I Want You On My Team

I sat in my usual place at the breakfast table. I smiled at the early morning Sunday sun shining on my face from the window. It was a beautiful feeling.
"How'd you sleep, baby?" My mother asked as she sat at the table. Daddy followed and sat next to her.
"Probably great." He answered for me winking at me. I rolled my eyes. Joe came in and took a seat by Nick.
"Nick slept like a baby, I can tell." Nick continued to look at his lap and play with his fork on the table.
"You two. Stop pestering them. There isn't anything going on between them. Come on let's pray for the food boys." And mom smiled at me with that magical smile that got her a career. She had always been the most beautiful woman to me. She was my mother and the closest person to me. Most just looked at her as the Victoria's Seacret Model that she was when I was young. But I saw her as so much more.
Nick took my hand and then I took my mom's hand. We connected in a circle. My father prayed and then we let go. Except Nick. He kept holding on. I gave him a look that said why are you still touching me and he stopped. Nick in fact stared at his plate whist eating.
"So, Alexis. I have a huge question reguarding yesterday and the cheerleaders." Joe spoke up after the long awkward pause that followed my mental scolding of his brother.
"Yes, Joseph. What ever you are enquiring about?" I replied in a joking fashion, trying to ease up the tension I had caused.
"Why do they carry around all those gigantic bags?"
"I'll show you why after breakfast." I smiled at him. He was in for quite the chore. "How's my other mother doing?"
"Good. Oh, I forgot! She wanted me to tell you that you should have tea sometime and catch up. As in Alexis and you Mrs. Carter with Danielle and mom." Joe responded. "Frankly, tea sounds like a very boring time." I looked at Nick. He moved his eggs around his plate. Wow, he took that super personally. I didn't mean anything by the look. Other than that if he did keep on holding my hand that would only further the torment from the peanut gallery. Under the table and poked him in the side. He looked up and his eyes bore into mine. It was a glare on the outside, but the softness in his eyes showed hurt. I mouthed I'm sorry. I would give him a hug later and make it all better. We finished up breakfast and I took Nick and Joe to my room and had them sit on the couch as I heafted in my cheerleading stuff. I crouched down next to the first bag.
"This, my friends, is practice bag number one." I zipped open the backpack sized black and silver "Panthers Cheer" bag that had Captain Lexi momogramed near the bottom. "I repacked this Friday for Monday. I pulled out my "This Beauty is a Beast" bow. Then a set of practice clothes and then my practice shoes from the bottom compartment. "This is for one practice. The outfits are prearranged and we all wear the same thing to practice. I have about ten more outfits for practice that are still in rotation at this time and thirty out of rotation." I opened a garment bag and then the rest. Pulled out the uniforms. "This is our round one uniform and bow." Tossed that on the couch. "This is round two." That followed the first. "And Round three."
"How many bows do you have?" Joe asked.
"There must be over a hundred now." Their jaws fell slack.
"You have such expensive hobbies, Lex." Nick said looking behind him at the walls of trophies and tiaras from my past.
"My mom wanted me to do that. Yes, I loved it. If she didn't insist that I did it. If we wouldn't have had the money than we wouldn't have done it. But, you do know she was a super model and he is a very successful lawyer." I smiled. "They were prepared for this." I grinned at the boys. "And plus it has been so fun. I can do things that make your on stage flips look like preschool level gymnastics." I raised my eye brows in a challenging gesture. They shook their heads at my.
"We know. We saw yesterday. You are one very brave, very small girl." Joe acknowledged. Then they both got up. Nick tossed me over his shoulder and carried me through the house and out to the pool. Where he tossed me in, despite me wearing skinny jeans and a sweater. When I surfaced, Joe felt the need to add. "That is why we don't brag in this family, Alexis."