June 25th 2023

Chapter 176
We Remind Of Our Cheer

They had almost expected this, to the point where, when the phone rang, they knew before picking it up who it would be and why. It certainly helped that the call came just after one in the morning, but still. Neither Maya nor Lucas could be said that have been sleeping all that deeply, and then the phone rang, and they were up, ready to dress and go in next to no time, because Ella and Taylor were on their way to the hospital to have their baby.

They had told their younger daughters that they would get to go and be there when their niece or nephew was born, no matter what, and they respected that, but in this case, they had decided to let them sleep through the night and bring them out in the morning, which turned out to be the right call. Within two hours of their leaving home, Maya and Lucas were back, not yet the new grandparents they had hoped to be. Ella had not actually been in proper labor and the baby would not be born on this day. That didn't stop her parents from being 'busted' upon their return home for having broken their word, or so they were accused by Marianne when they'd tried to carry her back upstairs. She'd woken up after they'd gone and wouldn't get back in her bed, so her aunt Gracie had stayed with her in the living room until she went back to sleep, but then could not move her again without waking her. All they could do was point out the fact that they'd been right not to go through the hassle when there had been no birth, but Marianne was not convinced.

It was probably just as well that nothing had happened on this night. Maya might have felt bad for saying that if the baby had been born, but they had not, and Ella would understand her sentiment. As it was, Maya was feeling the lack of sleep in her body as she woke up a couple of hours after returning home and thought of the day that she'd have ahead of her: it was the kick-off of cheer camp.

The whole thing was only its second edition, the first having taken place the summer before, after Maya had been named coach. Now, over the next week, the remaining cheerleaders who had not yet graduated from last year's squad, along with those hopefuls for the coming year who'd nabbed a spot – she wasn't too strict on how many of those there were, didn't like to exclude anyone – would be gathering out at Sullivan Stables to mingle, and do activities together, training, practicing, competing… Maya wanted the whole thing to be more fun than intense, and so far it had been just that. All her own girls were off to their respective camps, but oh, how some of them had campaigned to go with her instead.

As Maya drove up, she was definitely the first one there, ahead of Betsy and the students, though someone was there when she pulled up, ready and waiting. Rafa stood there, clipboard in his hand, smile on his face… He had volunteered to act as 'ambassador' to the ranch when the cheerleaders and cheer hopefuls arrived, checking them in first and foremost. Looking at him, Maya had no trouble playfully teasing him as she guessed some of his motivations for being there. He was absolutely a good, respectful kid in every way, but he was also a teenage boy, and a lot of the kids coming in today were teenage girls, and… well, here they were.

"Thank you so much for helping us today, Rafa," Maya smiled at him, trying not to lay it on too thick. Rafa simply smiled and nodded, so she must have stayed right where she needed to be.

"I can let you know when they start to get here, if you need to go and…"

"No, no, that's alright, I'm good here," she promised, and he nodded again, trying not to look so disappointed this time.

Of all the people who could have come along next, the one who did arrive, just a couple of minutes later, came with skates on, and Maya both spotted and recognized her from far enough away. She'd asked for and received the wheeled pair for her fifteenth birthday nearly a month ago and had been using them as her means of transport ever since. Maya had been doing her best to keep her daughters from seeing their aunt zooming around like that, for fear that they'd all want some, too. She doubted they could all have handled them as swiftly as Haley did.

"Wow, you look like…" she started to speak as she came up to her sister and Rafa and circled around them.

"Like…" Maya dared her to go on, eyebrow up. Haley and her rosy cheeks considered this very quickly before hitting the breaks in front of her big sister and pulling her into a hug.

"Like you're ready to whip us all into cheer shape," she declared, and Maya snorted. Good enough. She went ahead and explained the thing about Ella and the false labor, and Haley gasped when she heard the story, unsatisfying in its ending as it was. "Why didn't you just stay home and sleep in a while? I'm sure Betsy could have gotten it started. And, you know, I'm here, too," she smiled.

"All hail, my wonderful assistant," Maya smiled back, especially as her little sister punctuated this statement with a very cheer-like mime, one fist above her hip, the other in the air. "Might want to ditch the wheels," Maya reminded her, and Haley was disappointed, but she finally went through the motions of removing her wheels, which left her standing in a pair of boots. She wondered how long it would take, if her sister insisted on bringing these to school, before they ended up confiscated by the principal.

The thought was set aside as the others started to arrive. Those who were already part of the squad were easy to identify, since they all had their gear already, so the rest of them were noticeable, too, for their lack of said gear. There were some kids she already knew from the high school, who would be sophomores, juniors, or seniors in the fall, and who had previously tried out but in the end not been selected, but the majority had the fresh faces of new fall freshmen about them.

She had no doubt that Haley would have been here no matter what, both to support her sister and to just be here, as she most likely would be trying out for the squad along with her classmates. But more than anything, right now, Maya was sure that her biggest reason for being there was Madelyn Carter. A lot of her classmates were seeing her for the first time since the end of classes, and the last time they'd seen her she had definitely been a lot smaller. She was not anymore. From what Haley had confided in her sister, Madelyn very much felt the urge to cover up her growing belly, her entire changing form. But at the same time, she was plainly aware that there was no point. Everyone had known about her pregnancy before summer's start, so what would she accomplish from doing it except to be hotter and sweatier through this summer than she already was. So, here she was, in all her impending motherhood.

And despite everything, she wanted to be on the squad. She could still move well enough, a gift of her years of gymnastics, and circus arts with Haley… But there was no telling where she'd be at by the time the tryouts rolled around and, sure, she could skip this year and try out next year, as a sophomore, but she didn't want that. She wanted to start alongside her best friend. Maya was more than happy to hold a spot for her without her having to do tryouts. She had the benefit of having seen her perform in the past, to be aware of her skills and capabilities, so why not use all that information?

Well, she could think of one reason, though she would do her damnedest not to pay attention to it. She could just hear what Sandra Davenport would have to say about this, and she wished she could simply not listen to her and go on, but this year more than ever, there was no way she could be so careless about how she proceeded. She wouldn't benefit from going too fast, and her students definitely wouldn't either. She would have to beat the principal at her own game… somehow…

"Coach?" Kinsey raised her hand from where she sat, with the returning cheerleaders. She'd recently redone her hair, going for a different hue this year, one that would have Marianne and her little sisters admire her in awe and Principal Davenport glare at her with frustration.

"Yes?" Maya asked the new sophomore.

"You're still going to be our coach, right?" Kinsey asked, looking to her teammates and back. Maya blinked.

"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, but even as she did, she had a pretty good idea of the answer to her own question. "Is this because of the principal and her new teams?" she tried. Kinsey and the others all nodded. The future freshmen – mostly – had no idea what she was talking about.

"She hates her guts," Max Farrell informed the newbies, who all had a look like they weren't sure which of the 'she' and the 'her' was the principal, and which was Maya. Neither Max, nor Maya, nor any of the others, had the heart to tell them it could honestly be either one.

"Let's not… go down that line, please, alright?" Maya asked with a sigh, and the two groups looked back at her as one. "I don't know everything about what will or won't happen this year, but here's something you can count on. I will be your coach, along with Betsy," she indicated her mother's cousin, who only nodded, agreeing. "For those of you taking art, I'll be your teacher, too. And if you sign up for the musical, or if you end up on the quiz teams… Well, you get the idea. The point is, whatever happens throughout the year, for now, all you need to know is that I am here, and that I will be there, okay? The kids all nodded, some of them looking like they still needed some convincing that all would be well.

When day one of cheer camp wrapped up, everyone started to leave until it was down to Maya, Betsy, Rafa, Haley, and Madelyn. The last of them was being very quiet, lost in her own thoughts with her hands locked around the curve of her growing belly. She looked so far from herself, in every sense of the word, and her best friend could not just sit there and watch without doing something.

"Okay, I think I got it, do you want to see?" she stretched up to stand and move down from the B&B's porch, facing the others where they sat.

"See what?" Rafa asked, looking like he was almost following but also not entirely sure.

"The routine, from before," Haley explained, pointing off to where they'd been. Madelyn was looking on, but she said nothing. "Oh, I know, bonus difficulty," Haley jumped to grab her wheels from her bag and quickly locked them on to her boots. "See, this is what you need, Maya. Cheerleaders on wheels," she declared dramatically, taking a spin.

"I'll keep that in mind," Maya frowned and laughed. "Alright, show us what you've got." Haley wouldn't have to be asked twice. She went through the routine as flawlessly as her skates would allow. In some instances, they kind of hindered her, but not in so problematic a way, while in others they actually made things better. Maya, Betsy, and Rafa all cheered her on. Madelyn looked on, and she managed a smile, which was already better than where she was at before.

"Not bad, huh?" Haley grinned when she was done.

"Gold star, ten out of ten," Maya nodded.

"So, if I tried out, I'd get in, yeah?"

"Probably, yeah," Maya had to admit.

"Good, then either we both get in or neither of us does," she crossed her arms before her chest. Madelyn looked at her, stunned but touched. Maya kind of felt the same.

"Noted, Miss Hunter."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners