Ava’s smile was contrite, and hope once again warmed Isabella’s chest. Maybe her senior year would be a turning point for all of them.
Delilah walked into the room and grabbed Isabella’s arm. “Cute shirt. Let’s hit the road.”
They got outside, and Delilah pointed to their little two-seater car. “You sit in the middle, Ava.”
“What? No. I can’t fit on that middle piece.”
“You have the smallest butt.”
Ava’s shoulders sagged. “Can’t we take Mom’s car?”
“No. I already asked. Now go on.” She shoved her sister toward the car. Ava frowned but opened the door and climbed in. She sat on the hard plastic piece between the two seats, one leg on the driver’s side and one on the passenger’s.
Isabella sat down in the seat next to Ava, glad she wasn’t the one straddling the middle. She’d never been allowed to sit in their car before. It was a bit weird.
Delilah started the engine and backed out of the garage. “This will be fun, won’t it?”
Isabella was hoping this would be a nice bonding activity.
“This hurts,” Ava said as Delilah drove down the street.
“We’re almost there.” Delilah slowed for a red light. “Besides, it’s a compliment that you’re the skinny one.”
Ava seemed to like that and gave Delilah a smug smile. “It’s because you eat half my lunch.”
They pulled into the school parking lot, and Delilah cut the engine. There were a few cars, but the parking lot was mostly empty.
“We’re here really early,” Isabella said.
“We want to sit down close to the field,” Ava said. “That’s where all the popular girls sit.”
“If I see Savannah, can she come sit with us, too?” Isabella asked.
Ava and Delilah exchanged a look. Isabella was expecting them to say no, but Delilah smiled and said, “Sure.”
Delilah started walking toward the football field. “Come on. Let’s go get some food.”
The concession stand was still closed, so they waited by the counter until the lady slid the partition up and glared at them. “What do you want?”
“I’ll have a water.” Delilah dug some money from her purse. She turned to Isabella. “Get whatever you want. Mom gave me fifty bucks.”
Fifty? Isabella almost choked. She was surprised there was any of her father’s money left with the way her step-clan spent it. “I’ll just have popcorn.”
Ava looked hard at the menu. “I’ll have a hot dog, a bag of Cheetos, and a Coke.”
Delilah glared at Ava. “Seriously?”
“What? I’m hungry. I didn’t eat dinner.”
Delilah slapped her money on the counter. “Okay. It’s your stomach.”
They gathered their snacks and walked down the steps to where the cheerleaders were practicing on the field. Delilah picked out a bench a couple of rows up from the bottom. “Here. This is perfect. Isabella, you sit next to me.”
Was Chase going to join them? She didn’t see any sign of him yet, but her butterflies were already fluttering around. She tried to push the nerves away as she sat and ate her popcorn while the cheerleaders yelled out cheers and jumped on top of one another.
Ten minutes later, Chase sat down on the bench in front of her, along with two other guys. He turned around and smiled. “Glad you came, Isabella.”
Delilah leaned over and grinned. “I’m happy you’re here, Chase. I was hoping you’d be able to sit near us.”