Elias is still kneeling where I left him, his head lowered. He remains on his knees, even when I turn the corner and he becomes nothing but a distant memory.
Chapter 29
I almost forgot about the Saturday football game until Mariabella shows up on my front steps, hips canted to the side and honey-blonde hair styled to perfection.
“Why the hell aren’t you dressed?” she demands, eyeballing my ratty shirt, stained sweats, and slightly wavy hair from the night before.
When I arrived back at the house after my confrontation with Elias, Nana and the triplets graciously made themselves scarce. I don’t know how I would’ve reacted if I had to look at them right then. Maybe with time, I’ll be able to look them in the eyes without recoiling in disgust.
“Why do we have this random Saturday game again?” I gripe as Mariabella glares at me.
“Because JV had to play Friday and they needed the field. Varsity got moved to Saturday. Now go change!”
As I climb into the passenger seat of her silver Mustang an hour later, I shake myself out of my depressive fog long enough to notice the dark, burgundy shadows underneath both of her eyes. She looks as gorgeous as always, but there’s something almost haunting in her gaze.
“How are you doing?” I ask tentatively as she backs out of my driveway. I swear I see the drapes in the living room twitch as Nana peeks out.
Mariabella’s lips purse. “You heard?”
“Yeah.” I swallow heavily, unsure how to comfort my friend. “I heard. And I’m sorry. I know you broke up with Karsyn because of me—”
“It’s fine,” she cuts me off, hands tightening around the steering wheel. “I don’t want to talk about Karsyn or my breakup or anything. We talked. I confronted him. We’re over.”
My heart is suddenly racing, racing, racing—thumping and dancing to a tune only it can hear. Perspiration beads on my forehead as I turn towards her desperately, wildly, like a caged bull set free for the first time.
“Mariabella, I’m so sorry. I never asked for you to do this, and I don’t want you to resent me.” Because if I lose her, my only female friend, I will fucking die.
She reaches across the center console and places her hand over mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s okay, Peony. Really. I promise you I’m not mad.” She releases me to focus on driving once more, expression unreadable. “It was a long time coming.”
Awkward silence ensues, and I hate it. Fucking loathe it. She has quickly become one of my closest friends, and I hate the tension I can feel thrumming between us like an E1 of the bass.
“So…” I say, attempting to defuse whatever this is.
Mariabella taps her fingers against the rubber of the steering wheel as if she, too, is thinking of something to say.
“So you heard how important this game is, right?” she queries, finally breaking the silence that has grown so uncomfortable, I’m starting to feel nauseous. I take the olive branch she extends and grasp it firmly.
“How so?”
“College scouts.” She turns the car into the school parking lot but doesn’t immediately exit the vehicle. “Karsyn hasn’t been able to shut up about it. Apparently, State is going to be there.”
“State?” I make a face. “Is that his dream school or something?” I already know the answer to that question. Last month alone, he was on their website over one hundred times. To say he’s obsessed is an understatement.
“He literally has a shrine to it in his bedroom,” Mariabella says with a snort, and my heart jumps at the thought of Mariabella…alone…in Karsyn’s bedroom. “His dad went there. It’s literally his dream.”
“Oh it literally is, is it?” I tease her, and she rolls her eyes, elbowing my stomach, but she can’t quite hide the grin on her face. I call that a win.
“Come on.” She reaches behind us and grabs her cheerleading backpack. I grab mine as well, and together, the two of us begin the trek towards the stadium.
But I’m not thinking about the movements for the cheers or if I’ll actually be allowed to perform with the team this time.
I’m planning Karsyn’s downfall, once and for all.
Like the last game, fans already line the bleachers, despite our early arrival. We go through the warmups with Helen, right up until the buzzer sounds, indicating the start of the game.
“Are you sure you can cheer today?” Helen asks nervously, eyeing me as if she expects me to topple over at any moment.