The Pledge

by Laura Ward

  Other than the fact that my father is a prick? “No, sir. My father is…” I paused, searching for the right words but all I could think of was an asshole.

  Coach cut me off. “I get it. I meet guys like him all the time.” He crossed his arms and pushed off the wall to stand in front of me like a brick wall. “Listen, Hart. I treat my players like adults. I have no interest in being your daddy, but you need to keep on the straight and narrow. Don’t make this harder on yourself by giving him reason to interfere. I don’t have time for it and neither do you. Prove him wrong.”

  Nodding, I turned to head to the locker room, and Coach slapped me on the back. Prove him wrong. I’d spent most of my life trying to show my old man I wasn’t a fuckup.

  ***

  The double doors to the Acroletes gym were swung wide open, but through the windows I could already see bodies flipping through the air. No wonder they needed such high ceilings.

  I entered the lobby and my pulse kicked up a notch as I stared at the surrounding activity. A guy right in front of me was spinning around a high bar like he was going to rip it right off its supports. The rest of the gym was a gymnastic free-for-all. Orderly chaos was the only way to describe it. I wanted to try it all.

  “I knew you’d come.” Caz jogged up to me, a self-satisfied grin on his face. “Come check out the trampolines.”

  Off to the left, and what I hadn’t been able to see through the front window earlier, was another huge room filled with five trampolines.

  My eyes widened, and energy surged through me like a raging tsunami. “Fuck yeah. Where can I put my stuff?”

  “Over there.” Caz motioned to a wall of lockers against the wall. “Oh, and keep your eyes open. Double mini trampoline and vault do their runs over there by the carpet. People get pissed if you get in their way.” He pointed to the other side where people were running, jumping, and spinning into the air. “Plus, it sucks to take a donkey kick to the face if someone flips on top of you.”

  “Got it.”

  Caz slapped me on the back. “Let me know if you need anything.” He headed for the room of trampolines and yelled something that sounded like, “Move over bitches, my turn!”

  As I was tossing my stuff into one of the free lockers, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Amanda standing behind me in tight, tiny shorts and an even smaller sports bra. I grinned to myself. Two minutes into Acroletes’ practice, and it was already more interesting than weight training.

  “Did you come to play?” Amanda tilted her head. I couldn’t help but notice that her words weren’t so much a question as they were an offer—and not just about the gym. The kiss and promise she’d made at the ropes course were still fresh in my mind.

  “Yeah, Caz invited me. I’m gonna check out the trampolines.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder, but Amanda reached out to grab my free hand.

  “No, you have to come balance with me.” She pulled me toward the carpeted floor on the other side of the gym. “It’d be a shame to waste all this muscle. I’ve been looking for a new partner since my old one graduated last year.”

  I allowed her to pull me along. I didn’t know what the hell balancing was, but with Amanda’s hands on me, it wasn’t something I was going to turn down. “I’m not planning to join,” I warned her. “I’m just here for today.”

  She shrugged. “That’s okay. We can just play around. You never know, you might change your mind.”

  I chuckled. “Caz seems to think so, too. He doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.”

  We reached the carpeted area, and she turned to face me. “Funny. People say the same thing about me.” A wicked gleam danced in her eye and...goddamn, she was hot.

  A thousand inappropriate things battled to come out of my mouth. I rubbed my palms together, looking at the people around us. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  Amanda reached up to tighten her ponytail, putting her sleek body on display and drawing my gaze back to her. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you where to put your hands.”

  “Are we still talking about balancing?” I grinned at her.

  “For now. Later you can tell me where to put my hands.” The corner of her mouth pulled up into a smile as she arched an eyebrow. Before I could respond, she pointed to the floor. “Lie down, arms up.”

  I did as I was told and Amanda moved so that she was standing over top of me, a foot on either side of my hip.

  “There you are. What the fuck happened to you? I thought you were coming to the trampoline room?” Caz glared down at me.

  “I got sidetracked.” I grinned up at him, and Amanda leaned over, putting her shoulders into my outstretched hands before gripping my elbows.

  “I’m teaching him how to do an arm-to-arm,” Amanda said. She pressed her body into a tuck before extending her legs straight into the air. Her body snapped into the pose with ease, and I was surprised at how easy it was to balance her.

  “More like giving him a free show,” Caz muttered. “That sports bra is begging for a wardrobe malfunction.”

  Instead of being offended, Amanda giggled as she came out of the pose. She straddled my hips as she stood above me—all soft curves and tight muscles.

  “Coach wants you over at beam,” he told her, nodding toward the area where all the different apparatus were set up. “I’m stealing Alec.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes at Caz before turning her attention to me and lifting her mouth into a smile. “Next time I’ll teach you a hand-to-hand.”

  I laughed and shook my head at her assumption that my return was a foregone conclusion.

  “Come on, let me show you how to vault.” Caz waved his hand for me to follow him. “I want to watch you crash and burn.”

  “What makes you think I’ll crash?” I got up, and we walked toward the area where people were using mini trampolines to flip over a wooden box. I swallowed past the apprehension lodged in my throat. Nervous energy flowed through me. I stretched my fingers and shook out my hands as we stood in line waiting our turn.

  “You’re getting pretty friendly with Amanda.” Caz stood with his hands on his hips, but he didn’t meet my eyes.

  “Are you calling Bro Code on her?” I didn’t steal other guys’ girls if that’s what he was worried about. Besides, he was the one who told me she’d be here.

  Caz whipped around. His lip curled in disgust and his eyebrows pinched low. “Fuck no. If you want Amanda, she’s all yours, dude.” He stepped forward as the line moved. “Just don’t be surprised if you see her hanging all over someone else later on. That’s just how she is.”

  “Noted.” I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. I had too much going on with training and classes as it was. If Amanda wanted no-strings-attached fun, I was the right guy for the job.

  “So, have you ever flipped before?” Caz asked, abandoning the topic of Amanda.

  I shrugged. “Off a diving board.” Only two people waited in front of us. I rolled my shoulders, excitement racing through me as we got closer. I felt like I was about to run into a burning building to rescue a baby or something.

  “Okay. Let’s start small.” Caz pointed toward the trampoline and box. “Run hard, jump on the mini tramp, and just try to clear the box. No rotation. Get used to the flight before you start flipping.”

  I nodded, bouncing on my toes as the girl in front of me took off in a run. When she landed safely on the other side of the vaulting box, Caz pushed me forward. I ran toward the trampoline, my heart thudding with each step. When I hit the small round bed and my body shot into the air and over the box, adrenaline surged through my chest, lighting my entire body on fire. In that moment, right before my feet landed back on the mat, I knew it was too late. The Acroletes had gotten under my skin. I was addicted.

  Chapter Five

  TAREN

  “I’m sorry.” Julie stood in front of my closet, holding a plaid tunic that was bedazzled with sequins. “You own this? Like you’ve actually walked over to your cl
oset and put it on your body? Willingly?”

  “I have the fashion judgment of a blind nun. I get it. That’s why I asked you for help, Jules.” I reclined on my bed with my forearm pressed against my eyes. I didn’t need to look at the atrocity in her hands. I knew how heinous my wardrobe was. Unfortunately, my high school years had been more focused on rocking the bell curve than rocking any fashion sense. Sadly, my closet had suffered greatly.

  “You don’t own skinny jeans. Not one pair. But you own a shit-ton of corduroy. Why?”

  I groaned in shame. I wore whatever was comfortable. Evidently, corduroy and plaid had crept into the rotation, and to be honest, I had no explanation for how that happened. Even I knew wearing corduroy was akin to giving myself social leprosy.

  “Alexis, look at this. This is so tacky!” Julie held up a floral sweater twinset. “I didn’t know twinsets still existed!”

  Alexis raised her head from her iPad, eyebrows arched. “Hey, that’s mine.”

  “Oh, I, uh, sorry, Lex. I didn’t mean to...” Julie stammered, a pink flush warming her cheeks.

  Alexis put her iPad down next to her and sat cross-legged on her bed. “It’s fine, Jules. You know I need help, too. My clothes basically have virgin stamped across the chest.” Alexis laughed at herself. I was once again reminded how lucky I was to have her as a roommate.

  She and I both wanted a fresh start, and the first step was shedding our old, boring styles. We were trusting Julie with our makeovers. Goodbye sheltered, mundane wallflowers. Hello confident, gorgeous, social butterflies. At least that was the plan. First, we needed updated wardrobes.

  Once Alexis’ attention was back on the iPad, Julie tossed the offending twinset into the donation pile...or burning pile if Jules had her way. She turned back to the closets of shame to continue the weeding process.

  “Did Whistler ever call you?” she asked, weighing the fate of yet another fashion fail.

  My stomach twisted until it felt like it was in a knot. Nearly a week had passed since he asked for my number. After the third day of no calls, I had to resign myself to the fact that Doug Pickles had come to his senses once he took off his beer goggles.

  “No, he didn’t.” I shrugged and stared at the text book in front of me. I tried to play it off like it was nothing, but deep down the pain of dismissal was as acute as it had been in high school. Rejection never got easier to bear. At least this time, the rejection wasn’t broadcast in front of the entire school, leaving me with permanent loser status.

  “His loss. You can do better than him anyway. Okay. Clean out is complete.” She tossed a few more offending items into the donation pile. “Time to replenish these closets.” Julie sat down at my desk and clicked the keys on my laptop, navigating to her favorite online store. She was eager to use the money we’d given her to purchase new outfits for us.

  I read from my textbook while Julie shopped. She was quiet for several minutes as she searched. That didn’t last long, though.

  “Yes.” Click. “Yes.” Click. “Oh hell yes.” Click. “Need it.” Click. “Want it.” Click. “Mother father, that one is sweet!”

  “Jules! We have limited budgets. Don’t go crazy.” Alexis sat up straight and attempted to sound strict. The smile she couldn’t hold back gave her away. Neither of us looked to see what Julie was choosing for us. Our friendship was still brand new, but we already trusted one another completely. I’d never trusted anyone with such devoted friendship before.

  Being friends with these girls felt good.

  Having friends at all felt incredible.

  “Done. There were three bucks left, so I bought myself a neon thong. Consider it my commission.” Julie snapped the laptop shut and headed for the door. “I’ve got some reading to do for class, but don’t forget about the rush informational meeting. It’s Thursday at five o’ clock.”

  Alexis groaned and fell back against her pillows. “Are you really making us go? I am so not sorority girl material.”

  “Neither am I. I can’t imagine fitting in with a sorority.” The truth was, I wasn’t afraid that I wouldn’t find one that I liked. I was afraid of being excluded. I knew all too well what it was like to be the last pick in schoolyard selections. I wasn’t looking forward to the reminder of that humiliation at the college level.

  “Stop it. The Greek system will embrace you.” Julie threw her arms open wide. “Besides, you promised.” She air kissed us and closed the door behind her.

  “Are you sure about this?” Alexis lay sideways on her bed, facing me.

  “No, but I love Julie, and I promised to reinvent myself in college. No regrets, right?” Alexis nodded. “Let’s go together, and if we find out all the sorority houses suck, we don’t have to pledge.”

  “Can we also make a promise to do it together? I mean, choose a house we like and hope they like us both? Alexis flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t want to do this without you.” Her face pinched, and she closed her eyes. “I have a lot going on back home.”

  She’d hinted before that her home life was not the best. I could only hope that she would trust me enough to confide in me one day. “Of course. I feel the same way.” I smiled at her, but deep down the violent thrashing of my high school insecurity reared its ugly head.

  Alexis was beautiful, and with a few wardrobe changes, she’d have no problem pledging a sorority. I, on the other hand, was another story. I couldn’t see how I could possibly be converted from geek to Greek. My nerdy roots might run too deep.

  “I’m so glad you’re my roommate, Taren.” Alexis spoke softly, her voice strained. “I didn’t have many close friends in high school.”

  “I didn’t have any.” I pulled at the end of my pillowcase, avoiding the look of pity I was sure to see in her eyes.

  “What do you mean? You can’t be serious.” Alexis sat up and pulled her knees to her chest.

  “My Aunt Claire has always been my closest friend.” I swallowed against the lump in my throat, guilty at the thought of my aunt. She was my only family, and she had sacrificed for me in more ways than I could count.

  “What about your parents?” Alexis tilted her head to the side, biting her lip as if bracing herself for my answer.

  “My mom died years ago. I never met my dad.” I wiped at the brimming tears in my eyes. My tears weren’t for my parents. Sure I missed having them in my life, but it was more. Talking to Alexis about my lack of friends back home brought back so many memories. Not many that were good. In fact, a few that were awful. More than anything, I realized how lonely I’d been. I hadn’t known how much I needed a friend until I met her.

  She jumped off her bed and hopped up next to me on mine. Slinging an arm around my shoulder, she hugged me to her. “Well, you and I are just going to have to become sisters then, aren’t we? We both really need that.”

  Sniffing, I rested my head on her shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, I really do need that.”

  ***

  “Jules, you just inhaled that pizza, and you have room for more?” I teased. Julie was attempting to conquer a mountain of FroYo sitting on top of a small cone. Contrary to popular belief, the dining hall food wasn’t all bad. I mostly stuck to turkey sandwiches or the salad bar. Tonight, however, we had decided we needed real, homemade pizza and frozen yogurt, so we ventured off campus to Route One.

  “Shopping burns calories for me. Then I get hungry. Shut it.” She glared at me before grinning. Then she went right back to her conquest.

  Alexis stopped walking in front of a coffee shop filled with students. “The coffee smells so good. Hold on a sec, I’m going to buy a cup.” Alexis walked into the shop, having claimed she was too full from pizza for frozen yogurt.

  “Ooooh! I think I need that dress over there.” Julie pointed to the boutique window next door and walked over, peering through the glass at a hot pink dress.

  I looked around Route One, the main road that ran along campus, as I ate small bites of my chocolate FroYo. The stre
et was filled with funky stores, as well as the typical college-town bars, restaurants, and take-out places. Small wrought iron tables sat clustered in front of a café, where students lingered, eating and talking. I smiled at the peaceful image, but then my grin vanished.

  Alec Hart. I’d recognize him anywhere.

  He leaned back and laughed, tagging a blond guy on the arm. The guy smacked the back of Alec’s head and a tiny brunette leaned close to Alec and spoke into his ear. His grin grew bigger, and his head turned in my direction as he spoke to her.

  I plastered my back against the brick wall of the coffee shop. Don’t let him see me. Don’t let him see me. My heart stopped beating. I was sure it did.

  After a few moments, I ventured another look to where he sat. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed me. God, he looked so hot. Why did jerks like him get to be hot? It made hating them that much harder. The small girl next to him ran her fingers up his leg, resting them high on his thigh. My face burned. They were a couple. Of course, they were together. She was beautiful. He was gorgeous. Pretty people paired up. That was how it worked in life. Everything was easy for pretty people.

  The bells on the door of the coffee shop jingled as Alexis came out, sipping a large cup of steaming coffee. “That place is so cute. They even have live music on Tuesday nights.”

  Noticing that Alexis had returned, Julie joined us and we crossed the street to head back to campus. Alexis was chatting away about the coffee shop, but I barely heard a word.

  Alec Hart.

  I couldn’t believe he was here at my college. I didn’t want anyone here knowing about the old Taren, and Alec knew it all. Those painful memories needed to stay away. Fuck it. I would just leave Alec Hart and my ridiculous crush where it belonged. In my past.

  As we passed by the upperclassmen dormitories, a guy called out to us from where he stood in front of one of the buildings.

  “Hey girls! Looking good!”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s referencing the oral skills Julie’s demonstrating as she works over that yogurt,” Alexis whispered, her nose wrinkled.