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I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "Last is okay. It means we get to scope out the competition first, and we’ll be fresh in the judges' brains when they’re working out awards. But it also means the girls will be tired."
"They’re teenagers, they will be fine, Cassie."
"You ladies want a coffee?" pipes up Kobe, clearly bored already.
"Thanks." I smile.
"Oh, how lovely are you? I would love one."
"Back in a second." He strolls off on the hunt for coffee, and Scarlet watches.
"Can you stop checking him out." I whack her arm, irritated.
"If you're going to bring man-candy along with you, you can't expect me not to look."
"I can expect you not to drool." I laugh.
She shrugs. "What's going on, anyway? I haven't been able to catch you alone since Monday, and you turning up with muscles, giving me some story about your car not working? I wasn't born yesterday."
"Then you probably know I can't tell you much at all."
"What can you tell me? I'm worried about you." She looks me over in a motherly way.
"I don't think there’s anything to worry about. I think Brandon is just being overly cautious after his accident last weekend, you know." I shrug, trying to calm her concern. I don't need another person fussing over me.
"No wonder you have been more stressed than usual this week."
I roll my eyes. "You have no idea. I'm living with him at the moment, and it's intense."
She looks at me, confused. "What, when did this happen?"
"Last weekend. I had a massive fight with my dad when he found out I was seeing Brandon, and I moved in with the boys. It's been an adjustment to say the least."
She looks to Kobe who is walking back toward us with our drinks. "As inthoseboys? You know who he is, right?"
"I'm aware now. A week ago, I had no clue." I narrow my eyes at her. "How do you know who he is?"
"I don't live under a rock. Honestly, I can see why your dad is worried. There is no way I would let Tilly anywhere near a Rivera or one of their friends when she's older."
"But you’re allowed to ogle him and chat with him? Double standards, mama."
"You can think a man is attractive but not go there. Every girl thinks she wants a bad boy, but the reality with guys like this one, they’re more dangerous than they are hot. And they’re f-ing hot," she whispers as he arrives in front of us. And maybe she is right about that, but not going there was never an option for me. Whether he was a bad boy or not, I didn't know any of this about him when I fell for him.
Four hours later, Scarlet and I holler and cheer as our team runs off the court after rocking their routine. They were unbelievably good. Better than even I could have anticipated.
Scarlet turns to me, grabbing my hands and shaking them. "Oh my God, Cassie!"
"I know!" I squeal. My heart is racing from the adrenaline. They have to win after that performance.
Our team gathers around us as we wait for the results to be shared with all the schools. "Girls, that was… I don't even have words for you. I'm so proud of all of you today. Every single one of you gave it 110%, and it showed."
"Miss Harper isn't just saying that,” Scarlet adds. “You were all unbelievable. Don't be disheartened if we don't place because you couldn't have done any better."
One of the three judges steps up to the podium, center stage, and my stomach churns with a fresh wave of anxiety for our cheer team. “Can everyone take their spots with their school, ready for the announcement of the placing schools,” he tells us all.
Excited energy swirls through the air, and as the judges start to read the places, I feel like I might actually be sick.
“And the school with the most points and today’s overall winner going through to state finals is Palm Springs High School."
