Page 42 of Why We Break

We continue to watch, squeezing hands and counting silently as the music shifts to the pyramid sequence. Maggie flips through the air, and we both squeeze each other harder, refusing to jinx their performance by saying anything.

The music cuts as the girls move to their cheer formation, yelling, “S-A-I-N-T-S! Saints, Saints, Saints” before getting set and starting, “Blue… White… Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready to fight?”

The crowd cheers along, and the energy in the room is so infectious I want to pause and soak it in, but the music starts back, and I’m back to feeling like my heart is in my throat. The first few girls throw their tumbling passes, and I hear the group of Springside fans cheering over the sound of the music when they land their back handsprings, back tucks, and fulls before moving to the last formation.

“Come on, girls, finish it,” Caroline yells, as they load the libs and waterfall down to the inversion handstands.

“I can’t watch,” I mutter, holding my breath and fighting the urge to cover my eyes. Caroline squeezes my hands in agreement just as they pop the girls up to land on their feet for the final pyramid yelling, “Springside…Saints!”

“Oh my God, they did it!” I mutter as Caroline starts jumping up and down, before pulling me into a hug.

“Han, that was incredible! They hit! Our squad hit at state! And I couldn’t have done it without you!” she yells, and I can tell we’re both holding back tears.

Before I can respond, the squad runs over, basically tackling us both with their excitement. “We did it!” they yell, and Caroline and I both smile at their excitement.

“Great job, girls! Despite what the results say, I couldn’t be more proud of you!” Caroline says as we walk back to the waiting area outside.

“Yeah, what she said!” I say before smiling. “But a trophy sure wouldn’t hurt, right?”

CHAPTER 32

WILL

“Okay, I don’t know shit about cheerleading, but I’m pretty sure that was freaking incredible,” Seth says, leaning forward in his chair so Theo and I can both hear him.

“Yeah, it was,” I admit absentmindedly, but all my focus is on Hannah as she and Caroline jump around, hugging and screaming for the squad as they dismount their stunts before moving out of view for the next squad to get set.God, she’s so fucking beautiful.

I haven’t been able to think about anything but the way she felt riding my cock last week, and the sight of her smiling in excitement below has me wishing I could pull her out of this arena and keep her to myself for a couple of hours.

“Coach Thompson, how long until they announce the winners?” Blake asks from his seat in front of us, interrupting my thoughts.

“Uh, I think there’s only one or two more squads left,” I tell him, checking my watch. “Another thirty minutes tops.”

He nods, turning back to the front as Seth and Theo make small talk about a project on Theo’s farm that I halfheartedly attempt to follow while we wait on the results. It sure as hell doesn’t seem to work because I find myself distracted by the thought of finally getting her alone again.

“All right, who’s ready for some results?” the voice over the loudspeaker booms, and the squads that are starting to line up across the mat scream so loud, I swear my ears start ringing.

I smile when I see Hannah and Caroline standing with their squad on the corner, huddling together and whispering. She’s so damn gorgeous, I think, watching as her long blonde hair falls in her face while she wiggles around impatiently.

“First of all, we want to say congratulations to all the teams here. And thank you to all the coaches, parents, and school districts that make this possible,” the announcer says, and everyone claps.

She continues on for several minutes, talking about the tough job the judges had thanks to all the talent until Seth finally leans over to whisper, “Damn, I’m not even the one competing, and I’m getting anxious.”

I nod in agreement, just as the woman in the front of the room starts, “Without further ado, coming in third place in the 3A small varsity division, we have the Bulldogs from Brookside High School.”

The squad standing next to Hannah erupts into cheers, screaming and hugging while one of the girls goes to grab the trophy. After a few moments, the arena goes silent again, until the announcement continues, “And in second place we have the Wildcats from Saddle Ridge High School!”

The girls on the opposite end of the arena cheer as Seth leans over. “So either they won, or they didn’t place…”

I nod, feeling my nerves heighten as I watch Caroline and Hannah squeezing each other’s hands so hard I’m scared they’ll break.

“Surely they won,” Theo mumbles. “My fiancé is their freaking kick-ass coach.”

Seth and I chuckle at that, as everyone around us goes quiet. There are at least twelve other squads on the mat, and they all look like they’re about to lose it as they wait for the announcer to finish.

“And finally, your 3A small Varsity division state champions are…the Saints from Springside High School!”

“Hell yeah!” Theo yells, causing a few of the parents from other schools that are sitting near us to turn and give him looks of disapproval. He shrugs in apology, and I let out a whoop of excitement. In the rows in front of me, the football team jumps up and starts high-fiving each other, as the squad on the floor screams and hugs each other while Maggie runs forward to grab the trophy.

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