Super Base (TNT Force Cheer Book 5)

by Burkey, Dana

  SUPER BASE

  Dana Burkey

  Copyright © 2017 Dana Burkey

  All rights reserved.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Right off the bat I would like to say a mega THANK YOU to Bows By April and Dehen Cheer for making the cover possible. You truly brought my dreams to life with the bow and uniform.

  I would also like to say a big thank you to Northwest Silver Stars for allowing me to shoot photos in their gym. The local support I receive from you is a true blessing and joy!

  Finally I would like to dedicate this book to Sophie Mattes. I am beyond thankful to call you a friend, even if we live across the globe from one another. Your dedication, drive, and heart are an inspiration to me and many in the cheer world, and I cannot wait to see you take the stage at Worlds 2018 with Team England ParaCheer!

  “Remember, you still need to take it easy,” Connor reminded me as I stepped onto the blue air mat.

  “Come on, you know me,” I replied.

  “Exactly,” he laughed. “Take it easy.”

  Running three steps forward, I began a beyond basic series of moves for a level 5 cheerleader like myself. I performed a round off, my body flipping around thanks to a push from my hands, to land on both feet simultaneously for a nice transition into the next move. With extra height from the air mat boosting me into the air, I then did a back handspring. Usually I would follow it with a few more moves and end with a kick double full or another trick that was sure to get lots of points from judges. But, as Connor had said, I needed to take it easy. So, instead of going for something flashy I performed another backflip motion, this time tucking my knees into my chest as I went. The resulting move was a basic back tuck, which I landed before walking off the mat and back to where Connor was standing.

  “See, I went super easy,” I frowned, feeling rather lame for the skills I had just thrown.

  “Super easy means you keep healing, remember?”

  He emphasized his point by patting my head as he walked past me to step onto the mat I had just used. Then, as if to show off, he did his own running tumbling pass that was more at the difficulty I had wanted to perform. I didn’t bother to watch him the whole time though, instead moving to go sit on one of the gym’s blue performance mats to stretch. After all, stretching was one of the only things I could do without someone at the TNT Force Cheer gym reminding me to be careful and take it easy.

  As much as the reminders from athletes and coaches bugged me, I knew they were right. After all, it hadn’t even been four months since I broke my ankle bad enough to need surgery. I had a nice scar on the outside of my right ankle to remind myself of the whole ordeal, as well as the watching eyes of every athlete at the gym. Well, everyone at the gym as well as the world. The only difference was that when people around the world made comments, I could turn off social media notifications. When people at TNT Force said things, I had to nod and appear to be thankful for their advice.

  “If you stretch too much more you might break in half,” Connor told me, walking over to sit with me as I was holding a rather extreme body position. I was in a split to start, but then bent backwards over my right leg that was behind me. I was almost lying flat on my leg, my hands gripping my ankle to hold the move as long as possible.

  “I doubt that,” I assured him, pushing my body even flatter to deepen the stretch for emphasis.

  Connor seemed to ignore me, instead focusing on drinking from his water bottle. Since he could actually go all out with his tumbling practice, there was a layer of sweat shining on his forehead which made his already black hair look somehow even darker. It didn’t help that it was longer at the moment, the ends curling and sticking to his perspiration covered skin. Instead of a usual Nitro practice shirt he was wearing a thin grey tank top that was making his sweat stains grow and expand as he worked. It all made me feel even more annoyed I couldn’t put in a real work out like he clearly had.

  “Are you ready yet?” he asked me casually after I had been stretching a little longer.

  “I guess so,” I shrugged. “The usual?”

  “Of course.”

  Hopping up off the floor, I stood in front of Connor, my back facing him. I was well over a foot shorter than him, so as he placed his hands on my waist he leaned closer to reach down far enough. His grip was firm without being too tight, instead making me feel reassured that he was going to do what he needed to in order to keep me from falling or getting hurt again. Locking my hands around his wrists, I counted us in before we began the warm up stunt we had been doing for weeks.

  Bending my legs slightly, I pushed up with my feet as well as my hands as Connor tossed me straight into the air. Even if I hadn’t pushed to help my ascent, I would have easily flown upward thanks to Connor’s added height and muscles. I soared above the mat, keeping my body in a tight and straight line until I felt gravity kicking in and I began to fall. Only, I didn’t have to fall far. Instead, Connor reached his arms up and grabbed onto my feet to keep me from moving any further. I squeezed my ankles together as tight as I could as I held my arms up in a simple high-v. Once a solid 10 seconds had passed, Connor counted down before giving me a slight push forward as he moved his hands away from my feet. He then took hold of my waist as I was falling, keeping me from landing too hard onto the blue mat.

  “Single around?” I asked, placing my hands back on Connor’s wrists.

  “You don’t want to try that again?”

  “What do you think?”

  I turned to look at Connor as I spoke, raising one eyebrow to show him my current mood at doing such basic stunts. In reply, Connor smiled down at me, his dimples making it almost impossible to stay annoyed at his suggestion for long. His expression made it clear he was only messing with me, so I turned away from him and prepared to be tossed up once again. This time I spun around in a full circle before he caught me above his head just as seamlessly as before. It was all so frustrating considering the stunts I knew I was capable of, but the steady increase was the only way I was allowed to take things, according to both my dad and my coach.

  “I think you’re about ready for something harder,” Connor said to me an hour later. We had performed the same toss moves over and over again, and were finally sitting on the mat for a very necessary water break. “Maybe we can single leg on your left for a little bit at least. Then you can make sure you still have your balance.”

  “My balance is fine,” I replied, my tone coming out a little harsher than I meant it to at first. “I just don’t see why I can’t go back to normal stunts and tumbling yet. Sure, I got hurt. But I’m fine. No pain, no swelling, and I’m keeping it wrapped. Nothing is going to go wrong.”

  “I feel like you said that at Worlds at some point,” he teased.

  I stuck my tongue out at him, then pulled out the cheer bow I could tell was sitting crooked on my head. It was a white bow with a Starbucks logo and ‘I cheer a latte’ written in green glitter. It matched my white tank top with the same logo and letters, as well as my green cheer shorts. I did the best I could to fix it without the use of the wall of mirror behind me. Once it was in place I laid back flat on the mat, more out of frustration than exhaustion. />
  “What’s wrong?” Connor asked, likely in reply to the heavy sigh I let out once I was resting on my back.

  “I just want things to be back to normal,” I said, turning to look at him once he moved to lay down beside me.

  “You don’t have too much longer to wait,” he reminded me. “In fact, I bet by camp TJ will let you do at least most of the skills.”

  “If not, I’ll go crazy.” I thought about it for a second before I continued. “Or more crazy. I already feel like I’m losing my mind every time I have to watch everyone do stunts and tumbling while I either do nothing or have to water it all down.”

  “A little waiting now will be worth it later,” Connor said, his face more serious than it had been all through our practice time. His expression made his dark green eyes look more intense than usual. “You get hurt again and Nitro won’t have any chance of making it to Worlds and showing everyone that we’re so much more than a second place team. We should have won last year. So as much as it sucks right now, just think of how good Florida’s going to be next year.”

  I nodded in reply, deep down knowing that what he was saying was true. Last season all felt like a build up to win Worlds, but in the end, we didn’t make it happen. Coming in second place was great, but we had been certain the golden globe trophy and the rings were coming home with us. All of it made the athletes returning for the new season on the team that much more determined to get back out there and show the world what we could do. Which also meant I needed to stay healthy enough to be a part of everything. Even thinking about Worlds had made me eager to get back to work.

  “Want to do a few more single arounds?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Connor agreed easily, obviously as determined as I was.

  “Do you think you’ll get to fly for the showcase?” Lexi asked me later that evening as we sat around my pool enjoying the sunny Texas weather.

  “I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “TJ’s been really strict with me. I’m not even allowed to throw basic tumbling during most practices, and any stunting I do is only at prep level or on two legs.”

  “It looks really good though,” Halley offered, from the other side of me. “It’s really easy to see you did a lot of core work over the summer.”

  “True, but I’m sure it still kind of sucks,” Lexi noted. “I think I would go insane.”

  Halley nodded in agreement, and I found myself thankful that they both understood me so well. When I had told my neighbor Peter the latest update after getting home from the gym, he didn’t seem to understand why I was so frustrated still. He was a great friend, but it really did take a fellow cheerleader to understand the struggles sometimes. Being on the mat wasn’t enough when you knew you could do more, injury or no.

  “So, I think I want to get my hair cut,” Lexi said, changing the subject to one she had clearly been thinking about for a while.

  “How short?” I asked, shocking myself. Just two years ago I could have cared less about things like hairstyles and makeup. But now, as a cheerleader, it was a part of my everyday life in so many ways. I was still a tomboy all the way, but I had little girly moments now and then thanks to my time spent around rhinestones, mascara, and the like.

  “As short as yours,” Lexi replied, giving me a worried expression.

  “You should, it’s so much less work to deal with,” I encouraged her. Her expression instantly turned to a grin, clearly relieved I was okay with her copying my haircut.

  “What if I said I was thinking about cutting my hair too?” Halley chimed in quickly. “I’ve been thinking it will help me look more mature now that I’m on a senior team.”

  “Then we would all match!” Lexi all but shouted, clearly loving the idea.

  And I had to admit, I liked the idea as well. I got to know Lexi and Halley before I even joined the gym, meeting them at the local indoor trampoline park. I had been impressed with the tricks they were performing, otherwise I never would have talked to people so different from myself. The first time I met them they had been covered in head to toe rhinestones and glitter while I was wearing basketball shorts and an old faded shirt. But before long I was cheering with them at TNT Force, and had somehow bonded with them despite being so different.

  We didn’t just dress differently either. I stood out like a sore thumb around my friends. They were both super hard to miss with their bright blond hair, thankfully natural unlike some cheerleaders I had met during my time at gym. Not only that, but they also managed to look fancy all the time thanks to their expertly applied makeup. Even while we were tanning and swimming for the day, Lexi had on eyeliner to help her bright blue eyes pop, and Halley made sure to wear a white tankini so it brought out her tan skin and brown eyes even more. I, on the other hand, was like a less polished version of them. Sure, I had on a pink and green swimsuit that was similar to the one Lexi was wearing, but I wasn’t what most people would consider cute. I was short and tiny despite my muscles from cheer, but my short cropped brown hair, thick eyebrows, and blue-green eyes made me look more tough than sweet any day.

  “Having matching hair would make for some great pictures this season,” I added, focusing on the planning once again. “It will help us look better in photos even though we’ll all have on different uniforms.”

  “For now,” Lexi said, a gleam in her eyes.

  “You’re really going to talk to TJ?” I asked her, knowing instantly what she was referring to.

  “I have to,” she all but whined. “I mean, I love that we have a junior restricted 5 team now, but I want to be on Nitro with you so bad. And if Catherine’s struggling on flying then I can totally replace her.”

  “But then you two will be on a team without me,” Halley chimed in. “I mean, purple and teal look great together for photos, but I’ll serious be jealous when you two both get to go to Worlds.”

  “That’s if we both get to go,” Lexi quickly reminded her. “I still have to actually make it on the team.”

  “Besides, you were both on the same team without me last year,” I reminded Halley.

  “Oh yeah,” she said with a thoughtful look. “But being on a different team than us let you go to Worlds. So, it’s not exactly the same thing as both of you going without me.”

  Halley continued trying to make her point for a few more minutes, then gave up to simply enjoy the sun. After all it was way too hot to do much more than lay around and relax. Despite it being the middle of August, it was just as hot as it had been all summer. Which was the only good thing about being restricted at cheer from my injury. Much like last summer every Nitro practice began with a THREE mile run before conditioning and then a grueling team practice. I still joined the team for most of the conditioning, but my coach wasn’t letting me run just yet.

  “You can walk one lap if you want,” TJ had explained to me once I was cleared for light duty by my doctor. “But if I see you run even a step I’ll make you a bonafide water girl for the next three months.”

  My coach was tough, but also had my best interests in mind. Or at least that’s what my dad told me when I complained that evening. The truth was, I felt like running was going to help my ankle. Sure, it might push it a little too hard too soon, but after sitting out and watching assessments and then team placements from the sidelines, I felt like I was somehow cheating. Being placed on a top team at the gym without proving myself since the final performance at Worlds felt unfair to me. The only thing I could do about it, however, was heal faster so I could get on the mat and show everyone what I was still capable of.

  “When do you go to the doctor again Max?” Lexi asked, as if reading my mind.

  “Thursday. It can’t get here fast enough.”

  “Do you think you’ll be cleared after that?” Halley asked, sitting up on her deck chair to look at me while I replied.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “It’s only a matter of time before TJ lets me start trying more stunts and tumbling at practice, but it’s weird. There’s
a little part of me that’s worried when I go to do the skills, I’ll mess up.”

  “After an injury like you had I wouldn't be surprised if you have some trouble,” Halley nodded. “Not that I want you to deal with that or anything. I’ve just seen it happen a lot.”

  “Exactly. Like when Cassidy came back to the gym.”

  Lexi’s comment made me instantly more worried, my mind jumping to not only images of my surgery scar, but also the one I had seen after my gymmates’ injury my first season cheering. Cassidy had been a flier on Fuze, TNT’s senior level 4 team. But, when she fell and broke her collarbone I filled in for her to end the season. Everyone assumed she would come back and be back on Fuze or even a Worlds team before too long, but when she showed up for assessments just over a year later she struggled to even do basic tumbling and was too afraid of falling to try getting lifted again. Instead she was placed on a much lower level team based on her now more limited skills. I felt a cold chill race up my spine, instantly nervous I might share her fate.

  “You don’t need to worry though Max,” Lexi assured me. “You’re still tumbling fine, and from all the Snapchats you post while you and Connor practice it looks like you’re getting a lot done.”

  “A lot of what exactly we aren’t sure,” Halley said quickly before both her and Lexi began giggling.

  “My flying’s not that bad,” I reminded them.

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” Halley began, only to get cut off by Lexi.

  “Do you have ice cream? I think I might die if I don’t eat ice cream right about now.”

  “This is my house we’re talking about here,” I began slowly for dramatic effect. “Of course we have ice cream. Now do you want chocolate fudge with that or butterscotch sauce.”

  “Is both an option?” Lexi grinned.

  “Always.”

  Walking into the gym the following morning I noticed Lexi was not only already at the gym, but already in the office talking to TJ. I walked through the room, all the way down to the mat Nitro would be performing on for the day. The TNT Force gym was made up of four blue mats, all spring-loaded for all star cheerleading. They came complete with a wall of mirrors for athletes to see how they looked during practice along with a set of cubbies just off the floor for storing backpacks and water bottles. On the other side of the long rectangular room was first and foremost an office. It was made up of a few smaller rooms where each of the three owners TJ, Nicole, and Tonya could do paper work when they weren't out coaching. Attached to that was an aptly named ‘viewing room’ which was the only place parents could stay to watch practices. The large picture window also kept all comments from affecting practices in any major way. Beyond that were the bathrooms, the much-used water fountain, and then an area filled with trampoline tracks, air mats, and even a foam pit where athletes could work on their running tumbling skills.