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“Yeah.”
Her gaze turns to me and then back to Shea. “You two look upset.”
“We’re fine,” I say then, wrapping my arm around her. “I just need to let things go.”
“You do. You have a tendency to dwell.”
I know this, and let’s be honest, I learned from the best. Mom dwells like no other. So does Shea. Hell, my whole family does. Whenever something goes wrong, everyone is on high alert. And they don’t stop thinking about it.
“I’m good. Let’s go watch Amelia kick some ass.”
My mom grins, and Shea does too before he says, “I heard she’s pissed she isn’t doing bars.”
Mom shrugs. “Yeah, but she’ll get there. Sucks though, that she won’t be up for all-around since her beam is a hot-ass mess.”
I nod. “She’s been sucking on beam for a while now.”
“Well, you try flipping on a four-inch-wide surface and see how you do,” Elli says when she falls into step with us. “She’ll get there. That girl is determined as hell. As are all our babies.” She then looks at me. “Especially this one.” When she messes up my hair, brown tendrils falling in my eyes, I laugh as I pull away to fix it.
“Thanks, Elli.”
“Of course. How’s school?”
I nod, a grin on my face. I’m still a little bothered by what Shea said, but then, it’s hard not to smile when I’m asked about school. “Great. I aced my test yesterday, and I’m still rocking that 4.0.”
She beams. “That’s my baby.” Mom kisses my temple, and Shea beams.
“And I’m still good to intern for the Assassins? You talked to the athletic team, they’re okay?”
Elli nods with a wink. “Of course. It’s one of the perks of having your aunt as the owner and having stellar grades. DJ was impressed when I showed him your transcript.”
I smile. “Thanks. We all know I have the best aunt ever.”
“Suck-up,” Shea teases, and I grin.
“Everyone is jealous, and my teacher is geeking out. Think I can snag some tickets for my class?”
She rolls her eyes. “Butters me up before asking for more. These kids. Always wanting something.”
We all laugh together as Posey and Shelli meet us at the door. Posey points to the top of the bleachers where the boys have set up camp. “The boys got us a spot.”
“Fantastic. Let’s go watch our girl kick ass!” Mom cheers, and I smile as she wraps her arms around Shelli and Posey, walking with them.
Unlike the rest of my family, who are all wearing matching “We <3 Amelia” shirts, I have to wear my game-day suit. Coach has a strict rule that we have to look our best at school functions. I already apologized to Amelia, but she wasn’t the least bit concerned. Especially since I made her an awesome sign.
What can I say? The Justices and Adlers go all out.
Sitting next to Shelli and my mom, I look out at the gym that has been converted into one awesome-looking gymnastics meet. The floor is bright teal with black trim, and the logo of the GymBulls mascot is in the middle of it. Unlike our logo that’s a badass bull with hockey sticks, theirs is the bull with sparkles at the corners of its eyes, but it still looks pretty damn amazing. Excitement builds inside of me at the thought of seeing Amelia out there.
Growing up, there wasn’t a weekend where we weren’t at the rink or the gym. Of course, Mom and Dad had to split up and get us where we needed to be, but there was never an issue. Both of them were always there for us. Totally hands-on even with their big careers. Usually, Dad took me, and those were some of the best weekends. We did “man stuff,” as he called it, which basically meant we watched hockey and ate junk food since Mom wasn’t around to make us eat healthy.
When I had the weekend off though, and it was Amelia’s time to shine, being with both my parents watching my sister kick ass was by far the best. Even though we had to eat healthy shit, I loved watching my mom and dad gush over Amelia. Some siblings would be jealous, but I have always been proud to call Amelia my sister. She is talented and damn good. Don’t get me wrong, we fight, but in the end, we have each other’s backs.
When Shelli holds out her phone, I put on a bright smile as she snaps a picture of us. “For my Snapchat.”
“No, really?” I laugh, and she flashes me a bright grin. Shelli looks just like Elli, but with Shea’s eyes. Some would say she favors her dad, but I think Posey is more her dad than Elli. “When do you leave?”
“We’re taking Mommy’s plane after this.”
I hold up my pinkie and tease her. “Mommy’s plane is taking me to New York, where they’ll be waiting for me with champagne.”
She leans into me, laughing. “Please, I can’t drink yet.”
“You’re right,” I say with a dry look. “A Capri Sun.”
“Much better. Also while I drip in my diamonds.”
“Gag,” I joke as she laughs openly. “You’ll be careful?”
“Yeah, and I’ll text.”
“It’s only the weekends, right?”
“Yeah, but I’ll miss family dinners for the next couple months. So make sure Amelia doesn’t get into too much trouble, and please make sure my brothers don’t kill anyone.”
“Done,” I promise as I lean back in the bleachers just as the music starts. The announcer begins to speak, and my attention is drawn to the side doors as he says, “And now, Bellevue University, for the first time ever, your GymBulls!”
The door opens, and out comes the team of about thirty girls. As each one is announced, my family claps along with the crowd, but when it comes to Amelia, I’m surprised we aren’t asked to leave.
“And our hometown girl, from Nashville, Tennessee, Amelia Justice!”
“That’s my baby!”
“Get it done!”
“Let’s go!”
