Loving Noel (Wildcat Graduates Book 1) Page 19

  The band plays as many songs as we can to keep the team excited and energized to push through to the end. The percussion section is doing a great job of keeping the crowd wound up and cheering the team on. Seeing the crowd get pumped up from our music is what keeps up playing when our bodies get so tired we just want a break. This is what we live for. It’s a lot different at the game without Xana and Stacy here. Because of the way the sections are arranged in the stands, we all sit fairly close together. Xana and Stacy are always dancing and cheering in the stands, nearly as loud as the cheerleaders.

  The score is like a game of tug-of-war, the lead going back and forth between teams. The last quarter had both teams tied and with only five minutes left on the clock to score, everyone was playing their hardest. It was amazing to watch. The Wildcats pulled ahead in the last five seconds to score two points with a safety, and change the ending score to 23-21, winning the game for us. The fans go wild and the band plays louder than we have throughout the game.

  After we left the stadium, it was nearly seven o’clock and the band stopped at a shopping area in town that had several fast food places, as well as Denny’s and IHOP, for us to choose from for dinner. By that time, I was starving and couldn’t get Cade to pick a place to eat fast enough.

  Since we had enough time, we chose to eat at IHOP because it had more variety and we weren’t terribly rushed for time. There were about ten of us in our group, everyone still wired from all of the excitement from the game. Mercedes and Jessica joined me and Cade, along with a few percussionists and flag line members. We took our time eating and joked around with each other until it was almost time to head back to the bus. It was nice to unwind after such a long day.

  The drive home was a lot of fun. The front of the bus was asleep and Jason’s mom, our parental chaperone, left us alone as long as we weren’t loud enough to bother the bus driver. She is always so cool like that. The rest of us were at the back of the bus playing Truth or Dare, and it was hilarious. Mercedes and Jessica had traded places with a few people who wanted to sleep, so they were sitting with our little group in the back. At one point, someone dared Cade to moon the people behind the bus, and Cade, never one to back down, did it. They were shocked by it, but I wasn’t surprised. That’s just Cade.

  I mostly picked truth when it was my turn, unless it was Cade asking me. He knew what I would and would not do. It was Mercedes’ turn to ask me and when I picked truth, she seemed surprised by my response, but forged ahead with her question. I answer it and take my turn, laughing at the questions and responses that follow. When it is Jessica’s turn, she chooses Mercedes, who takes the dare, which is to kiss any boy in the game.

  Fortunately, Cade saw what she was about to do before I did and bumped into me, causing me to shift to the side in our seat, making Mercedes miss my mouth and kiss my chin instead. After the conversation I had with Mercedes at the Halloween party, I was truly surprised when she picked me to kiss for her dare. It was obvious that she was very disappointed. That whole situation was definitely planned by the two of them. I’m so glad Xana and Stacy weren’t here to witness it. It’s bad enough they’re going to find out about it, but to actually see it would be much worse. I’m going to have to watch those two more closely.

  The rest of the bus ride went without any other incidents, and most of us were quiet when the bus rolled into the school parking lot after midnight. We were all exhausted and moving on auto pilot by the time we unloaded the. Many parents were already waiting to pick people up, and I couldn’t wait to get home and crash. I was almost to my car when I hear someone calling my name.

  “Noel,” I hear my name again and turn around to see who is looking for me. Mercedes is dragging herself my way, so I stop to see what she wants.

  “Noel, could you give me a ride home? I can’t get my parents to answer the phone to tell them we’re back, and I really want to go to bed,” she pleads as she places her hand on my arm and looks up at me. She looks about as exhausted as I feel. She lives just a few streets over from me, so I just give in and agree to take her home. I’d hate for her dad to say something to mine about not giving her a ride. I just want to go to bed.

  “Yeah sure, but hurry up. I’m exhausted and need to go to sleep, preferably not while I’m driving.” We put our things into the backseat of my car and leave the school behind. Mercedes talks a lot on the way home, and despite how annoying most of it is, it does help me stay awake.

  We reach her house and I help her carry her things to the door. Just as I am about to turn and leave, she leans up and kisses me.

  “Thanks for bringing me home, Noel.” She smiles up at me like what she just did was perfectly normal. My sluggish brain can’t comprehend what just happened before she walks inside and closes the door. I quickly walk back to my car and drive home.

  Once in my driveway, I sit there staring at the garage door. Surely I’m just so tired my mind simply made that up. I need sleep. I carry my things inside and go to sleep, still in my clothes.

  It’s the middle of December and Christmas break is almost here. All of us are more than ready to see this semester end! The football team’s state championship games, marching band contests, concert band practices, and choir performances for me, have everyone just about mentally exhausted, and that doesn’t even cover the classwork we’ve all had. The past week alone, Stacy and I have had three reports to write, and I’ve been working on a model in my Architectural Drawing 2 class. The weather hasn’t helped anyone’s mood, either. Everything is grey and cold. I’m not sure when the last time we saw the sun was.

  We have a week left of classes before school is out for Christmas Break, and we’ve decided to go bowling before we start cramming for finals next week. Our last championship game was yesterday, which we won 31-24, and we wanted to celebrate marching season finally being over for us. At least I got to make it to this game. Missing the last one was disappointing.

  I’m not sure why we picked bowling. Everyone knows how competitive Stacy is when it comes to games. She’s a totally different person when competing, and I’m almost afraid for our safety if she loses. Cade must be a saint to put up with her when she’s like that.

  Stacy and I are trying to find the right bowling balls while Cade and Noel are at the concession stand ordering our food and drinks. Stacy is very serious as she tries to find just the right ball to win with. I, on the other hand, am just looking for a ball that I can pick up without spraining my wrist. Noel and Cade are back with our drinks before she is satisfied with the ball she found. The guys find their bowling balls while I get the bowling order set up in the computer. I set Stacy up to bowl last simply because she’s too excited about kicking our butts, and I think it’s funny. I’ll just make her wait longer to bowl.

  Cade starts off our game with a strike on the second try, which makes Stacy laugh at him. My turn is next and my aim is way off on the first roll and lands in the gutter very early. Stacy giggles at my attempt, and I glare over at her. “Shut up, Miss Professional Bowler. Not everyone loves this game like you do.” That only makes her giggle louder.

  “Here, let me help you,” Noel tells me as he stands up from his seat at the table. He walks up and turns me around so that my back is to his front. I’m short enough that he can see the lane clearly over my head. He moves his arms around my midsection and puts his right arm over mine. He moves my arm back and forth and instructs me to watch where the ball is going. Noel continues to whisper directions in my ear, making it hard to pay attention to the bowling lane in front of me.

  Cade and Stacy yell out comments about getting a room when I let the ball drop and send it down the alley. All the way down the middle. Noel’s hands are still resting on my waist when my ball hits the pins and knocks all of them down but three. I jump up in the air and clap my hands wildly. Noel grabs me around the waist from behind and spins me around once, laughing the whole time.

  “Great job, Xan,” he chuckles as we head over to the table, his hand on
my back.

  “Awwwww, Xana had to have her boyfriend help her. How sweet,” Stacy antagonizes me as she retrieves her ball to get ready for her turn when Noel finishes. Cade smacks her on the butt as she walks by him. She’s lucky I love her.

  “Just shut up and bowl, woman. Let’s get this travesty of a game over with before we get an audience like last time,” Cade laughs, prompting Stace to look over her shoulder and grin, evilly.

  “You’re just jealous you don’t have control of your balls,” she replies before turning to face the lane. Noel bowls a strike on his first try, and Cade and I cheer him on excitedly while Stacy simply stares at him. “Oh, game on, Daniels. Game on,” she warns him as she moves past him to reach the lane. Noel chuckles at her and makes his way back to sit beside me.

  Leaning over to kiss his cheek, I say, “That was great! The look on her face was hilarious, wasn’t it, Cade?” I reach over and high five Cade; the look on his face is priceless.

  “What the hell, Noel? Tell me you can beat her,” Cade pleads. “It would make my day.” Noel puts his arm around me and looks over at Stacy, and back to Cade.

  “I think you’d better keep that to yourself. She looks like she’s out for blood.” Cade and I look over to find Stacy glaring at us. This isn’t going to be pretty.

  “I agree with Noel, she’s gonna make you regret saying that if she loses,” I warn him.

  “Keep it up pretty boy, you too Cade. Now watch how it’s done.” Stacy focuses all of her attention and concentration on her ball and the pins at the end of the lane. Cade and Noel shout out things at her to break her concentration, but she is in a complete bubble of her own. I can see the determination on her face and know that she’s gonna knock them all down. I’ve seen that look before. That look has beaten me more times than I can count. Stacy takes her first bowl and makes a strike on her first attempt. She is grinning widely when she returns to the table. We all congratulate her on her score, but she is focused solely on Noel.

  “See if you can keep it up, Daniels. I like a challenge,” she winks at him before turning to hit Cade on the arm. “And that’s for trying to distract me, jerk.” She smiles at him. “Now it’s your turn.” The look on her face seems to have Cade a little worried, as he steps up to take his turn.

  He takes his time lining up his ball, only looking back once at Stacy’s distracting comments. Cade ends up knocking over six pins, I knock over five and Noel strikes out on his second try. Stacy is more determined than ever to get a strike on her first try, but ends up knocking them all over in two tries. Needless to say, she was not very pleased about that. The fact that Noel couldn’t care less about his score makes her even more riled up. It’s truly hilarious to watch. This is better than reality television.

  Our pizza and fried pickles arrive after our third frame of the game, and we take a small break to eat a slice before continuing with our game. The bowling alley has mostly filled up by then, and everyone by us can’t help but keep an eye on Stacy and Noel playing against each other. She is completely determined to beat him, and his indifference only makes her more focused. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in, well, ever. Cade is only egging Stacy on, and completely enjoying every minute of it.

  “Great shot Noel! I think you’re definitely gonna beat her tonight,” Cade informs him.

  Stacy picks up her bowling ball and turns toward Cade, “Are you ever going to shut up so other people can concentrate on their own game? You’re loud enough to be heard from across the entire bowling alley!” She turns back toward the lane and concentrates on her target. She ends up with a strike and doesn’t forget to tell everyone about it. Is this game ever going to be over? I think Stacy may stroke out if she doesn’t beat Noel, but it is kind of amusing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her this way.

  We’re on our last frame when my phone starts ringing. I’m actually surprised I can hear it over everyone’s laughter. Picking up the phone, I notice that it’s my mother, and she’s already tried texting me once. What on Earth could she be calling for? I wave my hand at Cade and Stacy to be quiet so I can answer the phone. “Hey, Mom. What’s going on ?”

  “Hey, honey, I’m sorry I had to call you, but your dad wanted to make sure you guys knew there was some bad weather about to come in. He didn’t want you guys to be out too late and get stuck driving in it. He was convinced you wouldn’t know about the weather until it was too late.” Mom sighs over the phone and I have to giggle at her. She gets so frustrated with how insistent dad is sometimes. I can almost see her eyes rolling in her head while she speaks.

  “That’s fine, Mom. We’re on our last frame now, anyway. I’m not sure if we were going to go anywhere else or not, but I’ll tell Noel about the weather. We’ll text you when we are ready to leave, or where we’re going,” I tell my mother as I look over at Noel. He hears part of my conversation and begins to check the weather on his phone. I look over his shoulder to see the radar that he pulled up on his phone. There is a small storm headed our way that could have some sleet in it.

  “That sounds good, honey. Don’t stay out too late.”

  “We won’t. Bye,” I tell her and hang up the phone. “I guess you heard that, huh,” I ask Noel.

  “Heard what,” Cade asks as he finishes his last frame of the game and walks over to us. He grabs up the last piece of pizza and sits down beside Stacy.

  “Xana’s mom just called to tell us there is bad weather coming our way and didn’t want us to get caught in it. I’ve checked the radar and there is something headed our way. We probably shouldn’t stay out too late just in case. What do ‘yall want to do after we finish here?” Noel asks them as I get up for my last turn.

  “Let’s play a game of pool before we leave here. It shouldn’t take that long if we play teams,” Cade suggests as I take my turn on the lane.

  “How about Xan and I watch you two face off? That should be more fun,” Noel grins as I walk back over to the table. No one is really paying attention to my score, because I’m no competition for them.

  “What should be more fun?” I ask as he pulls me into his lap.

  “Watching Cade and Stace play each other in a game of pool, instead of doing teams,” Noel kisses my cheek, “What do you think, Xan?” I can’t help but giggle when I see the look on Cade and Stacy’s faces. Cade loves to play pool and Stacy’s competitiveness is hilarious.

  “YES,” I almost shout and clap my hands together. “You two should play! I like that idea,” I say, almost too giddy at the prospect of watching another standoff between those two. Must watch the madness.

  “That settles it,” Noel says as he moves me over to my chair so he can go finish his last frame. “Now, let me finish beating Stacy at bowling so we can let her take it out on Cade.” Noel laughs as he walks over to get his ball. He stops and grabs the back of his head. He looks over his shoulder and Stacy busts out in laughter. “Who threw that?” he asks as he rubs his head.

  “Not me, you know my aim sucks,” I tell him as I look over at the other two who can’t stop their laughter. “They threw it.”

  “Stacy just can’t handle the fact that I’m going to beat her at bowling. She’s trying to distract me,” he replies, egging Stacy on more. This stops her laughter quickly and she throws another piece of ice at him, missing him completely. I can’t help but laugh at the whole thing. Stacy is way too funny when she’s all wound up.

  “Whatever Daniels, you keep on thinking that.” Stacy warns him as he steps up to take his turn. He is completely focused on what he is doing, and Stacy’s heckling doesn’t even faze him. I couldn’t do that. She’s ruthless.

  Noel takes his first turn and we’re all waiting with baited breath to see where the ball is going to end up. All he needs is a strike on his first turn and he’ll have her beat. There’s no way she can score enough to beat him if he does. Noel’s ball travels down the middle of the lane and never waivers. It completes its journey and lands dead center in the pins, knocking them all down. He
gives himself a fist pump before turning around to see Stacy staring at him. She is not amused, and Cade looks excited. Noel only grins wider. I cheer Noel on for his win, kissing him on the cheek when he pulls me out of my chair and into his lap as he sits in his own chair. He really seems to like me sitting in his lap. I have no problem with that. At all.

  “What’s wrong, Cade? You’re kinda creeping me out,” I tell him as he continues to have that overly excited look on his face. Stacy turns to look at him, a smile slowly spreading on her face. Noel and I turn to look at one another. I whisper to him, “This is gonna get dirty.” I turn to face Stacy and Cade again, “Can’t. Not. Watch.” Noel places his chin on my shoulder and looks at them as well.

  “Okay, you two. Rack ‘em up and let’s get the train wreck on the road,” Noel tells them, as he places me on the floor and stands beside me. “Xan and I will go get more drinks while you two get ready.” Noel takes my hand and we walk toward the concession stand, still laughing at the way Stace and Cade are goading each other.

  “Those two are gonna kill each other. They’re both so competitive sometimes I can’t believe they’re actually dating one another.” I tell him as we approach the cashier.

  “I know what you mean, but they really do seem to work together. I think they just understand each other,” Noel replies as he looks down into my eyes. It’s like he’s trying to tell me something other than what he just said. The cashier asks for our order and Noel breaks my gaze.

  After our order is ready, we make our way back to the pool tables where Cade and Stacy have already broken the balls to determine who goes first. Noel leads me over to a table close by and sets the drinks down. He pulls me down to sit in his lap and wraps his arms around me. We sit this way the entire time Stace and Cade are playing. Halfway through the game, I look at Noel and say, “I can sit in the other chair if you like. I know I must be killing your legs about now.”

  Noel smiles at me and kisses me on the cheek. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not hurting me at all. I like having you in my lap.”