Secrets Until Someday

Chapter 2

Sydney's POV

The day has gone rather quickly, I received the syllabus for each class and all the basic rules of the classroom. Not much different from last year, or any of the other years I've spent in these halls. Westville High is a tiny little school, in a tiny little town where everyone knows everyone, and you're related to the majority of the population. 

Luckily for me, I have a pretty small family so that doesn't affect me as much as it does others around here.

I make my way to the courtyard after picking up a tray in the lunch line to find Quinn. She is seated at the table that we have claimed as ours since freshmen year, surrounded by our friends.

 
Being varsity cheerleaders shot us to the top of the popularity list as soon as we stepped out of junior high. Our friend group consists of a couple of other girls, Maddie, another cheerleader on the squad that made varsity last year and is a junior. She is super sweet and a lot quieter than the rest of us. Layla, the star volleyball player on our varsity team is graduating this year like us. She has a killer spike and towers over my 5'4" self. Her blonde hair is about as long as her legs and she is heading off to the University of Michigan after this year to play for their team on a full-ride scholarship. Which is unheard of coming from a small town like ours. 

    Layla, Quinn, and I have been friends since elementary school. Quinn and I met in preschool, it was a best-friend-at-first-sight kinda thing. Layla, we befriended quickly in the 2nd grade during gym class when we realized that she was able to throw the dodgeball at the boys harder than they could throw it back. Before that, she had gone to a private school and its athletic program was not suitable for the dreams the Dawsons had for their children. So, to public school, she came, and we were happy to welcome her with open arms. 

The remainder of the group is "our boys" as we like to call them. Sam Stevens, star quarterback of the football team and the boy who stole Quinn's heart in the 8th grade, they've been inseparable ever since. His best friend Luke Taylor, another football big shot, Clay Logan mediocre athlete but the funniest guy I've ever met in my life, and little sophomore Riley Stevens. He is Sam's baby brother hidden in his brother's shadow and by DNA automatically saved a spot at the table.

    I slide into my seat next to Quinn at the end of the table. "It's about time you show up." She says.

"Aw, did you just miss me that much?" I reply with a grin. "I am taking in all the nostalgia on our last first day of high school." I spat full of sarcasm. "So, what did I miss?"

"Well, all these goons can talk about is the first big game tomorrow night," Maddie says as she points to all the guys around the table.
As they all start in once again about how North Central High is going down, and their quarterback has nothing on Sam's arm. Quinn smiles and heart eyes practically explode out of her head. "Easy there girl, you might start drooling," I say as I lean over to her and snatch a grape from her lunch box, giving my best smoochy face. She rolls her eyes and changes the subject to Maddie and Layla who we have hardly seen all summer. Layla was away at camp, after camp for volleyball training, and Maddie works so much at the local cafe when she isn't in school or cheer, she hardly ever has time to do anything else.

"How was your last camp, Layla?" I ask as we all continue to pick at the lunches in front of us.

"It was great! I learned so much from the coaches, I never would have left if it was an option to stay. I can't wait to finally be living on campus and playing for their team." She beams.

"Damn girl, they've got you drinking in all that U of M Kool-Aid," Quinn says as we all laugh.

"I know right? I especially wasn't in any rush to come back since Brooks had decided to come home for the last month of summer and took over my room. He was so shitty about mom turning his into her yoga den." Layla says with annoyance.

"Brooks is home ?!" Luke questions with excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, he was keeping a pretty low profile since he wasn't going to be around long, and our mom has been piling on the guilt trip about how he never visits. So, she's kept him pretty busy." Layla shrugs.

"Man, I hope I get to see him before he heads back to school. I miss that guy. Our basketball team misses him too." Sam adds.

As they all continue their conversation about the big football game, and the lack of our basketball team's successes since Brooks's class had graduated, I slumped my head and picked at my food.

"What's up, Syd? You got awfully quiet." Maddie whispers.

"Oh, nothing. I just found Ms. Pickett's chin hair in my food." I chuckle and try my best to hide the truth, throwing my fork down on my plate. The girls all made a disgusted look in my direction.

    Unfortunately for me, Quinn sees through my bullshit response and is shooting me daggers of concern. The biggest reason I have avoided her eye contact since his name was mentioned. Feeling the pull of her stare I look up, she is analyzing my face, waiting for me to say something.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine." I say in the softest voice I can so no one else hears what I tell her as she gives me the look. The one that says I know you're lying, and we WILL be discussing this later.

Great just great. I think, my brain practically buzzing in my head.

Thankfully the bell sounds and we all collect our leftovers, dump them in the trash and make our way to our next class period.

I knew waking up this morning today wasn't going to be a good day. I could feel it. But I never expected this to be the reason my mind would be racing...he's home. He's here, back in this town, I repeat in my head over and over again as I slowly walk down the hall.

Brooks is home.