Chapter 3 #2
The cheerleaders nodded again, reveling in the gospel their pastor preached, while Riley’s cheeks reddened.
I watched Jade turn back to what she’d been doing, which was tilting her face up toward the sky.
The pose definitely gave the impression of languid nonchalance, though it was clear to see through.
Sweat beaded down her throat, dampening down her hairline.
Her makeup had smudged during practice. Her arms were far too stiff behind her how they supported herself.
I wondered if she didn’t like Riley running her mouth about potentially cheating on her boyfriend. I couldn’t imagine that was a good look.
“On a different note,” Riley began in a leading voice, one that sounded a bit too sweet.
“Isn’t it so crazy that Landon was picked for quarterback?
Kind of like how it’s crazy the cheer squad has co-captains this year.
I don’t think that’s ever happened!” She gave a mock-worried expression. “You’re not mad at Madison, are you?”
I could’ve scoffed at her and her lame excuse for a subject change.
I’d gotten so used to being able to read Jade, but in that moment, her expression was fully closed off. “It’s not like she rigged the voting.”
“Of course, I didn’t!” I wasn’t even sure that was possible, not with how religiously Coach Chelsea treated the whole thing. “Besides, Coach had final say. She said we’re better together.”
You balance each other out, was what she’d said exactly. And today’s practice alone made that clear. Jade was the commander—I was the encourager. One couldn’t thrive without the other.
“It’s kind of like things are coming full circle, isn’t it?” Jade tipped her head over at me, the sun shining in her dark eyes. “The two of us at tryouts all those years ago, and now us at the top to end it off.”
And just like that, I was reminded of my secret. Jade’s words were meant to be comforting, a white flag to the tension Riley tried to sow in, but instead they were an anchor, weighing me to the past.
The three of us, I’d said at fourteen, wrapping my arms around my two best friends. We’re going to be the best Brentwood Babes there’ve ever been.
The three of us, 14-year-old Jade Dyer had agreed, securing her arm around my waist.
And under my left arm, a 14-year-old girl with glasses grinned. The three of us, Maisie Matthews had said.
And just two weeks later, it’d become just Jade and me. The two of us.
I’d do nothing differently, I told myself, the mantra I repeated every time the memory surfaced.
I’d gotten what I’d wanted. Popularity. Co-captain of the cheer squad.
A spot in the Top Tier. And Maisie—she seemed fine after all the dust had settled.
She had a boyfriend, a close friend group, and was top of our grade. We both came out okay.
Even if I had the chance to go back in time, there wasn’t a single thing I’d change. That was what I always told myself.
“You guys want a bit of an inside scoop? Before Babble gets their hands on it?” Jade peeked her eyes open. “Madison’s love life will be the talk of the halls tomorrow.”
And if the gaggle of girls weren’t leaning in before, they definitely were now.
“There’s a guy?” Kaitlin demanded with a gasp.
Jen had stars in her eyes. “What’s his name?”
Nina reached to touch my leg. “What does he look like?”
I basked in the attention as it finally turned toward me. This was it. It was totally happening. And by tonight, it’d be all over Babble. “His name is Logan.”
Another soundtrack of oohs filled our bubble. “What’s his last name?”
His last name? Uh. Jeez, had I even asked? “I can’t have you searching him up beforehand,” I said finally, giving them a wink.
“When did you meet him?”
“How tall is he?”
“What color is his hair?”
Nina made an impatient sound. “Mads, hello. Tell us everything!”
I pulled my legs up, avoiding eye contact to tease even further. Greediness bit at me, and I wanted to draw it out as long as possible. “We met last week at the open house.”
“He caught her,” Jade added. “She tripped, and he swooped in, all rom-com style.”
The girls gasped.
I bit down on my lower lip, but the glow of my grin still peeked out. “You should’ve felt his muscles.”
Now, they all screeched.
“We went out once last week—a picnic in the park.” I swallowed the memory of mini golf, telling myself it was too precious to share. No other reason. “He even got me flowers.”
The girls also screeched over that, and Jade smiled at them.
Jade had indeed put the flowers into the vase like I’d asked, but she’d forgotten to put water in the vase, and I hadn’t noticed until the green buds drooped the next day.
A total honest mistake, but they died before I got to see them bloom.
“He has a part-time job, so we haven’t had a chance to do anything else. But we’ve talked on the phone every night since. We don’t even end the call, either. We talk until one of us falls asleep.”
Logan had opened my car door when we got back to my house last Tuesday, and as he hesitated on the porch, the question had almost burst from him. “Can I call you tonight?”
And “tonight” had turned into every night since.
My audience ate it up. “So romantic!”
“I love that he makes time for you!”
“He sounds totally head-over-heels already!”
Logan always fell asleep first, which made sense, since he worked himself so hard. Like clockwork, his voice would go soft, and then silent, after about tenish minutes of our quiet conversation. I’d always strained to hear his sleepy breathing, but the white noise always made it impossible.
But still, the short, nightly calls had become a welcome routine before bed. The idea of him relaxing while talking to me, his eyes slipping closed to the sound of my voice, made my insides tie into wonderful little knots.
Even Jade seemed super interested. “What do you guys talk about?”
“A lot of different things. Logan’s more of a listener—which is great, you know. I’m such a rambler.” We all shared a giggle. “And he asks a lot of questions. I’ve got a really good feeling about him.”
“He’s beyond cute, girls,” Riley said. “Careful, Mads. Someone might try to take him.”
“As if.” Jade flashed me a small, mischievous smile. “Logan’s totally into her. You two will be the next big campus couple. Connor and I should be careful of the Jefferson transfer.”
And just like that, all the girls recoiled with a sharp breath in.
“Jefferson?” Nina echoed.
Jen’s nose scrunched. “He’s from Jefferson?”
“Ew, Madison, you’re dating the enemy?”
“Of course not!” I had to raise my voice over the chorus of horror. “Of course not. He’s not from Jefferson—he’s from Haven.”
Jade tapped her forehead. “Oh, duh. Haven. Ignore the brain slip—the sun’s getting to me.”
Even the mere idea totally killed the vibe. I actually shuddered. “I’d rather die than date a Bulldog.”
“As you should,” Nina interjected. “Avoid the Bulldogs and their fleas at all costs.”
Jen thrust her half-drunk water bottle into the air. “Put them down on sight!”
Kaitlin giggled. “Oh my gosh, Jen, you can’t just say that!”
“Sunbathing, ladies?” a deep voice called, slicing between the topic as cleanly as a knife. “Can I make a few suggestions on tanning attire?”
I turned to find a few of the guys making their way across the field to us, finally released from their post-practice huddle.
Connor led the pack, with Landon, red hair gleaming in the sun, at his side.
Ashton and Kyle followed closely behind them, the former taller than the latter.
The last coming over was Reed, his brown hair plastered to his temples.
They carried their shoulder pads with them, where they’d drop them off in the equipment room in the school.
It’d been Ashton who called out the gross remark, of course, if his smirk was any sign.
“How was practice?” Connor held a hand down to Jade. “It’s warm.”
Jade let Connor pull her to her feet, and thrust her duffle into his free hand. “Carry this for me?”
Kyle tugged on the back of my ponytail, hard enough to yank my head back, light enough not to hurt. “Want me to carry your duffle, Mads?”
I swatted at his sweaty hand. “You wish.”
“You bet I do.”
From there, the cheerleaders and football players alike scattered. Landon took a head start off toward the parking lot, and I curled my fingers into fists, debating on whether or not to catch up with him. I needed to clear the air. School started tomorrow—we needed to begin on the right foot.
Just before I picked up my pace, Jade bumped into my shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, girl. Logan sounds like an absolute dreamboat, doesn’t he?”
Kyle, trailing behind us, called out, “Who’s Logan?”
We both ignored him. “A total dreamboat,” I agreed, picturing his bright blue eyes and sandy hair. Front page of a magazine worthy. “I can’t wait for him to meet everyone.”
“Let’s just hope he lives up to the hype.”
I glanced over at her. “Why wouldn’t he?”
I hadn’t ended up telling Jade about the mini golf date. I wasn’t really sure why. I chalked it up to embarrassment—I didn’t want to see the look on her face when I told her our date was sixth-grade level at best. She hadn’t really asked, anyway, so it wasn’t too bad of a lie.
Jade shrugged. “I just know how fast the Babble turns. One slip, and it’s not Logan the dreamboat anymore—it’s Madison’s mystery boy ghosted her before Homecoming. And how embarrassing would that be? Your first ever relationship becoming a headline like that?”
I caught Connor looking over at us, though he remained silent.
Shaking off Jade’s words—and Connor’s weird look—I said, “Logan wouldn’t. He’s a total sweetie.”
Jade’s smile widened, all teeth now. “Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Kyle jogged a few steps closer, his stench entering our chat before he did. “Wait, seriously. Who’s Logan?”
Jade linked her arm through mine. “No one important. Yet.”
No one important. But he was, though. Wasn’t he? I mean, I spent every single night for the past week listening to his voice before we fell asleep. I’d even visited him at work a few times, popping in to say hi. He’d integrated himself so easily into my life so quickly—he surely wasn’t unimportant.
We got to our cars, and thankfully Kyle parked far enough away that he and Riley couldn’t linger on our conversation. Ashton went with them, his hand sneaking lower on Riley’s back than it should’ve.
I tipped my chin in their direction. “Are we going to let that slide?”
Jade turned and squinted at them against the sun. “Riley needs to learn to keep her mouth shut,” she muttered as she rested her hand on the roof of Connor’s car.
“Not exactly Top Tier behavior.”
Jade turned to me, almost seeming surprised. “So true,” she said after a beat. “This is why I’ll trust you ’til the end. You see the important things.”
“And I’ll follow you ’til the end,” I returned the other half of our bestie saying, feeling emboldened by the compliment.
“Speaking of, any plans tonight?”
I didn’t get how those two topics connected, but I shrugged. “Well, a new episode of that one reality TV show comes out—”
“Never mind. Just make sure you shower if you go anywhere. You’re not going to impress anyone looking like that.”
I felt my cheeks redden. “I didn’t say I was going anywhere.”
“Deny it all you want,” Jade said, and as she slid into the passenger’s seat, she called out, in an almost sing-song tone, “But you’re a bad liar, Madison.” And she shut her door.