Sliding (The Stone Series) (29 page)

I laugh and smack him then kiss him and beg, “Tell me what they said,
Tate.” He tells me that they are very interested in him playing for them and
that they will need to sit down with him and his parents and work some things
out but it’s pretty much a done deal. They told him his grades are great but
that he has to keep his GPA up, lots of seniors let their grades slide at the
end of the year. They tell him to keep working out and to try to put on a few
more pounds of muscle.

When we get into my car Tate tells me to wait till everyone has cleared
out then to drive my car around the back of the school. When we get to the back
he tells me to turn the car off and come with him. I follow him to the back
entrance of the gym and he pulls a key out of his pocket that unlocks the door.

“Don’t ask, it’s better if you don’t know” he says as we step into the now
dark deserted gym. He pulls a flashlight out of his basketball bag and takes me
by the hand. “Come with me” he says as he leads me just past center court,
right to the spot where he loves to stick his threes from, the spot that made
him hot tonight. His tongue enters my mouth. He moans deeply into me then
breaks our kiss.

“That was amazing tonight wasn’t it?” he asks. “I can’t believe I played
that good. I was so fucking scared, I puked at half time but I brushed my teeth
in the locker room after the game, don’t worry. Coach called me a fucking pussy
and told me to pull it fucking together” he admits. “I’m glad you were there to
see me play like that. It is a game I will never forget.

 
“I love you” he tells me as he’s
looking into my eyes. “I’m going to marry you some day, Brooklynn Adams.”

My knees go weak and I stretch up to kiss him. Tate eases me to the floor
and we make this spot on the court his favorite in another way.
  
 
   

Now that his season is over Tate agrees to help me with the music for our
cheer routine and he blends together a segment of “The Look” and “She Drives Me
Crazy” for us to start with. We start out with the dance portion of our routine
then enter into the cheer and stunt portion and finally end with “Wild Thing”
where we cheer, dance and do stunts. The whole routine is less than five
minutes but it’s the most grueling I’ve ever done. I am taking a huge risk but
my coaches all agreed that the shock value may just be what we need to give us
an advantage or it can backfire and get us last place. The other girls have
been great and working hard. They want to win this year as bad as I do. The
dance routine is very sexy and seductive, the stunts are what they are doing on
the college level and just barely allowed at the high school level but this
year now that we have guys we need to compete in the co-ed division and it’s
the only way I can see us placing. Our cheer is strong and I really think we
have a good chance. The only problems I see are the guys. They continue to get
better but clearly they are not cheerleaders.
 

I have choreographed the routine and I need it to be perfect. I know the
people that I work for in the summers from UCA and the people from NCA are
going to be there. I also hope some college scouts like the one from University
of Kentucky will come as well. I haven’t pressed the issue with Tate about
college yet but we’re going to need to talk soon. I have my heart set on
cheering at the University of Kentucky but he wants to go to UNC. Neither of us
wants to be apart from the other one for four years of school.

The guys Tate has forced to be on the cheer squad are horrible, one is
worse than the next, Bobby included. They can’t remember one motion or word to
any of the cheers. They are awkward in their movements and I can’t even begin
to try to teach them the dance routines. The only thing they are going to be
any use for is lifting the girls up in stunts. Even there they have a lot of
work to do. We practice every day after school for two hours through basketball
season then for three hours a day during the month leading up to the competition.

The day of the competition all the girls do their hair and makeup
together. We are wearing our hair in pigtails with ribbons. I want to play up
the cute innocent side while doing our sexy and seductive dance. Paula Abdul is
my favorite choreographer right now and she’s brought back the sassy sexy style
of dance when she did “Cold Hearted Snake” and that’s the feel of this routine
as well. We do a lot of hip rolling and bends with straight legs and our asses
up in the air. All of our moves need to be crisp and sharp and spot on during
our performance.

The other squads in our division play it safe with their stunts and their
choreography; this will either work to our advantage or be the death of us. We
are called and run onto the mats, the music begins and from what I can tell the
routine is flawless. Even the guys who I managed to somehow work into the
routine without having them move much were errorless. The crowd goes wild when
we finish and give us a stand ovation.

We were last to perform in our division and for the competition, we don’t
need to wait long for the results. The judges only debate for a few minutes
before the announcers call all the squads onto the mats. Our JV squad that my
sister is on places 2
^nd
place in their division and then the Varsity
teams are called to the front. For the third year in a row we win 1
^st
place. When interviewing me and my coaches the announcers comment on the risky
chance we took and pulled off with our routine and my coaches’ credit me. The
announcer ends with, “Well, fans there you have it, the 1
^st
place
High School Varsity cheerleaders for the third year in a row. Keep your eyes on
that one cheer fans. Brook Adams is certainly one to watch out for.”

************

I think I hear Katrina and Tate’s voices and I’m trying to fight through
the darkness but my body feels so heavy. “As beautiful as ever Tate Taylor” my
sister says. Tate replies, “Sorry baby, you’re not my type” to which they both
laugh. This has been how they have been greeting each other for years. Katrina
and I look like twins.

“I am exactly your type; I look just like your wife. I always forget that
until I see her. How is she?”
 

How am I? Why, what’s wrong with me. I try to ask them but I can’t talk
through the darkness.

“Hey Fruit Loop, my nephew is gorgeous as is your hubby. Wow he’s holding
up well for a guy with a baby. You picked em’ well” my sister says to Michael.

Why is everyone here with me but I’m not able to talk to them?

“How’s the baby Tate?” Katrina asks and then I remember. My baby. I don’t
hear Tate’s response, Katrina says something about the girls being at the beach
and I drift back off again. I startle awake confused as to where I am and
what’s happening.

“Welcome back baby. Did you enjoy your rest?” Tate says as he kisses me
on my dry lips. I franticly look around the room trying to adjust to my
surroundings. I am hooked up to monitors in a hospital room and my first words
to my husband are, “Please no, Tate. No, I didn’t lose the baby again did I?”

Tate smiles at me and says, “No, you didn’t lose the babies!”

It takes me a minute to understand what he has just said to me. I look up
at him with a questioning look on my face.

“Yeah, that’s right, twins. It’s still too early to know the sex for sure
but they are not identical so it could any which way. Your doctor has been in
to see you and said you can go home soon. You fainted at my office and I called
an ambulance, they brought you here. The babies have been fine the whole time.
I’ve been watching them on the monitors.” he informs me.

“Damian’s here, he’s talking to your doctor. They apparently do know each
other. I don’t even want to think about what kind of kinky position he has her
in right now” Tate laughs trying to lighten the mood.
 

Tate comes to me and we just lay in my hospital bed holding each other,
listening to our babies’ heart beats on the machines until Dr. Baxter comes in with
Damian trailing behind with a sly look on his face. I notice the he is shaking
out his hand like its sore, I can only guess why. Something tells me my doctor
won’t be sitting down any time soon. Tate glances at Damian and they share a
look before Damian laughs and takes a seat next to my bed to listen to r. Baxter’s
report.
 

She tells me that my babies are fine and that my fainting spell was most
likely caused from a drop in my sugar levels that she wants to continue to
monitor so I will be meeting with her on a regular basis until she’s
comfortable that it’s nothing more serious.

Dr. Baxter excuses herself and goes to leave the room. Before she slides
out of the door she turns to Damian. “Always a pleasure Mr. Stone. Call me when
you’re in town again and I’ll do the same if I’m in the city.”

“What the fuck, man? Are you serious?” Tate asks him.

“What? She’s an old…friend I guess you could say. When I’m here or she’s
in the city we like to hang out.”

“Hang out my ass. You like to spank her and God only knows what else”
Tate retorts.

“That I do man, that I do.”

“You need to settle down with a nice woman and stop all this nonsense,
Damian” I warn him.

“Yeah, I know. Alex has been telling me that very same thing. I will.
Someday soon, I promise. I just need to meet the right one to get me to want to
is all.”

“You will, just give it time” Tate says.

“This coming from a man you met the girl of his dreams at fourteen”
Damian laughs.
  
   
 
  

I’m discharged with an appointment for the following day. Tate and Damian
help me to the car, both treating me like I’m made of glass. It shocks me that
neither of them carry me. It’s not for lack of trying however.

The following day Katrina takes me to my doctor’s appointment while Tate
stays back at the hotel with Bobby and Damian. Bobby is taking his pending
divorce hard and Tate knows I need some time alone with my sister. Katrina is
excited to come with me as are the girls who can’t wait to see their new
cousins. I cautioned Katrina about telling them in case I can’t carry them to
term but she insists that everything is going to be fine this time. She says
she can just sense it somehow, not wanting a fight I let it go.

Dr. Baxter says everything is fine and that she doesn’t need to see me
again for another month. She asks if Damian is still in California and I tell
her that he’s planning on heading back later in the week. I ask about diet and
exercise and she tells me I am allowed to work out as I have been for the time
being but when I am further along I may need to cut back a little. I am not
allowed to eat sprouts, deli meats or hummus. I need to try to eat a balanced
diet and give up wine and alcohol.

Katrina and I decide to take the girls to the beach when we get back from
the doctor’s office. I grab my iPod on our way out, we settle the girls and
ourselves on the beach and when I turn on the music Tate’s playlist continues
with “My Prerogative”. In my mind it’s senior year. Asia is driving me to the
train station so I can go into the city for a weekend at a dance workshop. We
are singing along with Bobby Brown and Asia is somehow driving with no hands!

************

“You know Brook; I never told you this but a few years ago I was so
jealous of you. You had all these new older friends, you made Varsity, and you
had the hottest guy at school. I just couldn’t stand living in your shadow.
You’re so confident. I love that about you and I am sorry I was jealous of you.
You’re my best friend and I shouldn’t have felt like that. Can you forgive me?”

I smile at her, “I knew. I heard you once talking to Melissa and Erica.
It really hurt me but I understood. I’m not mad. You’re my best friend. I love
you. We’ll always forgive each other for anything and we’ll always be friends.
Nothing can ever change that.”

We hug and our embrace tells me that what we have is special, it’s an
unbreakable bond. Asia smiles and waves as I climb the steps leading up to the
platform. As I’m waiting for the train I think about her and I going to
different schools and I know now without a shadow of a doubt that no distance
will weaken our friendship. I just hope I can say the same for my relationship
with Tate.

When I step off the train I find Tate waiting for me in Grand Central
Station. He told me that he couldn’t drive me to the train station because his
dad was forcing him to mow the lawn and do yard work with him. When in
actuality Tate took an earlier train in order to surprise me. When I spot him I’m
shocked, I run into his arms. He has a smile spreading across his face and
roses in his hands.

“These are for my girlfriend and you’re going to squash them. You’d
better stop kissing me before my girlfriend gets here and sees you. She’s a
real jealous one, I’d hate to see what she’d do to you” Tate teases me while
pretending to be watching over my shoulder for his real girlfriend.