Tyler just nodded, understanding a little more now. “So, he’s that good, huh?” he turned back to me.
I couldn’t lie, because yes, he was. “Yep, he’s that good.”
We were walking back over to the back tables where I was hoping to blend in and hide with the crowd some before I started grilling hotdogs and cooking for the team when we ran smack into Reed. I wanted to bury myself under the loose dirt right then and there. This was not happening.
Tyler was the first to speak. “Wow, man. This is quite a media circus you have out here. All for you, I hear?” he just smiled, reaching out his hand to shake Reed’s.
Reed was just staring down at it, chewing on the inside of his mouth a little; it looked like he was fighting with himself internally. He finally let out a small chuckle and took his hand and responded. “Yeah, man. It’s crazy attention. But it’s not just me. We won state, and it was the first time in a while. It’s a good story, small town and all that shit,” he said, humble as always. He looked at me sideways, almost to check if he was doing ok. Not smiling, just blank.
Then Tyler made things a million times more awkward.
“Hey, man. I hope you’re ok with me and Nolan?” he asked. Uh, I’m standing right here? Oh god, want to die.
Reed continued to chew on his cheek, nodding yes just a little before he looked Tyler square in the eyes and gave him the winning Johnson grin. “Yeah, sure. We’re good,” he patted him on the back as he walked past him. “Sorry, I’ve got some people I need to see. Gotta go take care of some things. Have to work the circus, you know,” he said with his hands stretched out, as he looked from side to side, flashing the signature smile.
Tyler turned back to me and smiled faintly. “Hope that was ok?” he asked. I just smiled. It was so not ok, but there was no way I was dragging this conversation out any longer.
When coach started talking everyone settled into their seats. The flashes from cameras started snapping as he held the state trophy high over his head and the crowd of people roared. This year’s pep rally was at least three times the size they had been in the past, no doubt thanks to the big championship year they were coming off of. My parents even decided to come out. I waved at them while I stood on a bench in the back next to my girlfriends and my…Tyler.
Whether I had any control over it or not, I couldn’t keep my eyes from veering to Reed while he sat there in the front row of seats right behind coach. The rest of the team was behind him, Sean and two other captains. Reed was wrestling with his hands, looking down at his feet and leaning over a little. He snapped up to sit straight when coach mentioned his name, and he smiled at his coach faintly, just to show he was listening and appreciated him. But almost instantly, his eyes drifted to mine. And he left them there.
I shifted my gaze a few times, looking over at Sienna and whispering non important things to her just to give myself something to do. But every time I turned back to the stage, there he was, locked onto me. The look on his face wasn’t one I was used to seeing from him. It was longing. I knew this because I was feeling the same.
When Reed took the mic to address the crowd, he kept his focus on me until he turned to both sides and then around to look at his teammates before finally addressing the screaming town before him. “Thank y’all for coming out here today. Your support, well… it means a lot. To me, to our team,” he locked back on me again. “We aren’t much without you. I’m not much without you.”
I swallowed from the intensity of his stare. I was hoping that Tyler couldn’t tell where his gaze was focused. But I knew I wasn’t mistaking this.
He continued. “State last year was awesome, am I right boys?” he yelled, and the team responded with a big “Ooooh rahhh!”
“But you know what’s more awesome?” he asked, waiting for the crowd’s cheering to go a bit wild. So different from the first Reed I saw sitting uncomfortable at the pep rally his freshman year. “I said, do you know what’s more awesome?”
The entire crowd cheered back. “What?!”
“Repeat champions!” he called, giving the crowd what they wanted. He handed the mic back to his coach and then finished another rally cry with his team. Just as he always does, Reed gave the people what they wanted. Such a burden for a teenager to carry, but he did it almost effortlessly.
Tyler was helping me clean up the grill when Buck came over and put his hand on my back to get my attention. “Darlin? I’m going to head out. I’ve got a little meeting with some gentleman,” he winked.