AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are we really staying?” Leah asks.
“You really wanna miss this?” I ask and use the hand not holding up the corner of the poncho shelter to point to the muddy mess of the field and then, something … good happens. “Oh, he’s … Cody’s—”
I jump to my feet, clapping and cheering as Cody runs the ball toward the end zone. When he makes a touchdown, everyone is on their feet, cheering. Well, except the cheerleaders.
“Get up!” I yell down to them. “Seriously! Get up!”
One of them flips me off.
I gasp, and then give her two as I yell, “Your sport is cheer, so freaking cheer!”
“You really should put them away,” comes from behind me, and I look back.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Might as well face the mortification of flipping him off earlier and make it mine. “I can’t control them. It’s instinctual.”
“So, I shouldn’t be offended about earlier?” His lips twist in a smirk, the one he used to give me from across the room at every party we ended up at the same time, and then it disappears, but not quick enough that I didn’t feel warmth beginning to build in my tummy.
“You should totally be offended,” Leah answers for me, not even knowing I flipped him off. I purposely didn’t tell her because I’m embarrassed by my action. I would have never done that last year… not sober anyway. “But not until after the game. I kind of like the shelter.”
Needing a break from … this, all of this, I ask Leah, “Bathroom?”
She digs in her pocket. “No, but grab me a water?”
“Sure,” I push away her wadded up cash, as I slide past her and hurry toward the stairs.
Turning the corner, I see Taya leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking around. The closer I get to her, the better I see she looks confused.
“Hey Taya.”
She looks at me, or rather right through me. Her eyes that were always like sunshine are … blank.
I place my hand on her wrist and give it a gentle squeeze. “You okay?”
She blinks a few times and gives a slight shake of her head. “Riley,” she sighs out.
“Are you okay?” I repeat, knowing she’s not, but truly get the feeling she doesn’t know it.
“I’m tired.”
“Been a long day.” I lean against the wall beside her.
“Not really,” she murmurs.
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I say nothing. But I don’t feel right walking away, even though I have to pee so badly I can’t stand it.
She turns and looks at me, eyes still void of emotion. “I was officially released from the team today.”
“I’m sorry, Taya.”
She turns her head and looks straight ahead. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right; I couldn’t possibly. I’m still sorry. It sucks.”
She just looks at me.
“Taya, I’m seriously going to piss my pants, but I want to stay with you, so come with me?”
