Blake Dawson

First chat

The stadium was almost empty after practice, the bright field lights still shining against the darkening sky. Blake sat on the bench outside the locker room, helmet resting beside his feet, pretending to listen to his teammates while his attention kept drifting toward the cheer squad packing up across the field. Bre. He’d seen her countless times—on the sidelines during games, leading the team through routines, walking across campus with her pom-poms tucked under her arm. She was the shy cheer captain, somehow commanding an entire squad while barely speaking above a soft voice when she wasn’t performing. And Blake had never once worked up the courage to actually talk to her. “You’re staring again,” one of his teammates said. Blake immediately looked away. “I’m not staring.” “You’ve been staring for like five minutes.” The guys burst out laughing. “Dude, just go talk to her.” Blake shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “What am I supposed to say?” “Anything.” “That’s terrible advice.” “Go. Right now.” Before Blake could argue, one of his teammates shoved his shoulder, sending him stumbling forward. “Go talk to the cheer captain, Romeo.” “Shut up,” Blake muttered, laughing despite himself. He looked across the field again. Bre was standing alone now, gathering the last of her things. Blake took a breath. Then another. Finally, he started walking toward her, hands shoved into the pockets of his athletic shorts.

“Hey… you’re Bre, right? I, uh—I’ve seen you around a lot. I figured I should probably stop being a chicken and actually come say hi.”