Absent

Chapter 9

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"Rowan, your tumbling skills are crazy good." Nina gushed. "You have to help me land my front tuck.

I was reeling from the audition experience. It had been all of ten minutes since I'd completed the dance portion and to say I struggled would be an understatement. Still, the girls raved over my tumbling and congratulated me on making the team.

Aimee announced my joining almost immediately after my audition ended. She said my dancing had potential and with some practice I'd be a great addition to the squad. I was trying hard to believe her because, as it turned out, this was something I really wanted.

I couldn't quite believe it; I was a cheerleader. The smile on my face was so wide it made my cheeks hurt. I was apart of a team- a responsibility that was both familiar and completely new.

Nina went on to teach me their most common routine that they performed at events. It was simple enough to learn the steps; the difficult part was making the moves look good. That was something I knew I'd have to learn with time. Still, it was exhilarating, more so than I ever imagined it would be. I would forever be grateful to Aimee for pushing me to do this.

I walked out the practice with the rest of the girls and toward the parking lot. I stopped listening to their conversation for just a moment to take it in. Butterflies stirred in my stomach; I was a normal teenage girl, a cheerleader, with friends.

The parking lot was basically empty since school had been out for more than an hour. That morning I had told Luca that he didn't have to pick me up after school because I'd be out later than usual. Aimee had insisted she'd give me a ride home. He didn't give me any response to that, so I had just gotten out of the car. Maybe I should have repeated myself, though, because there he was, waiting for me in the parking lot.

I stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes landed on him. "What is he doing here?"

Aimee's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Has he been waiting this whole time? Didn't you tell him?"

"Yeah, I told him this morning."

Nerves instantly kicked the butterflies aside and filled my gut. Maybe I hadn't been loud enough. Maybe I should have confirmed he understood before leaving. He would no doubt be incredibly mad at me if he'd been waiting here this entire time.

He was leaning back against his car, in the same plain t-shirt and jeans ensemble he sported every other day. His hair was being tossed by the breeze that picked up with the day coming to an end. His stance was casual, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone that he was staring down at.

"I should go." I said to Aimee. "Thanks for offering to drive me, though."

"Of course, babe." She shrugged. "Me and Nina are going into town tomorrow. She needs a new outfit for her date. You wanna join?"

It would be Saturday, a day that Stella typically spent upstate, visiting her mother. I'd gone a few times with her, and Grandma Viola was an incredibly sweet woman. I could tell it was hard for them to be apart, but Stella had created a home here. Viola lived alone since Stella's father died nearly 10 years ago, but never wanted to leave the house they'd built together. It was beautifully tragic, and I understood why Stella made the trip out every week.

Tomorrow, though, she wouldn't mind going without me. I smiled at Aimee and nodded.

"Sounds great."

"Awesome." She said as I stepped away from the pair. "We'll pick you up at 12."

I walked through the empty parking lot toward Luca. I tried to assess his facial expressions and make out how angry he was. He seemed passive, no emotions showing.