The Hockey Captain Wants His Plus-Size Ex Back Chapter 05
By dinner, the whole campus was talking.
“She actually signed up?”
“For cheer captain?”
“Is this a joke?”
Cole stood in front of the list for a long time. Vanessa was beside him, holding his arm, but he barely looked at her. His eyes stayed on my name as if it had personally insulted him.
I saw them from the end of the hallway and turned away before he could notice me.
Easton was waiting outside the annex.
“You saw the list?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You ready?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
I exhaled. “But I’m going anyway.”
That was enough for him.
The tryouts were held Friday night in the basketball arena. The school made an event out of it because Lakeview loved anything that could be turned into a popularity contest. By the time I arrived, the lower seats were already full.
People had come to watch Vanessa win.
People had also come to watch me fail.
The tryouts began.
One by one, the girls went out. Some were good. Some were nervous. The crowd clapped politely, louder for people they knew. I waited behind the curtain with my hands pressed together, listening to music start and stop, shoes hit the mat, cheers rise and fade.
Cole arrived halfway through.
I heard it before I saw him. A shift in the audience. A few excited voices. Then his voice, low and irritated near the judges’ table.
“What is she doing here?”
Vanessa performed second to last.
She was perfect.
Her smile never slipped. Her kicks were high, her turns clean, and every movement hit exactly on beat. She landed her final jump with both arms lifted and the crowd on its feet.
The judges raised their scorecards.
Ten.
Ten.
Ten.
Ten.
Ten.
The arena exploded.
Vanessa bowed, glowing.
Then my name was called.
“Mia Hart.”
For one second, I could not move.
My hands went cold.
In my last life, I had been here too. Vanessa had found me backstage before my turn.
Then she pushed me into the storage closet and locked the door.
I remembered the dark. The metal handle that would not move. My blood sugar crashing. My nails splitting as I pounded and screamed Cole’s name.
No one came until it was too late.
“Mia.”
Easton’s voice cut through the memory.
I turned.
He was standing at the side entrance, still in his black hoodie, his expression calm but his eyes fixed on me.
The announcer repeated my name.
Outside, people started murmuring.
Vanessa’s voice rose clearly from near the judges’ table. “If she doesn’t come out, she should be disqualified.”
A few people laughed.
Cole said, “I told you. She’s doing this for attention.”
Easton stepped closer and held out his hand.
I took it.
His thumb pressed once against my knuckles.
“You don’t owe them fear,” he said. “Go take back what she stole.”
My breathing steadied.
Vanessa laughed from the stage. “Guess she ran.”
I let go of Easton’s hand.
Then I stepped forward and pushed the curtain aside.
“I’m here.”