Break-ups are never easy, and Sarah O’Connor finds her hard truth from a note. Furious with the delivery and lack of reasoning, she’s forced to carry on with her life, but Josh’s timing couldn’t have been worse. The Ohio State High School Cheerleading competition is around the corner, and instead of focusing on a monumental win, she’s overwhelmed with the recent heartbreak, jealous when she sees him with a new girl, and confused by lingering feelings of taking him back.
Enter Adrian Beale, a face from her past. Soon, she’s more conflicted because while she knows she needs to move on, making Adrian an ideal candidate, Josh won’t go away.
She decides to put both boys aside to focus on winning state, but when she witnesses an scandalous situation, can she erase what she’s seen, or will the images plague her performance? Can Sarah move on from an old love to a new one, and will she carry her squad to victory?
Chapter One
Crushed.
Two months, two weeks and two days. Maybe even two hours, but I didn’t know. The paper in my hands crunched under the pressure his words said to my heart. “I’m breaking up with you.” The note burned like fire. I let it fall from my fingers and float to the floor. Echoes of metal lockers clanking shut sounded as I eased myself and my broken heart to the wooden bench.
Beckie knew instantly I needed her. Her butt bumped mine when she slid across the bench. She wrapped her arm around my shaking shoulders. Tears fell. I ran a hand across my face, noticing a streak of black mascara. I didn’t care. He didn’t love me anymore. Who did I need to look pretty for? My life was over. Brown hair shielded my face when my head fell forward into my hands. I knew I was making a bigger mess of my make-up, but I didn’t care if he didn’t care.
“Oh, Sarah, what’s wrong?” Beckie asked.
“Josh…broke…up…with…me.” I hiccupped between blubbering sobs.
“What!” “I can’t believe it. Why?” I turned and looked into her blue eyes hoping for answers but finding more questions.
“And right before state. He knows how important this is to me, and now he’s totally ruined my train of thought.” Beckie pulled me closer, brushing hair from my wet face. Concern settled on her forehead while she wiped away the mascara soaked tears.
“His loss,” she stated as if it was the simplest idea to comprehend. I knew state wasn’t as important as my heart, but I didn’t want a full breakdown in the girls’ locker room. Despite all the tears and my runny nose, I still had an image to maintain as captain of the squad, and I knew one faulty move would send me to nowhere land in the social universe. As a sophomore, captain was a hard title to maintain. “Look at me, Sarah. His loss, not yours. If he can’t see how wonderful you are, then you don’t need him around. Now, let’s get you cleaned up and show him how much this isn’t affecting you. Girls,” she said over her shoulder at the crowd of girls gathered to witness my breakdown.
Beckie pulled me to the row of sinks and mirrors and presented me with an array of opened make-up bags. After a few minutes, the red was gone from my eyes, and the black trails on my cheeks were concealed. She brushed my dark locks and pulled them into a ponytail on top of my head. I slicked on a rose-colored gloss and smacked my lips to even out the shine. Not bad for a meltdown makeover in the girls’ locker room. “You’ve never looked so good for gym before,” Beckie said as she pushed me through the wooden doors toward Josh and the rest of the boys.
The rumble of male voices quieted as the creak of the wooden doors swung open, revealing a mob-like vision of girls clad in gym shorts and t-shirts. Our heads held high, our eyes focused straight ahead to our side of the gym. We were a team.
