Okay girls one more time. Let's get this together", said Mrs. Collins, the
Varsity cheering coach. "I want to try the cheer and the pyramid at the
same time. Let's go."
I loved being a cheerleader, I loved the other girls on the team and I loved Coach but sometimes practice could be grueling. I especially loathed being on top of our pyramid. The higher the pyramid, the harder the fall, as far as I was concerned.
"Ready, okay!" screamed our captain.
We formed up and began our routine, clapping and cheering preparing to form the pyramid. It had been a rough afternoon session but we knew that we were capable of standing it up and making it perfect.
"We Will, We Will,
Rock you down,
Shake you up,
Like a volcano about to erupt,
Mighty, mighty Titans here to stay,
We'll rock you all night, and rock you all day!
Whoa Go Titans!"
Just as I was about to strike my finishing pose, I looked down and there was Ray at the bottom of our pyramid.
"I need to talk to you", he mouthed.
"Go away!" I screamed.
Losing my balance I began to wobble and before I knew it, we all landed with a thud on the gymnasium floor.
"Dammitt!" I cursed.
"You okay?" Ray asked, offering me a hand up.
"Ray, leave me alone!" I yelled swatting away at his hand.
"Mary-Courtney, will you and your friend continue your conversation outside?" Coach Collins scolded.
"Yes ma'am", I nodded leading him to a private area right outside the door.
"Mary-Courtney, I just had to see you..."
"What are you doing here, Ray?"
"Baby, I miss you."
"Yeah I just bet you do", I said, arms folded.
"Listen you're mad at me and you have every right to be. I've been acting like a real ass lately and I know you're fed up with me. I'm real sorry, sugar and I wanted you to know that."
"Ray, spare me your empty promises and weak apologies. It don't work no more. I'm done. I don't want to hear it, Ray."
"Well that's your choice, Mary-Courtney. God knows that ain't the answer I wanted to hear but I do understand. First of all, I had no right putting my hands on you. I guess I just lost control of my temper although that's a piss poor excuse. I just wanted you to know I feel bad about it and I swear to you on my life that it'll never happen again."
"Ray..."
"Just hear me out, honey. Please let me say my peace."
"Fine."
"We're living in different times. It's like everything is changing. It made me mad at first Mary-Courtney because I didn't know how to handle it. I wasn't man enough to go with and accept it. I was scared. I know that now and I know that's what caused me to act like such an asshole."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that I wrong. I'm man enough to admit that now. All the time I was pissed at Coach Boone and Blue and Petey and everybody...man, I was just hating my brothers."
Ray looked up at me with tears in his eyes, real tears.
"Oh Ray..."
"I just hope the guys can accept me and forgive me for being such a prick all season. I'm ready to make amends, you know, start over."
"Of course they'll forgive you. Ray, they are a great group of guys. You made a mistake that's all, just a case of bad judgment."
"Yeah...I hope so. Do you think...Mary-Courtney, do you think you could ever forgive me?" he asked meekly.
I swallowed hard and tried not to cry.
"I forgave you a long time ago, Ray. It just ain't that easy to forget."
"I know...but it still means a lot. I...I love you, Mary-Courtney. You know that. I never stopped. I'm hoping somewhere deep inside that a little part of you still loves me."
"Ray, don't do this."
"I have to, baby. I have to tell you how I feel. Girl, I miss you so much. You're everything to me. And when I saw you with Sunshine earlier before practice...him carrying your gym bags and you two all smiling at each other...hell, it tore me apart inside."
"Ronnie and I are friends."
"I believe you. Even if you're not, I understand. He's a nice guy, I guess. I can see why you'd like him but watching y'all together just kills me."
"He's my friend, Ray."
"It still kills me, Mary-Courtney. I'm still hoping and praying to God in Heaven every night that there still might be one more chance left for you and me. That's all I need is one chance because I wouldn't screw up again...ever. I love you too much."
"I don't know what to say. I believe you're sorry and I know you're trying to be genuine but that don't erase some of the nasty things you've said and done, Ray. Do I still love you? Yes, I guess some part of me always will but I need time to think. We need some time apart. I think it'll do us good."
"I want you to marry me, Mary-Courtney Davis", Ray said, dropping to one knee.
"What did you just say?"
He pulled something out of the pocket of his jacket.
"I said I want to marry you that by me one more time."
"I said that I love you more than anything and I want you to be my wife. Now I know this ain't much and I know you deserve better. It's just my class ring but it'll have to make do for now. I swear that if you accept this, as soon as I can, I'll replace it with a diamond. So what do you say, Mary-Courtney?"
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't believe it. I did love Ray and I had always dreamt of becoming his wife one day. That was the plan, wasn't it? Now it was no longer something we talked about in the distance. It was real and here and now. Ray loved me and I'd always loved him. I'd never stopped, I just didn't like the evil person he was becoming. But he admitted the error of his ways and he was sorry and he wanted to make all the wrongs right again. How could you not respect that?
"Oh Ray...Baby, I don't know what to say..."
"Say yes...say you love me."
"Oh I do, Ray. I love you so much. Yes, I will be your wife."
He slipped the much bigger ring on the fourth finger of my left hand. We made a promise to each other that day and somehow I knew everything was going to turn out for the best.
I loved being a cheerleader, I loved the other girls on the team and I loved Coach but sometimes practice could be grueling. I especially loathed being on top of our pyramid. The higher the pyramid, the harder the fall, as far as I was concerned.
"Ready, okay!" screamed our captain.
We formed up and began our routine, clapping and cheering preparing to form the pyramid. It had been a rough afternoon session but we knew that we were capable of standing it up and making it perfect.
"We Will, We Will,
Rock you down,
Shake you up,
Like a volcano about to erupt,
Mighty, mighty Titans here to stay,
We'll rock you all night, and rock you all day!
Whoa Go Titans!"
Just as I was about to strike my finishing pose, I looked down and there was Ray at the bottom of our pyramid.
"I need to talk to you", he mouthed.
"Go away!" I screamed.
Losing my balance I began to wobble and before I knew it, we all landed with a thud on the gymnasium floor.
"Dammitt!" I cursed.
"You okay?" Ray asked, offering me a hand up.
"Ray, leave me alone!" I yelled swatting away at his hand.
"Mary-Courtney, will you and your friend continue your conversation outside?" Coach Collins scolded.
"Yes ma'am", I nodded leading him to a private area right outside the door.
"Mary-Courtney, I just had to see you..."
"What are you doing here, Ray?"
"Baby, I miss you."
"Yeah I just bet you do", I said, arms folded.
"Listen you're mad at me and you have every right to be. I've been acting like a real ass lately and I know you're fed up with me. I'm real sorry, sugar and I wanted you to know that."
"Ray, spare me your empty promises and weak apologies. It don't work no more. I'm done. I don't want to hear it, Ray."
"Well that's your choice, Mary-Courtney. God knows that ain't the answer I wanted to hear but I do understand. First of all, I had no right putting my hands on you. I guess I just lost control of my temper although that's a piss poor excuse. I just wanted you to know I feel bad about it and I swear to you on my life that it'll never happen again."
"Ray..."
"Just hear me out, honey. Please let me say my peace."
"Fine."
"We're living in different times. It's like everything is changing. It made me mad at first Mary-Courtney because I didn't know how to handle it. I wasn't man enough to go with and accept it. I was scared. I know that now and I know that's what caused me to act like such an asshole."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that I wrong. I'm man enough to admit that now. All the time I was pissed at Coach Boone and Blue and Petey and everybody...man, I was just hating my brothers."
Ray looked up at me with tears in his eyes, real tears.
"Oh Ray..."
"I just hope the guys can accept me and forgive me for being such a prick all season. I'm ready to make amends, you know, start over."
"Of course they'll forgive you. Ray, they are a great group of guys. You made a mistake that's all, just a case of bad judgment."
"Yeah...I hope so. Do you think...Mary-Courtney, do you think you could ever forgive me?" he asked meekly.
I swallowed hard and tried not to cry.
"I forgave you a long time ago, Ray. It just ain't that easy to forget."
"I know...but it still means a lot. I...I love you, Mary-Courtney. You know that. I never stopped. I'm hoping somewhere deep inside that a little part of you still loves me."
"Ray, don't do this."
"I have to, baby. I have to tell you how I feel. Girl, I miss you so much. You're everything to me. And when I saw you with Sunshine earlier before practice...him carrying your gym bags and you two all smiling at each other...hell, it tore me apart inside."
"Ronnie and I are friends."
"I believe you. Even if you're not, I understand. He's a nice guy, I guess. I can see why you'd like him but watching y'all together just kills me."
"He's my friend, Ray."
"It still kills me, Mary-Courtney. I'm still hoping and praying to God in Heaven every night that there still might be one more chance left for you and me. That's all I need is one chance because I wouldn't screw up again...ever. I love you too much."
"I don't know what to say. I believe you're sorry and I know you're trying to be genuine but that don't erase some of the nasty things you've said and done, Ray. Do I still love you? Yes, I guess some part of me always will but I need time to think. We need some time apart. I think it'll do us good."
"I want you to marry me, Mary-Courtney Davis", Ray said, dropping to one knee.
"What did you just say?"
He pulled something out of the pocket of his jacket.
"I said I want to marry you that by me one more time."
"I said that I love you more than anything and I want you to be my wife. Now I know this ain't much and I know you deserve better. It's just my class ring but it'll have to make do for now. I swear that if you accept this, as soon as I can, I'll replace it with a diamond. So what do you say, Mary-Courtney?"
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't believe it. I did love Ray and I had always dreamt of becoming his wife one day. That was the plan, wasn't it? Now it was no longer something we talked about in the distance. It was real and here and now. Ray loved me and I'd always loved him. I'd never stopped, I just didn't like the evil person he was becoming. But he admitted the error of his ways and he was sorry and he wanted to make all the wrongs right again. How could you not respect that?
"Oh Ray...Baby, I don't know what to say..."
"Say yes...say you love me."
"Oh I do, Ray. I love you so much. Yes, I will be your wife."
He slipped the much bigger ring on the fourth finger of my left hand. We made a promise to each other that day and somehow I knew everything was going to turn out for the best.