Finding Fate

by Keelan Storm

Jet made it to the locker rooms with just enough time to change and talk to his friend before the coach called them over for the team pep talk. He knew the guy was still in denial of his feelings, or at least pretended to be, so when the initial answer was no, he wasn’t discouraged.

  He pressed on, playing the cards of the situation to get the answer he needed. The girls would not be happy with him if Emma had to walk out empty armed at halftime.

  “Come on, man. I could really use your help. I told the girls I knew someone who’d do it.”

  “And that’s my problem, how? I never promised them anything.”

  “Well, if you won’t do it to save my butt, at least do it to help Emma. It’s not her fault she got canceled on last minute.”

  Jet could see his friend’s resolve weakening at this point, and knew he wouldn’t take too much more convincing. He just had to spin it right…

  The guy hesitated, tightening a shoelace that was fine. “I don’t know, man.”

  “Look, I’m not asking you to fall in love with her or anything, just to escort her during the ceremony. I’m sure she’d be really thankful,” Jet added, hoping the guy didn’t take that last part too seriously. He really doubted Emma would be thankful enough for anything he just implied.

  The insinuation worked, the remaining resolve leaving the Hispanic’s eyes as he took in the meaning behind Jet’s words. “Alright. I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Jet clapped his friend on the back in thanks as the coach came in, calling the team over.

  His pep talk brought out a rush of excitement in the entire team, and it only intensified out on the field as the Sharks played the best game of the season. The crowd, an enormous sea of red and black, roared with enthusiasm at each touchdown made.

  Jet played with forceful intensity. The knowledge that this was the last time he would play out on this field empowered him as he proceeded to block some of the opposing team’s larger players, thriving as fullback and cornerback in turn. Each tackling blow sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, psyching him up for the next play.

  As the first half came to a close, Jet followed the team off the field to down some water and towel off some of the sweat he had produced, despite the chill in the air. He tossed a clean towel over to his friend that would be joining him with the homecoming court in a matter of minutes, not wanting his girlfriend’s wrath if he didn’t attempt to clean up.

  Ready, the two tired but jazzed football players made their way down the track to the waiting court. Even though they were no longer playing, Jet could still smell the bitter, strong, grassy scent of the field. It was invigorating. He couldn’t wait to get back out there again, make some of those Bulldogs eat some dirt.

  But he forced himself to push those thoughts aside. Now was the time to focus on Annie. He could see the shimmering gold from her dress beneath the stadium lights as they approached and smiled widely at his stunning girlfriend when he caught her eye.

  She beamed back, clearly excited to see him close by, but he noticed her smile falter slightly when she caught sight of whom he was with. He just grinned wider. He never promised they would be thrilled about the guy he got.

  * * *

  Annie was glad when halftime arrived. She couldn’t wait to get this embarrassing spectacle over with. Not to mention that Emma and Beverly had been driving her damn near crazy for over an hour now. It would be so much easier to stand having to sit with the two once someone had been crowned queen and Emma got her escort.

  No matter how many times she had tried deterring Emma, she couldn’t stop bringing up the subject. Annie hoped the guys would come through, not wanting to deal with her friend’s disappointment if they failed or just grabbed someone random for the job.

  So when she saw Jet headed towards them with Hector by his side, she had to work hard to hide the fact that she was less than thrilled with her boyfriend. Did he think this was some kind of joke? She could tell he sure as hell found it amusing by the way he was grinning at her. He knew very well that Emma would never have asked Hector, and Annie knew her friend would complain whether she won the crown or not. She groaned at the prospect, wondering what her boyfriend had been thinking.

  They waited for the band to finish the upbeat, drum heavy song that the dance team used to position themselves into a decorative path before the homecoming court filed out in couples. When a softer song started, the clarinets and flutes tinkling the melody, they began.

  Beverly stepped out first with her date to take her place on the field. Emma was up next, and Annie watched in surprise as she took Hector’s arm with a grateful smile.

  Before she knew it, it was her turn. Jet held out his arm, and she took it anxiously. She did not want to do this, but it was definitely too late to back out now. Jet waited patiently for her, and when she assured him she was ready with a nod of her head, they stepped out on the field to take their place in the procession.

  She had only taken two wobbly steps before her patience was lost, her heels detrimentally unstable on the grassy field. She tugged Jet’s arm softly, letting him know to pause and wait so she could pull off the hazardous, bronze heels, imagining her sister’s frustrated groan. The entire crowd laughed at the act, and Annie returned Jet’s laughing smile to let him know she was now ready to continue, barefoot, and heels in hand.

  The ceremony went rather quickly, and Annie cheered with gusto, meaning every single word of enthusiastic congratulations she sent Emma’s way when it was announced that she had won. Emma squealed with delight as she accepted the crown and turned to embrace Hector in a fervent hug none of them had expected.

  Hector awkwardly returned it, a surprised, yet pleased grin on his face, and Annie couldn’t help but smile as she realized Jet and Tucker did have a purpose other than humor behind their escort choice. Her displeasure with them immediately evaporated. If Emma was so okay with it, there was no reason to let it bother her.

  The rest of the game passed with even greater excitement than the first half as the Sharks continued to pound the Bulldogs into defeat. Annie screamed her encouragements down to the team and cheered with proud enthusiasm each time Jet slammed an opponent into the ground. He was fantastic, and anxious for their night together, she couldn’t help but think how he’d never looked hotter in his uniform.

  The game ended with a final score of fifty-six to fourteen, and the stands erupted into yells and applause of joy at the Sharks’ impressive game. The players left the field in jubilation, and a state of euphoria took over the atmosphere. It was the perfect Homecoming game and ending for the seniors’ final season.

  27

  The End of It

  Tucker said goodbye to their families a few minutes after the game was over. Tyler and Chris had made too many trips to the concession stands, and the men were ready to get their wives away from a crowd that could potentially lead to more than just a few minutes of chitchat if they ran into other parents they knew. Attempting to help, Tucker assured Helen and his mother that he would tell Annie how beautiful they thought she looked, finally convincing them to leave.

  With their families gone, he stopped by the restrooms and went to stand in his usual place to wait for Izzy after the games, chatting with friends that happened to pass by. A few paused to say hi, and he shared in their uplifted chatter, agreeing that he’d catch up with them all later at Benton Hall for the Homecoming dance.

  When Noah, Kyle, and some of the other players emerged from the locker rooms, he congratulated them on their win and told Noah he’d check with Jet and the others about meeting up with them at Bob’s Diner before the dance.

  He made an extreme effort to ignore Wesley as he walked by. The jerk still tried to get under his skin, sending winks Izzy’s way whenever he’d pass, and Tucker hadn’t missed the way the guy still looked at her, either, especially when he thought no one was watching.

  Izzy was still trying to convince herself that Wesley only did those things to get to him, not liking that sh
e’d dumped him or that he had kicked the prick’s ass last summer.

  He wasn’t going to argue that those facts were true, but he still thought Wesley was dangerous, and he was pretty sure Izzy thought so, too, that she just wouldn’t say it because she didn’t want to believe it. He knew she was still upset with herself for dating the guy in the first place.

  Annie and Emma caught up with him soon after Wesley had passed, forcing him to stop thinking about the subject. The atmosphere was still cheerful, and Emma was exuberant, so it wasn’t hard to get back into that state of mind.

  He gave his small friend a congratulatory hug and teased Annie about her less than steady steps that led to her shoe removal out on the field, resulting in her whacking him in the upper arm with her hand. She tried to pass it off as playful, but Tucker knew there was irritation behind it. He laughed. It was so fun to set Annie off at times, even if it hurt a little. A fact he would never admit to her.

  Finally, he could see Jet and Izzy walking their way, someone following by Jet’s side. He looked harder, forcing his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit path to distinguish the figure and realized it was Hector, except his usual strut and confident demeanor were gone, nerves in their place.

  Tucker smirked and pointed it out to the girls. Annie grinned a little too when Emma’s light blue eyes lit up before darting to the ground. Tucker thought he noticed a slight flush brighten her cheeks and had to fight back a chuckle. Apparently, they might be adding another semi-regular to their group pretty soon.

  “You played great, babe!” Annie cried when Jet and the others reached them. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and gave him a hug.

  “I’m so glad you showered already, Jet, or I’d have to beat my sister for deliberately getting sweat all over her dress,” Izzy teased, already past the much-expected shoe incident.

  Releasing her hug, Annie responded with a good-natured eye roll. “It’d wash out.”

  When Izzy opened her mouth to retort, Tucker cut in to divert the potential sister quarrel. “You look pretty,” he offered.

  “Thanks,” Izzy beamed, running her fingers along the scoop neck of the purple dress she’d changed into for the dance. “I was hoping you’d like it.”

  “Of course,” he praised appropriately, pulling her against him to tuck her into his letterman jacket as he addressed the group. “So Noah wanted to know if we wanted to meet up with him and some others over at Bob’s Diner before the dance.”

  “Oh, that sounds good. I’m starving.”

  “No kidding, Izzy. I’ve seen you take in more than these two at lunch recently,” Hector cut in with a head jerk to Jet and Tucker.

  Annie and Emma each smacked one of his arms while Tucker reassured his now sullen fiancé.

  “Dude, not cool,” Jet snapped.

  “She does not eat that much, Hector, and she is pregnant, eating for two,” Emma chimed in, her nervousness cast aside by the both predictable and thoughtless comment. “Don’t worry about it, Izzy. You know how Hector is.”

  “Hey!” he called out in offense. When several of them gave him an ‘Oh, come on. You know it’s true,’ look, he shrugged in admittance. “Sorry, Izzy.”

  “It’s okay, Hector,” she replied. Emma was right. They knew how Hector was. She should have expected it.

  “So should we head out?” Hector asked. “I have room in my car if anyone needs a ride,” he suggested, stealing a glance at Emma.

  Emma frowned in disappointment. “I’ve got my own car.”

  “Well, hey,” Annie piped up, “if you want to ride with Hector, Emma, you could let Tucker and Izzy use your car. Jet’s car is kind of a tight fit for us.”

  Isabel scowled. Hadn’t she told them she was fine? Annie elbowed her gently in the arm to where the others couldn’t see, and realizing that her sister was doing it more for Emma’s benefit, she relaxed and played along.

  “Yeah, Emma, I’d really appreciate it. Jet’s backseat isn’t very baby friendly.”

  Emma glanced at Hector nervously before she answered. “Well, okay.”

  “Let’s go then,” Hector beamed, his excitement poorly hidden.

  “Oh, crap!” Isabel cried, raising her hand to her forehead before they could move. “I just remembered I left my pompoms in the stands. I need to go get them. Can y’all hold on a few minutes?”

  “Jeez, Izzy, we have to wait for you again?” Jet teased. “It’s cold.”

  “Hey, I waited for y’all today,” she threw back.

  Annie groaned and gave her sister a little shove in the direction of the stands. “Just go get them already. The sooner we get to the restaurant, the sooner I can change. It’s freezing in this dress.”

  Isabel handed her bag over to Annie as she hurried off. “Here, it’s got your stuff in it, too. I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder.

  * * *

  Isabel walked swiftly up the ramp and headed down the long stretch to the section where the dance team sat. The wind had started to pick up, making the chill bite harder than it had at the beginning of the game. It whipped her hair across her face. She pushed it out of the way and quickened her pace, suddenly regretting having already changed into her dress.

  She reached the desired section fairly quickly and stepped up to the third row where her pompoms would be waiting for her, but they weren’t there.

  She bent over, trying to see if they had been shoved beneath the metal seat, but she still couldn’t see them. Maybe she had the wrong row?

  She stepped down one and then went to the one above the row she originally checked, still not finding them.

  “Crap. I know I didn’t sit any higher than the fourth row. I don’t want to have to replace the stupid things,” she thought in frustration.

  “Hey, Izzy!” she heard someone call.

  Glancing up, she saw Megan Diaz with her homecoming date on the top step near the stairs in the next section. Waiting while her date talked to a small group of guys, she held up a pair of pompoms, her own cheerleader ones in her other hand.

  “Are these yours?!” Megan called down.

  Isabel sighed in relief and nodded. “Yeah, hold on. I’ll come get them!”

  She made her way over to the next set of stairs that would lead her to Megan and hurried up the steps. “I’m so glad you found them. I didn’t want to have to buy new ones.”

  “I get it,” Megan agreed. “I’d planned to turn them in to lost and found on Monday, so you would have gotten them back anyway.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  “Can I meet you down at the ramp when you’re through? I just saw someone I need to talk to,” Megan’s date asked, his eyes focused in the ramp’s direction instead of at her.

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll be there in a minute.” She watched him leave and then turned back to Isabel, motioning to her dress. “So I guess you’re going to the dance tonight?”

  “Yeah, we’re meeting up with some people over at the diner first, though. Do y’all want to come?”

  “Maybe,” Megan nodded. “I’ll have to check with David. He’s been in kind of a weird mood.”

  “Well, he is friends with Wesley,” Isabel thought with contempt, but she smiled for Megan’s sake. “I’m sure he’ll be fine once you’re at the dance.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. The dance will be fun. I’m so glad we had the make-up game. ”

  “Definitely, but hey, I’d better go. Annie and the others are waiting for me near the entrance.”

  “Alright. I’ll head out, too.”

  Isabel wasn’t quite as quick on the stairs now that it was harder to see her feet, but she managed to keep up with Megan pretty well the first couple of steps before she had to stop.

  Someone had stepped out in front of her, not as though they simply hadn’t seen her coming in their attempt to make it down the stairs. No, this person stepped out, deliberately stopping her from going any fu
rther.

  She looked up and gasped at who it was, startled and somewhat frightened. She was surprised at her reaction. It wasn’t the first time Wesley had managed to corner her when the rest of her friends weren’t around.

  “Hey, Izzy, I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you,” he said. His voice was smooth, and he flashed her that attractive grin she’d come to hate.

  Megan stopped and turned around when she heard Isabel’s gasp. Noticing the traces of fear in her friend’s expression, she started back up the stairs.

  Wesley turned at the sound of her steps. “I heard David’s complaining that you’re taking too long. Shouldn’t our lovely class president and head cheerleader be hurrying over to the dance?”

  Isabel held her breath. Why was he trying to get rid of her? She looked around to see who else was nearby. The stands were almost completely deserted now. Her throat tightened as fear gripped her. She didn’t want to be left alone with him.

  Megan hesitated. She took a step backwards, but paused to look past Wesley to assess her friend one more time. Hating that she’d left her much needed phone in her bag, Isabel praised God that Wesley was still looking away, and mouthed desperately to her friend, “Get Tucker!”

  Megan nodded faintly for Wesley to see. “I guess I better go find him then. I’ll see you at the dance later, Izzy.” She turned then and walked down the stairs.

  “So, where were we?” Wesley asked once Megan was out of earshot.

  He seemed pleased to have her alone, his smile turning into more of a devilish smirk as he reached up to grab a lock of her hair that was blowing about wildly in the cold, piercing wind.

  Isabel didn’t flinch this time. She wouldn’t let him get to her like before, and Megan would send Tucker. That nod was meant for her. Wasn’t it?

  “Of course it was meant for me,” she thought determinedly. “Megan will come through. I just have to stay strong ‘til Tucker gets here. I just can’t let Wesley see that he upsets me.”

  She forced the tense fear from her throat, shifting it to the pit of her stomach so she could speak in the unwavering tone her gut told her she needed to use.