Wyatt knew he wasn’t the best but he acted as though he was. The whole school knew him. His catches were phenomenal when he caught the ball, but his percentage was low. I’d rather have a solid receiver who caught the ball every time than someone who jumped high, did flips, and made showboating a part of football. He thought he was going places, but I knew college was his peak. He wasn’t good enough for the NFL.

I looked at the schedule. The Oak Grove Puma Cheer Team was up next. When blue and silver burst out onto the mats, our entire section whistled and clapped for them. My anxiety was at an all-time high for Parker because I knew she was nervous. Even though the guys I sat with pretended they didn’t care, they were up and yelling the cheers with them. Max was even doing the moves. I knew all the cheers, too, but I didn’t want to embarrass myself. This was the only time I could look at Parker without anybody questioning where I was looking or why I was staring. Parker was at the top of the pyramid and when she flipped from the top and four cheerleaders caught her effortlessly, we all gasped. The routine looked super good.

“How come they don’t do this during the games?” Max asked.

“Probably because all the attention would go to them and not us,” I said.

“They’re great. I thought Missy was kind of a badass bitch and now I know why. Look at her. She owns this!” Max said. He was right. We never saw these cheers at the games.

“Maybe we should ask them to do these routines before the games. They would really pump up the crowd,” I said.

“I know I’m pumped,” Wyatt said. His meaning was clear. I gave him another eye roll. He was being a tool and the cheerleaders’ parents were right next to us. Wyatt was embarrassing me. “Their uniforms make my—” He paused and looked at me. “They make my heart pitter-patter. It’s too bad we didn’t plan better. We could’ve all dressed up as cheerleaders for them today to show our support.”

“We don’t have to dress up just to show our support. They appreciate us being here just like we are. Students from Oak Grove,” I said.

Wyatt nudged me. “Says the quarterback who never wears costumes or uniforms other than football.”

I pointed to my shirt. “I’m wearing a Pumas shirt. That’s costume enough. Besides, costumes are for children,” I said.