4 - Elizabeth
Elizabeth
I let out a heavy sigh and wiped the sweat from my brow. The day was hotter and far more humid than we’d expected, and it was taking its toll on all the cheerleaders.
“Did you manage to hand out any fliers?” Jenna asked as she walked up to me.
We’d been walking up and down the streets in town to try and drum up interest in the upcoming game. For now, I needed to give my feet a break. I slumped onto the bench outside Drifters Cafe.
I shook my head, holding up my stack of fliers. “The locals don’t seem to be warming up to the idea of the Highlanders having their first game. Lukewarm water would get a better reception.”
“We’ve been here for hours, and we still have so many of them left,” Jenna said as she took a seat next to me. “I thought the town would be happy for us and show some support. Who doesn’t love football? Or us? Maybe it’s the look. Do you think it would help if we changed the design?”
“I don’t think anything is going to help. They don’t have faith in the guys, and we can’t really blame them. Did you see the last practice? It looked like they were run over by a bus.”
It was really sad to see that nobody was giving the guys the time of day. They had been trying so hard, the fact that they actually had a team to play against was proof of that. But people still didn’t care, and I didn’t know what could be done to change that.
“Maybe we should just go,” Jenna said, sounding completely defeated. “But what should we do with the rest of the fliers?”
“The people won’t take them, but it’s not like the windshields will reject them.” I gave her a knowing smile. “And there are a lot of cars parked on this road. At least we’ll have a chance to get them seen.”
Jenna suddenly had a burst of energy. “You’re a genius. I love it!”
We gathered the rest of the girls and started heading back to school, putting fliers on every single windshield we passed. But as we walked, the girls started breaking away to do their own thing. Until it was just Jenna and me again. We were fine with it as long as they kept spreading the word.
“Hello, ladies,” Dylan said, startling us. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“You’re just finishing practice now?” Jenna said as the rest of the guys came out as well.
“Ran late,” Lucas said, kissing her cheek. “So we’re totally ready to have some fun.”
“Yeah,” Cam said as he peeked out behind Malik. “We’re going to my friend’s house for a backyard bonfire. Would you guys like to come?”
Jenna and I shared a look, knowing that it was something he just made up so he could have an excuse to invite us somewhere. Jenna raised a finger at Cam and quickly pulled me aside.
“I don’t want to take him up on that offer. He totally creeps me out. For all we know, we’ll end up drugged in his dorm room,” she said.
“Come on, he’s not that bad. And besides, Ethan is with them, and I’d really like to see what’s beneath that tough exterior of his. So do this for me. Pretty please.”
“Fine,” Jenna said with a sigh, and we went back to the guys. “But I’m warning you, Cam. If you try anything sketchy, I’ll break your nose.”
“I’d totally pay to see that, and I’m sure I’m not the only one,” Malik said. “So you better come up with something quick because we’re all rooting for her.”
Cam rolled his eyes, even though he looked completely panicked.
But instead of losing his composure, he told the guys to share cars and follow him.
Apparently the place he had in mind was just outside of town.
And hearing that made me wonder if Jenna might’ve been right about him.
His idea did sound like something out of a horror movie.
Malik let us ride with him and before we knew it, we were pulling into a driveway. The drive was much shorter than Cam led us to believe. More edge of town than out of it.
As we pulled up, an excited-looking woman, around our age, stepped out and eagerly waved at Cam. My jaw went slack, and I needed a crowbar to get Jenna’s off the floor.
Neither of us expected this friend of his to be that hot. And we definitely didn’t think anyone could be that happy to see him pull up.
“Charlie,” Cam said, giving her a tight hug. “This is the team. Team, this is Charlie Pine.”
Dylan went pale. Lucas pulled back his hand and ran it over his hair. Malik stood a little taller. And Ethan looked like he wished he could vanish into thin air. Then a tall, mean-looking man in a suit stepped out, and everything made sense.
“Cam,” Havenport’s very own athletic director said, patting him on the back. “Charlie didn’t tell me you guys were coming by.”
I felt like I’d been duped into going to the principal’s office, and made myself really small beside Jenna.
“It was a last minute decision,” Cam said. “I hope you don’t mind. I was thinking we could have a bonfire in the backyard.”
“Hold up for just a moment,” Dylan said, finally finding his voice. “Your best friend is Mr. Pine’s daughter? Of all the people in the world… you didn’t think it would be a good idea to inform us you were bringing us to Mr. Pine’s house? Don’t you think just showing up here makes us look bad?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. He does it all the time,” Mr. Pine said. “Cam is like family. He knows he’s always welcome, and so are his friends. Besides, I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you guys.”
I had never seen the guys looking as nervous or uncomfortable as they did at that moment. But the director didn’t seem half as bad as they clearly thought he was. He actually looked like a really chilled guy, even though he had a reputation for being a short-tempered workaholic.
Mr. Pine welcomed us in and helped the guys get the bonfire started in his gigantic fire pit.
That’s when I realized that the guys weren’t exactly themselves.
They usually had the laid back attitude you’d expect from a bunch of frat boys, always kidding around or wreaking some kind of havoc.
But while Mr. Pine was around, they were angelic little altar boys.
“So, how is the training going?” Mr. Pine asked.
“It’s going great, sir. We’re sure to give our opponents a run for their money,” Lucas said, standing a little taller than usual. “They won’t know what hit them.”
“Yeah, we have improved quite a lot since we started. I feel that it’s only a matter of time before we make a name for ourselves,” Dylan added.
I bit back a laugh. They looked like a bunch of puffed up idiots.
They were talking a big game, and their swagger was next level.
But they had absolutely nothing to back it up.
Sure, they had improved, but that only meant that they weren’t running around like a bunch of headless chickens anymore.
It didn’t mean they could win against another team.
The only two people who weren’t making total fools out of themselves were Cam and Ethan. The former was being himself the entire time, and I was sure it was because he felt like part of the family. And Ethan wasn’t getting involved in the discussion at all. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.
For a moment, I panicked. I had come all this way with the hope that we could talk, and now he was just gone.
I was disappointed and a little annoyed, so I decided to step away from the group of guys.
I just needed a moment to clear my thoughts.
My feet were taking a path of their own, and before I knew it, I was standing at the base of the back patio.
Ethan was sitting on the top of the stairs, and he looked like he was lost in thought.
So I just stood there for a moment watching him.
It was the first time I’d seen him looking so serious, and that had me wondering if it was worth destroying the moment.
My foot hovered over the first step as I hesitated, but then all of a sudden, something shoved into my back.
I lost my balance, and my body lurched forward, threatening to crash into the stairs. Moving my feet was the only choice I had, but it wasn’t enough. It got me up a few stairs, and then sent me spiraling face first into Ethan’s lap.
“You’re welcome,” Jenna called as she walked away laughing, and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to have the earth open up and swallow me.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked, helping me sit up straight.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I scoffed. “I guess I need to review my choice of best friend.”
“Don’t you just hate it when people do things like that?”
I wanted to respond, but I drew a complete blank. His hands were still on my elbows, and our eyes were locked. It was as if I had fallen into another world.
“Elizabeth?” Ethan said, looking a little concerned.
“Sorry, I— Yeah, hate it.”
I pulled out of his grip and settled next to him. We were looking over the sprawling backyard where the guys were enjoying their time with the director, and Jenna was making friends with Charlie. Yet it felt like they were just characters in a movie.
“You do this a lot, don’t you?” I asked. “Drifting off by yourself, away from the group.”
“I don’t mean to. I’m just having a hard time getting in with the guys, but it’s not like I can decline every social event they invite me to. So I tag along every now and then, and find a quiet place to reflect.”
“I must admit you don’t look really happy here, so what made you come? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay where you were?”
Ethan shook his head. “In Stamford I was always on the bench. They had the best players in Connecticut, so I never really got time on the field. Which is a huge problem for my football-obsessed family with insane expectations. Here I have a chance to become something, to grow into the person they want me to be.”
He had been a jerk this entire time, and then he just threw it all out there like that. Did my fall break the dam that was holding the human in him back? Because if it did, I would have to do it more often.
“You know I come from a really small town,” I said. “The kind where everyone knows your business, and judges you whether you’re good or bad. I know how difficult it can be to adapt to a new place. For you, it’s getting used to sizing down. For me it was getting used to sizing up.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed you’re not from here. How did you pull it off?”
I shrugged. “It’s a nice enough place, with nice enough people. If you give them a chance.” There was a beat of hesitation, and I added, “Just don’t be like me and fall into the pattern of pleasing everyone just to be liked. I’m still kinda trying to fix that.”
His expression changed, and I realized that I might have over-shared. I guess I just got a little excited, and it was such a huge relief to actually be able to say it out loud. But it probably also meant that he would see me as some kind of weirdo.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I talk too much.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I like that you’re opening up like this. It makes you more human.”
“Would you look at us, having a proper conversation,” I teased, hoping to break the tension. “But I guess we can’t stay here forever, right? They’re going to start looking for us, eventually.”
“Yeah. Mr. Pine’s been eying me the whole time. I’m pretty sure he wants to pick my brain. Not something I’m looking forward to.”
“I could stay with you if you’d like?”
He nodded, so I got up, grabbed his hand and led him back to the others. As we got close, the guys cheered as if they’d been waiting for him to show up, even though they knew where he was the entire time.
“Ethan,” Mr. Pine said, extending a hand. “I have been waiting to meet the man who will lead us to victory.”
“It’s an honor, Sir.”
“Let’s leave the formalities,” he said. “What I really want is your opinion on Coach Harris. And I don’t want you to sugarcoat things. Give me the brutal truth.”
Ethan went pale as a sheet. “Uh. Well, he’s not exactly an actual football coach. We know that and we’ve made peace with it, but… He’s really been doing his research on the sport, and it’s showing in our practice sessions. He’s great. Coach Harris is great.”
I bit my lip, silently scolding him for the lie.
I had watched most of their practice sessions, and there was a bit of improvement.
But they were an insult to the word team.
And I didn’t know what they were playing, but it wasn’t football.
I understood that he didn’t want to get his coach in trouble.
But if he didn’t fix this quickly, it would come back to bite him in the ass.