Big Girls Don't Cry

Chapter 7: Cigarette Burn

Roars and cheers hummed in the air, as I made my way to my school bleachers. Since I started coming to Dame's games, I usually sat away from the crowd, but Dame wanted me in the fan section tonight where I was visible. I tried to be around my classmates as little as possible, being that I got enough of their torment during school hours. I prayed that people would be too engrossed in the game to pay me or Dame's jersey any mind. When I made it to the bleachers, the student fan section was already riled up and thirsting for the other team's blood. I felt ridiculous as I squeezed my way through bodies as I tried to find a seat near the front. I felt like a piece of meat in the mist of piranhas, as I continued to search for a spot. Clumsily, I stepped on someone's small foot.

    "Oops sorrー." I began to say until I realized the foot I stepped on was Hannah's. She looked like she wanted to throw me off the bleachers. Suddenly, her expression changed from anger to shock.

"What are you doing with that jersey on?" I looked at the ground.

"Dame gave it to me." I whispered. She sneered at me, with a look of disgust.

"Just when I think you can't get more pathetic, you turn out to be a homewrecker too." She walked towards me until I bumped into the person behind me. "Leave Dame, alone." I knew when not to mess with Hannah, and now was one of those times. She was obviously just trying to protect Kylie, but I didn't miss the hurt in her own eyes. Race intervened then.

"Lighten up Hannah. You're just mad Joe won't give you his jersey." Hannah turned red, but said nothing else as she turned her attention toward the rest of the cheerleaders on the field. I quickly tried to find a seat far away from her before anyone else noticed me, but Race caught my arm.

"Come sit by me." I smiled at him with appreciation. There was no way I was going to find a seat in this crowd.

Just then the announcers fired up the school as our team ran onto the turf. The band and cheerleaders yelled our school song. All of the players had their helmets off, so their faces were visible. I couldn't keep my eyes off Dame as he ran and hyped the crowd up. The blue and white of our school colors complimented his dark skin, and when we made eye contact, I practically melted. He winked at me and threw his helmet on. When Race spoke, I jumped slightly because I forgot he was standing next to me.

"I really wish you hadn't worn his jersey to this game." Although his tone was playful, his face looked concerned. I frowned in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because it's gonna throw him off, and this game is win or go home." I assumed he was talking about Dame, but I turned towards the direction that he was staring and looked into the eyes of a very pissed off Joe. I could feel the chill from his stare all the way from the field. I derverted my eyes back to Dame, and tried not to show Race how scared I actually was.

The first half of the game was a disaster. I wasn't a football expert, but I knew when a team looked bad. The quarterback couldn't make good passes and when he did, it seemed they dropped every ball. Joe himself dropped two in the first quarter. Both times he did, I could see Race giving me the side eye. Dame's touchdown was the only thing that kept us in the game.

By halftime I was starving, and almost cried tears of joy when Race suggested we go to concessions. The anxiety from being in large crowds made my stomach knot. Me and Dame decided to get hotdogs. We both got two, but I ended up eating one of his as well, much to my embarrassment. Race was great company, which I was shocked by, being who his best friend was. We were walking back up the bleachers when I was doused in wetness. I looked up and a group of boys, Hannah and Kylie were pointing at me, while holding a gatorade bucket. My body froze from shock. Pretty much everyone in the bleachers, including some of the parents were laughing at me. Race pulled me away from the bleachers where he began cleaning me.