Chapter 3

"WE ARE THE RHINO'S, THE MOTHER FUCKING RHINO'S!"

"CATCH ‘EM!"

"GRAB ‘EM!"

"SPEAR ‘EM!"

"STOP ‘EM!"

"FLORA VISTA WE'RE GONNA BEAT YA!"

We finish the chant with a lot of woo's and a few hoo's, shaking our imaginary pom poms in the air.

"Great practice, all of you," Coach says, with a clap. "See you at practice on Monday."

We all head to the changing rooms where I hear my phone ringing. It ends before I get a chance to answer it and it immediately starts ringing again.

Lexi laughs. "Sounds like Mama Russo has found you another date."

I flip him the bird and look at my screen. Lexi is right about it being my mom.

"I should have stayed in the closest," I grumble, ignoring the rest of the guys' snickers. They all know what my mom is like. She is relentless. She once followed a couple for three miles in her car, so she could ask them if they were siblings or dating, and if either of them would date me. Luckily they were dating.

"Hi, Mom," I say, answering the phone.

I love my parents. They are wonderfully supportive about my sexuality, cheering, and majoring in sociology even though I have no clue what I want to do with my life once I've graduated.

The one thing my mom is adamant about is me being in a relationship. When I told my parents I was pansexual and explained what it meant, my mom squealed and said "that means there are so many more people I can set you up with now." She is determined to see me settled down before I'm twenty-one. I'll probably have my first legal drink at my engagement party if she has her way.

"Sorry my love, were you at practice?" she says.

"Yeah, just finished. Is everything okay? How are Dad and Nonna? Are Dante and Aunt Bianca doing okay?" I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda hoping talking about family members will make her forget whatever she was going to ask me to do.

"I know what you are doing Giovanni," mom says sternly. "I have found a lovely polite man for you to date. I want you to come over next Sunday for dinner to meet him."

"Mama…"

"Gio, it's one dinner. Dad and I will be here." Yeah that's the problem, I think. No way of escaping. "I nearly dropped my groceries and he was so helpful, Attractive too, and he plays football for Pine Valley."

"Mama, their football team is terrible."

"I'm not asking you to coach the boy Gio."

"Sorry, Mama."

"So I will see you next week. Four o'clock."

"Yes, Mama."

She hangs up, and I face my snickering friends. "You can all fuck off. I challenge any of you to say no to my mother."

"Oh, for sure we can't," Luke says, looking queasy at the thought. "I'm surprised we haven't all had to date you."

"I told her that I won't date anyone on the squad in case it messed with dynamics." I'm actually really impressed that I thought of that so quickly. Thank fuck my dad jumped in and agreed with me. She left it alone…though I have seen her look wistfully at Lexi once or twice.

"Do you think that's true? Cheer queers shouldn't date?" Wyatt asks, picking at his fingernails.

"Nah, cheer queers can definitely date. I just don't want to date any of you." I laugh at the chorus of indignant ‘hey!'

"Reign your ego's in. None of you want to date me either."

Luke looks at me intently, scaring me for a brief moment. "Do you think Mama Russo would set me up on a date?" Oh, thank god.

Before I have a chance to answer him, Coach comes through the door. "I forgot to mention that there is going to be an extra practice next week. We need to do some choreo for the cheer party coming up, because…" She covers her face with her hands. I don't think I have ever seen Coach Phillips look so uncomfortable. "I can't believe I'm encouraging this, but I have it on good authority that there are going to be at least two dance-offs at this event and I do not want to be beaten by Coach Smith."

We all just stare at her.

"I should've just sent a text," she says, before leaving the locker room.

That was so weird on so many levels. Coach usually only ever comes to the parties for an hour to show her face and then leaves after telling us we better be on our best behavior, otherwise we will be doing laps before practice for the rest of the school year.

Not a fun time.

"But seriously, would your mom find me a date?" Luke asks as if the stuff with coach never happened.

"I can ask her if you want, but my mom is extreme. Like a push the red button if all else fails kind of deal." I glance at the others for help. I know that Luke wants a boyfriend, but I don't think my mom is the solution.

"Luke, babe, we are going to get you a guy that deserves you," Perry says, wrapping his arm around Luke's waist. "And it won't be a Pine Valley football player."

I flip him the bird.

"I'll see you fuckers later. C'mon Lex," I call to my bestie who has his face buried in his phone. Judging by that dopey smile, he is probably messaging Ryder. "You promised me a coffee."

Lexi puts his phone in his back pocket and follows me out of the locker room, towards our favorite cart around the corner.

"Ryder is going to bring me my laptop because I left it in his car, but he's not staying. It'll be just us hanging out," he says it so quickly it takes me a few seconds to process what he said. And what he didn't say.

I grab his arm, pulling him to a stop. "Lexi, you know I'm not jealous or upset with you spending time with Ryder right?"

"I know I haven't been hanging out as much and you left really quickly after movie night. I guess I was worried you were getting fed up with me," he says, running his hand through his hair.

"You have a hot new boyfriend who you've been in love with for nearly five years. I totally get that you are going to want to spend time with him." I pull him in for a hug. "I love you, man. You don't need to worry about our friendship ever."

"Love you too. I-" Lexi frowns at something over my shoulder. "Is that Henry talking to Tucker?" I whip around so fucking fast.

Yup. That's a very animated Henry talking to Tucker over by the coffee cart. Tucker is facing away from me so I can't see if he actually wants to talk to Henry, though judging by the tense set of his shoulders, I'm guessing not.

Tucker is a grown man. He doesn't need me to rescue him.

Henry takes a step closer.

"Fuck that," I growl and make my way over to them.

I have clearly lost my damned mind and the fact Lexi isn't stopping me right now is really inconvenient. I have made it perfectly clear that I do not want to get involved with Tucker right now, so I shouldn't be getting involved in whatever this is. For some weird reason, that we will not be dissecting, I feel protective over him.

I slide in front of Tucker and immediately feel him relax into me. I look at Henry and let the disdain show on my face. This cunt cheats on Tucker and then causes a scene on campus acting like the victim.

I hope he gets tapeworm.