Perfect Touchdown

RYLEE

Isabelle and I gush about the party the following Monday as we leave our communications class and head toward the field for practice. We both still can’t get over Aiden’s reaction to how much she has changed, and I can’t get over hers to him.

They both stood there frozen, like deer caught in each other’s headlights, for a solid minute. During the game, they were so frazzled that it was mostly Avery and me doing the real playing. And for the rest of the night, neither of them could barely speak!

It was all just so cute.

“Can you believe he actually showed interest in me?” Isabelle says for the dozenth time. “I mean, I might be getting ahead of myself, but I feel like he kept staring at me the entire time.”

“You both were staring,” I correct her, and then I laugh. “Do you remember how he dropped his cup because of how much his hand was shaking? What a doofus! I think you legit made him nervous.”

“Do you really think so?” Isabelle beams.

“Totally! But, hey.” I stop and turn to her. “I feel the need to remind you what kind of guy Aiden is. He’s never taken relationships seriously, and from the looks of it, that hasn’t changed. If you’re looking for someone to get serious with, he won’t be your guy.”

She gives me the look of sadness I expect, but then she clears her throat and lifts her chin. “Who said anything about getting serious? I can have fun, keep things casual.” She winks and continues walking, flipping her hair in the breeze.

Oh boy.

It feels like I am about to witness a car wreck; Isabelle is not the type to “keep things casual.” But I warned her, so if she wants to try to convince herself otherwise, who am I to argue? Best to just go along with it.

Fake it till you make it, right?

“Well, well, well,” I say, jogging to her side. “Did that party makeup seep into your brain? I could get used to this new Isabelle.”

We laugh and joke all the way to the field, but once we step onto the grass, an angry-looking Leah comes stomping up to us. Her fiery-haired twin minions, Kinsley and Kendra Coleman, trail closely behind her.

“Do you know what time it is?” Leah spits at us. “You’re late for practice!”

Isabelle and I exchange a look, both knowing full well that we aren’t late. We both also know there is no point in arguing when the coach is standing within earshot behind them.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, girls,” one twin—I still can’t tell them apart—says, wagging a manicured finger at us. “You wanted to pledge Delta Phi, right? You’re going to have to do better than this.”

The other twin covers her mouth and releases an obnoxiously pitchy giggle. “Much better, or you won’t have a prayer of getting in.”

Then, in an obviously practiced move, all three twirl around and march back to the rest of the squad. I briefly wonder how long they worked on that, but then Coach blows her whistle, and Isabelle and I run to our positions.

Practice runs smoothly, and by the end, the coach is satisfied that we are almost ready for the game on Saturday. She releases us to go home, but just when we think we are free from Leah’s venom, Leah calls for an extended practice.

The coach says that she doesn’t want injuries, so if anyone wants to go home, they can. Then she adds that as long as someone else runs the practice, she doesn’t mind if we have it.

Leah, of course, volunteers.

And when Isabelle and I move to leave, Leah clears her throat and says she will see us at Delta Phi’s open house tomorrow, giving us a look that we know means we have to stay.

So we do, and Leah proceeds to put us through the most grueling cheer practice I have ever had—worse than cheer camp. My whole body is screaming by the end of it, and I can see the other girls are no better off.

“All right, everyone, gather around,” Leah says. “It’s time to work on our pyramid.”

AIDEN

“Hey, Reed, go long,” the assistant coach calls out, slapping the ball in his hand. “Porter, stay on him.”

I run down the field and swivel my head back as he launches the ball. Jake rushes at me from the side, coming to block the pass or tackle me. The throw is high, so I jump, focusing first on securing the catch and then on tucking and protecting the ball.

Because I know that after Jake slams into me, I need to be maintaining possession, or I won’t be playing in the game this weekend.

With a grunt and a thud, Jake brings me down hard onto my shoulder, knocking the breath clean out of me. But I don’t care about that; I care about the ball tucked between my stomach, knees, and arms as I lie in the fetal position.

After Jake stands, I uncurl and raise the ball in the air. My teammates cheer, and the coach lets off his whistle to signal the end of practice.

“Well done, Reed! You too, Porter,” Coach says. “Now hit the showers.”

Holding out a hand, Jake helps me up. I throw my helmet off, and the breeze hits my sweat-soaked face. He gives me a solid pat on the back followed by a nod, and we walk over to the benches.

“So, Reed, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” Jake sets down his helmet.

I grab a water bottle and dump it over my head. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“That girl you were with at the party, is she a friend of yours…or something?” Jake averts his gaze, and I suspect that if he weren’t flushed from practice, he would be blushing.

A smile crosses my face. “The girl I was with in the chapter room?” After he confirms it, I continue, “Yeah, man, she’s a friend. Rylee. Actually, she’s Parks’s younger sister”— I nod toward Avery as he walks away—“practically my younger sister too.”

In an effort to make him squirm, I stand to my full height, puff out my chest, and step closer to him. “Why, Porter? What did you want to know about her?”

Jake shrinks, and I can’t help but smirk. With downcast eyes, he asks, “Well, is she seeing anyone?”

“I don’t know, man. You’ll have to ask her. But I assume I don’t need to give you the whole speech about if you hurt her, you better know what’s coming to you, right?”

He punches me in the shoulder. “Fuck off. You know I’m nothing like you.”

“Yeah, well, you better not be.” I grab my helmet and look over to where the cheerleaders are forming the base of a pyramid.

After clearing his throat, Jake says, “You said you see her like a sister… Are you sure that’s all you see her as?”

I scoff. “I’m struggling to even see her as the grown-up woman she is now.” I spot her in the crowd, noticing her curves for the first time. “I just care about her, you know? I don’t want her to experience anything bad, especially from someone I’m close to.”

“All right, I hear you, man. Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t stepping on your toes.”

“Nah. I’ve got my eye on someone else. Rylee’s friend Isabelle.” My gaze drifts over to her as she climbs up her teammates. “She used to be shy and nerdy. Should be an easy catch.”

Jake clicks his tongue. “Sounds risky. I don’t think you can just hit and quit a sister’s close friend. Could get messy. Feelings could get involved, and you wouldn’t want that.” He knocks shoulders with me and chuckles. “Come on, let’s go.”

Just as Rylee reaches the top of the pyramid, I turn toward Jake and head off the field. “Yeah, you may be ri—”

A bloodcurdling scream pierces the air, jolting me to a stop. I whirl around in time to see the pyramid collapse, my heart pounding as bodies tumble to the ground.

The girls!