“Hey, is Landon having a Valentine’s Day party this weekend?” Lorylyn asked Hilton.
“What day’s Valentine’s Day?” Todd asked.
“Sunday. No, he’s not, ‘cause they have basketball games both Friday and Saturday.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. I forgot.”
“Are you going to the game Saturday night?” Jill asked Lorylyn. Saturday the gymnastics team had the Pike Invite, two hours away, so by the time they got home Jill would be late to the game, which was at Woodland. So she was hoping Lorylyn might want to go with her.
“Um, it’s away, right? And Friday’s is home? Probably not. I’ll probably just hang out with Brady for a little, and not stay out too late, ‘cause we’re going out to dinner on Sunday for Valentine’s Day.” She motioned between herself and Brady. “Plus we have to get up so damn early for the Pike Invite...and the dance the night before…I’ll probably be dead.”
“Yeah...” Jill said, disappointed. “Maybe I can get Kels to go with me. And Rachel or something.”
“Yeah, I bet you could.” As Lorylyn moved over to wipe off the next table, she slipped on a spot Jill had just mopped. “Aaahhh!” she squealed as she struggled to keep her balance. She grabbed onto the table, but that just pulled her down, and she ended up sitting on her butt.
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Shut up!” Lorylyn said, throwing her rag at Brady with a grin. He caught it as Lorylyn used the table to pull herself to her feet.
“Careful with that table,” Brady teased. “I don’t think it likes you.”
Lorylyn flipped him off, and Jill and Hilton laughed even harder. Lorylyn giggled too.
“Hey, let’s have a contest!” Todd said. “Let’s see who can slide the farthest!”
“Okay!” Hilton said eagerly. She leaned her mop against a table and did a practice slide across the wet floor. “Wooo! That was fun!”
“Coach Tanner would kill us!” Jill said, giggling as she practiced too. “ ‘Girls, you’re going to hurt yourselves’...ooh, that was fun!”
“Stop cheating!” Todd said. “No practicing. Okay, here’s the start, and...here’s the finish.” He set Hilton’s mop against one table as the starting line, and Jill’s mop against another table as the finish line.
“I thought we were seeing who could go the farthest, not racing,” Hilton said.
“Oh, well we’ll do both. We’ll race first. The rule is you have to come to a complete stop before you’re allowed to start your next slide. Okay? Hold on, it’s getting dry too fast. Here.” He splashed some water on the ground and quickly mopped over it to spread it out, then replaced the mop at the finish line. “Okay, everybody line up.”
They took their positions, and Jill giggled. She couldn’t believe they were doing this.
“Ready...get set...GO!” Todd shouted, and they all took off sliding across the floor.
“I win!” Brady called, raising his arms in victory.
“You cheated!” Lorylyn said. “You didn’t stop completely after each slide!”
“Yeah, and I don’t think it’s fair that Todd says ready, set, go when he’s in the race,” Jill said.
“Well, who else are we gonna get, Jilly Bean, Mr. Preston?”
Jill laughed. “Okay, never mind.”
“All right, now it’s time to see who can go the farthest.”
“Wait! We need to redo that race! Brady cheated.” Hilton stood with her hands on her hips, trying to look pissed. She couldn’t do it and started laughing.
“Okay, okay, you poor losers, redo,” Brady said.
They all laughed and lined up again.
chapter 11) you know what you’re doing a lot
“That was so fun today in SRT,” Jill said to Lorylyn at gymnastics practice.
“I know. I wish we got to all hang out every day.”
“I know!”
“Hey, would you do me a favor? You have children’s lit with Brooke, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Could you ask her if she’s going to Spain? I’ve been wanting to know this whole time, and it’s driving me crazy, but I don’t wanna come right out and ask Brady, you know? ‘Cause if she’s not, then I would’ve made a big deal out of it and looked jealous over nothing.”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Like just bring it up casually, you know?”
“Yeah. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
***
“She said she might be,” Jill reported to Lorylyn the next afternoon in Algebra II. “She doesn’t know ‘cause of the money.”
“Oh,” Lorylyn said, sounding relieved. “So she doesn’t think you asked ‘cause of me or anything, does she?”
“Oh, no...I just started talking to her before class and told her I heard Cassidy and Sam were going to Spain and asked if she was. I don’t think she made the connection at all.”
“Okay, good.”
***
The gymnastics team didn’t get back from the Pike Invite until six Saturday evening. By the time Jill would’ve showered and driven to Woodland, it’d have been at least 7:30 or eight, and the varsity game would have already started. Plus, she didn’t want to show up alone. Kelsey hadn’t wanted to wait for her, because she didn’t want to miss the JV game and seeing Bennett play, and Rachel had already had plans to go to one of her friend’s houses. So Jill just decided to stay home and read one of her Nora Roberts books.
She was bummed though, because all her friends were out at the game or hanging out with their boyfriends, and they’d all be going out for Valentine’s Day tomorrow too. Jill had thought Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be a big deal this year since it was on a Sunday; last year she’d had to sit at home on a Saturday night. But here she was again, sitting at home alone on a Saturday. She tried to console herself by remembering how fun the dance had been last night; Todd hadn’t come, of course, but she’d slow-danced with Detter twice, and that was always fun. But that didn’t help much, so she tried to lose herself in her book instead. She just wanted it to be Monday so this stupid holiday would be over.
***
Landon took Hilton to Don Pablo’s in Logan for Valentine’s Day since it was her favorite restaurant. It was a surprise; she hadn’t known where they were going.
“Aww, yay, Landon, I love it!” She clapped excitedly as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Really? I did okay?”
“Of course! It’s my favorite!”
“Yeah, but I thought you might want something more fancy for Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, I don’t care about that. I just wanna go out with you and have fun; that’s all that matters.”
“Okay, well that’s what I thought you’d want. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed. I wanna be a good boyfriend.”
Hilton laughed. “Of course I’m not disappointed.” She kissed him. “This is perfect.” You’re perfect, she added silently.
Landon smiled. “Yeah! See, I know what I’m doing a little bit.”
Hilton laughed. He was always trying to impress her by doing sweet things, and he also always told her about good grades he got, or compliments his basketball coach gave him, or how he was going to work out a lot this summer and try to get more buff. She already thought he was perfect; he was smart and funny and a good athlete with a gorgeous body who treated her like a princess, and normally he was confident and sure of himself. But she thought it was so cute and sweet the way he was less confident around her and always tried to build himself up in her eyes. She’d seen other guys with Landon’s looks and athletic abilities and confidence be cocky with their girlfriends and treat them like shit, so Landon’s behavior showed her that he really cared and wanted her to think highly of him, and that he didn’t take her for granted.
“You know what you’re doing a lot,” she told him, kissing him again before they got out of the car.
***
“Hey, is Landon going to prom?” Loryl
yn asked Hilton a couple weeks later in their geography class.
“Hmm, I don’t know. I hadn’t even thought of that. Why? Is Brady going?”
“Well, I don’t know. Tiffany asked him, but he told her no.”
“What?” Hilton asked with a smirk. “Why would she ask him?”
Lorylyn shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess just ‘cause she doesn’t have a date, so she just wanted to go as friends or whatever. But he said he didn’t wanna go with her ‘cause she’s kinda annoying and a bitch.” Lorylyn giggled. “Isn’t that funny?”
“Yeah, and true. I still can’t believe she asked him. That’s kinda shitty. She should’ve asked you first. You don’t just go ask a guy who has a girlfriend.” Sophomores weren’t allowed to go to the prom at Brinkley-Caldwell, even if upperclassmen asked them. It was strictly for juniors and seniors.
Lorylyn shrugged again. “Whatever. I’m just glad he said no. But now I wonder if he’ll go with somebody else. I asked him if he wanted to go, and he just kinda shrugged and said he didn’t really care. I wish we could go! It’s so not fair! Like every other school lets younger kids go if they get asked.”
“Yeah, but we’ll be glad next year that they can’t come.”
“Yeah...I guess that’s true.”
“So would you care if he went?”
“Well...as long as it wasn’t with somebody like Tiffany, I guess it’d be okay.”
“Or Brooke,” Hilton said with a grin.
Lorylyn shuddered. “Hell no. He sure as hell better not go with her.”
“Oh, he won’t. You know he wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I know.”
***
“Are you gonna go to prom?” Hilton asked Landon that night. They were at his house watching a movie.
Landon looked at her in surprise. Hilton was lying against his chest. She shifted under the blanket and looked up at him. “What?” she said in response to his stare.
“Well...no. Why would I go to prom? You can’t go.”
“Well, I know, but some juniors who are dating younger people go with somebody just as friends.”
“Yeah, but that’s stupid. I don’t wanna go.”
“Why not? I would if I were you.”
“Yeah, but you’re a girl. Guys don’t care about prom and shit like that.”
“Well, I think you should ask Lindy.” Hilton waited for his reaction.
“What? Why?” Landon stared at her as if she were crazy.
“ ‘Cause! She hasn’t dated anybody since Andy, and you guys are good friends. I think you’d have a lot of fun, and I’m sure she’d be glad if you asked her. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about going with some guy she didn’t like and having him think they were gonna hook up, and plus, she deserves to have a good prom. I hope Andy doesn’t even get a date.” Hilton wrinkled her nose.
“I don’t know...”
“Oh, come on, Landon! You know you’ll have a good time. You’ve known her since you were like five. Do it for me. Please?”
“Why do you care so much?”
“ ‘Cause she’s my friend. And I don’t want you to look back and feel like you missed out on prom ‘cause of me.”
“Hilton, you know I’d never feel like that. But all right…I guess I’ll ask her…”
“Yay!” Hilton kissed him. “I’m so excited!”
“It’s kinda weird that you’re excited ‘cause I’m asking another girl to prom.”
Hilton laughed. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know, I’m just teasin’.” Landon ruffled her hair, then leaned down and kissed her again. “You’re right, it’ll probably be pretty fun.”
***
“Aww, Landon asked you to prom?” Brooke said on Sunday afternoon. Lindy had just called her and told her. “That’s so sweet. He’s such a good friend.”
“I know. So is Hilton. And I’m excited, it’ll be so fun. And now I don’t have to worry about finding a date. Plus, I’m not ready to date anybody else yet, you know, so now I don’t have to worry about going with some guy who thinks something’s gonna happen between us.”
“Yeah. That’s awesome. I’m so excited for you!”
“You know what would be really fun?” Lindy said wistfully. “If you went with Brady. Like, if things were how they were a couple summers ago. I mean, I know you guys aren’t really even friends anymore, and that’d be really shitty to do to Lorylyn, and it obviously can’t even happen, but when Landon asked me I was just thinking about how the four of us used to hang out a lot that one summer.”
“Oh...yeah! That was such a fun summer. And Brady and I do actually talk a lot now; we’re totally cool. But yeah, I wouldn’t wanna do that to Lorylyn. And he probably wouldn’t either.” Brooke rolled her eyes. She’d love to do that to Lorylyn.
“Yeah...oh, well...that’s too bad. It’d be fun. But I’m sure we’ll have a great time. Do you have any idea who you wanna go with?”
“No, not really.”
chapter 12) chargers, cheers, excitement, & tears...
and landon’s... the after-game
The first game of the basketball sectional was the following Tuesday night. Jill rode with Lorylyn, Brady, and Kelsey to Eastwood, which was about fifty minutes away. BCHS was favored to win sectional easily; they were up against the Wood and Pine County schools, which were all tiny and not very good. The regional, in which they’d play the winner of the Logan sectional, was expected to be much harder.
Jill, Lorylyn, and Kelsey had decked themselves out for the game in green tie-dyed T-shirts, green and gold tie-dyed baseball socks, and green and gold pom-poms in their ponytails. Jill and Lorylyn wore their matching green and white plaid boxers that they wore to warm up for every gymnastics meet, and Kelsey wore jean shorts. They all wore their cheerleading shoes with the green and gold Nike swooshes on them too.
Jill was psyched for the game. She wished it were at home, but at least the pep band was allowed to travel with them, so it’d be more like a home game.
BC ended up killing Pineview, as expected.
“Warm up the bus! Warm up the bus!” the BC student section screamed cockily with three minutes left in the game. Jill giggled happily. The final score was 69-42.
“Do you wanna stay for the next game?” Jill asked. “To see who we play Friday?”
“Does it really matter?” Brady asked. “Eastwood or Western Pine...we’ll kick both their asses at once.”
Jill laughed.
***
Brady was right. On Friday night, the Chargers beat Western Pine 62-40. Jill wanted to stay to see the bye game so they’d know who they played in the championship tomorrow, but the gymnastics sectional was tomorrow too, and they had to leave BC at eight in the morning.
Jill wasn’t really nervous about sectional at all. She thought it’d be cool to make it to regional, but gymnastics season was almost five months long, and she’d also be fine with not having another week of practice.
But when they arrived at Logan Southeast the next morning, Jill felt herself getting caught up in the excitement. Because a lot of the smaller schools around them didn’t have gymnastics, BC was in the Logan sectional, and all the teams were of similar ability level, except for Logan Southeast, who’d won state the past two years. Jill couldn’t wait to see their girls compete; it was so fun watching them because they were so good. They were total bitches though, so Jill never cheered for them or let them know she was watching.
As the BC girls warmed up on bars in their sweatshirts, boxers, and tie-dyed green and gold baseball socks, Jill felt the adrenaline starting to kick in, and she realized for the first time how much she wanted to make it to regional. Last year BC had gotten fifth, but the second and sixth place scores had only been three points apart. The top three teams advanced. It would be another close competition this year. “It is freezing in here!” Jill said, shivering as she chalked her hands. She didn’t mind warming up in her sweatshirt though; it was c
omfortable and made her feel more relaxed.
“Oh my gosh, look!” Lorylyn said, pointing up at the bleachers. “Todd came with Brady and Hilton!”
Jill’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe he came! He has sectional tonight!”
“Well, it’s not like he’s playing. And he probably just drove with Hilton, so they can leave early to go back and get ready for the game.”
“I know...I just can’t believe he came over an hour away! Aahhh!” she squealed giddily, grinning at Lorylyn. She looked back up at the bleachers. Her parents and Winnie and Aaron were just coming in too, and they sat down by Brady, Hilton, and Todd. Jill wondered how long Hilton had known Todd was coming. She tried to catch Hilton’s eye but couldn’t.
Jill turned back to the bars. She couldn’t wait till it was her turn, so she could show off a little. Now more than ever, she wanted to do her best.
***
“I can’t believe I missed my first back handspring!” Jill wailed after her beam routine two hours later. “I’ve been getting them all year.”
“Hey, it’s all right, don’t worry about it,” Coach Tanner said. “You had our third highest score on bars, and you still have floor left. You’re fine. Just forget about this and start thinking about floor.”
Jill sank down next to Lorylyn, humiliated and feeling like she was going to cry. She no longer even felt good about beating Amy on bars for the first time all year. Lindy and Amy had been scoring higher than her all season, as had Rachel, who was amazing at bars and had been getting BC’s top score all year. Most of the other girls considered bars their worst event, and no seniors even competed varsity. Jill and Lorylyn usually both did, because in their normal meets five or sometimes even six people competed varsity in each event. But in sectional only four got to, and Jill’s overall average for the season had been a little higher than Lorylyn’s. Lorylyn had had to warm up though, because she was the alternate.
But now all Jill could think about was how humiliating her beam routine had been. “I don’t even know how that happened! I’m so embarrassed.”
Lorylyn put her arm around Jill. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You were way better than I would’ve been. If I was competing beam I probably would’ve missed my mount and hit my face on the beam, then rolled off and crashed on my back on the mat and gotten whiplash.”