Page 21 of Falling Into You

“Thanks,” he said, giving her a tentative smile.

“I’ll text you our practice schedule and the link to the chants you’ll need to memorize by tomorrow,” she said, dead serious. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Really. I won’t let you down.”

Jacob matched her serious tone and held her gaze with an intense stare of his own. Her heart skipped an odd little beat. She wasn’t sure he’d ever looked her in the eye that way before. Had she ever even seen Jacob be serious? It was having a strange effect on her. Almost like... butterflies. Then she shook her head and silently urged the butterflies to shoo. What was wrong with her?

“I really hope that’s true,” she told him, trying to refocus. Then she turned, pulse racing, and walked back into the wrestling gym, slamming the door behind her without a backward glance.

Rory

“We’re practicing out on the track today,” Rory told Coach Maguire as she shoved a set of poms into her cheer duffel and grabbed a megaphone for Jacob. “We need to get Jacob used to the environment he’s going to be cheering in. I got the JV team to sit at the back of the bleachers to make him yell louder.”

“Good call,” Coach said as she shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans with one hand. With the other, she held the heavy door of the supply closet open for Rory as she slipped out into the hallway. “I’ll be in the bleachers, too, if you need me, but I have a bunch of papers to grade.”

Coach Maguire was one of the youngest teachers at Woodmont High School and also one of the toughest. She’d actually attended Woodmont High herself, done an accelerated teaching certificate, and landed a job back here by the time she was twenty-four. She taught honors and AP English classes and assigned essays and papers like she washanding out candy. Rory had also learned by poring over the old yearbooks in the library that Coach had been captain of the squad her senior year, as well as a member of the French National Honors Society, president of the history club, and salutatorian of her class.

Rory wanted to be just like her. She also loved that Coach let Rory pretty much take the lead in all things, unless Rory really needed help.

Leading the way out the side door of the school, Rory crossed the grassy area that separated the school from the football and baseball fields. While the soccer and softball fields were behind the school on level ground, the football field was down a steep hill with various staircases and walkways giving access. It was circled by the eight-lane running track, flanked by bleachers and then surrounded by mature trees, all of which were bursting with fall colors. She could hear the marching band practicing in the parking lot but couldn’t see them, as they were beyond the trees. It was another cool, sunny day, and Rory found herself walking to the beat of the drumline. She was ready for this. She could whip Jacob into shape in two days and get him ready for their game against Sunnyvale this weekend. No problem.

She heard the shrieking just before she came to the top of the hill.

“What the?” Coach Maguire said as they both looked down at the track.

The shrieking was coming from Gwen, who was onCarlos’s back as he ran down the track. Jacob had Maya on his back, who was holding on with one arm locked around his chest. They appeared to be racing, with the added challenge of the girls tossing a pom back and forth between them as the boys ran. The rest of the team stood near the fence, cheering them on. Even the football players, who were running drills on the field, had paused to spectate. Rory saw Jacob’s brother Ford among those cheering Jacob on. He’d taken his helmet off and was waving it in the air like a pom-pom.

“You havegotto be kidding me.”

Rory stomped down the stairs as fast as she could go with her oversize bag and huge megaphone. When she got to the bottom, Jacob, Gwen, Carlos, and Maya were just approaching the turn to her left. She lifted the megaphone and shouted with her best cheerleader voice.

“Jacob! Carlos! Put the girls down. Now!”

The boys froze, the grins falling off their faces, and dropped their riders to the track. Gwen and Maya smoothed their hair and looked anywhere but at Rory.

“Get over here,” Rory shouted, now without the megaphone.

The football players laughed as the group walked toward Rory, heads bowed. Rory was practically vibrating with rage by the time they reached her and Coach.

“Deep breath,” Coach Maguire told Rory. “You don’t want to alienate your new teammate on his first day.”

Rory barely even heard her.

“Do you people not understand how we got in this situation in the first place?” she demanded, throwing a hand toward Jacob. Her voice faltered a bit as she took in the way his ruddy-from-exertion cheeks brought out his eyes.

“Oh, so I’m a situation?” Jacob replied.

“Shhh!” she snapped, scowling at him. “I assume this was your idea?”

He averted his gaze, confirming her suspicion.

“Are youtryingto tank my season? You could have tripped and shattered your kneecap! Or dropped Maya and twisted her ankle! Or collided with Carlos and both of you could have gotten concussions!”

Carlos tilted his head and smiled placatingly. “Come on, Rory, we were just having a little—”

“Four laps!” Rory shouted, making all of them flinch. She turned toward the rest of the squad and raised her voice. “That goes for all of you! Four laps for egging them on!”

The squad groaned, but they all started jogging. They knew when their captain wasn’t messing around.