by K. Walker
“Your turn,” Willis said.
“No, thank you,” I told him and backed away. “We’ll catch a cab.”
“You’re sure?” Cooper asked as he held the door.
“This is our town,” I grinned. “And our job is done. We can find our way home.”
“Okay. And keep your noses clean, boys. I don’t want to have to run into you again. For any reason,” Palmer replied, right before he closed the door and they drove off.
“That went well,” I said to Brody after they had gone.
“Yeah,” he grinned.
“Let’s go home!” I said as we walked off. I took out my phone and texted Dad.
Chad: It’s over!
Chapter 22
Sophia
“Okay, so is it going to be like this from now on?” I whispered to the girls as we huddled outside the locker watching Callie.
“It’s a distinct possibility,” Liz whispered back.
She slammed the locker on Christine’s hand, and the girl howled. “Callie, that wasn’t nice.”
“Screw nice. The world isn’t nice. Suck it up!”
Christine clutched her hand. “You know, I’m sick of this.”
“Is that so?” Callie asked and turned on the girl. “If you want to have your own opinion, then you know the rules. You can just hand in your pom-poms.”
“No problem!” Christine snapped and pushed past her. “Such a bitch!” she grumbled as she stomped past us.”
Paris and Zoe remained stupefied, wondering what they should do next. “What?” Callie asked them, and they jumped. She took out her purse and walked away, leaving them with scrunched up faces and crushed egos.
“I don’t know why they put up with it,” I said.
“They knew what they signed up for,” Alexi added.
“I guess. But, do you think she’s like this today because her Mom is going to court?” I asked out of curiosity. There had been a lot going on in her life lately, specifically with her uncle dying and her Mom being charged on multiple counts of fraud and extortion.
“I don’t think it’s a surprise for Callie that her mother twisted arms and did unrighteous deeds to get her way,” Liz said as we walked off. “It’s what they do.”
“Still, she’s only seventeen. It’s gotta take a toll.”
“Which she’s busy transferring to others,” Amanda leaned in and said. “Maybe if she was more human, I would feel sorry for her, but I just don’t. She’s mean and cruel.”
They were right. But I couldn’t bring myself not to empathize with her. We walked out into the afternoon sun, where Chad was leaning against his car.
“Ready?” he asked me.
“Yeah. Later, girls,” I told them and hurried over to him.
“Come on,” he said as the group split and headed for their cars.
I fell back against the headrest and closed my eyes. “Bad day?” he asked as the car started to move.
I rolled my head around to him. “Not really—just thinking about Callie’s Mom, and the case, and her.”
“Why?” Chad asked and twisted his face. “They never gave a shit when they threatened to bankrupt my dad, run him out of town, and screw with his rep. They deserve what they get!” he said bitterly.
And it was totally understandable. So, what was wrong with me?
“I know,” I sighed.
“So, her Mom’s going to get locked up?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I hope so. Then maybe they’ll finally believe they’re not invincible and above it all.”
“Come on, Chad,” I said and traced my finger over his hand. “You all behave like that. You were an arrogant jerk when I first met you.”
“But that’s different, babe,” he argued.
“How? I saw you being mean to so many freshmen and junior students. You weren’t any different than Callie.”
“Are you kidding me right now? I’m Chad Minor! It’s what I do, but I don’t go around fucking up people’s lives. I mean,” He said and raked his hand through his hair, “some of it was…you know…I can’t look weak in front of the guys.”
I shook my head. “Wow.”
“She’ll be better off, anyway. Her uncle died, so she’ll inherit millions, and she and her Dad are cool. It’s her Mom that was the problem, so I don’t think she’s going to be sad if she goes to jail.”
“Sucks either way,” I said as the car pulled into my driveway.
“For her,” Chad said and got out. “So, what are we doing this evening?”
“After the week we’ve had, we could use a low key evening,” I said and opened the door. “How about we order dinner, and we watch a movie or something?”
“Works for me, but no chick flicks or rom-com,” he declared.
“And no horror,” I said, and stuck out my tongue.
“Okay, then we have nothing to watch,” he replied and threw his hands in the air. “But,” he began and I saw the mischievous look in his eyes, “we can make our own movie.”
He slipped behind me and started nibbling my ear while his hands moved over my belly and up to cup my breasts. “You got a camera?”
I pulled away from him. “What?”
He laughed loudly. “I was just playing about the camera part, anyway. “But as for the rest,” he said as he bit his lower lip and walked over, “I’m game if you are.”
“Oh, you know I am,” I replied as I ducked him and ran upstairs.
“Oh, make it a game, shall we?” he shouted as he chased me upstairs. He caught me just as we entered the room and pinned me against the wall. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted you,” he growled in my ear, sending goose pimples lining up all over me.
“I think I have some idea,” I replied breathily as my heart pounded in sweet expectation.
“Yeah?” he asked and moved his hand along my back as he nibbled my neck.
I writhed under him as he splayed his fingers over my ass, provoking the deepest parts of me. He rubbed up against me, and I felt him, hard as a rock, pressing into me. I nibbled on my lower lip and groped his arm. He lifted my left leg and I curled it around his waist as he moved in closer to me, if that were possible.
No air could pass between us as our bodies clung to each other like Velcro. My entire being danced for him, and I clawed his arms as his head dipped and he swirled his tongue around the still clothed nipples.
“Sophia!”
We froze.
“Maybe she’ll assume we’re busy,” Chad said and I giggled.
“Yeah, like Mom’s going to think we’re up here studying and leave us alone,” I sighed and forced him off of me.
“I’m going to need a minute,” he said and walked over to the bathroom. Luckily, I had my own, so he wouldn’t need to risk being seen by Mom.
I opened the door, sucked in a deep breath and answered. “Up here!”
She was already on her way up. “Oh, there you are,” she said as she reached the door and stuck her head in. “Is Chad in here? I saw his car in the driveway.”
“Yeah, he’s using the bathroom,” I told her. ‘What’s up? How was it?”
She groaned. “Horrible.”
“Hi, Mrs. Daniels,” Chad said as he emerged from the bathroom.
“Hi, Chad,” she smiled and gave him a mini-wave. She folded her arms and leaned against the door jamb.
“You were saying?”
“Oh, right.” She wiped her hand over her forehead. “So, today was the first hearing. Turned out, she has quite an extensive list of blackmail and bribery. But it doesn’t sound like she’s threatened to harm anyone. She might take the deal, but who knows? It’s Natalie Humpry, and she still doesn’t think she did anything wrong.”
“Wow,” I exclaimed. “Just wow. What happens if she takes the deal?”
“I suppose she’ll have to pay a fine, restitution, and probably get some prison time, which will be longer if she doesn’t take the deal. I doubt she’ll take it. She’ll f
ight it tooth and nail.”
“Told you,” Chad said from behind me. “I’ve known them my whole life. That’s how they are. They rule everyone – they have everyone in their damn pockets. They think they are never wrong.”
“I can imagine,” Mom said thoughtfully.
“Look, I’m gonna run,” Chad said. “We have our game next week and I need to get some practice in with the guys.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said in a disappointed tone. “Let me walk you out.” I was regretful that Mom had interrupted us, so I was left on a high and Chad had to leave. I would have to find other ways to calm my raging hormones. At least he had football.
“Next time, we’ll stop by my house first,” he winked and I giggled.
“I hope so. See you later,” I told him and he kissed me quickly on the lips before slipping through the door.
I fell back against it dreamily. I was going to be in love with Chad for a long time. I saw Mom’s broad smile as she came downstairs.
“That one is a keeper,” she said.
“You think so? He can be an ass sometimes,” I said with a smile.
“Aren’t we all?” she asked and plopped down onto the sofa. She patted the cushion next to her and I joined her.
“So, Mom, what now? You don’t have a job,” I said wistfully and leaned against her shoulder.
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry. Your Dad still deposits money for you and practically the rent on this place. And David had been paying me a boatload of money to keep quiet and to steer Natalie away from Travis. We’ll be fine until I land another job.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Or we can just let Dad pay for everything, and we kick back and have girls’ time every day.”
Mom chuckled. “That would be nice, but you know me.”
“Yeah, yeah, miss twenty-first-century woman who must work,” I drawled. “I would love to be living in the Victorian era, when women were waited on, treated like royalty, and fought over.”
“Don’t forget the lack of voice, the condescension, emotional abuse, the feeling of worthlessness…”
I giggled. “Okay, I get it. Twenty-first century it is. But it must feel nice to be catered to all the time—living without a care in the world.”
“That’s not living, dear,” Mom said and stroked my hair. “I have patients who do the very same thing, having a job, contributing to this world in a positive way – now that’s living.”
“I guess. I still don’t know what I want to be,” I said warily. “Maybe I’ll take after you. Definitely not going to be a lawyer, though.”
We laughed and cuddled next to each other as we searched for a movie, a rom-com, the both of us would enjoy.
Chapter 23
Sophia
Two weeks later…
“Sophia, hand me the scissors, please?” Amanda asked as she balanced on the ladder. She was trying to hang decorations on the wall.
We were one week away from the Christmas dance, and the entire school community was abuzz with life. Football finals were that evening, and the boys were pumped up. Students were busy getting ready for finals, and the Christmas spirit permeated the air.
It was a happy time for everyone, except one.
“My zipper’s stuck,” Callie complained and tugged at the material as the cheer squad got ready for the game.
“I guess Christine really quit,” I muttered to Amanda.
“Yep. Can’t say I blame her,” she replied without looking. We were in the gym as they practiced their routine. We had opted on the gym for the dance instead of the cafeteria, after all.
“You’re not turning like you should. You have to jump and split. Not just jump. What kind of idiot cheer is that?”
“I’m trying,” Zoe snapped. “You don’t have to be like this all the time, Callie? Sheesh!”
Another cheerleader meltdown, and possibly another one quitting the squad. If that didn’t make Callie feel like a failure, I didn’t know what could.
“You either do it right or not at all,” she said and stared down Zoe, who folded her arms and turned away.
“The rest of you, keep going,” she hurled at them and walked away. “I have to go to the ladies’ room.”
The look on her face was not that of a happy person. I could see the misery behind the arrogance she tried so desperately to hide. But I wasn’t going to do anything about it. It was Callie freakin’ Humpry, and I wasn’t crossing that train track for anything.
“Okay, I think this is it, for now,” Amanda said and started down the ladder. “We’ll get the rest up another day.”
“Where’s the rest of the girls?”
“I think they already went out to the field. It’s a big game, and you should see how we do it; Madison Falls style,” Amanda grinned as she hit the tile. “Come on; give me a hand with these.”
We returned the items to the art supplies closet and hurried over to the field. It was already minutes past five and the stands were getting filled with the home and visiting crowd.
I honestly didn’t expect to see so many people. It was as if all of Madison Falls had turned up to watch the match. “There are so many people,” I exclaimed as we forced our way through the tight spaces between the metal seats.
“Told ya,” Amanda said as we searched the crowd for the other girls. “Oh, there they are,” she said and pointed closer to the front and right next to the tunnel so we could see the players when they came out.
“Good spot,” I applauded them as we climbed over the back of the seat and hopped down.
“Best in the house,” Liz beamed. “We got frozen lemonade for you,” she said and handed us the cups.
“Thanks, Liz.” I took mine and sat, and then noticed the spectacle on the field.
“Let’s hear it for the Madison Falls Titans!” Coach Blake said on the speaker.
The stands erupted into a series of hoots and hollers, and we jumped to our feet and joined them. The air was electrifying and contagious.
“Let’s hear it for our girls, Madison Falls Titans, here are your biggest fans!” the coach continued as Callie and the girls jumped and screamed as they ran through the tunnel and onto the field. They started their routine right away, singing and flipping each other as they did perfect splits and turns to the loud cheering.
“Go Titans!” they ended and threw their pom-poms in the air.
“And there you have it! Let’s hear it for the girls. And now, for your champions, the reigning state champions, Madison Falls Titaaanns!” he hollered as he dragged out the last word.
Everyone jumped to their feet as the boys, padded shoulders and helmet in hands, jogged onto the field.
“Go team!” we yelled as they ran on.
“Woohoo!!!” I screamed, especially when I saw my QB turning around, searching for me in the stands. He found me, right where he had the last time, and blew a kiss. For luck, he had said earlier.
Callie saw, and her eyes narrowed on me, stealing the moment.
“Ignore her,” Amanda said to me. I didn’t even realize anyone else was paying attention.
“That’s the idea,” I said as we waited for the National Anthem to be played. A hush descended over the stadium as our head chorister took the mic and sang. The reverent mood was immediately interrupted as soon as she sang the last word.
Fireworks went off overhead, and the cheers were deafening.
“What the hell do they do when they win?” I laughed.
“More of the same and probably lots of champagne,” Alexi replied and slurped her drink.
In another couple of minutes, the game started, and I could barely focus. Not that I knew much of what was going on – I knew how points were made, but not the individual rules of play.
The excitement and the vibe seeped into me, and soon I was clamoring like everyone else. We were up ten points at the half. Deven was removed from the game because he took a hit from a linebacker as he went up to receive a pass from Brody.
They huddled arou
nd him, but there wasn’t much we could see or find out at that point, but when he stood and walked back through the tunnels, he was clearly in pain.
“Damn!” I said. “Poor, Deven.”
“It’s a contact sport of massive proportions,” Amanda pointed out. “The guys are sexy, but I hate it.”
“Tell me about it,” Alexi added. “Takes too much aggression to succeed.”
“Hmm,” I mused.
The coach announced the start of the second half, and the rumbling started again. Chad managed to pull off two touchdowns, and I was on my feet, jumping and dancing, much to their annoyance.
By the end of the match, when we had won by eight points, my voice was hoarse.
“Serves you right,” Alexi laughed.
I stuck out my tongue and continued to shimmy as I celebrated our win. The boys were still on the field, basking under a flurry of confetti.
The cheerleaders ran over to them and began to shake both their pom-poms and their asses as they clawed at the team members. I shook my head in disgust. I was about to turn away when I noticed a shocked look on Callie’s face. She stepped away from the girls; her phone stuck to her ear.
Her lips weren’t moving, and I saw the dark cloud as it descended on her face just before she pretended to smile and backed away from the girls. I wasn’t sure why I was watching her. I probably had a death wish.
She kept her head low as she hurried past and down the tunnel. No doubt, she had gone to the locker room. It bugged me. Something had happened. My phone buzzed, and I reached for it. Mom had texted.
Mom: Verdict came back today.
I gasped and looked back at the tunnel. No wonder she had been upset. “Excuse me,” I said to Amanda and squeezed past her.
“Where are you going? They’ll have a bonfire thing on the field now that we’ve won,” she said.
“I’ll be right back. I just need to check on something,” I told her and scampered off before I could get any other suspicious questions.
I took the long way around so as not to draw suspicion. I didn’t see her in the locker room, so I began to hunt. She wasn’t in the restroom either, and I began to walk faster as I searched for her.
