Page 48 of Catch
“It’s their job to cheer us on. They signed up for it,” Justin said. The guys high-fived him.
I rolled my eyes. “So did you, douchebag. When you sign up for the football team, you sign up to support girls’ sports too. Try to be a team player, okay? Those girls do a lot for us.”
“They’re certainly doing a lot for me now.” Wyatt pointed to a different squad on the mat forming a giant pyramid. “Maybe I should be a cheerleader.”
I pushed him. “The football team wouldn’t miss you if you did.”
“Damn, Sutton. That’s rough.” Max covered his mouth with his fist to keep from laughing at Wyatt who looked embarrassed.
Wyatt knew he wasn’t the best but he acted as though he was. The whole school knew him. His catches were phenomenal when he caught the ball, but his percentage was low. I’d rather have a solidreceiver who caught the ball every time than someone who jumped high, did flips, and made showboating a part of football. He thought he was going places, but I knew college was his peak. He wasn’t good enough for the NFL.
I looked at the schedule. The Oak Grove Puma Cheer Team was up next. When blue and silver burst out onto the mats, our entire section whistled and clapped for them. My anxiety was at an all-time high for Parker because I knew she was nervous. Even though the guys I sat with pretended they didn’t care, they were up and yelling the cheers with them. Max was even doing the moves. I knew all the cheers, too, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself. This was the only time I could look at Parker without anybody questioning where I was looking or why I was staring. Parker was at the top of the pyramid and when she flipped from the top and four cheerleaders caught her effortlessly, we all gasped. The routine looked super good.
“How come they don’t do this during the games?” Max asked.
“Probably because all the attention would go to them and not us,” I said.
“They’re great. I thought Missy was kind of a badass bitch and now I know why. Look at her. She owns this!” Max said. He was right. We never saw these cheers at the games.
“Maybe we should ask them to do these routines before the games. They would really pump up the crowd,” I said.
“I know I’m pumped,” Wyatt said. His meaning was clear. I gave him another eye roll. He was being a tool and the cheerleaders’ parents were right next to us. Wyatt was embarrassing me. “Their uniforms make my—” He paused and looked at me. “They make my heart pitter-patter. It’s too bad we didn’t plan better. We could’ve all dressed up as cheerleaders for them today to show our support.”
“We don’t have to dress up just to show our support. They appreciate us being here just like we are. Students from Oak Grove,” I said.
Wyatt nudged me. “Says the quarterback who never wears costumes or uniforms other than football.”
I pointed to my shirt. “I’m wearing a Pumas shirt. That’s costume enough. Besides, costumes are for children,” I said.
When the routine was done, we jumped and high-fived the parents around us. Most of them were dressed like us: Pumas shirts and jeans. There was one couple who wasn’t and I would bet my life they were Parker’s parents. Her mother was wearing a wool houndstooth pantsuit and designer heels that looked dangerous on these bleachers. She was accessorized with tons of flashy jewelry. It was borderline gaudy. Her dad wore slacks, a sweater, and loafers. They looked completely out of place with the rest of the families who were holding up large, obnoxious signs with glitter guaranteed to draw the team’s attention.
“Way to go, Pumas!” Wyatt yelled in the quiet moment before the next cheer team began. The team looked up at us and waved. When my eyes found Parker’s, I felt a jolt and gave her a little fist pump.
When the competition broke for lunch, we were allowed to go down to the main floor and chat with the cheerleaders. Max and I found our squad while the rest of the guys sought out new ones to talk to.
“That was great!” Max hugged the group. They all loved him. “Why don’t you do these cheers at the games? They’re amazing.”
“We don’t want to die on the track. At least here we have mats,” Amberlynn said.
“You should take the field before we do. I can ask Coach to give you all a few minutes. It’s impressive.”
“That would be cool,” Missy said.
“When are you up again?” I asked.
“They’ll announce the second round in about half an hour.” Missy turned back to the squad. “Go hang out with your families or wherever. Just make sure you’re back in this spot in twenty-nine minutes for the results.”
“Do you want to grab something from the vendor trucks out front? The lines here are too long and I could use some fresh air,” Max said. We’d driven through McDonald’s drive-thru for breakfast, but that was four hours ago. I wasn’t hungry until he mentioned it. Parker was walking away with her parents. Talking to her any time soon was out of the question.
“How come Becca didn’t join us?” Max’s girlfriend loved cheerleading and said if she wasn’t such a klutz, she would do it.
“Scholarship stuff.”
“Sutton!”
I looked around when I heard somebody calling my name. My eyes landed on Missy. She waved me over to a group of cheerleaders I didn’t recognize. Max and I walked over to them. “What’s up?”
“I was just telling these lovely cheerleaders that we have a female quarterback, and they didn’t believe me. Everyone, this is Sutton McCoy, our quarterback, and she’s amazing,” Missy said.
