Chapter 83 Chapter Eighty Three
Lena’s POV
The silence stretched tight as a wire as everyone waited on his word, the entire gym holding its breath.
“Answer the question,” Noah called out.
Allison waved a dismissive hand, though her perfect smile was starting to falter. “He obviously doesn’t need to. It’s clear to anyone what his answer is.”
She raised her voice to address the crowd, trying to shut it all down. “Show’s over, people! Get to the field, the game starts in twenty minutes!”
“But…” I tried, but clearly it was over.
The crowd was already starting to leave, grumbling and complaining about not getting the show they were promised as they filed towards the exit.
Coach Ellis looked at me with pity in his eyes and shook his head sadly, clearly disappointed that he wasn’t able to help me better.
My chest felt hollow and empty as I watched my dreams disappear into the wind. I picked up my backpack and joined the crowd as they trooped out, dragging my feet.
Of course, Jace would vote against me, I thought. Why had I even bothered to ask? Why did I continue to allow myself such empty hopes?
I turned my head away from Nicole and Jake’s sad faces, blinking back the burning in my eyes…
“Let her on the team.”
Jace’s voice cut through the noise, and everything stopped.
The entire crowd gasped. Someone’s phone clattered to the floor, and even Noah did a double-take, watching Jace with suspicion, his head tilted to the side.
I spun back around, certain I’d heard him wrong. My heart slammed against my ribs, as I stood there stupidly.
He’s making fun of me, I thought. This has to be some sick joke.
But Jace was standing now, his hands braced on the table, staring directly at Allison with ice cold intensity.
“What?” Allison looked like she’d been slapped across the face, her dad going red with rage. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“I said let her on the team.”
“But—” Allison’s eyes widened in betrayal and fury. “Why the fuck would you say that? This isn’t what we talked about on the phone! You specifically asked me not to let her on the team! That’s what you said!”
The gym erupted in noise and yelling, even louder than before.
“WHAT? He told her to keep Lena off?”
“That’s so fucked up! I knew something was weird about this! It’s rigged!”
“I bet you a hundred bucks that they’re fucking. That’s why he let her on the team.”
Jace’s expression didn’t change, but a dark expression flickered in his eyes “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. All I know is it isn’t right to let a stranger on the team when there’s someone else who actually tried out for it. It’s only logical that Lena is the better pick.”
His voice was flat, bored even, but the tension in his shoulders was clear as day. “I don’t give a fuck who gets in or who doesn’t. I have a game to win.”
He grabbed his helmet from under his chair and started walking calmly toward the exit.
Allison scrambled after him, her heels clicking frantically on the gym floor. “Get back here! What the hell is wrong with you? This whole thing was your idea! You can’t just flip out on me in front of anyone!”
Jace stopped, turned around abruptly and pulled her close against his chest. “I don’t give a fuck whose idea it was,”
He spoke quietly, but I could still hear him over the murmur of the crowd, as though he’d meant for me to hear him.
“Come next tryout after spring break, you can do whatever you want. But right now?”
He leaned down and kissed her so hard it looked like it hurt, a kiss so possessive and punishing it made half the girls in the audience sigh dreamily.
I watched them with a small frown, feeling a confusing jolt in my heart, a spark of unwanted heat that made my cheeks flush even as disgust rolled through me.
When he finally pulled back, Alison was breathless and panting. Her lipstick smeared, her eyes wild with a toxic mix of fury and hunger.
Jace pointed toward the door. “Go put on something sexy for me, do something with your hair. Show the other girls on the field how it’s done.”
Allison was still sputtering, her mouth opening and closing over and over again before eventually she said. “Fine. But we are talking about this later, Jay Jay. And you better have a good explanation for this.”
“After the game.” Jace’s cold, venomous eyes suddenly flicked to Noah and me, glaring at us for the final time.
Then he looked away and called out, “Coach Ellis! A word?”
Coach Ellis sighed heavily but nodded.
He turned to me with a genuine smile and gave me a calming pat on the head, “Congratulations, Lena. You earned this. You know I would’ve stayed to celebrate with you, but duty calls.”
I nodded happily, waving goodbye as he followed Jace out of the gym. “Thank you, Coach.”
When they left, Mrs. Sinatra stepped forward, grabbing my hand and raising it high above my head. Noah took my other hand with a proud grin and lifted it too.
“Students of Westbrook High!” Mrs. Sinatra’s voice rang out. “I present to you the newest member of the cheer squad! Give it up for Lena Hartwell!”
The gym erupted into chaos; most of the crowd was cheering, clapping, and whistling. But some people just stood there looking stunned, whispers flying
“Wait, what?” someone said. “That actually just happened?”
“Well, what do you know? She actually did it. Goddamn.”
It was such a whirlwind of emotions, so much to process. I felt joy and excitement and disbelief and confusion all tangled together until I couldn’t tell which emotion was winning anymore.
Suddenly Nicole and Jake were there, crashing into me with Noah, all four of us in a massive group hug.
“Oh my God!” Nicole was laughing and crying at the same time as she squeezed me tight. “I can’t believe it! You did it!”
“For a second there I thought Jace would totally sell you out,” Jake said. “Maybe he’s not a complete monster after all.”
“He’s still a monster,” Nicole countered. “But if he’d voted against her, I would’ve written him an incredibly harsh column in the newspaper. Then I would’ve egged his house. Maybe both.”
“You don’t even know where he lives,” Jake pointed out.
“I would’ve found out! Duh.”
I was sobbing, happy tears this time, clutching on tight to all of them as though they were the only solid things in a spinning world holding me up and keeping me together.
It felt so good to finally have friends, friends I could finally count on. But even as relief flooded through me, I couldn’t shake the memory of Jake kissing Allison, the utter hate in his eyes when they landed on me.
When we finally broke apart, I turned to Noah. “I don’t even know how to thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this, but you…”
“I told you it would be handled.” Noah’s smile was warm, but he had a dangerous, determined glint in his eyes that put me on edge. “But it isn’t over yet, sweetheart. We still have a lot more to do before today is complete.”
“What do you mean?” I faltered.
He reached down and took my hand in his, his fingers lacing together with mine. “Buckle up, Lena. The real show is just getting started.”
Author’s Note: Hey there, reader. I'm curious, are you team sweetheart or team princess? Noah or Jace? Do let me know in the comments section.✨ Thanks so much for reading and engaging, your support means the world to me.✨