Something To Prove (TNT Force Cheer Book 7)

by Dana Burkey

  Finally pulling back I made room for other teammates to welcome Lexi, who much like myself was grinning from ear to ear. Everyone knew there was still a lot of work ahead of us before Lexi was really a working member of the team and able to perform all of the stunts and skills in the two and a half minutes of our performance. But I got the impression everyone was feeling how I did about it: the hard work would be worth it to have Lexi on the mat with us at Worlds. In the meantime, practice started up again and the evening went from kind of hard to really hard almost immediately.

  “Let’s do that one more time and then I want us to move on to basket and stunts,” TJ instructed. It came after another failed attempt at pyramid, although we were getting closer to finally landing everything correctly. “Just remember Lexi, you need to try to keep your body perfectly straight until you are over Trish and can twist. Try not to bend your waist at all while you’re being launched.”

  Lexi nodded, but as she turned away from our coach I could see the frustration on her face. We had been going over the pyramid ever since Lexi joined practice, but after over an hour it was still not hitting. Not because she wasn’t the right person to fill in, but just because it was a hard stunt to pull off. Glancing over, I saw Portia was still sitting in the parent viewing area with her mom, keeping a strict eye on Lexi and her progress every step of the way.

  “Hey Lex,” I called out, jogging across the mat to where my best friend was getting ready to step up for the stunt once again. “You’ve got this, okay.” When she didn’t agree with me immediately I continued. “It took me and Catherine almost a week to learn the stunt, and even longer to get it to hit all the time.”

  “We don’t have that long for me to get it though,” she reminded me. “We leave for Worlds in a week and I need to have it all perfect by then or I’ve failed the whole team. Plus, it will prove Portia should be here and not me.”

  “That’s not true though,” I assured her. “You’re lighter than Portia and a few inches shorter. Sure, she does great in the air, but for someone to step into this routine last minute that makes a difference. Catherine was one of the lightest flyers, and subbing in anyone but you would be a lot more for her bases to get used to. Besides, I know you can hit this. Maybe not tonight, but I know you. You’ll have all of this down in no time at all.”

  “Thanks Max,” she finally sighed, only looking slightly convinced.

  “My stunt team is staying late tonight to help run things and I can come in early tomorrow if you need it too,” I offered. “I know you’re going to kill it though. Just ignore Portia and trust your bases. It might feel like you don’t have the power to get the whole way up and over, but you’ll make it. Trust me.”

  Giving me a quick nod in agreement Lexi went and got in place for the stunt. Everyone that was part of the other side of pyramid, like myself and my stunt group, was watching and providing extra support both by counting, cheering, and also providing extra hands to catch flyers in the event of a fall. Much like the last few attempts the first part of the stunt where Lexi went up to full extension then was spun around once before being tossed up just enough for a kick double went great. Then, I held my breath as they went into the harder part of the stunt. Beside me Jackson wrapped an arm around my waist, obviously aware of my stress level.

  “5-6-7-8, dip one and GO!”

  At TJ’s count Lexi was propelled into the air for the up and over. Right as she was over Trish, who was holding onto both of her hands, she began to twist once. It was the first time she had ever been able to twist at all, so the fact that she kicked Nick in the shoulder on the way down was immediately forgiven as they loaded her up to be lifted once again for the bow and arrow assisted flip. As they executed it perfectly thanks to Emma’s grip on Lexi, I began cheering and celebrating with the rest of my team. Once she was brought back to the ground I saw that my friend had tears in her eyes, but was trying to blink them away before anyone noticed.

  “Amazing job everyone,” TJ called out once the noise level had quieted down a little. “Let’s take 2 minutes and then I want to run it again. If we can hit everything three times then we can end early.” He paused to look at the clock on the wall behind him. “Well, we can end just a little late rather.”

  Rushing forward, I gave Lexi a big hug, gushing over how good the stunt looked. She was still grinning from ear to ear as everyone around us was also letting her know she was doing great before heading off to find some water. Walking with Lexi once she had a second to breath I snuck a quick glance over to the parent viewing area and was happy to see that Portia was finally leaving the gym. I was glad, but it also made me remember I didn’t quite know what all happened today.

  “So how was everything in the office earlier?” I asked her, not sure how to choose my words. Lexi and Portia were still on Glow together after all, and they were pretty good friends thanks to both being flyers. I couldn’t imagine it was easy all of a sudden going toe to toe with her.

  “Weird,” Lexi frowned. “Portia understood why TJ chose me, but her mom was super mad. She went on and on about how if the gym didn’t even care about Portia then maybe she shouldn’t go to Summit at all.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yup,” she continued. “Portia wasn’t happy about that one, but Mrs. Brooks was just going on and on and wouldn’t even let her speak. When we were all finally coming out of the office Portia even said sorry to me, although I don’t think her mom heard.”

  “Hopefully it won’t make the end of the season awkward,” I frowned. This reminded me of when I had to deal with some serious cyberbullying from a teammate my second year at the gym. It didn’t end well, mostly since the girl in question, Leanne, refused to apologize for what she had done. Instead she fought with TJ and the other gym staff right along with her mom until they were both kicked out of the gym for good. Even thinking of it made me anxious, despite the fact it was almost two years ago.

  “Fingers crossed,” Lexi agreed. “Maybe Portia will help her mom chill a little between now and next practice. After all all, she's still center flyer and center for dance on Glow.”

  “But for some moms that will never be enough,” Whitney commented, having overheard our conversation. “Either way though you’re crushing pyramid and showing everyone you were the right choice for Nitro.”

  “Thanks Whitney,” Lexi beamed. “I still have a lot to learn though.”

  As if on cue TJ started calling everyone back to the mat to continue practice. Checking the clock on the wall I saw it was already 9:30. I knew if the rest of the team left by 10 then it would be a miracle. With the extra stunts to go over I had a feeling it would be 11 or 11:30 until I left the gym. But, as tired as I was going to be in the morning, having Lexi on the mat with me was entirely worth it.

  Stunt practice at the end of the evening went a lot better than pyramid had, despite everyone being tired. Lexi knew our routine well enough from watching it all season, and also thanks to having a lot of the same elements in her routine for Glow, so we didn’t stay at the gym as late as I was expecting. It was still much later than the rest of Nitro, so TJ canceled the extra practice we were planning for Thursday. Between the extra tumbling on Tuesday, and practice each night running over I was thankful for a chance to be at home for more than a few minutes after school ended.

  I of course was using it to catch up on some English class reading while snacking on homemade nachos. My cats Thunder and Lightning were both circling around my feet hoping to get some crumbs, but knowing I had a long night in the gym ahead of me I didn’t grant their wishes. Instead I focused on my work, taking notes as I read so I would be ready for a test the day before I was heading to Worlds. In fact, I was so focused I didn’t even notice my dad had walked into the house until he plopped down in a seat next to me.

  “Oh my gosh, you scared me!” I gasped, dropping the cheese covered chip I had been bringing to my mouth.

  “Sorry sweetie,” he laughed. “I said hi to you when I walked i
n. You must be reading something good.”

  “Not really,” I frowned. “It’s really hard to understand so I keep having to read stuff over again. Shakespeare may technically be English but it’s not normal English.”

  “Yeah, I never got into his plays either. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out like you always do.” He paused to steal some of my nachos before continuing. “What time do you need to be at the gym tonight?”

  “Not until 6,” I replied, closing my book and giving up on reading. “TJ was going to have us come in early and work with Lexi on the stunts, but he said only her and her group needs to come now. Especially since we had early tumbling practice once already this week.”

  “Well that was nice of him. How’s Lexi doing by the way? It was hard to see everything from the viewing area yesterday.”

  Like the other parents, my dad watched practice from behind a glass window. I liked to joke that it was kind of like a zoo, since parents were not allowed out of the room while teams were practicing or performing. Because of that a lot of kids were just dropped off and picked up from the gym, with their families not bothering to even come in to see any progress being made. My dad, on the other hand, loved to see me in action. He was used to watching me in long basketball, baseball, and soccer games, so only getting 2 and a half minutes on a competition day was clearly not enough. So, he came to every single practice. Even when he was arriving later than me thanks to work, he made sure to be at the gym before the night was over so he could catch up on whatever Nitro was working on. And, as anyone at the gym would tell you, my dad was the best source of snacks on comp day. He had his own bag he wore at cheer so he was always ready to pass out Skittles, beef jerky, and anything else kids might need for a pick me up either before or after they took the mat.

  “Pyramid was really hard but everything is coming together,” I explained, glad to get my mind off of Shakespeare. “I don’t know if she will be ready for dance or to do much tumbling, but so far she’s been a life saver. I’m really glad TJ picked her over Portia.”

  “Portia on Glow?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded, only then realizing I hadn’t told him the news the night before. I had spent the ride home struggling to stay awake after so many hours at the gym. “Apparently when Portia and her mom found out Lexi was offered the spot on Nitro they kind of freaked out. Or rather Portia’s mom freaked. They were in the office arguing with TJ for almost two hours. But Lexi still gets the spot, and apparently Portia is okay with it even if her mom is being a baby about it all.”

  “Well, Nancy always has been pretty dramatic when it comes to Portia,” my dad agreed. “Last season when Portia wasn’t center for dance Nancy complained for a solid week in the team’s parent group chat. By the end all the other moms with kids on Fuze were begging Nicole to move Portia to center just to make her stop complaining.”

  “How did you know about all that?” I asked.

  “I hear everything honey,” he laughed. “The moms don’t come talk to me about it, but none of them know how to whisper when they’re sitting in the viewing room gossiping. At any given time I know every mom that’s unhappy, I know about every injury in the gym, and even what girls are on their periods. It’s a lot of oversharing, but every now and then I get something useful or at the very least entertaining.”

  “My dad: the secret agent,” I joked.

  “Basically,” he agreed with a funny raised eyebrow expression. “So are you full from nachos or should I get dinner going before practice?”

  “Dinner,” I said immediately. “We should order pizza.”

  “You’ve clearly thought this one through.”

  “I noticed you didn’t disagree,” I commented, grinning as my dad nodded in reply then got up to get the coupons stuck to the fridge. “Meat lover’s and Hawaiian are my vote.”

  “I figured as much,” he answered, pulling out his phone to order. “But since we’re doing pizza you have to get some laundry started.”

  “What?” I whined, going a little overboard.

  “We leave for Florida in a week and I don’t think you have a single clean outfit in your room,” he recapped. “I don’t want a last minute packing job like you did for the last two day comp.”

  “But I still remembered everything,” I challenged, honestly considering going back to homework instead of laundry.

  “You want pizza, you organize your dirty clothes and load the washing machine. Final offer.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. I got halfway to my room before walking back into the kitchen to give my dad a hug.

  “What was that for?” he mouthed, already on the phone to order pizza.

  “I just wanted a hug,” I whispered with an added shrug. “Love you Dad.”

  “Love you too,” he replied, then quickly continued. “Oh uh, sorry. That’s correct, the two medium pizzas deal.”

  “Nice Dad,” I laughed, imagining the look on the pizza guy’s face at my dad telling him he loved him. Then, wanting to get the inevitable over with, I headed to my room to start sorting my laundry.

  Thanks to the hard work on Wednesday night, as well as the early practice time for Lexi and her stunt group in the afternoon, practice on Thursday night was a breeze. It was the first time in at least three weeks that we got out on time, let alone early. TJ of course reminded us that we would be in for a long practice Saturday, and encouraged us to spend time doing warm ups, stretches, or even coming to the gym to take advantage of one of the open mats Friday. They were only open for a little bit of the evening thanks to other teams also getting ready for either Worlds or Summit, hence why Nitro actually had a day off. Rather than head into the gym though, I made plans to work on the air track I had at home instead.

  As was more common than not, I was having a group over for an evening of swimming and snacks. It was still a little cooler outside than most people liked for swimming, but our heated pool and fire pit made for the perfect compromise. Knowing everyone would be coming over a little later, when I got home from school I quickly made it through some homework then followed my dad's instructions to at least start packing. My uniform and a few swimsuits were as far as I got before I gave up and decided to tumble instead.

  Like always, I worked on some basic tumbling passes before easing into the harder ones that were a part of Nitro’s routine. My track wasn’t quite big enough for me to complete all of the skills for each of them, but I was able to work on bounce backs, getting height on my arabian, and of course keeping my feet perfectly together both before, during, and after my kick double full. Aside from the moment I kicked one leg up towards my head while I was upside down, I could perform almost the whole motion with my feet touching. It had taken me a lot of practice to get to that point, but I was glad I had since it made the move look good, and also helped on our technique score.

  “That looked perfect,” a voice called out after I landed a rather simple pass with a kick double. Turning around, I wasn’t too surprised to see it was Connor.

  “You’re early,” I told him, then stepped off of the tumbling track in case he wanted to take a turn.

  “I was at the gym for a little bit, but tumbling practice didn’t go as planned,” he frowned. “Now I get to rest as much as I can for a few days instead of throwing anything.”

  “What’s wrong?” I immediately asked. There was something about his tone that was like a giant red flag to me. Most people might not have picked up on it, but I knew Connor well enough to see right through his attempt at being casual.

  “I kind of tweaked my back,” he began. I must have made quite the facial expression since he held up his hands in surrender and continued speaking almost immediately. “It’s nothing big though. I just kind of over rotated on a double and felt a tiny pull. No big deal.”

  “Did you tell TJ? Or Lenny? You have to tell TJ. Like, right now.”

  “Max, chill,” he pleaded with a laugh. “TJ already knows.”

  “Promise?” I challenged.

  �
�Of course. He was literally watching me tumble and saw it happened. We put ice on it, did some stretches to make sure it was nothing too serious and I’m going to the doctor tomorrow morning to get a second look just in case.”

  I watched Connor closely, then finally decided to believe him. Not that he was untrustworthy, I just get a little more antsy about injuries than most people. After all, just a year prior I tried to keep the fact that I had a broken ankle from TJ and the rest of Nitro. Well, not broken really, just badly sprained. The real break came when I continued to go full out on the injury, downplaying the pain and severity until I could barely compete at Worlds. But I did manage to perform at finals, and then needed surgery right after making it home from Florida. Connor wasn’t as bullheaded about stuff like that as I was, so I trusted he knew better than to just ‘push through’ like I had.

  “Do you think you will still be okay to tumble in Florida?”

  “I should be fine,” he nodded. “If the doctor is at all worried then TJ and I will figure something out, but it’s not that serious right now. Unlike some people, I’m getting help before it gets to a point where it’s really affecting me on the mat.”

  “Ha ha, funny,” I said flatly. “Well, I need to shower after all my tumbling. Why don’t you hang out in the hot tub in the meantime? I’m sure it will help whatever is up with your back.”

  “I was kind of thinking the same thing,” he agreed easily.

  Leaving Connor to soak his way to recovery, I got cleaned up and changed into my favorite bright blue bikini. I thought about putting effort into my hair or even applying a little makeup, but knew it was pointless. We would be swimming and playing in the pool for a while, so it would make any work I did on my appearance all but pointless. Despite the fact that I saw Jackson in the gym while I was sweaty and gross, I still usually felt the need to look at least a little nice if we were hanging out outside of practice in an effort to impress him. I blamed that one on Lexi and Halley’s influence for sure.