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There was no time to consider if any of this was necessary—surely the team had rehydrated on the bus—but I followed the instructions and dashed toward the gym. The sound of blaring trumpets indicated the team must be close. I unlocked the door, and pulled on the cart, bumping my elbow against the wall. A sharp tingly pain reverberated up my arm but I blocked it out as I dragged the cart out. I slipped the keys into my pocket and raced back out.
“Great work,” Mrs. Faris said as she watched me load the cartons on by myself. Infuriated wasn’t a strong enough word, and then she had the audacity to say, “You can take them over to the team.”
I huffed. Seemed my Water Girl duties weren’t done yet!
But hey,I had a sudden thought,at least it would give me a reason to get close to Cullen!I pulled my cart with a lot more vigor.
All the speeches were short and sweet, thank goodness. Principal Porter and Mr. Hurcaz, the Director of Sport spoke about the historic victory. Coach Mercer praised the team and their families for their commitment, and Cullen’s voice was hoarse as he thanked ‘everybody’ for all the support. Just as he was about to hand the mic over to Skyler, he snatched it back and said, “Wait up.” The crowd laughed, but Cullen’s eyes landed on me.
“Ah, you know I’ve talked too much already, but I do want to mention a few individuals who help the team a lot. We’ve got Millie and Phoenix who have been doing our vlogs, they’ve been awesome, and we’ve got Sierra and Jimmy and Martha who do our water. Thanks a bunch, you guys are vital.” His gaze pierced right to my inner core, sending me giddy. “And...also, just want to say thank you to Mom for everything you do.” There was a ripple of laughter as he sought out his mother, who waved back with both hands in the air. “Love you, Mom.” And he pounded his chest.
That moment affected me as much as the long, lingering gaze he’d given me. Acknowledging and proclaiming his gratitude to his mother in public was about the sweetest thing I’d heard.
A cheer, a song, a burst of confetti and fireworks ended the evening. No longer annoyed at having to do the drinks cart, I held up a bottle to entice Cullen over.
“Still working?” Cullen teased.
I smiled, longing to hug him, but settling for a high five instead. There were too many people around and he knew it.
“Congrats! You were amazing.”
“The team was amazing,” Cullen replied humbly, “and that includes you. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
I kind of doubted that, but my heart fluttered and before I could reply, Vice Principal Hayman butted in. Cullen flashed me a sympathetic smile as he was whisked away.
With the crowd dispersing and the drinks cart almost depleted, I made the executive decision that I would put it away. The boys were no longer drinking but shaking and spraying the soda cans around. Considering that they were dressed in their uniforms, I imagined there would be a few cross parents around. But that would have been the last thing on the boys’ minds.
“Hey, Sierra.” At the sound of my name, I turned to see Red coming toward me. “Hey, want a hand with that?” A few damp strands of hair plastered his forehead, but his clothing was relatively unscathed from the soda cans.
“I should be okay,” I said. I was intending to dump the cart back in the room and lock the door. The leftover drinks could be sorted tomorrow.
Red didn’t seem to hear, grabbing the handle right next to my hand. “Wow, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “Can you believe it? State champions!”
“I know. It’s incredible. It’s a dream come true, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. And we get to do it all again next year,” Red said.
“True,” I said with a heavy heart, realizing that this had been Sawyer’s last high school football game—ever. I hadn’t even given a thought about carrying on with Water Girl duties next year. Probably I would because I loved the game so much, but it would be different without Sawyer, Cullen and Tennessee. “Uh, you played great today.”
“Thanks,” Red said, his grin widening. “Must’ve been due to you. Making sure I had enough to drink.”
“Hardly,” I said with a nonchalant shrug.
“No, really, I appreciate everything you do. You’re great.”
“Well, you do tend to forget to drink,” I said, downplaying my role.
“Here, let me.” Red jogged ahead to open the door, and I rotated the cart to make it easier to pull in. “You’ll be at the Country Club tomorrow night?”
“I hope so,” I said. There was already talk that a celebration dinner had been planned for the team, as well as a special assembly at school on Monday. I positioned the cart next to the wall and pressed down on the brake.
“I hope so too,” Red said, taking me by surprise as he stepped so close that his spearmint breath drifted over me. He leaned one hand against the wall above me, essentially blocking my exit. “In fact, I’ll take you.”
His brash tone sent a ripple of unease through me. “Excuse me?” I uttered, wondering how I’d gotten myself into this situation, a moment ago chatting about the championship title to him hovering over me. At six three, Red was a mountain.
“C’mon, Sierra, you don’t have to play games with me,” he said, puckering his lips and raising his eyebrows with cockiness. “We’ll go together, you and me.”
“You and me?” I repeated his words like an echo, his self-inflated ego stripping me of my usual pleasant demeanor. “You and me?” I didn’t even try to disguise my disbelief or disgust at his stunning arrogance..
