Page 19 of 3rd and 4 (Season of Change #3)

This is so exciting! First round playoff game. I’m cheering at a college football playoff game. And I’m cheering my heart out! I will have no voice by tomorrow, my entire body is going to ache, and I may never get rid of the glitter…but who cares?

Did I mention we’re winning? Yeah, it’s nothing major.

Just up by three touchdowns near the end of the second quarter.

I’m bouncing on my feet, bringing my knees up high as I let out some excess energy and prepare for half-time.

The whole squad is gathered in the end zone, an expectant charge to the air. Electric.

The sound system plays intro music for the university clubs video it plays during commercial breaks and timeouts. Except a disembodied male voice doesn’t start talking of the various groups and community you can find here on our beloved campus.

No. The male voice is one I’m intimately familiar with. My head snaps up, my jaw drops open, and I stand stock still as my entire life implodes.

“Fucking hell, Itty Bitty. I love your little titties. Look at these pretty nipples. Begging for my mouth, aren’t they?”

On the jumbotron is a slightly grainy video. Addy’s bare back, stalking me across my dorm room. My arm. A flash of my bare shoulder. The string of my underwear over my hip.

“MOTHERFUCKER!” Addy roars next to me, but I can’t look away from the screen. And I’m guessing 100,000 other people can’t either.

“How wet are you, Daya?”

I know exactly when this was taken. Obviously, I was there, but it was a couple weeks ago…after Shaye had been kicked off the squad and her minions put on probation. The angle appears to be near or in my closet.

Someone put a camera in my room and filmed me. Filmed us.

“TURN IT OFF! SOMEBODY CUT THE FEED!”

“Feed me your nipples, baby. I want you to cum on my fingers. Your nipple between my teeth.”

The screen goes black abruptly. I blink several times, and the roar of the crowd finally filters in.

“Dude. You should teach a course on dirty talk.” Someone tosses out, and Addy growls, spinning around to find the person who said it. I place my hand on his arm, lightly, gently. It’s enough, though. His eyes snap to mine, fury drenching every line of his face.

“Daya…” I try to smile, but it feels brittle.

Fake. Because it is. People on the sidelines are scrambling.

Sections of the stadium cheer. The entire cheering squad circles around Addy and I.

Protective. Supportive. Tears fill my eyes when Ty rushes over in his mascot costume and stands in front of me, blocking me from the TV cameras and most of the crowd.

Addy’s arms are around me, surrounding me, his warmth leaching into my cold flesh.

I turn my head, placing my cheek against his chest, hearing his heartbeat race beneath his ribs.

I soak up his scent, closing my eyes for a moment to find my center.

When I open them slowly, I feel my eyes dip as I struggle to make sense of what I’m seeing.

Jillian and Lindsay are openly staring at me. Smug. Victorious. Devastating.

The bottom of my stomach drops out and my knees give way. Addy quickly picks me up, urging my legs around his waist. I fold my arms between us against my chest and hide.

They did this. Why? Because I’m a featured performer? I’m dating Addy? None of that…absolutely none of that justifies violating my personal space, filming us without permission, and broadcasting it for the world to see.

Jenna breaks through the squad, leaning in close to speak to me and Addy. “Head back into the locker room.” A fuse is lit within me, righteous indignation the spark. I drop my legs and Addy lets me down, his arm still firmly around me, his concern and confusion obvious.

I look at Jenna, wipe at the stupid tears tipping over my lashes, and stand tall. Well, as tall as I can, anyway. “Fuck no.” Jenna’s eyes widen fractionally. “We’re performing. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Of course, you didn’t. But Daya, I’m not sure that—”

“I’m not stepping down because of some fucking cunt’s jealousy.” Several ooh’s and ahh’s sound around us, but I pay them no attention. “This is Addy’s last season. This is the playoffs. Fuck Shaye. Fuck Lindsay. Fuck Jillian. And fuck that shit!”

Several cheerleaders start clapping…rhythmically. Jenna, Addy, and I turn in unison to watch Eva lead a few of the girls. They clap and stomp moving side to side. “Fuck. That. Shit! Come on! She said. Fuck. That. Shit!”

The student section behind us starts repeating the chant. This is crazy. “Every teen movie writer and director would be so happy right about now.” I mutter, then smile at Addy.

“Are you sure?” he asks lowly.

“I am. Are you?”

“I’ll follow your lead.” I nod.

“Half-time show will go on as planned.” I tell Jenna. She smiles, though her eyes remain hard. She’s pissed. Good. She’ll fight on our behalf, while we bring the noise and a touch of funk on the field. We can figure this all out after.

A slightly panicked voice comes over the speakers, “On behalf of the university, its students, and faculty, we apologize for what you were forced to witness. Please be assured that we are committed to family-friendly fun and sportsmanship and are taking this matter seriously as we begin our investigation. Those responsible will be dealt with accordingly. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and inappropriate nature of this stunt. The game will continue momentarily. We are…”

“State?” The crowd replies half-heartedly, and I don’t blame them. This is weird. And awful. And if I think about it too much, I’m gonna hurl. The quarter ends a couple minutes later. The teams exit the field and then Eva and Addy are standing in front of the squad, smiling.

“That was pathetic. We can do better.” Addy yells. “WE ARE!”

“STATE!” The student section puts their heart and soul into that reply.

“WHO’S HOUSE?”

“OUR HOUSE!”

“WE ARE?”

“STATE!”

The band begins marching onto the field, the music reinvigorating me.

I shake my arms and legs and blow out my breath hard and fast. By the end of the first song, the crowd is finding their spirit.

The first notes of “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” brings an excited grin to my face.

I run 10 yards, build up momentum, and leap into Addy’s arms. He catches me, lifting me over his head.

We pause, then he spins me as he tosses me in the air and catches me.

Hands on my waist, he holds me vertically in front of him, my back to him.

He lifts me up, releases me, dropping his hands in front of him and my foot lands perfectly in his cupped hands.

I’m airborne a few seconds later, twisting as I fly through the air and into the waiting arms of Eva and several other cheerleaders. The crowd goes nuts.

12 minutes later, our half-time show is over and we’re clapping and yelling and running off field for a quick break before the third quarter begins. Addy runs up behind me and lifts me up easily, placing me on his broad shoulders. I smile, still clapping and yelling.

In the tunnel, Addy’s hands squeeze my bare thighs. He arches his neck and looks up at me with a sexy grin. “I love you.”

“I know.” I tease and awkwardly bend down to kiss him. “More than there are stars.”

The locker room is animated, to say the least. But no one talks about the video. Not even in hushed tones. As if by unspoken agreement, we’ve all decided to pretend it doesn’t exist. We have a game to finish and then we can get down to it.

During the fourth quarter, Jillian and Lindsay are quietly escorted from the field by uniformed police officers. I swallow hard, watching them be led away. I don’t know what to feel as they disappear inside the tunnel. I shake it off and get back into the game.

The countdown begins and we happily cheer as the clock winds down. It hits zero and the student section is deafening. Addy rushes over, picks me up and tosses me high into the air. When he catches me, we’re laughing and smiling and our lips meet, teeth clatter, but neither of us care.

I shower fast, wanting to talk with Jenna as soon as possible.

Addy meets me in the hallway and as we approach Jenna’s office, the door opens and Lilly steps out.

“Hey, I was just coming to get you two, come on in.” She stands aside to usher us into Jenna’s office.

It’s cramped now, with Jenna, Lilly, Addy, me, Coach Beiler, and Brody Zeigler from security.

“Brody.” Addy holds his hand out to shake as he greets him. He does the same to Coach Beiler. “Do you know—” Brody holds his hand up to stop Addy.

“Sit.” Addy takes a seat in front of Jenna’s desk and pulls me onto his lap. I don’t fight, needing to feel him close.

“Daya. I know we haven’t officially met. I’m Coach Beiler.” I nod with a closed smile. “How are you?”

“Tired.” I answer honestly. “Violated. Pissed. A little hungry.” Everyone chuckles though I’m serious. Cheering is a hell of a workout and builds an appetite.

Beiler’s eyes widen, “Ah!” He pulls two protein bars from his back pocket. “Here you go. Until you’re able to get a real meal.”

“Thank you.” Addy and I thank him then eagerly dig in.

“Jenna?” I prompt after I swallow the first bite. She looks to Brody.

“I spoke with the jumbotron operator.” The way he clenches his jaw, I’d guess he did more than talk or at least wanted to. “Apparently, he’s easily swayed by blowjobs.” Lilly smacks him on the arm, but he just shrugs. “Shaye claimed it was a birthday video for her bestie on the squad.”

“Shaye?” I’m not surprised. “How did they get it in the first place? How’d they get in my room?”

“Jillian planted the camera in your closet after telling your roommate she wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”

I gasp. “My birthday is in June. I wondered why my roommate wished me a happy birthday a couple weeks ago. When I told her it wasn’t even close to my birthday, she looked puzzled but said she must have heard it wrong.”

“Lindsay took your key card from your bag during a workout and replaced it before it was over to retrieve the camera.” Addy draws me into him, both arms holding me tight to him, his chin on my shoulder. “Campus security and police are looking for Shaye.”

“How did…how do…it’s been a couple hours at most, how do you know all this already?”

Brody smirks, “It’s amazing how quickly you can lose a friend when faced with a lengthy prison sentence.”

Lilly sits in the empty chair and rests her hand on my arm. “Lindsay and Jillian have already been arrested. They started talking immediately. This is a serious matter. They filmed you two without consent. Then tried to distribute that footage at a nationally televised football game.”

“They didn’t try. ” Addy snaps. “They succeeded.”

Lilly’s eyes soften. “They did.” I pat Addy’s hands on my belly; it’s not Lilly’s fault. “They also confessed to breaking into your locker and stealing your belongings.”

“Why?”

Jenna rests her elbows on her desk and looks at me with regret.

“Shaye was under the impression I was going to give her the featured performer spot. She heard me talking about it with last year’s performer.

If she had eavesdropped a little longer, she would have known that I created that position for you.

Gabby was my guinea pig. She and Addy worked well together, and I knew if I could get you two together, your synchronicity would be so much more than I could ever predict. And I was right.”

“Toot your horn later.” Addy growls.

“I was never going to give it to Shaye. She’s a solid cheerleader, but she didn’t have anything that made her stand out. And she’s difficult to work with.”

“And psychotic.” I pat Addy’s hand again, squeezing to calm him. “I’m just saying…” he mutters.

“I put a target on your back and gave three troubled young women someone to use as the focus of their anger. I’m sorry, Daya. Truly sorry.”

“Jenna.” I shake my head and stretch to rest my hand on hers. It’s not easy since Addy won’t let go of me. “It isn’t your fault. You have no reason to apologize. They acted on their own.”

Lilly hands me a note with a name and number on it. “Phia gave this to me to give to you. Haylee Dalton is an exceptional lawyer. They are facing multiple charges. And a harassment suit is warranted if you decide to pursue that.”

I look down at the paper in my hand and lift my head with a grin. “You know, Lilly, between Heacock, Ty, Lyndell, Edee, and now this…you are certainly earning your paycheck this semester.”

She chuckles. “Probably going to have to set up another press conference.”

I yawn, even though it’s still relatively early. Today has been exhausting. “Is there anything else you require from either of us?” Addy asks seriously.

“Not at this time,” Brody assures him. Lilly shakes her head and so does Jenna.

Coach Beiler steps forward, his hand extended to me.

“You are an incredible young woman, Daya. I look forward to watching how your college career unfolds.” He pats Addy on the head like a dog.

“If you ever need help keeping this guy in line, let me know. I’ll be happy to put him through training camp again. ”

Addy smacks Beiler’s hand away. “Get out of here with that shit.” He puts me on my feet, turns me around and picks me up from under my thighs.

Naturally, I put my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck, and rest my head on his chest, as he carries me from the office like a toddler.

I wave over his shoulder, snuggling in and letting him take care of me.

I was strong during the game. But I’m done. I feel defeated and tired. And he’s warm and smells good. “Hey, Daya.” I let out a sigh and turn my head to see Ty, Edee, Lyn, Phia, and Prib waiting for us down the hall. Edee lifts my bag. “Eva gave me your stuff to give to you.”

Addy loops his arm through it and places his hand back under my butt. “Thank you.”

Prib rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. For some reason, it makes me giggle. “There’s some press outside…and probably elsewhere on campus. There are some recordings making their way across social media.” I want to cry, but I’m too tired.

“You are welcome to stay at one of our places, but my mom suggested staying at a hotel for the night, at least.”

“You told Mama Mary?” Edee nods her head. I close my eyes as a realization hits me. “I’m gonna have to tell my parents. Oh, my God! What if they saw it? What if my dad saw us? Heard you?” Addy rubs my back, distressed unintelligible noises falling from his lips as I start to lose my shit.

“Take her to the hotel.” I bury myself in Addy’s chest and shut down, unable to deal with anymore right now.