Losing Leah

Reaching the heavy metal door at the end of the hall, I shoved it open, gulping the warm outside air like I’d been submerged. My lungs burned as I heaved in and out. Clearly I had held my breath while I raced down the hall. All thanks to my overactive imagination. If Jacob saw me now there was no way he would keep quiet.

The more distance I put between me and the building, the more ridiculous I felt. Between my headaches and being chased by shadows, I was practically begging for a trip to the doctor.

Amber and the rest of the cheer squad were already on the football field in front of the bleachers when I arrived. She waved at me before rolling her eyes at Trinity who was barking orders at the top of her lungs. I flashed an exaggerated thumbs-up, climbing to an empty seat on the third row where I’d have a better view of the action.

The metal bleachers were warm from the sun beating down on them all day. It was just one of the perks of living in a warm-weather climate. In other parts of the country people were probably already wearing jackets instead of shorts and T-shirts like we could.

“Did you see Joshua almost drop me again?” Amber asked, joining me while the squad took a break. “If he drops me tonight there’s no telling where my foot might wind up, so make sure you’re watching because it’ll be good.” She took a swig from her water bottle, waiting for me to comment. “You okay?” she asked.

“Sure, why?”

She pursed her lips, studying me intently for a moment. “I don’t know. You look off or something.”

I laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as hollow to her as it did me. “Off? What does that even mean?” I asked, giving her a shove on the shoulder. “Are you a psychiatrist?”

She continued to watch me critically. “Say what you want, but I’ve known you too long. Did you and Luke get in a fight?”

“No. I’m fine, seriously. I think Trinity is trying to flag you down though,” I said, nodding toward the rest of the cheer squad who were lining up in formation. I adored Amber and her intuitiveness, but I didn’t want it directed at me. I had enough weird stuff happening without bringing Amber into the mix.

Amber looked like she wanted to say more, but Trinity blew her whistle stridently in our direction. “God, I’m going to shove that damn whistle down her throat. Maybe then it’ll be less annoying,” Amber grumbled, stomping down the bleachers.

This time my laugh was more genuine. I could easily see Amber making good on her promise.

By the time our team ran out on the field for warm-ups the bleachers had begun filling in around me. I flagged down my friends Tina and Jen when I saw them searching for a spot to sit.

“Girlfriend,” Tina said, hugging me as she sat down. “I hope we slaughter Winter Park tonight, especially since they kicked our asses last year,” she added, sticking her feet up on the row in front of us.

“Didn’t you date that guy, Russ, from

Winter Park over the summer?” I asked.

Jen giggled on the other side of her. “That’s right. You did. He was a doucheball too. You should go sit on the other side of the field, traitor.”

“A momentary lapse in judgment. Besides, he had a nice butt and I didn’t know what an asshole he was until I went out with him. Plus, he was dumb as rocks.”

“Football players usually are,” Jen agreed.

“Not true. Luke’s GPA is almost as high as mine,” I said, standing up and cheering as the teams lined up for kickoff.

Talking became impossible once the game started. The crowd was charged into a near frenzy. Winter Park was our school’s biggest rival. They were notorious for playing dirty. Last year they clipped Jimmy Clausen, our quarterback, in the ankle when the refs weren’t looking. He sat out the rest of the game and the season with a broken ankle, ending our chances at state. Tonight was about retribution.

By halftime my throat was raw from cheering after Luke caught a long pass and ran it in for a touchdown, putting us up by seven points. Amber and the cheer squad did their parts too by keeping the crowd energized. Somehow Joshua and Amber managed to work out their kinks because I didn’t see him drop her once. Little did he know he had saved himself from a throat punch, at least for one half of the game anyway.

“You’re so lucky,” Tina yelled into my ear when Luke caught another long pass. “Luke is the whole package. Cute and a football god. If we weren’t friends I’d totally hate you.”

“And probably try to steal him,” Jen chimed in.

“I’m not that much of a bitch,” Tina protested. “Now, if they’re on a break it’s open season.”

“Well, paws off. Luke is mine,” I said, giving her a nudge with my hip. “I’m short, but I fight dirty,” I added, holding my fingers up like claws. Tina laughed as I fished my hoodie out of my backpack. Now that the sun had gone down there was a slight nip in the air.

“Like I’d do that anyway. There’s way too many fish in the sea. I—” She became distracted mid-sentence when the crowd erupted after our team intercepted the Winter Park quarterback.

Jen snorted. “Tina doesn’t have the attention span to steal anybody’s guy. Besides, Luke is so into you,” she said, joining the crowd in performing the wave as it passed our section.

“Hey, I heard that,” Tina, said sticking her tongue out at us. “She’s right though. I know a lost cause when I see it. Luke is off the market,” she added, winking.

Jen and I burst out laughing as Tina swung her arms over our shoulders.