Page 17 of When It Burns

“Hey everyone. Our season starts in two weeks here at home. We have a big game against the Saddle Ridge Wildcats, and we would love to have a packed house. We have been working hard all summer, and think it's time that Springside brings home a state championship. What do y’all think?” Wesley exclaims, and he’s met with thunderous cheers so loud I swear I can feel the gym floor shake.

We make our way back to our corner bleacher and I see Hannah and Caroline make their way to the microphone. They quickly move the podium to the corner so that it isn’t blocking the floor where her cheerleaders are setting up. Caroline picks up the microphone and says, “Hey everyone. My name is Caroline Tyler and this is Hannah Scott. We are the coaches for the Varsity cheer squad here at Springside, and we are so excited to give y'all a small preview of what we’ve been working on.” She goes through the list of twelve names and each time she says one, a girl waves and flips in the air. “Your music is on girls!” she calls out as a song by Bruno Mars starts blaring through the speakers.

I don’t know much about cheerleading but, in that moment, I feel like I can’t look away. Caroline’s squad jumps and flips in perfect synchronization and the next thing I know they are throwing several of the girls in the air as if they weigh nothing. The girls end their routine with a yell of “Go Saints!” and the gym becomes a mess of screams and cheers. I look over at Hannah and Caroline who are hugging and seem close to jumping up and down. I feel the first ghost of a smile touch my lips since I entered the gym.

* * *

After the bandperforms and the teams have been introduced, the crowd disperses. Will dismisses everyone after reminding them about practice on Monday, nodding at the coaches to let us know we were good to leave. I look over to see Caroline, Hannah, and Margaret standing beside the cheerleading mats, waiting for the gym to clear so they can roll them up and put them away. Walking closer, I overhear their plans for our beach day tomorrow.

After a few minutes, the gym is mostly empty. Hannah starts walking backwards, pulling up the tape from the mats the cheerleaders used earlier and rolling it neatly. Margaret watches her and starts on the same process on one of the other rows. Once they are halfway down the mat, Caroline bends over and begins folding one of the four carpeted mats into a tight roll.

“Want some help with that, Miss Tyler?” I ask, looking down at her crouched position and trying not to stare at her perfect ass.

“Sure, you can start that one right there,” she says, tilting her head and pointing at the mat beside her. I give her a tight nod and start rolling behind her. This position gives me an opportunity to admire her curves, and damn if I’m not dying to touch her again. Just brushing the hair out of her face the other night had been enough to make me hard, and I can’t remember the last time a woman had me this bent out of shape.

We spend the next fifteen minutes rolling the mats and binding them tightly with velcro straps and buckles. I fight a smile of amusement as Hannah and Caroline flip the hundred and fifty pound mats end over end to get them into a small supply closet in the corner of the gym.

“Hannah, did you bring that swimsuit top for me to try on?” Margaret asks as we walk toward the exit. “I know I have a black top somewhere, but I can’t find anything thanks to the move.”

“Yep, I sure did. It’s in my car. Come grab it from me. I’m parked this way,” Hannah says, pointing in the opposite direction from where I parked my truck.

“Coming. Theo, don’t leave without me. I’ll be right back,” my sister throws over her shoulder already walking off with Hannah.

Caroline looks at the girls and laughs. “I’m this way,” she tells them pointing towards where my truck is sitting. “I’ll see y’all bright and early in the morning.”

“Sounds good. See you then,” the girls bellow over their shoulders as they continue walking through the dark night.

“I’ll walk you. I’m parked this way too,” I tell her and follow her as she walks to her small white SUV parked beside my truck.

“Your squad did a great job tonight,” I say, desperate to get as much time with her as she was willing to give me.

It’s dark in the street where we’re parked but I don't miss the way her face lights up as she smiles at me. “Thanks. I am so damn proud of them. They’ve worked so hard and I love getting to see them finally getting the appreciation they deserve,” she explains as she leans against her front door. “I’m looking forward to our first game next week. Will says we have a real chance at state this year.”

I nod before agreeing, “Yeah, I know I haven’t been here long, but we’ve got some real talent. Will is a great coach.”

Caroline smirks, nodding her head in agreement. We both go still as her eyes meet mine. A moment passes between us, neither of us daring to speak. I think we both know that breaking eye contact will push us back into reality. I feel an incredible pull to her—one I know she feels too, if the look in her eyes is any indication. We stand for another minute, neither of us ready to make the first move.

But, when she softly bites her lower lip, I can’t help myself anymore. I reach up to rub my thumb across her lip, and she inhales sharply. She leans into my touch, and I am seconds away from taking her mouth the way I want to, when a car pulls up and shines its headlights directly at us.

We jump apart immediately as Margaret hops out of Hannah's car and saunters over to us.

“Ready, Theo? I have so much baking to do when we get home,” she says, completely oblivious to what she just interrupted.

Caroline gives me a small wink and turns to get in her car, “See you tomorrow, Chief Johnson. Bye, Margaret!”

As she pulls away, all I can think about is how desperately I’ve always wanted what I can’t have– a normal life, a chance to change the events of that night, and my family back. But damn if Caroline Tyler isn’t finding herself on the list too.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CAROLINE

After the girls’ performance last night, I struggled to wind down, so seven o’clock on Saturday morning comes a lot sooner than I want. I’m sluggish when I first open my eyes until I remember that I am up at the ass crack of dawn to go to the beach with my friends. I am a big believer that there’s no problem a beach can’t fix. No matter what I am feeling, the sound of the waves crashing and the sight of the endless sea always reminds me how minuscule I am in the big scheme of things.

I get up and make the bed before I pad into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. I fiddle with the machine until I hear it making my double shot of espresso, then I go to the bathroom and wash my face while I wait. On the way back to the kitchen, I grab my new bikini out of my closet and hold it up. Hannah convinced me I needed it when we were out shopping last week, but it is so out of my comfort zone I’m not sure I can pull it off. It is red and has hot pink straps on the shoulders and the hips, but it’s much more risqué than the high-waisted bottoms and tops I usually gravitate towards. I throw it on my bed with a pair of denim cutoffs and a cropped black tee shirt. As I walk back into the kitchen, I hear my phone chirp with a text message.

Hannah: It’s Beach Day Bitches!

Margaret: Oh my goodness I am so excited. I’ve packed a bunch of snacks and I told Theo to make sure he picks up some drinks. He offered to drive us.

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