I attempted to keep an objective eye. Dallas was a damn good cheerleader. She just wasn't as good as Rowan. Rowan had that extra . . . sparkle, for lack of a better description.
I wondered if she was still cheering because she craved the spotlight.
Maybe you should stop making assumptions. Isn't trying to change your preconceived ideas the reason you're here?
It was. But watching Rowan Michaels sauntering around in skintight clothes, bending her incredible body this way and that . . . total bonus.
Then a voice boomed over the sound system. "Listen up, competitors. Now you've seen the routine all the way to the end. This is the only group practice, so pay attention to what's going on in front of you and behind you. Know your own space. Flight one, take the floor. Cue the music from the beginning."
Two dozen girls spread out on the mat. Dallas stood at the front, leading the group, while Rowan and another woman walked along opposite sides of the competitors, holding clipboards.
The entire routine lasted a little over two minutes. It surprised me to see how well the competitors synced with each other, given their random number assignments. According to the signage I'd seen, they weren't allowed to try out with a predetermined group, for either the choreographed numbers or the stunting portion. When they performed a move I didn't know the official name for, I Googled it. I didn't want to come across like an idiot not knowing anything about cheerleading.
For the next hour, I watched twelve flights enact the same routine. A few competitors stood out, but I hadn't seen anyone on par with Dallas and especially not close to Rowan's performance level. I'd stuck around to see the stunt groups, but the people behind me said those tryouts weren't until tomorrow.
Before I could bail, a dark-haired sprite bounded up the bleacher steps.
"Fancy meeting you here, JB." She plopped down next to me. "And FFR? You can't pull off Walker's lumbersexual look."
"Nice to see you too, baby cuz. What the hell is FFR?"
"For future reference." She bumped me with her shoulder. "Dude, keep up with the current lingo. Totes ages you when you have to ask for an explanation."
"Gimme a break. You totes make up your own lingo," I pointed out. "Besides, I'm sure my aura registered confusion so you should've known. Or did you miss that reading, Miss Woo-Woo?"
She snorted. "Woo-woo. One of these days I'll take offense to that. But for now, I'm chalking it up to your unenlightened attitude. So what brings you here? In disguise, no less?"
"I'm here for enlightenment. I'm avoiding being recognized so not to detract from the competition Rowan is running." Not an egotistical statement, just fact. Pro football players were treated like celebrities-regardless of whether we deserved it.
"Rowan?" she repeated. "You mean Coach Michaels?"
"Yes."
"What's going on between you two?" Dallas demanded. "How do you even know her?"
"She and her son are subleasing Martin's apartment."
"Oh. Right. Now I remember that Axl's former neighbor was her brother. He stopped by practice a few times to pick up Calder."
I looked at her. "You know Calder?"
Dallas said, "Yep. I used to babysit him once in a while when Coach's regular sitters had a conflict. Sweet kid."
"I'm surprised to see you here on campus. You swore you were done with all of this after graduation."
"I was. I mean, I am." She started fiddling with the bracelets lining her forearm. "You probably don't remember, but I quit the cheer team for a while last year."
"Of course I remember. That was when you were involved with Iron Man."
Her gaze met mine. "Quitting the team had nothing to do with me doing a hot Russian hockey dude. Back then I'd had some other issues. Rather than create more problems for myself, I quit the team."
Why hadn't I heard of any of the other issues?
Maybe you had heard about it, you just chose to ignore it. Or you figured someone else in the family would take care of it.
"Coach Michaels let me sit out for the rest of the football season," she continued. "When I told her I still wanted to quit the squad when basketball season started, she refused to accept my resignation." She paused. "She understood I needed a focal point. And she was right. It was the only thing that got me through it. So when I heard she needed help with cheer camp, I volunteered."
I inhaled a deep breath. "Does anyone in the family know . . . ?"
The heat in his eyes was unmistakable.