Page 18 of Why We Break

“You want some breakfast too?” I ask him, already reaching down and grabbing the scoop I keep in the plastic bucket of his feed. Leroy lets out a squeal of approval, and I roll my head at his excitement.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Here you go,” I say, dropping the bowl and patting him one more time before letting myself out and making sure that both latches are locked before making my way back inside to shower and get dressed.

“Let’s get this day started then I guess,” I say to myself, trying to ignore the loneliness I feel when I look at the empty house.

“Okay,girls, get set. We’re gonna be between the band and the football team, and we’re bringing up the end of the parade, so we’re gonna have to be ready once they start moving,” Caroline tells the squad later that afternoon as we wait for the police to signal the start of the parade.

The band starts playing the fight song, and the girls get ready to walk, grabbing their poms from the ground and straightening their new navy uniforms.

“Big smiles, girls, let’s go,” I remind them as we start making our way toward the middle of town. The float we’ve spent the last week working on is in front of us, and I can’t help but smile at how good the banner designs look.

Caroline and I wave to people along the parade route as we walk behind the girls, and it never ceases to amaze me how many people pile into the streets of our little town for this. Springside might be small, but I love seeing how the community makes sure to support our kids.

Before we know it, we’re back at the school, and we make our way to the football stadium where we’ll have a small pep rally before the boys get ready for the game. Behind us, the team is piling off the flatbed trailer that one of the parents let the team borrow for the parade, and I see Will and Theo talking to one of the other coaches.

“Okay, girls, you have ten minutes to run to the gym and freshen up before the fans start getting here. Go on and meet us back at the field,” Caroline tells the team, dismissing them before turning back to me. “Come on, Han,” she says, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the boys.

“Ugh, I can’t deal with him today, Caroline. I’m in a good mood, and I don’t feel like ruining it,” I complain with a groan.

“Oh my gosh, stop being such a baby.” She laughs, ignoring my reluctance. “Hey, Cowboy,” she says as we reach her fiancé standing with the man who knows how to push all my buttons.

Theo immediately reaches out for her and pulls her to him without stopping the conversation he and Will are having and presses a kiss to her forehead. After a moment, he smiles down at her. “Hey, Sunshine. Morning, Hannah. You two ready for whatever this is about to be?”

Despite my annoyance at having to put up with Will, I laugh at his question as Caroline tells him yes, immediately launching into the plans for the pep rally.

I can tell Will’s about to say something when one of the assistant coaches makes his way over to us. I know his name is Kent, but I don’t know him that well since he isn’t a teacher, although I think he’s pretty close to our age.

“Hey, ladies,” he says, smiling kindly at both of us. “You ready to rock this pep rally?”

“Yep, we sure are,” Caroline says excitedly, “What about you? Are y’all ready for tonight?”

Will starts talking about their strategy, and I try to look bored, despite the fact that I’ve always loved football. Unfortunately for me, Will is actually a really good coach, and the new play he’s talking about actually sounds really damn cool. Oh well, he doesn’t need to know that.

I check my phone for the time just as Caroline asks, “So, Kent, are you coming to the bonfire at our house tomorrow night? It won’t be anything fancy, but we’re celebrating our engagement and we’d love to have you.”

“Yeah, Theo mentioned it at practice earlier this week. You’ll be there too, right Hannah?” he asks, looking up at me and it takes me a moment to realize he’s talking to me.

“Oh, yep, I’ll be there,” I tell him with a smile.

“Hmm, good. I was thinking we could chat? If so, I’ll come find you?” he asks, and I don’t miss the hopeful expression on his face as he asks.

“Sure, I’d like that. I’ll be the one with the margaritas,” I tease, already looking forward to the peach mix and tequila I grabbed last week at the liquor store.

“Margaritas? At a bonfire?” Will interjects. “Really, Hannah? Can’t you just drink a beer like a normal fucking human?”

I glare at him, ignoring Caroline elbowing him in the ribs at his outburst. “Yes, Will. We both know I like beer too. But what the hell’s wrong with finding some of the little joys in life? Clearly, it’s something you should start doing, since you’re boring as hell.”

We glare at each other for a minute, before Kent breaks the silence with a tight laugh. “I’ve gotta grab something out of my office before this thing gets started, but I’ll see you tomorrow, Hannah.”

“See you then,” I tell him, admiring how attractive he is. He towers over my six-foot frame, and his tan and tattoos should be just my type. I try to feel a jolt of excitement that he seems interested in me, but it never comes. Instead, I compare him to Will in my head, despite the fact that he’s still sneering at me in disgust.

“You got something to say?” I ask, knowing I’m provoking him. But the air feels electric, and I’m desperate to see him snap.

He opens his mouth to fire back at me before Caroline interrupts him. “Okay, enough of that. We’ve gotta go get ready, and I can’t listen to the two of you bicker anymore today. We’ll see y’all later.”

I roll my eyes at her, letting her grab my arm but just as we start to walk away, Theo pulls her back and drops a kiss on her lips before whispering, “See you after all this hoopla, Sunshine.”

She smiles and pulls away from him, grabbing my arm again for us to start walking through the crowd starting to pile into the stadium. I’m about to tease her about how adorably nauseating she and her fiancé are, but she just says, “I already know, we’re too much and I don’t care.”

---