Page 14 of Infatuated as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #2)

Holly

The butterflies wouldn’t leave my stomach as I looked through my closet.

It wasn’t just first day of school jitters, it was everything .

New campus. New classes. New cheer team too—one that I’d be meeting soon at my first cheer meeting for the semester, and I absolutely didn’t want to be late for that, so I quickly got ready.

I finally settled on a pink polo sweater Mom got me for my birthday and some blue jeans before stepping into the living room.

It was quiet since Sawyer had already left for the day, but the good news was that he had passed his trial and got the job.

Part of me was deeming it bad news, because all I wanted him to do was focus on his art, but when had Sawyer Westbrook ever listened to me?

I was just about to grab some juice from the fridge when I saw a piece of paper on its front door, a heart shaped magnet placed in the corner. It was a drawing of me in my old cheer uniform, a big smile on my face and pom poms in my hands with some writing across the bottom.

Good luck today, Pom Poms. I know you’ll do great .

I couldn’t stop the grin from stretching across my face.

Sawyer had wished me luck about a hundred times before he left, but there was something extra special about the little handwritten message.

I held it to my chest before moving into the bedroom, pulling out a pink cardboard box I had been holding near and dear to my heart since becoming his.

Inside it contained all the moments I never wanted to forget: the ticket from the county fair me and Sawyer went to, the cute notes Sawyer had slipped to me in class, stacks of photos from our many trips to the photobooth at the cinema, and now, the drawing of me with that cute message.

Putting it away, I grabbed my already packed bag and jumped in a cab to Columbia. It wasn’t my first time visiting, but it was still daunting entering the building on my own. My parents had been with me during orientation week, but now it was all me.

I made a beeline for the gymnasium with a little hop in my step. I had missed cheering far too much and had been counting down the days until I got to get stuck back into it, so excitement grew inside me as I entered the gym building and saw Claudia—my new head cheerleader—standing inside.

“Oh my God, hi!” she cried out, her blonde curls bouncing as she leaped my way. “You’re early! It’s so nice to see you again! Aren’t you excited to start cheering again? We’re gonna have so much fun this year!”

“I can’t wait,” I said. She had just as much energy as the last time I saw her. “The other girls aren’t here yet?”

“Nope, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon! Oh, wait, there’s Natalie! Natalie, over here!”

Turning around, I spotted a tall brunette skipping my way, her smile just as radiant as Claudia’s. Her long hair was in loose curls as she sent us both a wave.

“Natalie, this is Holly. Holly, this is Natalie.” Claudia moved her hands between us. “Natalie’s been on the team since freshman year too—just like me. She’s a dance major as well.”

“You’re both dance majors?” I looked between them, hands clasping together. “I’m so excited to be cheering with you guys. But now also kind of nervous…”

“Don’t be silly,” Natalie said, hooking an arm with mine. “Me and Claudia watched your audition video a hundred times. You’re gonna be a great addition to the team. ”

“I hope so. And hopefully I can learn a thing or two from you guys.”

“We all learn from each other.” Claudia smiled at me before her eyes lowered. “Ooh, where’s your sweater from?”

“Oh, it’s from…” I had to stop myself. Back home, everyone knew who I was and where I came from and what I had. But in New York? No one had a clue about my background and I liked the idea of being known as more than just a spoiled rich girl. “My mom got it for me for my birthday,” I said.

“Where’d she get it?” Natalie tilted her head. “It’s so pink, I love it.”

“Um…”

“Do you mind if I check the label?” Natalie was suddenly standing behind me, fingers tugging at my collar. “It would look so good with—oh my God, is this real Dior?”

My eyes widened. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Claudia asked, fingers rubbing at the sleeve. “It’s so soft. Is it cashmere?”

“Maybe,” I murmured.

“Maybe?” they both said at the same time.

“No. Maybe. Yes,” I finally admitted. “Yes, it is, and it’s Dior.”

“Is your mom, like, single?” Natalie asked.

“Are you single?” Claudia wondered.

I laughed lightly. “Uh, no to both.”

“Please tell me I can borrow it sometime,” Claudia said.

“I saw it first,” muttered Natalie.

“You guys can both borrow it whenever,” I said. “Or my other clothes.”

“Wait, you have other Dior stuff?” Claudia asked.

So much for not being known as the rich girl. That went out the window in about five minutes. “A couple of things…”

“Interesting,” Natalie said.

“Ooh, I see someone else!” Claudia cried out, her eyes peering over my shoulder before she bolted. “Hi, Millie! It’s so nice to see you again!”

Oh, thank God. Saved by the bell thanks to Claudia’s seemingly never-ending supply of cheer spirit. “Where does all that energy come from?” I asked .

“Drugs,” Natalie said. “I’m just kidding. She’s like that all the time. It might rub off on you. Let’s go sit down while we wait for the other girls.”

One by one, more girls entered the gym. There were already fifteen established members on the team and five new girls including me.

We sat in a circle in the middle of the gym and had a fun icebreaker session, and I got to learn a bit about all my new team members.

There was Millie from California who wanted to be a drama teacher and Sophie from Vermont who dreamed of working in fashion, and after a while, I felt some of the butterflies that had been present earlier fly away.

“Time to give out uniforms!” Claudia stood up, voice loud and bright. “We’ve packed them all for you.”

Her and Natalie grabbed the red gym bags that had been stockpiled to our right, placing them in our laps.

I couldn’t help myself as I yanked open the zipper.

There was something about slipping into a cheer uniform that made me feel all kinds of confident.

Looking back at me was my brand new one, the top and skirt both a deep red.

My fingers ran over the white Falcons lettering across the front of the cropped top before I grabbed the skirt.

Annie had been right. It was a lot shorter than my older one, with two white stripes along the pleated hem.

“You’ll also find some other stuff in there,” Claudia continued.

“There’s your welcome packet which goes over our schedules.

The days we practice, what time, what you need to bring.

There’s also a makeup protocol we like to follow so we’re all coordinated.

You’ll find some photos of the look we’re going for in there.

We’ve also included your training clothes, your pom poms, your bows, some glitter. Hm, what else?”

“Me and the girls also put together a little goody bag for you all,” Natalie said. “It’s just some candy and cute little things we thought you’d like.”

“We wanted to welcome you all with open arms,” Claudia said.

“We’ve got a great team this year. We normally don’t take on so many freshmen, but you girls had some top notch back handsprings, and as a dance major, I know good performers when I see them.

So, as your new head cheerleader: welcome to the team! ”

“First football game of the season isn’t for a couple weeks,” Natalie explained. “But we’ll be getting a few practice sessions in before then just to freshen up, then we’ll go back to our usual schedule.”

“Oh my God, look at the time.” Claudia’s eyes widened as she looked down at the little gold watch on her wrist. “I’m gonna make you guys late for your classes, but I think I went over everything.

Me and the girls usually get ready together in my dorm.

It’s cramped, but we make it work. Don’t worry, I’ll show you where it is. Let’s go, let’s go!”

I was dragged off the floor and out of the gym, my new gym bag in one hand as Natalie linked her arm with mine. “Where are you living on campus? Maybe we’re near each other.”

“Oh, I don’t live on campus,” I said. “I’m staying in an apartment.”

“You’re gonna miss all the parties.”

“I don’t think I mind missing them.”

“The football players always show up and start flirting with the whole cheer team. It gets annoying real fast.”

My eyebrows raised, the early morning air cold on my skin as we walked. “Another reason to live off campus.”

“Where are you staying exactly?”

“The Upper West Side. Me and my boyfriend are living together.”

“Is he a student too?”

“Sawyer’s not studying. He’s an artist, actually. He paints. You should see his stuff. He’s so talented.”

“Ooh, an artist. That’s cool. We have a lot of those here on campus. He should have joined you here.”

“Okay, this is where I am!” Claudia announced, wheeling around with that big smile that never seemed to leave her face.

“I’m in Bettencourt Hall, room 5A. You guys can come over whenever you want, but we always meet up there to get ready before games.

It’s gonna be so much fun having you all on the team! Go Falcons!”

“See ya!” Natalie gave me a wave before skipping over to Claudia, their arms linked as they made their way to class.

None of the other girls were studying journalism, so after we all said our goodbyes, I was left with a quiet walk over to Albert Hall for my first day of class.

“Is that who I think it is?” I heard a playful, familiar voice say to my left.