Chase and I only managed to do our video chat on two out of the four Friday nights since we’d last seen each other. And even though our parents came up for a couple of football games, Chase wasn’t able to attend. We’ve managed to text a bit off and on. Just enough.
All I know is that I am excited to be home and to spend the weekend with him, but when I get to the house and see the yard decorated with homecoming signs, I realize that I probably won’t actually get to spend that much time with him.
Tonight is his game. Tomorrow night, he has the dance. And on Sunday, I have to fly back early.
Even though my family knew what time I would be here, no one is at my house, so I go over to the Mackenzies’ and find Jadyn with piles of shirts spread across the kitchen table.
“Help!” she says, giving me a hug in greeting.
“What is all this?”
“This is a whole lot of One Eleven shirts. The kids started with just one option, but they’ve added more designs. I have to get these organized. I’m really proud of them for starting this company and for it to be doing well already, but with the boys playing and Haley cheering, I’ve gotten stuck delivering them. I have a bunch of people stopping by this afternoon to pick them up before the game. Thought I’d put them all on a table in the garage. Want to help me?”
“Sure,” I say, looking around the room with a smile. “You know, sometimes, I feel more at home here than I do in my own house.”
“Why’s that, Dani?”
“Maybe because it’s next door. Maybe it was always a reprieve from the rules at my house. Maybe it’s because I relax every time I walk in the front door. Or maybe it’s the cookies,” I say, walking over to the snack bar and getting one out from under a domed lid. After I take a bite, I grin. “Actually, it’s definitely the cookies.”
“Or maybe,” she offers, “it’s because Chase lives here.”
“That, too. How was your first semester of college? Was it a big adjustment for you?”
“Well, my parents had passed away in April of my senior year, so for me, college was a needed change of scenery. A new adventure to sink my teeth into. Something to take my mind off missing them. Being at home, all those memories were both comforting and painful. And because of it, let’s just say that I embraced college life fully.”
“How did you turn out so normal? If something like that had happened to my parents—”
“After my parents died, I worried that I had taken them for granted. I know things have been a little strained with your mom the past few years. How are things now? Since her big revelation.”
“Good, honestly. Her and Van came up for one of the games. They took me out for dinner after. It was nice. But I sort of keep waiting for her to tell me she was just kidding.”
“I think your relationship will continue to grow. You always have been a daddy’s girl though. I was, too. I loved sports.”
“And my mom couldn’t throw a spiral pass to save her ass.”
“My mom took me dress shopping for my eighth-grade graduation. Wanted me in something pink and blinged out.”
“And you got a daughter who loves bling.”
“Yes, I did—two of them. Seems Emers is going to follow in Haley’s footsteps on that,” she says with a laugh. “And I’ve learned to like a little bling myself. Although Haley hasn’t talked the boys into doing any of these with bling.” She holds up one of the shirts on the table.
I take it from her and study it. “This is really cool. I like the font and how the One Eleven is placed inside a circle. It’s so simple, but perfect. Who designed it?”
“Haley. She’s got a natural talent for this. Has been studying how to make graphics and doing research on everything from athletic to designer brands. And it’s really cool for all of us to be able to support both boys in one shirt. Pick one out to wear tonight. There are three designs to choose from. A football-jersey style with their combined numbers, a Shock and Awe design, and the One Eleven logo you’re holding,” she says. “I’ll be right back. I need to run out to the car.”
I hold the shirt in my hand, and instead of seeing the cool logo design, my mind is playing back a memory from our summer at the lake.
“Speaking of college,” Damon said, “where are we all going?”
“Are we all going to college together?” Haley asked.
“I hope so,” Damon replied. “It’s going to suck if Chase and I don’t get to play college ball together.”
“Mom wants me to go to college on one of the coasts,” I said. “Has she said anything about that to you?”
“No. She knows better than to try and manipulate me like that,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“You know Mom,” he said with a sigh. “I love her and all, but she has different life priorities. She wants you to go to a school on the coast so that you won’t end up stuck, living next door to your best friends. So that you will expand your world.” He said the last three words in a voice that sounded freakishly like Mom’s.
“And you don’t think expanding our worlds is a good thing?”
“Sure it is, but we can travel and meet people lots of different ways. Chase and I met a ton of cool guys playing seven-on-seven ball this summer. We traveled to four states to play and saw the sights. We go to California often. We’ve made friends there. We have a private jet basically at our disposal, for goodness’ sake. But then, I don’t have to land a man in college.”
“Damon,” Haley chastised, “neither do we. We’ll be there to get an education, so we can get good jobs so that we don’t need a man. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t want one. It just means we’ll be able to support ourselves financially either way.”
I raised the dark beer sitting in front of me in the air. “Hear, hear.”
I noticed that Chase had been pretty quiet during this conversation so far. He opened his mouth to speak but then picked up his still-full beer.
He set it back down without taking a drink and said to me, “The question wasn’t where your mom wants you to go to college, Dani. It’s, where do you want to go? You’ll be the first of us.”
“As a kid, I always imagined myself going to Nebraska.”
“Me, too,” Haley said.
“Me three,” Damon added.
“And where do you think you’ll commit?” I asked Chase since he didn’t say, Me four.
“A lot of schools have been watching both of us since we were in middle school,” Damon said in response. “Nebraska is just one of them. And even though it’s where we want to go, we have to think of what’s going to be best for us. Where do we have the best chance of playing, of starting, of winning, of getting drafted?”
“You have one more year before the schools can officially recruit you, right?” Haley asked.
“Yeah, start of our junior year. How did you know that?” Damon asked her.
“They were talking about it on my elite volleyball team,” she replied. “A lot of the girls I play with are older. And the camps they go to are sponsored by colleges as a way to recruit before they can actually be recruited. I’ve never told anyone this, but I think I might like to do that. Play college volleyball.”
“You have a killer serve. That’s for sure,” Damon said. “Oh shit. Actually, you could be part of my and Chase’s brand.”
“Your brand?” both Haley and I asked.
“Yeah, I know you both think we sit around, playing video games all the time, but we are actually making plans for our future. Take our brand, for instance. Chase is going to major in business and eventually get his law degree.”
“So you can be your own agent?” I asked him. Why did I not know that?
“It will be nice to understand the legal side of that, of course, but we’ll need it for our business. We’ll be doing contracts with other athletes,” Chase explained.
“And I’m going to major in marketing and sports management, so I’ll understand the other side of it.”
“What is your brand going to do?” I asked.
“Oh, it will be an athletic line. Sportswear. Football first, every other sport to follow,” Damon said.
“Should we tell them the name of it?” Chase asked Damon.
Damon fist-bumped him and said to Haley and me, “Only if you promise not to tell anyone. We don’t want someone to steal it before we get the chance.”
“We promise,” Haley and I said.
“It’s called Hierarchy. Our logo is going to have a crown on the bottom and our name on the top. And, of course, in the crown, there will be diamonds.”
“Run faster. Jump higher. Ball harder,” Chase said. “That’s our slogan. Or sales pitch thingy.”
“I love it!” Haley said. “And I want in. I’m going to major in design. I’m just not sure if I’ll go architectural or interior, like my mom, or into clothing and fashion.”
“Wouldn’t that be amazing?” Damon said. “We could all work together.”
“What about you?” Haley asked me.
“I’m going to be a sportscaster,” I said out loud. It’s the first time I’ve told this to anyone other than Chase. But it feels right.
“Which would be sweet,” my brother said. “You could get us even more contacts and could wear our stuff on TV. Just so we all agree, we’d love to go to the same college together, but if it doesn’t work out to be what’s best for us, we’ll still end up working together.” He started to pick up his glass, like he was going to toast to it, but seemed to think better of it and held out his pinkie instead. “Pinkie swear.”
“Pinkie swear,” we all said, hooking our fingers together.
“As long as I’m top dog in the hierarchy,” I said with a laugh. “I am the oldest.”
My brother tilted his head, and for once in his life, he didn’t have a comeback for me. “Deal,” he said.
I smile at the memory but realize that they’ve started without me. Which makes me sad.
Haley comes through the garage door the next time it opens, not her mom. She’s dressed in her game-day uniform, and there are glittery red strands woven through her braid.
“You look adorable!” I screech, tossing my arms around her and giving her a hug. Because of volleyball and cheer competitions, she hasn’t been up to a single game, so I haven’t seen her since Chase’s birthday weekend.
“Thanks,” she says. “What do you think of the shirts?”
“They are amazing. You’re really talented, Hay.”
“We were supposed to work on them together,” she says softly.
“I know. We pinkie swore, but you haven’t asked me for help. I’d love to though.”
“Good,” she says with a grin. “You can start by wearing one to the game tonight. Which is your favorite?”
“This one,” I tell her, picking up the One Eleven jersey.
“That’s my personal favorite, too.”
“How many shirts have you sold?”
“We’re on our third printing, and we’re only halfway through the season. Damon handles the brand’s social media. We all brainstormed on designs. It’s been a fun project.”
“I bet.”
She squints her eyes at me. “Are you serious about us working together?”
“Absolutely. Now, tell me all about Homecoming while we sort through these. Do you have a date, or are you going with friends?”
“Date,” she says with a smile before pulling a long chain out from her shirt. It’s got a guy’s class ring dangling from the end of it. “Boyfriend actually, as of today. And you’ll never guess who.”
“Who?”
“Pace Williams! He’s been coming to my volleyball games all year, and he would talk to me a lot, but I kind of thought it was a being nice to my friend’s little sister sort of deal. I was so surprised when he asked me to Homecoming. And he did it in the cutest way. He decorated a volleyball and tossed it to me at practice. I figured Chase and Damon would have a fit about it. But I guess Pace told them he liked me, and they sort of approved of it before he ever asked me to hang out. We had our first date on September the eighteenth after one of my games, and today, on our one-month anniversary, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
“That’s so cool. I like Pace. He’s really nice.”
“And so cute, right?”
“He is very cute. I’m happy for you.”
“I’m happy for me, too. Homecoming is going to be a blast, and I love my dress. But I feel so bad for Chase.”
“Why?”
“Lacey has the chicken pox!”
“The chicken pox?”
“Yeah, she got it from her little brother. She doesn’t really have very many pox, but she’s been running a fever for a couple days, and she’s contagious.”
“So, she can’t even go to the dance?”
“Nope. No parade. No cheering at the game. No dance. And she’s up for Homecoming Queen.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” I think, actually feeling really bad for her. “What’s Chase going to do?”
“He hasn’t said for sure. A group of us are supposed to go in a limo together. Me and Pace, Chase and Lacey, Damon and his date, Bella, and a couple other guys on the team and their dates. We got a party limo, and we’re going to the Plaza to take photos by all the pretty fountains, then dinner, and the dance.”
“I’ll be at the dance,” I say.
“That’s right! You have to crown the next king. I’m really sorry,” she says, a blush spreading across her face. “I totally forgot about that. I didn’t even know you would be here this weekend. But I’m so glad you are. You should come with us! Like, for dinner and stuff.”
“Oh, no. That would be weird. I’m only going to the dance. I have to be there a half hour before the coronation, and then I’ll leave right after. I had my homecoming dances; it’s your turn now.”
She holds her hands together and happily spins around in a circle. “Yes, it is.”
I hear noise coming from upstairs, and a few moments later, Emersyn and Winger come down the steps.
“Me and Winger take nap,” she says, patting the dog, “so we can see Chase play football!”
“Does Winger get to go to the game?” I tease.
“No,” Haley says, “but she’s obsessed with that dog. I swear, they are best friends.”
Haley picks up Emersyn and says, “Come on. Let’s go tell Mommy you’re awake.”
“And I’d better go see where my family is,” I tell Haley.
“Oh, I saw them pulling in the driveway when I got home.”
“Awesome. I’ll head that way.”
And I’m about to—until Chase comes walking through the front door.
“Hey!” he says, his face brightening. He rushes toward me, picks me up, and swings me around. “You’re just the girl I was going to see.”
“You were?”
“Yeah, I figured you were home. I was going to drop my backpack in my room and then go to your house. But since you’re already here”—he gives me a wicked grin—“why don’t you help me with that?”
Needless to say, I follow him up the stairs.
When we get into his room, he sets his backpack down and pulls me into his arms. I expect him to kiss me right away, but he just hugs me.
“You okay?” I ask him. “Nervous about tonight?”
“It’s been a stressful week,” he says, still holding me tight.
I don’t say anything else, just nuzzle my nose into his neck and try to transfer my positive energy to him through my tight embrace.
Finally, he lets out a deep sigh, lets go of me, and pulls me onto the bed with him.
“Lacey has the chicken pox,” he says.
“Yeah, Haley told me. That sucks. I feel bad for her.”
“You do?” he asks, studying me closely.
“Of course I do, Chase. It would suck to be up for queen, to miss the parade, the game, the dance, the crowning, the after-parties.”
“I sent her flowers this morning to cheer her up, and I wish there was more I could do. But Pace’s dad—he’s a pediatrician—strongly advised me against it. Her case is mild, but she’s very contagious. And I can’t risk missing a game.”
“Still, that was really sweet, Chase.”
He nods his head.
“Has all that been a distraction from your preparation?”
“Fortunately, our opponent doesn’t have a very good record, but yeah, it’s been a distraction. She’s freaking out, and then there’s all the usual festivities. It’s just a lot.”
“I can imagine. And I talked to Haley. It’s so cool she’s dating Pace. And that you are all going together.”
“You know, you could come to dinner with us, if you wanted. Since we all have to be there anyway.”
“Haley offered the same thing, but—oh my gosh, Chase, remember my freshman homecoming, when you got me chicken and set up dinner in the garage?”
He laughs. “I thought I was so suave.”
“You were actually. It was sweet.”
“You want to do that again? Keep me all to yourself?”
“I’m sure you want to go in the limo with your friends.”
“I was thinking of bailing. Don’t want to be the third wheel, you know.”
“Yeah, but it’s not just about your date. It’s about the memories you’ll make with your friends. With your sister.”
“If you really feel that way, you’re going to come with me. We never did get to go to Homecoming together. I’m assuming somewhere in that closet of yours, you have a fabulous dress you could wear.”
I laugh.
“What?” he says.
“I was told to wear something simple but pretty for the crowning, but I do actually have a gorgeous dress that I’ve never worn. My mom made me get it when we were shopping this summer because it looked so nice on me. I thought it was silly, but”—I grin, warming up to the thought. The thought of going to the dance with Chase. It’s like I’m getting the most incredible do-over ever—“I’m glad now.”
“It’s settled then.” He glances at his watch. “Kiss me. One more time. Tell me I’m going to have a great game.”
I do as he asked. Kiss him deeply and then gently slide my hand down his throwing arm. “You’re going to have one of your best games ever. That’s what I think. Let’s see, your best ever game was last year, just over four hundred yards passing. Four twenty-six, right?”
“Yeah,” he says, looking at me in amazement. “I’m surprised you know that.”
“I know all your stats, Chase. I also predict, tonight, you will have something like four sixty.”
“All right, well, what do I get if I do?”
“Hmm. Fame and glory, I would suspect,” I tell him, running my finger down his chest. “But I could probably throw in a couple of pizzas after the game.” I press my lips against his ear. “And me. In the tent.”
He kisses the side of my face. “I like the sound of that. Okay, so I have to get some food and then head to school.”
“And I need to go see my family. Good luck, tonight, Chase.”
Something to remember.
Chase
I once read that sports is ninety percent mental and ten percent physical, but even though most people agree with that sentiment, the large majority of sports practices revolves around physical as opposed to mental abilities. Damon and I are really lucky that his dad was an elite athlete because even when we were kids who didn’t really comprehend the importance, he was teaching us mental toughness and having us reading books about a positive mind-set.
Imagine an athlete who needs to drop a long putt, hit a buzzer-ending three-point shot or game-winning free throw, make a two-point conversion after triple overtime. And although we try to avoid those situations by playing solidly all game, many times, it happens to a player—that single moment where it feels like the whole game is riding on your shoulders. That it’s up to you whether your team wins or loses. And those moments can be quite daunting, mentally. If you get the correct result and win, you’re the hero. If you don’t, people say you choked. It isn’t due to lack of skill when that happens; overinvestment and fear of failure are often the cause.
Isn’t that weird—that fear of failing can make you do the very thing you fear?
For the last few years, I’ve been working my mental “muscles”—confidence, intensity, motivation—as a part of my daily practice. By using mental strategies—such as controlled breathing, imagery, and positive self-talk, combined with goal-setting and routine development—an athlete can maintain the optimal physical and mental states for being successful.
We’ve all seen it happen. A quarterback throws a couple interceptions or takes a few sacks, and all of a sudden, the whole team starts playing poorly and making mistakes. Failure snowballs into those embarrassingly lopsided losses.
As a quarterback, who is the leader of the offense on the field, it’s my job to control the huddle and the mental management of the team. How we rebound from a missed opportunity does affect all of us. I’ve never lacked motivation. I have a large amount of internal drive. Not pressure, but I just like to succeed. And in football, each play is a chance to do so. A series of small successes can lead to really big success.
The team we are playing tonight has one of the worst records in our district, and games like these often bite athletes in the butt because they assume they will win, that it will be easy. So, instead of focusing on the current game, they look forward to the big opponent they might face the following week. And we’ve all seen that happen, too. The unranked team with nothing to lose, playing out of their minds and knocking off one of the best teams in the nation.
And you always wonder, How does that happen? And the answer to that is that their heads weren’t in the game.
It’s a personal and team goal to have another undefeated season, winning the state championship. I never have personal goals for myself regarding yardage gained or number of passes thrown, but tonight, I will admit, Dani has made me think twice about that. And although I definitely want her in the tent in my room tonight after the game, it would go against all my mental training to focus solely on the goal she set for me.
But, I might have to give it a shot tonight. Our offensive plan already revolves around us airing it out. Showcasing our passing and receiving ability against a team with a weak secondary.
So, when the offense comes off the field mid-third quarter, ahead by three touchdowns, I know Coach is probably going to put my backup in soon. So, for fun, I ask how many passing yards I’ve had tonight. The answer is four hundred and eighteen.
“Mackenzie,” Coach says, “you want one more set of downs?”
Honestly, I know from a possible injury standpoint, it’s smart to get taken out of the game when we are winning big, but it’s something I’ve always hated.
I’d like to be out there playing the whole time, so I answer, “Yeah. What would you think of trying that play we were working on?”
“Ah hell, why not? Give this homecoming crowd something to remember.”
Our opponent gets a field goal and then kicks off to us. The offensive unit goes out to the twenty-yard line. Instead of lining up under center, Pace—our running back—takes what is called the wildcat formation, meaning the ball is snapped directly to him. Technically, whoever takes the snap, regardless of their position, becomes the “quarterback” for the play, and usually, the wildcat is done so that there’s no need for a handoff. The running back can get snapped the ball and immediately take off running. In this case though, Pace takes two steps back and throws the ball to me laterally, meaning I’m still behind the line of scrimmage.
In the meantime, Damon is doing what he loves the most, shrugging off his defender and flying down the field as fast as he can, which, in this case, isn’t as hard as it should be because his defender is sticking closer to the line in anticipation of the run.
I launch the ball down the field, and Damon catches it in stride and runs into the end zone for the score.
And the crowd goes nuts.
Coach slaps me on the back and says, “Son, I gotta tell you, I was expecting a fun little pass and score here. What I wasn’t expecting was for you to throw the ball from the sixteen to somewhere near the opposing team’s ten-yard line. Well over seventy yards in the air. We’re going to have to do some digging, but that’s got to be some kind of record.”
After the game, the parking lot, which is usually practically empty by now, seems to be in full-on celebration mode. The team comes out of the locker room to cheers, and everyone is talking about the play, the throw, and the catch. It’s exciting, but there’s only one person I want to see right now.
And she’s sitting in my truck.
Of course she would know the code to unlock the doors. It’s her birthdate.
The driver’s door is open, her long legs are dangling off the side of the seat, and she’s got a big smile on her face.
After getting a bunch of high fives, signing a few autographs for kids, and hugging my family, I finally make my way there. She jumps out of the truck and straight into my arms and kisses me.
“Overachiever,” she says with a grin.
“So much for mental preparation. You might have to give me a goal for all my games.”
“The family wants to go out for pizza to celebrate. You okay with that?” she asks.
“Are you okay with that?”
“I think it will be fun. And after a game like that, you guys deserve it.”
“As long as there will be some tent time after the celebration.”
She runs her fingers through my hair and says, “I think that is a given.”
We end up at a local sports bar. Their kitchen typically closes at ten, but on Friday nights after a home game, they make an exception, taking orders until everyone is served.
“Hell of a game, boys,” Pace’s dad says. A thought that is echoed by our families. “I have a feeling that play of yours is going to get some national recognition. The video the school posted online already has a ton of hits and was liked by two of the big sports networks.”
Damon and Pace are pumped about this.
The fun thing about this sports bar and why Damon comes here after every game and always wants me to is because the place is full of people who were just at the game. He works the crowd, knowing and talking to everyone from old guys to little kids. My mom says that his dad was the same way, and it’s something I’ve struggled with. I want to be accessible to fans, especially as my career progresses, but while Damon gets hyped up, talking to so many people and feeding off their energy, I find too much of it drains me.
When Emersyn starts to get cranky around midnight, I feel her. I’m tired and ready to go home, too. Jennifer boxes up the leftovers, so Damon, who probably didn’t eat a bite, can have some later, and then we all head out.
Dani rides home with me, and I can’t help but glance over at her. She’s got on a short, almost-cheerleading-style skirt with one of our new One Eleven jerseys tucked into it. On her feet are a pair of black cowboy boots with a brightly colored embroidered design that matches our team colors.
“I have a love-hate relationship with my truck,” I tell her.
“Why?”
I look at her expectantly.
“Oh. Yeah,” she says. “We christened it the first day you got it. Out by the lake.”
“That’s where the love part comes in.”
“And the hate?” she asks softly.
“Getting in it and remembering that moment when we were no longer friends.”
“Do you remember the music that was playing that night?”
“Uh, something country?” I reply.
“Yep. Did you know that I can’t listen to it anymore?” she says as we pull into my driveway.
“Like, any country songs?” I ask incredulously.
“That’s correct. They all make me sad.”
“You took out a whole genre of music because of me?”
To this, I am shocked. She seemed to get over it all way faster than I did.
She nods her head. “You weren’t the only one who was hurting, Chase.”
I’ve replayed that day over in my head so many times, trying to recall everything that was said, wondering if I should have done something differently, but all I can remember is the crushing hurt.
She undoes her seat belt and leans toward me. “Regardless of what happened between us, I’ve always loved you, Chase.” She gives me a kiss and gets out of the car, saying, “I’ll sneak over later.”
Teach you a cheer.
Devaney
We get home the same time as everyone else, so I walk in through the garage door with Dad, Jennifer, and Damon. Angel barks at us and rushes up, her tail wagging furiously, happy to see us.
She’s followed by Weston and Easton, who both yell, “Mama!”
“What are they doing up?” Jennifer says to the babysitter, who just shrugs.
“They both went down at eight thirty, as usual, but Weston woke up an hour ago. I tried keeping her quiet, but then Easton woke up, too.”
Easton is carrying her blanket and doesn’t look thrilled to be awake. Jennifer picks her up and snuggles her into her chest.
Weston pouts. “I no go to football game.”
She goes zooming out into the family room and runs back with a set of pom-poms. She usually gets to go to Damon’s game. But since they knew they’d probably be going out afterward tonight, they got a babysitter, and Weston is clearly not happy about it.
Jennifer, who always has a smile on her face, suddenly looks exhausted.
“Hey, Westie,” I say. “Why don’t you come in my room? I’ll teach you a cheer, read you a story, and put you to bed. How does that sound?”
She waves her little pom-poms and goes, “Yay!!!”
“Thank you,” my dad says to me. He turns to Jennifer. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed yourself, maybe run a warm bath, and I’ll tuck Easton in?”
“That sounds wonderful,” she says, letting the babysitter out the front door.
“And you, little miss,” Damon says, grabbing Weston and picking her up, “look like you need a piggyback ride upstairs.”
“Piggy! Piggy!” she yells and shakes her pom-poms in Damon’s face as he makes his way upstairs.
I follow them, laughing, and thinking that it’s good to be home.
Can’t risk that.
Chase
I tell my family good night and go up to my room. I change clothes, lie on my bed, and then close my eyes.
I hear my phone buzzing from inside my duffel bag. I let out a heavy sigh. I haven’t checked my phone since before the game and wasn’t planning to until tomorrow morning, but I get up and grab it in case it’s Dani.
What I find are a lot of texts and direct message notifications, some of them from the coaches hoping to recruit me and quite a few from journalists about the game and specifically the play tonight. But the one that just came through is from Lacey.
Lacey: I’m home sick. Missing out on one of the biggest moments of my high school career, and now, I find out that you’re taking Dani Diamond to the dance?
I don’t bother replying. This deserves a call.
“Hey,” I say when she answers.
“Chase, really?” she says, her voice sounding like she’s been crying.
“Where in the world did you hear that?” I ask her.
“Does it matter?” she snaps back.
“I guess not.”
“So, you aren’t exactly denying it?”
“As you know, last year’s queen comes back to crown this year’s king.”
“Yep,” she says.
I’m starting to get one-word answers, which is never good.
“I was thinking of bailing on the whole thing since you weren’t going to be there. I thought I would surprise you, bring you dinner and your corsage, and only go to the dance for the court part.”
“You were going to do that?” she asks, sounding a little brighter.
“Yeah, Lacey. I know it has to suck, missing everything.”
“It does. That’s really sweet, Chase.”
“Well, when I asked Pace’s dad—he’s a pediatrician—if I could be around you since I already had the chicken pox, he said no, that I could get it again. And I just can’t risk that. I’ve already been searching my body every day, looking for spots.”
“I think you’re good. I didn’t see you the few days I was probably most contagious. We were too busy getting the float ready for the parade. I’m praying none of the girls on the squad get it.”
“Anyway, I was telling Dani I was thinking of not going, and she said that it wasn’t just about the date part; it’s about the memories I’ll make with my friends. And my sister. I told her if she really felt that way, she needed to come, too. Like, in the limo with us.” I’m telling the truth—that’s exactly what I said. But I also know that I’m downplaying it because I do kind of see it as a date. This whole friends-with-benefits thing, which is supposed to make things easier for us, is actually surprisingly complicated.
“So, you’re just all going together?”
“Yeah.”
“Everyone is going to think it’s a date.”
“You know I don’t care what everyone thinks, Lacey.”
I can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “I know.” She lets out a pathetic-sounding sigh and then says, “Congrats on a great game, Chase. I’ll talk to you later.”
Snuggle up.
Devaney
The cheer-teaching, story-reading, putting-Weston-to-sleep process takes much longer than I expected, and it’s nearly one thirty before I’m finally ready to go over to Chase’s.
I run back in my room, change into something cute but comfy, and wash my face.
I grab my phone and check it, expecting to see a message from him, wondering where I am. There isn’t one, but I head over there anyway.
When I sneak into his room, I find him fast asleep. The tent is up in the corner, and although I definitely want to be with him in that way, it’s not all I want. So, I slip under the covers and snuggle up next to him. He rolls over, wraps me in his arms, puts his lips on my shoulder, and murmurs my name before going back to sleep.
You’re here now.
Chase
I wake up sometime in the middle of the night, tangled up with Dani. And it’s the absolute best feeling. I move her hair and sprinkle kisses across her neck and shoulder.
She responds by rolling over and kissing me. “You were crashed when I got here. I’d said I’d put Weston to bed, and I hadn’t expected it to take so long. I’m sorry.”
“You’re here now,” I say, sliding my hand down between her thighs. “That’s all that matters.”
And in the scheme of my life, it really is.
