13. Alice #2
“What do you mean?” Ryder asks. I look over at him, and his lips press into a flat line. Ryder is a rule follower too. Did he use to stretch them to have a little fun? Yes, but I’m not sure he would do anything to jeopardize his standing with the team.
“Well, let’s have a little fun. Let’s see your skills for each other’s sport.”
Each other’s sport? This is going to be good.
“Ooh, I’m in,” I tell her, rubbing my hands together. Ryder lets out an exasperated sigh. I was always the more outgoing one between the two of us. He was more along for the ride.
Behind us, the set turns. I didn’t realize it was on a revolving floor, but that makes it easy for the cooking demonstrations and things like that.
On the set, it’s decorated like an end zone with fake grass that’s painted with the Tarpons logo.
The backdrop is from inside the stadium.
The bleachers on the sides look like cut-out people.
There are silver pom-poms on the ground, and there, front and center, is a bull’s-eye target with the center cut out to catch footballs.
“You do realize I’m a linebacker and not a quarterback?” He raises a brow at Sasha.
“Yes, but this isn’t for you. It’s for her, and well, look at her. I don’t see her blocking anyone anytime soon, so throwing footballs it is.”
“No worries, Sasha, I’ve got this.” I slip off my shoes, wiggle my hips, wander to the basket with the footballs, and look at the target across the stage.
Easy peasy. I’m grinning when I glance over at Ryder, and he’s now standing on the edge of the stage with his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head at me.
The Tarpons intro song comes on, and I laugh.
This event isn’t turning out terrible after all.
“Show us what you’ve got.”
Even under the bright stage lights, all three balls easily arc into the hole. Of course I do a happy dance after each one. The audience loves it.
“Wow! If the Tarpons need a backup, good thing they’ve got you on their roster!”
“That’s what I’m saying,” I tease back, as the crew comes to remove the target.
“Okay, Ryder, you’re up,” Sasha announces, while smiling from ear to ear.
Discomfort passes over his features. “Um, what did you have in mind?”
“Those pom-poms are for you.” She points at the pile on the ground. “We’re going to play a song, and you’ll dance to it.”
His face turns bright red, and I laugh out loud.
Reluctantly, he walks over and picks them up.
The music changes, and he stares at me, begging me to somehow save him.
Not a chance. I shake my hips and alternate my hands for him to mimic my movements.
He does, turns even redder as the audience cheers loudly, and then he throws the pom-poms down.
He curls his finger at me, requesting me to come, and I instantly know what he’s thinking. We’ve done this move a hundred times.
“Sasha, I have one better for you.” He winks at her.
I go to him, nervous that after all this time we might not land the stunt.
I stand in front of him facing out toward the audience.
He puts his hands on my waist, and before I have time to think about him touching me, he bends and then tosses me straight up, catching my feet at chest level while I stay standing.
From there, he bench presses me over his head and transfers my left foot over so both feet are standing on one hand.
Could I have pulled one leg up? Yes, but I’m in a dress, which means the answer is no.
It’s bad enough that he might be able to see straight up it.
The crowd cheers. Sasha is delighted. Even Brian off to the side has wide eyes in awe. He’s eating this up and taking photos. Good, because I never want to do this again.
Underneath me, I feel him shift, and that’s when he tosses and catches me by the waist. I gently land on my feet.
“Wow, you two! Who knew you could do that? We certainly didn’t. I thought we’d have some fun, but that was beyond what we had in mind. Well done.” Sasha claps, encouraging the audience to do the same.
Sasha is pleased as she returns to her chair. I slip my shoes back on, and together Ryder and I take our place back on the couch. This time, he sits a little closer and stretches his arm out across the back. The position is more friendly and speaks to our years of knowing each other.
“Alice, tell us a little bit about the Mighty Monarchs.”
On the screen, she puts up a picture of me surrounded by a group of kids all wearing our classic Mighty Monarch T-shirt. It’s the one we give out when they check in to our events.
“The Mighty Monarchs started as a way for me to give back what cheerleading and being a part of a team has done for me. Not everyone who wants to be a cheerleader gets to. Whether it’s a time commitment, an availability commitment, or a physical limitation—you name it—our events, which we host twice a year, give that opportunity.
The kids get to be a part of a team, make new friends, and represent something greater.
I’ve always had dreams about what the Mighty Monarchs could be for the community, and every year, these kids surpass it. ”
“This really does sound like a great program. How did you come up with the name?”
“Thank you. As it just so happens, my last name made the mascot for our team super easy. The Monarch butterfly is known for transformation, resilience, strength, and endurance, and for us it’s a symbol that says, ‘We’re all in this together.
’ Everyone has something that they’re going through at some point in their life.
This butterfly reminds us that we can do it and that we can do it together.
The team is made up of under-age-eighteen individuals all across the Tampa Bay area.
We’re a network that expresses positivity, leadership, and kindness.
We’re there for each other in a way that’s outside of our everyday circles.
” My eyes prick a little with the pride I feel talking about something that means so much to me.
“I love this and what you’re trying to build. What made you want to start the Mighty Monarchs?”
I look down at my lap and focus on the tiny monarch butterfly that I had tattooed on the inside of the ring finger on my right hand. How much of this do I disclose? How much of my story do I want Ryder to know?