To her left, Claudia let out a soft growl. “Parker looks so hot in his uniform,” she declared.
“He definitely looks hot,” Erin agreed, on Claudia’s right.
Annabelle shifted uncomfortably, feeling some of her excitement deflate. She tried to force their words from her mind as the boys gathered at the sidelines, focusing her thoughts on Trevor.
Trevor headed out to the middle of the field for the coin toss, the crowd chanting for the Warriors, their school mascot. Annabelle’s breath caught as the coin was tossed in the air, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she waited.
The referee pointed at Trevor. The audience burst into thunderous applause. She could almost feel his grin as he headed back to the sidelines to rejoin his team for a final discussion of their plays. She was sure she was nervous enough for the both of them as the other team headed out for the kickoff, the Warriors preparing to receive.
“We’re so going to win this,” Claudia laughed, from beside her. “Those Lincoln guys are ridiculously scrawny.”
“Didn’t you date one of them?” Mary teased.
Claudia snickered. “About half of them,” she returned. She turned to Annabelle, her eyes twinkling devilishly. “So, Annabelle,” she began. Annabelle turned to her breathlessly, frowning at being distracted from the game. “If we win this tonight, you know Trevor is going to be in a celebratory mood. Are you prepared?”
Annabelle felt herself pale, going numb as her friend’s words sank in. Around her, the crowd roared to life, but she barely heard it. Was she prepared? Of course she wasn’t prepared. She couldn’t possibly… She and Trevor couldn’t… He wouldn’t really expect… She felt herself growing weak, her stomach churning. “I-I—“
“Oh, come on,” Claudia giggled, nudging her in the side. “Don’t tell us that you haven’t, yet. We’re your friends. Tell us.” She winked at her. “Is he as good as he looks?”
Annabelle gaped at her. Mary and Erin both leaned forward, their eyes dancing hopefully with the thought of some juicy gossip.
“We haven’t,” Annabelle breathed, choking on her words.
Claudia made a face at her in disappointment. “You don’t have to lie to us, Annabelle,” she complained. “You must have hooked Trevor somehow, right?”
She was horrified. Sick. Angry. Indignant. But somehow, she could only stare at her friends, stunned. Did they really think that about her? Did they really think Trevor had only gone out with her because they were sleeping together?
“Annabelle!”
She looked down at the sidelines, shocked to see Claire standing on the edge of the stadium, at least two feet above the ground. She held onto the rail for support, keeping herself steady. Her eyes were dark with anger, but her face was smiling. “Help me lead a cheer for your man!” she insisted, waving her over.
Annabelle quickly hurried to the railing, gratefulness to her friend overwhelming her. No matter how difficult being Claire’s friend could be sometimes, she was really always there to protect the people she cared about. She didn’t know how Claire knew what was going on, but somehow, Claire just knew. And Claire was there to rescue her.
“We’re going to do ‘Number Nine Scarlett,’” Claire told her, grinning. “Ready?”
Annabelle nodded, forcing Claudia’s snide comments away. No matter what the other girls thought about her and Trevor’s relationship, Trevor had asked her out because he liked her—and that was it. He was her boyfriend, and he was a star. He had pushed himself to succeed, and he had. And she was going to support him. She was going to help lead a cheer in his honor.
Claire half-turned, still standing on the edge of the stadium and holding onto the railing with one hand, and nodded at the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Annabelle watched as they instantly jumped into formation, a long line of black and gold down the field.
Claire held up a megaphone. “All right!” she shouted up at the crowd, drawing their attention to her. “Let’s show that number nine Scarlett some love! This here is his girlfriend Annabelle, and she doesn’t think you love him enough!”
Annabelle gasped, turning to her. The crowd immediately started booing, yelling at her. She flushed, stricken.
“So let’s show Annabelle here how wrong she is!” Claire ordered, her voice raising to almost a scream.
The crowd cheered wildly. Annabelle couldn’t help but laugh, clapping right along with them.
“What’s that, Annabelle?” Claire asked loudly, through her megaphone. “You still can’t hear them?” She turned back to the crowd. “Annabelle still thinks you guys don’t care. Do you love number nine Scarlett or not?”
The applause grew louder, almost shaking the stands.
Annabelle burst into laughter, turning to Claire and shaking her head as she caught on to what her friend was doing. Claire’s eyes danced, turning back to the crowd again. “Annabelle still thinks there’s not enough love here! Now let’s show number nine Scarlett some love!”
The crowd burst into such thunderous screams that Annabelle thought they might start stampeding. Claire threw her arm up in the air, holding her megaphone, and shouted, “Number nine!”
“Scarlett!” the crowd shouted back.
“Number nine!”
“Scarlett!”
“Number nine!”
“Scarlett!”
“Number nine!”
“Scarlett!”
Claire jumped down from the stands just as the cheerleaders began their routine. Annabelle went to stand with her friends, cheering and applauding with them just in time to see Trevor send the ball flying down the field.
The audience’s screams were deafening. Annabelle screamed as Parker caught it, running down the field and right into Lincoln’s end zone.
Annabelle grinned so widely her face felt like it would split when Claire looked up at her from the sidelines and winked.
They scored two more touchdowns before half-time, bringing the score to eighteen to zero. Annabelle’s throat was raw and dry from screaming so much, and as the players jogged off the field and the cheerleaders took center stage, she turned to her friends beside her.
“Do you guys want to get something to drink?” she asked hopefully.
“I could use a soda,” Erin agreed, to Annabelle’s relief. She stepped around Claudia and joined Annabelle in the aisle.
“Grab me one, will you?” Claudia asked sweetly.
“And me!” Mary added, leaning past Grey.
Annabelle stifled a sudden urge to be annoyed, nodding at her friends. She flashed a smile at Erin and they set off for the food stand, discussing their large lead over Lincoln.
“Annabelle!”
She turned at her name, startled. She smiled as Debbie and Susan, a couple of girls from her math class, approached with a group of friends. The girls had started up a conversation with Annabelle for the first time over a week ago, and now they sat together every day in class. “Hey!” she greeted, pleased. “Enjoying the game?”
Debbie nodded enthusiastically. “We’re totally going to win this. It’s going to be a slaughter against Lincoln.”
“Don’t jinx it!” Susan ordered quickly.
Debbie clapped a hand over her mouth quickly. “I mean, we’re going to lose. Horribly.”
They all laughed. “I think you saved us,” Annabelle assured her, grinning. “You can be the winning game’s unsung hero.”
“I like the sound of that,” Debbie drawled, then giggled. She winked at her. “We liked your little performance. Very cute.”
Annabelle blushed. “That was all Claire. She definitely knows how to get a crowd going, huh?”
Debbie laughed. “It was great,” she assured her. “You looked really cute.” She turned to the group behind her. “Guys, this is Annabelle. Annabelle, this is Tony, Curtis, Lindsey, Hilary, and Brant.”
Annabelle nodded pleasantly at them. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. She gestured to Erin. “This is my friend, Erin.”
�
��Nice to meet you,” Debbie and Susan declared. Erin agreed quietly, surprising Annabelle. She looked over at her usually energetic friend, surprised to see her standing back slightly, as if uncomfortable. She frowned but faced the others, engaging them in a conversation about the game as they waited in line.
When they had their drinks, Annabelle was reluctant to say goodbye to the group. She waved at them and bid them goodbye, joining Erin as she headed back to their seats.
“How do you know them?” Erin asked slowly.
“Who?” Annabelle asked, surprised. She looked back toward the food stand, then at Erin. “You mean Debbie and Susan? They’re in my math class.”
Erin hesitated. “They’re… interesting.”
Annabelle frowned. She knew what Erin was saying—Debbie and Susan and their friends weren’t part of their crowd, and Annabelle shouldn’t associate with them—but the girls had been incredibly nice to Annabelle. She enjoyed their company and hanging out with them in class. It wasn’t like they had invited her to start hanging out with them after school or asked her to go to a party. It was just nice to have people to talk to who weren’t so… fake… all the time.
But still, she understood Erin’s warning all-too well. Her good mood subdued, she sat back down on the bleacher, handing Claudia her drink.
“Thanks, sweetie!” Claudia sang.
Annabelle tried not to sigh as she wrapped her arms around herself, sipping on her soda. Erin was right… She needed to be careful. If Claire had seen her, it would have been almost as bad as when Claire had seen her with Ebony.
The thought made her shudder. Luckily, she was saved from having to think about it any longer. The cheerleaders stood back up and started waving their pompoms at the crowd, encouraging the audience to cheer.
The game was starting again.
They burst into wild catcalls and applause as the football players returned to the field, waving their hands up at the bleachers. Annabelle screamed until she felt like her lungs would explode, trying to force all the other thoughts out of her mind. Trevor was going back out onto the field, and she was going to support him.
The first couple of downs started out perfectly. Annabelle’s breath caught in her throat as she watched Trevor pull back, preparing for another forward throw down the field.
And then everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
One minute his arm was back in the air, ready to send the ball flying perfectly down the field, and then the next, Trevor was buried under a pile of bodies, Lincoln colors covering him completely.
Annabelle’s heart fell into her stomach as the crowd gasped in horror. She leapt up and ran to the edge of the bleachers, staring down in terror at the field below. The other players had gathered around Trevor, and as she watched, the coach and some other people ran out onto the field. There was a piercing whistle blow as the ref called a time out.
Each second ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace as the crowd grouped around Trevor prevented her from seeing him. All around her, the audience buzzed and hummed with whispers as everyone waited in trepidation for some sign that Trevor was okay. Annabelle could hear the blood rushing in her ears, drowning out almost everything else as she waited, her eyes glued to the cluster of football players.
The boys suddenly broke apart. Trevor walked out of the middle, the audience erupting into thunderous screams. Annabelle nearly fell to her knees in relief, watching as he held his left hand up to the crowd, his right arm against his stomach.
His right arm…?
Trevor was hurt!
Sure enough, Trevor headed off of the field and to the locker room. Annabelle turned and ran down the bleachers, racing to the locker room as quickly as she could. She barged in without hesitation, four heads lifting simultaneously to stare at her.
“Annabelle,” Trevor greeted, standing from the bench in only his padding. “I’m okay. Sorry for scaring you.”
“What happened?” she asked, looking down at his carefully cradled arm.
“It’s probably just a sprain,” the man kneeling in front of Trevor said. He stood. “But it’s a pretty bad one. I think you’re out for the night. And you need to go to the hospital and get it looked at.” He patted Trevor on the shoulder. “You played a hell of a game, son.”
Trevor smiled at him. “Thank you.”
Annabelle sighed in relief, crossing to Trevor’s side to hug him. He held her lightly, giving her a quick squeeze before pulling away. “I’m going to head back out, okay?”
She hesitated, eyeing his wrist. “Yeah. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I’ll see you after the game.”
She nodded, reluctantly leaving him in the locker room. She knew it was probably fine, but she wished Trevor would go to the doctor now and get his wrist looked at.
As she stepped outside of the locker room, she gasped, coming face-to-face with Will. “Will!” she exclaimed. “What are you…?” she trailed off, looking back over her shoulder at the locker room before looking up at the younger Scarlett brother in disbelief. Despite all their fighting, open hostility, and borderline hatred of one another, Will had still come to Trevor’s game. Will was still there to find out how his brother was.
She almost hugged him.
“How’s his arm?” Will asked.
She nodded reassuringly at him. “It’s okay. They think it’s just a really bad sprain. He still needs to go to the hospital and make sure, but they don’t think it’s broken.” She took a step toward him and squeezed his arm. “I’m glad you came.”
Will laughed softly, almost harshly. “I come to all of Trevor’s games.”
She gaped at him. “You do?” she asked, amazed. She had never figured Will for a football fan, and she didn’t think he would go that far to support his brother. And she had come to all of Trevor’s football games, and she had never seen Will at one before.
He pushed off of the wall, breaking her hold on his arm, and held up a video camera. “For my mom. She used to push herself to come to his games, and it’s cold outside and she shouldn’t be running around. So I record them for her so she’ll stay home without feeling like she missed out. And if I take this home without knowing how Trevor is…”
Annabelle felt appreciation and admiration surge up around her for Will as she finally understood. For him to come to an event he clearly loathed, just for his mother, was a sign of love beyond anything she had ever seen. “She’s lucky to have you as a son,” she told him softly.
His dark eyes fell to her, studying her. And then he smiled slightly. “Of course, one of the conditions of me doing this for her was that she would never tell Trevor. And now you know, so now you have to swear yourself to secrecy, too.”
Happiness bubbled up inside of her at the thought of Will trusting her with something only his mother knew. She deliberately placed a finger against her lips in mock-thoughtfulness. “On one condition,” she teased.
His eyes sparkled. “What’s that?” he asked.
“You have to show me where you’ve been filming all this time.” She gestured out at the football field. “I’ve been at every game, but I’m positive I’ve never seen you.”
He slowly let out a deep breath. “I dunno, Belle,” he began, in playful hesitation. “That’s a little private. I don’t know if I can trust you with that.”
She laughed and shoved him lightly. He laughed and jerked his head at her, indicating she should follow. She felt strangely thrilled to be at Will’s side as they walked back out to the field. At the bleachers he turned right instead of left to go into them and she hesitated, looking between Will and the stairs. And then she followed after him quickly, hurrying to close the few steps between them.
“Where are we going?” she asked, bewildered. They were standing behind the bleachers, the parking lot behind them.
“Up,” Will told her, smiling pleasantly.
Up? She followed his arm to his hand, which patted a heavy tree behind one of
the bleachers. She gaped at the height in horror, looking over at Will, who flashed a grin.
“Ready?” he asked.
“No!”
“Too bad.” He was behind her in an instant, guiding her to the tree. “I’ve got a secret to protect.”
“What is it with you and trees?” she asked, panting as they started up the tree. She flinched as her hand slid along the bark of one of the branches, but she forced herself to grip it firmly, hoisting herself up.
“My name is Will Scarlett. I was destined to live in trees.”
She laughed so hard people on the bleachers in front of them began looking around with puzzled expressions. Will clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the noise. She would have fallen out of the tree if Will hadn’t been behind her, holding her firmly against it.
“So the rumors are true,” she giggled, when she had quieted. “You do hold a grudge against your parents for the name!”
He helped her up to a branch that was slightly out of her reach. “There’s rumors about it, huh?”
She reached for another branch, proud when she was able to lift herself to it on her own. “Oh yeah. I think it was one of the first ones I heard about you when I started at this school.” She threw her voice into a mock-imitation of Claire’s. “’Supposedly he hates his parents for naming him after a character in a book, so he’s always causing them trouble to get back at them.’”
Will snorted. “That’s the pettiest thing I’ve ever heard.” He lifted her up to a large branch that was clearly their stopping point. As he joined her on the heavy branch, she surveyed the view. They were above the bleachers, with a perfect view of the entire football field. She grinned broadly, pleased that Will had shared his secret vantage point with her.
“This is incredible,” she told him excitedly.
He grinned back at her, his eyes dancing. “The downside, of course, is that you can’t fall out of this tree. You’ll put us both in the hospital.”
She elbowed him in his side, laughing despite her embarrassment. He laughed and settled back against the tree with her, the branch wide enough to accommodate both of them. She watched as he lifted the video camera, placing his foot flat on the tree branch. He set the camera on his knee and pushed a button, starting the recording.
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