Welcome to the next chapter of this story!
It´s been a weird week... :P
Thanks for the review, I appreciate every single one ^^
Hope you still enjoy the storyline.
So, let´s start...
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~ 7~
What a pity!
Vanessa tried to motivate the girls her own way. Lewis and the guys had done their best to compete with the other contestants but they also had shown a really good performance and so the Hellcats themselves didn´t expect at all to gain a victory again. Marti and Savannah talked about their faults, Alice just looked around angrily and Lewis´ face was looking sadder than ever. Waiting for the decision of the jury was enervating like hell and they knew once more why they´ve been named the Hellcats.
"Why does it take so long?" Alice asked, pouting. "It´s all because of Marti´s almost fall off the pyramid! You should have listened to me! I would have done better!"
Vanessa wanted to answer, but Lewis did before. "It was my fault, Alice. I dropped her for a moment. You might blame me, but not Marti, got it!"
"You´ve never let anyone drop!" Alice countered evil. "So don´t come to her defense, okay?"
"I don´t come to her defense, are you crazy, Alice? I said it was my fault and you have to believe me! Whatever´s going on between the two of you, don´t try to make me feel like being a liar!"
Alice herself got more and more enraged. "I just got it, Lewis! Marti always gets away with her faults! What the heck is that about that Blondie not to be as cruel to her as all of you can be to me?" She complained.
Marti thought of interrupting the discussion, but she didn´t want Alice to get focus on her again. Although Savannah gave her a hurtful kick on her back she decided not to react on this offense. Her shackle has already begun to hurt and she really worried about a more complicated physical injury after almost falling down on the floor. When they had asked her if she had been injured or not, she had said it would be okay. That had been a lie. Maybe she could use a cool pack at Julian´s and that´ll be all it needs to make it go away? Hope springs eternal.
"Why don´t you counter?" Savannah was wondering quietly, looking at Marti next to herself. "She´s a real bitch and you just sit here doing nothing?"
"It´s not worth the trouble. Lewis did come to my defense. I lost balance, that´s a fact." Marti whispered to her friend, feeling really guilty in some way. "He couldn´t balance my inaccurate bounce and so it had been forced to happen. It´s because of me that we won´t go for nationals."
"We´re a team, Marti, remember? We have to be there for each other in times of need. Alice still wants to get you out of the squad, you know?"
"Sure, I do. Would you please tell her that I´m going to stay at Morgan´s tonight? I mean in case she wants to know where I am?"
"Of course. Does Morgan know?"
"I´ll give him a call. Slowly but surely, this turns out to be some episode of James Bond, I think." Marti giggled.
Alice turned around furiously. "What´s so funny, bitch? I am right! You are the reason why we won´t go for nationals!" She offended her once more.
"Shut up, Alice!" Vanessa couldn´t let that offense go any further. She had to slow it down immediately to keep the atmosphere in between the squad clean. "You´re not allowed to bully your teammate! Marti did her best and I think the jury won´t decide on any pity failure. This could have happened to anyone of you, keep that in mind, please!"
Instead of talking back to the coach the whole group rested in silence. Even Alice had lost her voice because of being accused of bullying. That kind of vocabulary wasn´t really flattering and she actually felt ashamed of having been so mean to Marti. Right in time the jury was about to announce the winner of the sectionals. Savannah grabbed Marti´s hand and closed her eyes. The blond Hellcat felt her excitement, hoping that they´ll win although she had made that awful mistake.
When the jury finally named the one and only cheerleading squad, Marti even didn´t recognize they really had won. The whole squad seemed to be thrilled. Savannah suddenly hugged her, Lewis kissed her on the cheek, but she still didn´t realize their victory.
"Marti?" Savannah asked carefully. "Haven´t you listened to the jury?"
Lewis just joggled her, smiling all over. "We did it! We really did it, Marti! Please wake up! We need to celebrate!"
"Yeah..." She answered quietly. Her shackle hurt a lot by now. "I just can´t believe it..."
Vanessa came over and gave her a big hug. "Sometimes you have to be lucky, too, Marti. That little accident wasn´t as important as you thought. Besides, the other contestants had some bloopers, too and so... Congratulations guys! We´re going for nationals!"
They all got home save, very tired but full of joy and satisfaction.
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Marti hurried to Julian, calling Morgan on her way. He was okay with backing her again. So she entered Julian´s house at about 9 p.m., feeling still really bad because of her shackle. It hurt damned much and she had had some difficulties to ride her bike. The professor sat on the couch, reading in his living-room when she came in to say hello.
"You look sad, honey. Didn´t you succeed?" He remarked, opening his arms to hug her with a warm smile all over his face.
Marti fell next to him on the pillows, snuggled up to his chest and smiled. "We did it. We really did it!"
"So why are you looking so desperate?"
"It´s my shackle. I got hurt up on the pyramid, being lucky not to have fallen ten feet down on the floor."
Julian´s heart stopped beating for one second. He always hated that sport because of its dangerous aspects of flying. "You scared me to death, you know? Now, show me your shackle..."
She lifted her leg and he put it over his thighs. Carefully he took off her sneaker and the sock. In his opinion, it seemed a bit colored. "That looks not good, Marti. It´s kinda blue and already swollen." He tried to touch her, but she immediately cried out in pain. "You have to see a doctor, hon... Looks like a sprain to me. Maybe even the sinew got hurt..."
"It´ll go away, believe me. I just need some kisses and lots of ice on it. Do you have that kind of medicine here at your place?" She smiled, clenching her teeth in real pain.
Julian smirked, raising his eyebrow in disbelief. "We´re going to wait a few hours more and if it gets even more swollen you have to see a doctor for some examination. Deal?"
She had no chance to veto. Not against a counselor. "Deal. So, where´s my medicine?"
His lips felt warm and tender on her shackle and it didn´t even hurt to be kissed by him. Also his fingers touched her so lovingly that she had to hold back her upcoming desire. Julian tried to show his feelings to her again, finally finding his tongue deep in her mouth, fondling her all over. Marti nearly forgot all the pain in her foot and just enjoyed their romantic activities. This wasn´t about to get deeper, it was about to get closer to each other´s heart. They just lay there together, kissing, stroking and talking to one another. It was that kind of familiar smell Julian enjoyed so much when she was with him. An hour later, after having put some ice on her foot for about 30 minutes, he looked at her shackle again.
"Marti, we have to see a doctor, really. Look at your foot! More swollen than before. This isn´t just some little injury. You promised."
She had to agree with him. It obviously was worse than imagined. "Shit! What about nationals? And your case? I mustn´t be injured!"
"Let´s go! Time to face the truth, honey." He helped her off the couch and outside in his car. "Don´t try to use your foot, it might become even worse."
Marti nodded and let him do everything for her. He was kind of caring like a father would have been and she really appreciated him being so worried about her shackle. They arrived at the hospital at about 10:30 p.m. and had to wait at the emergency area. Julian sat down beside her, stroking over her thigh. He was nervous, but didn´t want to show it to her.
"No one will see us together here, you can calm down." Marti whispered towards him. "I´m really sorry for causing so much trouble in your life."
He suddenly turned around his head to face her. "Don´t you ever say this again!" His eyes full of indignation. "You could never cause trouble in my life, Marti. It´s because of you I feel alive again. Whatever may happen to the two of us, I´m going to deal with it! A hundred percent!"
Her fingers crossing his ones, her lips touching his cheek, she tried to apologize for having said those awful things. Once again asking herself for what the hell she deserved him loving her truly, madly, deeply. When Marti finally got to see the doctor, Julian stayed out of the emergency room. But he wished he could be near her to hold her hand or whatever the fuck else. Sitting in the waiting area he got more and more nervous. To stand worrying about someone he loves was not his biggest excellence. The last experience in that case was the day Ally died in the pool, when he tried to revitalize her, breathing in her mouth and nose and giving her a cardiac massage himself. He´ll never forget that minutes in a swivet and in deepest fear of losing her forever. Remembering these awful moments he sat there in real agony, not realizing anything else but the still closed door of emergency room number two.
When Marti finally came out again it took a load off his mind. Hospitals made him going totally nuts since then. "Everything okay, Baby?" He asked like a father would talk to his kid.
Marti looked astonishingly at him. "It´s just my foot, I´m not going to die."
"I know. Sorry... Forget about that comment. You´re with crutches and cast? Is it broken?"
"No, just a heavy strain, like you said before. They decided to immobilize it for about two weeks. I even can´t walk with these lousy wuddayacallit? Shit!" She nearly tore up, waving about one of the crutches.
Julian put his arms around her shoulders and kissed her tenderly, sighing happily because of having her back completely and obviously alive. "I´m going to nurse you perfectly. There will be a way to be together, I promise."
"You´re dreaming."
"No, I´m not. Morgan and Savannah will help us. Let´s go home, I want you to be near me, to hold me and to drive me crazy with your lips and more..." Julian kissed her passionately again. "Sounds more like you have to nurse me, doesn´t it?" He smirked. "I´m sorry, it´s just that I had to think of Ally while sitting here waiting for you to come out of the ER..."
Marti could see his broken heart in his eyes once more. "Come on, old man, I´m going to show you how to be held tight like you´ve never felt before."
She kissed him back unabashed right there in front of everybody in the waiting area, when suddenly someone came out of emergency room number one, noticing the two of them with eyes wide open. While the secret couple was walking away, holding hands close to each other, Vanessa starred at their backs in disbelief. She felt sick herself and nevertheless couldn´t believe what she had seen. One of her cheerleaders together in a loving embrace with that well-known and really good looking college professor named Julian Parish. She got pale once more.
"Are you alright?" One of the nurses asked her caring, looking at her shaking legs. "Wanna sit down for a moment?"
"It´s okay... I´m not sick, I´m just pregnant." She answered dry. "Good night and thanks for all." Vanessa smirked, thinking of what could be worse – her unexpected pregnancy or Marti´s love affair with a teacher. Her cell phone at the ear, she left the hospital, taking a deep breath outside under the starry sky. "Oh my God! What am I gonna do now?"
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When Marti came back to her dorm at the Hellcats´ the next morning, Alice starred at her crutches like having seen an alien. Everyone was in shock immediately and she just sat down on one of the chairs around the table in front of the kitchen. Savannah helped her with the crutches, still waiting for an explanation.
"Morgan had to take me to the emergency last night. It´ll last for two weeks. Not broken, only a heavy strain. Seems we have to change positions for nationals, ladies..."
"You have to tell Vanessa. This is horrible!" Savannah answered worrying.
"So you´re going to ruin the squad once again. " Alice made digs at her, grinning evil. "Becomes routine sooner or later, don´t you think so?"
"I´m sorry for that, really. But I didn´t expect it to be that bad. Morgan and I have to do our work for law class, too. I´m hardly able to walk with those idiotic stilts! So believe me, Alice, I would have done better if procurable!"
"I´m going to be Lewis´ flyer from now on. Time to face the truth. You´re good at investigation but not at flying, Miss Perkins!" Alice countered with a wide grin on her face, leaving the kitchen by swinging her bag in victory. "I´m off to class, ladies!"
Savannah took Marti into their dorm and shut the door. She wanted to know more about her future plans with Julian. "What´s up now? Are you going to sleep at Julian´s with those crutches?"
"I hope so. We have to find a way to be together sometimes. Not every night, no one would believe Morgan and I spending so much time together." Marti smiled. "He´s a workaholic, you know?"
"Okay. So how are we going to handle that?"
"Julian and I thought of one night together, three nights at the Hellcats´. That´s good for everyone of us. He´ll stay out of the state for a few days, too. I just have to stay one night alone at his home because of some craftsmen building the new winter garden. You have no idea how lovely that house is inside. And the garden is really wonderful! Julian wanted me to have a look at the plans and I was totally transported, I swear! He´s willing to plant some tropic trees inside it, you would love it!"
"You sound as if you´d plan your future home, Marti. Isn´t it too early for something like living together with an all new winter garden?" Savannah asked carefully. She didn´t want to offend her friend. "I mean, you´re not about to marry, are you?"
Marti laughed out loud. She nearly burst into tears over that ridiculous speculation. "Oh my goodness! You´re so funny, Savannah! You just see black and white – there´s definitely no grey for you, right? I´ve never thought about marrying."
"Are you sure? Imagine he would propose to you. What would you say?" Savannah said, sparkling eyes.
Marti paused, being really confused about that question. "Erm... He won´t propose this time."
"But if he did?"
"Would be kind of flattering, that´s true... But I am not ready for marriage. Not yet."
"He proposes with those puppy eyes and I know that he´s got them! Think again!" Savannah purred.
"That´s not fair, Savannah... I mean... You´re right! I don´t know what I would do!" Marti ran her hand over her face, looking kind of confused. "Let´s hope he´ll never come to the idea of proposing in the near future!"
"Like I said. You´re deeper in than ever."
"That really scares me! Maybe I should keep a little more distance between us? Just to not animate him... Good idea?"
Savannah smirked. "Not at all. You should have seen your face when talking about that option. Just be as honest as possible – show him what you feel but don´t make him believe that you´re ready for anything else but living in sin."
"Savannah, please! We´re not living in sin!"
"You do, in my opinion. But I know that´s not up-to-date, so never mind asking for what I am thinking about you going to marry your teacher."
"Let´s go – we´re already late. And thanks for making me think about marriage all the time from now on!" Marti laughed sarcastically, when taking the crutches again, looking really desperate in some way.
Savannah pushed her outside the dorm and they left the house, both thinking about their future and what they were definitely dreaming of.
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Julian was on his way to court when his phone rang. He just smiled, taking a look at the display of his cell phone. Suddenly his face was freezing and he decided not to accept the call. Instead of Marti, he had got a call from Heather. The first time after divorce was final she tried to contact him personally. His heart nearly refused to work. Trembling all over he entered the court house and searched for Travis Guthrie in the lobby. His new client sat on one of the couches, reading the latest newspaper.
"Travis? Nice to meet you!" Julian said, offering his hand salutatory. Feeling totally stripped inside.
"Julian... Hey, you´re right in time. Nice to meet you, too."
"Let´s go, it´s always an advantage to be right in time!" He smiled and went on towards the court rooms. "It´ll just take some minutes to file a lawsuit."
"How much do you think am I getting back for damages?" Travis asked, walking quickly beside him through the hallways.
"Depends. I don´t know yet. Keep quiet and don´t move. Judge Reynolds isn´t very flexible. She´s that kind of woman you don´t want to marry, got it?"
Travis grinned all over his face. "What kind of women do you think I´m willing to marry?" He countered.
"Wanda?" Julian smirked, shaking his head.
He got no answer, Travis just swallowed the only reply he would have liked to make. It wasn´t the time to embarrass his attorney at law. But one day he´ll surely let him know what he really thinks.
However, Judge Reynolds did a great job that day. They had to come back in about a month for a new hearing. Julian was contented about how it had been going and took Travis outside the court room as fast as possible.
"You´re lucky, man!" He said to him. "She just nodded and used her gavel. That´s not her usual behavior, believe me!"
"You really know every judge at court house inside and out?" Travis was wondering.
"I do. It´s my job, you know? I have to return to Lancer University now, law class is already waiting."
"Yeah... Miss Perkins in particular." Travis remarked with a big smile on his face.
Julian looked at him in surprise and restrained anger. "Well tit-for-tat response! However, you´re barking up the wrong tree. She´s not my student anymore. Keep up the good work at the campus pub and stop provoking me!" He got through the door out of the court house and left his client without saying goodbye or looking at him once more.
Travis watched him getting in his car, still in shock about Julian´s biting answer. Whatever there was going on between Marti and him, it must have been strong enough not to talk about in public. Wanda told him that Julian actually seemed to be in love with her daughter, but Travis didn´t want to believe it. He had still thought about some dirty affair until now that Julian had been so upset about him joking the same way he did a few minutes before.
On his way home Julian got a second call from Heather and he refused to accept it again. Now that he was in love for new he hadn´t the faintest wish to talk to her again. Time to forget about the past and move on.
Tbc...
©Mrs. NiG, 07.05.2011
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So, what do you think will be going to happen?
I´m just hoping that CW isn´t about to tell quite the same...
