A/N: Okay, so I missed Tuesday! I know, I am super sorry as always but I think posting two days in a row is kind of hard so I'll be posting the Short Stories on Wednesday from now on. I'm sorry for the change but I don't write the Short Stories in advance like I do the big long stories, I write them spontaneously. Just whatever pops into my head which is why there's always a crunch of time to get the Short Stories done. I'm posting every WEDNESDAY now!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Enjoy!
TORI SHORT STORY #17 —FAMILY FUN
"This is a bad idea," Tori stated from where she stood with her arms crossed,
"No it's not!" Ali said, jumping up and down slightly on the trampoline, "Lighten up!"
"Yeah Tor-Tor," Dick said from where he stood a little bit off to the side from where Ali was jumping, "Lighten up,"
"She's never done anything like this before," Tori said. She stood at the edge of the trampoline. The three were at a trampoline park in London. Dick had finally found time to come and visit his second cousins and Dick being Dick as well as Ali being Ali decided it would be fun if they could all go together, she and Cameron didn't have school because of the London Bank holiday, which Tori really wished America had. Of course Arthur had to work and Cameron was grounded for some unknown reason, so they didn't come. Liam had flat out refused to come and instead stayed at Gotham University. They didn't have a break per se, it was more that there had been an explosion at the school, completely unrelated to Tori, Dick, Tim or Stephanie…but it had been caused by some evil nasty little pyromanic Talons out for Tori's—no Talon's—head. It did cause classes to be cancelled for at least two weeks for damage repairs, which was fine with Tori. She had five exams during those two weeks and was glad she didn't have to take them. They had found a nice quiet section of the tramp park to practice gymnastics and acrobatics without the screaming little kids to annoy them,
"You may not remember but we were in the same gymnastics class for a while," Ali stated haughtily,
"I was in level one and you were just taking lessons…you didn't like it," Tori replied,
"I never said that!"
"Then why did you quit?"
"—shut up," Dick let out a laugh,
"Tori it'll be fine. I'm spotting her,"
"And he's the best in the whole world!"
"Yeah, I'm the best in the whole world," he repeated, smiling widely. He was clearly enjoying being hero worshiped—in more ways than one—by his little cousin. Tori glared at them for a moment longer before rolling her eyes and letting out a long sigh,
"Fine. But I will be saying I told you so by the end of the day,"
"Yeah right," Ali and Dick said in perfect sync with an eye roll of their own. Dick knelt behind Ali, who raised her hands above her head,
"Okay, so you're gonna almost sit back like you're sitting in a chair but you're going to arc your back instead. When you land on your hands keep them straight and snap your legs over as soon as your arms touch the tramp," Ali nodded determinedly,
"On three?" she asked, and Dick nodded as he placed his hand a little away from her lower back, ready to help her through the back handspring,
"One…two…three!" he said. Ali did the back handspring a little sloppily, Tori almost snickered as her sister landed and stumbled slightly. Only almost, she remembered learning back handsprings and how difficult they seemed at first…of course she had been eight when she learned how to do the handspring not almost fourteen,
"That was good," Dick said brightly, "Let's do it again, you're used to what it feels like to land so you'll actually rebound a little," Ali beamed and stood back in her start position before executing another back handspring, this time rebounding a little at the end,
"Yay!" she cried clapping as she jumped up and down on the trampoline,
"Soon you'll be able to do a back tuck out of a back handspring or a full twist," Dick said. Tori coughed to hide her snicker, though Ali heard it,
"What?" Ali demanded angrily, "You don't think I could do that?" Dick shot Tori a glare and Tori back tracked,
"No, it's just he's being a little ambitious, you're not going to learn that in a day. I didn't learn how to do a back handspring back tuck till I was twelve…almost thirteen. You'll need to practice and sadly Dick and I can't come up here every week,"
"I bet I could master a back handspring today and then work up to a back handspring back tuck or full twist on my own!"
"Well—," Dick started,
"—I could do that couldn't I?" Ali asked him hopefully,
"Of course. I mean if you want to you could probably find a teacher to teach you or maybe one of your friends does gymnastics…it's just you shouldn't practice on your own or without a spotter unless you're a professional," Ali seemed to deflate slightly,
"But I could still get the back handspring down right?"
"Totally," Tori said, "I bet you could get it down in a few more tries. You just need to arc your back a little more,"
"And keep your arms straight," Dick said, "Let's try again." While they worked on back handsprings, Tori went to her own little corner to work on some things she wanted to do. She did some simple things like a front handspring front layout. And then a back handspring full twist. Then a front tuck, back tuck, back handspring. Tori was tempted to try her tumbling pass for floor but that required running and she didn't think the supervisors would be too pleased about that, they had been glaring at Dick, Tori and Ali since they walked into the trampoline park. If Tori weren't in London she'd assume they were Talons sent to kill her, but since she was in London, she didn't give them a second glance. Tori smiled and moved to start another front handspring…
….annnnnnddd five minutes later found herself in the hospital glaring at Dick. Dick was looking anywhere but Tori and shifted from foot to foot guilty,
"In my defense that kid needed his dodgeball back," Tori just growled at him, "He was being cornered and I only turned my back for a second!" Tori growled again,
"She didn't break anything!" Tori growled a third time before smiling at him. Dick looked shocked, suspicious and slightly scared at the same time, "Are you not mad anymore?"
"Dick—,"
"—yeah?"
"I told you so." Dick groaned and flopped his face in his hands,
"I'm the worst cousin ever,"
"Nah, Ali was just stubborn and determined to prove she could master the back handspring. It wasn't your fault she was too impulsive,"
"Arthur's going to kill me,"
"Nah…he's at work. I'm sure Ali will just tell him it was her own fault, since it was her fault. You specifically said not to practice without a spotter and she practiced without a spotter,"
"True,"
"Yes, very. Besides all she did was sprain it,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I would've heard the crack and be fifty times madder at you," Dick nodded before glancing at her,
"So you are mad?"
"Well I wasn't mad but then you asked me ten times if I was and now I am,"
"Really?" Dick asked frowning,
"No not really, just somewhat annoyed that you managed to send my sister to the hospital by helping someone else,"
"Oh okay that's a relief," Dick said, "I thought you were going to punch me in—," Tori's arm came up and slammed into his stomach, "—right there…oh God…I'm dying. My spleen has ruptured and my appendix burst—," he moaned as he crumpled to his knees,
"Oh come on, you are such a baby I did not hit you that hard!"
"—I can see the light!"
"Get up!" Tori snapped,
"Grandma…is that you?"
"People are looking at us!"
"You should have thought of that before you killed me," Tori rolled her eyes at his antics before Ali walked out of the room she'd been taken to with her arm in a flexible cast,
"What's wrong with him?" she asked,
"I punched him,"
"Awww, you do care,"
"Shut up," Tori slightly snapped,
"Wanna get ice cream?"
"Yes!" Dick said jumping up and pulling out his rental car keys. Tori and Ali both shared an eye roll and a smirk before following him out. Of course going to the hospital had not been a walk in the park…the smell and feel of being in one again causing some anxiety for Tori but not enough for a full panic attack…but it had still been a great day nonetheless.
A/N: #growingupwithsiblings - 'I didn't hit you that hard!' Lol XD
Next Short Story on Wednesday. Super sorry about the change guys but it's for the best!
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