Center Stage (TNT Force Cheer #3)

by Dana Burkey

  “It’s maybe-,” I paused, not sure how to say what I was feeling.

  “Just tell me the truth,” she reminded me, reaching out to rest her hand on my shoulder.

  “What if everyone on the team hates me for Leanne leaving? What if they all blame me and want me gone and agree with everything she had to say? I mean, none of them know what happened, so what if they think I did something to get her kicked out of the gym?”

  Once I was done talking Tonya frowned, then leaned in to hug me. For a second I was mad she didn’t tell me I was wrong, that it wasn’t all my fault. But then, I realized that the hug was her way of saying exactly that. Then, she finally let me go and stood up, wiping a tear from her eye as she did.

  “Max, I’m sorry for all of this,” she said sincerely. “What you had to go through with Leanne wasn’t fair. She said some terrible things about you and about your family. Things that made it easy for us to make the decision to remove her from the gym when she didn’t apologize for her actions. But now I’m still sorry. Sorry that anyone could doubt why Leanne left, or in any way make you feel like you did anything wrong. You did nothing wrong, and I don’t want anyone to make you feel like it was someone other than Leanne who was responsible for her leaving.”

  “But people don’t know,” Halley said simply. “Max told some of us about what happened, but I don’t think anyone else knows the story. Or at least not the real story.”

  “Maybe we need to change that.”

  Before I could even ask what she had in mind, Tonya gave me another fast hug then turned and left my room, closing the door as she went. I was instantly nervous she was going to go just announce things to anyone willing to listen, but then thought better of it. Tonya was like a big sister to me, and in some ways a motherly figure at the same time. She took me to get my haircut when I was in need, and always checked to see if I needed help on girly things like my makeup and cheer uniform. But on top of that, she truly cared about me. Ever since the first time I cried in her office explaining that I was afraid I would never fit in at the gym, she was one of my favorite people at TNT Force. So, trying not to worry until I saw just what Tonya was up to, I turned to my best friends.

  “Sorry,” I said, not sure how to express exactly how I felt for racing out of my own party.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about,” Lexi assured me instantly.

  “I just feel bad you guys had to leave the party and come find me and all that,” I tried again, although I was thankful to have them with me all the same.

  “Connor was actually the one who told us something might be wrong,” Halley explained.

  “Yeah,” Lexi added. “I thought you were just hungry or something. But then he said you looked upset when you left the pool. He just didn’t know why.”

  “I overheard some people talking about me,” I quickly filled them in. “After my last trick they were saying that I was the best flyer since I got Leanne kicked off the team.”

  “What?” Lexi asked.

  “Who said that?” Halley also asked.

  “I don’t know. But clearly Leanne has been telling people her side of the story.”

  “Should we go back out there?” Halley finally asked, after we all sat there in silence for a few moments.

  Nodding in agreement, we all stood up and made our way back outside. Not wanting to jump back into the pool right away I walked over and grabbed a cupcake from the dessert table. Lexi and Halley stuck by my side, also taking the time to enjoy something sweet to snack on. Turning away from the table I wasn’t too surprised to see Connor walking towards me.

  “Hey,” he said simply, grabbing a cupcake then moving to stand next to me. “What’s up?”

  “Just having a snack,” I said with a smile. Then, bumping my shoulder into him I added, “Thanks Connor.”

  “Of course,” he smiled down at me. “I’ll always be right here for you Max. Not matter what.”

  Our conversation was instantly cut short when TJ clapped the familiar rhythm that was often heard around the gym. Everyone repeated the claps, quieting down and turning to face TJ. He was standing in the grass with Tonya, who gave a reassuring smile when she made eye contact with me.

  “I just wanted to take a little bit of your time real fast, to first of all, say a big thank you to the Turner’s. This party has been a great afternoon, and we are all very thankful for you having everyone over.” TJ paused while everyone clapped and cheered in agreement. Once everyone quieted down he continued. “If I could please have all the athletes gather around, we need to have a little bit of a team meeting. Athletes you can take a seat here, and families feel free to join us as you would like as well. After all, you are all a very important part of your child's time at the gym.”

  As athletes began climbing out of the pool or setting their food plates aside and moving towards TJ, I found myself frozen on the spot. This was it. This was the moment where TJ was going to let everyone know about everything that had happened. It was sure to help people know the truth, but it didn’t mean everyone was going to be okay with that truth. Since, after all, Leanne was gone and nothing was going to change that. Even if it was caused by her actions, there were sure to be people that were still not pleased with the end result. All of it scared me more than I wanted to admit.

  “Are you ready for this?” Connor asked me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

  “I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “But it’s now or ever I guess.”

  Giving Lexi and Halley my best attempt at a brave smile, I walked with Connor across the deck and into the grass. I grabbed a towel on the way, suddenly feeling rather exposed in my royal blue bikini. Wrapping the plush fabric around my body was like a layer of instant comfort, on top of Connor who was still all but glued to my side.

  “Over here,” Emma called out to me when I finally reached the spot where the other Nitro athletes were sitting down. Connor and I instantly moved to sit with her, noticing Jade, Matthew, Juleah, and Nick were also sitting by them as well.

  “Alright everyone,” TJ began once a few more athletes had also taken a seat in the grass. “We have some things we need to discuss. A lot has happened since practice Friday afternoon and I want everyone to have a chance to understand why those things occurred. I’m sure a lot of you have heard rumors or comments or maybe even think you know the truth. Well, I want to give everyone a chance to hear the story, to ask questions if needed, and hopefully understand why certain choices were made. After this if you still have questions or concerns you can talk to me in private, but right now I just want us to get everything out in the open in hopes it can help us to continue to become, and to remain, a united team.”

  I held my breath for what I knew was coming next. Sensing my nervousness Connor reached out and placed a hand on top of mine in the grass. Turning my wrist over, I gripped his hand. He squeezed my fingers in reply as TJ began the story I knew far too well.

  “As I’m sure many of you know, Leanne is no longer a member of Nitro, nor is she a part of TNT Force,” TJ began simply. “Due to her actions in the past as well as her actions most recently she was asked to permanently leave the gym. If you have any questions about this decision I would be happy to answer them and help us all hopefully get closure on this whole situation.”

  “Who’s going to fill her spot?” someone called out.

  “We’re not sure yet,” TJ said honestly. “We will be working on that in the next few weeks. Someone might swing over from Bomb Squad, or we might pull up someone from Fuze. Or we may begin training another flier to fill her role in the routine. It might take a little while to figure it all out, but we are confident we will be able to get through this as a team.”

  “Will she ever come back?” another athlete asked.

  “No,” came the reply. “She is no longer welcome to cheer at the gym again or attend any gym functions until further notice. This is not something the staff sees changing anytime soon based on the manner in which she left.”
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  Much like in the office the previous morning, my backyard suddenly went quiet. I had the feeling there were a lot of people that had questions they wanted to ask. But considering that they were sitting with me, at my house no less, it was awkward to say the least. Finally, someone spoke up.

  “Why was she kicked out of the gym?”

  I turned and saw it was a parent that asked the question. I didn’t know whose mother it was, but based on her tone and the expression on her face I got the feeling she was likely friends with Leanne’s mother. This fact was confirmed when she glanced my way after the question and raised one eyebrow before looking back at TJ.

  “There were a few reasons,” TJ began. “In the past Leanne has displayed a very poor attitude when her squad loses and she has talked back to coaches on more than a few occasions. She also had made comments or remarks to other athletes that bordered on bullying in the past. We have documented all of this over the last few years, just as we document everything that occurs in the gym that requires a coach to talk to an athlete or issue warnings due to their actions of behavior.”

  “So you just decided out of nowhere to remove her for things in the past?” The mother was clearly challenging TJ. Thankfully, he was not fazed by her in the least.

  “On Friday evening, the other gym owners and I became aware of additional infractions Leanne made in the past few weeks,” he said in reply to the additional question. “Leanne made an account on social media and was using it to post negative and hurtful things about an athlete at the gym. She chose to attack the other athlete in a way that crossed the line and goes against everything we try to instill in our athletes, especially those on senior teams. The account was made in secret, but recently posts have also been shared around to other accounts as well. The photos and videos were used to attack an athlete at a personal level, or to put it more simply, were cases of truly unwarranted cyber bullying.”

  “So people can’t post about someone they don’t like without getting kicked out of the gym?” This questions from Tess, which was no surprise to me.

  “No,” TJ assured her. “Many of the photos and videos Leanne uploaded to social media were taken from my personal computer without permission. At some point within the last week she broke into the office and went onto my computer in order to send the files to her personal e-mail account. That account was linked to the Instagram page where the posts were found. We were able to uncover proof of this on my computer, which alone is grounds for expulsion from the gym, even without the things she chose to post about the athlete in question.”

  “You mean Max?”

  There was a long pause following the question, which had also been asked by Tess. I squeezed Connor’s hand as tightly as I could until TJ answered. “Yes. The athlete Leanne posted about was Max.”

  “I have a question,” a voice near the back said. I turned to look and saw it was my dad. “What is being done to ensure that this level of cyber bullying does not happen to anyone else in the gym? Will there be consequences in the future if anyone is making comments about athletes regarding their physical appearance, health, or family?”

  “Absolutely,” TJ replied, a smile playing on his lips. Without saying it directly, my dad had just hinted about the posts Leanne made. The response was immediate as parents shifted uncomfortably to look at TJ to hear the answer. “The staff at TNT Force are planning to keep a close eye on the social media pages of all athletes on all teams. We are also working to draw up a contract that all athletes will be required to sign. It will include the gym’s anti-bullying policy and explain that if someone knows of an athlete being bullied and does not report it they will be disciplined along with the bully.” TJ paused to let it sink in. “What happened to Max is not the first time we have seen bullying in the gym. But this was the first time someone chose to cross the line in this way. Because of that we are making sure it does not happen again. We value each and every athlete that walks into our doors, and have a lot of people who consider TNT Force a second home. I for one feel like the gym is more of a family than an athletic center. So, when a part of that family chooses to do anything to make another part of that family feel hurt to the level Leanne chose to do so to Max, I have no tolerance for it.”

  After a pause, a voice finally asked, “Have the posts been taken down?” While others turned to see who had asked it, I simply watched TJ through the tears filling my eyes.

  “Yes,” he answered, giving me a slight nod. “They were all reported and the account Leanne was using was shut down. We have also made an effort to get the accounts who shared the negative photos and videos to also take their posts down and have gotten a good response so far. Most people we have talked to have been more than helpful once we explained the gravity of the situation to them.”

  After that, only a few people had questions, mostly about what they could do to help. It appeared that my dad allowed people to understand the kind of posts Leanne had made as well as how it felt as a parent to go through what he had been through. Even the mom with the permanent sneer on her face seemed to soften after my dad's questions. But as great as all of that was, hearing just how much TJ was doing to make sure I was the last person at the gym that was bullied was amazing.

  “Well, if there are no more questions I think we can get back to the party,” TJ finally said, and I saw many people nodding their heads in agreement. “This season is going to be a long one, with a lot of bumps along the way. Big bumps and little bumps and everything in between. My hope is that this bump is behind us and we can move on and become a better team because of having gone through it. Now let’s get all hands in for a Nitro on three.”

  Standing up I was wrapped in a hug by Connor instantly. Working hard to blink away the tears still filling my eyes, I hugged him back as I felt more arms wrap around me. At first it was just Emma, Jade, and Juleah joining the hug. But then, it was followed by Matthew, Nick, Addison, and others nearby. In fact, before I knew it the whole team was enveloping me in a massive group hug. After the hug stretched on for a few seconds, everyone began reaching their arms out towards me, making me the center of the team huddle. Although seemingly a small gesture, in that moment it was exactly what I needed.

  “Alright everyone, let’s do this,” TJ finally called out from his spot near the outskirts of the hug. We all joined in then, our voices extra loud as we did the simple team cheer.

  “3-2-1-NITRO!”

  Dana Burkey is a self-published author living in Washington State. Although she is from Ohio, she has been enjoying life in the Pacific Northwest for the last 7 years. Before moving to Washington, Burkey attended college in Ohio where she majored in theater with a minor in creative writing. Burkey works full time in camping, spending her days with K-5th graders. She began self-publishing her YA romance novels in August of 2014, hoping to write stories that can be enjoyed by YA readers of any age. Her books feature a lack of swearing, drinking, and sex, in an effort to allow younger readers to connect with her stories without bad influences. Burkey is currently working on a few projects, which she is looking forward to sharing with readers soon!

  Own the cover bow! Check out Sweet Angel Dream Bows on Etsy and order your custom bow today!

  Continue reading for a sneak peek at Dana Burkey’s Middle grade Romance, The Kiss Dare! For more information about this book and others, or to rate the book you just read, be sure to check out Dana on Goodreads or Amazon.

  Chapter 1

  “See you at lunch,” I called to Penny, only half paying attention to my hands as I fumbled with my locker combination. I had long since memorized the twists and turns to open it, pulling at just the right moment and causing the metal door to swing open.

  With a flurry of activity, I watched as a small black envelope fell from the top slots of my locker. It floated to my feet where I stared at it, wishing it would vanish. Knowing it was only a matter of time before someone else noticed it as well, I slammed my foot over it, blocking it from any prying eyes. I glanced ar
ound me to make sure no one was watching as I loaded my book into my messenger bag. Then, leaning down to pretend to tie my shoes, I slipped the envelope out from where it was concealed and tucked it into the bottom of my locker. Slamming the door as I stood up, I raced to first period despite there still being several minutes until the first bell would ring.

  It was not until well after I slid into my desk that I felt my breathing return to normal. My heart was still racing faster than usual, but I no longer felt like I might throw up. Slipping the hair tie off of my wrist, I pulled my hair into a low ponytail. The short blond locks barely stayed in place, but having them out of my face helped me to cool off a little more. I wiped the sheen of sweat from my forehead, then pulled out my notebook as Mr. Forrester began talking to the class.

  I took notes absentmindedly, my thoughts fixated on the small black envelope in my locker. No one I was friends with had ever gotten one, so why was I suddenly being pulled into this game? Maybe game is the wrong word for it. When you’re a beautiful cheerleader and get a note daring you to kiss a football player or even kiss a freshman, it’s a game. When you’re a popular guy on student council and you’re dared to kiss someone that rides the same bus as you, or kiss a girl that’s in your third-period class, it’s a game. But when someone like me gets a black envelope, it’s no longer a game.

  Knowing I couldn’t change anything at that point, I became determined to not let it get to me. Instead, I focused as hard as I could on history class. I followed along in the book and wrote down each and every word Mr. Forrester wrote on the board. Next, in math, I did extra problems on my worksheets to keep my mind from wondering. Making up extremely difficult equations to go along with the work we were already doing gave me something to focus on. Then, in choir I tried to hear each and every note of the piano as I sang along with Mrs. Kellerman. I usually just floated by in that class, but anyone sitting near me that day would have thought singing was my favorite thing in the world. I tried and retried to hit every single note each time we went through the song.