Past
“We’re doing this because the cheerleaders always cheer us on.” I was annoyed because the entire football team was at the American Cheer Power to support our cheerleaders and I felt like I was the only one paying attention. Most of the guys were pumped not because of our squad, but because they thought they would get to talk to other schools’ cheerleaders. Just like last year, they weren’t allowed on the floor so their plan was shot and they were bored.
“It’s their job to cheer us on. They signed up for it,” Justin said. The guys high-fived him.
I rolled my eyes. “So did you, douchebag. When you sign up for the football team, you sign up to support girls’ sports too. Try to be a team player, okay? Those girls do a lot for us.”
“They’re certainly doing a lot for me now.” Wyatt pointed to a different squad on the mat forming a giant pyramid. “Maybe I should be a cheerleader.”
I pushed him. “The football team wouldn’t miss you if you did.”
“Damn, Sutton. That’s rough.” Max covered his mouth with his fist to keep from laughing at Wyatt who looked embarrassed.
Wyatt knew he wasn’t the best but he acted as though he was. The whole school knew him. His catches were phenomenal when he caught the ball, but his percentage was low. I’d rather have a solid receiver who caught the ball every time than someone who jumped high, did flips, and made showboating a part of football. He thought he was going places, but I knew college was his peak. He wasn’t good enough for the NFL.
I looked at the schedule. The Oak Grove Puma Cheer Team was up next. When blue and silver burst out onto the mats, our entire section whistled and clapped for them. My anxiety was at an all-time high for Parker because I knew she was nervous. Even though the guys I sat with pretended they didn’t care, they were up and yelling the cheers with them. Max was even doing the moves. I knew all the cheers, too, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself. This was the only time I could look at Parker without anybody questioning where I was looking or why I was staring. Parker was at the top of the pyramid and when she flipped from the top and four cheerleaders caught her effortlessly, we all gasped. The routine looked super good.
“How come they don’t do this during the games?” Max asked.
“Probably because all the attention would go to them and not us,” I said.
“They’re great. I thought Missy was kind of a badass bitch and now I know why. Look at her. She owns this!” Max said. He was right. We never saw these cheers at the games.
“Maybe we should ask them to do these routines before the games. They would really pump up the crowd,” I said.
“I know I’m pumped,” Wyatt said. His meaning was clear. I gave him another eye roll. He was being a tool and the cheerleaders’ parents were right next to us. Wyatt was embarrassing me. “Their uniforms make my—” He paused and looked at me. “They make my heart pitter-patter. It’s too bad we didn’t plan better. We could’ve all dressed up as cheerleaders for them today to show our support.”
“We don’t have to dress up just to show our support. They appreciate us being here just like we are. Students from Oak Grove,” I said.
Wyatt nudged me. “Says the quarterback who never wears costumes or uniforms other than football.”
I pointed to my shirt. “I’m wearing a Pumas shirt. That’s costume enough. Besides, costumes are for children,” I said.
When the routine was done, we jumped and high-fived the parents around us. Most of them were dressed like us: Pumas shirts and jeans. There was one couple who wasn’t and I would bet my life they were Parker’s parents. Her mother was wearing a wool houndstooth pantsuit and designer heels that looked dangerous on these bleachers. She was accessorized with tons of flashy jewelry. It was borderline gaudy. Her dad wore slacks, a sweater, and loafers. They looked completely out of place with the rest of the families who were holding up large, obnoxious signs with glitter guaranteed to draw the team’s attention.
“Way to go, Pumas!” Wyatt yelled in the quiet moment before the next cheer team began. The team looked up at us and waved. When my eyes found Parker’s, I felt a jolt and gave her a little fist pump.
When the competition broke for lunch, we were allowed to go down to the main floor and chat with the cheerleaders. Max and I found our squad while the rest of the guys sought out new ones to talk to.
“That was great!” Max hugged the group. They all loved him. “Why don’t you do these cheers at the games? They’re amazing.”
“We don’t want to die on the track. At least here we have mats,” Amberlynn said.
“You should take the field before we do. I can ask Coach to give you all a few minutes. It’s impressive.”
“That would be cool,” Missy said.
“When are you up again?” I asked.
“They’ll announce the second round in about half an hour.” Missy turned back to the squad. “Go hang out with your families or wherever. Just make sure you’re back in this spot in twenty-nine minutes for the results.”
“Do you want to grab something from the vendor trucks out front? The lines here are too long and I could use some fresh air,” Max said. We’d driven through McDonald’s drive-thru for breakfast, but that was four hours ago. I wasn’t hungry until he mentioned it. Parker was walking away with her parents. Talking to her any time soon was out of the question.
“How come Becca didn’t join us?” Max’s girlfriend loved cheerleading and said if she wasn’t such a klutz, she would do it.
“Scholarship stuff.”
“Sutton!”
I looked around when I heard somebody calling my name. My eyes landed on Missy. She waved me over to a group of cheerleaders I didn’t recognize. Max and I walked over to them. “What’s up?”
“I was just telling these lovely cheerleaders that we have a female quarterback, and they didn’t believe me. Everyone, this is Sutton McCoy, our quarterback, and she’s amazing,” Missy said.
I looked at Max briefly. “Thanks. Hi, I’m Sutton.”
“How good are you?” one of the cheerleaders asked.
I shrugged. “Good enough.”
Missy grabbed my arm. “Oh, she’s great. We’ve had two winning seasons with her as our quarterback.”
There was nervous energy being in this mix and I felt my anxiety ramp up. “Hopefully, we can go to state next year.” Max nudged me when the cheerleaders giggled. I didn’t feel threatened by them. Their body language told me I was more than welcomed there, but they were too shy to speak.
“We need to get some food before they announce the second round results. We’ll see you later. Good luck.” He steered me away from the girls. “What the hell was going on there?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Missy isn’t usually so nice. Let’s grab some burgers,” I said. I found the cheeseburger truck and stood in line.
“Excuse me, Sutton?” A super cute cheerleader from the group we just talked to stood three feet from me.
“Hi.”
“Hi, I’m Gemma. I’m with the Franklin Falcons from Dover County. Hi.” She was nervous but determined.
I pointed to our line. “Are you going to eat lunch?”
She waved her hands at me and shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m too nervous. Especially now. Can I talk to you?” She looked at Max and then at me.
“I’ll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke.” I handed Max a twenty and moved out of the line to see what Gemma had to say.
“I know you don’t know me, but I wanted to know if you wanted to go out sometime,” she said.
To say I was taken aback was putting it mildly. No girl had ever asked me out before. “Um, Dover County is across the state. That’s pretty far.” What a stupid thing to say. I tried again. “I mean, I’m flattered, but I’m interested in somebody else at the moment.”
She looked crushed but recovered quickly. “Oh, okay. Missy said you weren’t dating anyone.”
“I’m not, but I’m working on someone.”
“How about I give you my number anyway? I mean, if things don’t work out with her?” Gemma asked.
It was at that moment that I realized life was going to work out for me. I might have been a baby dyke in a small world, but people were interested in me and that boosted my confidence. Even if Parker wasn’t gay, there were plenty more lesbians out there for me. “Sure.” I thought she was going to write her number on a napkin, but she wrote her name and number on my forearm and punctuated it with a tiny heart.
“I hope you call me,” she said.
I sat on an empty bench and watched her walk away, stunned by what just happened.
“Here’s your food. What was that all about?” Max slid a tray of food next to me on the bench.
“I just got asked out. By a hot cheerleader.” I showed him my arm.
“Woohoo! That’s my girl.” He held up his hand and waited for me to slap it. I didn’t hesitate.
“Hell, yeah.” I was on cloud nine. I was about to shoot Max a devilish grin until I noticed that Parker O’Neal stood twenty feet behind Max. She had witnessed the whole thing. I gave her a nervous smile hoping I didn’t come across as too much of an asshole. Her face showed no emotion. Not a smile or a frown. It was as if she didn’t see me. She turned to her parents and pointed to a smoothie truck in the opposite direction of where Max and I stood.