Authors: Adrienne Torrisi
He
looks over and smiles at me. "Thanks to you." He wipes some sweat off and rubs it on my arm.
I just
start to laugh. Best ride home
ever
!
***
Each day you
can feel the excitement building; the entire school is counting down until the big game this Saturday. Our team has to travel five hours away and we play in an actual stadium. It is a huge deal, so buses are provided for everyone who wants to go. I wish I could spend the five-hour ride with Todd, but he has to ride with the team. At least Sid, Shane and I are all going to be together and, since Simon is riding on the band bus, it is the first time in a long time it is just going to be the three of us. I can’t wait. Even parents are taking buses, but luckily, they separated the parent and student buses. Parents and the team get really nice, chartered buses, however, everyone else gets to make the five-hour trip in super comfortable school buses.
The only thing
I’m more excited for than the game is the pep rally. Todd is so good at keeping secrets; he doesn’t budge whenever I try to find out what song they are performing. Even when I slip it in between kisses and I know he is distracted, he still doesn’t let anything slip. He also must have put some serious fear into Shane because he’s giving away even less. They’re all taking it so seriously; it'd be funny if I didn't want to know so badly.
It
is finally Friday and I make it to Spanish, but of course, it seems to drag even more than usual. Shane's empty desk is a constant reminder that in just a few minutes I am going to see Todd perform. Senora Gonzales is reviewing more football terms in Spanish, if that is even possible. Now I think she's just making up words. If I have to hear her explain the difference between Futbol—aka Soccer—and American Football one more time, I may never make it to the pep rally. Sid and I keep exchanging glances; she knows how anxious I am. I move my eyes toward the clock and then back to Sid, who is rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “So close," she mouths.
“I know, but the clock isn't moving,” I mouth back to her. She actually
laughs out loud, but luckily Senora Gonzales is clueless or deaf, either way, she doesn’t hear her.
Sid has been completely supportive of Todd and me. I can’t believe I
was ever scared to tell her. Although I still avoid talking to her about specifics, I know how strange it was the few times Gretchen and Blythe have talked to me about Ryan, so I figure I'll spare Sid. Luckily, I have Shane for all of those juicy details.
When the early bell
finally
rings, the walk to the gym is the longest walk in creation. The entire school is on a high and everyone is pushing to get into the gym, as if their lives depended on it. As excited as I am, Sid and I figure we’ll get in eventually so we don’t bother to rush. Sometimes things just work out, though, because we end up with seats right in front of the makeshift stage.
Principal Marks
starts it off, announcing the varsity football players as usual. The team comes running out in their black and gold jerseys. They are so full of energy, you can feel it. I wrap Todd’s lettermen jacket around me a little bit tighter. It feels like his arms are around me even though he is nowhere near me. My eyes find Todd right away in the group of players. I see him scanning the crowd, he finds Sid pretty quickly and then his eyes lock on mine and he gives me that beautiful smile. My stomach instantly starts doing summersaults, I am so excited for them and yet so nervous. I can’t wait to hear what song they are going to sing.
“And now
, here’s something that’s become a good luck charm for all of our big games; the moment you’ve been waiting for, The Sour Lollipops.” Shane comes out and hands Todd his acoustic guitar, then he sits behind the drums. RTS is there in full cheerleading gear along with the few other guys on the team who are in the band.
As soon as the
y start playing, I recognize the song. It is The Lumineer’s “Ho Hey.” The entire gym is on their feet and they all start stomping to the beat and shouting, "Hey Ho," with the band. Todd looks incredible up there. His fingers move across his guitar so fluidly, then he grabs the microphone on the stand and, as he sings the lyrics, his eyes connect with mine.
"I belong with you, you belong with me,
you’re my sweetheart.”
It
feels like time stands still and we are the only two people in the entire gym. Everyone goes crazy when the song is over.
“Good song choice,” Sid
yells over the cheering.
I just
look at her with a smile.
When the pep rally
is finally over we push our way through the crowd to get to the boys who are, of course, surrounded. Shane is talking to Johnny who seems just as happy to be talking to him. Todd is encircled by half of the cheerleaders, but when he sees me, he holds up his finger to excuse himself.
“That was so great; you guys sounded incredible,” I
say, beaming. He smiles at me and grabs my hand.
“That one was for you, Ash.” His blue eyes
are full of smile, just for me. I must be dreaming; this is too perfect to be reality, especially my reality. “Come with me,” he says, pulling me through the crowd.
“Where are we going?” I
ask, laughing. He seems really focused.
“You’ll see,” he
says, turning back to look at me as we leave the crowded gym. He smiles again and then turns back as he keeps pulling me through the empty hall. “You ready?”
I’m
trying desperately to read him. “For what?” I ask, unsure if I should be excited or nervous. “Are you feeling okay?”
He
starts to laugh and then he finally stops walking. “Just close your eyes.”
“Todd, this is a closet.”
“Trust me.” He looks at me with his piercing blue eyes. I do trust him, even if he is taking me into the Janitor’s Closet. He nonchalantly pulls out a key.
“Wait, you have a key?” I bit
e my lip, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this is.
“Close your eyes, please,” he
repeats.
I squeeze my eyes shut with no idea what to think
and then I feel his warm hand in mine as he leads me into the closet. The smell of bleach immediately fills the air. It is such a tight space that our bodies are pressed up against each other; I can feel his cool breath on my face and the sweat on his skin from the performance. “Okay, open your eyes.”
Nothing
can prepare me for what I see. The closet is decorated with hundreds of white Christmas lights that spell out “PROM?” I look at him and then back at the beautiful lights that are filling the closet with a soft white glow. He pulls my face toward his so he can look into my eyes.
“Ashley Taylor, will you go to prom with me?” he
asks, his expression tells me this is not a joke.
“Todd, it’s four months away,” I
say, making sure this isn’t a mistake or a brain tumor.
“I know.” His eyes
are still locked on mine as he runs his thumb across my cheek. “Why wait when you know who you want to go with?”
I’m
thankful it is dark in here so he can't see how red my cheeks are, I can see my shocked expression reflecting in his pupils.
“Are you going to answer the question?”
I step up on my tiptoes to reach the back of his head and pull him down closer to me. “This is perfect,” I whisper and then kiss him deeply, our lips pressing into each other’s.
“Is that a yes?”
“
Yes
, of course I’ll go with you!” I start to laugh. “Can this be our secret place, I like it better than The Quad.”
He
laughs. “It's definitely better than The Quad, but I have to give back the key.”
“Thank you,” I
say, really taking in all the work he put into this as I look around the closet again.
“For what?” he
asks, not even realizing how special this moment is to me.
“For everything.” I reach up and pull him back toward me
again, our lips crashing into one another’s. I wouldn’t change anything—the warm glow of the lights, the smell of ammonia and bleach filling the air, Todd's sweaty skin caressing mine—it is perfect. I feel lost in the moment and then I remember what day it is. “You’ve got to go; you’re going to be late for the team bus.”
He
looks at his phone. “You’re right; Coach is going to kill me.” He kisses me quickly and then starts to open the door. I grab his hand to stop him. “Have a good game,” I say and I kiss him one last time. I know I won’t see him again until he is out on the field.
Holding hands we
run down the hall laughing, it is filled with people leaving the pep rally and we are trying to push our way back into the gym. As we bob and weave through the crowd, so many thoughts flood my head. I start to fully grasp what just happened. It’s the best moment of my entire life, so far. I think of the big game, I’m beyond nervous for all the boys, but they love the pressure, they thrive on it. I think of Todd. I realize relationships are a lot like playing football. You never know what is going to happen; you could win, you could lose, but the excitement of playing is what makes it all worth it. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I can’t wait to find out…
Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank everyone who
has listened to me drone on and on and yet
still
supported me throughout this journey. I especially want to thank my family for putting up with me being attached to our laptop for the last year.
Thank you to everyone who read the book before it was edited, you helped make it better and you know who you are.
A special thanks to my Mom and Dema for late night readings even before I would actually let you read it yourselves; without your support I couldn’t have done it.
Thanks to Melissa and the SBC, without you the book wouldn’t have a cover
! Thanks to MOH for your football advice and to Catherine for your Aussie inspiration. Thanks to Ratha for teaching me to get rid of most of the exclamation points! (Sorry couldn’t resist!) Thanks to all my college girls for coming up with the name “God Todd” years ago and thanks to all my Eastchester Mom’s for the inspiration you didn’t even know you gave me. Thanks to Kristin and Alizon for teaching me about the editing process.
F
inally, thank you for reading this book. I truly hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. xoxo
About the Author
Adrienne
Torrisi grew up in Florida with naturally curly hair, so she speaks from experience to all her fellow curly haired girls! She now lives in New York with her husband and two children, who inspire her everyday. She has worked as a children’s television producer for most of her professional life and decided to try a slightly new adventure.