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Any of it.
I just want to survive the day, go back to my dorm room, and do it all over again tomorrow. But as I round the corner, Miss Jones spots me.
“Hadley, my office.”
Ugh.
This is the last thing I need, but I know if I try to evade her, it’ll only make it worse in the long run. I keep my head down as I follow her down the hall and out of the other door, toward the gym. A couple of girls shoot me a scathing look as I enter the locker room, but I let it roll off my back.
I have bigger things to worry about.
“Come in,” she says, dropping into her chair.
Closing the door, I take a seat. “What’s up, Miss J?” My smile feels all wrong.
“I could ask you the same thing. You’ve missed practice all week.”
“I told you, I pulled a muscle.”
“I know. But I see things, Hadley. I hear things. Something is off with you, and I’m worried it has to do with Cole Jagger.”
“It doesn’t,” I blurt out.
Her brow lifts. “I haven’t seen the two of you together since Monday. And then you missed school Tuesday and Wednesday. If something happened with—”
“It didn’t. I was sick Tuesday and Wednesday. Really sick. I think it was bad chicken from that diner downtown.”
“And now you’ve pulled a muscle?”
“I’m sorry, Miss J, I just haven’t been feeling one hundred percent, so I didn’t want to do more harm than good.”
“I’m glad you took the initiative to give yourself some time to recuperate. But I get the feeling you’re not telling me the whole story.”
This is my chance. But I’m not sure how she’ll take the news that I want to quit the team. It was part of my terms of enrolment here—I would join the cheer team so Miss Jones could keep an eye on me, and my parents could ease whatever sliver of guilt they had over shipping me off to a new town.
Taking a deep breath, I choose my next words carefully. “Since it’s senior year and I want to focus on my future, I think I should prioritize my classes.”
She steeples her fingers, leaning forward slightly. “What are you saying?”
“I want to quit the team.”
“Hadley, that’s not—”
“Look, I know you promised my parents that you’d keep an eye on me. And you still can. We both know my heart isn’t in cheer. The girls don’t like me, they tolerate me at best. And to be honest, I’m struggling to keep on top of everything.” I throw that last line in, hoping she’ll feel sympathetic toward me.
“How long have you felt like this?”
“I never wanted to join the team, Miss J. It’s nothing personal, but cheer was part of my old life, in Gravestone.”
“I see.” She studies me. “Your father won’t—”
“My father isn’t here,” I hiss, immediately lowering my voice. “Sorry, it’s just a sore subject. I’m eighteen, shouldn’t I be allowed to make some of my own decisions? I’ve followed the rules, I’ve tried really hard to—”
“Okay, okay.” She holds up her hands. “I get it, I do. I know your parents can be difficult...”
That is an understatement.
“They just wanted to know you were happy here.”
