When we don't know who to turn to, sometimes we turn to the ones we least expect.
Luke Salazar is a senior at Bay High School, and he's been pushed, shoved, and shut out for most of his life. Miles Jefferson has been the ringleader of a lot of that...
What in the hell am I doing? The entire school is going to be at this pep rally, and I'm about to make a fool of myself.
I paced in the hallway next to the locker room, listening to the cheers of a thousand of my fellow high school students as the soccer coach announced the members of the team.
"Miles, dude, calm down," Luke was saying, but I wasn't listening.
"Luke, why didn't you shut me down when I asked you to do this? Why didn't you tell me that this was a fucking terrible idea?" I exclaimed, checking my watch. Coach Young would finish recognizing the soccer players in under a minute, then it would be time for Coach Wilkins to announce the baseball team. I got him to work with me on this; as team captain, he'd call my name last, providing an excellent transition to this incredibly stupid idea.
"This is not a terrible idea. Rachel's going to literally swoon. Now man up and stop pacing," Luke said, clapping me on the back.
I took a deep breath. "You're right."
Just then, the applause quietened, and I heard Coach Wilkins' booming voice over the PA system.
"Now, let me introduce you to our baseball team..."
"Oh God," I groaned, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes.
"Come on, cuz, you got this," Luke said. My eyes cut toward him. It was the first time since we'd found out we're related that he'd called me 'cuz.'
I grinned. "Okay, let's do it," I said, holding out my fist.
Luke bumped it with his and slid out behind the bleachers, waiting for his cue.
Rachel
I craned my neck, looking for Miles. Brooke and I had sat on the front row so we could take some photos of the team.
The pep rally was almost over; Coach Wilkins had almost finished announcing, and he was going to be pissed if Miles missed it. I leaned over and poked Brooke. "Have you seen Miles?"
She shook her head and looked around. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Luke either."
"And last but not least, our team captain, senior Miles Jefferson!"
The gym burst into applause and cheers, and the room was thrust into darkness. Everyone went silent for a moment and then a murmur ran through the crowd. I grabbed Brooke's knee. "What the hell is going on?" I whispered. I felt her shrug.
Just then, light flooded the center of the gym, illuminating Miles, holding a wireless microphone. My mouth fell open. Then, I noticed Luke, standing right behind Miles—with a guitar in his hand. My mouth dropped open further, and I turned my head to look at Brooke.
She grinned, winked, and pushed my jaw closed with her finger.
Then, light washed over me as someone pointed a spotlight in my direction.
I put my hand over my eyes, my face blood red. I felt Brooke take my hand off my face and heard her whisper, "Watch."
Luke broke the silence, playing the beginning notes of a familiar melody, and I was impressed with his skill.
But when Miles sang, he was all I saw. It felt like the lyrics were written for me, even though I'd heard the song countless times before.
He stepped toward me then, and I felt my heart melt. He dropped to his knees in front of me, taking my hand in his. I put my other hand over my mouth, tears springing to my eyes. He pulled me up to stand in front of him, and feeling like I was in a dream, I stood, my entire body quivering. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me close—not too close, since we were at school—but close enough.
He leaned toward me and murmured into the microphone:
"Rachel, go to prom with me?"
I burst into tears and laughter and nodded. "Yes, of course," I said as he picked me up and twirled me around.
The student body burst into applause, and everyone else dissolved around us.
When the lights came back on in the gym and the dismissal bell rang, I watched as students and teachers alike walked by Miles, patted him on the back, then made their way to Luke, gushing over his guitar playing. This warmed my heart as I stood with Brooke and watched.
"You knew about this?" I asked her.
"Hell yeah, I even got it on video. This shit's about to go viral," she said, holding up her iPhone.
I laughed. "Great."
Miles came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned back and kissed his cheek, turning to face him. "You just keep topping yourself, Jefferson," I said playfully.
He grinned and shrugged. "I couldn't have gotten out there and done that without Luke," he said, nodding in Luke's direction.
Luke was being showered with attention, and luckily Brooke had gone to stand next to him, holding his hand.
"You're amazing," I whispered, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him lightly.
"I love you," he said, kissing my forehead.
"I love you. And I told you you could sing," I said, shoving him playfully.
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