Read Online The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leslie DuBois
Ads: Link
not want to be a cherry picking power tool anymore.
But, on the other hand, it had only been two weeks. Who's to say that in two more weeks he wouldn't lapse into old habits once again? How many times did my father say he'd change? And how many years had things stayed exactly the same until my mother finally got tired of it and kicked him out? I didn't want a life like that.
Ashley's revelation of the Cherry Picker game didn't make me doubt Will's intentions. I knew he wanted to change. The question was, could he?
Chapter 11:
The Championship
"You miss class? What you mean you miss class? You sick?" Ms. Alexander asked as she felt my head. Sasha and I stopped by the studio on the way to Will's Championship game. Sasha didn't feel I needed to explain my absence to Ms. Alexander, but I knew I couldn't just not show up without letting her know . She would think I was hit by a bus or something. I hadn't missed a dance class since I was ten-years-old with the chicken pox. I actually tried to go to class and she sent me home so as not to infect the other dancers.
"No, I'm not sick."
"No sick, no miss class. Get dressed." Ms. Alexander turned her attention back to the sound system and started flipping through CD's.
I really wanted to see Will play. But I couldn't lie to Ms. Alexander. I felt trapped. I stared at her for a few minutes trying to think of something to say. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I had to attend my pas de deux rehearsal.
I turned to go get changed when Sasha stepped in and said, "Ms. Alexander, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but our mother was in a horrible car accident just this morning. We've been by her side in the hospital all day. My sister is so committed to your dance program that she felt it absolutely necessary to tell you in person she couldn't attend and would rather be with our mother in her time of need."
"That true?" Ms. Alexander asked me. I started nodding furiously after Sasha pinched me hard in the back. "Why you no say that? Get out, go." She shooed us out with both hands.
"Oh, thank you for your understanding, Ms. Alexander," Sasha said graciously as a solitary tear streamed down her face. I stared at her in disbelief.
"Oh, don't give me that look," she said once we were outside. "You want to see Will don't you?"
"Yeah, but I didn't want to lie. What if she finds out?"
"So what if she does. How many of your weekends have you given that woman? You deserve a night for yourself once in a while. Besides, it's Will Maddox . You can't pass that up."
She was right. I couldn't pass it up. I really wanted to get closer to him. I wanted to learn what drove him as a person. I wanted to figure out if he'd be strong enough to overcome the sex fiend personality he'd created for himself. Though we saw each other every day, I still didn't know a lot about him personally. Oddly enough, our conversations mostly revolved around opera music and fantasy basketball.
Even without him saying so specifically, I knew he had some pretty strange quirks. For instance, he always kept three green apple jolly ranchers in his left pocket, he always separated his food into three sections, he always wore the same "lucky" beat up red Converse All-Stars, he always carried his "lucky" basketball on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and if I ever asked him to turn a light off in a room, he always had to flip the switch three times instead of just once. His habits didn't bother me so much as they intrigued me. But I didn't feel comfortable asking him about them yet. I wanted to get to know him better and making the effort to see him play in the championship was an important step.
When the teams came out to warm up, Will looked around in the crowd until he saw me. He gave me a nod of the head then shot the ball from really far away and it went in. He smiled at me as if to say 'that was for you.'
But, on the other hand, it had only been two weeks. Who's to say that in two more weeks he wouldn't lapse into old habits once again? How many times did my father say he'd change? And how many years had things stayed exactly the same until my mother finally got tired of it and kicked him out? I didn't want a life like that.
Ashley's revelation of the Cherry Picker game didn't make me doubt Will's intentions. I knew he wanted to change. The question was, could he?
Chapter 11:
The Championship
"You miss class? What you mean you miss class? You sick?" Ms. Alexander asked as she felt my head. Sasha and I stopped by the studio on the way to Will's Championship game. Sasha didn't feel I needed to explain my absence to Ms. Alexander, but I knew I couldn't just not show up without letting her know . She would think I was hit by a bus or something. I hadn't missed a dance class since I was ten-years-old with the chicken pox. I actually tried to go to class and she sent me home so as not to infect the other dancers.
"No, I'm not sick."
"No sick, no miss class. Get dressed." Ms. Alexander turned her attention back to the sound system and started flipping through CD's.
I really wanted to see Will play. But I couldn't lie to Ms. Alexander. I felt trapped. I stared at her for a few minutes trying to think of something to say. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I had to attend my pas de deux rehearsal.
I turned to go get changed when Sasha stepped in and said, "Ms. Alexander, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but our mother was in a horrible car accident just this morning. We've been by her side in the hospital all day. My sister is so committed to your dance program that she felt it absolutely necessary to tell you in person she couldn't attend and would rather be with our mother in her time of need."
"That true?" Ms. Alexander asked me. I started nodding furiously after Sasha pinched me hard in the back. "Why you no say that? Get out, go." She shooed us out with both hands.
"Oh, thank you for your understanding, Ms. Alexander," Sasha said graciously as a solitary tear streamed down her face. I stared at her in disbelief.
"Oh, don't give me that look," she said once we were outside. "You want to see Will don't you?"
"Yeah, but I didn't want to lie. What if she finds out?"
"So what if she does. How many of your weekends have you given that woman? You deserve a night for yourself once in a while. Besides, it's Will Maddox . You can't pass that up."
She was right. I couldn't pass it up. I really wanted to get closer to him. I wanted to learn what drove him as a person. I wanted to figure out if he'd be strong enough to overcome the sex fiend personality he'd created for himself. Though we saw each other every day, I still didn't know a lot about him personally. Oddly enough, our conversations mostly revolved around opera music and fantasy basketball.
Even without him saying so specifically, I knew he had some pretty strange quirks. For instance, he always kept three green apple jolly ranchers in his left pocket, he always separated his food into three sections, he always wore the same "lucky" beat up red Converse All-Stars, he always carried his "lucky" basketball on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and if I ever asked him to turn a light off in a room, he always had to flip the switch three times instead of just once. His habits didn't bother me so much as they intrigued me. But I didn't feel comfortable asking him about them yet. I wanted to get to know him better and making the effort to see him play in the championship was an important step.
When the teams came out to warm up, Will looked around in the crowd until he saw me. He gave me a nod of the head then shot the ball from really far away and it went in. He smiled at me as if to say 'that was for you.'
Similar Books
