After school, Joe headed to the gym. He had expected Nick, Emily, and his friends to be there but was taken aback by the amount of students who had remained after school to watch their chosen champions practice. To date, gymnastics had ranked low on the popularity scale but Joe realized this contest had changed many people's minds about the sport.
Tony, Chet and Phil were in the process of checking the equipment to ensure it was safe to use. Vanessa, seeing Joe enter the gym, ran over and gave him a hug. "It's like a pep rally in here," she told him.
"Who knew this thing would be so popular?" Joe asked, shaking his head in awe as he gave a little laugh.
"Nervous?" Vanessa inquired, grinning as she gazed into his baby blues.
"Not a bit," Joe denied. "I've performed in front of a crowd before."
"But football and basketball are team sports," she pointed out. "You're on your own here."
Joe shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "Once I start, all of my concentration is on what I am doing and not on my surroundings."
"Considering what's going on, I'm not so sure that's a good thing," Vanessa stated, her face marred by a frown.
"Relax," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You, Callie, and the guys are here keeping things under control. Emily, Nick and I will be fine." Vanessa gave him a small smile but her anxiety remained obvious.
Joe gave her a last reassuring wink then headed to the boys' locker room to change. When he returned, Emily was on the balancing beam and Nick was practicing his back flips. Joe headed for the rings. He stopped just underneath them and performed his warm-up exercises before jumping to reach the rings.
All too quickly seven o'clock arrived. Nick jumped off the balancing beam and bowed to the crowd of students as they clapped loudly. Emily did a final triple turn and landed perfectly, her hands in the air as another round of applause erupted. Joe finished his routine on the mats and fell onto one knee with his hands in the air as sweat dripped down his back. Everyone stood and they clapped their approval.
Joe grinned and waved then followed Nick down to the showers. "You were really good out there," Nick congratulated Joe.
"Thanks," Joe replied. "You too."
"Too bad this contest isn't a group thing," Nick said, pulling off his shirt.
"Yeah," Joe agreed, an idea coming to him. "Hey, what say if one of us wins this contest, we all reap the benefits?"
"What did you have in mind?" asked Nick putting his shirt down and looking at Joe.
"Did Principal Dylan tell you everything?" Joe questioned before answering.
"You mean, did he tell Emily and me about the prize money and trip, then yeah," answered Nick.
"What I suggest is that if one of us wins then the work-out station gets donated to Bayport High for everyone to use and the prize money goes for the three of us and our families to attend the Olympics together," Joe put forth his idea.
"I like it," Nick enthused, a smile covering half of his face. "But we will have to get Emily's agreement."
"If we hurry, we can probably catch her before she heads home," Joe said, yanking off his shirt as Nick headed for the showers.
They caught up with Emily just outside of the gym. She was talking to Vanessa and Callie as the two boys approached. "Where's Tony and Phil?" Vanessa asked as Joe and Nick approached.
"There they are," Callie answered for Joe as the two boys in question exited the gym at a run and slowed down to a trot when they saw Joe and Nick standing there unharmed.
"Sorry guys," Joe apologized, his cheeks becoming suffused with red. He had forgotten Tony and Phil were supposed to keep an eye on Nick.
"We were just trying to catch up with Emily before she left," Nick explained.
"Is something wrong?" Emily inquired, her brown eyes clouding over with worry.
"Not at all," Nick told her as she nervously flipped an ebony braid over her shoulder. "Joe had a great idea and we wanted to run it by you and see what you think," he said then launched into dialogue about it. When he finished, Emily clapped her hands excitedly.
"What a fantastic idea!" Emily stated. "Count me in."
"Cool," Phil agreed. "If any one of you wins then you all do!"
"And so does Bayport High," Vanessa put in. "That workstation is the best on the market."
After this, the teens split up and Joe went to the van. Because of the extra practice Vanessa had let Joe out of their normal Friday night date. Upset at the time, he now appreciated her gesture for he was starting to ache. He wanted only to go home, have dinner and go to bed. He supposed he should be glad Frank had told him to call and not just drop in at Braun when he had finished.
Joe pulled the van to a stop in the drive at the back of the house. Getting out, he grabbed his backpack and headed to the kitchen door. It was locked. He pulled his key ring form his pocket and inserted it. Opening the door, he paused at the entrance wondering why everything was so quite.
He closed the door gently behind him and started toward the door leading into the dining room but stopped when his eyes hit on a note tacked the message board:
Boys, your father and I have gone out for the evening. There's a pizza in the fridge. Love, Mom.
Joe dropped his backpack by the doorway and went to the refrigerator. Grinning, he pulled the pizza box out and set it on the kitchen table. He opened the box. "Mushrooms?" he asked, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Frank liked them but he didn't particularly care for them.
Shaking his head, he let the lid fall and went to a cabinet and pulled out a glass. Filling it with milk from the fridge he sat down at the table. Pizza was good hot or cold and right now he was too hungry to wait for the mike to do its thing.
He peeled most of the mushrooms off then started devouring his first slice. He finished the slice and half of his milk and started on a second slice. Two bites into it, the phone rang.
Joe groaned at the interruption but got up to answer it, carrying the slice he was munching on with him. Joe swallowed and answered the phone. "Hello," he greeted the caller.
"Hey, Baby Brother," Frank said. "How as practice?"
"Long," Joe replied. "I was going to call you and then hit the sack."
"It's only just gone eight," Frank pointed out.
"I know. But unless you have something specific in mind, I'm going to bed," Joe asserted. "Hoe did it go at Braun Enterprises?" he asked.
"Good," Frank informed him. "Chet has already started so I'm driving his car. Tomorrow morning when he gets off is when I start. You will have to pick me up tomorrow afternoon," he ended.
"No problem," Joe answered, wincing as he felt a cramp in his stomach. "When will you be home?"
"I'm almost there," Frank told him.
"Good. I'll save you some..." Joe broke off as a major cramp caused him to drop his pizza and grab his stomach as he doubled over in pain.
"Joe?" Frank yelled into the phone, his knuckles white as he gripped his cell phone listening anxiously for Joe to speak again. "Joe? Are you okay?" he shouted.
"H..help," Joe gasped, dropping the receiver and falling to his knees, both hands closing over his stomach.
Tony, Chet and Phil were in the process of checking the equipment to ensure it was safe to use. Vanessa, seeing Joe enter the gym, ran over and gave him a hug. "It's like a pep rally in here," she told him.
"Who knew this thing would be so popular?" Joe asked, shaking his head in awe as he gave a little laugh.
"Nervous?" Vanessa inquired, grinning as she gazed into his baby blues.
"Not a bit," Joe denied. "I've performed in front of a crowd before."
"But football and basketball are team sports," she pointed out. "You're on your own here."
Joe shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he replied. "Once I start, all of my concentration is on what I am doing and not on my surroundings."
"Considering what's going on, I'm not so sure that's a good thing," Vanessa stated, her face marred by a frown.
"Relax," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You, Callie, and the guys are here keeping things under control. Emily, Nick and I will be fine." Vanessa gave him a small smile but her anxiety remained obvious.
Joe gave her a last reassuring wink then headed to the boys' locker room to change. When he returned, Emily was on the balancing beam and Nick was practicing his back flips. Joe headed for the rings. He stopped just underneath them and performed his warm-up exercises before jumping to reach the rings.
All too quickly seven o'clock arrived. Nick jumped off the balancing beam and bowed to the crowd of students as they clapped loudly. Emily did a final triple turn and landed perfectly, her hands in the air as another round of applause erupted. Joe finished his routine on the mats and fell onto one knee with his hands in the air as sweat dripped down his back. Everyone stood and they clapped their approval.
Joe grinned and waved then followed Nick down to the showers. "You were really good out there," Nick congratulated Joe.
"Thanks," Joe replied. "You too."
"Too bad this contest isn't a group thing," Nick said, pulling off his shirt.
"Yeah," Joe agreed, an idea coming to him. "Hey, what say if one of us wins this contest, we all reap the benefits?"
"What did you have in mind?" asked Nick putting his shirt down and looking at Joe.
"Did Principal Dylan tell you everything?" Joe questioned before answering.
"You mean, did he tell Emily and me about the prize money and trip, then yeah," answered Nick.
"What I suggest is that if one of us wins then the work-out station gets donated to Bayport High for everyone to use and the prize money goes for the three of us and our families to attend the Olympics together," Joe put forth his idea.
"I like it," Nick enthused, a smile covering half of his face. "But we will have to get Emily's agreement."
"If we hurry, we can probably catch her before she heads home," Joe said, yanking off his shirt as Nick headed for the showers.
They caught up with Emily just outside of the gym. She was talking to Vanessa and Callie as the two boys approached. "Where's Tony and Phil?" Vanessa asked as Joe and Nick approached.
"There they are," Callie answered for Joe as the two boys in question exited the gym at a run and slowed down to a trot when they saw Joe and Nick standing there unharmed.
"Sorry guys," Joe apologized, his cheeks becoming suffused with red. He had forgotten Tony and Phil were supposed to keep an eye on Nick.
"We were just trying to catch up with Emily before she left," Nick explained.
"Is something wrong?" Emily inquired, her brown eyes clouding over with worry.
"Not at all," Nick told her as she nervously flipped an ebony braid over her shoulder. "Joe had a great idea and we wanted to run it by you and see what you think," he said then launched into dialogue about it. When he finished, Emily clapped her hands excitedly.
"What a fantastic idea!" Emily stated. "Count me in."
"Cool," Phil agreed. "If any one of you wins then you all do!"
"And so does Bayport High," Vanessa put in. "That workstation is the best on the market."
After this, the teens split up and Joe went to the van. Because of the extra practice Vanessa had let Joe out of their normal Friday night date. Upset at the time, he now appreciated her gesture for he was starting to ache. He wanted only to go home, have dinner and go to bed. He supposed he should be glad Frank had told him to call and not just drop in at Braun when he had finished.
Joe pulled the van to a stop in the drive at the back of the house. Getting out, he grabbed his backpack and headed to the kitchen door. It was locked. He pulled his key ring form his pocket and inserted it. Opening the door, he paused at the entrance wondering why everything was so quite.
He closed the door gently behind him and started toward the door leading into the dining room but stopped when his eyes hit on a note tacked the message board:
Boys, your father and I have gone out for the evening. There's a pizza in the fridge. Love, Mom.
Joe dropped his backpack by the doorway and went to the refrigerator. Grinning, he pulled the pizza box out and set it on the kitchen table. He opened the box. "Mushrooms?" he asked, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Frank liked them but he didn't particularly care for them.
Shaking his head, he let the lid fall and went to a cabinet and pulled out a glass. Filling it with milk from the fridge he sat down at the table. Pizza was good hot or cold and right now he was too hungry to wait for the mike to do its thing.
He peeled most of the mushrooms off then started devouring his first slice. He finished the slice and half of his milk and started on a second slice. Two bites into it, the phone rang.
Joe groaned at the interruption but got up to answer it, carrying the slice he was munching on with him. Joe swallowed and answered the phone. "Hello," he greeted the caller.
"Hey, Baby Brother," Frank said. "How as practice?"
"Long," Joe replied. "I was going to call you and then hit the sack."
"It's only just gone eight," Frank pointed out.
"I know. But unless you have something specific in mind, I'm going to bed," Joe asserted. "Hoe did it go at Braun Enterprises?" he asked.
"Good," Frank informed him. "Chet has already started so I'm driving his car. Tomorrow morning when he gets off is when I start. You will have to pick me up tomorrow afternoon," he ended.
"No problem," Joe answered, wincing as he felt a cramp in his stomach. "When will you be home?"
"I'm almost there," Frank told him.
"Good. I'll save you some..." Joe broke off as a major cramp caused him to drop his pizza and grab his stomach as he doubled over in pain.
"Joe?" Frank yelled into the phone, his knuckles white as he gripped his cell phone listening anxiously for Joe to speak again. "Joe? Are you okay?" he shouted.
"H..help," Joe gasped, dropping the receiver and falling to his knees, both hands closing over his stomach.
