I pushed to my feet and reached for her hands. She loved me. I knew she did. But it was her way, or the highway and I’d always gone along with that. But I didn’t want to do it anymore.
“I love you, Mama. I own my part in this. I should have spoken up sooner. I need to tell you something.”
Her dark eyes searched mine. “What is it?”
“I quit cheer today. I don’t want to cheer with Karina. I don’t want to cheer for Alec. I honestly don’t like being thrown up in the air anymore. I haven’t liked it for a long time.”
She let my hands go, and she moved to sit on the bed, shaking her head with disbelief. “It’s a little early for a midlife crisis, Adelaide. I don’t know what is going on with you. What did Coach Hansen say? Can this be undone, or did you burn that bridge?”
“Savannah,” my father said, his voice harsher than I’d ever heard it. “She doesn’t want to cheer. She shouldn’t be forced to do something she doesn’t like.”
“You have both lost your damn minds. Edingtons don’t make commitments and then break them.”
“I’ve never broken a commitment in my life before now. Maybe sometimes it’s okay. Just like you think Alec breaking his commitment to me is okay.” I crossed my arms over my chest and faced her. “You know what Coach Hansen said?”
“What?” she huffed.
“She said she was proud of me.”
“Proud of you? For being a quitter?” she hissed, pushing to her feet and moving to the door.
“Yes. She tried to talk me out of it at first because she thought it was just about Alec and Karina. But I told her that I haven’t liked cheer for a long time…. that I did it because you wanted me to. And she said that life was short and that she was proud of me for finally doing what I wanted. Do you hear that, Mama? My cheer coach is proud of me for finally finding my voice. Why can’t you be?”
A tear ran down my mother’s cheek, and a part of me wanted to tell her I would make things right with cheer. I would fix things with Alec. I would stick with her plan. Because I couldn’t stand the idea of breaking her heart. But I didn’t. I couldn’t do that anymore.
“All right. I think we’re all tired, and we need to put this conversation on the back burner. Let’s talk again when we’ve all calmed down,” my mother huffed and stormed out of my room.
Daddy winced before walking over to me and kissing the top of my head. “Goodnight, Ladybug.”
“Goodnight,” I whispered.
I went to close the door right as Clem came flying around the corner and whisper-shouted, “I told you. We are woman. Hear us roar.”
She ran back to her room and I heard her giggling through the walls.
I dropped back down at my desk and stared at the essay question. Well, I’d just had a very negative experience with my mom. But I hadn’t a clue how to turn it around.
I decided to climb into bed and call it a night.
I group messaged the Magic Willows and called for an emergency meeting tomorrow after school. They all agreed to meet. And then I scanned my phone to read the texts from Sherman asking us if we’d finished our homework.
Asking if we wanted to start a weekly study group.
He wanted to know how many colleges we were applying to, as he had narrowed his list to seventeen.
Seventeen.
And I’d applied to one so far.
I responded and said that I was still deciding on schools. Because I was. I had plenty of time to change the course of my future. And I intended to do it.
A text popped up from Jett and my stomach flipped.
Jett ~ Seriously? Seventeen schools? Any luck with that essay, Ace?
Me ~ Working on it. Just told my mom about cheer and she’s not happy.
Jett ~ One rebellious thing at a time. Ease her into it.
Me ~ What are you doing? It’s late.
Jett ~ Just getting home.
Me ~ Hot date with Jessica?
I couldn’t believe I wrote it, but I wanted to know. I didn’t think they were together, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
Jett ~ Nope. I had a fight.
Me ~ Did you win?
Jett ~ Yep.
Me ~ Good job, I guess? But you could get hurt. I don’t know if fighting is the answer.
Jett ~ Not for you, Ace. You’re too good for that shit. Night.
Butterflies swarmed my belly for some reason.
Me ~ Good night. See you tomorrow in class.
He didn’t respond. But I had a big smile on my face. Because I liked my new friendship with Jett. He was smart and funny. Obviously, he was painfully good looking. And he understood me in a way that most people didn’t. And I liked it.
“Okay, there’s a lot to go over today,” Ivy said, flipping the notebook open and holding her pencil up as if she were ready to start documenting our every word. She was still on a high about the East Texas girls winning the state soccer meet. We’d all been out there cheering her on as she’d scored her final goal in her high school career.
“So many rules with you lately,” Coco hissed, sitting forward on the couch and resting her elbows on her knees.
“I call it as I see it. So, let’s start with what we found out from our mothers about Mrs. Radcliff being pregnant.”
Maura reached in her pocket and tossed a photo on the table. “I found this late last night. My mom attended your mom’s baby shower, Co. And she looks hella preggers here.”
We all leaned forward and studied the photo. Mrs. Radcliff looked huge.
“Jesus. It looks like she’s carrying a full-grown bodybuilder in there,” Gigi said through her hysterical laughter.
“Preeclampsia,” Maura said. “I asked my mom about it and she said your mom had a really tough pregnancy with you. She was puffy and miserable.”
Coco threw her hands in the air. “Of course. And she holds it against me to this day. It all makes sense now. I’m not adopted. I’m responsible for nine months of her looking like shit for the first time in her perfect little life.”
“At least you know you’re a Radcliff,” I said.
“Or so we believe. Maybe I was artificially inseminated with someone else’s egg and sperm. I just can’t believe I come from those people,” Coco huffed.
We cracked up.
“There is no way Cricket Radcliff would allow a foreigner to come out of her vagina. It just wouldn’t happen. She’s far too haughty for that shit,” Ivy insisted, and we all laughed some more.