Page 30 of The Cheerleader

“I had no choice. I wanted the white exterior with the red landau roof.”

I level a quick stare at him so he gets what I think of his priorities, then push the seat back to let Mack and Wayne squeeze into the back seat. Then I slide into my spot up front.

“It’s a cool car, Eldy,” Mack says. “Don’t let Granger bully you.”

Eldy snorts. “Way too late to worry about that.”

I cut my eyes to meet Mack’s in the rearview. He grins back at me, and I turn away because, I need to remind myself, it’s all harmless shit. They don’t really think I’m a bully. And if they do, fuck them. It doesn’t matter. Because either way, they respect me, and that’s what matters most.

According to Dad’s words of wisdom—which have been few and far between, so when he speaks up, I pay attention—respect is the most important thing, beginning with self-respect. He’s always had my respect in spite of being a hardass and in spite of our current rift. Not because he’s my dad. I don’t give automatic respect to anyone just because they’re in charge.

People need to prove themselves to me. That’s gotten me in some trouble over the years, but I’ve learned to keep my lack of esteem for those in authority to myself. My old man has my respect because he works harder than anyone I know, even harder than me, though I can sense the tables being turned soon. He’s aging fast now.

He’s the reason I need to prove myself every single day. He matters, though not as much lately. I can feel myself pulling away, feel him pushing. And neither of us can do a thing about it.

To me, earning respect means no playing games. No lies. Always upfront and straightforward. If that means I’m blunt—or seen as a bully—then tough fucking shit. It’s the reason I’m not popular on the team. Or anywhere.

“I originally wanted the T-top, but even Dad’s generosity has its limits,” Eldy admits without shame.

I shake my head, sink into the unnecessarily plush seat, and close my eyes. Eldy starts the car and pulls out of the lot.

“So what’s the deal about going to Huskies for pizza?” Chuck asks. I can feel him leaning forward behind me.

“We’re meeting the cheerleaders.” I can hear the grin in Eldy’s voice. He’s incorrigible.

Mack blows out a whistle. “Leave it to you to set us up⁠—”

“No one’s getting set up,” I say. My voice is sharp, and my eyes are still closed, but I can feel them all staring at me in the beat of silence that follows.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Eldy breaks the silence. “We’re only out to have some innocent fun, flirt a little, and then… you never know. We’ll let things happen naturally⁠—”

“Nothing is going to happen. The cheerleaders are off-limits.” I’m making that up, but I’m pretty sure Coach and the athletic director would side with me on this if push came to shove—metaphorically speaking. Though you never know. I may have to do some pushing and shoving with my teammates, and I’m definitely up for it.

They all snort and swear at me.

“Who made you fucking boss?”

“Since when did you turn into a monk?”

“You’re fucking kidding, right?”

I ignore them all, and they continue their self-righteous complaints liberally peppered with insults and profanity aimed at me. I could almost fall asleep to the tirade like it’s a lullaby. I’ve had practice all my life, though Dad isn’t as colorful as my friends.

We grind to a halt, and Eldy revs the engine before shutting it down. I open my eyes to find him staring at me.

“Something wrong with you?” I think he’s serious, and I’m almost touched.

“No. But this is an important year for the team. We can win the conference. None of us can afford to mess up.” I look at each of them, turning to stare at Mac and Chuck to make sure I’m getting my point across and gauge whether or not they need more convincing.

“You’re right,” Eldy says, “but that doesn’t mean we need to be monks.”

“No, it doesn’t,” I agree reasonably. His tension dispels, and he grins, and I can see his head spinning back to the idea of scoring tonight with at least one cheerleader—and I know which one he has in mind.

“But you would be a fucking idiot to fuck around with a cheerleader. They’re part of the team; we need to respect them and treat them like teammates, take care of them.”

“You’re crazy—and you’re a fucking hypocrite.” Eldy’s voice is loud, bordering on belligerent, and I know where he’s going with this. He’s talking about my short-lived girlfriend-boyfriend relationship with Liz.

“There’s a difference between fooling around for a night and having a relationship with a girl. Are you planning to have a legitimate relationship with one of the girls?” That shuts him up, and they all contemplate my words for a second. “A lot can go wrong if you’re fooling around with girls you shouldn’t be fooling around with. Take it from me. Learn from my mistake.”