Were's the Love?

Chapter 28: Kicking Ass and A Sweet Surprise

"Push 'em! Shove 'em! Throw them back! We are Warriors! We attack! We fight our way down the field! We are Warriors! Never yield!"

The crowd erupts as the cheerleaders end their chant. I close my eyes and try to block out the noise before it gives me a headache. It's such a stupid cheer, but the crowd always goes crazy when it's finished. I have no idea why everyone loves it so much.

Seriously, they have been using that same ridiculous chant to excite their audience since the 1980s and no one can get enough of it. I've actually heard the fans scream out that cheer while the cheer squad was on break. It's ridiculous!

Have mentioned before that I hate pep rallies? Hate them.

I always have.

In high school, I was that girl staring at the exit and praying to any and all gods that I'd be allowed to go home soon.

When I decided to become a teacher, I completely forgot that I would have to make an appearance at every pep rally the school held until I retire. It's just one more thing that makes me wonder if teaching was really the correct career path for me.

Oh well, it's too late to go back now. I mean, I guess I could go back to university and study something new, but what's the point? The only other career I would want to pursue is novel writing and I don't need a special degree to do that. Believe me when I say that I took every creative writing course I could while I was enrolled in college, so I don't think there is much else they can teach me on how to become an author. Besides, as a teacher, I get summers off every year. I can focus on my writing then.

At least, that was the plan when I decided to become a teacher. I haven't had much luck with that so far. Jeremy and Derek always thought that since I had nothing better to do, I should use my time watching them train or finish a few "chores" around the house. Those lovely chores usually ate up all my extra time, leaving me no time to actually accomplish any writing worth saving.

I don't think things will be as bad this coming summer with Jason. He probably has a few ideas of things that he wants us to do together, but I highly doubt he's going to ask me to paint the house while he's out with his friends doing god knows what. I don't even think he has any friends he likes to spend time with.

I'm not joking. In the five months we've been paired up, I have never seen him spend time with anyone outside of school aside from his family. It's weird. He's so outgoing and happy, I always thought he was friends with everyone in town. I know people like him. Everybody always waves or strikes up random conversations with him every time we go outside together, but no one ever invites him to go out with them or over to their houses to hang.

No one does those things to me either, but I'm not the most social person in the village. I like being alone. However, Jason doesn't. He loves everyone in this town so much, yet he doesn't seem to have any close friends.

It honestly kind of makes me angry.

Why doesn't he have any friends? He's a nice guy. He's funny, gentle, has a smile that can brighten anyone's day, and is the most caring, considerate person I've ever met! He would give a perfect stranger the shirt off his back if they needed it! Yet the people in this town won't even invite him to their backyard barbeques! Oh, they have no trouble asking him for his help with their gutters or whatever menial tasks they don't want to bother with, but oops! Sorry Jason, you can't celebrate with us. We don't have room.

It's bullshit.

Ugh! Get ahold of yourself, Allison. So, what if Jason has friends? It's none of your concern. He isn't your boyfriend or husband. He is just your temporary mate. In nineteen months, he'll probably be as sick of you as everyone else in this stupid town is and move on, just like all your previous boyfriends did.