Hearts on the field

New faces

The sun was still bright overhead as Emily made her way across campus, the vibrant hum of Pacific University wrapping around her like a comforting blanket. She was still buzzing with excitement from her first class, though her thoughts kept drifting back to Jake. There was something about him that she couldn't quite shake, even though she reminded herself that she was here for school, cheer, and herself.

As she made her way toward the dining hall, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Maya, her best friend since middle school, who had ended up at Pacific with her, much to their mutual delight.

**Maya:** *Where are you? Lunch at the dining hall? I'm starving!*

Emily smiled and quickly typed back.

**Emily:** *On my way! See you in five.*

The dining hall was buzzing with energy when Emily stepped inside. Long tables were filled with students laughing, eating, and chatting about their classes. The smell of pizza, fries, and fresh salad filled the air. She spotted Maya immediately, sitting at a corner table, her long dark curls piled into a messy bun on top of her head. Maya waved her over with a huge smile, her brown eyes sparkling.

"There you are!" Maya said as Emily slid into the seat across from her. "How was your first class? Meet anyone cute yet?" she added with a wink.

Emily rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Class was fine, typical syllabus day. But..." she hesitated, biting her lip, not sure if she should mention Jake. But Maya was her best friend, and she knew better than to hold anything back. "Okay, there might be this guy..."

Maya's eyes lit up, and she leaned in closer. "Spill. Now."

Emily sighed, laughing at how quickly Maya jumped to conclusions. "It's nothing, really. I just saw him on the quad this morning. He's on the football team—Jake, I think his name was? He seemed... I don't know, different. He kind of stood out."

"Jake?" Maya raised an eyebrow, her fork frozen mid-air. "As in Jake Matthews? The new quarterback?"

Emily blinked. "How do you know that?"

Maya smirked, tossing a french fry into her mouth. "I'm up on my football gossip. Apparently, he's the big star this year—super talented, already has scouts looking at him. He's supposed to take the team to championships."

Emily tried to act nonchalant, but her stomach did a little flip. Jake Matthews—so he was more than just some random football player.

"Well, I don't know much about that," Emily said, "but he seemed nice. I mean, we didn't really talk, just a few words. No big deal."

Maya gave her a knowing look, clearly unconvinced. "Uh-huh. No big deal. Sure. Well, just so you know, you've got competition."

Emily frowned. "Competition?"

Maya lowered her voice conspiratorially, leaning in closer. "Sophia Winters," she whispered, glancing around the dining hall as if saying the name would summon the girl. "She's already laid claim to him."

"Sophia?" Emily said, confused. "Who's that?"

Maya sighed dramatically. "You'll meet her soon enough. She's the captain of the cheer squad—super intense, always has to be the center of attention. She's been bragging since last year that Jake is her guy, even though they're not officially together. Word is, Jake's not into her like that, but she's made it clear that she's staking her territory."

Emily felt a slight knot form in her stomach. She had barely even met Jake—why should she care what some cheerleader thought? But something about the way Maya said it made her uneasy.