by Sonya Jesus
Unlike Deacon, Presley hates hanging around Westbrook. He is only around for practices and then vanishes. The look he is giving me right now makes his anti-social reputation seem… off. He recognizes me from his time at Westbrook, apparently. I was just a freshman and he was one of the first people I met on campus. He hollers at Coach, “Let the girl leave and let’s get to practice, we don’t have all day.”
“She can go,” Coach Reid snarls, making my body sag in relief. “After she gets her…” He steps forward and ducks and swivels his head so that he can get a look at the can in the deep water, “Looks like…Diet Coke?” He’s amused, but I am not. I straighten my back up and tilt my head defiantly. He isn’t my fucking Coach. I hear someone say, “For God’s sake,” but I don’t pay any attention. I address the coach, “Coach, I don’t-“
“I got it.” I turn in the direction the voice is coming from, but I barely have time to notice who it is between the commotion and splash of water. Though by the irritated note in his voice I had an inkling. True to my gut, it’s Aiden Keys who rescues me from drowning in my own humiliation. I look down from where I am standing and see him dip down to the bottom and come back up, coke can in hand. He swims towards the metal staircase and climbs up it. He’s dripping water, and it takes me a few seconds to stop gawking and meet him there. I offer him my towel since he’s trying to wipe the chlorine off his face. He takes it, and I tell myself to calm the hell down. He notices me standing there and hands me my coke. I smile in appreciation. “Thanks for rescuing my coke.”
Oh my God I am so stupid. He shrugs, hands me my towel, and dives back into the pool. Dylan comes up to me, while some of the other guys get into the pool, and walks with me. I am so thankful for him right now that I don’t even know what to say. So, I offer him one of my Snickers Bars. “For your sweet tooth?” More like, For being sweet to me. He smiles and wraps his arm around me, all his nakedness making me lose equilibrium. If he wasn’t holding me, I would have fallen into the pool.
“That’s why you’re awesome, Princess.” He puts the chocolate in his pocket and kisses my cheek, igniting it on fire. “Sorry about Coach Reid, he’s a dick sometimes.” He’s whispering so only I can hear. I wonder if his assholeness is contagious? Because it rubs off on his players every once in a while. Though, I had to be fair, the assistant coaches, along with Aiden and Dylan, have been kind tonight. I don’t say anything in reference to the coach, so he continues, offering an excuse for the behavior. “Some of the younger team members got in trouble. They are on academic probation, and since we are a team, all of us have to pay. Tonight’s the first night of mandatory practice for a week.”
“That’s not fair,” I add. “Why doesn’t he just punish them?”
“Because what they did impacts the team; we are going to be four guys short until their suspension is over, Coach’s rules.” I look over at Coach, who is barking orders at the two assistant coaches.
“He is intense,” I admit.
“He’s a good guy,” Dylan adds. “Like a father to us.” I had a feeling I would never understand the dynamics of belonging to their team.
“He’s very intimidating; at least Deacon and Presley balance him out.”
“No, Miles is just as intense as Reid. Deacon’s cool, though.” He’s making us walk slow, so I glance a peek at the Coaching trio, thinking that they would freak out, but Deacon and Reid look like they are discussing something and Presley is watching us; scrutinizing me. I suddenly feel like a mouse, and he’s a hawk. Jitters jet down my spine, as Dylan looks where I am looking and holds up two fingers. Presley nods. “He is just as pissed off about being here as we are. He hates being here any longer than he has to.” I look away, still uneasy. “Don’t let them get to you. They can be intense, but Deacon and Presley watch out for us. They spent all day trying to get Coach to ease up on these sessions. We train every night from 9 to midnight.”
“Don’t you guys have 6 a.m. practice sometimes?”
“Oh, yeah! This week is going to suck ass.” We reach the door, and he opens it for me. “Reid thinks that this way we won’t have time to get into trouble. He’s trying to wear us out.”
“That’s awful,” I admit, stepping through the door. “He seems kind of awful,” Dylan smirks and negates my comment with a head shake. “Okay, maybe he’s just kind of awful to me.”
“No, don’t think that way. He just didn’t expect to find you here.”
“I didn’t even realize he knew my name,” I confess. Dylan steps outside with me.
“Everyone knows you, Amelia.” Well, probably after I fainted at the Breaker, they know me as that girl. Not willing to get into it I just thank him. He gives me a childish smirk and kisses me on the cheek again! “No problem, Princess.” My body shudders when his lips press against my skin. He giggles in response to my gasp and I bite my lip nervously. I’m not subtle at all. “Have fun at practice.” How did he know we had practice tonight?
“Um, can you tell Aiden thanks for rescuing me? I don’t know how to swim; I don’t know if I would have been able to get out.”
He winks at me. “He knows. But I’ll tell him.” Then he walks away, leaving me wondering exactly what Aiden Keys knows.
Chapter 3: A Rhyming Prankster
Lia
When I get back to practice, my stomach is in knots. I still have the Diet Coke in my hand and a few minutes to kill before practice starts again. I plop myself down on the floor near my cheer bag, leaning my back against the wall. I look over at Robins; he’s sitting on the bleachers with Meg. I want to march right up to him and flick him on the nose just to get his attention. I want to tell him about Coach Reid and Dylan and get his opinion. I need help with this Monthaversary shit, and I need someone to hate Haley as much as I do right now.
Fucking space. I groan when Meg leans in to kiss him.
I flush away the pang of jealousy and focus on everything else. Jaime is sitting with some of her friends to my left, while the basketball team is scattered around the gym. Natalie, Avery, and Harper return from the Breaker and make their way over to me. My stomach rumbles as if cursing me out for not feeding it.
"Here," Avery says as she hands me a bag. “Eat something!”
Smiling happily, I peek inside the bag and unwrap a turkey wrap. Natalie finishes off her cheesesteak sandwich, and I pretend my healthy dinner is a yummy grease soaked bread with steak, provolone, sweet peppers, and onions. After nearly scarfing down my fake cheesesteak, I wash it down with a few gulps of my rescued Diet Coke. I laugh at the pop can in my hand, causing the girls to stop and stare at me as if I have officially lost it. Which I probably have.
They listen as I recount the events at the pool, what happened with Haley and my reservations about the “Monthaversary.” I avoid any kind of Robins talk, just because I don’t think I can talk about him without bursting into tears again.
Natalie is the first to say something, her face red, and her eye twitching. “Haley is strange. Sometimes she just zones off.”
“Right?” Harper chimes in. “And the way she crushes on Connor is insane.”
“Okay Lia, I’m still trying to figure out how you only noticed now? She’s been panting all over him since you guys started hanging out.” Avery is still trying to understand why this conversation took so long to happen. I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation now if I didn’t also seem to be missing out on roomie talk time. I’ve barely seen Mel these last two weeks, her internship and new beau are taking up a lot of her time. I am happy for her, but I miss her.
“Well, she hasn’t been that obvious.” Natalie crumples the paper her sandwich came in and tosses it into my empty plastic bag. The other girls gawk at her. “What? Come on, she’s weird, but it’s not like she’s smelling Connor’s butt and licking him.”
“Licking him?”
“Like a dog.”
That clarified nothing.
She grunts at me, then turns towards Harper. “Your new boo stares at Lia
all the time.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I proclaim. Harper’s face contorts into a confused expression. “Harper, I swear-” I don’t finish my sentence. Harper bursts out in laughter, confusing me. Why is she laughing? “What?”
“He is always looking at you,” she admits.
My mouth drops open.
“He told me why though, and honestly, he’s on the same page as us. He hates Connor. He doesn’t understand what you see in him, and he sometimes finds himself looking at you wishing he could just say that to you. He says you are peculiar.”
“That’s… umm…” I tug at my lower lip, trying to understand what the hell that meant.
“I know,” Avery nods, her face completely serious. “She is so peculiar.”
My suitemates start to giggle, and I roll my eyes before joining in. After we got it all out of our system, I bring the conversation back on topic. “Okay, back to Haley, please. How do I deal with it?”
Avery places her hand on my knee. “Lia, why are you trying to be nice to her? Screw her. Tell her to back the hell off and tell Connor what’s going on.”
“Yea,” Natalie agrees. “Cut her loose.”
“We live with her,” Harper warns. Avery removes her hand and drags her bag over to where she is. “So maybe cut her loose gently. Don’t want to deal with a weepy Haley all weekend.”
“Now, moving on to what Christian looks like in his swim trunks,” Natalie says, winking at me. She moves a bag over and sits next to me so that we are both against the wall, shoulder to shoulder. “Hot right? I bet he wears the tight swim trunks like the swimmers do.” She groans. “I bet he has girth.”
“What the hell is girth?” I look over at her, but they are guffawing on the floor like a pack of hyenas. What did I miss?
“Oh honey,” Natalie says, patting my knee. “I love this about you.”
“Wha-?”
“Girth is circumference.”
“Oh…” I feel my cheeks heat up.
“Like penis circumference.”
I nod, taking a sip of my Diet Coke. I didn’t need clarification I understood the first time.
Natalie grabs Harper’s Snapple bottle and wraps the thumb and forefinger of both hands around the bottom, for visual props. “So, Snapple bottle right?”
I tilt my head to the side studying the Snapple bottom. “I didn’t stare at Christian’s crotch, so I wouldn’t know if he measures up to a Snapple bottle.” The girls find this even more hilarious. I’m blushing, but I can’t help but wonder. “That’s not possible, though right? Like…” I point to the bottle between her hands.
Natalie smiles at me. “Sometimes.” She winks again, but her confirmation just freaks me out. “They don’t call them the Soccer Gods for nothing.”
“Well, thanks for that. Now, anytime I see them I’m going to be looking at their crotch areas, wondering if they're girthy.” Because I wasn’t awkward enough around them.
“Girthy?” Natalie giggles. “Oh God, I love you and your penii talking.”
“Penii?” Avery questions.
“Yes, as in multiple penises?” Natalie defines.
“I don’t think that’s how you say that,” Harper offers. “Sounds weird.”
“You’re weird,” Natalie huffs.
“It’s penes, I think.” Harper scrunches her eyebrows. “Right, Lia?”
“Like I know what the plural for penis is! I didn’t even know what girth meant.” Maybe I spoke a little too loudly. A chuckle comes from the bleachers where some of the basketball guys are listening in on our conversation.
My face is on fire. “Urgh, why are we talking about male genitalia in the middle of cheer practice?”
“Because we are talking about your run in with the Gods. Never saw them in their swim trunks.” She looks mischievously at us, then glances to the door. “Be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Avery says, checking the time on her cell phone. “Practice is going to start any minute.”
“I’m going to go sneak a peek at the Snapples.”
Pff. Great! She’s nicknamed them ‘Snapples’.
“At least you know the plural for that,” Harper yells as Natalie jogs out the door. Natalie gives her the finger, causing Harper to sprawl out laughing. Once she regains her composure and stops making a scene, she sits back up. With all seriousness, she says, “Now, Lia, let’s talk about your little anniversary thing tonight. He’s probably doing this —“
“I know,” I nod my head. “Probably his plan.”
“And?” Harper questions. “Are you ready to see his…”
I snap, “Don’t you dare say Snapple!”
Avery and Harper both laugh at me.
My cheeks still blazing from the conversation, I lean my head back against the wall, tilting it up to glare at the ceiling. I remember the frisky nights, and how there were times when I thought if I could just let go, it would be so much easier. I could just let my Vixen take over, shut out anything and everything else and just get this over with.
“Lia?” Avery calls softly. I lift my head from the wall and adjust until she comes into my line of vision. Her face is etched with worry. “You didn’t say no? Are you really thinking about sleeping with the Freshman?”
“Connor,” I remind her. “And I don’t know. I think I need more time, but what am I giving myself time for? I’m just prolonging it. I should get it over with, right?”
“No,” Harper interjects. “You should not get it over with. You should want it. If you want to sleep with him, go for it. But don’t force yourself to do something you aren’t ready for. Trust me, I was forced into something that I wasn’t ready for, and I still regret it.”
She scowls, and just as I’m about to ask her what she meant by that, Meg is calling us into formation. We get up, and everyone starts to group up. I touch Harper on her shoulder before she leaves. She turns to face me, placing her hand on top of mine. “Do what you want to do, when you want to do it. It’s normal to have doubts. It’s not normal to succumb to your own peer pressure. Even if he’s ready to enter, you can say no. You can change your mind. Okay?”
I nod and keep quiet. There’s something in Harper’s eyes begging me not to ask her. Why do I suddenly feel like I need to talk to Robins? I release my hand and take position next to Avery and Harper. Now we just needed our flyer. Meg comes near us, noting Natalie’s absence. “Where is Nat?”
“She left her phone at the Breaker,” I say quickly. “She ran to get it before it got stolen.” Meg doesn’t even question me. She nods, jerking her head sharply and strolling off to the front of the line to talk with the other captains. When Natalie throws open the doors, she ends up coming in through the basketball side and interrupting their practice. She waves apologetically and sprints over to us, breathing heavily.
“Natalie?” Avery questions when Nat leans into her. “Snapple. Soo Snapple,” she declares through jagged breaths, gripping at an imaginary bottle in the air with her fingers.
I grunt. Great. “Why are you breathing heavily?” Coach Reid must have done something to her. Maybe his animosity extends to all of our suite.
“I got caught.” She looks sheepishly at Harper. “I was peeking through the open door. They couldn’t see me inside because they were too busy getting yelled at, but I was exposed to anyone who was at the vending machines. Your boy toy was there, and I didn’t wait around for him to recognize me. I hauled ass, and cut through the first door I saw.”
“I’m sure he recognized you.”
“Nuh huh,” she says, standing on her own. “He was grabbing something from the machine. I ran so fast he just saw a blur.”
We laugh because Natalie wouldn’t normally run. Something tells me she didn’t want to get caught staring at Christian.
We didn’t have time to get into it because we spent the next hour and a half throwing Natalie up in the air while she spun, twisted and posed. My muscles were sore all over; my arms from lifting, my thighs from sq
uatting, my back from everything. I am so tired that I could collapse right here and not get up until tomorrow. Tonight was grueling. Three hours of stunt practice is no joke, and we have to do this all again tomorrow. “
“Kill me now,” I mumble as I grab my bag and hoist it onto my shoulder. Why is it so heavy?
Harper grunts. “I’m canceling my date tonight.” She puts her palm on the back of her neck, moving her head from side to side working out a kink. “I’m too tired to put out.”
“Agreed,” Natalie says from my left. I glance down to where she’s sprawled out on the floor. “I don’t think I can do this again tomorrow.” She lifts her head a little and turns towards Harper, Avery, and I. “Can you please drop me tomorrow?” She’s serious. “Not like, in a break my back kind of way, just a little fall so we can sit practice out?”
“We wouldn’t let you fall,” Avery says, kicking Natalie’s foot gently with hers. “Get up. Let’s go home.”
“I don’t even know what time it is,” Natalie whines. She holds out two hands for us to help her up. Avery takes one, I take the other, and we pull her up to standing position.
Harper looks at her cell. “Almost eleven.”
“If we keep doing this, by the time the pep rally rolls around we won’t have any energy left. Instead of impressing anyone, we will just drop dead,” Harper growls.
“At least you guys get to go home,” I say, pouting my lower lip. “I have an anniversary to get to.”
“Just tell him you are too tired to put out.” Natalie wobbles to the door. “Use Harper’s excuse.”
Meg is standing outside the door to the gym, her back against the wall. When she hears us, she looks up, “Good job tonight, girls.” We don’t say anything and continue around to the stairs.
“I must be really tired because I think Meg just complimented us,” Natalie says as she pushes herself up the stairs.
“No, we just imagined that,” Harper chuckles. “Hallucinations from the exhaustion.”
“Why didn’t we take the elevator?” Natalie groans.
