I push all thoughts of that note to the back of my mind and get to work on my surprise for Hollis.
“GO HOLLIS!” I cheer as loud as I can.
I don’t care that the other girls nearby cover their ears or that the cheerleaders give me dirty looks. They—especially the cheerleaders, with their captain, Lora Ann—can just deal with it. I don’t care that my voice may be drowning out some of their cheering. There’s no way they can possibly understand how proud I am of my best friend tonight. He’s starting quarterback in this game and has already thrown two touchdown passes.
When he jogs over to the sidelines, and the defense takes the field, he pulls off his helmet and quickly scans the stands. The instant he finds me, my smile widens, and I turn to show him the back of the shirt I made. Imitating the style of his football jersey, I sewed on a fabric cutout of his number and his last name on a shirt in his favorite color, blue.
His grin when I turn back around makes the sore pads of my fingertips where I accidentally poked myself with the needle worth it.
He turns back to the field, so he won’t get into trouble with his coach, and I cheer so loud for him the remainder of the game, my voice grows hoarse. He throws the winning touchdown, and I jump up and down, chanting his name. My cheeks are sore from smiling so hard.
Once the players head toward the locker room, he turns around and searches for me again. I wave and point at where I’ll be waiting for him once he’s showered and cleaned up. He nods and disappears inside.
I rest my hands on the cool metal railing of the stadium stands overlooking the field. Mr. Barnes sidles up beside me. “Our boy did great tonight, didn’t he?” The pride in his father’s voice mirrors exactly how I feel right now.
I nod. “He sure did.”
Hollis’ dad was late getting here. He had to work late more and more lately since they’ve been short-handed at the mill. I turn slightly to look at him while he gazes out over the field. He looks tired but happy.
“Well, I reckon I should head home.” His eyes find mine, his smile affectionate. “Y’all stay outta trouble, okay?”
I laugh with a, “Yes, sir,” because he knows Hollis and I never get into trouble.
He pats me on the shoulder before leaving, filing out with the others. I turn in the direction of the building housing the locker rooms and skip down the stairs before hurrying off to the doors.
A few cheerleaders gather around, giggling and talking in hushed voices while they eye me. Or, mainly, eye my shirt.
Lora Ann turns around, her loopy bow in our high school’s colors at the base of where her ponytail sprouts from her head, and her eyes survey me from head to toe. Her smile lacks warmth, and the way she lifts her chin, as if to look down on me, makes my spine stiffen.
“Nice shirt.” Her gaze flicks to the sewn-on number on my front, and she smirks. “Were you blindfolded when you sewed that?” When the other three girls with her snicker, it eggs Lora Ann on. “I mean, it was bad enough you had that big ole gap between your teeth, but now you’ve made a ratty excuse for a—”
“That’s enough.”
I pinch my eyes closed at the deep male voice. The tight, stern quality is something I’ve never heard before. While I love that he’s come to my defense, I hate that he stepped in when I should have. I really need to learn to stick up for myself. Sure, every time she—or even my own mother—says something about my appearance, it hurts. But I need to stand my ground and make them think their words don’t bother me.
Even though they do. They poke and prod through my skin and make a direct hit to my heart.
“Oh!” Lora Ann’s features brighten. “Great game tonight, Hollis,” she practically purrs.
Ignoring her, he steps up beside me and casually slings an arm around my shoulders. His dark eyes study me, silently asking if I’m okay.
I force a smile. “Ready?”
He nods and winks. “Yes, ma’am.” Without another word, he guides me toward the parking lot and away from Lora Ann and her minions.
“Go ahead. Taste it.” Hollis carefully slides his glass my way.
I grimace. “I don’t know…” I’m not a huge fan of rich desserts, and he knows this.
“Trust me.” He leans his forearms on the table. “It’s a white chocolate shake with dark chocolate shavin’s. I think you’ll like it.”
Reluctantly, I lean in and close my mouth around the straw. The tiny sip of shake hits my taste buds, and I have to admit, it’s pretty good.
He grins. “Good, right?”
I shrug, but just as I part my lips to begrudgingly admit it’s not bad, someone steps up at the end of our booth.
Bryce rests a hand on opposite sides of our booth’s seat back. “Y’all comin’ to the bonfire tonight?”
Hollis hesitates, and his eyes flick to me. “What do you think?”
“I think you should come, Hollis.” Lora Ann appears out of nowhere, and every muscle in my body tenses. Good Lord, the girl seems to have made it her life’s mission to get on my last nerve.
Bryce moves aside as she all but shoves herself in the space between where Hollis sits and Bryce stands.
“Excuse me.” I avert my eyes and duck out of the booth. “I’ll be right back.” I rush off toward the restrooms in the far back of the diner, weaving through the post-game crowd. Just earlier, I was telling myself I needed to stand up for myself, yet here I am, running away.
Right about now, I’m blessing my own heart.
Once I finish and wash up, I take a moment to look at my reflection in the mirror while the other three stalls are in use.
With my blond hair pulled back in a simple ponytail—and no fancy bow like Lora Ann’s—I’m dressed in a pair of designer jeans—the only ones my mother would let me buy. It’s super pretentious since they’re ripped in some places and well-worn, but my mother’s all about labels.
I let my gaze travel from my plain hair down to my homemade shirt that I’d been so excited about. Mother hadn’t been pleased with it, but that’s expected with anything Hollis-related. I know he liked it, judging by his initial reaction alone. But now… I grit my teeth together and bare them in the mirror, my metal mouth visible. Ugh.
Hollis always liked my gap.
I exhale slowly and watch as a wistful smile tugs at my lips.
A toilet flushes, jarring me from my inner thoughts, and I hurry out of the restroom to head back to the table. I slow when I spot Hollis sitting alone, toying with his straw. He swirls it around in his shake, looking lost in thought. I slide into the booth, reclaiming my seat.
His eyes lift to mine. “You okay?”
I nod.
He holds my gaze for a moment before he says, “Come here for a minute.”
I eye him, trying to figure out what he’s up to, but his expression gives nothing away. He merely slides over on his side of the bench seat and waits for me.
Slowly, cautiously, I move around and slide in beside him. My hand rests between us on the seat, and he covers it with his own. As soon as I feel the heat from his palm settle over top of mine, my stress over Lora Ann and my appearance all fades away. His eyes hold an odd intensity, and he leans in closer.