Prove It

Chapter X

"Girls, focus! The first game is tomorrow and you all look like you've never cheered a day in your life!" Miller yells at us. I look at Sofia from across the crowd and quickly make a face at her. Although I agree it's not perfect, Miller acts like she's coaching the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders instead of Greenwich Academy teenagers.

"Brynn you need to go to the back when we get into the block! If Vanessa falls back, there won't be anyone to catch her! And Skylar, you look like a deer in the headlights half the time! There is no way we're going to get this done in the next hour if you guys don't get it together!"

Usually I feel bad for Miller, I'm just as irritated with her as the other girls today. I don't think I can handle another word out of her mouth. Her voice is irritating the shit out of me, and I just need to get out of this school.

"From the top ladies, and FOCUS!" she screams as she continues to screech eight-counts at the top of her lungs, like that does anything. Brynn still doesn't go to the back, Nikki continues to fall off her stand, and Skylar's brain still isn't in her head.

"There we go girls!" she shouts as people began picking up the cheer faster and faster. "This is looking way better than it did last time! I'm so proud of you!"

She looks at her watch and back at us. "You're all dismissed. But Amanda and Alexis stay behind" she says and I instantly think of the worse case scenario. What could have we done wrong?

"I've sensed some... tension between you two, and it's hurting the team atmosphere" she starts to explain and I'm already tired of this conversation.

"I think the two of you need to put together a team bonding activity to join all the girls together" she continues, and I want to tear my hair out of my skull. She has no idea how far back the bad blood between Lexi and I goes. "I want it to be done within the next week. The girls need it" she says, and takes off.

"You can get the girls together. I don't have time for that" she tells me, crossing her arms across her chest. She looks me square in the eye, trying to stare me down like everyone else.

"No, we're doing this together. Come to my house tomorrow after practice. Or else." I leave her with my final words, not caring what she has to say to me now. She either shows up tomorrow, or she doesn't and I do it by myself. Simple as that. I'm not about to get in an argument with her in the middle of the gym.

Back in the locker room I pick up my phone and see a message from Marcus. A stupid smile comes to my face, and I wish I could say it wasn't because I saw his name.

Marcus: You still coming over?

I bite my lip when I read the screen to supress my smile from becoming even bigger than before. I hate myself.

Me: Yeah
I'll be over by 6

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

Walking up to Marcus's house is intimidating. I've been inside, multiple times actually, but never alone. I've always been with Sofia coming over. But now I'm by myself, only the two of us.

Deep breaths. I wipe my hands and ring the doorbell. I stand there awkwardly, waiting for someone to come to the door, but I can hear their dog barking inside.

I hear the door knob turning and I look up to see... not Marcus. His sister stands in the doorway, holding their dog by the collar.

"Hi I'm Amanda" I say, walking quickly into the house so she could let the dog go. She shuts the door loudly and releases her grip on the labrador, who then proceeds to jump all over me.

"Easy, easy" I say petting... him, her? I take a quick peek underneath as it jumps up again. Her.

"What's her name?" I ask his still nameless sister. Kendra? Kelly? I know I've briefly met her before.

"The dog is Lucy. I'm Kendall" she says still standing awkwardly by the door. "Marcus is upstairs. Take a right and all the way down the hall on the right is his room."

"Thanks." I give Lucy one last rub on the belly before going up the stairs. I walk slowly, because honestly I'm intimidated. My house is big, but there's something so regal about Marcus's home. Almost all the decor and furniture is white, and even their drying rack is empty. It's like they don't have any kids in the house.

I come up to the closed door of the last bedroom on the right. I don't hear a sound coming from behind, not a creak. I bring my fist up, and hesitantly knock on the door. No answer comes after a while, so I knowck again a little louder.

"One second!" I hear coming from inside. I hear loud rustling and drawers opening and closing withing the room. Seconds later the door is thrown open to reveal a shirtless Marcus, is hair damp.

"Sorry, I lost track of time" he explains sheepishly.

"It's alright" I reply, trying to avoid looking at his bare chest. Unfortunatly there's no way to stop the heat from rising to my cheeks.

"Um, come in" he says, opening the door wider to let me in. I walk past him and he closes the door behind him.

Like the rest of his house, his room is impecibly neat. Nothing is out of place, and unlike Holden's room, smells amazing. Like him.

"Uh, you can sit here" he motions to his bed when he walks across the room to his dresser and pulls out a shirt from the top drawer. When the tee covers his lean muscles it makes me want to sigh in relief and disappointment. When he turns around I hide my face quickly to make sure he doesn't catch me looking.

He walks over and sits on the bed next to me, his knee touching mine. I play with my nails and he hesitatnly strokes my leg. It's strange I don't have anything to say to him. For the past ten years the longest sentence I've had to say to him alone was I wasn't ready for a relationship yet, sorry. But now I have to initiate some sort of tension breaking conversation.

"We need to stop being so awkward around each other. What can I do to make you loosen up?" he asks, startling me in the process. I didn't expect him to say anything.

"I don't know. I think we just have to get used to each other's company alone. I've always been with Sofia around you or a crowd of people. It'll take some getting used to" I explain. I don't think there's going to be something he can do to magically make the tension disappear between us.

"Okay, let's get to know each other more. Even after all these years I don't think I've had a conversation with you before" he repeats my previous thoughts. I admit it's my own doing, as I couldn't handle being around him for a while.

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"I don't know. Something will come up. For now, I think this is supposed to be a study date" he replies, pulling his backpack from the floor up to the mattress. "You take Calculus, right?"

"You've never done math homework" I argue. I don't judge, just surprised. He's always complained about doing any type of math class he's ever taken.

"What, you can't help me?" He gives me that knee-knocking smile of his, and I've never been happier to be sitting down.

"Of course I can. I just didn't think that' you'd want to" I say to defend myself. "But yeah, I will."

"When will the getting to know each other portion come?" he asks.

"How about every time I have to give you a hint I get to ask a question?" I suggest.

"What about me? When do I get to ask anything?" he demands.

"When you help me" I reply grinning. I know I'm unfair, but I don't really care.

"No. I'll get to ask whenever you do" he argues. I look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I never took you for a demanding person before" I tell him. He's always asked, never told, but I just discovered new.

"I'm usually not. But I want to be even" he explains.

"Fine, well do it your way" I relent. There's no point in arguing over something so trivial.

"Be prepared for lots of questions Amanda- and I expect honest answers to every single one."