“Well, there goes the state championship,” Stacie grumbled, throwing her poms down on the track.
“Maybe Cole isn’t that banged up,” I offered unconvincingly. Stacie gave me a look that said my optimism was annoying and futile. Even if his injuries were minor, it was unlikely that he’d be back for the Homecoming game next week. That would probably mean two losses in a row. “Look at it this way. At least things can’t get worse. Right?”
Mia was staring off over my shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she nodded her head at something behind me. Then she whispered, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”
Chapter 20
“Nicholas,” Coach Moody said. Even from afar, the man was intimidating. Up close and personal, he was downright scary. Nick tensed, smashing his eyes shut before opening them again. He took a deep breath and spun around to face his grandfather. The whole cheer team stopped talking to eavesdrop.
“Is Cole going to be okay?” Nick asked.
Coach looked directly at me and then eyed the rest of the girls. His voice softened a little. He was still scary but like an eight on the terrifying scale instead of a twelve. “He should be. He could move his arms and legs, so the neck brace and gurney were a precaution. But he was out cold for almost a minute. I suspect he has a concussion.”
“I’m sorry,” Nick replied lamely. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t have known what to say, either. “Murphy did better than I expected.”
The old man grumbled, “Murphy was shaking in his cleats.” Coach paused, then cleared his throat. He got this look on his face, like he was about to do something uncomfortable. “Nicholas, I won’t mince words. I’m here because the team needs you.”
Nick’s jaw dropped so far, I thought it might fall off. “What about Murphy?”
Coach rolled his eyes. “That kid’s not ready to play varsity ball. You know it, I know it. Even Murphy knows it. I spoke with the other coaches, and we want you to finish the game for him. Preston agrees. I ran it by the team, and all of them were on board, too. We can’t afford a loss tonight. And I’ll be damned if we hand them the win on a silver platter.”
Nick shook his head. “But I’m not on the team anymore. I don’t have gear. I haven’t practiced in weeks.” He sounded nervous. “I don’t know if I’ll do any better than Murphy.”
Coach snorted before refuting each of Nick’s excuses. “You could outplay him with your feet tied together. We always carry extra gear. And technically, I never withdrew your name from the roster. We’re less than three games in, so there’s nothing illegal in having you step up.” Coach cast his eyes to the ground in shame. “I kept hoping you’d change your mind.”
“I…I…” Nick fumbled for an answer and motioned to us. “I can’t just desert them.”
Nick’s grandfather clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. He was trying to remain calm, but it was easy to tell that his patience was wearing thin. “You shouldn’t have deserted us to begin with.” The way he spoke gave me a feeling that the word us really meant me. “The football team needs you. And no disrespect to these young ladies, but right now, we need you worse than they do.”
Nick dropped his head. “I can’t.”
“Nicholas.” Coach Moody reached out and placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder, steeling himself against his wounded pride. “You know me well enough to know that I don’t beg.” Coach paused, his eyes shining with apologetic remorse. “But I’m begging you now, son. Please.”
If I was utterly stunned, I can’t even imagine how Nick felt. He stood there, blinking hard but saying nothing. Atherton’s cheer team was on the field performing. I looked up at the clock running down on the scoreboard. There were only ten minutes left of halftime. If Nick wasn’t going to speak, then I’d speak for him. I stepped next to him and took his hand. “I think you should go,” I said.
Nick gazed down at me. I don’t know who looked more shocked, him or Coach Moody. “You do?” Nick asked. I nodded, and he argued, “But I can’t do that to you guys. I made a commitment. I told you I was all in, and I meant it.”
“It’s not like you’re deserting us. It’s only one game. We aren’t even dancing tonight.”
Stacie stepped up to his other side and linked elbows with him. “Mia’s right.” She smirked. “I know you’re a hotshot and all, but we’ll live without you for an hour.”
“What about everyone else?” Nick looked over his shoulder.
Stacie turned around and addressed all the girls who were pretending not to be listening. “By show of hands, who thinks Nick should go help us kick some Atherton butt?”
Everyone’s arm shot up. Stacie looked back at Nick. “Guess it’s unanimous.”
Cassidy called out loudly, “Just come back to us with functioning limbs and all your brain cells. We don’t want those idiots to ruin you.”
“Are you sure?” he asked me one last time. His eyes twinkled, and the side of his mouth tipped up. I doubt he’d admit it, but I think he was excited to play.
“Of course,” I replied with an encouraging smile.
Cassidy walked up behind Nick and smacked him on the butt. “Now go change already, before the game starts and they have to put that little guy back in.” She shuddered and everyone laughed, even Coach Moody.
Nick dropped my hand. “Wish me luck,” he said and sprinted toward the locker room.
I didn’t think anything else could surprise me, but I was wrong. Nick’s grandfather looked me straight in the eye and said, “Thanks.” It was gruff and grumbly, but sincere. He started to leave, and something came over me. A surge of confidence pulsed through my veins, along with a desire to get justice for the boy I was trying so desperately not to like.
“Hey, Coach,” I blurted. He turned back to me. My voice cracked, but I managed to say, “Nick is amazingly talented. He only wants you to be proud of him. I hope he’s earned that tonight.” The old man’s eyes got glassy. He gave me a tiny nod and left without another word.
The comparison between halves of the game was like night and day. Nick’s skill and confidence were mountains above poor Preston Murphy. And that reflected in team cohesion. All the players rallied around Nick. He pumped new life into a team that had given up. It helped that Atherton wasn’t prepared for a comeback. After Cole was hurt, they got big heads and became lazy. They hadn’t anticipated the football-wielding cheer wonder kid.
I’d seen Nick play at practice plenty of times, but I’d never really watched him. Cole might have had more pass accuracy, but Nick was way better at scrambling, dodging, and even taking a hit. That’s probably because Coach Moody never let anyone tackle Cole in practice. Maybe if he got pounded on the way Nick did, he’d know how to fall properly and wouldn’t be at the hospital right now.
The defense managed to keep Atherton from scoring in the second half. Nick had just thrown a long pass to one of our wide receivers, which resulted in a touchdown. We got the conversion, so now we were only down by two points with a minute left in the game. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. All fifteen girls had stopped cheering. We were now standing in a line, holding hands.
“This is so nerve-racking,” I said when Atherton received the kickoff and took a knee at our twenty-yard line.
“A minute is a long time,” Stacie replied. The ball was snapped. “A lot can happen. All we really need right now is a—”
“Fumble!” Stacie was cut off by the announcer yelling into the mic. Bodies fell to the ground in a heap. The referee blew the whistle. The fans screamed. The coaches for both teams ran to the edge of the field, staring at the mound of players as if they could will their man to have possession of the ball. The ref started pulling guys from the dogpile, one by one, until finally he reached the bottom and signaled his hand toward our side of the field. One of our defensive linemen was cradling the ball like he was saving a baby from a collapsing building.
“We got it!” Stacie yelled, jumping up and down. “I can’t believe we got it!”
T
here was only forty-five seconds left to score and still twenty long yards. Roosevelt’s team sprinted into action, switching the defense for the offense. “Wait! Why aren’t we kicking a field goal?” I asked Stacie. “That’s all we need to win.” After four years of cheering, I’d learned a lot about football. But not as much as Stacie. She was really into it.
“Because our kicker sucks,” she replied. “Matt can’t hit the broad side of a barn unless he’s ten feet away. If he missed, Atherton would just run the clock down.”
The ball went into motion and the clock started. Rather than risking an interception, Nick ran three running plays, bringing us to first and goal. There were ten seconds on the clock. We had one chance left to score or the game would be over. The guys huddled up, and Nick spoke with his hands as he gave them instructions. Then everyone clapped and disbursed along the line of scrimmage.
“I think my heart’s going to leap out of my chest,” Stacie mumbled. I knew the feeling.
The center snapped, the clock started again, and the ball flew into Nick’s hands. He faked a handoff, and the tight end was tackled by a mass of players. Nick’s head whipped from side to side, looking for an open man. At the same time, one of Atherton’s guys rounded the pile from the right. “Watch out!” I screamed, even though I knew Nick couldn’t hear me.
Luckily, Nick saw the approach. With nobody open he charged forward to the left, barely escaping the lineman who’d lunged at him. But the player pileup was in the way, so he dove over the top and stretched out his arms. “Is it good?” Stacie asked, holding my hand with a death grip. “I can’t tell.”
The horn blew on the game clock, and the referee backed away from the pile. Then he threw both arms up in the air. “It’s good!” Stacie screamed. The whole cheer team started jumping up and down, shaking their pom-poms and yelling at the top of their lungs. The football team tackled Nick in celebration, while Atherton slunk off the field with their heads hanging.
The guys lined up on the fifty-yard line and shook hands before going back to the bench, at which point they snuck up behind Nick and dumped the water cooler on him. I laughed. “You’d think they won the state championship tonight.”
Stacie gripped my shoulder. “They’re one step closer now. This game was pivotal. Without the win against Atherton, we might have been out of the running.”
While the players were celebrating, the girls and I started packing our bags. I saw Nick trotting over to us from the corner of my eye, so I set my stuff down and walked toward him. He met me in the middle. Without hesitating, he plucked me off the ground and into his arms. He was wet and cold from the ice water, but I melted against him anyway.
Nick swung me around in a circle before setting me back on the track. The team rushed him, much like the football players had, and enveloped him in a giant group hug. The praise and congratulations flew left and right. I stepped back to let him enjoy his moment of glory. After all, it wasn’t every day that a cheerleader got to be the hero. It felt like a modern fairy tale.
It was that moment when I realized I wouldn’t be able to stop liking Nick, no matter how hard I tried. In fact, I liked him more each day. Not just because he was tall and muscly and hot, but because he gave me a special feeling that no other boy ever had. When Cole broke up with me, I’d gotten over it quickly. But if Nick ever walked out of my life, I think it’d destroy me.
“Mia,” someone called my name. I turned around to see Ross about twenty feet away. His shoulders were slumped, and his hands were in his pockets. His eyes were red and bloodshot, as if he’d recently been crying. I looked over my shoulder. Nick was still getting hounded, now by his parents and a few fans, too, so I walked over to see what was wrong with Ross. “You guys looked good tonight,” he said, sounding sad. “I just wanted you to know that.”
“Thanks. You look miserable. Is everything okay?” I asked. Ross and I weren’t really friends, but how could I ignore someone who appeared so distraught?
“It’s been a rough day. My dog died this morning. We’ve had him since I was little. He was old and sick, so I knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Oh, Ross. I’m so sorry.” Instinctively, I leaned in to hug him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and sagged against me. I waited a second before pulling away. I felt horrible for him, but I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. “Why are you at a football game? I think I’d be at home crying right now.”
He gave me a wan smile. “I already did that, pretty much all day. My parents thought it would be good to get out, but I didn’t feel like being with a lot of people. So, I drove here by myself, hoping the game would be a decent distraction.”
“At least you caught an exciting one. I’m sure half the school will be bummed that they missed it. I bet it even gets local news coverage.”
He jerked his head toward Nick. “Moody really stepped it up tonight.”
I looked back at him and smiled. “Yeah, he was pretty amazing.” It came out sounding more wistful than I’d intended, but I couldn’t help it.
“So…are you guys, like, a thing now?”
His question caught me off guard. “Me and Nick? Oh, no. We’re just friends,” I replied anxiously, embarrassed, because to me it sounded obvious that I wanted more.
Ross didn’t hear it and took my quick denial the wrong way. “I figured you two might be dating or something, since you’re always together and he’s taking you to Homecoming.” He paused. “But since you’re not, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me?”
“Right now?” I asked.
“Yeah. I know it’s kind of late, but I don’t feel like going home, and I really don’t want to be alone. My friends wouldn’t understand. They’re all insensitive pricks.” He looked at me with weepy, hopeful eyes.
“Oh…uh, I don’t think I can,” I stammered. “My parents aren’t here, so I have to ride home on the bus.” I gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Ross replied. He looked at the ground and kicked the rubber on the track with the tip of his toe. “Maybe another time.” He turned and started walking back to the stands.
I felt rotten, like the worst kind of jerk. Ross was manipulative, cocky, and kind of awful most of the time. Normally, I wouldn’t put it past him to make up a lie like this so he could guilt me into a date. But I didn’t think he was that good of an actor, and right now he seemed truly devastated. If my friends were like his, I wouldn’t want to confide in them, either.
My conscience was in a vise grip. It felt like the humanity was being crushed out of me, and I snapped. “Wait,” I called. He stopped in his tracks, and I jogged over to him. “How about breakfast tomorrow morning? If you still feel like talking, that is.”
He gave me a wry grin. “I’d like that.”
“One condition.” I held up my finger and glanced over at the team, who was back to packing up. “I’m not supposed to be dating right now, so this isn’t a date. And you can’t tell anyone that we went out, or I’ll get in trouble.” I knew I was being sneaky; however, Stacie had given no rules about going out with guys as friends.
I’d been out alone with Nick multiple times in the last two weeks, and she hadn’t complained. Of course, with Nick I really was cheating, because I wanted him to kiss me so bad that my lips hurt just thinking about it. But that was beside the point.
“Keep it a secret, huh? I think I can manage that.”
“Where should we meet?” I asked.
“How about I pick you up at your place around seven-thirty? Is that too early?” His voice was sounding more chipper. Maybe a little too chipper. But even if he’d played me just now, I’d already said yes, and I couldn’t take it back.
“No, that’s fine.”
“Mia!” Cassidy yelled. “Stop flirting, and get over here. The bus leaves in five minutes.” Ross smirked at her choice of phrasing. I cringed, knowing he’d read into it.
“I’ve got to go,” I said, back
ing away.
He gave me a big smile, one that made him look much less upset than he looked three minutes ago. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.
“Yep,” I answered, then rushed back to my team.
We got on the bus before the football players. Stacie and I sat in the same seat we had on the way over, except this time I was on the aisle. When the boys started filing in, I was surprised to see Nick standing in front of Sean. Nick took the place behind us, but Sean stopped at our seat.
He nodded at me. “Trade me spots?”
Stacie gave him a questioning look, but I got up immediately and moved back to sit with Nick. I didn’t need to be asked twice. “What’s that all I about?” I asked him in a low voice.
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “But knowing Sean, he’s up to no good.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t ride home with your parents.”
Nick shrugged. “They offered, but I wanted to come back with you.” You meaning me? Or you as in all of us? I wished he’d be clearer.
By the time the bus pulled out, it was almost too loud to hear myself think. People were busy talking about the game, or Cole, or Homecoming. “How do you feel about tonight?” I asked.
“Weird,” he admitted. “I’ve never played in that much of a game before. And this one actually counted for something. It was kind of a rush.”
I chuckled. “Well, you were awesome. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ask you to stay on the team.”
Nick shook his head. “I told my grandpa it was a one-time thing, and I meant it.”
“I’d understand if you wanted to go back,” I replied, feeling suddenly shy. Thank the stars it was dark, because my face flushed. I looked down at my lap. I meant to say we’d understand, but it came out wrong.
Nick nudged me. I could feel his eyes, boring into my soul, fueling my passion. “Maybe I don’t want to go back.” His voice was tender. I stilled, and a heavy silence fell between us. Then he surprised me by reaching out and tipping my chin up until our eyes met. “Unless you want me to?”
One of the Girls (Friendzone #1) Page 18