Page 91 of Everything's Better With You
“The whole picturing them in their underwear thing did not work for me,” Joe said. “I once pictured the host ofDance Machine, Robin Flanders, in a leather harness and G-string getup and I couldn’t look him in the eye after that. Still can’t.”
Leslie had a stitch in his side from laughing when the bus finally turned into the convention center parking lot and soon the team was swallowed up in a cloud of hairspray and pom-poms. The only way he could even keep track of anyone was their bright green and gold hair bows and the guys’ gold sparkly shorts. Leslie had asked whose idea they were and he’d shrugged.
“They wanted to stand out.”
The team would be competing last in their division and so Joe made sure the kids stayed loose but not too much. He talked them down when their nerves were getting the best of them, and they walked through the routine a gazillion times so William the stand-in could be sure he was comfortable.
Leslie was in awe of how much work went into their two-minute routine, how intricate each movement was, how much each of the members had to rely on each other to be in the right place at the right time to make all of their stunts go off without a hitch. And thetumblers had to know their exact path so they wouldn’t run into each other. It was exhilarating and terrifying to watch all at the same time.
When it was finally time for the team to perform, Joe told Leslie to go stand in the coaches’ area and wait for him while he gave them one last pep talk. When he finally emerged from backstage, Joe’s dark eyes were so serious. And he was chewing on his thumb.
“You’re going to bleed if you keep that up,” Leslie said, gently moving Joe’s hand from his mouth.
Joe turned on him and snapped his teeth together. “I’ll biteyou.”
Leslie put his arm around him and squeezed, then he pulled away quickly. “I’m sorry.”
Joe hip-bumped him and remained close. “Don’t be. I’m so glad you’re here.” He looked up at Leslie and smiled.
The Jackets cheer team was announced and Leslie held his breath. Joe leaned against him and Leslie felt the tension running through his body. Joe, on a good day, was wound tight, but today? Leslie knew Joe felt this was a test of his mettle, a way for Joe to show the college community that they’d made the right decision in recruiting him, and to show himself that he was where he was needed. They’d spent hours talking about this over the past couple of weeks and Leslie had done all he could to reassure Joe.
The squad ran out cheering, doing kicks and jumps, and the crowd clapped appreciatively, but it was obvious folks weren’t sure what to make of the Jackets team. Joe had explained to Leslie that they were now competing in a different division as they had more male-identifying students and that not only were they dressed differently than the other teams, but their music was different, their moves would be a bit more edgy, still regulation but just…more. Joe had choreographed a unique routine that could be a smash hit…or a flop. There was no doubt that the team was skilled, that they had perfected their routine, but there was always a chance the judges could think it was too out there.
The music started and it was a rock song, a tune from Nothing More called “We Don’t Stop,” which already made it stand out from the rest of the EDM/techno crowd. The Jackets also had clips from the Beastie Boys “Whatcha Want” and the dance classic “Sexyback” from Justin Timberlake. There weren’t the firework soundeffects and zips and airhorns like the other groups who had gone before, but it definitely engaged the crowd.
Joe gasped as one of the stunts wobbled and he reached for Leslie’s hand, which he held with a death grip for the rest of the routine. But there was no need. The kids stuck their landings, the tumbling went off without a hitch, and Joe’s three-man hype team even had a few moments to show off their B-boy moves. Leslie wasn’t a judge, of course, but he knew quality when he saw it and the Jackets’ routine was a cut above everyone else that had performed that day.
“Here we go,” Joe breathed as the team went into their final pyramid. He squeezed Leslie’s hand even tighter and his knee bounced.
Leslie couldn’t even comprehend how to orchestrate such a complicated, intricate structure but these kids nailed it. Every flyer was solid, the bases all stood strong, and when the music ended, the cheerleaders exploded out of their stance and screamed and hugged and jumped. Every person in the crowd stood from their seats, clapping with expressions like “what did I just see that I loved so much?”
Joe turned on Leslie and leaped into his arms, wrapping his legs around Leslie and shouting an exuberant “Yes!” Leslie hugged him with all his might and laughed as Joe shouted. Joe put his hands on Leslie’s face and gave him a big smooch and Leslie wished he had a picture of the joy on Joe’s face because he was too shocked to really take it in. Then Joe wiggled to be put down, grabbed Leslie’s hand, and the two of them ran to the backstage area.
They found the team surrounding Terrell and Marti, who had apparently arrived in time to see the performance. Sandy was with them as well. He grinned at Leslie and gave him the metal horns, his sign of approval.
“You guys were perfect,” she said as she hugged the bouncing women and high-fived the men.
Terrell’s hand was wrapped in a brace and in a sling, but his smile was genuinely thrilled for his teammates.
“You nailed it,” he said, and he was carefully hugged by all of the team.
Then Joe was swarmed by his beloved Yellowjackets. He was scooped out of Leslie’s reach and picked up over the heads of his team.Leslie winced and hoped they were as steady with their coach as they’d been with each other.
“They better not drop him,” Leslie muttered as Sandy joined him.
“That was probably the coolest cheerleading I’ve ever seen, Brother Leslie. Twinkle Toes has set a new bar and those folks out there are quaking in their ballet slippers.”
Leslie chuckled and patted his brother on the shoulder. “I love it.”
I love him.And he couldn’t wait for the world to know.
It was another three hours until the results were announced so the team gathered together and shoved pizza in their faces as fast as they could. The cheerleaders packed away as much, if not more, than their football counterparts would have. Leslie loved their energy. He hadn’t spent a lot of time around female athletes and they were a trip. There was more burping and talk of bodily functions than Leslie had thought possible.
And the team all gazed dreamily at their coach as if their souls were trying to express their gratitude for his leadership and he didn’t even realize it. Leslie would remind him of this moment later, when they were alone, and could properly celebrate, because even if the Jackets didn’t win, they were triumphant.
At four o’clock, the teams went back out onto the mat and lined up to hear the results. The Jackets, straightened up after their pizza orgy, maintained the proper sportsmanlike behavior as Joe and Marti had threatened them with hundreds of push-ups if they acted like fools. They cheered for the other teams as they went through the other divisions. When it got to them, Joe leaned closer to Leslie again as if he could siphon off strength. He could have it. Leslie would give him the world. And he intended to. When this day was over, Leslie was going to ask Joe to move in. They were going to make a plan to go public. Leslie was tired of waiting. He was as giddy as the kids standing onstage waiting to hear if they’d won.
“And now for the Large Coed Category. In third place we have MidAmerica Nazarene!” Everyone went nuts. The Jackets didn’t lose their composure. “In second place, Missouri Valley!” The team remained stock-still with well-rehearsed smiles on their faces. It was down to them and the team from Kansas, who’d put on a clean performanceas well. Joe had explained they were the Jackets’ main competition, but after their performance, where one of their stunts had fallen, he thought they might have edged them out of contention, but then he had said the Jackets also had a mistake that he wasn’t sure the judges picked up on. Leslie hadn’t seen anything, but Joe would know.
