Chapter 15-

Jackie had the kind of hair I always wish I had. Naturally straight, fine hair that had never been dyed or cut in a bad style. Her hair almost touched her belly button and she was letting me braid it for the game. 


"So? Did you hang up curtains?" Josie asked from where she was sitting. Holly was behind her also braiding her hair. Instead of two braided pigtails like I was doing to Jakcie's hair, Holly was braiding Josie's hair into one large dutch braid. Josie looked great with her hair pulled back like that. 


 "I did, but it didn't work out that well," I explained how the curtains hadn't reached down far enough so Kent was still able to annoy me and the girls laughed. 


 "He leaves early in the morning, before I'm even up, and he doesn't come back to the room until I'm already in bed," I simply shrugged my shoulders while Holly and Josie continued to stare at me. "It's weird," 


 "I've seen him in the weight room a lot during morning practices," Holly blurted out, finishing up Josie's braid. Holly and Josie were on the school's volleyball team and with state championships coming up they've been having two practices a day. One in the morning before classes and one after classes. Josie and Holly had been exhausted all week. 


 "Come on the games starting soon," Kailey yelled from the hallway where a few other girls were rushing out of the dorm. 


 I quickly finished Jackie's second braid and we grabbed our things, heading towards the football field with our signs tucked under our arms. We made the short walk from the girls dorm to the football field and quickly joined the sea of students cramming into the bleachers and trying to get snacks before kick off. All of the cheerleaders were by the entrance, cheering and handing out raffle tickets for some prize you could win at halftime or something. 


I wasn't paying attention to any of the commotion going on around me because at that moment I saw something that broke my heart. Missy, looking beautiful and deadly, wearing Kent's away game football jersey. My heart squeezed in my chest and I'm pretty sure Jackie caught on to what was happening, she slung her arm around my shoulder and hugged me close.


 "You girls get popcorn and we'll get the seats!" Holly snatched the signs out of Jackie and I's hands and rushed away with Josie right behind her. Jackie and I hurried into the line for popcorn before it got too long, there was already quite a wait. I was excited to get my mind off what I had just seen. I had Charlie's poster I had made in my hands. 


 "Because I never said you could wear it!" I recognized a voice yelling in the distance as Kent's, he sounded angry. Jackie had heard Kent's yell too and the two of us shuffled to our left slightly so we could see the drama. Missy was standing in front of Kent, her arms crossed and her signature pout on her face. It was a tradition on the first game for cheerleaders to wear a football players jersey after all. 


 "It looks great on me Kent, besides all the other girls are wearing jerseys!" Missy yelled back at Kent. They hadn't noticed the small crowd they were attracting. 


"Take it off now, we aren't together Missy, you're lucky I even talk to you still," Kent crossed his arms and Missy stomped her foot for the third time, as if that was going to make it so she'd get her way. Missy opened her mouth to yell at Kent once more but another football player stumbled out of the locker room, a freshman, and began jogging towards the field where the rest of the team was warming up. 


 "Hey, get over here," Kent called to the player and the shy freshman hurried over to Kent, who towered a few inches above him. "Do you have your away jersey in your locker?" 


The freshman only nodded, glanced at Missy who continued to glare at the two, then glanced back at Kent. 


 "Go get it, you're going to let this pretty lady wear it for the game tonight," Kent said, patting the kid on his shoulder pad and smiling. The kids face lit up. 


 "Right on," He turned and rushed back into the locker room without a glance back. 


 "Are you serious? Now I get to represent some stupid freshman who probably won't even step one foot on the field tonight?" Missy screamed, not caring who could hear their argument now. 


"It'll be a hell of a lot better than you representing me," Kent smirked, glanced over at the freshman who had reappeared and was running to hand over his jersey. "Leave my jersey on my car after the game," 


 Kent turned and walked away from the star struck freshman player and the infuriated Missy. Jackie and I shuffled back into place in the line just as Kent was passing by, but we weren't fast enough and Kent knew we had seen the whole thing.


 "Nice sign you got there," Kent muttered, pausing only a moment while he passed to stare down at me with that intense stare I couldn't seem to get away from. Kent smirk, knowing he caught me off guard, and played with his helmet, you could see his jaw flexing before he turned to wink down at me, "You have the wrong number though," 


Kent was jogging off towards the field, strapping his helmet on at the same time and for a few moments I felt stuck. 


 "And you room with that guy?" Jackie asked, sounding out of breath as Kent strode away from us. "Snap out of it girl, jeez," I pushed Jackie lightly and she giggled, turning back to face the girl at the popcorn stand. 


 "Four please," 


 Once we got our bags of popcorn and paid, Jackie and I made our way up the metal bleachers to where Josie and Holly had gotten a great spot, we could see the field perfectly. After getting settled in, the popcorn distributed and signs rearranged to their rightful owners, we paid attention to the cheerleaders and footballs players warming up. The game started in 3 minutes. 


"We're gonna crush 'em!" Holly shouted, earning cheers from a few other classmates around us. Within a minute to go before the game started our cheerleaders began chanting, everyone on the bleachers joining in as our football team made it's grand entrance onto the field. 


 "Sadie, where's your sign?" Jackie asked, having to nearly yell over everyone chanting. I glanced down at the sign I had made for Charlie just the other night and glanced out at the field. I tried looking for Charlie but the only number I could seem to focus on was 24. Kent's number. 


"I'll hold it up in a little bit," I shrugged Jackie's question off and continued chanting along with the crowd. Jackie, thankfully, didn't question me anymore and joined in as well. 


 For some reason I didn't want to cheer on Charlie anymore, even though Kent and I hadn't been on the best of terms lately the only one I wanted to watch was him. 


And the only one watching me was Missy. 

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