---

 

Still not cleared to practice with the squad, Erika was resigned to create even more posters for the various teams. When that was done, she was tasked with starting smaller, more personal posters for the individual players.

Creating such important works of art was quite difficult when all she kept doing is looking up and watching her friends learn and practice routines.

She would have to definitely push the doctors to allow her back on the real rally squad and not the rally squad support. She almost felt like she was the rally squad manager, doing all of the menial tasks for the squad. Sure, she was on the team, well, kind of on the team.

She sighed heavily and finished another poster and set it aside.

“Turn that frown upside down.” Jordon directed. “I know it doesn’t seem like you are doing much, but it is a big help to us. Beside you are so amazing.

“Okay everyone, take a break and hydrate.” Melinda announced to sweaty, tired cheerleaders.

“Having an artist on squad is making our lives a lot easier.” Samantha plopped down next to Erika.

“Boring as hell for me.” Erika argued.

Samantha managed to down the entire bottle of water without guzzling it. In fact, she looked very lady like while she was doing it.

“What are you staring at?” Samantha tossed the bottle into the recycle.

“In camp, you told me not to guzzle water.” Erika explained. “Yet, I just saw you do just that, but you made it look elegant.”

Samantha tried to hide a smile. “It’s all technique.”

“Hi girlfriend.” Krystal and Jorge approached.

“Hey. I shot an email off to Rachel the other day telling her how great you’re doing.” Erika pushed aside the poster boards and markers.

“Isn’t she though?” Jorge stood back and looked Krystal up and down.

“Definitely.” Samantha added.

“Hey, Erika?” Melinda approached with Jordon and Taylor. “Will you be able to join us for the basketball game Saturday?”

Erika mentally ran through her schedule. “I believe so.”

“No doctor appointments?” Melinda clarified.

“Nope.” Erika smiled.

“Fantastic. We have been missing you.” Melinda smiled. “I know it’s been rough with all of your health issues, but we do want you as part of the squad.”

“I’m meeting with my surgeon tonight. I’ll see if I can get cleared to join in with the squad again.”

“Thank you,” Taylor smiled. “We really do need you.”

“See?” Samantha tossed her second empty into the recycle. “You are loved and missed.”

--oOo--

“I’m home.” Erika called out.

“Just in time. We need to get to your doctor’s appointment.” Her mother was already slipping on her coat and grabbing her purse.

Erika dropped her back pack in the entryway and followed her mom back out into the cold, icy weather.

The Doctor’s visit had gone better than she had hoped. Although there was some concern over the seizure, The Doctor gave her permission to join the Rally squad. The other great thing was that her doctor agreed and prescribed hormone blockers. It was the first step in her getting Hormone replacement therapy.

Mrs. Martin pulled into the Olive Garden parking lot. “I love you very much.” She told Erika, but I still don’t like this changing gender thing.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, but it is my life, my choice and if it turns out wrong, my mistake.” Erika entered the restaurant.

“Hi Daddy.” She greeted her father.

“How did the Doctor’s go?” he asked once they were seated.

Erika detailed the information that the doctor had given her. She witnessed her mother shooting her father certain looks of frustration and doubt. Her father however smiled and congratulated her.

“And since I have been cleared for Rally, there is a basketball game this Friday.”

“You’ll be dancing?” her father inquired.

“Probably not too well since I haven’t been able to practice, but yes.”

“Then we will be there.” He looked to his wife and gave her a look that said we are going.

“So, I got an interesting call this afternoon.” Her father shared. “First off, our family photos are ready for pick up. Second, the photographer would like Erika,” He looked at his daughter, “To come back in for a private shoot.”

“What?” her mother questioned.

“She said that Erika photographed very well and would like to shop her pictures around to a few modeling agencies.”

“How much money does she want for that?” her mother rolled her eyes.

“Actually,” her father went on. “Nothing. she even said that she knew a big-time agent back in Los Angeles.”

“And she is willing to do this for free?” Her mother shook her head.

Her father nodded. “That’s what she said.” He looked at his Daughter and held Erika’s gaze. “What do you think? Would you like to try modeling?”

Erika was flabbergasted. She didn’t know what to think. How was all of this possible? She was living her life as a girl, which seven months ago would have been laughed at. She had friends; good friends for the first time in her life. She was of all things on the Rally squad and now she was being asked if she wanted to be a model?

She actually, physically pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t in a dream.

“Seriously, Daddy?”

He nodded. “It’s all up to you.”

“But she is not a real girl.” Mrs. Martin whispered harshly across the table.

“We need to start thinking in terms of her being one.” He admonished.

“But modeling?”

Mr. Martin pulled out his tablet and pulled up a file. “I did some research this afternoon.” He said showing his wife. “These are male models that pose as women, and to be fair I even found a few female models who pose as men.”

“Transvestites.”

“No. professional models. I’m sure that you’d even recognize a few of these from your magazine ads.”

Erika’s mother just shook her head as she looked through the pictures.

Samantha is way prettier than I. she thought. How could they want me?

The rest of dinner went by in a fog. She couldn’t even have told you what she had eaten or if it was any good.

One home, she raced up to her room and called Tricia, then Samantha and Krystal and told them of the photographer’s offer.

She then got on her computer and emailed Rachel, Katie and Danni. Once that was done, she grabbed two pills from her stash under her trash can and quickly swallowed them. With the newly prescribed blockers and these herbs, perhaps she could get a jump start on her eventual goal.

--oOo--

Friday and even though she had always worn her rally uniform on Fridays, she now felt like part of the squad and part of the team again.

Eric had never been to one of the basketball games. The plague would have been hauled out by the upperclassmen as a bad omen or more likely spat upon, had drinks dumped on or worse.

Tonight, was the first home basketball game and Erika’s first as well. The Rally squad watched from the side of the court as the Cheer squad went through their paces, entertaining the gathering crowd.

Since she had been cleared, Erika worked as much as she could on the newer routines, but really couldn’t get them all down as of yet. The ones that she knew she didn’t know, she would stand off to the side and encourage her squad. The ones she had down but now well, well, she just stood out a bit more than the rest of the squad.

The squad was responsible for holding the paper ‘wall’ that the players were to bust through while the cheer leaders made the short tunnel as the band played the fight song.

Erika spotted Tricia sitting next to her parents just a few rows up in the stands. Tricia waved.

Their football team might have been one of the best in the state, their basketball team however was horrible.

When the rally squad wasn’t cheering on the team or trying to get the fans excited, they knelt on the hard floor just outside the court boundaries.

Jordon had warned her to keep an eye on the game at all times because the basketball could be thrown right at them. Erika was thankful for the warning. Twice in the first half she had to dodge a missed pass or tipped ball. She was already starting to get a head ache and was sure being beamed in the face with a basketball would only have made things worse.

At the half, Washington was down by 20 points and looked like they were going to lose by even more. Both cheer and rally squads took the floor. Erika knew enough of this show that she felt comfortable not sticking out too poorly.

They were almost done with their show when the edges of her vision started to gray. The music they were dancing to sounded like it was coming out of the locker rooms with echo upon echo.

Shit she swore to herself. She took a deep breath and kept with the routine. Maybe she was just imagining things. Her vision started to narrow further. Erika stopped and hurried over to where Tricia and her parents were sitting.

The gray was turning to black. Her mother saw the look on her face and jumped up followed by Tricia.

“Are you okay?” Her mother asked.

“Mom it’s……. “Erika’s world dissolved to black. She felt her muscles begin to lock up as she fell.

--- ---- ---

Pete watched as Erika suddenly started to leave the court. Her face was one of confusion and panic.

He’d seen that look plenty of times on his mother’s face. He jumped three bleachers to the floor and Sprinted to where her mother was approaching her. He fell into a slide with his arms up and caught her before she hit the floor. Her body was already ridged and starting to spasm. He quickly lowered her to the gym floor and rolled out the way. “Someone call 911!”

“What?” She could faintly hear her mother as if she was down a very long corridor.

“She’s having a seizure. My mother has them.” Pete stated. “Talk to him….” Eric was Erika now, dummy. “Um Talk to her and keep everything clear.” Pete hoped that no one caught his slip up.

“I’ve got you.” It was her mother’s voice. It seemed a long way off “I’ve got you.” She heard her mother say again. “It’s okay, honey. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Her mother’s voice began to fade away. Erika tried to stay with it, but she wasn’t strong enough silence and true blackness swept over her mind.
--- --- ---

Eric knelt on one end of the living room, Samantha, with shorter hair knelt on the other. Eric’s hands were out in front of him lightly holding Summer’s fingers. The little girl, his daughter stamped her feet and giggled. Eric let go and watched as his little girl wobbled a bit then took a step forward, then another. His heart felt almost as if it was going to explode with love and happiness. The next few steps came even faster as she lunged into her mother’s waiting arms.
“Good girl!” Samantha laughed. “I’ve got you.”

--- --- ---

Jordon did her spin and watched in confusion as Erika left in the middle of their dance. She knew this dance, why was she leaving.

“Oh, my God.” Jordon exclaimed as she watched as Erika’s body seemed to go straight and rigidly fell towards the floor. The nerdy A.V. kid was sliding across the floor, catching her, saving her from hitting the floor.

Holly crap that was cool. What was she thinking? It was horrible. The poor girl was jerking and shaking all over as her mother tried to soothe her.

The other girls on Rally stopped to see why Jordon had stopped.

“Everyone, form a wall around Erika!” Jordon didn’t wait to see if anyone had heard her, she sprinted over to Erika and tried to shield curious eyes. The next thing she knew, all of Rally and Cheer were side by side facing out like buffalo sheltering their young. Guarding from any danger.

“Stay back!” Samantha shooed a curious onlooker.

“An Ambulance is on its way.” one of the game officials called through the wall of cheerleaders.

A middle-aged woman approached Jordon. “I’m a nurse, Let me through.”

Jordon stepped back, then retook her place in the wall.

“There is nothing here to see, people!” the game official was guiding people away.

Jordon looked back to see Erika still lying there. The seizure seemed to be over, but She still lay motionless. He mother had her head cradled in her lap and stroked her hair as the nurse was taking Erika’s pulse and asking questions.

This was her fault. She had pushed to get Erika back to full practice. They were getting ready for competition and Erika was nowhere near ready. She should have just waited. Now her poor friend and squad member was laying helplessly on the floor.

--- --- ---

“I’ve got you.” Her mother said. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be fine. It’s almost over.”

Erika’s head pounded. Her eyes burned

“Sick.” She managed to get out.

“Roll her!” a strange voice commanded.

Erika felt her body being turned even as she felt her stomach heave its contents, then heave again.

“Erika, can you hear me?” the strange voice asked.

“Mmmhmm.”

“Take a deep breath. Try to relax. We’re taking care of you.”

“You are doing well.” Erika, she heard her father’s voice.

“I’ve got you, honey.” Her mother affirmed. “I’ve got you.”

“The paramedics are here.” A voice announced.

Oh, god, I did this in front of the whole school. Now I’ll be teased for this. Perhaps Jake was right. Perhaps I am a ‘spaz’.

Erika felt herself being put onto a stretcher and then wheeled outside. The cold air was almost a blessing. She cracked open her eyes in the dark to see two paramedics, Her parents and Tricia.

“You ride with her.” Her dad instructed her mom. He looked at the very worried Tricia. “Tricia and I will follow in the car.”

Erika closed her eyes again as she was loaded into the back of an ambulance. She was feeling to miserable to protest. Hopefully they would give her some pain killers at the hospital. Her head felt like someone was taking a sledge hammer to it.

“You’re going to feel a squeeze.” The blood pressure cuff began to tighten on her arm. “Do you remember what happened?” the voice asked.

“I started to….. I started to feel like I did the….. the last time.” She swallowed. “Did I really…… have a …..seizure in front of…… the entire school?”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Her mother’s voice was thick with worry.

It took four hours to finally get released from the hospital. Fortunately, Tricia was allowed in the room with her and her parents. The explanation for the seizures was once again, her brain healing from surgery. The pain meds seemed to help with her head ache. She was given a prescription for some more for the coming day’s muscle pain.

Tricia gave her a huge hug before getting dropped off. “Call me.”

Erika nodded.

When they got home, Erika trudge up to her room and stripped. It may have been very late, but She needed a long, hot shower. Afterwards she lay in her bed and listened as her mother and father spoke in hushed tones. Her mother was crying. She could tell by the change in her voice, her sinuses stuffed up from the tears.

“It’s all my fault.” She sobbed. “I’m the one who made him get the tumor removed. Now he might have to live with seizures.”

“Her.” Erika’s father corrected. “She and her.”

“Whatever. It is my fault.”

“It isn’t your fault. She needed the tumor removed and we could not have known that it would cause seizures.” He insisted. “The doctor has referred her to a Neurologist. I’m sure there are medications that can help with this. You need to stop blaming yourself. We’ll figure this out.”

“I can’t help it.” She cried. “I knew there was something wrong when I saw her face on the basketball court. I…. I ….I couldn’t do anything. She just fell and started convulsing.”

“You did what you needed to do. You spoke to her and reassured her.” Mr. Martin soothed. “I have to say I am pretty impressed with how the rally and cheer squads reacted.”

“Oh?”

“You didn’t see how they created a wall around Erika?”

“I was to focused and worried about Erika.”

Erika, in her nightgown knocked on her parent’s door.

“Yes, Sweetie.” Her father answered.

Erika pushed open the door. She locked her mother’s gaze “I heard you mom.” Her mother winced slightly. “I heard you tell me that ‘You had me’ and that I was ‘going to be all right.” She smiled. “It helped.”

Her mother started crying anew and held out her arms. Erika raced over and was wrapped up in her mother’s arms. She squeezed her tight and then felt her father wrap the two of them up in his.