. I clap my hands while watching the spectacle, catching a glimpse of Oliva smiling and cheering beside me from the corner of my eye.

“Man, Emerson sure does know how to do a pep rally,” she says as the noise starts to diminish, her eyes surveying the decorations in the room. Banners of red and gray fabric drape from the center of the gym, balloon structures line the floor and seats where the athletes are seated, and hand-painted banners in the school colors with positive slogans hang on the walls. “My last school was definitely lacking in the school spirit department.”

“Really? That’s a shame.”

“Yeah. This rally reminds me a lot of the ones we had when I was in school.”

“Oh yeah? And were you involved in them?” I ask, curious to know more about her in high school. I’m sure Olivia was just as big of a knock-out back then as she is now.

“Yup. You’re in the presence of the cheer leading captain here, Kane,” she beams. And just as she says the words, the vision of Olivia in a cheerleading uniform, skipping and jumping around makes my dick swell in my jeans.

“Fuck, Olivia. Why did you have to tell me that here?” I growl, placing my hands in my pockets, trying to discretely change my stance to adjust my erection in my pants.

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