Chapter 15 Mazzie
Mazzie
The stadium was packed, not a seat in the house empty.
For the last forty minutes, the yell leaders had us on our feet, pumping us up with cheers and songs.
Homecoming weekend was always electric. But tonight felt different—like the very air was alive with possibility.
After the brief intermission, the fans had settled into a hushed anticipation, like the calm before the storm.
The last midnight pep rally that I’d attended was during freshman year, and despite how fun that was, I was only here because Bails had dragged me out of my room.
I had been planning on hanging with Kaylee until her bestie called yesterday and invited her to a sleepover.
I’d been looking forward to eating popcorn while watching a movie marathon of the John Wick series, which was Kaylee’s favorite.
Sitting with my bestie in coveted seats on the fifty-yard line, I rested my feet on the railing before me. “I’ve been a shitty friend.”
She swept a hand across her strawberry-blond hair to tame the errant strands fluttering in the breeze. “Where did that come from?”
I shrugged. “I’ve had ample time to think these past few days.”
Which was a blessing and curse since most of my alone time was spent daydreaming about all the things Lucas and I had discussed at the gazebo.
Not to mention, the texts we’d exchanged about his tutoring.
But I wasn’t going there tonight. I was here to have fun, not to agonize over whether I was making the right decision not to give Lucas a shot.
“You’ve always had my back,” I continued. “You’ve tried to include me in all the college fun, and I’ve pushed you away, leaving you to party on your own. Like I almost did again tonight.”
She batted her lashes, her light-green eyes tearing up.
“Don’t you start getting all mushy. You’re here now.
I know you’ve busted your ass for your sister.
So no apology is necessary. And Kaylee is well taken care of by my mom.
If CPS does show, they’ll see that Kaylee is in a good home. That’s the most important thing.”
I was anxious about what CPS would do. Maybe they’d already tried to visit us at my mom’s house.
But I had left Bailey’s address with Officer Morrical.
However, I had to remind myself that Officer Morrical told me it could be a while before CPS got involved.
And that he’d promised to note in his report that Kaylee was staying with family.
I bounced my knee. “I know your mom has our backs. I’m grateful.”
“Stop already. We’re family. Let loose tonight. For me, please. You’ve been wound tight since you had that talk with Lucas.”
I laughed. “And it didn’t help because now I have to tutor the hunk.”
“Don’t you see? The universe is trying to shout in your face that he is the one for you, Maze. Stop fighting it, already.”
“I’m not,” I volleyed in return.
She cocked an eyebrow. “You do remember that I know you. You didn’t want to come tonight because you’re afraid you’ll run into him.
If you do, you do. But eventually, you’ll see him at the tutoring session.
” She stabbed a red-painted nail at the field in front of us.
“Forget about Lucas. Go down on the field and kiss a random football player. That’s why we’re here.
To join in the festivities. You even said you had a great time at the pep rally freshman year.
Well, here we are. Juniors. So let’s have fun. ”
I hated that she remembered what I’d said to her by the pool at Lucas’s birthday party. “I’m not in the mood to swap spit with a random guy.”
She gave me one of her half smiles. The same one she’d given me right before she’d yanked me out of bed earlier and ordered me to get dressed. Then she pinched my arm.
“Ow.”
“You’re jumping onto that field with me.” She turned in her seat. “With the field packed with women, the odds are low you’ll bump into Lucas. You know that.”
I bit a nail. “My luck, I will run into him.”
She bared her teeth, looking angry as her nostrils flared. “When are you going to stop lying to yourself?”
“When I become a doctor.”
She playfully slapped me. “Mazzie.”
I puffed out my cheeks. “Okay, I like him. I like him a lot. That scares the hell out me, Bails.” I played with the red glow bracelet that all the fans were wearing.
“I don’t want to become my mother, and in some sense, I feel like I am.
Or the notch on his belt.” The more time that passed without seeing Lucas, the more I dove inward, shutting out the world around me.
“I don’t know how to tell him that I want him more than the air I breathe. ”
As I spilled my truths, her anger melted away, and she hugged me to the point where I couldn’t breathe. “I’m so freaking excited to hear you finally say out loud what I already knew.” Her green eyes flashed with mischief. “You don’t tell him. You show him.”
“What if he pushes me away? You didn’t see the hurt and anger in him when he left the club.”
She clucked her tongue. “Maze, I doubt he will. I have it on good authority he’s been as miserable as you. But you need to take a chance.”
I fidgeted with the red glow bracelet as the stadium lights dimmed, casting the field in a soft, golden haze. Just enough light lingered for red and gold bracelets to pulse brighter in the dusky light.
Bails squealed. “Here we go. Best part of the night.”
Maybe. Maybe not. But it was hard not to feel the excitement in the air.
The crowd was on their feet, waving their arms as thousands of glow bracelets lit up, pulsing gently like fireflies. The atmosphere became charged as voices merged into something primal and powerful.
Bailey and I joined in, swaying with alumni and students, generations tied together by school spirit.
“This is so exciting,” Bails shouted.
Goose bumps tingled along my arms as the air itself vibrated with anticipation. I could almost feel the energy crackling like electricity right before a storm.
I’d forgotten how I loved this, and I silently scolded myself for throwing a pity party and giving Bailey a hard time about not wanting to come with her.
A yell leader howled through the speakers.
The people in the stadium followed suit, the howls exploding from every throat, primal and wild as if we were a pack of wolves following our alpha of the Lakemont pack.
The first drumbeat cut through the howls before the marching band appeared from the tunnel like fire spirits emerging through the fog on a humid night, their glow necklaces creating an ethereal light as they converged onto the field.
The second drumbeat was louder as the howls faded into the background.
The crowd began the wave as thousands of red-and-gold glow bracelets shone like embers, floating and flickering in the dim light.
The band began to play the school song as a spotlight blazed on one of the band members. A petite woman dressed in a crimson-and-red uniform held the mic in her hand as the stadium went silent.
“My pulse is banging in my ears,” Bails said.
Like her, I was caught up in the excitement as though someone had put a spell on me. The night sky was clear. The humid air was cool, and I felt as though I was in another world where magic happened and my problems vanished.
“From the heart of Texas,” the singer began. “Where the legends grow, Lakemont Wolves are ready. Let the whole world know.” She swung her mic around the stadium, giving fans their cue to howl.
Thousands of faces, including mine, were pointed at the sky as everyone howled at the moon, though if the moon was out, it wasn’t visible from where I was.
The singer continued, “Red and gold flying high and proud when the wolves are hunting, victory’s drawing near.”
The crowd erupted. HOWWWWWWWL!
Bailey leaned in. “I love this night.” Then she howled.
Each verse got louder as I got lost in the magnetism of a tradition that had dated back many years.
My pulse raced, my heart thumping with every drumbeat.
There was nowhere else I wanted to be than right here, howling my ass off.
Because I felt weightless, free, and for the first time in forever, I was flying high.
Bails and I draped arms around each other, singing and swaying. I was sure the entire city of Lakemont could hear us and feel us too.
By the final verse, the singer yelled, “All together now!”
The stadium of fans shouted, “Go, Wolves! Go, Wolves! Let the howling ring! Lakemont pride in everything!”
As the song faded and the band marched off the field, the rustling and shifting of people leaving their seats resonated in the air.
“Come on,” Bails said too excitedly. “We want to stay on the outer perimeter. The players will circle the field before they pounce.”
I broke out with a wild laugh as whistles and howls once again blasted into the air.
The girl next to me said, “I think I might pass out.”
I had to agree with her. I felt like I’d taken enough Molly to forget where I was and what I was about to do. Then again, I’d never tried the drug. I’d only seen in movies what Molly could do to a person.
Bailey and I jumped over the railing.
My heart was in my throat as my feet touched the field.
Bailey grabbed my hand. “Let’s get closer to the tunnel.”
I yanked my hand out of Bailey’s. “No, we’ll stand right here. Near the tunnel, we’ll be squashed.”
“But I told Erik where I would be.”
Suddenly, my excitement bled out. “You did what? If he knows where you are, then Lucas will know too. Did you tell Erik I decided to come?”
“I promise I didn’t,” she said. “Please, just come with. The team doesn’t stick together. They’re running around. They only have ninety seconds.”
I heard a girl nearby say that she wanted Lucas Allen to kiss her.
As if someone threw cold water on me, I shook off the spell I’d been in. “I’ll be in the stands.”
She pulled on my hand. “Trust me. You won’t run into Lucas.”
I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer, so I went willingly.