by Taylor Hart
“You okay?” he asked, moving closer to her and trying to catch her gaze.
“Please quit asking that.”
He let out a sigh and stepped back. “I hate that question too.”
Their eyes met again. This time, she held steady. “We could start with holds and lifts and cheers and go from there.”
Slowly, a full smile lit up his face. “Do you trust me? To not drop you?”
The question felt like it wasn’t about cheerleading. “I want to.”
The stare between them was as honest as any look they’d shared—two people who had no business ever trusting anyone again.
Nicholas nodded. “Good, because I won’t let you fall.” He motioned to the grass. “I’m ready. Teach me, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
She laughed, and things relaxed between them.
Three hours later, Zoey stood on the porch and examined Nicholas, who was standing in a stiff cheer position. “Do it again! And cheer louder!” she shouted, loving that she could torture him like this.
He scowled, then probably cursed, but she couldn’t hear it. Finally, he started into the cheer. “Be aggressive!” Nicholas shouted, then clapped twice. “Be, be aggressive, wa-hoo!” He scowled and put a fist into the air.
She giggled and then tried to cover it, putting her own fist into the air. “Perfect!”
He glared and moved closer to her. “If it’s perfect, then why are you laughing?”
She couldn’t say. With Nicholas, she just wanted to giggle. This big guy had been working so hard for the last three hours, and he was progressing, but he didn’t have the natural flow, so he looked a bit funny when he did it.
She moved down the steps toward him, holding up the speaker that was connected to her phone. “Like I mentioned, most schools will make you do a tryout, and it’s even tougher to join the team halfway through the year. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to have something to show them tomorrow. The cheer moves are the most important.”
He picked up a water bottle on the ground and squirted water into his mouth, then soaked his face and hair. “I’m fine with this stuff; it’s just the stupid tryout dance that I’m worried about.”
Dang, he was attractive. Stop!
He shook out his hair like a dog, splattering her with water.
She looked up at him, frowning. “Excuse you.”
He laughed, then pointed it at her. “Teach me.” He shook his hair again.
Sputtering, she picked up her own water bottle and sprayed him. Then it was on, and they chased each other in hopes of landing another splash.
In the end, they both were wet and laughing. He put his bottle down. “Okay, I’ve been wondering when the bad-A gymnast Zoey Thompson would show me her fighting moves.”
Adrenaline coursed through her. “Oh yeah?”
He scoffed. “The captain was talking about you for days before you got here, talking about your gymnastics and how you blew the coaches at the farm out of the water because of your natural talent with karate and martial arts.” His eyes narrowed. “Let’s see if you can fight.” He squeezed the water into her face.
Her reflexes kicked in and she pushed the water bottle into his face, hitting his nose.
He stepped back. “Whoa.”
While he was recovering, she grabbed one of his hands and twisted it sharply into a circle, tugging it behind his back.
His face was bent forward. “Not bad.”
Before she knew what was happening, he bent and easily flipped her over his body.
While she was getting up, he threw her back down, holding her shoulder and staring into her eyes. “I know you think that going into a school won’t be hard, but you always have to be on alert that whoever we’re watching could be watching us, too.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. This guy thought he could hold her, control her, do anything to her against her will? Instinctively, she yanked her head forward, slamming her forehead into his.
“Ow.” He leaned back, falling to the ground and holding his head. This time she did hear his curse words, followed by laughter. “Dang, girl.”
She stood, the pain not even fazing her, not even touching her anger. She pointed at him. “I’m not a victim anymore. I’m not someone who is naïve anymore.”
“No, you’re not a victim. You’re powerful.”
The words sent a surge of energy through her veins. Powerful. She liked the sound of that.
A huge grin stretched across his face. He stood. “I believe we’re ready for this assignment.”
Zoey was thrilled that he sounded sincere, but she kept her expression neutral. She grunted and pulled out her phone, finding just the right song. “We will be when we teach you some dance moves.” She spun and then kicked like Michael Jackson.
His eyes widened, but he tried to do it, only half falling. “Crap.”
She laughed. “Not too bad.”
Chapter 11
Sammy
Monday at school, Sammy shuffled to lunch in dread. She had no one. She clutched her phone. No one except Hunter, anyway. He was always available.
Ms. Montlake strode toward Sammy, making her pause. During the weekend she’d wondered how she would apologize to Ms. Montlake, but she’d been too self-absorbed to dwell on it.
Her coach stopped in front of her, cocking an eyebrow at her. “And what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I am really sorry.” Tears burned in her eyes. “I am so sorry that my actions will hurt the team. I really am. I never should have flipped Tiffany off, or participated in the fight.” As much as she wanted to justify what she’d done, she wouldn’t. Take ownership, her father would say in one of his stupid lectures.
Ms. Montlake narrowed her eyes. “I like what I’m hearing from you, and that’s a good thing, because I just got done talking to Principal Howard.”
Sammy swallowed. Great. What unusual punishment would she have to endure?
“Did you hear that Sheena sprained her ankle Saturday, and Bowen hurt his shoulder?”
“No!” Her heart sped up again. This was bad for the team.
Ms. Montlake sighed. “I don’t know what happened between you and Tiffany, but I don’t think it’s fair that the whole team won’t be able to compete because of your fight.”
Could this be? Could this mean what she thought it did? “O-kay.”
“Principal Howard said he’s willing to allow you and Tiffany back on the team if you do detention after school every day for a month after the state competition. And you have to make a formal apology to the team and confess to your wrongdoing.”
“Done,” she said quickly, her mind racing. No way! No way! No way!
“Unfortunately, the principal won’t budge on Claire and Jamie, because their situation was more complicated than yours and Tiffany’s.”
Sammy knew that Claire and Jamie had badly bullied a girl through social media, to the point that the girl was now checked out of school. The parents had threatened a lawsuit against their parents and the high school, claiming that some of the posts were made at school and that the administration needed to have a no-tolerance policy. Sammy nodded, thinking about how they could still make the routine work.
“But you can’t be captain. That’s already gone to Megan.”
“I know. I deserve that. Thank you.”
Ms. Montlake frowned. “Sammy, are you doing okay? I heard bits and pieces of everything, but I wanted to make sure you are okay.”
Sammy didn’t want to explain how hard it’d been on her, how she probably wouldn’t even be at school if she could figure out a way to avoid. She nodded and threw her arms around her coach, so grateful to be cheering again. “Better now.”
Ms. Montlake hugged her, then pulled back. “Listen, I’m still worried because we need another flyer. Even with you back, now we’re down Sheena—who wasn’t as intrinsic to our finale, but still.”
A million thoughts circled in Sammy’s brain. “I could work with Karen. Or Deb.”
<
br /> “Maybe.” Ms. Montlake put up a finger. “There’s still the base that’s gone now. We need another base.”
That was tough, because usually they were guys. “Hmm, I’ll think about who we could train.”
Ms. Montlake smiled at her. “Okay,” she said. She started to head away, but paused. “And Sammy?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know what happened with Tiffany, but you guys have to make peace and get along.”
Sammy couldn’t really fix that problem at the moment, but she didn’t want to ruin this opportunity to be back on the team for competition. “Okay.” She rushed off to lunch, happier than she’d felt in a long time.
Even though Sammy wasn’t sitting by her usual crowd, it didn’t feel so bad. Her brain was preoccupied with what to do about a gymnast and a base.
She opened her Instagram app and noticed four new DMs from @hunterlives. You’re not shutting me out already, are you? I just watched the videos of the cheerleading championship again, and you’re the best one. Tiffany just looks horrible.
Now she laughed, pleased that someone else who didn’t even know her could see it.
Girl, hit me back when you get a sec, because we need to chat.
She started typing, but was interrupted when someone asked, “Can I sit here?”
Stunned that someone was talking to her, she looked up and saw a girl she’d never met before. Strange. The school wasn’t that big, and she thought she could at least recognize everyone’s faces.
The girl slipped into the seat next to her. “My name’s Zoey Pierson.” She pointed across the table; a huge guy took a seat there, with long blond hair shaved on the sides and pulled back into a man bun. “That is Nicholas. He’s my stepbrother. We’re new here.” Zoey lifted her eyebrows. “Guess we like the same red color of hair.”
Sammy nodded cautiously. It felt weird that they were just including her. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” Zoey hesitated. “It is okay if we sit with you, right?”
“Yes.” Sammy couldn’t help but relax.
Nicholas pushed some fries into his mouth and opened his milk. “Nice school.” He looked around, seeming more interested in the school than Zoey was.
Sammy perked up a little. The guy was hot. Would she kiss him if he tried to kiss her? That was what Tiffany and Kira always did. “Yeah, it’s okay.” Reflexively, she opened her own milk carton, trying to smother her confusion. “You’re stepsiblings?”
Zoey picked up a fork and stabbed it into her salad. “It’s dope, right?” She grinned at Sammy and winked. “Don’t worry. We’re not vampires, and he can’t read your mind or anything.” When Sammy just stared, Zoey nudged her. “Twilight.”
She’d never read it, but one weekend she had watched the movies with Kira and Tiffany. “Oh, right.” The Cullens had posed as stepsiblings.
Nicholas smirked at Zoey. “I could be a vampire.”
Zoey leaned back and laughed. “You go to bed at, like, nine o’clock. I don’t think so.”
Sitting with these new people made her feel like she was normal. Like she wasn’t a “mean girl,” as Megan had called her. She so wasn’t. To prove it, she smiled at them. “Haha, that’s funny.”
Nicholas scowled at Zoey, then shoved more fries into his mouth. “Whatever.”
“Are you new, too?” Zoey asked her.
It dawned on Sammy that of course she would ask that, since she wasn’t sitting by anybody. “Uh,” she said, and her cheeks burned with warmth. “No, I just…” She couldn’t help but glance at her old table.
“I get it,” Zoey replied, giving her a look of sympathy. “I was ousted at my last school for wrecking stuff up on the cheerleading squad. Big time.” She chewed on another bite of her salad, then picked up her water. “It’s so clear you belong at the table over there.” Zoey jerked a thumb at her old table. “But something went down, didn’t it?”
Sammy didn’t speak, uncomfortable at the way Nicholas was staring at her, too. But it was comforting to know that she did belong there.
Zoey gave Nicholas a pointed look. “Why don’t you give us a chance to chat?”
Nicholas’s brow furrowed. He stood, his gaze moving around the cafeteria, and Sammy appreciated how many muscles the guy had. He was as cut as Hunter and could easily pass as a college guy.
“The muscles are a lot to take in, right?” Zoey said as they watched the guy walk to the puppy chow table.
“Hey, are you new?” asked Megan.
Ahh, Sammy didn’t really want him to go to that table and have all those girls taint him toward her. Oh well. She turned back to this former cheerleader.
Zoey nodded to Nicholas. “He looks like Thor Jr. Am I right?”
Sammy laughed. “He totally does.” She remembered watching an Avengers movie with Karl.
“So tell me about the drama with the other table.” Zoey winked. “This move to Denver has left me with no friends at all. I used to have my team, ya know?”
An idea occurred to Sammy. “Hey, do you still cheer?”
Zoey leaned back, giving her a confused look. “Well…”
Sammy looked at this new girl with new eyes. The girl was tiny, but she looked strong. “We need you. The team has a competition coming up, and we really need you. Wait,” she said, sizing her up. “Do you tumble?”
“A little.”
“This is crazy!” Sammy happily clapped.
Zoey’s grin widened. “Lucky.”
The bell rang, and they stood. Sammy picked up her uneaten food, finally feeling some hope in the midst of her chaotic life.
Nicholas returned and Zoey nudged him. “Sammy thinks there might be a spot on the cheer team for me.”
“Hmm.” He lifted his brows.
Zoey nodded to him. “He’s an amateur, but he might work if you need him.”
Sammy couldn’t believe it. “Ohmygosh! Yes, we need you both on the team!”
Nicholas frowned. “I don’t know.”
As they walked to the tray drop-off together, Zoey told Sammy, “I finally convinced Nicholas to cheer at our last school, but then we had to move. He needs work, but he’s passable.”
Sammy clamped a hand over her face. “No way. I can’t believe this.”
He nodded, but the look on his face told her that he wasn’t that happy about it. “Not very good, I’m afraid.”
Zoey bumped his arm. “He could do it if you guys need him.”
“Yes!” Sammy could hardly contain her excitement, and she glanced at her old table. Her eyes connected with Tiffany’s, and she wanted to run over and tell her the good news.
Tiffany only glared.
Anger surged through Sammy. She was such a jerk!
“Everything okay?” asked Nicholas.
Sammy looked back at these two new kids, who must have been led here by the cheer gods. “Yes,” she said, grabbing Zoey by the arm. “C’mon, we’ll be late, but let’s go talk to Ms. Montlake.”
Zoey laughed and moved with her. “Okay.”
Nicholas followed them. His face softened with a smile. “Awesome. Gooooo, Lions!” he roared out.
A group of kids standing next to him startled. Then a kid put his fist into the air. “Go, Lions!”
“Go, Lions!” Sammy repeated. She couldn’t believe it. This would solve all their problems. “This is going to be the best!”
Chapter 12
Zoey
Zoey allowed herself some satisfaction as she watched Sammy Lewis walk away. They’d just met Ms. Montlake, who was pretty excited about the possibility that they could join their cheer team.
Zoey turned to Nicholas. “Not so bad for my first assignment, right?”
Nicholas let out a low growl. “Sure.”
“Oh, c’mon, be enlightened.” She pulled out her phone and looked at the snapshot of her schedule she’d taken earlier that day when the captain had gotten them registered at the office.
“What class do we have now?” Nich
olas looked resigned and followed her.
That was one of Nicholas’s conditions: if he had to be a cheerleader, at least the captain could insist they have the same classes. He didn’t want to have to make friends if it was only for two weeks, and their whole purpose was to help Sammy see that @hunterlives was the spawn of Satan. Ralph had worked his magic and gotten them in all the same classes.
Zoey stared at the schedule. “We have pottery, and I hate being late.” She and Nicholas walked quickly toward an outbuilding that had “Art Complex” written on the side of it.
“It’s a whole ‘complex,’” Nicholas said, air quoting.
She laughed and air quoted. “‘Yes, it is.’”
He frowned. “You lose all the oomph of quoting a word if you quote the whole thing.”
This made her smile. She couldn’t deny that even when she put the physical attraction aside, she was starting to like Nicholas more and more. At first, Zoey hadn’t been too sure about Nicholas, but she found his humor funny, and after sparring last night and spending hours together teaching him cheer stuff, she felt comfortable with him. “Focus on pottery. You’re a ‘hands in the clay’ type of guy.”
He pointed at her and laughed. “Clay. You could have quoted clay.” Nicholas slowed his pace, peering over his shoulder, then focused on her. “Did you see Sammy madly texting on her phone before we walked up to her table?”
Their window was narrowing. Zoey would need to take advantage of what they knew for as long as she could. “If she was this excited about us cheering, then I think we have hope.”
Nicholas grunted. “True.” They reached the building, and he swung the door open for her.
“Thank you,” she said. For the past couple of months, it had been hard to trust anyone. She was so grateful she could finally just let a guy open the door for her and feel good about it. “Go, Lions!” She mimicked his little chant from earlier.
He put a halfhearted fist into the air. “Go Lions,” he whispered, smiling.
Chapter 13
