Forgetting You

Part Two

Four Years Ago...

"Just admit, you have a crush on him," Cassie teases.

I roll my eyes, knowing she can tell if I lie. "So, what?"

"Are you going to talk to him or just stare at him the whole year?" She says, giving me a look.

We were in cheer practice outside, stretching before practicing our stunts in the grass. We could see the football players as they left the locker room and headed for the field.

"He's a senior," I argue, though I'm not really sure what my point is.

"And you're junior," she counters back, confused. "What's your point?"

"He probably isn't interested. He probably wants another senior or someone older," I excuse lamely.

Cassie looks at me with a brow raised. "Considering he slept with a sophomore at the welcome-back bash, I don't think your argument has any measure."

She wasn't wrong. He had been dating a sophomore for about two months, but they broke up. She completely admitted to sleeping with him, proud of her achievement.

It was no secret Ash was one of the hottest guys in school. Every girl drooled over him, including myself. His biceps were huge, and his six-pack was impressive, but his blue eyes were mesmerizing.

He was also funny. I had History class with him, but that was it. He sat in the back of class with the other seniors, and I sat in front with the other juniors. We had exchanged a few words here and there in passing and sometimes we stared at each other across the room. Every time, I felt like he was looking into my soul.

"You guys need to focus," Kylah snaps. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. She was in my friend group and a fellow cheerleader. She was good friends with Cassie, so I tolerated her.

I had tried being friends with her, but she couldn't stand me. Cassie said she's jealous because I made cheer captain, and she didn't. It didn't help that I was a flyer, and she was a base. It wasn't supposed to matter what position you had, but to her, it did.

"We're allowed to talk while we stretch," I remind her, trying to keep my tone light so I don't start a fight.

She ignores me. "Let's get into formation," she orders.

"Who died and made you boss?" Alex barks at her, clearly annoyed.

"We need to practice before the game on Friday," Kylah snaps with a glare.

"And we will," I insist, interrupting their bickering. "Finish stretching, or you'll get another leg cramp," I say, trying to remind her of the last practice.

She kept trying to act like she was cheer captain, ordering everyone around. Last time, she didn't stretch enough and nearly dropped a girl because her calf seized up.

Kylah rolled her eyes at me but did as I said and went back to stretching. When I felt we were ready, I got the girls together, and we practiced for Friday's game.

Afterward, we headed for the locker rooms. We finished at the same time as the boys finished football practice and ran into them on the way. The girls who were dating some of the football players immediately joined their boyfriends.

I was just about to the door when I heard "Incoming!" I was pulled back and given a noogie. I instantly knew it was Leon, Ash's friend. He often liked to pick on me. I swatted Leon's hand away from my head.

"Leon!" I whine. "You're messing up my hair."

"Here, smell my pits instead!" He laughs as he shoves his pits in my face. Some of the guys laugh.