All of the original situations in this story are mine, the rest is the intellectual property of Maddy. Cat is a fictional character, any similarities to anyone living or dead is purely my warped mind in action.
I woke the same way I would any other Sunday, no early rising for me. I slid my foot out of bed but it hit something I wasn't expecting, I pushed at it with my toes and it made a little noise. I then realised what, or rather who, the something was.
"Sorry Maddy," I whispered. There was no response so I hadn't woken her. My second attempt at getting up was more successful, I found the narrow strip of floor in between my bed and the guest bed and made it safely to the door.
I heard my parents' voices downstairs so once I had used the bathroom I joined them.
"Maddy still asleep?" Dad asked. I nodded.
"I thought the sounds and smells of breakfast might wake her," I said. "It is my turn to cook."
I'm not sure which of her senses responded first and when she entered the kitchen she wasn't looking awake enough for me to ask.
Mum handed her a cuppa before she had a chance to request it and that seemed to do the trick. It woke her up enough for breakfast at least.
When Drew and Mr Bond arrived Maddy had just filled her face with the last morsel of her meal.
"Looks like everyone has been fed and watered," Mr Bond observed.
"So what time did you plan to leave," my Dad asked him.
"Mid afternoon I thought, even if we hit traffic I'd still get these two back in time for supper," Mr Bond replied.
"Goody," I responded.
"Sounds like someone has a plan," Mr Bond said.
I nodded as my Dad explained all. "I've got a couple more castles to show you, one is just an earthwork now but the other has a bit more left then we'll meet up with the kids on our way back. My daughter has something planned."
Well the first part of my plan was to show them the pics from the con. We waited while Maddy got dressed then I fired the PC up. It started off with the pics Eve had taken with the video camera. They were both impressed with my Sakura costume although Maddy was quick to point out that it wasn't authentic as it wasn't made of rubber. I just glared at her, I got exactly the same thing from Karla when I told her.
Next we checked out the weblinks Eve had given me. I couldn't believe that people would upload pictures so quickly but there they were. The pics of Eve in her ninja costume were there.
"That's one cool costume," Maddy stated with Drew nodding his agreement. One thing is for sure, the next time Eve wears that she won't be the only girl ninja in town.
There were a few pictures of other people I remember seeing including Harry and the girl with the white hair and there were some of me and Eve doing our skit, they were high res and I got embarrased all over again.
"Can I see your sealing wand?" Maddy asked.
I guessed she meant Sakura's staff thing so I confessed that one had been borrowed but I planned to get my own. She promised to keep an eye out for one.
I looked at the time and realised we needed to be off so I marshalled the troops, grabbed my rucksack and we headed out of the door where our cycles awaited us.
As we pushed the bikes up the hill Maddy and Drew did their best to extract our destination from me but I wasn't saying anything. As soon as we neared the top I mounted my trusty steed and with the two of them following began riding. We swept through the village of Ashley Green and within a mile or so started our descent into the valley. You can pick up quite a bit of speed down here but I wasn't and I wasn't the least bit surprised when Drew pulled alongside me to find out why.
"It's a 30mph limit near the bottom and there's a speed camera," I explained.
"And you want to avoid sharply braking cars," he replied.
I nodded and remembered back to when I had found out the hard way and narrowly avoided running into the back of an Audi estate car (when you see a manufacturers logo that close you don't forget it).
We sped along the valley floor through the town and then up the other side towards Amersham. Now I'm still working on my hill climbing skills so I made heavier going of it than Drew, Maddy was keeping up well though.
Once the road flattened out I recovered quickly and we weren't that far away, a few turns later we had arrived at our destination.
Maddy looked at Drew who looked at me and asked, "What are we doing at a rugby club?"
"Not playing rugby," I said then added, "not that there is anything to stop a girl playing rugby."
"What then!"
"You'll see soon enough," I said and hurried off, I was going to show them rather than tell them. I was changed and ready in under five minutes and leaving no doubt as to why we were here.
"Cheer leading!" they said in unison.
"What gave it away?" I joked, looking down to my yellow pleated skirt and yellow and white shell top.
"Just a wild guess," Maddy said.
"So what's going on?" Drew asked.
"American football playoffs," I replied. "I couldn't find a cheer squad near me and I couldn't persuade the school to do something like the Forresters so I found a team and got a few of the player's girlfriends or younger sisters interested."
"What about your cheer gear?" Maddy asked. "You look the biz."
"Thanks. That was bought when the Cheetahs made the playoffs," I said. "Before that we got some t-shirts printed up and got yellow netball skirts and made do with that."
I left Drew and Maddy and found a spot to do some stretches, even though the cycling had been good exercise I still needed to limber up much to the amusement of some fans behind me. Suitably embarrassed I picked my poms up and joined the other squad members - only 4 of us so far this week.
The game began and in the breaks between play (and in this game there are lots of those) we got to do our stuff. Our team almost scored early on but they were held just short.
I don't think Drew and Maddy understood that much of what was going on in the game, they spent more time watching us. They probably recognized what we were doing as our routines aren't exactly rocket science.
The game was still very close at halftime, I think there was only a missed kick in it. With the players returning to the changing room it gave me a chance to return to my guests. Maddy seemed to have something on her mind and I think I knew what.
"Do you have any spare stuff?" she asked.
"You want to join in?" I replied before taking a swig of my drink.
"Yes, we should be able to remember the routines shouldn't we Gaby."
I spat my drink out in surprise and looked at Drew who was avoiding my gaze. I shrugged, no one was making him do it, and went to round up two spare uniforms.
When I found them again with the uniforms they were in the ladies toilets with the makeup out.
"I can do Gaby's," I said. "You know what they say, less is more."
Maddy looked hurt. "That only happened once and I apologised and made up for it," she said.
I hadn't meant *that* incident, I'd only heard about it that day we went to the pool. I decided I had already dug myself deep enough and didn't say anything else.
We got outside with just enough time to introduce our new recruits to the rest of today's squad before the second half started. The other team nearly scored, it took some last gasp defending and some extra loud cheering to keep them out.
Just before the third quarter ended a great pass set the Cheetahs up to score and when they took the opportunity we got to do our touchdown routine. Drew and Maddy performed it faultlessly. Our team hung on in to the end of the game for a nail biting win and a trip to the National Championship!
We walked back towards the changing rooms and that was when I noticed my dad and Drew's dad standing in the car park. Mr Bond was shaking his head and I think Drew was wishing there was somewhere that he could hide. I didn't fancy being in his shoes on the trip home.
It didn't take long to change out of our cheer gear and we were soon back at the camper. For our next trip we attempted to fit three bikes and four bodies into it, it was interesting but we managed. At least it wasn't too far to travel that way. Dad and I tried to persuade Mr Bond to drop us off at the junction with the A41, it would only be a couple of miles for us to walk or ride, but he wouldn't hear of it.
Of course there wasn't really time for them to hang around when we got back so we unloaded my bike, said our goodbyes then I watched as they drove off.
What a great weekend it had been. I went and had a shower before going into my room to tidy up. I put the guest bed away, tidied my dirty clothes off the floor then went looking for my Jenny Bond poster. It was exactly where I had hidden it so I carefully stuck it back on my wall.
It still seemed strange to me that I had a picture of one of the world's top cyclists and only 30 minutes ago I was talking to her son and her husband. A few weeks ago I barely considered that sports stars had a whole other life.
I went back downstairs thinking whatif. What if we hadn't gone to see Gran. What if she hadn't persuaded me to do the Cuckney 10. What if I hadn't got cramp?
No, it was pointless to think like that. Maybe in some universe that hadn't happened but in this one it had, I was very lucky to be in this universe!
I had just got to the bottom of the stairs when Dad called me in to the living room.
"Your mum and I have been talking and we've come to a decision," he said. My mind raced, surely they weren't splitting up. I know lots of people at school whose parents have separated and most of them are cool about it but I didn't plan on being one of them.
"I was talking to Drew's dad this afternoon..."
Maybe I won't have to choose which parent to live with after all.
"and he said you have potential as a cyclist."
"I do?" I replied.
"He certainly thinks so, he reckons that with a little encouragement you could go a long way. Maybe not as far as Drew but I don't think anyone knows yet where his talent will take him. Anyway we've decided to let you race next season."
"Really?" I said with a grin like a cheshire cat.
"Yes," said Mum. "Although you have to promise not to take any silly risks, and if you end up in hospital then it's your last race."
"I can live with that," I said.
"That's the whole point," Mum replied.
Just then another thought crossed my mind. "Won't my umm... you know what cause a problem?"
"Your medical history? Mr Bond thinks you will be ok but we want to have a word with Martin to make sure," Dad said.
I hugged both of my wonderful parents then skipped over to the phone, I simply had to let Drew and Maddy know.
I tried his mobile but I got some automated operator voice so I tried Maddy instead. It seems that Drew forgot to charge his phone. I told them my news which they already knew of course, Mr Bond had told them what my Dad had said so all that was left to do was to thank him for talking my Dad round and deal with one remaining piece of business before letting them continue their journey home.
"Tell Drew I know where that quote came from," I said.
"Quote, what quote?" Maddy asked.
"During the race, when I was off my bike. I told Drew to go on without me and he said, 'No one gets left behind'. I thought it was from a movie and today I remembered which one," I said.
"Drew you didn't," Maddy said to him.
"Didn't what," he replied.
"Of all the things you could have used for inspiration when Cat was forced off her bike you chose to quote from a cartoon about a blue alien." Lilo and Stitch "
"He did," I said while in the background I heard Drew say, "What?"
"Drew, 'no one gets left behind' is what Lilo tells Stitch."
"Well it worked so I'm not going to knock it. I'm not going to admit to it either, but I'm not going to knock it" I stated. "Well I'll talk to you later maybe...."
Rats, it dropped the call, they must have lost the signal.
With my mind returning to the business in hand I thought about who else I should call, there was Gran in Warsop and Karla and not forgetting Eve. I phoned each of them with my news although I couldn't seem to get hold of Eve, oh well I'll see her at school next week.
It was about 7.30 when we got the call from the Bonds letting us know they had got home. (That's a basic requirement with my folks.) They had picked Jules up and grabbed some food before calling and now the weekend was catching up with them, I could hear Drew yawning in the background.
Naturally I wasn't at all tired, I hadn't had that long drive to cope with. I didn't go upstairs for a book and fall asleep in my clothes. I didn't have a strange dream either, honestly.
A dream where I was riding through the countryside behind some other cyclists, the first one peeled off and drifted past me, it was Drew. A short while later a second rider did the same, that was Maddy. When a third rider peeled off leaving me at the front it was no surprise to see that it was Jo from my club. I did my turn at the front then as I drifted past the others I realised that we were six, not four, the others were Kristen and Josh. At the same time the setting changed and I realised we were in France. We must be riding the 'Feminin' I reasoned, hang on, what are Drew and Josh doing here. We're riding the tour de France! We passed under the 1km marker and I heard a strange beeping, it wasn't my cycle computer it sounded more like an alarm clock.
That was annoying, I wanted to find out where we finished. That was probably as close as I would get to finishing a stage of a race in France.
I peeled off yesterday's clothes and made my way to the bathroom to prepare for another week of school.
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