was my happy place. The place I felt most content. With a football in my hand and turf under my feet, I could let everything else go.
I wondered if it was this way for Chloe when she played her instrument. And it was at that moment when I knew exactly what I had to do.
And I had to do it tonight.
CHAPTER 14
Chloe
I’d been taking Mom’s advice, and it seemed to be working. Preston appeared to be coming out of his shell a little, and he was happier than when I’d first met him. Perhaps that was what he needed the entire time. Just someone to befriend him. It was so simple. And it bothered me that no one else had tried it before. He wasn’t that bad. God, the other kids acted like he had leprosy or something. It didn’t make sense to me, and I felt like I was missing something.
After adjusting my hat, I turned away from the mirror in the band room and spotted Preston in the corner. He was bent over his instrument’s case fiddling with something inside. His eyes were downcast, his face shrouded in the shadows. A couple of kids sidestepped him, and he glanced up, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. The look he shot them was chilling, and it hit me. Kids didn’t act like he had leprosy, they acted like they were scared of him.
“Hey.” Jasmine’s hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I flinched. When my head turned in her direction, her eyebrows knit together. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. When I glanced back at Preston he was looking right at me, his expression pensive. But when our eyes locked, a smile swept across his face. My shoulders relaxed, and I grinned back.
“Cool, because we’ve gotta head out,” Jasmine said.
“It’s already time?” I shook out my hands, releasing my nerves. We’d done all right at our first competition, but not great. Mr. Grant had been riding us hard since then. But the truth was that I wasn’t nervous about not performing well.
I was nervous about seeing Holden.
After witnessing Holden and Ryan picking on Preston the other morning, I’d steered clear of Holden. But that didn’t stop him from staring at me whenever our paths crossed. I hated that my heart skipped a beat whenever I caught his eyes piercing into mine. No matter how much I wanted to dislike him, deep down there was a part of me that was drawn to him. He was gorgeous. That much was obvious, but usually I wasn’t sucked in by looks. I’d never been that shallow. So what was it about Holden that intrigued me so much?
Jasmine and Gianna talked animatedly by my side as we trekked out to the field. As we neared it, I slowed down. Holden stood across the field with the ball in his hand. The bright light above him shone down like a spotlight. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he threw the ball toward a teammate. The muscles in his arm bulged with the effort. Even though his helmet obscured his face, his dark eyes were visible, and it made my stomach flip. Damn, why’d he have to be so hot?
After our team scored a touchdown, halftime was called, and the players jogged off the field. My heart thumped in my chest as I walked forward, my eyes watching Holden. I prayed he wouldn’t spot me. We all matched, so it would be hard to find me in this crowd. Lowering my head, I hoped to blend in. I stepped in line with the rest of the band as we made our way onto the turf. Out of the corner of my eye, I observed the football players as they exited the field. My heart sank when Holden ran off without even a second glance back to me. It’s what I wanted, so why did it irk me? Mentally scolding myself for my wishy-washy emotions, I stalked forward, clutching tightly to my saxophone.
The air was cool tonight as it feathered over my face. But my long-sleeved uniform kept me warm. More than warm. It was a freaking sauna in this thing. Numb, I made my way over to my spot on the field. Standing up tall, I held my saxophone in front of me and stared forward at the drum major. Taking a deep breath, I
I wondered if it was this way for Chloe when she played her instrument. And it was at that moment when I knew exactly what I had to do.
And I had to do it tonight.
CHAPTER 14
Chloe
I’d been taking Mom’s advice, and it seemed to be working. Preston appeared to be coming out of his shell a little, and he was happier than when I’d first met him. Perhaps that was what he needed the entire time. Just someone to befriend him. It was so simple. And it bothered me that no one else had tried it before. He wasn’t that bad. God, the other kids acted like he had leprosy or something. It didn’t make sense to me, and I felt like I was missing something.
After adjusting my hat, I turned away from the mirror in the band room and spotted Preston in the corner. He was bent over his instrument’s case fiddling with something inside. His eyes were downcast, his face shrouded in the shadows. A couple of kids sidestepped him, and he glanced up, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. The look he shot them was chilling, and it hit me. Kids didn’t act like he had leprosy, they acted like they were scared of him.
“Hey.” Jasmine’s hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I flinched. When my head turned in her direction, her eyebrows knit together. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. When I glanced back at Preston he was looking right at me, his expression pensive. But when our eyes locked, a smile swept across his face. My shoulders relaxed, and I grinned back.
“Cool, because we’ve gotta head out,” Jasmine said.
“It’s already time?” I shook out my hands, releasing my nerves. We’d done all right at our first competition, but not great. Mr. Grant had been riding us hard since then. But the truth was that I wasn’t nervous about not performing well.
I was nervous about seeing Holden.
After witnessing Holden and Ryan picking on Preston the other morning, I’d steered clear of Holden. But that didn’t stop him from staring at me whenever our paths crossed. I hated that my heart skipped a beat whenever I caught his eyes piercing into mine. No matter how much I wanted to dislike him, deep down there was a part of me that was drawn to him. He was gorgeous. That much was obvious, but usually I wasn’t sucked in by looks. I’d never been that shallow. So what was it about Holden that intrigued me so much?
Jasmine and Gianna talked animatedly by my side as we trekked out to the field. As we neared it, I slowed down. Holden stood across the field with the ball in his hand. The bright light above him shone down like a spotlight. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he threw the ball toward a teammate. The muscles in his arm bulged with the effort. Even though his helmet obscured his face, his dark eyes were visible, and it made my stomach flip. Damn, why’d he have to be so hot?
After our team scored a touchdown, halftime was called, and the players jogged off the field. My heart thumped in my chest as I walked forward, my eyes watching Holden. I prayed he wouldn’t spot me. We all matched, so it would be hard to find me in this crowd. Lowering my head, I hoped to blend in. I stepped in line with the rest of the band as we made our way onto the turf. Out of the corner of my eye, I observed the football players as they exited the field. My heart sank when Holden ran off without even a second glance back to me. It’s what I wanted, so why did it irk me? Mentally scolding myself for my wishy-washy emotions, I stalked forward, clutching tightly to my saxophone.
The air was cool tonight as it feathered over my face. But my long-sleeved uniform kept me warm. More than warm. It was a freaking sauna in this thing. Numb, I made my way over to my spot on the field. Standing up tall, I held my saxophone in front of me and stared forward at the drum major. Taking a deep breath, I
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