Silver Hawk Ridge: Taking Flight

{ Chapter 31 }

   After a very hard fought win, the stands began to filter out. A lot of parents had traveled to watch their kids play, in addition to what looked like a lot of officials and scouts. It was tonight that I learned about something our school did for its athletics and other activities (minus the equestrian team for travel purposes).

   Due to the fact that this was a boarding school with students from a lot of different financial backgrounds, family situations, and locations, Silver Hawk Ridge is aware that a lot of parents or family members can't make it for some of their kids' events. To support them, someone years ago started a club for faculty and students to be almost a surrogate family for games/events. Parents would talk to the school at the beginning of the year about signing their kids up if they knew that they couldn't make it very often. Then the organization meets up at the beginning of every month, and they discuss which members take on which students. Then at the event those members would cheer for that person and bring them something special like flowers or their favorite candy.

   Anyway, they were standing in a nice receiving group for the members of the football, dance, cheer teams, and marching band kids. At the edge of the crowd, I noticed Gavin there with his mom holding him in a tight hug. She gave a quick kiss onto the top of his head, even though he was still sweaty, and walked into the crowd. He hung his head and stared at the helmet in his hands for a minute, and then looked up. Once his mom left he was engulfed by his designated crowd of students. He met my gaze with a proud smirk, and then saw Drew at my side, to which that smirk dropped into a glare in his direction. Trouble was brewing.

   "Savannah!"

   "Huh?" I turned back at my name being said. Drew and Avery looked a bit confused.

   "You alright?"

   "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired. Ready to go back Avery?" She nodded and we turned to go. The three of us were laughing and talking on the way back like a bunch of idiots. I could get used to this best friend, boyfriend trio. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~

   "Savannah, if you don't hold your head still I will lock your head in a cross tie and make it stay!"

   I was sitting on the floor of my dorm so Madi could reach my head sitting in her wheelchair. Normally an ACL tear and/or broken meant crutches, but because of the fracture in her wrist she found herself chairbound. She'd been taking it in stride, but it was pretty clear to see she was going crazy without being able to see and take care of Sal every day. Now she'd tasked herself with making sure my hair was done to perfection in a braided updo. Isabelle had gotten a hold of a steamer and spent most of the morning making sure each dress was steamed and pressed to perfection. Madi and Bianca were doing hair (and makeup for anyone who was not adept at the art).

   "Madi pass me some — thank you", Bianca said absentmindedly as she held out her hand for some very thick bobby pins to keep Avery's thick mass of hair in place for a donut bun on the crown of her head. Before long everyone was done up to perfection. Being in horse shows (and a dancer in Bianca's case) gives preparedness a whole new meaning. Collectively we'd probably managed close to 500 or more bobby pins that were in our heads at the moment. We were meeting our large group in the quad and we were already late.

   "Well it's about time!" We heard Anna call from across the quad. She and her boyfriend Bryce were standing in among the throngs of dresses. She'd chosen a dark red bodycon dress with a lace long-sleeved bodice (I'd seen that one at Windsor, but it was gonna be a bit too short on all 5'9" of me) and had her brown hair in soft, large curls down her back. Bryce was one lucky guy, and he knew it judging by how he was looking down at her. Charlie and Madi, and Bianca and Morgan had all decided to go with each other. The other girls had been fairly secretive about their dates. It turns out Avery had asked Matt Crenshaw, a guy on the JV team. He had a good sense of humor and just wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. I figured she'd picked a good one (apparently they'd known each other since they were in diapers). Isabelle sidled up to a tan guy with dark blonde hair.

   "Well, well, well who's the mystery guy Izzy?" Morgan asked, teasing her.

   "Ladies, meet my teammate Callum Pierce" Isabelle said with a smile. Her eyes totally gave away the butterflies going off inside her, and who could blame her? Meeting a genuinely kind horse guy was hard to do, much less one who could rival a model (Madi's words, not mine).

Speaking of handsome dates, where the heck was Drew? I weaved my way through the hordes of silk, velour, and polyester clad adolescents and saw him with his back turned to me while he was talking to Kenny and Taylor (whose pale pink chiffon dress and Gibson roll updo made her look like a literal angel). They saw me over his shoulder. I motioned for them to not say anything and I got a subtle nod from Kenny, Taylor's smile spread across her face in anticipation and turned the conversation.

   "So where's Savannah? She's usually pretty punctual."

"Yeah, really. I hope she didn't duck out. I already knew you were reaching a bit when you asked her out" Kenny said playfully, giving Drew a light punch on the shoulder.

"Don't even joke about that bro. I'm sweating it enough already without the possibility of her bai-"

"I miss anything?" I spoke up from behind. Drew turned around at the sound of my voice and his face went from worry to relief. He took both of my hands and stepped back for a better look. For once it didn't feel like I was a piece of meat in the market, but like someone was actually seeing all of me as an actual person. I got the opportunity to get a full view of Drew. He'd worn a classic black suit, and had his hair gelled and styled. Basically, he looked hot as hell, and I felt like a potato in comparison.

"You know you look absolutely amazing, right?" He said softly, tipping my chin up so I was looking him in the eye. The blood rushed to my cheeks.

"And by the way, I got something for you". He pulled a small plastic box out from behind his back with a white rose corsage surrounded by champagne ribbons and gems. He took it out and slipped it on my wrist.

"But I didn't have time to-" I felt a someone grab my hand and put something in it. Bringing it into view was a matching boutonnière. I whipped my head to see a smirking Bianca. Could my friends and boyfriend not be completely perfect for five seconds?! I gently pinned it onto the lapel of his suit so that I didn't poke him.

   "You really do think of everything, don't you?" I said, and smiled softly. Any moment now I expected to be ripped away from those brown eyes and back into my hometown in SC.

"Picture time lovebirds!" I heard Isabelle call from behind. I rolled my eyes and towed Drew over to the rest of the group.