27. Hannah
CHAPTER 27
HANNAH
“ G od, this is the only way to end a Monday,” Margaret says, shaking her shoulders as she sips on her peach margarita the next Monday.
“Amen. I don’t know about y’all but today was an absolute shit show at school,” Caroline groans, grabbing the pitcher from the center of the table and refilling her glass.
“Right? Whoever thought having a school-wide assembly and a fire drill on a Monday during a full moon was seriously delusional,” I agree, before turning to Margaret.
“So, I need a bakery update. How long until I can spend all my money on coffee and those delicious cookies you make?”
She smiles at the question, and her eyes light up in excitement at the mention of her new business. “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. It’s still gonna be several months before I’m ready to open because the space needs so much work. But, I do have some exciting news to share in the meantime. Mayor Brian called me this weekend to ask if I’d be interested in running a pop-up through the holidays at Deer Valley Inn!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s incredible Margaret!” Caroline squeals and I nod in agreement. Mayor Brian’s family has run the small inn and winery in town for as long as I can remember, but I heard he was trying to upgrade several of the services since he took over last year following his mom’s death.
“I know, I’m so excited! I’ve been testing out some new holiday drinks and treats all weekend. Seth also told me when I saw him bringing in his groceries that he’d help me get a head start on the building over winter break too, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a spring opening,” Margaret continues, grabbing a handful of chips and dipping them in the queso.
“Hmm, is that right? Do you run into Seth often?” I ask, raising my eyebrows in her direction.
“What? Not really! I mean, you know he and Will are my neighbors now that I live in Caroline’s old apartment, but he was just being nice!” she says, her eyes widening at my implication.
“Right…” I say, still eyeing her skeptically.
“That’s it. Plus, we all know after how my last relationship worked out, I’m not exactly looking for someone to complicate my life with,” she adds.
“Okay, that’s fair, but just because your ex didn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with someone else,” I remind her, feeling another wave of hatred for the man who broke Margaret’s heart before she came to Springside. He was some high-powered attorney from the city, and she’d been waiting on him to propose until she walked in and found him with his dick down some other girl’s throat. It turned out he’d been sneaking around with one of his clients for months, and their breakup had prompted her to join her brother in his move for a fresh start.
Ignoring me, she launches into her recipe for a caramel gingerbread latte that honestly sounds heavenly, and I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see a text from Will on my screen.
WILL: What are you doing after the game Friday?
I feel my heart start to race at the idea of finally spending time alone with him after all these years.
HANNAH: I don’t have any plans. What’d you have in mind?
WILL: Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you at the farm when we’re done.
HANNAH: Fine, but remember the rules… No strings, no emotions. Just sex.
He doesn’t reply to that, and I roll my eyes. I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking. Can I really convince myself that I’m okay with just sex after the last few years? There’s a part of my brain that tries to scream that there’s no way that’ll ever be enough for me, but I tamp it down. This arrangement may have been my idea, but it was the only way I could convince myself that I might get a little bit of the happiness I’ve been missing since I pushed him away.
“Hey, Gramps, what are you up to?” I ask as I enter his room Friday afternoon. I had to push my visit this week thanks to the extra cheer practices for state next week and Caroline and I staying behind to work with Maggie. The weeks keep getting busier the closer we get to the end of the season, and I’m exhausted. Plus, I haven’t been sleeping much, anxious with the thought of finally spending time with Will again.
“Hey, my Hannah Banana!” Gramps calls, smiling from his chair. “Come on in. I wasn’t expecting you today!”
“I know, but I wanted to swing by before the game and check on you. I haven’t seen you since Sunday, and I feel terrible!”
“None of that nonsense now,” he tells me, reaching out and squeezing my hand as I sit beside him. “You have way more to worry about than visiting an old man like me.”
“But, Gramps, I love spending time with you. This competition season on top of playoffs has just been a lot,” I admit, leaning my head against the back of the chair. “I’m sorry I missed our usual visit.”
He waves me off, obviously deciding he’s done with that line of conversation. “Tell me about this competition. Are your girls ready?”
I smile at the question, knowing Gramps doesn’t know the first thing about cheerleading, but he genuinely cares because it’s something I love. “Yeah, they’re getting there. I definitely don’t know if we’ll win, but they’re excited and I think they’ve had a lot of fun getting everything together.”
Gramps nods before saying, “Oh, y’all are gonna win. I just know it. I hate that I can’t travel to see it, but make sure you get a video to show me, okay?”
“Pretty sure you sat through your share of these when I was in school, so I think you’ve more than filled your quota, old man. But I’ll get a video if it makes you happy.”
He smiles, rocking back in his chair before asking, “So, Saddle Ridge tonight, huh? You think we’ll move on after this one?”
“I think so. You know we went and watched them play last week since we had a bye, and they were pretty good. But I still think Will and the other coaches have it under control.”
“Speaking of Will, how’s he doing?” Gramps asks, and I swear he narrows his eyes at me in suspicion, but I know I’m just being paranoid.
“Uhh, he’s fine, I guess. A pain in my ass as always,” I tease, even though I know that’s not the truth.
“Hmm, whatever you say, granddaughter. I always thought there was something between you two, but I guess I was wrong, huh?”
“What?” I stammer, completely caught off guard by that statement. “No, there's definitely nothing between us. At all. Ever. Nope.”
He raises his eyebrow at my babbling before just nodding. “Okay, my mistake.”
“Yeah, so, how’s Gladis doing?” I ask, needing to change the subject.
“Oh, she’s okay. She’s been having trouble with her hip in this colder weather after her hip replacement last spring, but other than that she’s good.”
“The two of you have a hot night of bingo ahead of you, right?” I tease, and he laughs at my question.
“Yep, there’s a twenty-dollar prize this week, and we’re teaming up to take Silas across the hall down.”
“Look out. Isn’t he the one with the leg cast all the way up to his thigh?” I ask, shaking my head, not surprised to see his competitive nature hasn’t changed over the last few months.
“So what? He’s still going down, Hannah Banana.”
“I’m sure he is, Gramps. I’ll need a full update on that one this weekend.”
“Black, blue, white! Fight, Saints, fight!” I cheer along with the squad, looping my arm through Caroline’s as the ball flies through the air at the end of the second quarter.
It seems like the whole stadium holds its breath as we wait to see if Blake's pass to one of his receivers is good. We’re already up by one touchdown, but it’s been a rough fight, with both teams fighting hard. The receiver catches the ball, and the Springside sideline cheers at the sight of another touchdown.
“Oh my God, he did it!” Caroline cheers, throwing her arm around both me and Margaret.
The squad below us dances to the fight song, and we shake our shakers with the beat. I’m trying to focus on the game as the kicker lines up for the extra point, but I can’t stop myself from letting my gaze stray to the sideline where Will’s standing with Theo and a few of the other players. He’s so focused during these games, and I feel the same pull I've been trying to ignore for the last several years toward him as I watch. But this time’s different because I know that tonight, I’ll get to be with him again. It doesn’t mean anything, but the thought of having him inside me after all this time has me thinking about…
“Earth to Hannah,” Caroline says, waving her hand in front of my face. “You good? I’ve been calling your name for the last few minutes. It’s time for us to go down for half time.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Lost in my own little world,” I say, forcing an awkward laugh.
Caroline gives me a funny look before just nodding and leading us down to the field while the team runs into the locker room for half time.
“All right, girls, are you ready?” she asks as Saddle Ridge’s squad takes the field.
“I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” Maggie says, and the rest of the squad laughs.
“You’re all gonna be great. This is your last trial run performance before state next week, and you just need to go do everything like we’ve practiced,” Caroline says, and I nod my encouragement.
“That’s right. Just keep those motions sharp and remember not to pull those libs until 3 instead of 1, okay?”
The girls nod and grab their poms, just as the announcer comes over the speaker. “And now, please welcome to the field your regional champions, the Springside Saints Cheerleaders!”
Caroline and I yell and cheer along with the crowd before taking our usual performance position, grabbing hands and squeezing as the girls wait for their music to start.
A few seconds later “High Hopes” blasts through the speakers, and the stands cheer as the girls throw their first set of basket tosses to the beat of the music.
“Those have gotten so much better,” Caroline whispers, neither of us taking our eyes off the field. “Come on, hit this pyramid now.”
I squeeze her hand in agreement, holding my breath as the music changes to a remix of “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons, and Maggie flips through the air in a back handspring sequence before loading into the newest pyramid. She flies up, hitting an extension and reaching for the tops and connecting grips before flipping forward then backward and landing back in a lib.
The stunts hit, and Caroline and I both let out loud cheers of excitement as they dismount and move to their cheer formation.
“Blue… White… Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready to fight?” they cheer, and the crowd cheers along with the signs the girls hold up, causing me to smile.
“Okay, last part! You got it,” Caroline cheers as they move to their ending dance formation. The music clicks back on with “Blah Blah Blah” by Kesha pumping through the speakers, and as the girls throw their last tumbling pass, I can’t help but smile because I can already tell they’re going to hit before they even load the new stunts. We’d adjusted the last formation wanting to maximize the scoresheet for state, and this is the first time they’ve performed them outside of practice. Their energy and enthusiasm is off the charts, and I’m so damn proud of how fast they’ve come.
Caroline and I both lean forward just a bit, squeezing the circulation out of each other’s hands as the libs go up before water falling into reloads and hitting the ending formation, yelling “Springside… Saints.”
As soon as they hit, Caroline and I are screaming, cheering them on as they run off the field to hug us. It’s just a halftime performance, but I know that moment gave them the confidence they needed going into state and I’m so happy they hit it.
“Oh my gosh, Miss Caroline did you see us?”
“Miss Hannah, did you see my back tuck? I think that’s the best one I’ve ever done!”
“I need to see a video of our basket toss. I’m pretty sure that’s the highest we’ve thrown all season.”
I smile as they all talk at once, helping them gather their things as we move off the field for the game to restart. When I turn, I see that Will and the rest of the team are standing right behind us, and I smile at him as we make eye contact, feeling my excitement rise at seeing him tonight.
One more half.