Never Letting Go

by Kristin MacQueen

Tears shine in her eyes but she blinks them away quickly. A sad smile plays on her lips.

  “I do. He didn’t even yell at me, just laughed.”

  “He loved you, more than anything.”

  “Thank you, Noah.”

  “For what?”

  “Helping me remember.”

  “Always, baby, always.”

  I lay with my back against the arm rest, my legs taking up the entire couch. Frankie lays in the small space between my body and the back of the couch. Her head rests on my chest, arm over my stomach. This right here, this is heaven.

  “Where am I supposed to sit?” Liam asks, coming from the kitchen with a bottle of water.

  “You get to share that couch with Miranda.” Frankie giggles at the glares she receives from both Liam and Miranda.

  “No touching me. I don’t care how hot you think I am.” Miranda taps her toe on the coffee table. I swear the girl can't sit still. She always needs to be moving.

  “I’ve never said you’re hot, Miranda. Get over yourself.”

  “You didn’t need to say it when your tongue was hanging out of your mouth, dragging on the floor when you walked in and saw me in this cheer uniform.”

  “Oh my gosh, Miranda! You’re so full of shit.”

  “You know what’s great about being a girl?”

  “Oh please, wise one, enlighten me.” Liam rolls his eyes more when Miranda’s around then he has in the past four years, I swear.

  “I can think about whatever I want and never have to worry about popping a boner. My lady boner stays hidden.”

  My gaze goes back and forth from Miranda to Liam and back again. This is like watching a soap opera. It’s horrible but I can't stop watching. I need to know how things are going to end. Liam’s eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head, his mouth opens and closes several times. He has no clue how to respond to Miranda.

  Miranda smirks, her tongue pushing against her cheek, fighting the laughter wanting to burst free.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, sit down and I’ll give you a pillow to put on your lap.” She pats the cushion next to her. I swear she sat in the center just to fuck with him.

  Liam doesn’t move, just stares unblinking at Miranda for a few more seconds before he plops down on the couch, careful to leave room between him and Miranda.

  “Be careful, I bite.” Miranda whispers as she leans forward to grab a piece of pizza. Liam jerks away from her like she’s actually about to bite him. I can't hold it in any longer. Laughter bubbles out of me no matter how hard I try to contain it. Frankie starts laughing along with me, her head bobbing up and down as my chest shakes. Miranda doesn’t laugh but you can't miss the satisfied smirk plastered across her face.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you? Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

  “Yup!” She takes a bite of pizza, taking her time chewing it. “Lots of them.”

  “Ah! So, they all realized how psycho you are and dumped you.”

  “Nope! I’ve never been dumped. I'm the dumper not the dumpee.”

  “You sure about that?”

  She shrugs her shoulder, the toe of her shoe still bouncing on the table.

  “Ask Frankie if you don’t believe me.”

  Frankie gasps for air, trying to calm down her laughter enough to speak.

  “Not only has she never been dumped, but the guy she dumps always begs her to take him back. It takes months for them to stop.”

  “You’re joking, right?” He looks at Miranda but she’s ignoring him. Checking her nails like she has no interest in this conversation what so ever. Liam’s eyes fly back over to Frankie and I. “You have to be joking. She’s crazy, why would any guy want to date her?”

  “She’s awesome. Simple as that.” Frankie gives him a sad smile. Like she feels sorry for him, that he can't see what’s so clearly sitting right in front of him.

  “She,” He points to Miranda who’s faking a yawn. “Is not awesome. She’s absolutely nuts and doesn’t understand what a filter is. I’ve never heard a person talk the way she does.”

  “How’s that my problem? I'm not the one who hangs out with dull people. Get better friends.” Miranda winces the second the words leave her mouth. “Noah, I didn’t mean you. You’re a great friend, I love you!” She traces a heart in the air with two fingers while mouthing I love you again. I give her a big smile. I know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but I love the fact that I'm important enough that she feels the need to clarify that for me.

  “I know, Randy. I love you too.”

  “Randy?” She scrunches up her nose at my choice in nicknames. “What a horrible name!”

  “Nah, I like it.”

  “You’re lucky you have a super sexy smile, Noah. Or I’d have to punch you for that nickname.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Frankie

  I love how well Noah and Miranda get along. I was really scared in the beginning they wouldn’t get along at all. Miranda’s definitely her own person, a type of friend you’ll never find another of. I love her to pieces but some people don’t understand her... uniqueness. She helps me loosen up; I help anchor her craziness.

  “She’s going to make Liam lose his mind.”

  “I know, it’s amazing to watch. I can only imagine what they’ll be like after a few weeks or months.”

  “I'm not sure I can handle that sort of tension all the time.”

  I peek up at Noah’s smiling face, his dimples fully on display. He’s so sexy when he smiles, it’s a completely different look than when I first came back to the scowling ex-best friend of mine. His gaze flickers between my lips and my eyes for a few seconds before he closes the distance, searing my lips with a heated kiss. His soft lips move with mine, making me melt further into his embrace. I never want to leave his arms; I want to stay here forever.

  “Do you think you two could stop sucking face? I'm getting jealous I don’t have anyone to suck face with.” Miranda huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. I don’t miss Liam’s eyes flickering to her pushed up breast. I raise an eyebrow at him when he looks back over at me, he quickly everts his gaze, his cheeks blushing.

  “I mean, you got Liam right there.” Noah laughs when Liam throws a pillow at us.

  After thirty minutes of debating what movie to watch, we settle on a thriller. Halfway through the movie, I glance over at Miranda, a smile spreading wide across my face at what I find.

  Miranda fell asleep, her head on Liam’s shoulder. I watch him slowly pull his arm out from under her head. He cradles her head in one hand and uses the other to guide her softly down to the pillow resting on his lap. Liam grabs the blanket off the back of the couch, spreading it over Miranda. She snuggles closer to him, letting out a content sigh. I turn my attention back to the movie, relaxing with Noah’s hand gliding up and down my side in a steady motion.

  “Look at them.” Noah whispers into my hair, placing a gentle kiss on my head.

  I peek over again, finding Liam stroking Miranda’s hair. I'm not sure if he even realizes he’s doing it. I grab my phone and take a quick video, thankfully the movie lights up the room enough, I don’t need a flash to capture this. Miranda will never believe this without video evidence.

  “You’re an evil person.” Noah’s chuckles softly so Liam doesn’t hear us.

  “Hey, we both know they have the hots for each other, it’s not my fault they won’t do something about it.”

  “Let them figure it out on their own. We don’t need to be in the middle of them.”

  I lean up, placing a soft kiss on his lips before laying back down. I must fall asleep because I wake up to my mom whispering to Noah.

  “Noah, I swear, if I didn’t know you, I’d think you drug my baby girl every time you watch movies together. She only ever falls asleep during movies when you’re over.”

  “You caught me, that must be the only explanation.” Noah chuckles softly, careful to not wake me up. I love listening to him talk to my mom
when they think I'm sleeping.

  “She feels safe with you. You should feel honored.”

  “I do, Mrs. V. You know she’s all that matters to me.”

  “Are you staying here tonight?”

  “Yes, if that’s ok?”

  “Of course. Liam, you aren’t staying over.” Her eyes crinkle at the edge with a smile.

  “Wow, Mrs. Valdo, you don’t trust me?”

  “I don’t know you, Liam. But that girl laying on your lap, I love her like a daughter but I don’t trust her with boys. That one is as wild as they come, but I wouldn’t give her up for anything.”

  “I see the wild, I'm not so sure about not giving her up though. I think I could do without her.” My mom snorts with laughter, her hand flying up to cover her face as she laughs even harder.

  “Says the boy stroking her hair. You’ve got it bad for her.”

  “I do not.” Liam grumbles under his breath. “It’s not my fault she fell asleep on me.”

  “If you didn’t want her on your lap, you would’ve moved or woken her up. I was a teenager once too, you can't fool me, Liam. Do you want me to wake them and get them up to bed?”

  “Nah, I’ll carry Frankie, I don’t want to wake her.”

  I try my hardest to hide my smile but I can't help it, Noah’s so sweet.

  “You know she’s awake, right? She’s been awake since I came down here.”

  Noah’s knuckles lift my chin up so he can see my face. I try to burry my face into the blanket but he doesn’t let me. I slowly open one eyelid to find him staring at me, a slow smile spreading across his lips. I snap my eye closed again and let out the loudest, fakest snore ever.

  “I’m gonna remember this, Kiki. You’re gonna pay.”

  His fingers graze my ribs, making me thrash around, trying to hide my squeals. I don’t want to wake up Miranda.

  “Alright, love birds. Bed time. Remember what I said...”

  “Door open.” Noah and I mumble at the same time.

  “Look at how well I’ve trained you two.”

  “You want me to carry her upstairs?” Noah asks Liam. He shakes his head, staring down at Miranda with a soft smile on his lips.

  “Nah, I’ll take her.”

  I stand up, stretching my arms over my head, trying to stretch out the sore muscles in my body from laying on top of Noah’s hard body. Hands go to my back and under my knees, lifting me up against the same hard body. I giggle as he spins me in a circle. He kisses my forehead, then my cheek. I hear a sniffle and look over to my mom, her eyes filled with tears.

  “Your daddy would be so happy to see you two together. All he ever wanted was for you and Noah to end up together. He always said Noah was the only boy who’d ever love his little girl the way she deserved to be loved.”

  “Mom...” My throat clogs with emotion, preventing me from saying anything more.

  “No. No crying, darling. He wouldn’t want us sad and crying all the time. He’d want us to be happy, laughing and smiling. I just wanted you both to know how happy it would’ve made him to see you two together. I'm happy to see you together.”

  She kisses both of us on the cheek before she heads up the stairs to her own room. Noah nods for Liam to go first. He pulls her into his arms, pressed against his chest but careful not to wake her. She’d love to wake up in Liam’s arms, even if she’d never admit it.

  Liam goes straight to Miranda’s new room. I ask Noah to wait outside the door, I want to see what he does.

  He balances Miranda in one arm, using the other to pull down her hot pink blanket. He gently places her in the center of the bed, pulling the blanket back up to cover her. I'm surprised when he squats down next to her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He whispers something I can't quite hear and she mumbles something under her breath before he walks away. Liam’s a little startled to find us standing in the hallway watching him. I smirk at him but don’t say a word.

  “See ya at school tomorrow, man.” Noah says pounding his fist into Liam’s.

  “See you tomorrow. Bye, Frankie.”

  “Bye, Liam.” The smile in my voice is clear as day, I don’t even try to hide it. He pins me with a look, pointing a finger at me.

  “I don’t want to hear a word about this.” My smile grows, his eyes narrowing.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  When Noah and I collapse into bed, I fall asleep the second he wraps his arms around me. There are no nightmares at all.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Frankie

  “Alright girls, I’ll show you a basic routine three times. I expect you to know it well enough to repeat it back to me, moves and words. If you can do it, you stay for the next round. If you can't, you can pack up and leave or you can sit silently on the bleachers and watch. Last girl standing will be captain. Any questions?”

  “Miss. Saunders?”

  “Yes, Bianca?”

  “I'm already captain, why are we looking for a new one?”

  “I don’t know how the old coach ran things, but I don’t believe you should stay captain just because you were last year. The strongest cheerleader should be captain. The girl who can help and lead others in the cheers deserves the honor of captain.”

  Bianca sneers at the coach but plasters a fake smile on her face before Miss. Saunders can catch her. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I know I can do this; I can beat Bianca.

  “You have five minutes to stretch and get ready. I won’t wait for you; in five minutes I’ll start the first routine.”

  I peer to my left, catching Miranda’s gaze. We nod at each other and begin the warm up we’ve done almost every day since freshman year. We lived and breathed cheerleading at our old school.

  We start doing jumping jacks, then stretch out our legs, then arms with various stretches. I hear the gym door open and close, I find Noah, Liam and a bunch of other guys walking in with smirks on their faces. All the cheerleaders stop warming up to shout hello or eye the guys walking in, everyone but Miranda and I.

  “Valdo, Martinez, good job staying focused even when I bring the football team in!” Miss. Saunders scribbles something on her clip board before she blows her whistle.

  She goes through the routine three times, just like she said she would. It’s an easy one and I have it down quickly. Miranda fakes a yawn, patting her mouth. We had difficult routines at our old school, this is going to be a piece of cake.

  “Let’s see it. Waiting!” We all stand in the waiting position. One fist on top of the other in the center of our backs. “Ready!” We move our fist to rest on our hips, ready to begin the cheer. “We are dynamite!” She yells the cheer name and we all start calling out the cheer, moving along with the routine she showed us. Out of the fifty girls who showed up for try outs, ten mess up the moves. I'm sure they're just nervous but they need to be able to perform in front of football players as well as fans. It’s not easy to do, if it weren’t for Miranda, I wouldn’t be a cheerleader. She helped me get over the anxiety of performing in front of people.

  “Ok, if I call your name, go sit on the bleachers or leave.” She calls the ten girls who messed up, they all pout but go sit on the bleachers and watch. “We have twenty spots to fill. Let’s try something harder.”

  We watch three times then perform. Only three girls mess up this time. Each routine gets harder and harder. Miss. Saunders didn’t coach here last year, none of the girls know any of the cheers. It makes it an even playing field for Miranda and I.

  My eyes find Noah in the front row of the bleachers. His elbows are on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. His eyes never leave mine. I forget about everything going on around me and focus solely on him. I cheer for him and him alone.

  After several rounds, it’s only Bianca, Miranda and I left standing. Miranda could easily become captain, she’s better than I am but I know she doesn’t want captain. She likes to flirt with boys, not lead a team. Her words, not mine.

  “Just give up,
Valdo. We both know I'm better than you are.” Bianca hisses under her breath. We’re all panting, out of breath. Miss. Saunders is giving us everything she’s got. Now she’s making us do each cheer three times in a row, hoping to make one of us slip up. It has been just the three of us for the last four rounds, none of us messing up in the slightest.

  “I'm not giving up, Bianca. I was captain at my old school. I lead my squad to a winning season on and off the field. We came in first place at every competition we went to.”

  Her face pales slightly. We went to so many competitions and no other team came close to beating us.

  “Alright, girls. You three are obviously pretty evenly matched. I want you each to take ten minutes and come up with your own routine, after that you’re going to perform and the football team will pick their favorite for captain.”

  “Looks like I’ll remain captain then.” Bianca smirks at Miranda and I.

  “Oh yeah, why do you think that?” Miranda raises a brow, staring her down. Bianca fidgets under her gaze but she won’t back down, she never backs down.

  “Well, you’re new, none of them know you. They won’t vote for a newbie.”

  “Frankie isn't new.”

  “No, but no one liked her before she moved. Why do you think that’d change now that she’s back?”

  “Noah liked her.”

  “Not anymore.”

  Miranda’s mouth opens but I clamp my hand over it before she can say anything else. I don’t want to deal with Bianca right now. I just want to get through these try outs.

  “Let’s go, Miranda.” Grabbing her arm, I pull her over to the other side of the gym and we get to work. We talk through our cheers but never practice them. I don’t want Bianca to try and copy us at all. Our squad has always outdone hers, we’re better in every way.

  “Alright, girls! Let’s do this!” Miss. Saunders yells. “Who wants to go first?”

  “I think it’s only fair if Bianca gets to go first since she’s the current captain and all.” Miranda’s sickeningly sweet voice makes me choke on a laugh. She’s up to something. She always sounds super sweet when she’s about to destroy someone.