by Dana Burkey
For a second it looked like Tonya was going to say something else, but we were cut off as loud yelling erupted from inside the office. Even with the door shut, the windows closed and covered, and the noise of the gym not far away, their words were clear. Leanne and her mom were not happy with whatever TJ and Nicole had just said, and were yelling everything they could think of to express their thoughts on that matter.
When I was little, I remembered the first time I really heard and understood what a bad word was. My mom and dad had put me to bed, but I wasn’t tired for whatever reason. So, instead of trying to fall asleep I snuck to the top of the stairs to see what they were watching on TV. From my spot perched above the family room I heard the actor in the movie they were watching use a word that caused both of my parents to literally laugh out loud. Since I had ever heard the word before, I assumed it was something funny and saved the word in my mind to use when I wanted to make people laugh as well.
The next week at school we were all enjoying a snack time and one of the boys in class was telling a story about his brother that was making the other students in the class laugh. Not to be outdone, I decided it was time to use the word I had heard my parents laugh at. So, just as everyone was quieting down, I said the word nice and loud so everyone would hear. Unfortunately, no one laughed.
In fact, the opposite occurred. My mom and dad were called into school that day and had to sit with me as my teacher explained how I had used the ‘f’ word in class. It was weird to me that I was getting in trouble for using a word that made them laugh in the past. But my parents explained to me that it was a really bad word. When I still didn’t get it, they explained that it kind of meant ‘really’ or ‘a lot.’ They also explained that only adults should use it, it was not something for a kindergartener like myself. Over and over again they expressed to me that they didn’t want me to ever say it again. And I didn’t, until two weeks after my mom died.
After my mom died I was struggling with everything, as was to be expected. So, on a particularly hard day I decided to once again use the ‘f-word.’ I said it to describe my hatred for the cancer that took my mother from me. Although my teacher was both shocked and unhappy I used the word, she hugged me and had tears in her eyes all the same. She still called and spoke to my father, who reminded me not to use that word. Even as he reminded me, it was clear he wasn’t as mad as the time before since I had used it to express my emotions towards cancer and the destruction it had caused in my life. It was clear everyone knew I was going through a lot at that time, so all was forgotten when I assured my dad I would never say it again. And I held true to that promise, making sure that even in anger I kept the word from my mouth.
With that in mind, hearing the ‘f-word’ flying from the office in the TNT Force gym hit me like a shock wave. Not just because I was certain at least one of the voices saying the word was Leanne, but also because it was combined with a lot of other hateful words and accusations. The voices began to overlap and drown each other out, but I heard my name a few times, as well as what seemed to be some not so nice opinions of me. Thankfully, it ended abruptly, and was followed by Leanne and her mother both storming out of the office and then out of the gym altogether. They were in such a hurry, in fact, that they didn’t seem to notice me or my dad standing by as they left.
“Well, that went well,” TJ said with a shrug as he finally exited the office.
“That was what it looks like when it’s going good?” I asked. “I would hate to see how it would look if it’s going bad.”
The comment seemed to be just what the moment needed, causing TJ to laugh before walking over and giving me a hug. I was a little confused, but knew that in order for Leanne and her friends to be there when we arrived, the coaches likely had had long chats with them all morning. What I didn’t know was just what was said during those conversations.
“Max, we really want to let you know how sorry we are that all of this occurred,” Nicole said, also walking over to give me a hug once TJ had let me go. “You are an amazing athlete and a joy to have at this gym. Leanne wasn’t ready for the competition you suddenly gave her, and it unfortunately showed in a way we didn’t see until it was a little too late.”
“So, what’s going to happen now?” I asked, looking between the three gym owners for an answer.
“Leanne is no longer a part of the TNT Force family,” Tonya said simply.
“You mean she’s not on Nitro?”
“She’s no longer at the gym at all,” TJ explained. “Even before you arrived it was clear that Leanne no longer cared about anyone but herself. We’ve seen little things in the past, and have even spoken to her about some things. But this was different. This was much worse, and we knew it was the last straw.”
“Just like that?” I asked, not really sure if what I was hearing was real.
“Leanne and her mom have been here for quite a while going over all of this with us,” Nicole explained. “Once your dad called us we tried to get to the bottom of everything and spent last night looking into a lot of different accounts and posts. But it was about more than that. Leanne didn’t just post things, she snuck into TJ’s office and stole videos off of his computer. When we realized that, we decided to meet with them as early as possible so we could address that issue. Thankfully she didn’t cover her tracks online that well and we could see exactly when she logged on to export the files to her e-mail account.”
“Did she admit to any of it in the end?” my dad asked, the same thought I was also thinking.
“No,” TJ said with a shake of his head. “But Kennedy and Amber-Lynn told us everything we needed to know. They were both more than happy to help us out and give us the information we needed. We even have some screenshots of messages Leanne sent to both girls about you, proving her motive also matched the timeline of posts.”
“Your wins at Summit were what appear to have really set her off,” Tonya added. “Until then, she was pretty much just hoping for you to fail. But when both Blast and Fuze won after Nitro didn’t make top 3 at Worlds, she really seemed to have it in for you.”
I nodded, but it was so much to take in. It had been one thing to assume different things, and even see bits of evidence for it. But to stand there in the gym and hear that Leanne had been plotting against me for months was crazy to think about. Not only that, but I even spent time helping her work on her tumbling. While I had been trying my best to be friends with her, she was trying to use social media to get out her frustrations and bring me down a notch. And it worked. It made me feel terrible. But, unfortunately for her, it also got her removed from the gym.
My dad and I stayed for a little longer to talk to the coaches, then we headed home. On the short drive, I sent a group text to everyone who had been at my house the night before and gave them the news. It was a shortened version, which I assumed would be good enough for a little while. Instead, the questions began pouring in and I had to go over a lot of the details again. Typing them out felt weird and pretty terrible at times. Part of me was glad Leanne was no longer going to be able to treat me the way she had, but another part of me felt bad. She was kicked out of TNT Force, and I felt responsible.
My friends were all shocked at first to say the least. Even after giving them the basic story, they kept asking if it was really true that Leanne had been removed from not just Nitro but the whole gym. I explained the fight before Leanne and her mom left in more details, hoping it would help. Since I didn’t know what the conversation was like before I got there, it was all I could offer to my friends. Thankfully it did the job to help the news sink in for everyone.
“Better you than her,” Matthew finally said in the group chat. Everyone sent comments agreeing. Then, my phone buzzed again as Connor sent a text to just me, rather than posting in the group conversation.
“This isn’t your fault,” he had typed.
“I didn’t say it was.” I tapped out my message slowly, not sure what else to say in reply.
“But I know you
, Max,” Connor answered back. “You’re an amazing person and don’t like to see other people in trouble even if they deserve it. Like when Scott was kicked off Nitro. I could tell you blamed yourself a little since he was in your stunt group. But this isn’t like that. Leanne dug her own grave on this one.”
I had to read his message twice before I could reply. He really did know me better than most other people, including many of the athletes on Nitro. “You’re the best Connor.”
Connor messaged a reply offering to come over early the next morning to help set up. It was then, as I stared at my phone that I remembered the whole team was coming over Sunday afternoon. Every athlete and their family was invited for the cook out and pool party. That meant I was about to be face to face with the whole team that was now down one flier. All thanks to things she had posted about me. The thought had my stomach churning even thinking about it. So, after explaining that Connor was welcome to come over as early as he wanted, I turned off my phone and went outside to work on tumbling using my air mat. I only hoped it would work as well as the day before at getting my mind off everything.
By Sunday morning I was feeling a little more at ease about the Leanne situation. Enough so that I finally logged back onto Instagram. I had missed a lot of posts from friends, as I was expecting. What I was not expecting, however, was that I had even more followers and likes and comments than ever before. It was confusing at first, but then I saw that all my friends at TNT Force had shared a post about me that was started by Connor.
The post was a photo of me being held high above Matthew in my backyard from Friday afternoon. The picture was a little hard to make out since over it was a whole paragraph asking accounts to take down photos that were mean or hurtful to me, explaining that I had been the victim of cyberbullying recently on Instagram. The message also had a request to share the post in an effort to help inform people about what had happened. The posts also included the hashtag #TNTForceMax. When I clicked on the hashtag, I was floored to see dozens of copies of that original post pop up, as well as many more people using the hashtag when they shared other photos and videos of me from my page and my friends’ accounts.
All of it was enough to make me tear up as I raced to find my dad and show him. I had to then help him make his own Instagram account so he could be a part of the fun. Worry set in that I would have to spend the whole morning helping him upload hundreds of photos, but when my friends arrived I was instantly off the hook.
“Connor, you’re the best!” I announced, jumping onto him the second I saw he was standing on the doorstep. Despite sending him a few text messages, I felt the need to say it in person as well.
“You two are adorable,” Emma laughed, walking past both of us and into my house. “Where should I put everything?”
Finally letting go of Connor, I grabbed some of the bags Emma was carrying and took them into the kitchen. Although we had worked on most of the crafts together, she had also been working on some items at home on her own. We quickly unpacked the snack bags, supplies for the decorate-your-own-cheer-bow station, and finally the rest of the balloons and streamers we needed to use around the pool deck. We knew that Matthew would be coming over with Lexi and Halley soon enough, and wanted to make as much progress before they arrived.
“Do you think people are going to be mad when they see Halley is here?” Emma asked as we worked as a team to blow up balloons with the helium tank my dad had bought. “I mean, I know families were invited, but she doesn't really have a sibling on the team.”
“If anyone asks she is my sister for the day,” I replied with a shrug. “Besides, with Lexi coming with Matthew it wouldn’t be fair to leave Halley out.”
“Good point,” Emma smiled. “And I’m for sure not complaining. The more help on these balloons the better.”
“Do you know if anyone isn’t coming?” Connor asked, although I knew immediately he was hinting at something specific from the way he asked the question.
“Who are you wondering about?” I challenged him, pausing in adding ribbon to a balloon.
“Tess,” he said simply.
I should have guessed he would mention her, since she was Leanne's best friend on Nitro. Although Kennedy and Amber-Lynn were closer with her, since they were both on Bomb Squad Leanne spent most of her time with Tess. In a lot of ways Tess reminded me of a little Leanne wannabe with her hair and makeup styled just like Leanne’s every day. The only different was that Tess was a few inches taller and was better suited to be a base than to fly. She was still what most people would call ‘thin,’ but just not quite thin enough to be tossed in the air. If it wasn’t for their different build and Tess’s braces, they could pass as twins. As it was, I’d heard a few people ask them if they were sisters at competitions.
“I’m assuming she’ll be here,” I finally said. “But I don’t know. We have enough food for all of the Nitro families and about half of the rest of the gym, so whoever shows up I just hope they’re hungry.”
Proud at how I had sidestepped the question, I looked over and saw Connor was still watching me. Emma had gone back to work on filling the balloons, but Connor could tell something was wrong. Exactly what was wrong, I didn’t really know myself. It was almost as if I had nerves and worries building up in me even thinking about the team showing up. Much like the post my friends had made to Instagram, I knew Leanne must have also gotten the word about what happened to her friends. Whether it was the truth or what she wanted to be true, I didn't know. I just hoped that all of it wouldn’t affect the team or the swim party.
“Reinforcements have arrived,” my dad announced as he opened the sliding glass door so Matthew, Lexi and Halley could join us on the deck. I was happy for their help and very happy for the iced coffees they began passing out. But, mostly, I was happy for the distraction. Putting aside thoughts about Heather, I began helping my friends put out teal table cloths, all while Connor kept an eye on me from across the yard. Clearly, he was more aware of my mood than I wanted him to be in that moment.
With my resolve to not think too much about everything with Leanne or how it might affect the rest of Nitro, I focused on finishing decorating. We worked hard to cover the deck, yard, and even the kitchen in teal, silver, and blue. All the while my dad was busy getting food out on the serving tables and meat on the grill. The hard work of getting everything in place and ready made the time fly by fast, and before I knew it we were greeted with the arrival of TJ and the other members of Nitro.
“This place looks perfect,” TJ said in shock as he walked out of the house and onto the pool deck.
“It’s all Emma,” I told him honestly. “She was the master party planner, I just provided the pool.”
“Well, I love it all,” he assured me, giving me a quick side hug. “This is going to be great.”
I couldn’t agree with him more as athletes began enjoying the pool as well as the tables full of food and snacks my dad had baked and bought. My friends quickly made their way into the water, and got right to launching me into the air. Considering the other times they were over for swimming, it was the natural activity to try. Not to mention it was entertaining to the parents that were taking photos in between hanging out with one another. The party was just as much a chance for the adults to spend time together as it was for the athletes, most of whom were either in the pool or sitting along the edge with their feet in the water.
“You want to try that kick triple again?” Matthew asked me, referring to the basket toss we had tried not long ago. It had left me with a faceful of water on the first attempt.
“Let’s try it,” I nodded, swimming to stand between him, Connor, Nick, and Aaron.
Once Emma was out of the deep end where they had just launched her, we counted down and I flew high into the air. After completing a backflip motion, I kicked my leg up nice and high before whipping my body around in three spirals before entering the water feet first. It wasn’t as gentle of a landing as I wanted since there was a small
splash spreading around me. But, it was much better than the initial attempt not long ago. Even from under water I could hear people celebrating, only truly realizing how many people were cheering us on once I made it to the surface.
“Looks like Max is the best flier now that she got rid of Leanne.”
The sudden comment made me pause as I swam back to the shallow end. I quickly glanced to see who it was that had spoken, but it was impossible to be sure who it was. There were so many athletes and parents in the direction that the comment had come from, leaving me feeling instantly more paranoid. Either way, what I did know was that my fears and worries were coming true. Word had gotten around that I was at least part of the cause for Leanne leaving the gym, and people weren’t happy about it.
“Ready to go again?” Connor asked once I was close to where him and the other bases were waiting.
“I think I want to take a break,” I said, then quickly exited the pool before anyone could press me for more details.
Walking quickly, I was in my room and closing the door before I even knew where I was heading. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down, but I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that everyone at the party was faking it. That they were all pretending to have fun, while quietly judging me. I worried they were all just waiting for me to quit the team so Leanne could come back to the gym. Part of me knew it was crazy to think that way, but I just couldn’t push the thought aside.
“Max?”
Hearing Lexi’s voice in the hallway outside my bedroom I let out a sigh, then immediately moved to open the door. I was a little startled when I saw her standing there with both Halley and Tonya, but let them all in just the same. All three of them had been there for me through some pretty rough times at the gym, so knowing they were already there for me with the new situation I found myself in was a relief to say the least.
“Is everything okay?” Tonya asked. I took a seat on my bed, Lexi and Halley sitting next to me immediately. “We’re a little worried about you Max.”