by Emma Dalton
Darn, did I screw up? I didn’t mean to get so distracted...
“Yeah, Coach?” I ask as I sprint over to him. My eyes widen in surprise when I see Coach Myers, the cheerleading coach, standing next to him.
Coach Papas claps me on the back. “You did good out there, Barrington. Ready to smoke Starview Grove High this weekend?”
“You bet,” I say, my eyes gliding toward Teagyn’s mom, not sure why she’s standing there and why she’s got a weird grin on her face.
My coach nods to her. “You know Coach Myers, right?”
“Of course,” I say with a pleasant smile. “You’re doing an amazing job with the squad. They’re great.”
She tilts her head from side to side. “They could be better.”
Ouch. Talk about pressure.
Coach claps me on the back again. “Who are you taking to the homecoming dance?”
“What?” I stare at him. It’s a little odd for my coach to ask me a personal question like that. He’s never done that before. “Uh…my girlfriend,” I say.
“Who is your girlfriend?” Coach Myers asks.
“Kara Gander. She’s with the Edenbury High Tim—I mean, she’s the awesome girl who always cheers for me at my games and practice.”
Coach squints and then shrugs. “Never heard of her.” He waves his hand. “Forget about her. I want you to take someone else to the dance.”
I just gape at him. “You what?”
“Oh, there she is.” Coach Myers waves her hand like she’s flagging someone down. “Teagyn! Teagyn, come over here.”
My gaze snaps to her, watching her dump her pom-poms on another cheerleader and race over to us. “What’s up, Mom?” She notices me standing there and smiles with a wave. “Hi, Brayden.” She has a certain look in her eye, but I can’t quite make out what it is.
“The Atlanta Daily wants to do a feature on the school, specifically the football team and the cheerleading squad,” Coach Papas tells me and Teagyn. “Just in time for homecoming.”
My heart rate spikes. Did he just say The Atlanta Daily? One of the most well-known and respected newspapers in America? If I’m featured in the article, it could grab the attention of recruiters all over the country. “Wow,” I breathe. “That’s amazing.”
“But they want a good story,” Coach Myers says. “Something deeper than an amazing football team with an exceptional QB, and an equally amazing cheerleading squad.”
My eyes move from her to my coach, not sure what they’re getting at. Teagyn looks confused, too, but why do I have the feeling she’s putting on an act?
“Imagine the headlines.” Coach Myers waves her hands before us. “‘Edenbury High’s star QB Brayden Barrington and his beautiful girlfriend and head cheerleader Teagyn Myers head off to the homecoming dance together hand in hand after demolishing Starview Grove High School. They spend a wonderful night celebrating with their friends, then after receiving the coveted title of homecoming king and queen, they tangle themselves in each other’s arms and lead their classmates into a beautiful dance.’ It’s sure to grab every reader’s attention. And it would be a great representation of our school. It could very well open many doors and give the sports department more funding. The cheerleaders can do with new uniforms.”
“The football team can do with new equipment,” Coach Papas adds.
I look from one to the other. “Wait. You want Teagyn and me to…?”
“That sounds amazing!” Teagyn nearly bounces on her feet. “I would love to represent our school like that.”
“Wonderful,” Coach Papas says. Then he looks at me. “I don’t need to tell you what a feature in The Atlanta Daily can do for your future, son.”
My heart beats so loudly and wildly in my ears that I’m having trouble making sense of my thoughts. They want me to take Teagyn to the dance? To be crowned king and dance with her on the stage? But I just asked Kara to homecoming yesterday.
“I have a girlfriend,” I say.
“She’s a nobody,” Teagyn says. “Just some wanna-be loser who’s put her dirty paws on Brayden. But he’s too nice to shake her off. You have nothing to worry about.”
Kara is not any of those things. I shoot Teagyn a hard look, but she ignores me.
Her mom nods. “Good. Because Coach Papas and I are relying on you to paint our school in the best light possible. The reporters will be at the game and they will attend the dance as well. Do not disappoint us.”
She says it to the both of us, but her eyes are pinned on Teagyn. Biting her lip, she quickly nods.
“Great.” She smiles. “You two have a good day.”
She and her daughter walk away.
“Coach, I just asked Kara yesterday to homecoming.”
He rests his hand on my arm. “I know girls seem important to you right now, Barrington, but the hard truth is that in five years’ time, you won’t even remember her name. What’s more important to you—playing for a college team or a girl?”
My heart once again hammers in my ears. I suck in a deep breath to calm it so I can think clearly. I don’t want to admit it, but my coach is right. Kara isn’t even my girlfriend. Should I sacrifice everything I worked for just because of this fake relationship I convinced her to be in?
She shouldn’t be upset by the news, though, right? It’s not like she likes me. Maybe as a friend, sure, but definitely not more than that. She would understand, wouldn’t she? Because she’s so unbelievably kind. And she did say she would do whatever she could to help me fulfill my dream—and maybe this is the way. Maybe her dad will read the article and finally come to one of my games. Of course Kara and I would have to assure him I took Teagyn to the dance only because of the article, which I’m sure he’d understand…
Coach claps my back again. “Make the right decision, son. Your future is on the line.”
I swallow hard as he walks away. My future is on the line. I need to do whatever I can to make my parents proud, to make Brock proud, to make Bailey proud. But most importantly, to make myself proud.
After I’m done with my shower, I shoot Kara a text, asking her if we could get together later. She responds a few seconds later that I can come over to her house whenever I want. I reply that I’ll be there in a few minutes.
As I get in my car and drive to her house, I can’t help but worry she’ll be hurt by the news. But I reassure myself that she won’t be—we aren’t dating for real. Even though sometimes…it does feel like it’s real.
I shake my head. That’s a crazy thought.
I park the car in the driveway and ring her bell. She answers it with a smile. “Perfect timing. I have cookies.”
“You do?” I ask as I close the door behind me.
“Yeah. I baked them for my dad to snack on the plane. He just left for San Diego to check out a potential recruit.”
That’s why he’s missing the homecoming game. I try not to let that sting. It is what it is.
“Is that why you weren’t at practice?” I ask. Then I mentally curse myself. Way to be cool, Barrington.
“What?” she asks as she holds out the plate of chocolate chip cookies. “Oh, yeah. I watched you practice for like a second before I went home. Had to make sure my dad packed enough underwear.” She laughs lamely.
Why do I feel warm at the thought that she did come to see me practice, even if it was just for a few minutes?
“Cookie?” She pushes the plate closer to my face.
I smile. “Of course.” I grab two and bite into one. “Mmm. Even better than before.”
Her cheeks grow a little red. “Thanks. So…did you want to talk to me about something?”
“Yeah. Can we sit?”
She leads me to the living room, where we sit side by side on the couch. I busy myself stuffing another cookie in my mouth, avoiding the inevitable, I guess. I just don’t want to hurt her.
She laughs lightly. “I’m on pins and needles here.”
I nod, washing the cookie down with a can of Coke
she placed on the coffee table. “Sorry. It’s just that what I’m about to tell you isn’t good news.”
She tucks her hands underneath her thighs. “I’m listening.”
“Okay, so my coach and Coach Myers had a talk with me and Teagyn. The Atlanta Daily is interested in doing a story on the football team and the cheerleading squad.”
“The Atlanta Daily? That’s awesome!”
“I know.” I shift in my seat. “The thing is, they want both Teagyn and me to represent the school. So the coaches thought it would look good for us to…go to the homecoming dance together. And be crowned king and queen. So…I can’t go to homecoming with you. Sorry. I know I just asked you yesterday.”
She’s quiet for a moment. Then she says, “You’re going with…Teagyn?”
“I know.” I roll my eyes. “Out of all cheerleaders, it had to be her. I feel like a selfish, self-centered jerk here, Kara, but if I’m featured in the article, it can do wonders for my career.” I lower my gaze to my knees. “Maybe your dad will finally notice me. I know he’d understand why I had no choice but to take Teagyn to the dance and not you.”
She’s quiet again. I don’t want to raise my head and look at her. It’ll kill me if she’s upset.
She rests her hand on my hand that’s on my knee. “I totally get it.”
My eyes spring to hers. “You do?”
“As someone who works on a paper, I know how hard it is to find a good story. And the captain of the football team and head cheerleader dating and going to homecoming together? That’s a good story. Overdone, sure, but our small town needs something like this.”
My brows furrow. “So…you’re not upset?”
“Why should I be upset? I told you I’d do whatever I can to help you fulfill your dreams. And it’s not like I’m your real girlfriend.”
“Right,” I mutter, my mind miles away. Why am I disappointed that she’s not upset by this news? Does that make me sound like a jerk? I guess she doesn’t like hanging out with me as much as I like hanging out with her.
I force a smile on my face. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Of course. Friend. Boyfriend.” She gently punches my arm.
We sit in silence.
“Is there something else you wanted?” she asks after a little while.
“What? Oh. Yeah, another cookie.” I reach for one and bite it.
“Take the whole plate home,” she offers.
I shake my head. “No way.”
“It’s just me here for the whole weekend. You’ll be doing me a favor by getting rid of them.”
“You’ll be here all alone?”
She waves her hand. “My friends are dropping by. Don’t worry, I won’t be alone.”
“Okay. Good. I guess I’ll head home now.” I stand.
“In case we don’t have a chance to talk tomorrow, good luck on the game.” She stands and sweeps the plate of cookies into her hand. “I’ll put these in a container for you.”
She leaves and returns a few minutes later with a semi-large container. And the cookies inside? Much more than the ones that were on the plate.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I know Bailey will love them.”
“And a certain quarterback?” she teases.
I laugh. “He’ll probably eat more than his little sister.”
She walks me to the door and opens it. “Good night, Brayden.”
“Good night.”
As I place the container on the passenger seat and buckle up, I glance back at the house. Is it just me, or did the curtain shift, like someone was looking out?
I was probably just imagining it.
I’m glad Kara wasn’t hurt by the news, but…why am I?
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I mumble as I glance at my reflection in Ally’s bedroom mirror. “He’s taking someone else to homecoming. I can’t show my face…can’t watch him with his arms wrapped around her…” I swallow, averting my gaze.
Ally rests her hand on my back. “If it’s too hard, maybe you should skip.”
Dani shakes her head resolutely. “You have to go, because if you don’t, you’ll show Teagyn she won.”
I roll my eyes. “This isn’t about Teagyn.”
Charlie frowns from where she’s tapping on her laptop. Looks like she’s got some extra homework to do. “Apparently it is. In our school, it’s all about Teagyn.”
Dani turns to me. “No one’s forcing you, but don’t you want to have some fun, normal high school memories? We’ll be graduating next year and I don’t want you to miss out. What do you say, Kara? Come with us? The Four Musketeers?”
I glance at Charlie whacking at the keys. “Only if Charlie comes, too.”
She waves her hand. “I don’t do dances.”
I head over to her and place my hand on her arm. “Please? We’re a team. Either we all go together or we don’t go at all.”
She scowls. “This requires me putting on a dress.”
Ally heads over to her closet and flings it open, exposing rows and rows of dresses fit for royalty. My jaw drops. “How do you have these?”
She shrugs. “Hand-me-downs from Amanda. She bought a new dress for every dance. So take your pick, guys.”
Dani and I run to check them out while Charlie remains on the bed, working. Dani, Ally, and I exchange glances, blinking at each other.
“Uh, does anyone know anything about dresses?” Dani asks.
Ally shakes her head with wide eyes, while I say, “Not a clue.” We all turn to Charlie.
She glances away from her laptop to us. “Have you seriously lost your minds? Does it look like I do dresses and dances?”
Ally groans. “Looks like we’ll have to call the expert. I already owe her so much in chores, now she’ll demand more.” She smiles shyly. “But it’s worth it, isn’t it? Like Dani said, let’s be regular high schoolers for once.”
Charlie snorts. “Regular. Sure.”
“As regular as we can be,” Dani says. She nods to Ally. “Get your sister’s butt in here so she can make us pretty.”
“Prettier,” I correct. “We’re all beautiful.”
Dani wraps an arm around me. “Aw, how sweet! I love this girl.”
I laugh, my cheeks heating up. Sometimes I still need to pinch myself to check if this is real and I have friends. “And I love you.”
Dani wiggles her eyebrows. “And you love Brayden, too. Too bad he can’t take you to homecoming.”
I sigh. “The negative side of being popular. But as much as this hurts me, I have to remember what’s important—Brayden getting recruited by my dad. Did you see how well he played last night? It was like his best game ever.” I frown. “Too bad my dad was out of town and couldn’t watch him.”
“There will be other games,” Ally reassures me.
“And at least you have an excuse to fake it with him for a little bit longer.”
Ally rests her hand on my arm. “How are you feeling, by the way? About the fake relationship? I mean, after that kiss…”
I force a smile. “I’ll be okay. I still can’t stop thinking about it, but at least I have that memory to hold onto after we break up. And it’s true that we have more time to spend together. But not tonight, though.” I sigh heavily. “I just wish I could dance with him again.”
Now all three girls pat my arm. Even Charlie gets up from the bed to comfort me. And I appreciate it so, so much. What would I do without these amazing girls?
“No more feeling sorry for myself,” I say with a bright smile. “Let’s have fun tonight. Ally, call your sister.”
She salutes and leaves the room, returning a few minutes later with a reluctant Amanda. She takes one look at us and says, “You owe me big for this. Because all this?” She motions at us. “It’s going to take a lot of work.”
Ally scowls. “Just make us look pretty.”
“Sure thing. Who wants to go first?”
All four
of us blink at one another. Charlie steps back. “Don’t look at me. This wasn’t my idea. And I don’t do dresses.”
Amanda grabs her. “You’re totally going first.”
It takes hours before all of us are ready. Amanda checks out her work, hand on her chin. “Not bad, if I do say so myself. Who knew under all that nerdiness are actually pretty girls?” She turns us to the mirror so we can see her work. Wow. She’s right. We look good. Different, but amazing. She didn’t cake us up too much, just put on enough makeup to enhance our natural beauty.
Dani’s wearing a dark purple dress with two slits on the sides, Ally’s is a little more conservative—rose gold that covers most of her skin—Charlie’s is an emerald green that shows a lot of leg and brings out her eyes, and mine is teal that reaches just above my knees.
Ally’s cheeks are bright red, Dani smiles, Charlie huffs as she pulls on the hem of her dress, and I picture Brayden wrapping his arms around me at the dance. But then the reality hits me. He won’t be doing that because he’ll have his arms full of Teagyn. The thought of that makes me want to vomit. How can I go there and watch them? Maybe I should hide away in my room.
No. I’m going to the dance to have a good time with my friends. Tonight, I’m not Brayden Barrington’s fake girlfriend. I’m just Kara from the book club and high school newspaper. And I’ll make sure to enjoy every second of tonight.
Amanda puts some last-minute touches on us before we’re good to go. Well, Ally, Dani, and me. Charlie on the other hand? She keeps muttering how this is so not her and she’s going to rip the cursed thing off. Amanda threatens she’ll smash her laptop if she dares. I don’t know why Charlie is so against the dress—she looks amazing.
Amanda will be our chauffeur tonight, though she doesn’t seem to mind it one bit. I think she feels like a proud mom sending her kids off to kindergarten.
“You know something, Ally?” She tells her sister as we get in the car, Ally taking the passenger seat while the rest of us climb into the back. “Tonight is free of charge.”
Ally’s eyes widen. “You serious?”
Amanda smiles. “You made me realize my calling. What I want to do with my life. I want to go to cosmetology school. I’ve always loved makeup, but tonight I realized I want to do it for a living. Giving makeovers to women is something that speaks to me. I mean, look at you and your friends. You went from drab to totally fab.”
