Page 55 of Final Down

“Huh,” I say, glancing down as I pass.

“Yeah, I know. She sounds worse than she is. That bark is all deterrence,” she explains, her tone almost light, maybe even pleasant.

“It’s effective,” I say as she guides me into the living room.

“Notthateffective. You still stuck around,” she mutters.

I snicker at her burn, but she doesn’t laugh with me, so I swallow down my amusement. Clearly, we aren’t going to leap right to the less hostile, shit-talking level of our previous relationship. She’s probably still hovering around the lawsuit territory.

“Oh—” Alissa stops between the kitchen and living room, a plate of crackers and cheese in her hands. She looks petrified.

“Hi, Alissa.” I drop my hands into the side pockets of my leggings and do my best to relax my stance.

“Hi, Coach. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, but . . . I quit the team. That’s why I’m not at practice.” Her eyes dart around the room, periodically meeting mine.

“I figured it out,” I say. “I was hoping the three of us could talk about that. What do you think?”

“Umm,” Alissa says, her focus going to the stack of cheddar in her hands, then flitting to her mom.

Adrian shrugs, then drops herself into the corner cushion of her sofa, pulling a pillow into her lap.

“I told you that quitting things doesn’t mean you can just stop cold turkey. You have to be professional about stuff. People depend on you, even when you don’t think they do,” Adrian says.

I blink a few times, shocked to hear her words.It wasn’t her decision to pull Alissa from the team? Alissa quit on her own?

“I know. I’m sorry, Coach. I didn’t mean to cause any inconvenience. I can bring my uniform in tomorrow and leave it with the equipment manager, if that’s all right.”

I shake my head and move to the chair across from her mom, still mentally working out what she’s telling me. I pop my headup to meet her worried-looking expression, her eyes squinted as her taut mouth pulls in even tighter.

“Alissa, do you mind me asking why you want to quit?”

She glances toward her mom.

“Don’t look at me,” Adrian says, throwing her hands up.

I grimace because, well, she could show more grace.

Alissa brings her hands up over her face and groans before moving to the other end of the couch to sit. She uncovers her face but keeps her gaze on the floor, her knees pulled in close and the toes of her shoes pointing inward. She’s making herself small.

“Is it the attention?” I ask.

Her eyelashes flicker as her gaze flits up.

I nod slowly, understanding her more than she’ll realize. While being the center of attention doesn’t scare me—unless, of course, it’s when being attacked for a paparazzi photo—the idea of everyone looking at her never held much appeal for my mom. She and my father are an opposites-attract story in that way. Not that my dad loved the limelight. He simply didn’t give a shit. He was loud and who he was, regardless of other people’s opinions. It took my mom years to feel comfortable in her own skin. Everyone’s journey is different.

“I have some news from the team. I’m wondering if I can share that with you, and if you’d be willing to think about it and see how it aligns with your comfort level?”

I can feel Adrian’s heavy brow looming nearby as she stares at me suspiciously, but I keep my focus on Alissa. This needs to be her choice—quitting, or coming back and leading. She gives me a timid nod.

“I gave Lily and Kyra a responsibility, as the seniors on the team. I asked them to choose who should serve as our cheer captain this year.”

“Okay?” Alissa says, her voice wavering. Her mom sits up tall, moving to the edge of the cushion as she discards the pillowshe was clutching and instead folds her hands together at her knees. I don’t like the idea of Adrian feeling vindicated, but I don’t want Alissa to sell herself short because of this.

“They selected you, Alissa.”

“Oooooh,” Adrian coos in a drawn-out sound. I flash her a warning look but quickly soften my expression. I don’t need to poke the bear and stir her up again.

“Oh, that’s really . . . nice, I guess?”

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