Page 129 of Learning Curve

The team before us—the Stalwart Scorpions—have just walked off, and the MC steps onto the stage to announce us.

“I’m so nervous,” I whisper into Kayla’s ear, and she turns around to give me a tight, reassuring hug.

“You’ve got this, Scottie. We’ve got this.”

“Damn straight,” I say and swallow hard against the dryness in my throat.

“Plus,” she adds with a wry grin, “we’ve got a little Dickson fan section out there in the stands.”

“What?” I ask, but my eyes are already peering over her shoulder to steal a glance at the crowd. And it only takes me two seconds to spot Ace, Blake, Julia, and Finn.

Finn is here.

Wren and Dad wanted to be here, but they couldn’t afford to take any time off work. Not to mention the money it would’ve cost them to get here.

It’s an expensive trip for anyone, and I was prepared to be alone. But Finn somehow found a way to show up for me.

I want to cry from relief, but the visual of him standing there in a glittery Dickson Cheer T-shirt and a poster board that reads “Go, Scottie!” spurs several shaky giggles from my lungs. Ace and Blake and Julia are all wearing T-shirts that match Finn’s, and their posters are held high in their hands.

It’s a sight I’ll never forget.

And just as the MC announces us and we start to file out onto the mat to take our places, I lock eyes with Finn. It’s brief, but it’s all I need.

Calm washes over me, and I kneel down in my position and wait patiently for the music to start, without nerves or anxiety or fear.

Just like Finn told me this morning, I’m ready.

Finn

We’ve been at the Daytona Beach Bandshell and Ocean Center for several hours now. The sun is brutal. The humidity is so thick I could cut it with a knife. All three of us—Ace, Blake, and I—have taken off our shirts to combat the heat, and poor Julia is trying to fan herself with her posterboard as we wait for the results of Scottie’s team’s division.

“If these judges don’t push them through to finals, I will be so pissed,” Ace comments as the MC of the competition steps onto the stage to announce which teams will be competing in the final round.

“Relax, Ace,” Julia responds and wraps her hands around his forearm. “They’re going to be in the finals. They were the best ones out there.”

“That’s what I’m saying, Jules,” he says, looking down at her with a grin. “These judges better push them through or else.”

“Or else what?” Blake questions on a laugh. “You gonna go down there and beat their asses?”

“Nah, dude,” Ace comments and points his thumb toward me. “I’ll send in Fight Club Finney.”

Everyone laughs, including me, but that laughter is quickly cut off when the MC starts talking into the mic.

“The Advanced All-Girl Division IA finalists are,” he announces and opens up an envelope, “in no particular order… Butler! Louisville! Dickson!…”

He’s supposed to name off another seven teams, but the four of us are on our feet, screaming, shouting, and cheering so loud when we hear Dickson that there’s not a shot in hell that anyone in our immediate vicinity heard the rest.

“Hell yeah!” Ace exclaims, and he lifts Julia into the air to spin her around. “I fucking told you, Jules!”

She just giggles and laughs and the two of them exchange their normal banter, but my eyes are too busy looking toward the area where all of the teams were waiting for their results. I spot Dickson’s cheerleaders instantly, and their excitement is evident by high fives and hugs and jumping around in one another’s arms.

My eyes spot Kayla. And then McKenzie. And a few other girls I know from Scottie’s team, but I’m struggling to find my girl.

I search and search, trying to get a glimpse of the joy on her pretty face, and I don’t stop searching until I feel something tap against my back. I glance over my shoulder and then proceed to do a double take when I realize it’s not some random stranger in the crowd.

It’s Scottie.

Her smile is downright blinding, and I don’t hesitate to lift her up and into my arms. “You were incredible,” I whisper into her ear, and she leans back to meet my gaze. “I’m in awe of you, Cheerleader Girl.”

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