Page 88 of It's in the Contract
My phone vibrates, and I pull it out to see a text from Mom.Eeeek! You’re catching up!There’s a screenshot of the voting website, and she’s right. Brielle’s votes have gone slightly down, and I’m only fifty votes behind. Fifty votes! Is there a way to finish this, to close the distance before Homecoming?
I should feel happy, but instead, irritation pokes me in the chest. Mom is checking the voting website? And just like I predicted, we haven’t talked about our fight, instead pretending like the tension between us isn’t there.
The irritation builds inside my chest until I think it’s going to explode.
Thirty-Four
It’s the Homecoming game tonight at Monte Ville High! Come cheer on our football team and see yours truly break out a new move in our cheer routine.
Instagram caption by @CallieCarter.
The bleachers are packed.Students walk up and down the aisles, talking and laughing in their beanies and jackets. The air smells like popcorn and sugary cotton candy mixed with the scent of damp rain. The band gathers on the other side of the field, and the off-key sounds of instruments being tuned fill the air.
It’s Homecoming game, and the cheerleaders are gathered on the sidelines. The football team hasn’t rushed the field yet, so they must still be in the locker room receiving their big pep talk from their coach.
Goosebumps rise on my bare legs and arms, but I hardly notice. Cheerleaders stretch and warm up around me or stand in groups, talking excitedly. We’re all decked out in our forest green and white cheer outfits. I have green and white linespainted on my cheeks, and my hair is done up in a slick ponytail tied with a green ribbon I borrowed from Suzy.
“All right, ladies!” I call. “Let’s get the crowd fired up!”
The girls turn to me and cheer, waving pom poms in the air. Coach Morgan blasts a song over the speakers, and I lead the group in our prepped choreography, doing jumps and stunts. People in the stands cheer, and I hardly feel the light drizzle of rain against my bare legs and torso. The thrill chases everything away.
Suzy is in formation right beside me, and Brielle is next to her. The rest of the cheerleaders strike poses around us.
The stands are full, and fans roar as the football team runs onto the field. I turn in time to see Noah wave to the crowd, and everyone goes nuts. He puts his helmet on his head and gets in formation.
I finish the cheer, grabbing my leg and lifting it next to my ear, our ending pose, and the crowd goes wild. I spot Zeke in the stands sitting with a tiny pocket of space around him, and my heart twinges.
The team we’re playing against isn’t quite a rival, but they beat us last year, and the whole team was salty about it. Monte Ville High isn’t used to losing.
The game starts strong, with Noah completing a successful pass to a receiver, and I lead the girls in an epic cheer to rally the crowd. Everyone screams and goes crazy.
Brielle elbows me out of her way as she heads to the front for the next set, and I scowl but shrug it off. This is a performance.
“That was totally on purpose!” Suzy growls into my ear.
“I know.” I get into formation and execute a series of round offs and back handsprings, my stomach whirling, my ponytail flying. The grass is wet under my palms whenever I hit the ground.
“She’s mad that our cookies were so successful,” Suzy says the next time our choreography takes her past me.
There’s nothing more we can do. Homecoming is in less than two weeks, and we’ve tried everything we can think of to secure me that crown. It’s out of our hands now.
I glance behind me at Noah when I get a chance, and he’s already muddy from the mist in the air and getting tackled by big, sweaty guys.
“All right, ladies!” I call. “Pyramid time.”
The cheerleaders get into formation, building a human pyramid. I climb to the top, my quads burning from the effort of keeping my balance, and strike the finishing pose. This is where I’m most confident. This is where the real me comes out, and it’s actually accepted by everyone around me.
The game goes on, and I keep catching Zeke’s eye. I can’t help it that my gaze keeps drifting to him, that every time I land a flip or a difficult jump, he grins, and I smile.
I glance over my shoulder for a glimpse of Noah hurling the ball as I’m going through the motions of cheering everyone on. The rain pours harder, making my skin even more slick as my cheer mates catch me in our stunts, and I know the ball and the grass have got to be slick, too.
“Concerned aboutmyboyfriend?” Brielle hisses in my ear. Her hair is up in a tight bun, not even messed by the drizzly rain. My wet bangs keep getting in my eyes, and I can’t push them back during a performance. Everything has to look perfect, not one movement out of place.
Brielle shoulders me, harder this time. I grit my teeth and take it.
“Okay, everyone,” I say. “Let’s bring it home!”
This is a new move for us, and I’m excited to reveal it to the crowd. Suzy and Brielle stand on either side of me, and Dana takes her place behind. Brielle and Suzy support my legs, andDana grabs my waist. They hurl me into a backflip, and I stick out one foot and nail the landing atop their outstretched hands. Even though the landing is far from solid, and Brielle and Suzy’s grip is slippery, I manage to keep my balance. I fling the other leg into the air beside my head, grabbing on with both hands. A smile lights up my face. I did it!
