Learning Curve

Wednesday, October 9th

Scottie

I can’t believe I agreed to this.

Honestly, a smarter girl would have backed out—especially after Finn snuck out of his bed and sent my whole psyche into a tailspin.

But Ace, despite his association with Finn, is the kind of friend you don’t let down. He has your back, so you have his, even when it hurts.

And by God does this hurt.

It’s three o’clock on a Wednesday, and instead of studying in the library, I am in full cheerleader glam in the middle of the Financial District in busy New York City. With practices every day and the course load I’m taking, I’ve been walking a tightrope to keep up with both at the same time. It’s almost laughable that I thought I’d have spare time to find a hospital in the city to volunteer for, too. At home, I spent every second Saturday at St. Mark’s Medical, volunteering in a few of the pediatric wings. I started doing it on a whim—Wren pretty much dragged me with her when she had to get community service hours to beef up her college application. But it only took one four-hour shift for me to find myself enjoying spending time there. It’s…fulfilling and, honestly, still has me wavering back and forth on if should’ve gone premed or something in the medical field that would have me working closely with young patients.

Currently, I’m still undecided, but with my grueling schedule here at Dickson, I haven’t had time to consider my actual degree path. A lame excuse, I know, but all I seem to have time for these days is staying on top of all of my core classes, cheerleading, and well…unfortunately, drama.

Oh, and Ace’s pranks too, I suppose. Insert eye roll.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one getting strange looks from men and women sporting briefcases and smart suits as we walk toward the entrance of the building that bears the address Ace sent our way twenty minutes ago.

Five other girls from my squad—Kayla, Tonya, McKenzie, Emma, and Olivia—have joined me to engage in Ace’s prank on his dad.

“Not going to lie,” Kayla comments, her perfectly manicured eyebrows distancing themselves from her eyes. “I’m feeling a little out of place.”

McKenzie laughs, rubbing a hand down her navy-blue skirt. “Girl, tell me about it.”

A fancy doorman at the front of the swanky financial building pulls the gold-plated door open for us to enter, his smile suggesting he knows the plan better than I do. Kayla and McKenzie are first through the door, Tonya and Emma following, and then Olivia and I bring up the rear. Ace is waiting at the security desk in the lobby, dressed to the nines in a similar three-piece suit to the one he wore to the first college party I met him at.

He looks dapper as hell, and I wonder how Julia can act like his handsome face and tall, muscular body have zero effect on her. Like, I know they’ve been friends since they were little kids, but holy moly, when Ace isn’t actively fucking around, it’s impossible to miss how handsome he is. If he didn’t want to do the college thing, he could easily be modeling for Calvin Klein.

Maybe there was some kind of roommate lottery where they grouped only the most attractive people together in Graham Hall.

Ugh. Finn. He’s the last person I want to think about right now.

“Ladies, so glad you could make it.” Ace grins, rubbing his hands together in excitement. “Thanks again, Frank,” he tells the security guard, sliding him a wad of cash I can only assume is the agreed-upon bribe amount.

Frank smiles and slides the money into his pocket, and Ace gestures for us to follow him toward the bank of elevators on the far side of the lobby. I look around as we move, unable to accept the sheer volume of marble floors and ceilings and sculptures I’m certain cost a bajillion dollars.

“Welcome to Kelly Investments,” Ace announces with a shit-eating grin, spinning in a circle with his arms out wide. Kayla and the other girls laugh, but my nerves have gotten the best of me. I hate not knowing what’s going on.

“You know, Ace,” I chime in and nudge him with my elbow. “Now would be a good time to tell us what the actual plan is…”

“Yeah,” Kayla pipes up. “Why do you need a bunch of cheerleaders to prank your dad?”

“Let’s get upstairs first, and then we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty. I don’t need any nosy fucks in the lobby ruining shit,” Ace counters as he guides us toward a bank of elevators. One is already available, sitting idle on the ground floor, and the six of us file in while Ace plays gentleman and holds the door.

“How about you tell us now?” Tonya questions once the elevator doors shut.

“How do you ladies feel about changing out of your uniforms into something else?” Ace tosses out, completely ignoring Tonya.

“Something else?” Kayla retorts. “Ace, if you’re trying to get us to wear thongs and pasties, I will kick you in the dick.”

“No! No! Nothing like that.” Ace cracks up, but he also covers his crotch with one hand. He tilts his head to the side. “You should meet my mom, though. The two of you think alike.”

Kayla crosses her arms over her chest and settles into a hip, and Ace holds up two hands in front of himself. “It’s a cheerleading uniform like the ones you’re wearing, but it’s just a little more specific to the situation.”

“If we agree, will it make this get over faster?” Emma asks. “I mean, this is our only day this week that we don’t have practice, so I’m hoping to actually enjoy the downtime at some point.”

“Yes, it will make this go faster,” Ace answers.

“Fine,” she agrees, followed by the rest of us nodding too.

The elevator dings its arrival on the thirtieth floor, and we follow Ace out of the cart and onto a completely empty floor that looks like it’s under some kind of reconstruction. Plastic tarps and tools and buckets are littering the space, and the smell of fresh paint is thick in the air.

“Um…Ace?” Kayla questions as she takes in the bare room. “It’s time to tell us the plan.”

“Relax.” Ace laughs. “This isn’t our final destination. This is just the best place to get you guys ready for showtime.” He glances around the room like he’s looking for something but, eventually, just shouts, “Yo, Blake! Finn! Where the hell are you?”

My stomach drops. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have known he would be here. They’re best friends.

Still, if I’d realized, I definitely wouldn’t have come. I’m sure five cheerleaders would have been just as good as six.

Blake and Finn walk across the massive space with brown paper bags in their hands, and I have to remind my lungs how to breathe with each long stride he takes closer. I’m still so livid at him for making it be this way.

He smiles at the group but avoids my eyes, so I use the opportunity to look at him more closely. The new bruise on his face is yellowing now—it’s healing definitely behind the rest, and the split in his lip is completely scabbed over.

“You got the goods?” Ace questions, and Blake grins, holding up the bags in his hands.

“You know it, buddy.”

“Fuck yeah,” Ace cheers, opening Blake’s bag and handing Kayla the first uniform and set of poms. I stand back as Finn hands out his too, hoping to avoid talking to him directly, but when the other girls are done and there’s only one left, Finn is the one to have it.

He holds it out for me to take, his eyes holding mine with all the same voodoo magic they’ve had since the first day I met him. If I let myself, I could fall directly into their warm brown pools and stay there.

When his lips part and it seems like he’s going to say something to me, I snatch the uniform and poms from his hands and spin on my heel to face Ace. “Where are we supposed to change?”

“There’s a bathroom over there,” Ace answers, pointing down a small hallway near the elevators.

Kayla locks elbows with me and marches us that direction, and I don’t look back.

If Finn Hayes wants to play it cold, I can be icy too.