“What? What makes you think that?”
“He mentioned it on twitter,” she said. She put the face paint down and put her hands on her hips, smiling at me knowingly. “I mean, he was totally subtle about it. Said something going to cheer on his girlfriend for something, but... it was easy to read between the lines.”
“He called me his girlfriend?” I asked. I hated how hopeful my voice sounded.
“All right, girls!” Coach Bee came into the room, clapping her hands to draw our attention. Eloise and I both turned to look at her. “Time to head outside.”
We all scrambled to finish putting on our shoes and grabbing our pom-poms before we filed outside. The sun was just setting, casting a beautiful orange and pink hue across the sky. The stadium was already packed with people. Eloise nudged me and nodded toward one of the stands down the field. I looked over and saw Jude there, along with the rest of Take Five.
The game began, and we cheered our hearts out as our team made quick work of their opponents. The excitement was palpable in the air, and I could feel my skin prickling with anticipation. Every time we stepped out onto the field, I found Jude again in the stands--and every single time, I saw him staring right back at me.
“Any plans tonight?” Jess asked me at the end of the game.
“Well, I?—”
“Sloane!” Kinsleigh appeared out of nowhere and threw her arms around my shoulders in some weird hug.
“Hey, Kinsleigh,” I said. I couldn’t really hug her back since she was pinning my arms down, so I had to just stand there uncomfortably until she stepped away again. I wasn’t sure why she was hugging me anyway since we’d never been that close. While most girls on the cheer squad were really touchy-feely, I only hugged the girls that I was friends with. “What’s up?”
She pulled away and rested her fists on her hips as if she were about to perform another routine.
“Mikayla’s hosting a party,” she said. “And a bunch of us are heading over there. And I know you totes don’t normally come to parties after games?—”
“Well, actually, I?—”
“—but I was thinking that, like, maybe you could get some of your friends to come?”
I faltered. I’d been ready to explain to her that, actually, I did usually come to parties, but she hadn’t seen me much this year because I’d been grounded for a bit, but her comment about my “friends” put a bad taste in my mouth. Last year, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but this year, I knew exactly which friends she wanted there and why she was asking me… and I didn’t appreciate being used like that.
As if they sensed the conversation, Hudson, Jude, and Megan walked up to us right then. I didn’t miss the way that Kinsleigh straightened up, smiled brightly, and started twirling her hair around her finger as she looked at them.
“Oh my gosh, hey,” she said, her voice raising an octave higher. I awkwardly cleared my throat and looked away.
“Good cheering today,” Jude said. Kinsleigh giggled like he’d said the funniest thing she’d ever heard.
“Thank you.”
“Sloane,” he said, “I was just coming to tell you we're having a bonfire at our place tonight. You're welcome to come.” His eyes flitted over to Kinsleigh and then back to me. “That is if you don’t have other plans.”
“Actually—" Kinsleigh said, but I quickly cut her off, not wanting to know where that sentence was going.
“Kinsleigh was just inviting me to a party,” I said. “Well, actually, not me but my friends. You specifically.”
“Oh, um, I can’t tonight,” Jude said. “But maybe another time, okay?”
“Of course,” Kinsleigh said, nodding emphatically. She looked at Jude and Hudson again before running off to her friends.
“Well, that was painful to watch,” Jess said.
“They’re just excited,” Jude said. “I think it will get better with time. They’ll get used to seeing us around.”
“Well, have fun tonight,” Jess said. “I have to go catch up with Mikayla. I’ll see you later.”
“Zach, Finn, and Neil already headed home,” Hudson told me. “They’re going to get the bonfire started.”
“Assuming you’re coming,” Jude added. “I know you didn’t really get the chance to say yes.”
“You really think I would say no?” I asked.
