Chapter Eight
EMERSON
The cheerleading manual had been brutally . . . honest about what they expected.
They didn’t come out and ask the members of the squad to diet, but it was strongly suggested they stay away from anything that could potentially attach itself to the thighs by way of fat.
No sugar. No soda. No fruit! How was fruit bad? What had fruit ever done to a human other than hydrate? By the time I’d finished the first two pages, I was ready to be sick.
Surprise weigh-ins throughout the season?
What was this, Weight Watchers? Hell? Both?
Coach Kay had said nothing about any of this, which meant only one thing. She was either setting me up to fail, or she thought I could handle it.
All talking ceased the minute I walked out onto the field to practice with the other girls.
When I dropped my bag to the ground and started stretching, a few girls eyed me, the bag, and then me again, and started whispering.
One brave one marched over and sat down. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I swallowed my nervousness and leaned across my right leg. “I’m Emerson.”
“Coach and I both made bets about whether you’d show up.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, looks like she won, not that it matters. We need fresh blood anyway.”
Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight braid; her makeup looked fresh, and her bright red lipstick stood out against her pale skin like a homing beacon. I had trouble looking away because it was such a stark contrast. The woman was wearing a white crop top and spandex. Shiny diamond earrings caught the light just right, nearly blinding me before she grinned again.
“I’m Kinsey.”
“Nice to meet you.” Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I started fishing around in my bag for at least some lip gloss. Clearly I hadn’t gotten to that part of the manual yet.
The one that said all girls needed to have full makeup for each and every practice.
“You’ll love being a Bucks Girl.” Kinsey mimicked my stretch. “We get free tanning, free massages, free makeup—” She frowned at me and then cleared her throat. “Not to sound like a bitch, but you should at least get your eyelashes done if you’re going to show up with a clean face.”
“Oh.” I touched my cheeks. They were hot with embarrassment. “I didn’t know. I’ll make sure to do my makeup tomorrow.”
She let out a breath. “Good, that’s good. I just . . .” She chewed her lower lip and whispered. “It’s going to be hard enough for you as it is . . .”
My heart sank as I tried to suck in my stomach, but it was no use. I was just a bigger girl—bigger than them. I could fit two of those girls in my pants, no joke.
“Because you’re so pretty,” she finished.
My head jerked to attention. Huh? What did I miss?
Her smile was still in place, and I didn’t think it was fake. “You thought I was going to say something else, didn’t you?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice. My eyes still searched for any hint of evil bitchiness, only to come up empty. Her smile seemed genuine.
She rolled her eyes. “With an ass like that, I’m surprised Sanchez hasn’t already staked a claim.”
At the sound of his name, my cheeks burned.
I didn’t move.
I was completely terrified I’d give myself away.
Her smile grew. “Ah, so the best receiver in the league has staked a claim?”
“No.” I shook my head and then rolled my eyes. “Not precisely.” I switched positions and moved to the runners’ stretch. She followed. “I was in the parking lot crying—celebrating, actually—and he started talking to me. It was nothing.”
Except for the fact that he had one of the sexiest smirks I’d ever seen. But it was a knowing smirk—one that told women just how aware he was of his own sexuality—and that smirk led down a dark and dangerous road I wanted no part of.
Her perfectly matched brown eyebrows bolted upright. “Um, Sanchez doesn’t talk just to hear his own voice, trust me. There are girls here he still hasn’t even acknowledged, which isn’t too hard for him since he’s so freaking tall.” Her laugh was loud. “Last year, he asked Molly to move out of his way, and she was so stunned that he finally talked to her that she froze. The man had to physically lift her out of the way. I’m pretty sure she suffered a mild stroke.”
I frowned and glanced around the field. “Which one’s Molly?”
“Oh . . .” She waved me off. “Molly’s gone. She slept with one of the players during the season, and he ratted her out because he thought she was cheating on him. The coaching staff found out and fired her ass.”
“Whoa.” I sucked in a breath. “They mean business about that no-fraternization policy.” Not that it mattered since, in my opinion, all football players could burn in hell.
“Eh . . .” Kinsey shrugged and moved to stretch her left leg. “It’s a confusing rule. Management turns a blind eye if the guys win games. If not, and they find out, we’re the only ones to go, while the players just get more money tossed at them by way of bonuses.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
She laughed. “No, honey. It’s football.”
A loud whistle rang out. Adrenaline surged through me as I quickly stood and waited for Coach’s orders. This was it. I was a Bucks Girl.
The excitement was quickly beaten down by the sadness that I refused to acknowledge on a daily basis—sadness and anger that only part of the dream was being realized. Miller Quinton could go to hell. God, I swore I wouldn’t utter his name, even in my head, and there I was, standing in the Bucks stadium, thinking about his gorgeous eyes . . . the taste of his mouth . . .
It was hard enough studying football stats without my eyes lingering over his name, his stats, his freakishly amazing ability to intercept every pass that came down the field, threatening his team.
“We’ll start with the new routine.” Coach Kay’s eyes moved across all of the girls and landed on me.
Get it together, Em!
“Emerson, you’ve got your work cut out for you. The rest of the girls have already been working on it.”
“Great.” I forced a smile and stood.
Judgmental eyes were all on me.
I felt every stare.
And could have sworn I heard every single thought sent my way.
Too big.
Too fat.
Huge hips.
Her ass.
How did she get on the squad?
I held my head high and let them look their fill.
Whispers grew louder until I finally had to clench my hands into tight fists to keep from throwing punches.
“I’ll help her, Coach,” Kinsey piped up and then glared at the rest of her teammates before taking a protective step toward me.
Did she just hiss?
Coach Kay smiled at her and then blew her whistle. “Ten laps around the stadium. When you’re finished, we’ll get started on the routine. Slowest person has to do a hundred burpees before joining the routine.”
Everyone took off in a flutter of Nike shoes, pink sports bras, and spandex. I followed close behind a few of the girls, with Kinsey by my side. If there was anything I knew about running, it was never to sprint out of the gate. By the time we were on lap ten, I was ahead of most of the girls and just finding my stride.
I ended right behind Kinsey and felt a surge of pride as one of the skinniest girls on the team heaved out a cough, stumbled to her knees, and started doing burpees.
For being last.
It just went to show that just because I looked bigger didn’t mean that I didn’t know how to use my legs and brain, even a lot of times at the same time. Imagine that!
“Well done, Emerson.” Kinsey raised her hand for a high five. “But I guarantee you’ll be last tomorrow if you don’t ice after tonight’s practice. We have a half hour of grueling conditioning after the dance routine, and last year they lined the field with buckets.”
“Buckets?” I repeated. “For the ice?”
Kinsey grinned wide. “Nope. That would be for the puke. Can’t be getting the perfect Bucks field all gross with vomit, now can we?”
I groaned. “Great.”
“It’s worth it.” She pointed to the empty seats. “Trust me. Our training is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. You’ll see, and then you’ll be thankful that they put you through hell.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Easy.” She shrugged. “You own your pretty, and you’re probably the only girl on this squad who’d go with me to get a beer, and drinking alone is frowned upon. It’s in the manual.”
“Is everything in the manual?”
She rolled her eyes just as another whistle sounded. “Don’t even get me started.”