Breaking Tradition

Chapter Twenty-One: Rylee

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot is written by me and not copied from any other writer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meeting the Scotts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Let's try it with Rylee on top," Coach Lawson announces. My heart skipped a beat out of nervousness. Kelly warned me about this, and here it was. Anxiously, I walk to where the bases and spotters were waiting for me. Lily was supposed to be in this position, but she kept falling, and Coach was losing patience. I got into position and exhaled.

"Give me a simple Liberty, Rylee. Let's go!" Coach shouts before I prep. The girls counted down, and on the mark, I jumped up, keeping my balance as best as I could. I bent my leg and pointed my toe. My hands were stretched out, and instinctively, I smiled. Coach Lawson nodded. She whispered something to Kelly before turning back to us.

"Ok, Rylee, dismount and try it again with an Arabesque," Coach Lawson ordered. Following her instructions, I prepped before dismounting. I got back into position and exhaled deeply. The girls counted again before I propped up. Immediately, I gained my balance, shifting my weight onto the inside of my foot. Arching my back with my other leg kicked out, I avoided dropping my chest lower. The smile came as soon as I got my bearings. My eye locked with Coach Lawson's, who was whispering to Kelly again.

"Good. Alright, give me a basket toss." She puts her hand under her chin, pondering which basket toss she wanted me to do. My heart was hammering away against my chest. This feeling reminded me of how I felt at tryouts. I knew the skills. I learned those years ago. But being a flyer was out of my comfort zone. I could not tell coach this, though. We kept a positive mindset at practices. It was always an "I will try" before "I cannot" mantra in the gym.

"Give me a Toe Touch," Coach instructed, nodding at her decision. In no time, I found myself tossed in the air. As I began to descend, I do a quick toe touch jump and prop back into form before cradling for the landing. Toss landings are never gentle. They sting a bit. Nothing major but it still impacts the body.

"Good job, Rylee. Work along with Mikah to get the stunt. Bianca, you will take over Rylee's previous spot," Coach shouts. Bianca nods, moving from her position and towards mines. Mikah gives me thumbs up, a smile brightening up her face. She was waving excitedly at me, proud of my accomplishments, but I couldn't find the space to smile. I was terrified. For the first time in a long time, cheer no longer felt like an escape. I bit my lip. I was worried.

Thankfully, Coach Fields ended Theo's practices earlier today, so he was able to drop me home after cheer practice. On the drive to my house, I cried about the whole change. Theo comforted me as a boyfriend for a few minutes before he became Devenport's star quarterback on me.

"Rylee, this is just an elevation to your cheer career. Suck it up and kill it. You got this!" He said, shoving me as if I was one of his teammates. Despite how much I hated it, he was right. This was just another step I needed to take to get closer to my dreams.

When he pulled up to my house, I was ready to just give him a quick kiss and leave. But the words he uttered kicked the air out my lungs.

"What?" I asked, blinking profusely at him. Theo laughed at me, the sound bouncing off the windows of his car. My heart warmed slightly from seeing him so content.

"I want to meet your parents. Invite me inside," he said, brushing the loose strands of hair from my face. Meet my parents? Now? Isn't that a big step? My mind raced with all the possibilities. My dad would either love him because he was a football player or hate him because he was a football player. My mom loves him, so there will be no issues there. He and Ryland got along really well. Then there was India.