Chapter twenty-three

“All right,” Coach Phillips says as we stand behind the curtain, ready to go on. The emcee is just congratulating the last team and beginning to introduce us. “Remember, this is for charity, okay? I want you to go out there, and I want you to give it your all because even though this competition is for charity, it’s still a competition. You’re still Flora Vista. You can do this.”

“Yes, Coach!” we chant.

“Good, get out there. Have fun. Nail it.”

We run onto the big blue mat, and I can’t help scanning the audience for Ryder and my dads. I see them four rows up. Right at the front. Standing and cheering for us. I love it when people cheer for the cheerleaders. I’ve seen Ryder standing with them at countless competitions and games, but knowing he’s there for me and not just Kait makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It pumps me up so much. I know in my bones we will win this competition.

We get into our formation. I take a deep breath and let it out.

“We got this,” screams Kait as the music kicks in.

My legs move on muscle memory.

We toss Perry into the air as he does a rollover and then lands in a bucket drop.

As I hoist him, the music cuts out. Shit. We know the routine, but we need the beat count to keep us all in sync.

Kait starts counting loudly, and we all copy her. The cheerleaders that stayed out here to watch other performances start to join in. Then the audience gets involved, and before I know it, the whole stadium is counting with us as we go through our whole cheer routine. Not one fucking step wrong. We are absolutely flawless, ending in a giant pyramid.

I look out at the crowd from my spot at the base. I see Ryder and my dads counting at the top of their lungs and clapping along.

People may give cheerleaders a lot of shit from what they see in TV shows and movies, but that’s not real life. I mean, yeah, I’m sure you can get the odd bitchy cheerleader, just like you can get bitchy anyone, but cheerleaders have a community. Just because our football teams may have rivals doesn’t mean we do. We encourage and support each other, and I think today just proves that.

As soon as we dismount, Sammy going first as she’s at the top of the pyramid, we all embrace in a giant group hug. The emcee comes on.

“That was amazing. Congratulations, Flora Vista, for doing so well under such difficult circumstances. And thank you for helping them. This is what cheerleading is all about. And this is what the LGBTQ+ charity is all about. Helping each other out, supporting each other. You’ve been amazing. Let’s give them a huge round of applause.”

We wave to the crowd, and I get a wink from Ryder as we head out back. Coach Phillips is waiting for us.

“Holy fuck, you guys were amazing out there,” she says, looking stunned.

“Coach, I’ve never heard you swear before,” Liz says, laughing.

“Hey, if any time is the time to swear, it’s now.” She looks at all of us seriously. “Your music went down, and you still killed that performance. I am incredibly proud of all of you.”

We’re the last performance, so luckily, we don’t have to wait long to hear the result.

“The winner of the Rainbow Dreams Cheerleading Championship is Flora Vista University.” The crowd erupts, and I’m engulfed in a Gio-and-Perry sandwich. “FVU and all the amazing squads have helped us raise twenty-seven thousand four hundred and twenty-three dollars to help queer kids fund their educational and vocational needs.”

We did it.

I never want this feeling to end.

“Baby, you need to stop moving your ass, or I am going to find a room and fuck you,” Ryder whispers.

“That’s not a deterrent,” I say, wiggling in his lap more.

“Do you guys realize you aren’t as quiet as you think you are?” Gio asks from his seat next to Ryder on the couch. After our win, we went to a diner with my dads to celebrate before they headed home and we decided on an impromptu party at the cheer house.

“We’ll make sure we leave your room alone.” I smile sweetly at him.

“You better. No one is having sex in my bed,” Gio declares loudly.

“No wonder you’re so uptight,” Tucker says, turning to us. “I can help you rectify that.”

“You wish,” Gio grumbles. “I’m gonna get another beer.” Tucker watches him go with a sigh before sitting in his vacant seat.

“So, you guys are together.” Tucker smiles at me, and I beam back.

“We are.” I press a kiss on Ryder’s cheek. “Pining for the love of your life is the way to go.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tucker chuckles.

“Want to come to the next movie night?” Ryder asks Tucker, surprising us all. “It’s my night to choose, but if there’s a movie you want to watch, go for it.”

Tucker and I look at each other in shock.

Tucker finds his voice first. “Thanks, man. I vote for The Little Giants.”

“Oh my god, Devon Sawa was my first crush. Whenever Garrett would babysit me, I’d ask to watch Casper. My parents didn’t approve because it was ‘supernatural.’” He uses finger quotes for that last word. “I also wasn’t allowed to watch Wizards of Waverly Place. Dickheads.”

“Yeah, they sound shitty,” Tucker says. “Casper is also a nineties movie. How about a Devon Sawa night?”

“I’m in.”

“In what?” Perry says, throwing himself down next to Tucker.

“We’re going to have a Devon Sawa night.”

Perry shrugs. “I don’t really know what that means, but I hope you enjoy yourselves.” He looks out at the party. His usual sparkle is missing.

“You okay, man?” I ask him. Another shrug.

“I think I need some sleep. See you in the morning.” He stands and kisses my cheek before making his way upstairs.

“I’m gonna go check on him,” I tell Ryder with a kiss.

“Okay, babe.”

I head upstairs to Perry’s room. I raise my hand to knock on the door when a raised voice stops me. “I’m not sending you any more money. Figure it out yourself,” I hear Perry growl.

Shit, maybe I should leave him to it. He’s not going to be happy knowing I’ve heard that.

The decision is out of my hands when Perry’s door suddenly opens. We both just look at each other for half a minute.

“I wanted to check you were okay,” I blurt. He sighs and hangs his head.

“How much did you hear?”

“Not a lot. Just that you weren’t going to give someone money,” I tell him honestly. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine. It’s all under control.” He takes my hand, trying to distract me. “Come on. Let’s go dance sexy and rile up your man. Claimy sex is always the best.”

We head back downstairs, and within ten minutes of gyrating with me and Luke, who joined us, Ryder has me thrown over his shoulder, and we’re getting in a waiting Uber. All thoughts of everything else are gone.