All Your Eggs in One Basket Case!
Ria Rose
Fandom: Make It Or Break It
Rated: PG for mild language.
Summary: Sasha is feeling a little bitter about the impending holiday.
Genre: Gen with a side of Cute
No Pairings, features primarily Sasha(!) with Kim, Payson, and a quick cameo of Kaylie.
No set timeline, though I'm thinking anywhere in season one. No spoilers that I could catch.
Author's Notes: This is just a cute little fluffy piece about our favorite coach, because, let's face it, there's not enough that focus on him! It's on the shorter side to what I usually write (Usually 12-15 pages in Word) but it works. I don't know what the families' of The Rock has religion wise, so I just went with it. If I'm wrong, whatever. Happy reading!
Though the calendar called it "Good Friday," Sasha found he really couldn't agree. He didn't exactly have family he cared to call and spend Easter with and, even if he did, flying across continents to be with them really just wasn't an option. So "Good Friday" was turning out to be "Stupid CRAPPY Friday." At least that's what he mumbled under his breath at every chance he got. Sure it was childish, but Sasha took to the excuse that as a gymnast he never really got to be a child so he was making up for time lost. It really was a lame excuse. A "Stupid crappy excuse for a stupid crappy NOT GOOD Friday. I need a beer."
His semi-private conversation with himself had been private, but the semi shimmied into the scene when Kim Keeler overheard his latest under-the-breath rant.
"Would you like to share with the class, Sasha?"
He whipped around to face her, color dancing across his cheeks. "Ah, sorry."
"You're in a mood today." She said, coming to stand next to him when he sheepishly turned to face the Payson practicing on the beam once more.
"I'm always in a mood," he grumbled.
"Reliving our teenage years?"
He snorted, "Apparently. Excellent Payson. Again!"
Kim gave her daughter a smile as the young gymnast jumped back up to redo her routine without even a bat of her eye. "So, any plans for Easter?"
"No." He grunted, crossing his arms. "Stupid holiday with stupid…egg hunts."
Kim raised her eyebrows. "Right, now I get the mood. Anyway, I came over here to ask you about the office; it's a mess."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'll take care of it." He gave her a small smile, "May have taken some anger our on the rubbish bin."
Kim gave him an appraising look, "Something wrong?"
He just shrugged and the mother of two gave him a look so wholly 'Mother' that Sasha finally looked abashed. You just don't shrug at a mother. "My dad. He was supposed to visit, bailed at the last second."
"Easter family reunion?"
"Something like that."
Kim frowned, "So you have no plans for Easter?"
"I have since invited over a 12 pack of Bud Heavies and we are going to have a superb time playing Rock Band."
"Uh-huh." Kim said, "Well, clean up the office and take your petulant sullen teenager attitude elsewhere, the garbage pail has done nothing to you!"
Sasha refrained from giving her another look, instead he just nodded and said, "Yes, mother."
Kim gave a small laugh and walked away and back up to the office to clean up and console the abused pail. Sasha watched her go, feeling just a tad bit sad when she turned to give Payson a smile and a wink before disappearing inside the office.
He didn't know what it was about holidays; Sasha was certainly not a believer in all that religious rubbish, but the idea of a family party and feeling surrounded by loved ones was just something he never really had and was a part of. It upset him to no end and seeing all his gymnasts gearing up for an Easter dinner with their families was a bit disappointing to him. He didn't have that; he would never have that. He was jealous. That Sunday, children would be waking up to hunt for Easter Eggs and poking through wicker baskets filled with jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and Cadbury eggs before sitting down to a meal of ham or lamb and all the delicious trimmings of a traditional American Easter feast. And he? Well…Sasha would drink himself stupid and probably pass out on one of his lawn chairs before waking up in the middle of the night and lamenting the fact that he had nothing but the gym and his memories of the Olympics. He didn't have any family that mattered anyway.
Yup. He was pathetic.
"All right, Payson, looks good. Switch with Lauren and go on the uneven bars, tell her to come over here."
Payson beamed at him, always a sweet and sunny girl as long as she was jumping around in a leotard, her future bright and filled with a loving sister and wonderful parents. Sasha had to swallow to stop his envy from making him sick.
That night, he did his Easter shopping. He picked up two cases of beer, a multitude of candy, and a TV dinner. He spent the rest of his time before he fell asleep joyfully chomping on a bunny's head and picking apart marshmallow Peeps.
The following day at practice, Sasha had half a mind to bite off Kim Keeler's head just like he did the chocolate bunny's. He could gage from the sad and pitiful looks thrown his way from the other gym moms that the little busy buddy told everyone how poor ickle Sasha was spending Easter all by his onesies. The other half of his mind, out of sheer embarrassment, wanted to run outside to his trailer and start the Easter celebrations early.
Ah, binge drinking. He went from sullen teenager to partying college kid. By Sunday he'd be a bitter and washed out twenty-something trying to hold onto his youth. By Monday a depressed 30-year-old. Tuesday? Hopefully back to normal.
His mood was no better at the start of practice than it was by the end. By the time he called it quits for the day, he felt less angry at Kim than he was sad about his situation. They want something to look at him all mournfully over? Have it! Here I am! Bitter! Alone! On the verge of an alcoholic breakdown! Do me a favor, would you? Take a picture; it'll make a great Christmas card!
Inner monologues laced with sarcasm. Ah, the glory of being sour. He grunted. Holy Saturday? How about Holy Shiterday. Chuckling, he thought, Shiterday. That was a good one!
"Sasha? You okay?" It was Kaylie, giving him a strange look. Whoops. He must have laughed aloud.
"Fine, just enjoying my obviously witty mind," he said and sighed, "Don't mind me, I'm a basket case right now. Have a wonderful Easter, all right? I'll see you on Monday."
She tossed him the occasional odd look as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder. So he did the only thing he could think off: He made a face at her. Crossed his eyes, stuck his tongue out and tilted his head. She laughed and waved, "Happy Easter, Coach!"
"Yep, you too!"
As soon as the door closed behind him in his trailer, he grabbed the nearest chocolate bunny and bit down hard on its head.
When he awoke Sunday morning, he was disappointed to find himself lying on the grass right outside of his door with a whopping headache. Groaning and rolling over, he found his hands sticky with Peeps' guts and beer. "Damn. Now I gotta think of something else to do." The good news? He had one more bunny to massacre.
He wasted no time in tucking into his breakfast of junk food, barley giving a half a thought to the weight he probably gained and the status of his teeth. All he knew was that if he ate a strawberry and a peach jelly bean together, it kinda tasted like a cocktail.
By noon, the carnage included the entire bunny, half a dozen Cadbury eggs and almost a whole bag of jelly beans. He was working on his fifth package of Peeps when a knock sounded on his door. Not wanting to waste any time, he shoved two into his mouth and got up to answer.
He was surprised to see Kim Keeler standing on the other side, Payson behind her. In the teen's hands was a bag of jelly beans.
"Hi." He said when nothing better came to mind, though it sounded quite a bit muffled as he had a mouth full of Yellow Death trapped between his teeth.
"Hi!" Kim said with a knowing smile. "Should I book you an appointment with our dentist?"
Sasha swallowed, "Ah, no, I'll just brush more often. Why are you here?" Mentally, he kicked himself; that came out a lot harsher than he wanted it to. But both mother and daughter looked decidedly nonplussed by the reaction.
"We wanted to know if you would like to join us for Easter dinner. We're having a stupid egg hunt as well. Figured we could use some sarcasm to balance out the holiday cheer. Jesus rose from the dead! Let's hunt eggs!"
He couldn't help it, he laughed. "That does sound like something I'd say."
"So what do you think? Well," She said without a pause to allow him to answer, let alone to consider, "go put on your Sunday best and be out here in fifteen, we'll drive." Behind her, Payson was grinning and nodding, her hand still digging into the small bag of candy. Sasha eyed it.
"On one condition…" He started, but before he could even allude to what he wanted, she handed over the bag.
"I've had too many anyway."
She was gifted with a quick cheeky grin before he snatched the bag, popped a bunch into his mouth and disappeared back inside. He didn't have much in dress clothes, but he did have a decent pair of grey slacks and a long sleeved baby blue shirt that he was always told brought out his eyes. Before he left, he put the beer in the fridge, cleaned up the candy, and brushed his teeth.
Maybe Easter really wasn't that bad. Maybe it was because he really did have a family; he just didn't appreciate it until that moment.
"Did you know," he said to Payson as Kim started the car, "that if you eat a strawberry and peach jelly bean together that they taste like a cocktail?"
"Looks like you've spent your time well," Payson teased.
Sasha just grinned, "Had nothing better to do until you two picked me up."
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