Friday Night Lights

Kamari

“Hey Kamari! Ooh, you look hot! Snazzy jacket!” Naya exclaimed as I got into the jeep.

“Hey girl, Thanks! Love the uniform!” I always loved the dance squad uniforms, but I must admit, the uniforms at Sequim College were like nothing I’d ever seen before. Our mascot was the warriors, so the uniform looked like it could have been armor but still showed enough skin to make it sexy. The pleated skirt was high-waisted and made of dark brown leather straps showing the top part of the stomach while the bottom hung mid-thigh with a slit on the side that showed the black shorts underneath. The shirt v’d at the bottom, coming close to the skirt with a corset bodice. The top cut across the chest connects one long sleeve, hugging closely around the right arm with an armor-type garb at the shoulder, leaving the left shoulder and arm bare. I had to admit I was a bit jealous not to be wearing it along with her, but I knew if I kept training, I’d be able to make the team’s next round of auditions.

“You ready to see what us warriors are all about?” Naya was excited for the game. We were playing against one of our biggest rivals, the Renegades from WestMoon College in the neighboring town.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Just wish I was dancing alongside you guys.”

“Ah, don’t stress. I’m sure you’ll make the team in no time. Also, I’m excited to introduce you to Theron, our team captain! He’ll be there tonight, too!”

I didn’t want to show how unexcited I was to meet him, so I just smiled and nodded. I knew I was unfairly judging someone I’d never met before. The wrongdoing of one guy shouldn’t affect me so much, but I was still dealing with what happened before I left LA. I didn’t want to explain my sappy story to Naya, who was riding the energy in the air for tonight’s game, so I took a breath, relaxed into my seat, and decided to go with the flow. Who knew going with the flow would end up changing my life forever?

***

We arrived shortly later, and Naya had to run to warm up with the team. She pointed to a spot where she and the girls usually sit after halftime, so I found a seat near the front of the bleachers where she showed me looking out at the field. The WestMoon players were warming up on the field, but our team had yet to come out. The WestMoon renegades were all large and running through drills viciously. They seemed to have a wild and feral air about them as they threw each other around and rammed into the equipment they brought. This team was no joke, and it made me nervous that we had to play against them. Soon, the whole stadium was packed, and the dance squad lined up to introduce the team.

Everyone stood and cheered as our team began to run out of the locker rooms. I started not to be so nervous once I saw how fiercely our team was behaving, coming out just as viciously as the renegades. Our team was hollering and howling as they ran onto the field while the crowd went wild for them. They were all especially loud at the end when it came time for Reed and Theron to run out. I could barely see their hands waving to the crowd, with everyone around jumping and waving before they went to the sidelines and huddled up with the team and coaches. As I sat back down, I overheard the same girls from this morning sitting a little behind me, chatting and cheering for both Theron and Reed. My curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself looking out to try to see the two guys everyone seemed to drop for.

I found Reed reasonably quickly as I knew what he looked like with his long blonde hair pulled back into a man bun. He was standing next to a guy maybe an inch or two taller than him, which was hard to believe as Reed was already a giant. I could only see the back of his head with messy, longish dark brown hair on his head. He was just as massive as Reed. He had solid muscle with a slight bit of a tribal tattoo that peeked out from his uniform on the left side of his neck and collarbone, then again down his arm on the same side.

As if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned and looked directly at me, holding my stare with an intense set of eyes. I couldn’t quite make out the color from this far away. His hair fell lazily in his face as he tilted his head slightly, looking at me. He had a full set of lips and a five o’clock shadow that outlined his sharp jawline. Yep, he was definitely as hot as all the girls talked about. I could only imagine how much of a playboy he is. It took me a minute to realize we were staring at each other, and my heart skipped a beat before I looked down, blushing slightly that he caught me staring. I didn’t want to give him any wrong idea, but at the same time, I was a little confused about how he went straight to me, as if he felt my eyes on him. When I looked up again, he turned to the field.

“AH! Did you see that? Alpha Theron looked right at me!”

“No way, girl, he was looking at me!” I heard the girls behind me screeching. Alpha? It must be a nickname for him since he’s the captain. Maybe my head was messing with me, and he wasn’t staring at me. I could’ve sworn I felt his intensity directly on me, but from the girl’s reaction behind me, I said to get over myself and move on.

The first half went slowly as the two teams crushed into each other. By the time halftime came, they were tied 7 to 7. The halftime show was why I was really there, and I got excited as the girls took their places on the field. I watched intently with a smile as they worked a routine we had been practicing in freestyle class this past week. When I knew the next move, I bit my lip, trying to stay seated and not move with them. When they finished, I jumped up and cheered wildly, screaming Naya’s name and clapping wildly.

Olivia, of course, was in front and led the girls through the routine with a smug smile. At the end of the dance, I saw she wasn’t looking at the stands but at someone on the sidelines. She didn’t seem too happy, though, as I looked at where she was looking. Her eyesight was on Reed and Theron. Reed was clapping for her sister with a smile, and Theron was clapping too, but his eyes weren’t on the field; his eyes were back on me. He had a spark in his eyes, almost glowing for a second, and then it was gone when he saw I was looking at him, too. I couldn’t help but look into his eyes for what felt like an eternity before the commotion of the squad coming up the stairs pulled me out of the trance-like stare. I saw Naya running up to sit next to me.

Naya hugged me before sitting next to me, following two other girls from the squad. She introduced them as Danika and Lana. If she saw me staring at Theron, she didn’t say anything. The rest of the game, the girls and I chanted and screamed for the team, urging them to win the game. Theron gained some speed because he was playing furiously. They finally broke the tie and won 21 to 14 at the end of the fourth quarter when Theron threw a long throw to the running back Rune; I was told his name by Danika, who has a major crush, for the winning touchdown.

Naya looked down at her phone before saying, “OOOh, I just got the word. After the party at the bonfire tonight to celebrate!”

“You’re coming with us, Kamari, right”? Lana asked, looking around Naya as we left the bleachers after the game.

“Oh, I don’t think so. I have so much work to do to catch up in class.”

“Ah, come on Kamari, PLEEASE! One drink with everyone, then I’ll drive you home. Scouts honor.” Naya gave me her famous pout face that I had difficulty saying no to.

“PLEEEEASE”? The other girls followed suit, holding their hands in a prayer pose.

“Haha, you guys are hopeless. ONE DRINK.” I had to admit, it felt good to be around the girls and part of something again. They jumped up and down excitedly, giving high fives.

“Yesss! SHOTGUN!” Danika yelled.

“Can we get food first? I’m starving!” Lana pouted. We all walked together towards Naya’s Jeep, arms linked. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but having more than one friend again felt nice.