Page 2 of 3rd and 4
“And why is that?” She laughs with me, her eyes bright with amusement, her cheeks pinkening slightly, bringing out her faint freckles.
“Because you’re uber talented, Jenna likes you, and you made Shaye scrunch up her face like she ate a lemon right before her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.”
“That’s a good thing?”
“Anything that brings that bitch down a peg or two is very, very good in my book.”
Jenna starts barking orders, running through routines, placements, and field locations. It’s a lot of information, but there is a lightness in my veins as we get into it, like bubbles of champagne. Eva cracks jokes, mutters under her breath, and provides a running commentary that has me nearly stumbling once or twice with suppressed laughter.
Maybe this whole college thing won’t be so bad.
Elijah Addelsbach 2.
“Jesus.” I mumble, watching this new girl school everyone on how it’s done. She’s talented. Like Simone Biles-Olympic talented. Instead of sporting a patriotic leotard during a floor routine, she’s wearing tight shorts, a sports bra, her hair in a messy bun, sweat glistening on her lightly tanned skin…and she’s absolutely stunning.
And strong. The lines of her body are distracting. She’s lean, athletic, and powerful. Not overly muscular, still quite feminine, her thighs hint at the strength she possesses. I gulp at the thought of those muscular thighs wrapped around my head…she could crush me like a watermelon. Why is that so hot?
She’s also short as fuck. I’m 5’11”, and she can’t be more than 5’ on a good day. The cheerleaders here are all different shapes and sizes. Jenna cares more about skill and dedication than your uniform size. But Daya is definitely shorter than most.
She finishes and collectively, we stare in stunned silence. I clap my hands together and that seems to be the signal, as most everyone yells and claps their enthusiastic approval. What can I say? We are cheerleaders.
Though, as Mic-Man, I practice with them, I’m often doing my own thing or working in tandem with my best friend Tyrone. He’s the school mascot and a damn fine one at that. We’ve been friends since my freshman year, after his accident. We just clicked and it worked out well since our positions with the team require us to work together often. Plus, his brother Lyndell is fucking awesome.
Jenna starts practice and it’s grueling, especially for the first day of camp. We’re all sweaty and tired and sore by the time she calls it for the day. I’m toweling off, and guzzling water from my bottle when I catch sight of the new girl.
I smile when Eva Dups latches onto Daya again. Eva’s good people. Something in their interaction has Daya smiling and I’m mesmerized by her wide, expressive mouth. More than just how it would look stretched around my cock, it’s the way it tips up into a brilliant smile. How her eyes crinkle with the movement. How it lights up her entire face. She’s difficult to ignore.
Movement to the side catches my attention, and I begrudgingly scan the crowd. My gaze snatches on Shaye, Lindsay, and Jillian. They are openly glaring at Daya as Eva leads her around, introducing her to everyone on the squad. The three of them put their heads together and my stomach cramps knowing they are going to be trouble. Jenna is an excellent coach, but she’s singled out Daya and put a target on her back. The cheer squad is much like a family, complete with dysfunction and dissent.
“And this is our Mic-Man, Elijah Addelsbach.” Eva drags Daya in front of me. She looks up at me with dark guileless eyes. Our eyes hold for a moment, before Eva clears her throat with a chuckle. I blink twice, cross my eyes and stick my tongue out at Eva. “Daya Moul,” Eva continues. “My new bestie.”
“What if I want her to be my bestie?” I argue for fun. Daya’s throat works as she swallows, her eyes darting between Eva and me.
“I saw her first!” Hands on her hips, Eva pouts. “And Ty would be mad he was replaced.”
“Ty ain’t my best friend.” Eva’s brows dip in confusion. “I’m using him to get close to Lyndell.”
Daya’s eyes widen, and her mouth forms an adorable little “o”. She shakes it off quickly. “You’re gay.” She isn’t asking, she says it like she’s solved a puzzle. Eva nearly chokes on her tongue, she’s laughing so hard she bends in half, hands on her thighs for support. I push her shoulder hard enough to topple her to the ground, where she rolls around, cackling like a hyena.
“I’m not.” I respond, my entire focus on Daya. “Ty is my best friend, and Lyndell is his older brother. He’s the towel boy for the team, Ty’s the mascot.” She’s still staring at me, a little crease between her brows. “Lyn is intellectually disabled, though very handsome. He’s definitely the better looking Wicawiil brother.” I pause for a breath and start laughing at myself. “That didn’t make me sound less gay, did it?” Daya’s head tips back slightly while she laughs. It’s a beautiful sound, even if it’s at my expense.
“You’re just secure in your own sexuality and appreciate beauty, regardless of the vessel.”
“That was…yeah. That was well said.”
Her smile grows, her teeth straight and white. “Thank you. I scored well on the English portion of the ACT.” We stare at one another again, goofy smiles on our faces. I’m in no rush and neither is she. Eva has apparently moved on to something else, because I don’t hear her hyena laugh, although right now I can’t hear or see much of anything beyond Daya.
Jenna blows her whistle. A foot away from me. I heardthat. I turn my head slowly to glare at her and she grins unrepentantly. “Hit the showers, pack up…and get out! I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!” Jenna looks at Daya. “You did great today. Picked it up quickly. Study the handouts I gave you and let me know if anything is too ambitious for you.”
Daya nods, her expression serious. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
“Have a good night, Daya.” Jenna looks at me. “Can I have a word, Addy?” I nod. It’s not uncommon for Jenna and I to chat about routines and techniques, and the last couple of years she’s asked my opinion on the freshmen and pairings. But I don’t think this has anything to do with normal business. Her smile is tight, eyes narrowed. She’s pissed.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Daya.” I tell her with a smirk. “I look forward to working with you this season.” Her cheeks flush, she waves and heads off to her bag. Eva sidles up next to her and the two talk. I glance behind me a few times, not wanting to lose sight of Daya, but I follow Jenna to her office inside the athletic complex.
I close the door behind me, and plop down in the seat in front of her desk. She sits behind it, a heavy sigh escaping as she leans back, her eyes closed. “I fucked up.”
“Yes.” I don’t sugarcoat a thing. “To be clear, though, are you talking about parading Daya in front of the natives and putting her on the radar of some…unsavory members of our team?”
