9781250209153

me up in a hug, and everyone screams with laughter, even after the ref
threatens a technical foul.
In the end, we win with a solid eleven-point lead. To me, it feels like
we’ve won Olympic Gold. The noise in the gym is so loud it makes my
head ache, but I can’t do anything but smile and hold on to Danielle, who’s
so happy she’s actually crying.
When we line up to shake hands with our opponents, I don’t even look
twice at Tally. In that moment, I’m so far beyond her that I forget it’s her
I’ve been trying to beat all along—and that I still have a ways to go. I break
free of the lineup to find my family, Danielle’s family, Gunther, and Kevin
pouring out of the stands to hug us.
And behind them, fresh off her victory routine, is Irene.
“Amazing what a little confidence can do, huh?” she asks me in the
midst of the madness. Her eyes are alight; her whole face is shining. My
button is pinned to her cheerleading uniform.
I can’t focus enough to answer her; I’m being grabbed on all sides by
my teammates, my family, my friends. But I do know that the smiles we’re
giving each other are as real as the points on the scoreboard.
The scene at the Emporium is wild. Outside, by the tracks, people are
lighting sparklers. Inside the garage, the air is stuffy and warm. Honey-
Belle has lit up the string lights, Gunther is pouring eggnog into holly-green
cups, and someone has inflated the lawn-decor Santa Clauses. Everything is
crowded and intimate and alive.
Danielle is euphoric. She’s switched her game shorts out for her favorite
Adidas joggers, but she’s still wearing her jersey like a badge of honor. I
notice she’s washed her face and put on makeup, too. Her eyelashes, which
are naturally long, look even thicker and prettier in the dim light of the
garage. And maybe it’s my imagination, but it seems like Kevin is noticing.
Honey-Belle is in hostess mode, her cheerleading uniform bedecked
with a sparkly feather boa. She congratulates me for the fifth time and
squeezes me so hard it hurts my neck. Gunther grins at her like a puppy
dog.