Page 203 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

I look at her. “Maybe I’m just wondering where she is.”

Phoebe smiles. “Like I said, she’ll be here.”

I roll my eyes and look back toward the entrance.

Tessa has to be here soon. She’s singing the National Anthem, and the game can’t start until that happens. But the truth is, she would rather play an entire field hockey game with a fractured ankle than admit she’s in any sort of pain.

After everything that happened with Lucas, I wouldn’t blame her if she just said screw it tonight.

I glance toward the field and then back toward the announcer’s booth.

“Maybe she got caught up getting ready,” Becca says.

“Maybe.”

Phoebe nudges me. “You know what I think?”

“That’s always dangerous.”

“I think she’s going to walk in here looking absolutely fucking gorgeous, and you’re going to tell her so approximately forty-seven times.”

“Only forty-seven?”

Phoebe laughs.

I smile, but my eyes stay on the entrance, waiting to see her walk out there, straighten her shoulders, lift her chin, and walk out onto that field and blow them away.

The music starts, and I look toward the field again. There she is.

“Finally,” I whisper.

Tessa walks onto the field, and for half a second, I forget everything else.

She looks nervous. Not enough for anyone else to notice, probably. But I notice. I always notice. She looks up toward the stands, and when she finds us, I smile and wave.

Her shoulders relax a little. There. That's all she needed. She isn't alone. She never will be. She has us.

She nails it! We all stand up and scream and cheer for her!

The music fades, and Cody, our student announcer, steps back up to the microphone.

“Thank you, Tessa Ross.”

The crowd erupts again, and Tessa gives a little wave before turning toward the sideline.

Toby Green steps onto the field, and I smile when I see him. He used to live in Blue Valley. He worked at the farm a lot when we were little. His parents are very nice, and I bet they’re happy to have him home.

He’s still wearing that same easy grin he always has, the one that makes half the girls in town swoon and the other half pretend they don’t.

I glance at Becca and wag my eyebrows; she rolls her eyes. “Oh please, as if he wasn’t always the knight in shining armor in your fantasies.”

“He was everyone’s,” she says, shrugging.

After Cody announces him, he takes the mic. “Thank you, Cody.” The crowd cheers again. “Now, let’s get this Homecoming game started.” He pauses, looking around the stands. “Oh right, first, we have a little business to take care of.”

The crowd gets louder. Homecoming court. I glance at Phoebe and Becca, and we all roll our eyes at the same time.

“Oh, here we go,” Phoebe says.