Stacy's Stalker (Chapter 3)

Friday night he was tuning his guitar waiting for his two students to come in. Devyn and Richie wanted to practice their songs before their concert tomorrow. The entire group had been rehearsing longer and more often once Ryan had informed them that his friends were going to be there on Saturday. Even Stacy, who had been in the band since she was eight years old, was nervous and had stopped in quickly to practice her solos before she had to go to cheerleading.

Ryan was curious when she walked in for an impromptu rehearsal wearing a football jersey with the name Sullivan sewn on the back. After he shook off the shock of seeing her in something so casual, another emotion came over him, was it jealousy or was it excitement?

Of course it hung large on her, showing how petite she was and she tucked it into her jeans to keep it from swallowing her. He was shocked to see her in any athletic apparel, she chose dancing and more recently cheerleading as her favorite forms of exercise. 'And shopping, he thought with a laugh, she would definitely consider shopping a sport.', having spent his fair share of time waiting for her at the mall.

Another thought came in his mind, an image of Stacy wearing his old baseball jersey with Lambert and his number 28 emblazoned on the back. He blushed, when he realized how far his thoughts had wandered and the fact that Stacy was staring at him amused. He figured she wouldn't be so amused if she knew how intimate his thoughts had been, brief as they were.

"Hey." her soft voice welcomed him back as she ran her fingers up his arm, landing on his shoulder startling him back to reality. "What are you thinking about?" She teased, his green eyes focusing on her and not whatever trance he had just been in.

Ryan was not going to admit to his last thought so he confessed his first one. "Who's Sullivan?" he asked, slight jealousy coloring his tone.

She smiled as she replied, "Mikey? He's my football buddy, every cheerleader has one." she explained patiently. "We decorate their lockers, make them treats, and on Fridays we wear their jerseys." He didn't pretend to understand the "jock" customs of high school even though he played on the high school baseball team and received a Varsity jacket for his efforts.

"Michael Sullivan, #86, senior, defensive tackle, and defensive captain." Stacy carefully recited his information. "He's also been my neighbor since 2nd grade. You've probably seen him before." If she expected him to remember all of her friends, let alone all the people she knew and had invited to her birthday parties or concerts, she was going to be wrong. In fact if you totaled up all those people it would still be less than the number of guys who had ever been interested in her, he was sure.

She glanced down at her watch. "Shoot, I've got to go. I'm going to be late for practice." She rushed to pick up her things and say goodbye to the rest of the group. "Good Luck!" She cheered Devyn and Richie as she dashed through the double doors of the P*lace.

The trio practiced for about an hour and half before the younger kids had to leave. "You should come to the football game." Devyn suggested as they were packing up.

It sounded better than going back to his apartment. He chuckled to himself when he remembered he barely went to any football games when he was in high school. But the image of Stacy in her cheerleading uniform had him agreeing out loud before he could change his mind. "Sure, I'll see you guys there."

He might be an older, somewhat cooler version of himself than when he was in high school, but to Devyn and Richie who had been watching their earlier exchange, he was still the same Ryan who was obviously still in love with Stacy.

He hadn't realized what a pain it would be to find parking for a high school football game. Eventually he settled for a spot a couple of blocks down from the high school, chuckling when he realized he hadn't been there since he graduated on that same field that the game would be on.

He was clever enough to figure out what side the home team was on and climbed the bleachers looking for an inconspicuous spot to take in the game and a seat not too close to the marching band and its blaring music. He was surprised at how packed the stands were and how noisy the fans were, and not just the high school crowd.

Adults and families and younger kids were all invested in the result of the game for some reason he couldn't figure out. 'My baseball games never got this many fans.' he thought, grateful for that though. It felt like the whole town was there.

It didn't matter if she was center stage singing or on the field cheering she would always be the center of his attention. She was obviously beautiful but her personality on and off the stage and field made her extremely likable and approachable.

He found the adrenaline of the game exciting though as he watched the players fight for every yard and point they could on the field with the cheerleaders executing precise routines and encouraging the crowd to yell in support the whole time.

"Let's get physical

Get down, get hard, get mean

Let's get physical

And beat that other team!"

He had been in awe of her, and not just because of her looks. But how effortlessly she performed and her nonstop energy. Like everything else she did, she gave cheerleading her best effort. Despite all the girls flipping with their impressive gymnastic feats and others flying through the air in dramatic fashion, his eyes were fixed on only one.

She was a vision in her red and white uniform, the long sleeve top fit tightly across her torso and chest and the skirt, though short, allowed her to be able to jump and bend in incredible ways. He was surprised how much he liked her hair up, as she almost always wore it down, and it was wrapped with a red scrunchie and big white bow.

She had always kept herself in good shape with dancing and performing in the band, but cheerleading had garnered her much more attention on her body than she was honestly comfortable with. She ignored the catcalls of the football players who wanted to date her, and the sometimes obnoxious comments that she overheard from the stands.

She was happy they won, and wished she already had plans so she could say no to the weekly after game party. She knew she was well liked by her teammates on the squad, and most of the football team treated her well, the notes had unnerved her and she wasn't sure who she could trust right now.

"Hey Stace! He called down to her from the front row of the stands. She smiled a genuine smile when she heard his voice. He was one of the few people she could trust right now, and had always trusted.

She was surprised at the sight of him, and more surprised when he got her attention. He was a welcome distraction from the pressures she felt as a cheerleader. There were unfair expectations that she didn't feel like living up to. Nor did she like participating in the gossip circles with all the other cheerleaders.

She waved off her friends who were on their way to Jake Morgan's house for a post game party. The parents of the high school quarterback welcomed the players and cheerleaders over after every game. She was thrilled to have an excuse not to attend.

Stacy was fiercely independent which had been one of the major reasons she had broken up with Justin last year. Aside from Andrew Thomas in 8th grade, she hadn't found any boys worth her time and attention.

'Well maybe one…' she amended thoughtfully as she gazed up at Ryan waiting patiently for her to gather her gear. She hoped she looked presentable enough after sweating for the last few hours at the football game. She apparently hadn't noticed that he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her the entire game, sweat or no sweat.

And she reminded herself, she hadn't minded the times they had hung out after his baseball games or practices. 'He had always looked good sweaty," she thought dreamily before realizing he was still waiting for her.

"You ready to go?" he smirked, watching her face turn pink when she knew that he had seen her staring off into space on the field. 'At least he didn't know what I was thinking.' She praised her small amount of self-restraint as she headed towards him. When she had caught him earlier, she had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking.

"I'm surprised you found the football field." She teased him as he kindly threw her cheerleading bag over his shoulder and escorted her the four blocks to his car. "Have you ever been to a football game before?" She smiled as she asked, walking side by side in the almost deserted parking lot.

"Haha" he laughed at her teasing. "Maybe one or two?" He confessed sheepishly, causing her to roll her eyes. "Want to get something to eat?" He suggested, figuring that she must be hungry and he could enjoy the time hanging out with her, and only her.

"Can we go somewhere not close by?" She looked up hopefully at him. After football games, all the pizza places and local restaurants were crowded with other high school students and fans and she craved some quiet time alone with Ryan.

He had been pleased with her response, not quite willing to share her with other people either. "I think I have an idea." He mused, opening the door for her, much to her delight. She could always count on him to be his polite, well-mannered self. 'Not all guys are quite as mature.' she grumbled under her breath. But she was determined to not let any of those memories interrupt her one on one time with Ryan.

"You still have this car?" she asked, surprised. They had spent many hours and many miles driving around in this car that was as familiar to her as her own car. Probably more so, seeing as she had only been driving for a year or so now.

"It was either college or a new car." Ryan joked as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Good choice." She replied with a laugh.

She settled into the front seat of his blue Ford escort, still shivering,wrapping her arms around herself, her actions catching his attention. Ryan turned the temperature knob slightly to the left heat to warm her up and eased the car onto the street and towards their destination. He shouldn't have been surprised that she was cold, her uniform did little to keep her warm, but he sure wasn't having the same problem.

They found themselves in a small diner somewhere between school and his apartment, but she hadn't minded the drive. Late on a Friday night, the traffic was fairly easy.

"I've never been in here yet, but it stays open late and it's small, so not too crowded." He explained, his eyes watching her with interest, opening the door for her as she brushed past him and out of the cold fall night. Certainly, he didn't mind what she looked like after a two hour football game. Her hair slightly falling out of her ponytail, a slight sheen of sweat on her brow and neck,a tired smile, and she smelled like crisp air and trees and the orange perfume she liked to wear.

He followed her and the waitress to a booth in the back, he let her pick her seat first and then sat down across from her. Stacy stretched her long legs across the booth onto his seat, her feet bracing themselves against his leg and the wall. Her muscles were tired from exertion as she slumped against the side of the booth relaxed. Ryan liked seeing her like this, with her guard down. She looked more carefree than she had in weeks.

"So how did you get into cheerleading?" He wondered after they ordered a late dinner. He would have remembered her cheerleading when he was still in high school. Hell, he might have even tried out for the football team.

She paused before answering, drinking a lot of water to soothe her sore throat. Personally, he loved the raspiness of it now. "I was bored." Her admission shocked him, it wasn't the answer he had expected from her. But he also knew there was more to the story than that, if he was patient enough to wait for it.

"I mean after Renee, Kid, and you left my parents got pretty tired of me moping around all the time. So I got involved in so many activities to keep my mind off of things I guess." He sighed, he hadn't been happy to hear that answer either. After he left for Julliard, Renee had already left for England, and Kid went overseas to Africa, she had thrown herself into every activity under the sun to keep busy.

She continued, "I was bored, home alone, my best friends away and I just felt left behind. Some things I liked, like cheerleading, glee club, photography, and student council, and other things like drama club, environmental club, and improv, I dropped very quickly." she suddenly stopped,embarrassed to have dropped all that information into Ryan's lap unexpectedly.

"Hey, it's ok, Stace." He reached across the table to lightly grab her hand. "I'm sorry it was so rough for you." He wanted her to look up from the fries she had found so suddenly entertaining. Her blue eyes lifted up, tired but less burdened. 'Maybe she hadn't meant to unload all of those feelings, but maybe it was best that she had. ' he thought pensively, wondering if there was even more than she was saying right now while her guard was down.

Ryan worried what had made her put her guard up in the first place. She had always been an open, friendly child and teenager but now there was a certain facade she had in place most of the time that hadn't been there before school started.

As much as he wanted to be more than friends with her, he was concerned about just her right now. She never talked about Renee much or her family so he wondered who she did share her feelings with, her struggles, her triumphs? He would never put his personal feelings above hers, ever.

Luckily she returned to his original question. "So I used to do gymnastics way, way, way back in the day." She informed him with a laugh, remembering a funny time her first year in the band. She had tried so hard to act like a big kid to fit in with the band.

"Sounds like a story…" he prodded her, curious but not pushy. She didn't disappoint as she launched into a story that he somehow had never heard before, her spirits seemingly higher.

"So our amp blew up on stage and if we couldn't get a new one, Riley was going to get a different band to replace us for the Friday night concert." She explained as she spoke in between bites of her burger. "I saw a poster for a gymnastics competition and the prize was two hundred dollars."

"You entered the contest didn't you?" Ryan surprised her with his accuracy. He wasn't surprised that she had though. She had always been dependable and tenacious. She nodded as she ate a handful of fries. "Let me guess, the amp was two hundred dollars." He had always been good at solving mysteries, she thought with a grin.

Yep, and I was terrible, but I got to meet Kathy Johnson." She added with a shrug, she had been thrilled at just that. "It all worked out in the end, the A/V store down the street, SoundGarden offered us a new one free of charge."

"Your turn, I need to save my voice for tomorrow." She teased, hungry for the rest of her meal.

"I can't believe I never heard that one." he admitted laughing before indulging her in some of his funny memories of the early years of Kids Incorporated. "Well, it wasn't one of my finest moments." she admitted embarrassed.

"At least you tried." Ryan encouraged and this time it brought a smile to her face. "That's what Mickey said too." She laughed at the both of them saying the same exact thing to her, only ten years apart. Two of her favorite people in the world who had always been her biggest supporters.

He brought her home late expecting her to be worried about keeping her parents up, but if she was she didn't mention it. If he hadn't been staring at her as she walked up to the garage door to enter her code, he would have seen there had been no lights on outside to welcome her home.