Lia
I'm so close to blowing up right now it's not even funny. I tap my foot furiously as I wait in the parking lot with my arms folded over my chest. Guys from the team are standing behind me, just chatting casually, unperturbed by my worsening mood.
Even the coach knows better than to come closer, seeing how infuriated I am.
We're waiting for one of the buses that was supposed to take us to Los Angeles, but for some fucking reason it's not here yet, even though the other one's been here on time. I called the company, but they only apologized and assured that our transport will be here soon.
Soon?!
It's been over a fucking hour!
"Blake, go and calm your woman. She's fucking scaring me." I hear James exclaim quietly from behind me, getting a laugh from the whole team in response. Even the cheer squad finds his comment funny.
Yeah, it's fucking hilarious!
"I'd rather not lose my balls. – Blake chuckles and I almost smile at his slightly scared tone – And... she can hear you, you idiot." He taunts and I hear a loud smacking sound. Guess James got hit.
"Ow! Coach! He's picking on me!" James whines loudly.
I ignore the guys, focusing on calming my nerves. I'm about to call the company again when the bus finally arrives. The driver's about to fucking get it!
"Okay everyone, huddle up! – the coach hollers – I'm not your babysitter, so I won't watch over you, but if you do something that I don't like, I'll let our dear manager arrange your workout for a whole month. You've all seen what she can do, so don't test me." He threatens, getting a loud collective groan from the guys. They know better than to get on the coach's bad side and the coach knows I would pretty much torture the guys during practice if they disobey him. They had a taste of a good workout once and they whined about it for a week.
I glare at the bus driver who had the audacity to be over an hour late, but he looks completely unapologetic, as if he doesn't realize the trouble he created. But it's not the time to deal with him. We need to be on the road as soon as possible. I'll deal with him once we arrive.
With one last glare at the driver, I turn to the team and the cheer squad. "Okay, everyone! You already know who's going with whom, so get your stuff and get in the buses in orderly manner. I better not hear complains about your behavior." I sternly order, getting some amused looks from the girls from cheer squad.
"What about the fact that the bus was late? Can we complain about that?" The cheer squad captain, Miranda, questions with a raised brow, seeming annoyed with the situation. I get you, girl.
"Uh-oh. That was the wrong thing to say." Simon chuckles quietly, getting a laugh from the team but I ignore them.
"You can be goddamn sure I'll complain." I seethe with a malicious smirk. Miranda only nods in understanding, mirroring my smirk. I like this girl, she's smart, fierce and has great leadership skills. And anyone who can control a bunch of people without being hated by them is okay in my book. Had we not been so different, maybe we could even be friends.
"That's good to hear." Miranda grins ominously, throwing a furtive glance at the tardy driver, who's shamelessly smoking beside the bus. The list of complaints is just getting longer.
The team and cheer squad quietly get in the buses, while coach and I stay slightly behind, just briefly going over our plan for the trip. Because of this stupid delay, we'll reach Los Angeles later than anticipated unless we skip one break.
"I guess I'll see you on the first break?"
"Yeah. - I sigh tiredly, running my hand through my ash blonde hair - I just hope the traffic won't be terrible so we're not that late, but I doubt we'll manage to make up for the lost hour. I'm going to call the hotel and ask when they close their gym, so we'll know if we can arrange a quick workout for the guys." I inform, getting a satisfied nod from Mr. Jones.
"I knew hiring you as the manager was a good decision. You never fail to surprise me and it's not an easy feat. See you later." He friendly pats my shoulder then heads to the bus.
I go to the bus my Cakey's in, stopping for a moment in the front before I can go further in, where my man and our friends are taking out their snacks. James and Simon packed two whole backpacks of food for a few-hour drive. Unbelievable.
"Lia is here!" The guys cheer loudly as soon as I step into the vehicle. I only shake my head at them, but there's still a smile on my face. They are cute, like kids.
"Which means that coach is in the other bus! YEAH!!!" Another guy yells excitedly and everyone goes crazy.
"If you think I'll let you go berserk, you're sadly mistaken, guys. No trouble, got it?" I sternly tell them, knowing how loud and crazy they can get.
"You got it, girl! – Evan shouts – We'll be like quiet little lambs."
"Good, because if you're not, I'll double your workout." I grin evilly at them, enjoying their nervous reaction.
I turn to the driver, who's been watching us with amused look. "Let's roll. And I'm sorry in advance."
"No need, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy the ride." He smirks then starts the bus as I walk to my man in the back.
Blake lets me take the seat by the window, knowing that I'm going to take a nap during the drive. I set my bag on the shelf above the seats then sit next to my man, leaning my head against his shoulder sleepily. Dealing with all those boys is so tiring.
"Tired, huh?" Blake whispers quietly into my ear, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.
"Yeah. I'm going to sleep. Will you wake me up later?" I snuggle into him, already feeling my eyes droop.
"Of course." He replies with no hesitation, pressing a kiss to my head. I put in my earphones and let the music drown the guys' chatter.
We reach the hotel about half an hour later than we planned to, but it's not that bad considering how late we left. I make sure to let the tardy driver know what I think about his poor service and what his laziness cost us. There was no real reason for his tardiness; no traffic jam, no accident on the way, nothing.. He just left later than he was supposed to. Fucking idiot!
But, thankfully, the company cares a lot about their image and reputation, so it takes only one talk to the manager to get a new, reliable driver for us. Of course, I still have to file an official complaint so there's no mess in their documentation, but I'm more than happy to do so. I don't fucking tolerate such attitude. After a quick argument with the bus driver, I head to the hotel, where the team waits to check in.
Much to my and Coach Jones's displeasure, the hotel's gym is closed already, so the guys are going straight to their rooms. The coach texts me soon after Blake and I are settled in our room, saying that he'd like to go over our schedule for tomorrow. Since Blake didn't get any rest on the way here, I tell him to go to sleep first and not wait for me, then go to the coach's room, where we're going to have a meeting with Miranda. She's the one responsible for the cheer squad, so she needs to know what the schedule is.
The cheer squad has much more free time than the team, but Miranda still wants the girls to practice their moves a few times before the game. The guys, however, are going to wake up pretty early, work out in the gym for 2 hours, then get rest before they head to the stadium to have a warm up and then play against the Trojans. After the game, they're going to have free time until Sunday's morning workout. I tell the coach that I rented the gym for the team for the weekend, so there won't be other guests of the hotel interrupting them. He's surprised, to say the least.
"How the hell did you manage to do that?! And when?" Miranda exclaims in shock before the coach can even utter a word.
I chuckle at her wide-eyed expression as she gapes at me. I think I just broke them.
"I just talked to the manager. He's a nice guy and it wasn't that hard to convince him." I shrug. I don't really see the big deal in it.
Coach scoffs, shaking his head at me. "Nice? I tried to talk to him earlier and ask him about the gym for the guys. Tried being the keyword here. He didn't even want to listen to me, he just straight out said it's impossible. What did you tell him that he actually agreed?!" I almost laugh at the flabbergasted look on coach's face. He looks positively perplexed.
"Wow, you're more capable than I expected. I feel like I owe you an apology." Miranda sighs.
I give her a questioning look. "Why? You didn't do anything..."
"I underestimated you. I was sure you're not fit for this job and I even... - she averts her gaze, seemingly uncomfortable - I even badmouthed you on some occasions... I'm sorry. Clearly you know what you're doing and you're great at this." She winces.
"It's fine, Mi. I know I'm not the squad's favorite person, but it doesn't bother me. – I assure with a smile – Now why don't we concentrate on what we're here to do and not some petty squabble, hmm?" Miranda grins gratefully, sighing in relief.
"As fun as it is watching you girls have your moment, I'd still like to know how you got the gym, Lia. You didn't actually do something rash, did you?" The coach breaks the short silence, questioning me worriedly.
"No, no. Of course not. I just talked to him. Really. You know I don't lie, coach, so why would I start now?" I tell him casually.
"You sure?"
"I'm 100 percent sure. I may be dedicated to the team, but not to this extent." I chuckle at the heavy relieved sigh the coach breathes out.
"I don't know if making you our manager was the best or the worst decision I made. I feel like I aged 10 years during the last few weeks." He laughs breathily, shaking his head.
"I'd say she's really good at this. – Miranda intercepts – In a really short time she arranged a game with the Trojans, organized the transport, accommodation and even got the gym for them."
"Why are you talking like I'm not here?" I tease and they both laugh.
The three of us sort out the details of the rest of the trip then Miranda and I retreat to our rooms. As soon as I enter my and Blake's room, I'm met by the sight of my Cakey's half-naked sleeping body. He's snoring lightly, lying on his stomach with one arm draped over my side of the bed. He assured me he was going to wait for me to come back before he went to bed, but I guess he was too tired to stay awake.
After taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of panties and one of Blake's t-shirts, I slowly get on the bed, trying my hardest to not wake my Cakey up. As soon as I'm lying comfortably next to him, he sleepily pulls me into his chest like the cuddle monster he is.
I hope our whole weekend can be this peaceful, especially after all the shit that's being happening lately.