Page 14 of Love On Time

“Hey man!” Cooper says when I walk in.

“Hey!” I say back to him.

Cami is sitting at the dining room table, with a textbook open, doing math homework. She looks up briefly at me before returning to her work.

“Hey Cami!” I say, giving her a small wave.

“Hey.” She says shyly, too nervous to look up from her textbook.

Alex and Christian barge in, making a scene and laughing about something they were just talking about.

“Ayyyeee,” Christian cheers as they walk into the kitchen, greeting both of us. They immediately jump into a conversation with Cooper about homecoming, totally ignoring Cami’s presence in the room. Something about it heats my skin.

“Hey guys, why don't you say hi to Cami? This is her house too.” I interrupt. Her head shoots up, eyes widening under her glasses at my sudden words. I hope I didn’t just say the wrong thing.

“Yeah, hey Cami, how are you?” Alex says, offering her a small smile.

“I’m good.” She says in a whisper.

“Cam, it's Friday and Homecoming, you know you have all weekend to do your homework, right?” Cooper teases.

Her cheeks go beet red, and she looks embarrassed. Now I definitely feel bad, I shouldn’t have said anything. I just don't understand how no one notices her when she's in the room, she's the first person my eyes land on. She shuts her book, gathers her papers, and runs for the stairs. I love Cooper, he's like my brother, and I know he means well. But he's totally oblivious to his sister's shyness.

I smack him across the chest. “Dude, come on. Why do you have to embarrass her in front of everyone like that?”

“Ouch.” He rubs his sternum, “She knows I'm just playing. Sometimes, you act like she’s your little sister and not mine.”

Rolling my eyes, I glance over at the staircase. She's still standing there, listening to us. When she catches me looking at her, she quickly hurries up the stairs. Sister? Not even close.

I’m bouncing with anxious anticipation on the football field as we warm up. The sun had dipped below the horizon, painting the sky a dark indigo blue. The stands are packed to the brim with students and the local community. Their faces are painted in blue and black, with our jersey numbers on display. The band is on the field, preparing to play the national anthem.

Principal Bryant walks down to the center of the field, microphone in hand. He's followed by the assistant principal, holding the royalty crowns and a bundle of red roses. It’s time to announce the Homecoming King and Queen. Next to me, Cooper's back straightens as he tracks their movement across the field.

“Good Evening, and thank you all for coming out to celebrate our Homecoming game,” he says cheerfully into the microphone. “Can I please have our King and Queen nominees join me as we crown the winners?” Oh Brother. I roll my eyes, ready to get this part over with. Cooper practically sprints over there. I think he's more excited for this than the actual game. I walk across the field after Cooper to join the other nominees, praying my name is not going to be called over my best friend.

“Congratulations to all of you standing here, you are all winners,” he says.

“Our Homecoming King and Queen are…” He takes a long dramatic pause. I look over at Cooper. He's biting his lip, eyes wide with want. “Cooper Benson and Vanessa Shaw.” The crowd all stands and cheers, and I sigh in relief. Vanessa flies into Cooper's arms, and he lifts her up off the ground and spins, her cheer skirt twirling with her. They are handed their shiny crowns and satin sashes, while the principal hands out single red roses to the rest of the contenders.

“Here’s a rose for each of you, you’re all still winners. Hand them out to whoever you have your eye on tonight,” the principal says over the roaring crowd. Everyone starts heading off the field, tossing their roses to friends or dates in the front rows. “Now, let’s play some football!” the principal cheers.

I’m left standing in the grass, holding a single bright red rose, unsure of what to do with it as the field clears and the band begins to march into its first formation. Shit, shit, what do I do? I catch Cami’s eye.

Without thinking, I jog toward her, breaking into a full sprint to cover the distance. Fully aware that hundreds of eyes are tracking my every move in the stands. Cami’s blue eyes go wide behind her glasses. She starts looking around frantically, as if she can’t believe I'm heading straight for her.

“Here,” I say, offering a breathless smile as I slide the stem into her hand. “Good luck.”

Her jaw drops slightly, her eyes going glassy as she goes completely speechless at the sudden gesture. Before she can say a word, the drumline hits their first beat. She quickly tucks the rose tight under her arm and lifts her clarinet to her lips. I flash her one last smile and jog back to the sidelines.

The guys on the bench are all looking around awkwardly, their eyes darting between Cooper and me. Cooper’s expression is hard and unreadable. “What was that?” he asks, pointing a finger toward his sister.

“That’s for you embarrassing her earlier today.” I lie smoothly, keeping my voice casual. “I just wanted her to feel like she was included in the moment with us, that's all.”

“Right. Yeah. Thanks, man.” Cooper says, though his eyebrows stay tightly creased in confusion.

I clap my hands together, desperately needing to switch the focus. “Alright, let’s go do this!” I shout, and the team erupts into cheers.

The second the clock hits zero, the season is officially over, and a sea of students storms the field to celebrate our undefeated record. The adrenaline coursing through my veins feels like pure euphoria. Cooper tackles me in a massive bear hug, and within seconds, the rest of the team joins us, locking us into a chaotic, shouting group hug. A wave of relief washes over me, I can finally breathe after a long, tiring season.