Chapter Eight

Tony took a seat in the bleachers about ten rows back. There were kids scattered throughout the gym, but everyone was concentrating on their own activities and not invading anyone else’s space.

As for Tony, he was focused on the scene at center court. It had taken a week for Brittany and Allison to sync up their up their schedules, and they were finally having their first lesson. Tony didn’t want to intrude, but he felt like it was his responsibility to oversee the process and make sure it went smoothly.

Brittany flipped the speaker on her music player, placed it on the floor, and went to stand next to Allison. The girls faced away from Tony and he smiled at his view of their shapely butts.

“Feel the beat. Then watch and repeat,” Brittany ordered. “Hands at your side. Step back on your right foot. Other right foot, Allison.”

Tony cringed as he watched Allison clumsily trying to follow Brittany’s steps.

“Bring your hands behind your head. Point left hand. Feet together, Allison. Feet together. Slight jump with your legs apart. Swing your arms up toward the left. Then to the right. Again. Left. Then right.”

There were moments when Tony thought Allison might be dyslexic. She went right when Brittany said left, and went left when Brittany said right. Or maybe she was just plain nervous.

“Give a little wiggle with your hips,” Brittany said, demonstrating the move. Tony’s mind wandered as he watched two very hot women doing some very sexy moves. He briefly imagined a three-way encounter before shaking himself out of it and refocusing on the mission—helping Allison.

“Clasp your hands over your head. Bend at your waist and roll your neck from left to right. Straighten up and jump at a forty-five-degree angle. Clap once.”

Allison tried to keep up, but Tony could see she was struggling. This appeared to be torture for her.

Allison stumbled and nearly fell. “Fudge! No wonder I can’t do this.”

Brittany touched Allison’s back. “It’s okay girl, you’re doing fine. Shake it out and take a deep breath. Ready?” Brittany continued demonstrating the routine.

“Hold your right arm straight out in front of you with your hand flat like you’re serving up a tray of food at that restaurant you work at. Circle your arm across your body from center to left.” Allison’s movements were choppy and hesitant. Her posture was stiff and even from behind, she appeared uncomfortable. Tony couldn’t help but wonder why she was putting herself through this when it seemed like she hated doing it. “Now rock your hips. Left, right, left, right.”

As Allison followed Brittany’s directions, she looked over her shoulder at Tony.

“Now, what’s wrong,” Brittany asked with irritation.

Looking at Tony, Allison said, “You’re not gonna laugh at me, are you?”

Tony’s lips parted and he looked up at the ceiling. She was breaking his heart. Leveling his gaze, he shook his head from side to side. “You should know me better than that by now.”

»»•««

“I hardly know you at all,” Allison said too quietly for Tony to hear.

Tony jumped up from his seat in the bleachers and ran down the steps to join the women. He took a spot beside Allison.

Brittany looked at him like he was crazy. “What the hell, Ramos?”

He smiled broadly and told her, “I’m gonna learn the routine right along with Allison.”

Allison’s eyes widened in horror. “You are? Why?”

“So you won’t think I’m back there laughing at you. And this way I can help you practice when Brittany’s not available.” Looking her in the eye, he asked, “What? Don’t you think I can do it?”

Allison chuckled. “I think you can do anythin’ you set your mind to. Better than me, in fact.”

“She smiles,” Tony said softly, looking into her eyes and smiling back. “You have a beautiful smile. You should show it off more often.” Her smile immediately vanished. She could feel her cheeks redden and an awkward silence fell between them.

“Okay people,” Brittany complained, “If you guys are finished making eyes at each other, let’s start from the top. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.”

Allison turned to watch Brittany and tried to focus on her moves. In the short time the three of them were together, Brittany picked up on Allison’s attraction to Tony. Was Allison that transparent? Apparently so. Her face was hot and she hoped Tony didn’t notice her blushing. She detested her fair complexion because it made it hard to hide the physical signs of embarrassment.

Brittany continued to call out the moves. “Rock your hips. Face front. Toe touch.”

When Allison kicked, her leg hit Tony’s hip and she stumbled. He caught her before she fell, steadying her by holding her waist. Once again she found herself staring into those cinnamon-colored eyes of his. She couldn’t look away. And he made no attempt to.

“Boy, you really are uncoordinated,” Brittany said behind her, breaking the spell Allison was under.

She inched out of Tony’s grasp and turned toward Brittany. She felt so self-conscious, she wanted to run out of the gym like she did during tryouts, but she was trapped. Clearing her throat, she said, “Sorry. Can we try again?”

Brittany rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She gripped Allison’s wrist and pulled her into the imaginary cheer line. “Face front,” Brittany ordered. Brittany glanced at Tony. “You ready, Romeo?” When he nodded, she yelled, “From the top! Five, six, seven, eight.”

»»•««

While Brittany packed up her backpack, Tony approached her and spoke quietly, all the while keeping one eye on Allison. “Hey, listen, thanks for doing this.”

Brittany shrugged. “It’s good practice for me to get back to basics once in a while too, especially if I want to become head cheerleader.”

“So, what did you think?”

Brittany looked over her shoulder at Allison. “I think there’s a girl out there who’ll never be a cheerleader.” She unwrapped a stick of gum and popped it into her mouth.

Tony touched her arm. “Aw, come on Brit. She’ll get there, especially with you as her teacher.”

Brittany raised her eyebrows. “Lookit, I didn’t sign up for the long haul.”

“No, but you’re not gonna turn your back on her either. You were new once. Remember?”

“Yeah, but at least I had a sense of timing and rhythm,” she noted. “I know people make fun of cheerleaders, but it’s not as easy as it looks, and not everyone is cut out for it.”

Tony looked down at his shoes. He was running out of options.

“Hey.” She placed her hand on his chest. “Why is this so important to you? I thought you said you hardly know her.”

“Yeah, but I guess she reminds me of me. She needs someone to believe in her.” Looking Brittany in the eye, he added, “We all do, don’t we?”

She rolled her eyes. “Geez Tony, no one can say no to you when you give them that puppy-dog look.”

A smile crept over his face. “So you’ll do it?”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever,” she replied with a wave of her hand. “Lemme check the online schedule and see when the gym is available again.” She pulled her bag onto her shoulder. “I’ll text her.”

“You’re the greatest.” Tony surprised Brittany with a hug. She let out a little laugh when he released her.

As Brittany exited the gym, he turned his attention back to Allison. She was seated on a bench in the first bleacher row with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

Tony sighed at the sight of her. So pretty and so sad. He slanted his eyes and thought for a minute. Instead of matching her mood, he decided to try some reverse psychology on the psych major.

“Hey,” he said brightly as he approached. “Not bad for a first time, huh?”

Allison looked up at him without lifting her head. “Are you kiddin’? I suck.”

His lips parted. That wasn’t what he expected her to say. Still, her sweet southern accent made even the words “I suck” sound charming. He took a seat next to her on the bench and was about to rub her back but he pulled his hand away. “You don’t suck! Don’t say that. Maybe you aren’t a great cheerleader yet, but that don’t mean you suck. You just need practice. We all need to practice so we get better.”

“It won’t help.” She sounded like she was trying not to cry when she said, “I thought college was supposed to be the best years of my life. That’s what my mom always built it up to be, but it sure hasn’t been the best time of my life.” She covered her face with her hands. “Or is this it? Suppose it’s all downhill from here?”

He finally let instinct take over and stroked her back with one hand. This was new territory for Tony Ramos. He’d never comforted a girl before outside of a bedroom. “Hey now. What’s so bad about college?”

She uncovered her eyes and sat up straighter. He stopped rubbing her back but let his hand continue to rest on her spine. “You’re right, Tony. I guess it’s not college that’s the problem. It’s me, and no matter where I go, I’ll still be my same basic, miserable self.”

“Sounds like you’re taking your psych classes too personally,” he said, trying to cheer her up.

She reached behind her and roughly pulled her hair out of the ponytail clip. When she shook her head to loosen it, he caught a faint scent of strawberries. Tony pulled his hand away, watching as her blonde waves ebbed and flowed around her shoulders. He felt his breath quicken, followed by a strong urge to kiss her.

“Look, I know what I’m talkin’ about,” she insisted. “I have hardly any friends, I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school, I’m a crappy waitress, and I’m failin’ miserably at my one, sorta social activity. I’m a mess.”

“I don’t see you that way,” he responded quietly. He saw her as sweet, innocent, and inexperienced. She was so different from other girls he knew, the ones who threw themselves at him since high school merely because he was a football player, not because of who he was inside—a throwaway kid who was so worthless, even his own parents wanted nothing to do with him.

Rafael Ramos didn’t even know Tony was alive—literally—and Christine Russo couldn’t care less. Sure she phoned on birthdays and Christmas, like a distant relative might, but she was more than happy to let her mother raise her own son while she was off chasing her dream of being an actress or model or whatever. Last he heard, she was working at an Orlando theme park selling tickets at an admission booth. Despite the fact she worked close to where Tony was going to school, she never made an attempt to see her son.

“That’s because it’s different for you,” Allison retorted. “You’re a popular football player.”

He chuckled wryly. “Football player yes, but I’m not popular, especially not with my coaches.”

“So, what are you sayin’? We’re both outcasts? Misfits?”

He licked his lips and shook his head from side to side. He couldn’t stop himself any longer. He wanted to soothe her, as well as his own need to touch her, so he cupped the back of her head and lightly ran his fingers over her tresses. Her hair was silky-soft and had little ridges where the ponytail clip had been. He stared at her hair as he answered. “I might be a misfit, but I’d never describe you that way,” he said softly. “I don’t get why you have so little confidence. I mean you’re beautiful. You’re sweet and you’re smart. You’re perfect, just the way you are.”

Looking downward, she said, “You’re just saying that.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t lie.”

She looked into his eyes. “How come someone like you has no self-confidence either?”

“I have a lot of confidence when it comes to the game. My personal life is another story.”

“Maybe someday you’ll tell me about it,” she murmured quietly. When he nodded, she added, “I didn’t know you were gonna be a nice guy.”

A feeling of warmth spread over his body. No one ever called him a nice guy before and he was gratified that someone like Allison could think so well of him. “Probably ’cause I’m more comfortable on offense,” he answered with a smile.

“I think you keep that nice guy under wraps too much.”

“Kind of like where you keep your smile?” When Allison smiled a little, he blurted, “Ha! Got you to smile again.” Moving his hand to her shoulder, he gave it a squeeze. “You’ll get there, Allie, just don’t give up on yourself.”

Allison tilted her head as she looked into Tony’s face. He wondered what she was thinking. “You called me Allie. Hardly anyone besides my dad ever called me Allie.”

“Called? Past tense?”

Allison’s eyes grew watery. She looked away, then quickly got up. “I better go.”

Tony stood up and faced her. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you’re great. I just—”

He reached for her arm, but stopped short of touching her. “Can I—can I walk you back to your dorm?” He never felt nervous around a girl before, but he definitely felt anxious waiting for her answer. Say yes, Allison.

Allison looked down at her feet. “Not today.” She lifted her eyes and met Tony’s gaze. “Maybe another day.” She gathered her things and rushed out of the gym.