Trying to Fix You

Chapter 26 {Practice Makes...}

"No!" 

Suzy stands in front of Shayla and Madyson with a straight faced expression as her arms are crossed tensely in front of her. 

Shayla's shoulders shrink in defeat. "Come on, Suzy! Madyson is the only one you're going to find with precious cheering experience that goes to this school. She's your only hope."

Suzy's eyes squint, unable to rebut the comment as she looks Madyson up and down.

Madyson rolls her eyes in response to Suzy's attitude. "Look, I don't have to do this. I'm just trying to help out a friend but if you don't want me..." She turns to walk away, expecting these exact words to fly from Suzy's mouth... 

"Wait!"

Madyson smirks with her back to Suzy and quickly wipes the smirk off her face before turning to face her.

"Maybe...just for this Friday...you could take Shayla's place."

Shayla and Madyson both smile at each other in excitement.

"But you are going to need a lot of practice for this Friday, starting right now." She motions towards her team. "Join the others, we got to get you back to your old limber self."

Madyson's eyes widen in surprise. "Now?"

She gives Madyson a wide-eyed expression as the volume of her voice increases. "Now."

~~~

Noah's on the opposite side of the football field, practicing for the game Friday night. He didn't make it to school at all that day but knew it wouldn't be good to miss practice, the coach would've chewed him out. He looks over at the cheerleaders and sees Shayla sitting on the bleachers and a girl that looks like Madyson in her place. He isn't paying attention to the game and gets tackled to the ground with a loud thud.

~~~

Madyson bends over to catch her breath while panting hard.

"Again!" Suzy shouts over the girls tired breaths.

Madyson steps out of the arrangement and over to the water as Suzy rolls her eyes in irritation.

Noah had been watching from the bleachers for sometime after his practice ended, going unnoticed by Madyson. He sees her walk over to the water and makes his way down the bleachers giving her a look of confusion as he steps closer.

Madyson lowers her water bottle and raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "How long have you been watching?"

"I think since around the 'double hurkie'." He smirks and hands her a wet towel from the bleacher in front of her.

She takes the towel and begins wiping her sweat drenched face.

"Since when did you re-join the cheer team?"

"I haven't. I'm just filling in for Shay."

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, just some below average grades."

He nods and thinks for a moment before turning back to her with a small smile. "So...you're going to be at the game this Friday?"

She nods and takes another sip from her canteen. 

"Good." He smiles at her for a moment before turning to walk off the football field.

"Hey!"

He turns back to look at her.

"Where were you today?" 

He feels a knot rising in his stomach because he knows he can't tell her about Dena. If he did, he would have to explain everything and he really didn't want to get into why she has been sleeping in his bed for the past few days....especially not when he was trying to find some way back into Madyson's heart. He shrugs with a small smile, trying to make it seem vastly unimportant. "Around." He turns and quickly continues walking off the football field before she has time to ask anything else.