Page 37 of Why We Break

“That’s right. Just keep those motions sharp and remember not to pull those libs until 3 instead of 1, okay?”

The girls nod and grab their poms, just as the announcer comes over the speaker. “And now, please welcome to the field your regional champions, the Springside Saints Cheerleaders!”

Caroline and I yell and cheer along with the crowd before taking our usual performance position, grabbing hands and squeezing as the girls wait for their music to start.

A few seconds later “High Hopes” blasts through the speakers, and the stands cheer as the girls throw their first set of basket tosses to the beat of the music.

“Those have gotten so much better,” Caroline whispers, neither of us taking our eyes off the field. “Come on, hit this pyramid now.”

I squeeze her hand in agreement, holding my breath as the music changes to a remix of “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons, and Maggie flips through the air in a back handspring sequence before loading into the newest pyramid. She flies up, hitting an extension and reaching for the tops and connecting grips before flipping forward then backward and landing back in a lib.

The stunts hit, and Caroline and I both let out loud cheers of excitement as they dismount and move to their cheer formation.

“Blue… White… Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready to fight?” they cheer, and the crowd cheers along with the signs the girls hold up, causing me to smile.

“Okay, last part! You got it,” Caroline cheers as they move to their ending dance formation. The music clicks back on with “Blah Blah Blah” by Kesha pumping through the speakers, and as the girls throw their last tumbling pass, I can’t help but smile because I can already tell they’re going to hit before they even load the new stunts. We’d adjusted the last formation wanting to maximize the scoresheet for state, and this is the first time they’ve performed them outside of practice. Their energy and enthusiasm is off the charts, and I’m so damn proud of how fast they’ve come.

Caroline and I both lean forward just a bit, squeezing the circulation out of each other’s hands as the libs go up before water falling into reloads and hitting the ending formation, yelling “Springside… Saints.”

As soon as they hit, Caroline and I are screaming, cheering them on as they run off the field to hug us. It’s just a halftime performance, but I know that moment gave them the confidence they needed going into state and I’m so happy they hit it.

“Oh my gosh, Miss Caroline did you see us?”

“Miss Hannah, did you see my back tuck? I think that’s the best one I’ve ever done!”

“I need to see a video of our basket toss. I’m pretty sure that’s the highest we’ve thrown all season.”

I smile as they all talk at once, helping them gather their things as we move off the field for the game to restart. When I turn, I see that Will and the rest of the team are standing right behind us, and I smile at him as we make eye contact, feeling my excitement rise at seeing him tonight.

One more half.

CHAPTER 28

WILL

Ipull into Hannah’s driveway after the game, grinning like a fool between the high of the win and the knowledge that I’m finally going to have her to myself again. I haven’t been able to think about much of anything else this week, and I’ve fought the urge to ditch Seth and steal her away every time I pulled into her driveway to help on the farm.

I’ve just jumped out of the truck when I hear a squeal and hear something running toward me in the dark. I tense, trying to figure out which direction it’s coming from when I feel a heavy weight of something hitting my legs.

“Leroy, you little fucker,” I say with a laugh, patting the pig’s head as he weaves himself between my feet over and over before rolling over for me to scratch his belly.

“Let me guess, Leroy got out again?” Hannah calls, stepping out the front door and squinting out at us from the porch.

“Sure did. Have you ever considered that maybe he doesn’t want to be pinned up? Cause he sure as hell gets out all the damn time,” I point out, straightening and making my way toward the house.

“Trust me, I know,” Hannah says, rolling her eyes at me. “I tried letting him roam where he wanted, but he likes his bed and his little piggy house. Plus, he’s a damn escape artist, and he’s stubborn enough that he’s gonna get what he wants.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” I tease, walking up the stairs, and stopping in front of her. Leroy follows and runs at her, trying to hold his huge body up on his tiny back legs to get her attention.

“I see you, ya stinker,” she coos, rubbing his ears and laughing as he tries to lick her face.

“I swear you have the weirdest fucking pig I’ve ever seen. I mean he really thinks he’s a dog.” At my statement, she turns to look at me with disgust before leaning down and dropping a kiss on Leroy’s head.

“Don’t you insult my baby,” she says, continuing to love on the pig.

“Fine, fine,” I say, holding up my hands in a sign of surrender.

“Okay, Leroy, we’re gonna be inside, okay? Go get in your pen or go play with Ruby, okay?” Hannah says, standing back up and opening the front door to let me in. “So, I guess I should tell you that you coached a great game.”

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