Trevor looked mesmerized at the fact that a cheerleader knew his name, much less that he existed. “Uh—yeah, totally.”
“Thanks, Trevor!” Courtney waved at him, and he started walking off, clearly still under her spell.
Then Julie and Zoey showed up. “We’re here for our shift,” Julie said.
I scoffed. “You guys have shifts? Why don’t I have a shift?”
Lindsay stepped away from the table and linked her arm with mine. “You’ve got more important things to worry about. Like working with Mia to lead us to a win at nationals. Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”
It was true. I did have to work with Mia and Coach Davis on our routine.
Courtney held onto my other arm, and together, the twins led me back to our usual table. “Let’s have lunch. We still have a few minutes before the bell rings.”
For once in my life, I had no words.
There were four chicken salads already waiting for us. I looked at the plastic bags they came in. “These aren’t from the cafeteria.”
Courtney sat down next to me. “One of the senior football players grabbed them for us. We saved one for Mia.”
“Thanks,” I said, although I wasn’t sure who else I should be thanking. “Um, I’ll be right back.”
I got up and crossed the cafeteria. After spotting Ella and the others, I sat down beside them. They each held up a brownie.
“Hand-delivered,” Ella said.
They smiled but looked like they wanted to laugh.
“Sorry, guys. I know it’s all too much, but you know us cheerleaders. Tons of school spirit.” I gave a half-hearted fist pump and then leaned in. “I honestly can’t wait until this is over.”
“Just wait, though,” Rey said, unwrapping her brownie. “You’re gonna look spectacular up there with that sparkling tiara and a long, form-fitting dress…”
Lena almost jumped out of her seat. “Tell me we’re shopping together.”
Harper raised her hand. “I’m in.”
“Count me in too,” I said.
Ella pulled out her phone. “I saved some of the cutest dresses last night.”
Harper scooted toward her. “I want to see!”
“Have a bite,” Lena said, handing me her brownie. “It’s delicious.”
I broke off a piece. It didn’t have walnuts like I liked, but it was pretty darn good. I stood up. “Thanks. It’s good. But I should go. I haven’t eaten yet.”
A girl at the next table waved. “Thanks for the free brownie, Tori,” she called.
I smiled and waved back. I had to hand it to the squad. When they set their minds to something, they sure knew how to make a splash.
On my way back, I passed Noah, who had a soda in his hand. “No brownie?” I teased.
He winked. “I can’t be bought.”
Then I saw the brownie he had stuffed in his pocket. He looked down and smiled back up at me. “That’s for Emma. She loves brownies.”
“Uh huh,” I said with a laugh, already walking away.
Nationals was in three weeks, and Coach Davis wanted to take our routine to the next level. Bigger stunts, bolder moves. So we could bring a trophy home.
My life morphed from super packed to overwhelmed.
Except for a few minutes at lunch and some texting, I didn’t talk to Ella, Harper, Rey, or Lena much.
My life was cheer. Always had been, but now more than ever.
Meanwhile, my mom had the eyes on the prize too. Not only did she watch what I ate like a hawk, she came by and watched us practice at least once a week, discussing our routine and how to improve with Coach Davis.
I loved cheer, but it was like a giant amoeba swallowing me whole. And I wanted my life back.
Not to mention, I missed the time with the rest of my friends. Our constant texts back and forth turned into me struggling to find the time to read theirs. We only had time to talk in class.
In American Lit, I teamed up with Harper on a poster project. Our job was to analyze chapters five through eight of the new book we were reading and present it to the class.
“Maybe we could make a diorama to go with our poster. Show an important scene,” Harper said, looking down at the rubric.
I rested my cheek on my hand. “A diorama? Don’t fourth graders make those?”
She smiled. “I bet Ms. Holloway would give us points for creativity.”
I sighed. “Sounds like extra work to me. And right now, I don’t have time for extra work. Sorry slash not sorry.”
Harper shook her head but laughed. “We’ll figure this out. We have a week.”
“I’m just glad she’s letting us use class time for this project,” I said, resting my head on my desk and closing my eyes for a few seconds.
My lungs filled with air, and I tried to relax and pretend I was at home in my head taking a much-needed nap.
“That tired, huh?” Harper said.
“Uh huh,” I barely responded.
“I never really did sports or extracurriculars. My mom always had to work. I’ve always had the opposite problem. Too much free time and being bored every day after school, not to mention the weekends.”
I breathed in slowly and deeply. “What are weekends?” Sleeping in on Saturday mornings seemed a thing of the long distant past.
Harper giggled but let me have a few precious moments of rest amidst the buzz around us.
A sound near me caught my attention, and my eyes automatically opened.
Noah was just a few feet away, sitting at a desk with the project rubric in his hand. Our eyes met for a split second, and he smiled.
I smiled back and sat up, pressing my fingers to my temples, wishing the headache from lack of sleep would go away.
A small piece of paper landed on my desk, and Noah walked past me looking none the wiser. Harper continued looking for something, so I carefully opened Noah’s note.
You okay? Not enough beauty sleep last night?
I glanced up at him, a hint of a smile playing on my lips, but he was already talking to his partner.
Harper sat back up, a notebook in her hand. “I’m going to make a list of quotes we can use for our project.”
I nodded, hardly listening.
Then I picked up my phone and found Noah’s contact info.
Tori: No, not nearly enough. Need. Coffee.
After the message sent, I helped Harper look for quotes, and I waited for my phone to buzz with a response from Noah.
Thirteen
On my way to the gym the next day, my phone buzzed. It buzzed a lot.
Noah: Can you talk?
Noah: Are you at cheer practice yet?
Noah: I have a big favor to ask, and no one else can help.
Noah: …
I stopped amid the bustle of students talking and laughing as they strolled to their cars. This definitely wasn’t the banter from yesterday.
Tori: What is it? Everything okay?
Noah: Emma’s school called. My mom never picked her up from after school. She was supposed to. I need to be there ASAP.
Tori: Where are you?
Noah: I’ll meet you. Where’s your car?
Luckily, Emma’s elementary school was only a few minutes from the high school. I hurried to my car where Noah was already waiting. We got in without talking.
Noah buckled up and looked at me. “I really appreciate it. I didn’t know who else to ask.”
“I’m glad you did,” I said.
I sent a message to Mia and Coach Davis, letting them know I’d be at practice as soon as possible, that there was a small family emergency. It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it was true on some level.
“She had to stay after to work on a project. My mom never showed. It’s already happened a couple times, and the principal threatened to call CPS if it happens again.”
I glanced at him as I pulled out of my parking space. “Is your mom stuck at work?”
He looked down then outside. “It’s…complicated.
She’s not always around.”
I kept my eyes forward. “Oh. Sorry.”
His voice sounded strained. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Is that why he’d picked up that makeshift dinner the other day?
I glanced at him. “Maybe she had to work late?”
He nodded but didn’t say much else.
We pulled into the school, and before I could put the car in park or take my seat belt off, Noah was already out of the car.
I caught up to him, and we walked in together. The front office was just inside the school, and we found Emma already waiting for us. She got up as soon as she saw us, a slightly dirty Disney Princesses book bag beside her. “Noah! You came.”
He hugged her right away, but my eyes turned to the secretary behind the front desk.
She stared back at me with an annoyed expression. “If she’s not picked up on time again, I’ll have to report it to the school resource officer.”
I nodded. “It won’t happen again.”
Noah glanced in her direction before picking up Emma’s book bag, and we walked out of there.
“Thanks again,” he said quietly, his arm around Emma.
I smiled, looking down at Emma and pinching her cheek. “Not a problem. Should we get you guys home?”
Emma climbed into my car. “Noah, I’m hungry.”
“We’ll find something to eat at home, nugget,” he said.
A few minutes later, we pulled into his gravel driveway, but there was already an older-looking car parked there.
“Your mom?” I asked, looking at Noah.
He stared out the window and said, “I think so. I’ll be right back. Wait here, Emma.”
He got out, closing the door behind him and taking long strides until he reached the porch. The front door closed behind him.
I checked the time on my phone. Mia had responded OK and then asked if I was almost at the school. I tapped out a message, letting her know I was almost there.
When I looked up, Noah was on his way back to my car, something like anger on his face. He opened the car door, but didn’t say anything for several seconds, his eyes cast down.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Isn’t your mom home?”
He finally looked at me before glancing quickly at Emma.
Understanding that he didn’t want to talk about this in front of her, I got out the car and walked toward him.
He blinked several times, looking anywhere but at me. “That’s my mom’s car. She’s home…but she has a friend over. A boyfriend. And he’s not good news. Honestly, neither is she right now.” He wouldn’t look at me as he said it, and I could tell how hard this was for him. “I just don’t want to take Emma in there.”
I took another step toward him. “You don’t have to say anything else. Why don’t you guys hang out at my house?”
He glanced this way and that, and I could tell he was debating whether he should just take Emma inside and risk exposing her to whatever was going on or listen to me.
“Is it drugs?” I asked quietly.
He took a deep breath and finally nodded. “She’s an addict. I can’t tell you how many times she’s tried to get clean and then…this. It’s why we had to move here. We got kicked out of our last place.”
I bit my lip, not able to imagine how he was feeling right now. Touching his arm, I said, “We don’t have to talk about it. Let’s just go to my house, and we can find something to eat there.”
“But your parents—”
“Aren’t home tonight anyways. They’re out of town,” I finished for him. “Come on.”
Emma took off her seatbelt and stood between us as we pulled into my driveway. “Whoa, that’s a big house. Is it a mansion?” she asked.
Noah ruffled her hair, and I laughed. “No, it’s not a mansion.”
We got out of the car. Noah unglued his eyes from my house and looked at me. “Are you sure this is okay? We can go somewhere else…”
But we both knew they didn’t really have anywhere else to go.
“It’ll be fun,” I said, leading them toward the front door.
Emma and Noah looked around the living room and toward the kitchen and dining room and then toward the wide staircase that led upstairs.
My phone buzzed with another message from Mia.
“I have to get back to practice for another hour or two, but when I get back, we’ll figure out dinner. Maybe we can order in. You like Chinese, Emma?”
She nodded. “I love it!”
“Good,” I said. “For now, feel free to grab some snacks from the fridge. I’ll be back soon, and so will my little sister. You’ll love her.” I handed Emma the TV remote. “Here. Have fun.”
I turned to Noah as Emma sat down on the couch and immediately turned it on. “I have to go. Text me if you need anything?”
He nodded. “I don’t know what to say. Are you sure your parents won’t be home?”
“Yes, for the millionth time. They’re out of town for one of my dad’s business conferences. Or one of my mom’s events or something. I’ll be back by eight.”
I made it to practice, and no one said a word. Several of the girls gave me a quick glance.
Mia came over. “Everything okay?”
Nodding, I said, “I’m good. Just had to take care of something for Isabelle. She didn’t have a ride to swim,” I whispered quickly and got into position.
Coach Davis didn’t say anything.
Which was a surprise.
Mia was one of my closest friends. I could have told her the truth, but with the rest of the squad nearby, it didn’t feel right. I’d tell her about Noah and Emma some other time.
I ignored the weird feeling in my stomach and focused on nailing our routine for Saturday.
By the time I made it back home, Isabelle was getting dropped off from swim practice. Her friend’s mom usually gave her a ride. We walked to the front porch together. We each carried gym bags on our shoulders and wore light athletic jackets. I realized she looked just like a mini version of me, and again, my chest tightened.
Before we walked in, I stopped her. “Listen, I have some friends over, okay? They might spend the night,” I said.
“Is it girls from the cheer squad? Because I want to do makeovers like last time!”
“Um, no, it’s not them,” I said. “And you have to promise not to tell Mom and Dad, okay?”
Isabella’s eyes widened, but she nodded. “I won’t tell. Promise.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Great. And if you’re good and make friends, I’ll let you guys play with my makeup.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she opened her mouth to ask me something, but I was already opening the front door. “We’re home,” I called.
Isabella walked in behind me, peering toward the living room.
Noah and Emma sat together on the couch with a bag of pretzels between them. Noah stood up, not sure where to look.
“This is my sister, Isabella. She does swimming,” I said. “Isabella, these are my friends, Noah and his little sister, Emma.”
Isabella blinked up at me. “Mom said you can’t have boys over without her permission!” she whisper shouted.
“Relax,” I told her, pulling her aside. “It’s not like that. He’s a friend from school, and they’re staying with us tonight.”
“Why?” she asked a little too loudly.
I kept my eyes on her, hoping I wasn’t being as loud as her. “I’ll explain later, okay? Go make friends with Emma. She’s in fifth grade too.”
“I know,” she replied. “She’s in Mrs. Hammond’s class.”
After a few awkward minutes, Emma and Isabella were laughing and joking together. They found they had something in common besides age and grade: older siblings they liked to poke fun at.
“Noah walks around in his boxers every morning. It’s so gross!” Emma said.
Both girls cackled like witches.
“At least you d
on’t have a big sister who looks like she got into a wrestling match with a bear in the morning.” Isabella shook her head and messed up her hair until it looked like her head had been through a tornado. “Like this!”
Noah struggled to keep a straight face, and I threw the roll of paper towels at him.
Emma and Isabelle burst out laughing, pointing at him. They were clearly hyper from the amount of sugar they’d consumed.
I walked over to the kitchen drawer containing our stash of takeout menus. “Chinese then? Fried rice?”
“With shrimp!” Isabella said. “Let us know when it’s here. We’re gonna go hang out in my room.” They were halfway gone before Isabella called from the stairs. “Can we borrow your makeup? We want to do makeovers!”
I turned to Noah, who shook his head but shrugged. “I knew this day was coming sooner or later, I guess.”
I chuckled. “Remember to put it back when you’re done! And do your homework!”
“’Kay!” Isabella called, her voice distant now.
I called in our order and then hung up the phone. “They said about thirty minutes, so I guess we wait.”
Noah brought his messenger bag over to the kitchen table. “Homework?”
I glanced at my own book bag full of assignments and groaned. “Do we have to?”
We grabbed our books and binders and settled down to finish our homework before dinner arrived. We had the same science worksheet to do, so he did the back, and I did the front.
I compared my answers with his. “Are you sure the answer for number three is supposed to be chemical? I thought cooking was a physical reaction.”
Noah didn’t look up from his homework. “Nope, that’s chemical. I remember.”
I pushed the science textbook toward him. “Prove it.”
He pulled out his computer. “Okay, I will.”
A quick Google search proved him right. I erased my answer, rolling my eyes at Noah’s smirk.
“What do you do on there all the time, anyway?” I asked. “Hacking or something?”
He chuckled. “Coding, hacking, gaming, and sometimes, paid jobs.”
The food arrived, and we all settled down to eat. The girls were hardly recognizable with their bright purple and pink eyeshadow, fake lashes, and bright red lipstick.
#LoveToHateThatBoy (#BestFriendsForever Book 2) Page 8