Some of you have noticed some similarities with the show Cheer on Netflix. Yes, huge inspiration! The fighting for a spot on mat. The trainings. The tears. The Coach. Bella's backstory too, and as we will see later, her parents as well.
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You make this process fun :3
Chapter 16.
Sprawled on the mat, we await the results of the trials. Coach Hale and Jasper retreated to the back office and have been hiding in there for the past twenty minutes or so. I'm on my back, staring at the metal scaffolding of the ceiling, while Bella is sitting next to me, chatting with Emmett and Vicky.
With the click of Coach's boots on the wood floors, everyone gets up to gather on the mat. I take a deep breath in preparation, feeling the nerves take over me. In theory, I've done enough to make mat. I hit all of my tumbling passes earlier. If I make the A Team, I'll work my ass off to stay on it. If I don't, I'll work my ass off to be ready for if/when a spot opens up.
Bella inches closer to me, and when her fingers graze mine, I grab her hand in mine, breathing out in relief as our fingers intertwine.
Everyone outside of the five stunter pairs gets announced first—the dancers, tumblers, and spotters, who have different roles outside of stunts, mainly being part of the choreographed dances in our routine.
Since I don't dance, I wasn't expecting to be called with the tumblers. My hope is with the stunters, who are called last. Emmett and Vicky make it, so do Jacob and Leah, James and Jane, and Felix and Kate.
There's a clear sob coming behind me, and when I look over my shoulder, I can see Jessica covering her face. With one flyer spot left, and Bella's name not having been called yet, she's probably realizing she didn't make it.
My stomach sinks. I feel responsible. My trials with her yesterday were so awful, it probably didn't help her chances. And her re-trials earlier with Mike Newton, another rookie base, did not go well. I don't think he will make it either.
I feel bad—I do—and I want to talk to her, to apologize, but the feeling is interrupted with the next words that come out of Coach's mouth.
"And Edward and Bella."
Time stops for a second.
I can't fucking believe it.
Then I feel everything all at once.
Bella lets go of my hand, jumping on me with her arms around my neck, while claps—and cries—surround us.
"I'm so proud of you," Bella squeals as I lift her to me, closing my arms around her waist.
"It's all you," I whisper in her ear, holding her to me. "Thank you so much." I reluctantly set her down, breathing out harshly, with my heart almost beating itself out of my chest.
"Now you can't get rid of me," she jokes in a soft giggle with a hand that burns its way down from my neck onto my chest.
"I think I'll survive." I probably won't.
"We'll see." She teases back, dropping her hand and fucking winking at me. My comeback dies in my throat as Coach steps in between us, one hand on my shoulder and the other on Bella's.
"Well done, guys," Coach says while she squeezes my shoulder. "I can't wait to see what we can get you two to accomplish before Daytona."
Daytona.
The National Cheerleading Championship.
My first time competing professionally, with Bella Swan by my side.
If someone had told me that was even a possibility for me at the beginning of the year, I would have laughed in their face.
It suddenly feels like the walls of the gym are closing in on me, and I can't get enough air; my chest feels tight and my heart starts speeding up in my chest. I try to take a deep breath, running a hand through my hair, while I lose track of the conversation that continues between Bella and Coach Hale.
I need some water, or some air, or something.
Bella shoots me a worried glance, but I smile at her softly as I grab my water bottle and excuse myself with a nod.
I walk into the back hallway, darkened with the flickering of the faulty light. I rest my back against the wall, close my eyes, and try to collect my breath. Breathe is all I do for the next few seconds, until I finally manage to calm down a little.
Then I register the soft sobs coming from the end of the hallway.
Jessica is on the floor, sitting by Coach's office door, under the bulletin board, with her legs bent in front of her and her head resting on her knees.
I walk slowly to her, and she must hear me coming because she lifts her head and runs her hands under her eyes.
"I'm sorry…" I drop next to her with a huff.
"C'mon, you know it wasn't your fault." Her tone is sad as she sniffles into her shirt, wiping her tears with her hands.
"If I had been better yesterday—" I start, but she interrupts me with a hand up.
"I still wouldn't have made it." She shakes her head, looking away from me. "You did amazing today, though. Congratulations."
"Thank you." I want to say it was all thanks to Bella, but I don't know if that would make Jessica feel worse. "You know anything can happen, right?" I say instead. "You're still part of the team, and there is always a chance Coach puts you on the mat in Daytona. You just need to be ready."
Jessica doesn't say anything and stares at me instead, her blue eyes glistening with the remnants of her tears.
"It's true." It's what I kept telling myself, just in case. "You could still make it."
She half smiles, and opens her mouth as if she was going to say something else, but her face quickly transforms into a frown as her eyes travel behind me.
"Thanks," she says softly, getting up from the floor, wiping her hands in her shorts, and rushing across the hallway into the locker rooms.
I look back over my shoulder and see Bella coming from the gym, so I push up to my feet with a groan. The adrenaline from the trials is gone, and I'm starting to really feel the soreness from the last couple days—months.
"Is she okay?" Bella asks, standing in front of me, her eyes on the swinging doors Jessica just disappeared through, a genuine concerned expression on her face.
"Maybe, yeah? I don't really know." I pull on the back of my neck, stretching my shoulder.
"What was that about?" Her tone isn't judgy, just curious, as her eyes inspect my face.
"I feel bad," I try to explain. "Guilty. I fucked up her chances yesterday, and now she didn't make it."
"Oh?" Bella looks up at me, confused. "I meant why you ran out of the gym like that."
"Oh…" it's my turn to say. "I needed some air. I still can't believe I made mat."
"You better believe it." She gestures to the bulletin board next to Coach's door. In our university's colors are the results of the trials. Jasper must have posted them here before Coach made the announcement.
"Holy shit…" I scrub my face, something between a sigh and a laugh coming out of my mouth.
My name, printed and in bold, under the A Team.
I made mat.
I fucking did it.
"Are you okay?" Bella inches closer, and I am hopeless against the pull she has on me.
"Yeah," I say, captivated, my lips stretching into a grin that is all for her. My hand reaches for her arm, my fingers grazing her skin down to her wrist.
"I've never seen you smile so widely," she says with a little chuckle.
"I'm so fucking happy." My voice comes out in a whisper. My body acting on its own, inching over to her. I know I should stop this, I should pull back—we're out here, exposed, with our whole team next door—but I can't find the will in me to do so.
"You deserve it," she whispers back, inching closer to me as well. Her forehead is almost touching my chin, and when she looks up at me, her nose narrowly grazes my jaw in the process. "You've worked so hard for it."
"Swan…" My breath comes out loudly through my nose while my fingers circle around her wrist, trying in vain to remain still.
"Yeah?" Bella closes her eyes, her lips but an inch from mine.
"I don't think I can fight this anymore."
"Then don't." Her breath brushes against my lips as she speaks, and it completely dissipates my already wavering resolve.
My lips press against hers, softly at first, until she pulls herself to me with her hand around my neck. I moan into her. She does the same. Her lips are sweet, soft, better than anything I could have ever dreamed of.
She pulls away with a little gasp, and it takes everything I have not to pull her to me again, but I am painfully aware of where we stand, and who could come in the hallway at any second. So I hold myself back and pull away from her. When I do, she smiles blissfully at me, stumbling back a little, with her cheeks flushed and my heart in her hands.
"I want to take you out," I say quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"What?" She sounds confused, her eyes still a little hazy.
"I want to take you out on a date." I'm tingling all over from our kiss, and I can't wait until I can kiss her again.
"Oh…"
"If you want to," I say, feeling wobbly all over.
"I'd love to." Her smile is so beautiful, her freckles pop up over her blush.
"Okay…" I take a relieved breath. "Okay."
"Where would we go?"
"I have no fucking clue." I chuckle, dropping my forehead on hers. I'm broke after registering for classes and buying some of the required books. The housing payment for the fall semester is due soon too, and I haven't talked to my mom about that yet.
"Somewhere quiet," Bella suggests, not giving me time to overthink this.
"Yes."
"Where we can be alone." She presses a finger on my chest, running it down my torso.
"Fuck yes." No restaurants. No movies. Just me and her. I know just the spot.
"When?" she asks, looking up at me with a smile.
"Today." I don't care if I sound desperate. "Later." I need to shower. I'm a sweaty mess.
"Okay," she says, laughing softly and taking a step back. She looks over her shoulder as she walks away from me, heading toward the gym. "It's a date."
"It's a date." I breathe out, unable to contain my smile at her retreating form, knowing in this moment that everything has changed. I won't be able to not kiss her anymore. As long as she wants me, it's going to happen again, and again, and again.
We will make it work. We won't let it affect our performance. Nothing will come in between us.