Chapter 3

Coach Smith’swhistle blows one sharp screech into the air seconds before the sickening crunch of pads colliding. I cringe, trying not to look at the row of players on the field where Cam practices holding a firm front against the offensive lineman. Our college intern trainer, Brock, stands with his arm out, calling the boys off when they reach a designated point.

This week it all gets real. We’re having a pad-wearing, full-contact practice as we get ready for our first scrimmage game next Friday against the school one town over. We’re in the same county but not districted together, and a rivalry scrimmage before the official season is tradition. It may not count towards our UIL standings, but I don’t think the coaches take it any less seriously.

Swallowing hard, I focus my full attention on the agility ladder resting on the ground before me. I exhale slowly, hissing through my teeth and releasing the tension in my shoulders before nodding at Coach Baxter. At his signal I start off, pulling my knees nearly to my chest as I step one foot into each section of the ladder and speed across the path as quickly as I can. When I reach the end I spin on my heel, running the same course again but this time touching both feet into each square as I take precise and quick steps to the end. Back in my starting position, I pivot once again and make a final pass through the course. This time I start with one foot in the square and the rest of my body to the left of the ladder. As I cross through I switch to the right of the ladder, back to the left, short puffs of air escaping through my narrowly parted lips with each landing until I make it to the end and rest my hands on top of my head.

Coach nods, making notes on his clipboard as he calls the next name and I make my way back to the line as Chris Jenson starts his run. I take high knee steps, stretching my thighs with every motion. If I didn’t know before this week that stretching was important, the pain in my limbs from the last two days of practice would have made me a believer.

Morning practice continues, a blur of cones and running drills, balls being tossed through the air and landing in my hands with a satisfying pop, accented with the blow of the whistle and the crash of pads. I’m thankful I’m not a part of that last bit, I’ll leave the full body contact to Cam and the other giants of the team. By the time we’re released to strip off our pads and stumble into the locker room, we are all red-faced and sweating through our base layers.

I pass Jenson, whose stomach is finally coming to terms with exercise after his long summer break, and clap my hand on his shoulder as I walk by. I’m glad he’s stopped puking after practice, because my abs hurt just watching him. Stripping my clothes off on the way, I step eagerly under the spray of the showers and quickly rinse myself off. Cooler and cleaner, I towel off and get dressed just in time to catch Cam coming back from Coach’s office.

“Hey,” he smiles at me, leaning against the locker. “How was running?”

“Better than being slammed into by a two hundred pound man,” I laugh, zipping my bag.

“Says you,” Cam shakes his head. “I’ll take defense drills over all the cardio you do. Anyway, I just wanted to be sure you had a ride home since I’m meeting Dad for lunch?”

“Yep,” I stand, slinging the bag over my shoulder. “Casey’s giving me a ride home.”

“Great,” he says as we start for the door. “I’ll see you this afternoon!”

I wave as he heads down the hill where he parked Glory this morning, then hike the bag higher on my shoulder and start walking across the parking lot towards the gymnasium entrance. Whoever planned the layout of our athletic facilities was not thinking of hot Texas summers when they made the Football complex completely separate from the school. While it’s nice to be right by the practice field after a long practice, it means a short hike to get to and from the school building.

The moment I open the glass doors at the end of the hall, I can hear the squad’s practice music blaring out the gym doors. A smile raises the corner of my mouth as I wander through, stepping from linoleum to wood as I cross the threshold. Ignoring the stairs ahead of me, I drift along the cinderblock wall to the left and turn the corner to sit at the end of the gray pull-out bleachers on the bottom row.

They’re practicing a floor routine for the first pep rally. Casey’s dancing front and center, a beaming smile across her face even though it’s just practice. Beth’s in the back row, she’s new to the team and younger than the other girls so it doesn’t seem to bother her. After all, she’s the only freshman who made varsity. Beth makes it look effortless, every motion smooth but precise, with a lovely smile that never shifts throughout the performance. The four male cheerleaders spread evenly along the side of the gym, ready to run in for the stunts when the music cues them in.

I recline back against the row behind me, folding my arms across my chest as I wait for their practice to finish up. Their coach calls for them to reset for one last run-through, and my eyes track Casey’s movements as she rolls her neck, taking long slow strides across the floor and lunging to stretch until she lands on her starting mark. Her chin tucks to her chest and she takes a slow breath that raises her shoulders, and I’m mesmerized when her face snaps forward at the first beat of the track.

As if by magic, her smile is bright and fresh and each movement syncs perfectly with the pop beat filling the room. If I didn’t know any better I’d think this was the first time today they’d run this dance, rather than the tail end of a three hour practice session. Pride fills my chest, and I can’t stop myself from leaning in closer as I watch her performance.

I don’t always get to take the time to stop and watch them cheer, and I know this year moving to varsity will make it impossible most days. They’re so talented, and I love seeing the athleticism in the sport. A lot of people write off cheerleading, but those people obviously don’t know anyone who competes. Beth comes home all the time with bruises and muscle aches when they’ve been practicing stunts, her petite form making her a perfect candidate to be a flyer. I’ve sat through some of her practices in the past, and though this is her first year flying with the school I’ve seen it done a million times watching Cam’s games when I was on JV.

You can see the flyer’s muscles tensing as they tightly engage their core to land the perfect mark, see the tendons flexing in the arms of the bases as they lift them high and support the safety of the performance. That’s got to be a lot of pressure, knowing you hold someone’s safety literally in your hands. But they do it, and the only sign of strain is the sweat that drips from their brow or down the back of their shirt. The uniforms don’t hurt either. They’re very flattering, cuffing the biceps in a way that highlights the guys’ muscles, certainly more attractive than my jersey…

I swallow hard, eyes darting to either side checking for other spectators. It’s just me. With a start, I realize the dance is over. The sudden lack of music feels like a spotlight, and I look back at the floor just as Casey spots me. She grins, waving quickly at her waist, before they circle around their coach to hear her closing notes.

And, that’s my cue.

I pull my bag back over my shoulder, standing and making my way back around the corner to wait by the top of the steps. When they’re dismissed the squad starts filing past me up the stairs, most everyone smiling and greeting me on their way through. When Casey reaches the stairs she grins wide, taking each one in double time to reach me more quickly. I smile back, catching her with a spin and kissing her cheek before I stop our momentum with a hand on either arm.

“Hey, you,” I rub her arms. “You looked really great out there. I love that routine.”

“Right?” Her eyes sparkle. “It’s so much fun. We’re going to do it next Friday for the pep rally. We’re going to wear jerseys and black shorts, and it’s going to be so cute!”

I laugh at her enthusiasm, a soft smile settling on my face as I look over her shoulder to watch for Beth.

“You know,” Casey rests her palms on my chest. “I usually wear Cam’s jersey for the first rally. But this year, since you’re on varsity too, maybe I could wear yours?”

“Yeah, sure,” I look back at her. “That’d be cool.”

“Great,” she beams, as if I’ve just given her a gift. “Well, let me and Beth grab our bags real quick and we’ll meet you at the door in a few?”

“Sounds good.” I release her.

She presses a quick peck to my lips and hurries off, leaving me to follow with a smile. They hurry up the stairs, and I lean back against the tiled wall scrolling through my phone as I wait. My focus is broken by Beth shouting ‘SNEAK ATTACK’ as she launches herself from the bottom step. I barely catch her, staggering and bracing my legs with a deathgrip on my phone.

“Beth! What the hell?” I drop her, rolling my eyes, but I can’t help the smile that breaks through as she cackles on the ground.

“You should have seen your face,” she gasps, wiping her eyes.

“You’re an idiot,” I shake my head. “You’re gonna hurt yourself one day.”

“Nah, I knew you’d catch me.” Beth stands, patting my chest and handing me her bag as she starts out the door.

I stare after her, bemused, and Casey laughs as she takes the stairs like a normal human being. As she passes me she pats my arm, winking as she adds her bag to the pile and skips to catch up to my sister. They lock arms, leaning into each other and laughing as I follow them to Casey’s Jeep where it’s parked at the top of the lot.

“Shotgun,” Beth smiles sweetly when we reach the car.

“Uh, no.” I open the hatch, dumping the three bags inside and slamming it shut. “You try, you die.”

She lunges for the door, but I’m faster. Just as it’s open wide enough for her to round the corner I slip in first, buckling with ease and throwing a challenging look over my shoulder. Beth growls, slamming the door so hard it hits my knee and shoulder before I can pull them to safety. Casey laughs at my yelp of pain, settling into the driver’s seat as Beth climbs into the backseat. I swear she throws an elbow into the back of my seat as she gets in, but her expression is innocent in the rear view mirror as she clips her buckle.

Casey grins, checking the mirror to be sure we’re all safely fastened before she pulls out of her parking space and heads for the gate to the highway. I reach for the knob and turn it up, blaring today’s pop hits from the station the girls left it on this morning. We all sing along, almost yelling the words through grins as we bump along. Casey’s hand nudges mine where it rests on the center console, and I take it with a squeeze.

When we get to my house the Jeep jerks to a stop as Casey shifts it into park, bobbing slightly as we jostle around and throw open the doors to step onto the lawn. I grab the three bags, adjusting them for balance, then follow the girls across the dry grass to the front porch where Beth is fighting with the key in the door. She finally gets it open, holds the door for the two of us, and locks it back behind us.

We fall into a familiar pattern. I dump the bags onto the bench near the front door, letting mine rest on the bottom while the girls’ lighter bags fall on top. Beth and Casey go around the corner into the kitchen, where Casey is getting stuff out for sandwiches and Beth is getting chips and drinks. I cross behind Casey where she stands at the kitchen island, reaching for the top cabinet and pulling down three plates. Turning to Beth, I raise an eyebrow and reach for the glasses on the middle shelf. Without a word she waves me off, grabbing canned sodas from the fridge. Nodding, I turn back around and reach Casey just in time for her to place the first sandwich on the plate.

“Thanks,” she grins, breaking the comfortable silence we’re working in. “You want two?”

“Yes please.”

I follow Beth out of the kitchen and into the living room, where we all spread out on the couch with our plates and sodas. Mine cracks open with a satisfying fizz, and I quickly pull it to my mouth to be sure I don’t spill a single drop of the carbonated elixir. Some summers I swear this stuff runs through my veins, much to Camden’s dismay. Beth’s almost as bad, but Casey sips tidily at hers before setting it away, her lighter colored can marking hers apart from mine.

“Oh!” Beth jumps up suddenly, grinning at her phone screen as a beeping tone fills the room. “It’s Meredith!”

“Who’s Meredith?” I ask, craning my neck to see a photo of two blondes sandwiching Beth in a hug.

“My friend I met at cheer camp this summer!”

“Is she the one with the hot twin brother?” Casey asks with interest, leaning closer to try to see the photo on her screen.

“Hot twin brother?” My brows furrow deep in the middle. “What do you know about her ‘hot twin brother’?”

“Okay, bye!” Beth squeaks, tucking the phone to her chest as she scurries up the stairs. “I’ll be back in a minute!”

Halfway up she pulls the phone back in front of her, swiping up to answer her friend’s call and greeting her with a squeal that sends me rubbing a finger into my ear. I grimace, still frowning after my sister as she swings off the banister towards her room and slams the door behind herself.

“She didn”t meet the brother at camp too, right?” I ask Casey, watching the door as if my x-ray powers will kick in at any moment.

“Don’t worry so much,” she giggles. “They live in, like, Missouri or something.”

“Hm,” I offer noncommittally.

Casey leans over, rubbing her hand against my thigh as she presses her chest into my arm. I turn to look at her, ready to ask her more about camp, but she cuts me off with the press of her lips against mine. I grunt in surprise then wrap my arms around her as she shifts a leg over mine.

Her lips are soft where they meet mine, and they smell like the vanilla cupcake chapstick she uses constantly. She always smells very sweet. Casey is light, shoulders slighter than even my slim frame, and my hands meet easily behind her as I keep her from falling. She leans in closer, increasing the pressure of our kiss, and I wince as she rubs my lip into my front incisor.

“You’re beautiful,” I say, shifting her subtly away from me.

“You’re so hot,” she replies, a strange sort of rasp to her voice.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she blinks slowly. “I’m great. Do you wanna… go up to your room?”

“To… my room?”

“Yeah,” she giggles, leaning in close and whispering in the hollow below my ear as she scratches her nails over my chest. “Your parents aren’t home… thought it might be a good chance to… you know…”

“To what now?” I turn my chin towards her as she presses her lips to my neck, knocking her back slightly. “Oh, sorry,”

“It’s okay,” she rubs at her temple, then smiles at me again, her eyes warm and soft and shining with excitement. “I want to make love to you, Elliot.”

“What?” I yelp, eyes wide.

“Shh,” Casey giggles, pushing her hand over my mouth. “Not so loud… come on, let’s go upstairs.”

“Case, no, uh, I mean Beth is right there.”

“She’s busy,” she shrugs. “Just quiet down, she’ll never know… besides it’s not like we’d be the first people she knows to have sex.”

“No?” I blink rapidly.

“Of course not,” Casey laughs. “We’re seventeen.”

“Well yeah, but… aren’t we a little young?”

“Not really,” she raises an eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, no, I mean yeah, it’s fine, I just… I can’t, it’s my parents house and Beth’s room is right down the hall! And, like, my mom, you know? Never know when she’s gonna be home.”

“I thought she has patients today?”

“She does,” I subtly scoot further away, using the excuse of turning to face her directly. “But, you know, just like half a day. Sometimes she helps Dad at the construction office. Bookkeeping, and stuff. But sometimes she comes right home. So, anyway… It’s just… Not a good idea. Right now.”

“Okay, well… Do you wanna make out some more?”

“I’m honestly pretty tired from practice,” I wrap my arms around her, tucking her beneath my chin. “Could we just chill, watch a movie or something? Your pick.”

“Yeah,” she smiles, but I can tell it’s half-hearted. “Yeah, sure. I get it.”

Casey reaches for the remote on the ottoman, and I relax into the cushions as she scrolls through the streaming services on the screen until she lands on a vampire movie she’s seen a million times. It’s the kind of movie Cam hates, I tolerate, and the girls think is a masterpiece that will withstand the test of time. I hold her as the opening music fills the room, but the silence is more awkward than comfortable.

It’s a relief when Beth comes downstairs, done with her call, and settles onto the couch on the other side of my girlfriend. The tension drifts away as they debate the pros and cons of this particular series’ vampire lore, comparing it to the tv show they both follow that takes a different approach to vampires. My eyes have glazed over, and they’re discussing the merits of super healing versus diamond-hard shiny skin when my phone starts ringing from my pocket.

‘Take Me With U” bounces around, Cam’s favorite song on the Purple Rain album. I grin, hopping up from the couch and fishing it out of my pocket to end the song.

“That’s my ride,” I kiss the back of Casey’s hand and step over their legs towards the door. “You girls have fun! I’ll see you after practice, Bethie.”

“Okay,” Casey starts to get up after me but sits back when she decides I’m too far gone. “Love you!”

“Love you, bye!” I throw over my shoulder, scooping my bag back up and hurrying out the door to the curb where Cam and Glory wait for me.

I take a deep breath before I open the door and toss my bag into the floorboard.

“How was lunch with your dad?” I ask in place of a greeting, hopping into the seat and shutting the door behind me.

“It was good.” He raises an eyebrow. “Everything okay in there?”

“Yup!” I answer, voice possibly too bright. “Why do you ask?”

“Uh, maybe because you ran out of there like something was chasing you?”

“Ah, well,” I sigh.

“What’s up?” Cam frowns, turning slightly to look at me.

“I kind of turned Casey down, after she asked to go to my room and fool around.” I raise a hand to rub the back of my neck. “She is… not thrilled.”

“Oh,” he nods, facing the street again and shifting the parking brake.

“She’s wanting to make out all the time, and now that isn’t enough for her I guess. I just don’t get all the fuss about kissing… Like, it’s honestly kind of weird? Uncomfortable, even.”

“Wouldn’t know,” Cam laughs. “But, uh, I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to be? Maybe you’re doing it wrong.”

“I’m not doing it wrong,” I glare at him, buckling with more force than necessary.

“Just saying,” he shrugs, grinning as he steers. “Maybe you need a second opinion.”

“Right,” I shake my head, rolling my eyes. “‘Cause you’re the world’s leading expert.”

“Ouch,” he pouts. “Don’t go after me, you’re the one that said you’re uncomfortable kissing your girlfriend.”

“I,” I wince. “I didn’t say that, exactly.”

But, I did mean it, didn’t I?

“Mm,” he watches the road carefully. “Guess not.”

Silence fills the cab, not as stiff as the quiet of sitting with Casey after turning her down but with the undercurrent of… something that seems to weigh on my chest. We’ve left Main Street for the highway when he speaks again.

“So, now that you’re on varsity, you’ll be coming to all of the games.”

“Wow,” I grin. “Your powers of observation are flawless.”

“Shut up,” he laughs. “What I mean to say is, since we’re going to both be on the bus, do you want to buddy up? You know, for seating arrangements?”

“I mean, yeah! Of course. Was that even a question?”

“Didn’t want to assume,” I swear I see the hint of a blush on his cheeks. “You know, in case there was someone else you wanted to sit by. Get some tips, or get to know more of the guys, or something.”

“Nope,” I settle back into the seat. “You’re stuck with me, Holt. You’re where I want to be, always.”

“Clinger,” Cam scoffs, but his grin spans Texas as he adjusts to the flow of traffic.

The sun is just startingto set when we get out of practice, the heat of it keeping us contained in the weight room. The other guys are in a hurry to get to their cars and away from the punishing air that sucks the breath from our lungs once we open the metal doors, but as I look around the still field I feel tension slip away from my shoulders.

Next to me, Cam notices the change. He slows when I stop walking towards the parking lot, not saying anything to rush me along but not joining me as I take in the layers of color settling along the horizon.

My whole life I’ve lived in Texas, but the colors of a summer sunset never get old. I want to stop and take it in every single time. Beth makes fun of me for it, but mom used to sit with me on the back porch and watch the sun slowly sink down until the night air cools and the moon takes her turn. A good fall sunrise is a close second, though I don’t seem to catch those quite as often.

“You know,” I stare up at the sky. “I really love it here. What if we could do this?”

“Do what?” Cam turns his head to look at me.

“Stay here.”

“Like, right here? Outside of the football building?”

“No, just… Stay outside like this, sleep out in the open.”

“Like, a campout?” his voice lilts up at the end and that little wrinkle appears between his eyebrows.

“Yeah! Like cowboys, out on the range.”

“Have you ever been camping?” Cam laughs. “Because it’s not really all that magical.”

“You must be doing it wrong,” I quip, flashing my teeth as I drop to the ground and rest my head on top of my bag. “Ah,” I close my eyes. “I can see it now. My saddle beneath my head, a blanket the only thing separating me from the dirt, hat propped over my eyes… My trusty horse tied up behind me.”

“What about the whiskey,” I hear Cam squat next to me, his shoes scraping against the ground as they shift to accommodate the change in position. “And the straw hanging out of your mouth?”

“Oh yeah,” I nod sagely. “All that, too.”

“You’re an idiot,” he teases, tugging the bag out from under my head so I hit the turf with a gruff exhale. “You wouldn’t make it one night on the range.”

“Would so!” I sit up, frowning after him as he hauls my bag over his shoulder.

“Whatever you say, cowboy,” he offers me a hand up, and I take it with a grin.

“Just you wait,” I nod, leading the way to the truck and leaving him to carry my things. “I’ll show you, someday.”

“Sure, Kemosabe.”

The grin that spreads across my face could power the city for a week, as I haul myself into the truck and fold my hands together behind my head.