Page 45 of Gareth

“Okay!”

Skylar helped Layla over to the steps, then walked with her down to where the other cheerleaders were grouped together, preparing for their part of the game.

As Aria watched, Gareth appeared and stopped to give Skylar a hug and talked to her for a minute. The other cheerleaders clustered around the pair and Layla, smiling broadly at Gareth. Something he said made them all laugh, and Aria saw clearly what Janessa had referred to.

Dragging her gaze from Gareth, Aria looked around the gym that was set up pretty much the same as the one at Serenity’s high school, though it wasn’t as full. Still, it was good to see that a good number of people had turned out for the game.

When Gareth climbed the steps to where they sat, he didn’t even hesitate before sitting down beside her. He gave Aria a quick smile before turning to speak with his dad. Her heart was beating fast, and she was sure that her cheeks were on fire.

How was it that her crush was starting to not feel quite so crush-like anymore?

That was a question to be contemplated at another time when Gareth wasn’t sitting right next to her.

It wasn’t too long before Wilder and Kayleigh showed up. Wilder smiled at Aria as he sat down on Gareth’s other side. Kayleigh made her way along the row in front of them, then took Charli’s hand to help herself up to sit beside her.

Janessa leaned closer to Aria. “Ready for a wild night?”

“Is Wilder performing?” she asked. After a beat, Janessa grinned, and they both laughed.

Music began to play in the gym, and the cheerleaders of both teams started to hype up the crowd. By the time the teams were introduced, those seated in the bleachers were cheering and clapping loudly. Aria immediately spotted Cole amongst the players, while Jay stood with an older man beside a bench across the gym from the bleachers.

Every seat around them was filled, mostly by people wearing the same maroon and gold T-shirts that they had all worn. When Skylar sent Layla back up to them, the little girl chose to sit with Gareth. She was absolutely glowing with excitement. Aria was pretty sure that she was looking at a future cheerleader for the school.

It was a good thing that Gareth didn’t have to explain things to her like he had the previous week, because she wasn’t sure she would have been able to hear him. The previous week’s team might have been their biggest rival in terms of skill, but this smaller crowd was definitely a rival for noise.

Gareth and his siblings were even more engaged in this game, no doubt egged on by the spectators around them. Aria had noticed one thing about the Halversons that set them apart from many of the fans and that was that they never booed the refs or other players. She never heard any of them shout anything negative. They simply cheered loudly for their team without running their opponents down.

There were a few fans on both sides that did, however. It made her glad to be a part of a group that didn’t do that. The players were just teens, and no matter which side they were on, they should only be offered encouragement. Even though she’d never been interested in sports herself, she’d heard about how far some parents of players could take things, creating tension and hurt.

Jay also appeared to keep a pretty level head, even as he was yelling out instructions to the players. At times, he and Gareth seemed to yell the same thing, making Aria wonder if they were aware of what they were doing.

When halftime came, each cheerleading team put on a performance, then people got up and milled around. When Janessa stood up, so did Aria.

“Do you need to get by?” Aria asked.

“No. I just need to stand up for a moment. I don’t have enough padding in my behind to sit on these bleachers without a break.”

“You could always bring a pillow,” Gareth said as he stood up as well. He stretched his arms above his head and leaned side to side, just barely missing Aria’s head with his elbow.

“Looks like you need a pillow too, old man,” Janessa said.

“We should get one of those body pillows,” Aria suggested. “Then we could share.”

“Or you could just bring seats like we do,” Mr. Halverson said from behind them.

Aria and Janessa turned around, and Mr. Halverson got to his feet and shifted enough so that Aria could see that he had some sort of seat that wasn’t just padded but also had a back to it.

“We’re not old enough for those yet, Dad,” Janessa protested.

“So you’d rather be uncomfortable?” He nodded his head as he sat back down. “Makes total sense.”

Gareth chuckled. “Never try to beat Dad with logic. He’ll win every time.”

“Why do you think we’re still happily married after all these years?” his mom asked.

“I dunno.” Gareth shrugged. “I thought maybe you loved each other.”

“Well, there is that.” Mr. Halverson looped his arm around his wife and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Definitely, there is that.”

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