building in my chest felt bigger than ever, making it hard to breathe.
She rubbed my back sympathetically. “What can I do to help?”
“How about brainwash Mr. Davis into giving me a new partner, one who isn't completely horrible?”
She snapped her fingers regretfully. “If only I had that skill.”
I shook my head with half a smile. “I'll figure it out. I have to. Maybe the others will have an idea.”
Twisting the dial, she said, “I’m sure they will. They’re brilliant.” She put her books in her locker and grabbed her piccolo case, and then we walked to the gym.
She gave me a wave and went to sit with the rest of the pep band members. I glanced to the court and caught sight of Cori. I gave her a little wave, but she didn’t notice—already in the zone. The only time I had that much focus was when I was editing videos. Hours could pass by without me noticing it.
Scanning the stands, I saw Rory and Jordan sitting with their boyfriends about midway up the bleachers. Going to hang out with them would make me a fifth wheel, but at least Zara would be here soon and I wouldn't be completely alone.
As I walked up the steps, I watched the girls team warming up on the court, wearing their dark blue warm-ups. Cori shot from the free-throw line and then moved aside so another girl could have a turn. I was always in admiration of her when she played basketball. For a big girl, she moved quickly and had a formidable presence on the court. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud to be her sister.
I reached the row where my friends were sitting and waved at them. Rory’s boyfriend, Beckett, lifted his hand off of Rory's shoulder to wave at me, and a twinge of jealousy went through me. I felt like I was missing out on everything. I didn't have a boyfriend. I didn't have any extracurricular activities outside of videography. And if I cannot figure out this issue with Ray, I wouldn't be going to college to have any of those experiences either.
Jordan folded down the chair beside her. “Take a seat, girl.”
I gave her half a smile and sat down.
“Your sister's a boss,” she said.
“Just wait until you see her during the game. I wouldn't want to play against her.”
Jordan looked around at the half-empty bleachers and then the court in front of us. “This is actually pretty cool,” she said. “Way more low-key than the football games.”
“True,” Beckett said, crumpling the top of his concession stand popcorn. “It's kind of nice, like the players can actually focus on the game instead of all the chaos going on.”
Rory smiled at him. “You seemed to always do a good job of focusing though.”
He gave her a sweet smile and said, “Thanks, Cupcake.”
“Guys,” I groaned. “Can you please stop being so cute? You’re killing me!”
They laughed, and Rory said, “You’ll be just as gooey someday, and then you’ll get it.”
That possibility was seeming further away than ever. Not only did no one like me, but the only guy I had been attracted to for the last several months turned out to be a complete jerk. I clearly had poor taste.
“Hey,” came Zara’s voice. I looked over and saw her carrying a tray of drinks—and then I saw the skinny, artsy guy walking behind her. At our confused expressions, she said, “This is Phineas. He scores some of the movies my dad works on.”
My mouth fell open. But I quickly closed it. I didn't want to embarrass her. This must have been one of the guys her dad was setting her up with.
She handed us each our drinks. Mine, the soy latte. Rory, hot chocolate. A cappuccino for Beckett, and mochas for Kai and Jordan. I loved how well she knew each of us, even though we were all so different.
Once we had our drinks, Phineas extended his hand for us to shake. He was kind of cute, in that grungy artist way. He had a beard that definitely hadn't grown in all the way and wore a beanie, a sweater, and tight pants.
Had her dad really set her up with this guy? She could do so much better on her own.
The game started, and they announced each of the starting players. When they called Cori’s name, I stood up and cheered loudly, and so did all of my friends.
Cori looked up at the stands with an annoyed