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“Who? Me?” Sawyer said in a fake southern-belle accent.
“Yeah, you,” Cullen said, and stroking the side of my hair softly whispered, “And you.”
“What? Now?” I asked, looking to Sawyer to confirm that this indeed was okay, that the three of us were going on an impromptu date.
“Yeah, now,” Cullen said. “Let’s make this the best day ever. I haven’t had ice cream for...I don’t know how long...four months, maybe.”
“Okay, let’s go for ice cream,” I said, smiling like a crazy person as I walked down the hallway flanked by Sawyer and Cullen.
It was all surreal, the already perfect day about to get better. And then suddenly I was being lifted up, my legs flailing in mid-air, squealing and laughing. But it was the best feeling in the world, my heart bursting with joy as I was being carried out by my two favorite boys in the world—my brother and my...new boyfriend.
Chapter 19
Cullen
The memory of the gamewas now a blur, passes, catches, tackles, touchdowns. Right now I couldn’t remember any of it, but tomorrow I’d go through a play-by-play with Dad and every detail would be recalled.
For now, I was in a state of euphoria, state champions, the job done. There had been a flurry of interviews, and all I could hope was that I didn’t cringe in embarrassment when I saw them. Maybe it would be better not to watch them.
Waiting for the last seconds of the clock to run out had seemed like an eternity, but raising the trophy had been like a dream come true. The reward.
In the excitement of it all, I’d taken a minute to rush over to Granddad and Nana Nat, grateful that he’d been well enough to make the journey to Falls Creek. As he hugged me, I realized the dream had belonged to all of us, the whole school, the whole town.
It was on the ride back that I had a moment to reflect. You see, in amongst the celebration, I’d only seen Sierra in the group hug but she hadn’t been beside me. And now, more than anything, I wanted to be with her.
We’d been warned that back at school there would be a welcome and that I would have to make another speech. My voice was croaky from so much talking already, and I wasn’t sure I could think of anything original to say. I was rehashing the same lines and sentiments over and over: We’d trained hard all season, this was our reward, we’d believed in ourselves, we made a statement in today’s game and got the job done.
I was surprised by the large crowd that turned out at school, the band and cheer team putting on a show which I guessed they weren’t sure they’d be performing. If we’d lost, would we have all just gone straight home?
Dad pulled me aside as I disembarked from the bus, his fierce embrace conveying how proud he was. I held the trophy aloft for all to see. It was a strange feeling. I loved it, because I loved the fact that the team had won, but I wasn’t fulfilled, I wasn’t satisfied. There was something missing. Something that a state championship couldn’t deliver.
And that was sharing all of this with Sierra Huntington.
I had to speak to Sawyer as soon as possible. Like I was living back in the 18th century, I was going to ask if it was okay to date Sierra. I dreaded it with all my heart. Because I had no idea what I’d do if I had to choose between my best friend and the girl I wanted to be my girlfriend. It was a possibility I didn’t want to entertain.
When Dad was speaking into the microphone, my darting eyes spotted Sierra. She was next to her water cart which surprised me. Strange that she was doing Water Girl duties at the celebration. We only had a moment together before I was swept away for more handshakes from school dignitaries.
