nothing lasts - b.e

|8|

The homecoming basketball game was tonight after which they'd announce homecoming king and queen.

Our small school stadium was swelling with people by the time Asteria and I arrived, the sky lights were bright and the atmosphere was buzzing.

I remember Amyra squeezing my hand last year, promising we could escape to her car if it got too cold.

My heart clenched slightly at the memory as it did with any other good memory with her.

St Greggs' homecoming game was also tonight, she was probably loving the thrill of a larger stadium, the brighter lights and the news crew planted on the field to film their student body.

The metal bleachers are freezing against my bare legs as I sit down and the band is behind us blasting their trumpets and pounding their drums which was beginning to make my head hurt.

The cheerleaders are down on the sidelines, calmly going about their warmup stretches in the midst of the building excitement, if I look close enough, I can just about make out Billie looking totally in her element, directing the rest of the team.

Not that I care.

Not long after, the game starts, players begin sprinting onto the pitch whilst the cheerleaders dive straight into their routines, amping up the crowd.

•

A few minutes before half time, the other team fumbles with the ball and one of our guys runs it back for a touch down, the crowd is roaring and the cheerleaders pop up to run a victory routine.

Billie is at the front of the formation, directing the pyramid before taking her place at the top.

That's when it all went wrong.

I heard gasps across the stadium and it was like slow motion as the girl below Billie failed to catch her foot at the top of the pyramid and she lost her balance causing the whole pyramid to come crashing down.

There's a prolonged pause followed by a rumbling of anxiety from the crowd as the medics and the cheerleading coach rush to the sidelines, the cheerleaders hover around Billie and other girl who fell blocking everyone's view.

The announcer's voice wavers as he says, "Hold on here folks, looks like we've got an incident on the sidelines..."

After a couple of suspenseful minutes, the huddle clears and I can now see Billie who is crouched next to one of the other cheerleaders who fell who's clutching onto the side of their head, reassuring her.

There was blood.

She must've been kicked by Billie when she fell or her head hit the ground hard, there was a massive gash on the side of it.

I watched as the medic managed to get her on a wheelchair and wheel her out as she couldn't walk, due to the potential concussion she now had.

As soon as she was gone, Billie stood up, seemingly trying to convince the medic she was okay but no one failed to notice the clear limp she had as she walked to the bleachers.

Eventually, they seemed to manage to convince her to go to the medic's room leaving the rest of the cheerleaders in disarray on the sidelines.

•

Thankfully, game ended in our favour, the crowd erupting with loud cheers when the whistle was blown, the band starting up again, all the anxiousness in the crowd dispersing in seconds.

However, my mind kept drifting back to Billie who I already knew would be berating herself over this, in her eyes even if someone's pinky was slightly out of place, the routine was ruined.