More Than A Drum Beat [Tom/Keltie, pg, standalone]
Title: More Than A Drum Beat
Author: silver_etoile
Pairing: Tom/Keltie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not true
Summary: “Did you just take a picture of my ass?” Keltie asks slowly, and Tom isn’t even abashed as he shrugs.
“School spirit,” he only says. “Shouldn’t have the University logo splashed across it if you don’t want me to.”
A/N: So only my second attempt (in the bandom world anyway) of non-slash. For those of you interested, there will be a joncer sequel later one!
*
“Stop!” Spencer shouts. “Stop, stop, stop! This is not some hip hop music video, it’s a marching band for god’s sake!”
Keltie sighs and gestures for the girls to stop dancing as Spencer yells at the band once again. She turns away as he climbs down from his post watching over the field and proceeds to rip the tuba players apart.
“Somebody needs to get laid,” Vicky comments as she flops down on the grass, picking at a weed growing there. The rest of the dance team murmurs their agreement and Keltie looks away from where Spencer is yelling at the trumpets now.
“On the bright side, football season is almost over,” she says lightly but she knows it’s just a false hope considering the big marching band competition is just around the corner and they have a lot of practicing to do. But this is what she loves so she’ll take Spencer’s quest for perfection seriously at least until the competition is over.
Greta glances up from where she’s sprawled next to Vicky. “Someone oughta tell Spencer that.”
They all glance over to where Spencer is showing the drums their part again, and Keltie sighs. Spencer is getting to be a little maniacal about these things.
“Maybe we’ll just wait it out,” she says instead, watching the way Spencer is yelling, face red from either the heat of the afternoon or simply anger. Sighing, she claps her hands. They have things to do that don’t involve Spencer anyway. “Alright, everybody up. Let’s start from the third count. One, two, three, four.”
The team clambers up with a few grumbles as Keltie counts off the steps, practicing on the field under the warm November sun, the stadium bleachers glinting all around them, empty for now.
It’s late in the afternoon and they’ve been at this for hours. Keltie has already missed her Wednesday night lab which will put her behind for next week again, but practice is more important at the moment and Spencer would probably have a breakdown if she missed it even if she isn’t on the band. He keeps saying that every aspect is important for winning and that includes the dancers getting every move right.
Keltie watches her girls go through the routine, sharp eyes catching everything.
“Greta, you’re a half a beat behind. Don’t let it throw you. That’s a high kick, Z, higher than that! Better not let Spencer see that or he’ll have you practicing until midnight.”
Keltie stands back, arms crossed and glances over at the band. Spencer is muttering to himself now as he climbs back on his podium. He really does need to relax, she thinks vaguely, but she’s distracted by someone she doesn’t know striding onto the field towards her.
It’s a scruffy-looking guy, flip flops brushing over the grass, and a camera hanging around his neck. His dirty-blond hair is swept to the side across his forehead and he gives her an appreciative once-over as he stops just off the field.
“Nice moves,” he says, and Keltie turns slowly, eyeing him carefully.
“Who are you?”
The guy smiles charmingly and behind Keltie, Greta elbows Vicky and the rest of the dancers slowly lose the routine.
“Tom Conrad, photographer for the Tulane Hullabaloo. I’m here to get a few pictures, maybe take down a few names.” He pauses, grinning at Keltie while she arches an eyebrow, unimpressed and certainly not interested. “Maybe a phone number or two.”
Ashlee giggles next to Greta behind her and Vicky rolls her eyes. Keltie doesn’t reply for a second while Tom grins at her.
“You can take photos,” she says calmly finally. “But no interviews.”
“Aw, come on,” Tom drawls, taking a step forward and Keltie doesn’t move. She has no interest in this guy, especially with the way he keeps grinning at her. “I bet you’d like to tell me something about yourself.”
“Not really,” Keltie replies simply, tucking back a strand of her blond hair that’s slowly falling out of her pony tail. She can feel the sweat on the back of her neck from practice and knows they should get back to work. The rest of the dancers, though, are watching Tom curiously, and Keltie wishes the guys on the paper could be less cute. It would make her life so much easier.
“Are you shy?” Tom asks curiously and Keltie frowns. “’Cause I can get it out of you.”
Keltie is slightly insulted to be honest and she can only blink for a second as Tom grins at her and apparently waits for her to fall at his feet in pure admiration. Before she can do much more than stare at him, another voice cuts between them, sharp and commanding.
“Keltie!”
Spencer has already climbed off his podium and strode over, frowning at Keltie and then glaring at Tom, who doesn’t look offended.
“Who are you?” he demands and Tom just tilts his head a little, glancing between Spencer and Keltie, who sighs and almost smiles at Spencer’s interruption. He tends to be overly protective of his band and everything associated with it. For the most part, Keltie appreciates it. It works wonders on annoying photographers anyway.
“Tom Conrad,” Tom says again swiftly. “Photographer for the-”
“I don’t care,” Spencer interrupts sharply. “You’re disrupting my practice and we don’t have time for stupid photographers or some dumb newspaper article. So get off my field.”
Tom looks surprised for a second before he laughs slightly and hikes up his camera, snapping a picture of Spencer’s sour face.
“That’s the front page right there,” he comments and Spencer just glares, hands on his hips. Tom glances at Keltie. “I’ll be back.”
Keltie rolls his eyes as he leaves slowly, disappearing out of the stadium. She turns only to find Spencer right beside her, glaring.
“I didn’t do it,” she only says, patting his shoulder. “Let’s just finish rehearsal. I’d like to have dinner at some point tonight.”
Spencer just growls to himself and stalks off. Vicky shakes her head as Keltie rubs her forehead. She’s going to get grey hairs by the time all of this is over.
“Definitely needs to get laid,” Vicky mutters and Keltie can’t say she disagrees.
*
Keltie does finally get dinner, but it’s little more than half a sandwich that she eats on her way to her dorm, not wanting to eat in the Union alone… again. Instead, she walks slowly in the early twilight, the street lamps flickering on around her as she passes bluelight phones and buildings still lit inside for night classes.
Her dorm is the farthest one on campus and she really only lives in campus because she has a full ride scholarship and it’s just easier than finding decent housing in New Orleans. She’s lucky to have a roommate her same age who doesn’t care about partying.
When she pushes open the door, she drops her bag on her desk chair just inside the door and glances at the second bed in the room.
“Hey,” she greets the girl lying there, reading a textbook.
Allison lifts her head, dark hair pooling around her. “Hey.”
The message machine is blinking as Keltie brings her computer out of sleep mode and she presses the button.
“Hey, it’s Ryan. I-”
BEEP.
Allison looks over as Keltie erases the message.
“Still mad at him?”
Keltie sighs, sinking into her chair. She’s not really mad at Ryan, more like disappointed and hurt even though it’s been a month since she broke it off. She wishes he’d just stop trying to pretend like it hadn’t happened, him and that girl. They aren’t friends and Keltie doesn’t want to talk to him.
“I should just get over it, huh?” she asks dejectedly, kicking off her shoes and they hit the back of her desk.
“No way,” Allison replies obviously. “He cheated on you. You should hate him. He’s a lying, two-timing jackass who has absolutely no fashion sense and only talks about Proust to make other people feel stupid.”
Keltie smiles slightly. “Thanks. I guess I shouldn’t think about it anyway. I have bigger things to worry about like Spencer and his self-implosion.”
She turns back to her computer, passing over the dark green Tulane flag plastered up on the wall behind it.
She tries not to think about Ryan, Ryan who is also on the newspaper like that Tom guy today. She wonders for a moment what Tom really wants but it’s easy to tell. He’s just like every other guy who wants to get with a dancer because they’re fit and pretty. Well, Keltie doesn’t have time for any stupid guy. She’s really better off alone at the moment and she’d prefer to keep it that way.
On the bed, Allison rolls over and watches Keltie for a moment.
“You don’t have to hate all guys, you know.”
“I don’t,” Keltie replies simply, not glancing back. “Just self-centered, pompous assholes. Who are apparently my type.”
“Well, you don’t want to turn into Spencer, do you?”
“No,” Keltie mutters, but she’s pretty sure she won’t become a workaholic any time soon.
“Don’t be so down,” Allison says, flipping her hair back. “You’ll find the right someone someday. In the meantime, stay away from the newspaper.”
Keltie laughs and then sighs. “Yeah.”
*
“Alright, girls, back in formation,” Keltie calls once Spencer has finally stopped grilling the clarinets on their footwork.
The sun is high overhead and warm on their backs. Keltie’s tank top is sticking to her back already and she reties her hair quickly as the band starts up again.
The routine isn’t really complicated but it’s a long one and Keltie has to remember all the steps while checking that everyone else hasn’t forgotten either. She’s too busy watching Cassadee mess up the third step to notice the guy standing with the camera at the field edge, snapping pictures of the dance team.
She doesn’t notice him until he moves over, crouching down and taking a picture of her leg practically straight up in the air. Annoyed, she breaks the routine, striding over. Tom immediately stands up, grinning at the way she comes right up to him.
“What are you doing?” she asks and he licks his bottom lip slowly. She just frowns.
“I told you. I’m a photographer for the Hullabaloo. We’re doing a piece on the band and the dancers.” He practically winks at her as she sighs, shaking her head and wiping sweat off her forehead. She doesn’t have time for this.
“Well, why don’t you come back when we’re not practicing for the competition?”
“When are you not practicing for the competition?” Tom asks knowingly and Keltie stalls. They never are. He seems to know as he pulls his camera up and snaps a picture of her frown. “That’s what I thought.”
“Fine, then take pictures,” she says, annoyed, “but be discrete. Spencer won’t like this.”
“You mean the guy yelling at the bells?” Tom drawls skeptically, a smirk curling his lips. “Yeah, I’ll watch myself.”
Frustrated, Keltie turns, walking away until she hears a distinctive click and she stops, turning around slowly to see Tom lowering his camera slowly, a smirk on his face.
“Did you just take a picture of my ass?” she asks slowly, and he isn’t even abashed as he shrugs.
“School spirit,” he only says. “Shouldn’t have the University logo splashed across it if you don’t want me to.”
Keltie’s mouth falls open indignantly and Vicky steps up to her side. “Want me to punch him for you?”
Keltie doesn’t even know if she’s more offended or appalled by Tom’s words and she can’t decide as he grins at her.
“What are you doing back here?”
The song has ended and Spencer has noticed Tom again, and the fact that none of the dancers are doing the routine anymore.
“My job.” Tom holds up his camera, but Spencer looms closer, and it’s times like these that Keltie is glad he’s so competitive.
“I told you to go away. We’re not here to take pictures. We’re here to practice.”
Tom looks back at Keltie, who frowns, and Vicky glares at him from beside her. Her team always has her back.
“What’s the big deal about this competition anyway?” Tom asks, snapping a picture of the band, who’s not paying attention and just talking to each other now that Spencer is distracted.
Spencer just glares, rising up taller than normal it seems until Tom arches an eyebrow. Keltie’s never realized how tall Spencer really is until he’s towering over Tom menacingly.
“You’re looming,” Tom says calmly.
Keltie sighs. “Will you just go away? You’re only causing trouble.”
“If I left, you’d miss me,” Tom replies with a grin and Keltie doesn’t laugh. She really doubts she’d miss Tom and his camera and his stupid hair that’s falling in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t,” Spencer growls, and Vicky echoes it with a nod, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Tom.
Keltie doesn’t need to be protected but she doesn’t tell them this as Tom finally takes a step back and shrugs.
“I told you I’d be back,” he only says as he turns to leave, pausing as he reaches the edge of the field. “And now I’ve got something to remember you by, Keltie Colleen.”
Keltie frowns as he leaves. How does he know her name?
Spencer huffs once Tom’s gone, muttering under his breath about distractions and practice. He turns to Keltie.
“I thought we were done with newspaper people.”
Keltie is never going to live down her breakup with Ryan, she thinks sadly as Spencer arches an eyebrow.
“Hey,” Vicky butts in. “Tom and Ryan might not even know each other. It’s not Keltie’s fault she attracts them like flies.”
“Thanks,” Keltie mutters sarcastically and Spencer rolls his eyes.
“Yeah right,” he only scoffs. “If that guy comes back again, I’m gonna have the Butcher slam a cymbal into his head… messing up our practice.” He leaves, still muttering to himself, and Keltie turns to Vicky.
“You don’t have to protect me, you know,” she says. “I can take care of myself.”
“You’re our faithful captain,” Vicky only says, bumping Keltie’s shoulder lightly. “We have to.”
Keltie rolls her eyes and heads for the rest of the team, who have been watching the whole scene attentively. The girls are always on the lookout for cute guys and opportunities for fix-ups.
“I don’t see what the problem is,” Ashlee says, picking at a flower and tearing off the petals one by one. “That guy’s hot.”
“He’s a jerk,” Greta puts in supportively, sweeping her curly hair back up, a few strands sticking to her sweaty neck.
“He’s a photographer,” Ashlee replies like it should mean something and Vicky rolls her eyes darkly.
“We all know about your little kink, Ashlee,” she puts in with a significant look and Ashlee sneers back.
“Okay, no more talking about the stupid guy,” Keltie interrupts before anyone gets hurt. “He’s gone. We should get back to practice if we ever want to leave.”
“Oh, he’ll be back,” Ashlee says knowledgeably and Keltie frowns.
“How do you know?” Cassadee asks curiously and Ashlee smirks, glancing at Keltie.
“Didn’t you see the way he watched her dancing?”
Keltie only hopes that Ashlee is wrong but she isn’t usually.
*
“Conrad!”
Tom swings around in his chair, kicking his feet up on his messy desk as his name rings out amongst the noisy newsroom. He doesn’t even bother pretending to be nervous as the editor strides over, frowning at the way he’s lounging casually around.
“Where are the pictures for the band article? Where’s the article for that matter?”
Tom shrugs, sweeping his hair back unconcernedly. “Relax, William, I’ll get it.”
William doesn’t look amused as he eyes Tom and his feet on the desk. The rest of the news staff ignores them, far too used to their little spats to care.
“You have a deadline, you know,” William points out, a hand on his hip.
Tom shrugs again. “There’s always a deadline.”
William glares, flipping his hair back and fixing Tom with a stare. “I should just kick you off the paper, save myself the trouble of dealing with you.”
“Go ahead,” Tom offers but all William does is huff.
“That article better be on my desk Monday morning bright and early,” he just snaps, striding away, and Tom reclines in his chair.
“Why do you do that to him?”
An exasperated voice reaches his ears and he glances over at Maja standing at the corner of his desk looking after William.
“Because he’s a jerk,” another voice offers, and Tom rolls his eyes at Jon in the next desk over. Jon is grinning, though, and Maja doesn’t look amused.
“Shut up,” Tom replies to both of them. “Not my fault William winds up so easy.”
Maja sighs, shuffling her papers on his desk and shaking her head. “And what about the article? I haven’t seen you working on anything since he assigned it.”
“I tried,” Tom says with a shrug, taking his feet down and grabbing his camera. He flicks through the pictures, the very few that he has, of the band and the dance team. He pauses on the one of Keltie’s backside and smirks to himself. “But the drum major keeps blocking me.”
“Blocking you?” Maja asks skeptically. “You’re supposed to be interviewing the dance team not the drum major.”
“I’m supposed to be getting a crappy story about some stupid band competition and practice is the only time they’re both together for photos. I’ve been trying to talk to the dancers but Mr. Drumstick-Up-His-Ass won’t let me get near them. He’s like their little guard dog, and fuck, I want to talk to them.”
“Pretty girl?” Jon asks, fiddling with his own camera and glancing up when Tom laughs.
“Hot girl,” he corrects. “Dancer girl.”
Maja rolls her eyes. “Men are such pigs.”
“I resent that,” Tom says, turning the camera around and showing Maja a picture of Keltie. “Look at that leg, practically over her head. Now that’s what I call flexible.”
Maja smacks him around the head and he hardly reacts.
“Keltie’s got it all,” he says, and Ryan Ross looks over sharply as he passes by with an article for William. Tom ignores him, though, gazing at the picture, but he sighs. “If only I could get her away from the painted peacock for two seconds, but the guy’s got, like, super radar for anyone trying to interrupt practice.”
“Too bad,” Jon comments, flicking through the pictures on his computer, and Tom pauses, glancing at him.
“Oh God,” Maja mutters to herself, grabbing her stack of papers. She doesn’t try to stop Tom from what he’s about to do and just leaves for her own desk on the other side of the room.
Tom doesn’t say anything for a moment, waiting for Jon to look up, which he does at length, frowning slightly at Tom.
Then he laughs for half a second. “No.”
“Oh, come on,” Tom says, rolling his chair over. “Just be your usual charming self and distract him for five minutes.”
Jon gives him an unimpressed look. “I’m not doing your job for you, Tom. Remember last time? Remember how my camera got smashed by an alligator?”
“Crocodile,” Tom corrects and Jon doesn’t respond, arching an eyebrow. “It was an accident, and there won’t be crocodiles this time, I mean, unless you count how he likes to snap at people.”
Jon just shakes his head. “What would I even do? It’s not my assignment.”
“I just need you to distract him so I can talk to the girl,” Tom replies and Jon sighs. “You know, he’s not completely bad-looking.”
Jon isn’t impressed and arches an eyebrow. “Tom.”
“Okay,” Tom allows. “I’ll buy you a new lens!”
Jon eyes him suspiciously and Tom gives him his best begging look which isn’t really much, but they’ve been friends too long for Jon to completely ignore him.
“How hot is this girl?” Jon asks finally and Tom grins.
“Like every dancer fantasy you’ve ever had.”
Jon hums softly. “Fine, but you owe me a new lens.”
Tom flicks his camera back on, smirking at the photo of Keltie that appears. Totally worth it.
*
The library is quiet except for the occasional flap of a page turning or soft footsteps as people pad down aisles looking for books. Keltie is trying to focus on the book in front of her (applied mathematics) but just the thought of doing numbers is giving her a headache and she’s glad when Vicky slumps into the chair across from her, dumping her book bag on the floor and setting her head down on the table.
“I feel like I haven’t slept in days,” she mumbles into the table and Keltie can’t say she disagrees.
“I can’t remember the last time I actually had a real meal that didn’t involve a bag and sitting on the field,” Keltie adds, closing her book resolutely. She’s not going to study.
“Can’t we tell Spencer there’s such a thing as manic practicing?” Vicky asks, sighing and lifting her head. “He’s going crazy with all this.”
“To be honest, I’m almost glad,” Keltie says, twirling the pen around in her fingers as Vicky glances up at her.
“It’s been a month,” she says and Keltie nods slowly.
“Yeah.”
She knows she should let it go, really. Ryan isn’t worth all the trouble. She’s really better off without him she keeps telling herself, but things keep reminding her of him and it doesn’t help that he keeps trying to call. She doesn’t know why he keeps calling because she’s not going to call him back.
The girls on the team have been more than supportive but she doesn’t want them to worry about her. Ryan was just a guy and she can get over him. Then there’s Tom, who’s also on the newspaper. She isn’t sure what attracts them to her.
Vicky is giving her that look - the same one everyone has been giving her for a month. It says that she feels bad for what happened and also that she would like to rough Ryan up a little if Keltie would let her. But Keltie doesn’t need to be protected. She’s not some innocent freshman. She’s going to graduate in May and go out into the real world. She can do this on her own.
Vicky sighs, taking out her pen and pulling Keltie’s arm to her. Keltie doesn’t protest as Vicky doodles on her forearm, only thinks vaguely that Spencer will be mad about it later.
“Maybe you should become a lesbian,” she offers, concentrating on the drawing as Keltie laughs.
“I don’t think that would work.”
Vicky shrugs. “Shave your head. Guys hate that.”
“Vicky,” Keltie says, watching Vicky draw a unicorn on her arm, sparkles twinkling around the horn. “I’m not swearing off guys. I’m just trying to move on.”
Vicky makes a soft noise, adding in the unicorn’s mane and switching pen colors. “How about that Tom guy?”
“What about that Tom guy?” Keltie asks, thinking back to Tom’s smirk, his hair brushed across his forehead, the way he’s hardly bothered by Spencer’s bitchface. That’s one strong guy.
“He seems like an asshole.”
Keltie laughs. “Yeah, yes, he does.”
Vicky glances up at Keltie for a second then goes back to her drawing. Keltie knows that look too.
“All guys are jerks,” Vicky mutters to her arm, concentrating on the horn and adding in a few rainbow colored swirls. “You’d be better off joining a convent, taking a vow of chastity, and never reading another newspaper in your life.”
Keltie laughs. “That’s sure encouraging, Vicky.”
Vicky shrugs noncommittally. “It’s the truth.”
Sighing, Keltie pulls her arm out of Vicky’s grip and opens her math book again. Vicky arches her eyebrows at her and caps her pen.
“They’re not all jerks,” Keltie replies finally. “They have hearts. It’s just hard to find sometimes.” She’s not sure if she believes what she’s saying, but she’d like to in spite of all that’s happened in the past month.
Vicky scoffs, pulling a book from her bag. “Really hard to find.”
*
It’s too warm for mid-November and the competition is less than a week away. Spencer’s practice schedule has reached insane proportions and Keltie wonders if there’s anyway anyone could talk him out of the all-day weekend practices now.
They’ve stopped and started so many times that Keltie is sure she could have done the routine at least twenty times through by now. The rest of the dance team is quickly losing their patience with every pause of Spencer’s.
“I’m going to kill him!” Vicky exclaims when the band stops again mid-song and a tuba stumbles over another, falling to the ground in a clang of metal.
Sighing, Keltie stops the routine, wiping at her forehead and wishing Spencer would just let it go for once. That doesn’t seem to be the case as he heads over to the struggling tubas and starts telling them everything they’ve been doing wrong.
“We’re never gonna get out of here, are we?” Cassadee asks hopelessly, flopping down on the grass and staring up at the blue sky above.
“How about if we kidnap Spencer?” Ashlee suggests. “Just until the competition is over.”
Keltie just sighs and watches Spencer yelling at his band. He really does need to relax. He’s going to drive everyone crazy, if he hasn’t already.
The only bright side about non-stop practice is that it doesn’t allow Keltie to dwell on her problems and she’d rather be worn out dancing than spending hours thinking about everything that had gone wrong with Ryan and her relationship.
“Hey, look,” Ashlee says, looking away across the field at the edge where a guy is standing, a camera around his neck. “Is that Tom?”
Keltie groans softly, turning to squint into the sun, but she can’t get a clear view. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do if it is Tom.
The guy waits a minute as Spencer continues to yell at the brass section, pushing them back into formation and saying something about the steps and the counting. Keltie isn’t paying attention, still trying to figure out if it’s Tom or not.
Then the guy comes closer and Keltie almost lets out a breath of relief when she realizes that no, it’s not Tom. It’s some other guy she doesn’t know who also happens to have a camera.
Spencer doesn’t notice the guy until he’s practically to the band. Vicky nudges Keltie and they wait for whatever’s coming.
When Spencer finally notices the guy, he rolls his eyes exasperatedly. “Not another stupid photographer,” he snaps, striding over while the guy just stops and waits. “What do you want? Don’t you people understand what leave us alone means? Or is it a requirement that all people on the newspaper can’t take a hint?”
Keltie tries to ignore the comment obviously directed towards her. She’s well-aware that the whole Ryan debacle has affected more than just her.
The guy just smiles. “Well, I heard the band was looking really good for the competition and I was just kind of hoping I could get an interview with the guy responsible.”
Spencer pauses, a frown gracing his features, and the rest of the band and dance team are listening carefully now.
“You want to interview me?” Spencer deadpans and the guy grins, and Keltie wonders how long Spencer will really be able to resist this guy’s obvious charm. He’s much more charming than Tom, and even Keltie would agree to an interview with him.
“Yeah. Rumor has it you guys are a shoe-in for number one. I mean, there must be some strategy behind that. You guys practice a lot and I want to know more about the genius behind it.”
Behind Keltie, Ashlee leans over to Greta. “Ten bucks says they fuck in the locker rooms.”
Greta stares. “Ashlee!”
She shrugs. “All that worthless flattery isn’t for nothing.”
Keltie rolls her eyes and ignores them both. They really should be practicing if they want to leave at a decent time at all, but Spencer is now sufficiently distracted by the photographer guy.
“I guess maybe I could answer a few questions,” Spencer says finally, and the band silently cheers behind him. He eyes the guy and the guy only smiles.
“Great. How about right now?”
“What?” Spencer stares. “Now?”
“Sure,” the guy replies, and Keltie can feel the rest of the band holding their breath, silently willing Spencer to say yes so they can actually catch a break for once. “It’ll only take, like, ten minutes. Promise”
Spencer looks uneasy, glancing back at the band, who straighten up and act as though they haven’t been listening in. Keltie sighs, knowing he’s about to give in and there’s ten more minutes they’ll have to stay later. She actually had plans to go see a movie with Allison tonight but that might not be happening.
Spencer looks back at the guy and pauses. “Fine,” he says sharply. “Ten minutes.”
The collective breath of the band is let out and few people high five just as Spencer looks back.
“Take a break!” he calls sharply. “And you better be perfect when I get back!”
Keltie sighs as he leaves with the guy off the field and she turns back to her squad.
“I guess we’re on a break.”
Most of the girls head off to get water, but Ashlee’s eyes are widening and Keltie frowns.
“What?”
Vicky nods behind her and Keltie turns around, almost not surprised when Tom is there, grinning at her and holding up his camera.
“Did you know that drum majors are easily flattered?” he asks and Keltie isn’t amused.
“What do you want?” she asks tiredly. She isn’t really in the mood to deter his advances at the moment.
Tom lowers his camera, ignoring Vicky’s glare from beside Keltie. “Believe it or not, I do actually need to write an article about the dance team and the band and this competition.”
“Then what is that other guy doing?” Vicky butts in skeptically and Tom barely glances at her, still watching Keltie, who crosses her arms over her stomach. She has the feeling Tom wants more than an article but she’s not going to accuse him of it.
“Who, Jon?” Tom asks vaguely, looking away to where Jon and Spencer have disappeared. Keltie wonders how long it’ll be until they get back. She’s kind of hoping Spencer will come and scare Tom off again. There are benefits to having a manic drum major. “He’s doing me a favor.” He turns back and smiles at Keltie.
When he’s not throwing out horrible pick-up lines, Tom’s not exactly unattractive, Keltie thinks for a second then shakes herself out of it. She has no desire to give in to any of his stupid tricks. She doesn’t want to date anyone, and especially not someone like Tom - a pompous, know-it-all photographer who’s only in this to get in her pants.
Instead of smiling back at Tom, she sighs. “So what is it you want exactly?”
Tom looks at her for a second, and a sense of unease creeps over her the longer he pauses, no longer smiling, just looking. It makes her nervous, like he knows something more about her that he’s not telling.
“I need an interview,” he says finally, sweeping his hair across his forehead as she frowns.
“An interview?”
“Yeah, you know. I ask questions. You answer them. I write them down and on Tuesday it’s in the newspaper along with a few pictures, just in time for the competition.”
“She knows what an interview is,” Vicky snaps from beside her, and Keltie puts up a hand to stop her from punching Tom or anything else like that. She’s not completely useless and can protect herself. She wishes the rest of her dance team would realize this at some point. She appreciates everything that they do, but sometimes she wishes they could be a little less.
“I know what an interview is,” she echoes Vicky but less angrily, and Tom smiles again.
“Good. So when are you free?”
Keltie blinks, confused. “Can’t we just do it now and get it over with?”
Tom laughs and she frowns. How is that funny?
“Interviews take more than ten minutes. And your drum major will be back soon unless Jon’s more talented than I thought, so how about I just take you out to dinner later and we do it then?”
“Dinner.” Keltie’s tone is doubtful. This is sounding more and more like a date and less than work.
“I’ve gotta get this thing done,” Tom says with a shrug. “My editor’s been riding my ass all week and even if he is being a prissy bitch, I don’t like to miss deadlines.”
“You want me to go to dinner,” Keltie says again slowly, glancing over as Spencer reappears on the field, glancing out at the band which is now spread out, talking and laughing. She has to get rid of Tom fast before Spencer snaps in two.
“She’d love to!” Ashlee intervenes quickly, grinning at Tom as she appears at Keltie’s shoulder.
“Ashlee!” Keltie breathes, surprised and slightly annoyed.
Tom just mirrors Ashlee’s grin and looks at Keltie. “Awesome. When’s practice over?”
Keltie grasps for words, unable to believe this is happening. She doesn’t really want to go to dinner with Tom or do an interview or spend any time with him. She’s supposed to go to a movie with Allison.
“Look, I can’t toni-”
“It should be done at seven,” Ashlee interrupts before Keltie can finish. She ignores Keltie’s look silently ordering her to be quiet. Beside her, Vicky grabs Ashlee’s arm, jerking her backwards. Ashlee sends her a momentary glare. “She’ll be waiting.”
Tom glances at Keltie and the way she’s frowning at Ashlee.
“Great. I’ll be here.”
As soon as he turns to leave, Keltie spins around. “What the hell are you doing?” she demands and Ashlee gives her a questioning look.
“What? He’s hot and you’ve been moping over Ryan for way too long.”
“I have not been moping!” Keltie argues. “I just don’t want to date anyone and how do you know that Tom is any different? They’re both on the paper. They’re both self-centered. Can’t you understand that I just don’t want to be around guys right now? They’re selfish and only care about one thing, and it isn’t an interview!”
Spinning around on her heel, she leaves the field despite Spencer calling after her, asking where she’s going.
She doesn’t know where she’s going as she disappears underneath the bleachers. A part of her knows there’s really nowhere to go. They still have practice and Spencer won’t let them leave until it’s perfect.
It’s nice and cool inside the stadium halls and she wanders aimlessly for a while, listening to the band starting up again. She knows it was immature to just leave like that and she’s usually better about controlling her emotions, but something just snapped.
She knows it’s been a month since she broke up with Ryan and she knows she shouldn’t care as much, but she dated Ryan for nearly two years before that day she’d found a strange pair of underwear mixed in with Ryan’s laundry. He’d tried vaguely to deny it but Keltie knew it was over. She just wishes she could move on from it.
Finally, she sinks down onto the ground outside the door to the locker rooms, pulling her knees up to her chin and sighing into the echoing silence. The only sound is the distant rumble of the band outside. She doesn’t want to go back out yet. She just needs a few minutes to collect herself, to feel in control again.
“Kelts?”
A soft voice comes down the hallway a few minutes later and Keltie barely glances up as Greta approaches carefully, finally sliding down beside her and reaching for her hand.
“Are you okay?”
Of course Greta is the one to ask, Keltie thinks, almost laughing, but instead she just shakes her head.
“I don’t know.”
“Is it Tom?” Greta asks quietly and Keltie shakes her head. “Ryan?”
Keltie’s shoulders drop and she sighs, letting her head fall back against the wall as she gazes up to the ceiling, above which are tons of bleachers.
“I don’t know,” she says finally and pauses, thinking. Greta doesn’t say anything, squeezing her hand reassuringly and sitting there in silence with her. Keltie listens to the band play for a moment. “Is it stupid,” she asks suddenly, “this whole thing? Maybe I’m just being dumb. Tom’s just a guy and it’s just an interview.”
Greta is quiet for a moment as the band continues to play outside and they can hear the wrong notes before the song stops in a clashing of bad notes. Keltie imagines she can hear Spencer yelling through the walls.
“You got hurt,” Greta counsels finally, patting her knee comfortingly. “It’s normal to want to be alone for a while.”
“I guess,” Keltie agrees slowly. “But maybe Ashlee is right. Maybe I have been moping.”
“You don’t mope,” Greta corrects her knowingly. “You cope.”
“Okay, but it has been a month. And I’m over Ryan.”
“Good,” Greta agrees calmly. “And you have an interview with Tom tonight.”
“No thanks to Ashlee,” Keltie mutters and sighs.
“It might not be all bad,” Greta says reassuringly. “Like Ashlee said, he is hot.”
Keltie laughs before she can stop herself. “I guess he kind of is.”
“And he has a nice smile,” Greta adds, nudging Keltie’s knee. “Plus he’s a photographer not a writer so he probably has a firmer grasp on reality than Ryan ever did.”
“That’s true,” Keltie allows, thinking back on Ryan and how he never seemed to understand anything she was talking about unless it involved writing. Sometimes it used to drive her crazy.
Greta pauses, glancing at her slowly. “So you’re gonna go to dinner?”
Sighing, Keltie shifts, pushing herself up and dusting off her shorts. “I guess it’s too late to cancel now.”
“It’s only dinner,” Greta says reassuringly. “And if he really is a self-centered jerk, you can let him pay the tab and then never see him again.”
“Words of wisdom,” Keltie agrees with a half smile. She can do this. She just needs to calm down and stop thinking about this so hard. It’s only an interview with a guy who took a picture of her ass. Oh right. She forgot about that. Still, it’s too late now.
As she and Greta head back for the field, she pauses, glancing at Greta.
“What are the odds Spencer will actually finish practice at seven?”
Greta smiles and pushes open a door leading back out to the bleachers. “Zero.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Part Two ->>
Author: silver_etoile
Pairing: Tom/Keltie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not true
Summary: “Did you just take a picture of my ass?” Keltie asks slowly, and Tom isn’t even abashed as he shrugs.
“School spirit,” he only says. “Shouldn’t have the University logo splashed across it if you don’t want me to.”
A/N: So only my second attempt (in the bandom world anyway) of non-slash. For those of you interested, there will be a joncer sequel later one!
*
“Stop!” Spencer shouts. “Stop, stop, stop! This is not some hip hop music video, it’s a marching band for god’s sake!”
Keltie sighs and gestures for the girls to stop dancing as Spencer yells at the band once again. She turns away as he climbs down from his post watching over the field and proceeds to rip the tuba players apart.
“Somebody needs to get laid,” Vicky comments as she flops down on the grass, picking at a weed growing there. The rest of the dance team murmurs their agreement and Keltie looks away from where Spencer is yelling at the trumpets now.
“On the bright side, football season is almost over,” she says lightly but she knows it’s just a false hope considering the big marching band competition is just around the corner and they have a lot of practicing to do. But this is what she loves so she’ll take Spencer’s quest for perfection seriously at least until the competition is over.
Greta glances up from where she’s sprawled next to Vicky. “Someone oughta tell Spencer that.”
They all glance over to where Spencer is showing the drums their part again, and Keltie sighs. Spencer is getting to be a little maniacal about these things.
“Maybe we’ll just wait it out,” she says instead, watching the way Spencer is yelling, face red from either the heat of the afternoon or simply anger. Sighing, she claps her hands. They have things to do that don’t involve Spencer anyway. “Alright, everybody up. Let’s start from the third count. One, two, three, four.”
The team clambers up with a few grumbles as Keltie counts off the steps, practicing on the field under the warm November sun, the stadium bleachers glinting all around them, empty for now.
It’s late in the afternoon and they’ve been at this for hours. Keltie has already missed her Wednesday night lab which will put her behind for next week again, but practice is more important at the moment and Spencer would probably have a breakdown if she missed it even if she isn’t on the band. He keeps saying that every aspect is important for winning and that includes the dancers getting every move right.
Keltie watches her girls go through the routine, sharp eyes catching everything.
“Greta, you’re a half a beat behind. Don’t let it throw you. That’s a high kick, Z, higher than that! Better not let Spencer see that or he’ll have you practicing until midnight.”
Keltie stands back, arms crossed and glances over at the band. Spencer is muttering to himself now as he climbs back on his podium. He really does need to relax, she thinks vaguely, but she’s distracted by someone she doesn’t know striding onto the field towards her.
It’s a scruffy-looking guy, flip flops brushing over the grass, and a camera hanging around his neck. His dirty-blond hair is swept to the side across his forehead and he gives her an appreciative once-over as he stops just off the field.
“Nice moves,” he says, and Keltie turns slowly, eyeing him carefully.
“Who are you?”
The guy smiles charmingly and behind Keltie, Greta elbows Vicky and the rest of the dancers slowly lose the routine.
“Tom Conrad, photographer for the Tulane Hullabaloo. I’m here to get a few pictures, maybe take down a few names.” He pauses, grinning at Keltie while she arches an eyebrow, unimpressed and certainly not interested. “Maybe a phone number or two.”
Ashlee giggles next to Greta behind her and Vicky rolls her eyes. Keltie doesn’t reply for a second while Tom grins at her.
“You can take photos,” she says calmly finally. “But no interviews.”
“Aw, come on,” Tom drawls, taking a step forward and Keltie doesn’t move. She has no interest in this guy, especially with the way he keeps grinning at her. “I bet you’d like to tell me something about yourself.”
“Not really,” Keltie replies simply, tucking back a strand of her blond hair that’s slowly falling out of her pony tail. She can feel the sweat on the back of her neck from practice and knows they should get back to work. The rest of the dancers, though, are watching Tom curiously, and Keltie wishes the guys on the paper could be less cute. It would make her life so much easier.
“Are you shy?” Tom asks curiously and Keltie frowns. “’Cause I can get it out of you.”
Keltie is slightly insulted to be honest and she can only blink for a second as Tom grins at her and apparently waits for her to fall at his feet in pure admiration. Before she can do much more than stare at him, another voice cuts between them, sharp and commanding.
“Keltie!”
Spencer has already climbed off his podium and strode over, frowning at Keltie and then glaring at Tom, who doesn’t look offended.
“Who are you?” he demands and Tom just tilts his head a little, glancing between Spencer and Keltie, who sighs and almost smiles at Spencer’s interruption. He tends to be overly protective of his band and everything associated with it. For the most part, Keltie appreciates it. It works wonders on annoying photographers anyway.
“Tom Conrad,” Tom says again swiftly. “Photographer for the-”
“I don’t care,” Spencer interrupts sharply. “You’re disrupting my practice and we don’t have time for stupid photographers or some dumb newspaper article. So get off my field.”
Tom looks surprised for a second before he laughs slightly and hikes up his camera, snapping a picture of Spencer’s sour face.
“That’s the front page right there,” he comments and Spencer just glares, hands on his hips. Tom glances at Keltie. “I’ll be back.”
Keltie rolls his eyes as he leaves slowly, disappearing out of the stadium. She turns only to find Spencer right beside her, glaring.
“I didn’t do it,” she only says, patting his shoulder. “Let’s just finish rehearsal. I’d like to have dinner at some point tonight.”
Spencer just growls to himself and stalks off. Vicky shakes her head as Keltie rubs her forehead. She’s going to get grey hairs by the time all of this is over.
“Definitely needs to get laid,” Vicky mutters and Keltie can’t say she disagrees.
*
Keltie does finally get dinner, but it’s little more than half a sandwich that she eats on her way to her dorm, not wanting to eat in the Union alone… again. Instead, she walks slowly in the early twilight, the street lamps flickering on around her as she passes bluelight phones and buildings still lit inside for night classes.
Her dorm is the farthest one on campus and she really only lives in campus because she has a full ride scholarship and it’s just easier than finding decent housing in New Orleans. She’s lucky to have a roommate her same age who doesn’t care about partying.
When she pushes open the door, she drops her bag on her desk chair just inside the door and glances at the second bed in the room.
“Hey,” she greets the girl lying there, reading a textbook.
Allison lifts her head, dark hair pooling around her. “Hey.”
The message machine is blinking as Keltie brings her computer out of sleep mode and she presses the button.
“Hey, it’s Ryan. I-”
BEEP.
Allison looks over as Keltie erases the message.
“Still mad at him?”
Keltie sighs, sinking into her chair. She’s not really mad at Ryan, more like disappointed and hurt even though it’s been a month since she broke it off. She wishes he’d just stop trying to pretend like it hadn’t happened, him and that girl. They aren’t friends and Keltie doesn’t want to talk to him.
“I should just get over it, huh?” she asks dejectedly, kicking off her shoes and they hit the back of her desk.
“No way,” Allison replies obviously. “He cheated on you. You should hate him. He’s a lying, two-timing jackass who has absolutely no fashion sense and only talks about Proust to make other people feel stupid.”
Keltie smiles slightly. “Thanks. I guess I shouldn’t think about it anyway. I have bigger things to worry about like Spencer and his self-implosion.”
She turns back to her computer, passing over the dark green Tulane flag plastered up on the wall behind it.
She tries not to think about Ryan, Ryan who is also on the newspaper like that Tom guy today. She wonders for a moment what Tom really wants but it’s easy to tell. He’s just like every other guy who wants to get with a dancer because they’re fit and pretty. Well, Keltie doesn’t have time for any stupid guy. She’s really better off alone at the moment and she’d prefer to keep it that way.
On the bed, Allison rolls over and watches Keltie for a moment.
“You don’t have to hate all guys, you know.”
“I don’t,” Keltie replies simply, not glancing back. “Just self-centered, pompous assholes. Who are apparently my type.”
“Well, you don’t want to turn into Spencer, do you?”
“No,” Keltie mutters, but she’s pretty sure she won’t become a workaholic any time soon.
“Don’t be so down,” Allison says, flipping her hair back. “You’ll find the right someone someday. In the meantime, stay away from the newspaper.”
Keltie laughs and then sighs. “Yeah.”
*
“Alright, girls, back in formation,” Keltie calls once Spencer has finally stopped grilling the clarinets on their footwork.
The sun is high overhead and warm on their backs. Keltie’s tank top is sticking to her back already and she reties her hair quickly as the band starts up again.
The routine isn’t really complicated but it’s a long one and Keltie has to remember all the steps while checking that everyone else hasn’t forgotten either. She’s too busy watching Cassadee mess up the third step to notice the guy standing with the camera at the field edge, snapping pictures of the dance team.
She doesn’t notice him until he moves over, crouching down and taking a picture of her leg practically straight up in the air. Annoyed, she breaks the routine, striding over. Tom immediately stands up, grinning at the way she comes right up to him.
“What are you doing?” she asks and he licks his bottom lip slowly. She just frowns.
“I told you. I’m a photographer for the Hullabaloo. We’re doing a piece on the band and the dancers.” He practically winks at her as she sighs, shaking her head and wiping sweat off her forehead. She doesn’t have time for this.
“Well, why don’t you come back when we’re not practicing for the competition?”
“When are you not practicing for the competition?” Tom asks knowingly and Keltie stalls. They never are. He seems to know as he pulls his camera up and snaps a picture of her frown. “That’s what I thought.”
“Fine, then take pictures,” she says, annoyed, “but be discrete. Spencer won’t like this.”
“You mean the guy yelling at the bells?” Tom drawls skeptically, a smirk curling his lips. “Yeah, I’ll watch myself.”
Frustrated, Keltie turns, walking away until she hears a distinctive click and she stops, turning around slowly to see Tom lowering his camera slowly, a smirk on his face.
“Did you just take a picture of my ass?” she asks slowly, and he isn’t even abashed as he shrugs.
“School spirit,” he only says. “Shouldn’t have the University logo splashed across it if you don’t want me to.”
Keltie’s mouth falls open indignantly and Vicky steps up to her side. “Want me to punch him for you?”
Keltie doesn’t even know if she’s more offended or appalled by Tom’s words and she can’t decide as he grins at her.
“What are you doing back here?”
The song has ended and Spencer has noticed Tom again, and the fact that none of the dancers are doing the routine anymore.
“My job.” Tom holds up his camera, but Spencer looms closer, and it’s times like these that Keltie is glad he’s so competitive.
“I told you to go away. We’re not here to take pictures. We’re here to practice.”
Tom looks back at Keltie, who frowns, and Vicky glares at him from beside her. Her team always has her back.
“What’s the big deal about this competition anyway?” Tom asks, snapping a picture of the band, who’s not paying attention and just talking to each other now that Spencer is distracted.
Spencer just glares, rising up taller than normal it seems until Tom arches an eyebrow. Keltie’s never realized how tall Spencer really is until he’s towering over Tom menacingly.
“You’re looming,” Tom says calmly.
Keltie sighs. “Will you just go away? You’re only causing trouble.”
“If I left, you’d miss me,” Tom replies with a grin and Keltie doesn’t laugh. She really doubts she’d miss Tom and his camera and his stupid hair that’s falling in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t,” Spencer growls, and Vicky echoes it with a nod, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Tom.
Keltie doesn’t need to be protected but she doesn’t tell them this as Tom finally takes a step back and shrugs.
“I told you I’d be back,” he only says as he turns to leave, pausing as he reaches the edge of the field. “And now I’ve got something to remember you by, Keltie Colleen.”
Keltie frowns as he leaves. How does he know her name?
Spencer huffs once Tom’s gone, muttering under his breath about distractions and practice. He turns to Keltie.
“I thought we were done with newspaper people.”
Keltie is never going to live down her breakup with Ryan, she thinks sadly as Spencer arches an eyebrow.
“Hey,” Vicky butts in. “Tom and Ryan might not even know each other. It’s not Keltie’s fault she attracts them like flies.”
“Thanks,” Keltie mutters sarcastically and Spencer rolls his eyes.
“Yeah right,” he only scoffs. “If that guy comes back again, I’m gonna have the Butcher slam a cymbal into his head… messing up our practice.” He leaves, still muttering to himself, and Keltie turns to Vicky.
“You don’t have to protect me, you know,” she says. “I can take care of myself.”
“You’re our faithful captain,” Vicky only says, bumping Keltie’s shoulder lightly. “We have to.”
Keltie rolls her eyes and heads for the rest of the team, who have been watching the whole scene attentively. The girls are always on the lookout for cute guys and opportunities for fix-ups.
“I don’t see what the problem is,” Ashlee says, picking at a flower and tearing off the petals one by one. “That guy’s hot.”
“He’s a jerk,” Greta puts in supportively, sweeping her curly hair back up, a few strands sticking to her sweaty neck.
“He’s a photographer,” Ashlee replies like it should mean something and Vicky rolls her eyes darkly.
“We all know about your little kink, Ashlee,” she puts in with a significant look and Ashlee sneers back.
“Okay, no more talking about the stupid guy,” Keltie interrupts before anyone gets hurt. “He’s gone. We should get back to practice if we ever want to leave.”
“Oh, he’ll be back,” Ashlee says knowledgeably and Keltie frowns.
“How do you know?” Cassadee asks curiously and Ashlee smirks, glancing at Keltie.
“Didn’t you see the way he watched her dancing?”
Keltie only hopes that Ashlee is wrong but she isn’t usually.
*
“Conrad!”
Tom swings around in his chair, kicking his feet up on his messy desk as his name rings out amongst the noisy newsroom. He doesn’t even bother pretending to be nervous as the editor strides over, frowning at the way he’s lounging casually around.
“Where are the pictures for the band article? Where’s the article for that matter?”
Tom shrugs, sweeping his hair back unconcernedly. “Relax, William, I’ll get it.”
William doesn’t look amused as he eyes Tom and his feet on the desk. The rest of the news staff ignores them, far too used to their little spats to care.
“You have a deadline, you know,” William points out, a hand on his hip.
Tom shrugs again. “There’s always a deadline.”
William glares, flipping his hair back and fixing Tom with a stare. “I should just kick you off the paper, save myself the trouble of dealing with you.”
“Go ahead,” Tom offers but all William does is huff.
“That article better be on my desk Monday morning bright and early,” he just snaps, striding away, and Tom reclines in his chair.
“Why do you do that to him?”
An exasperated voice reaches his ears and he glances over at Maja standing at the corner of his desk looking after William.
“Because he’s a jerk,” another voice offers, and Tom rolls his eyes at Jon in the next desk over. Jon is grinning, though, and Maja doesn’t look amused.
“Shut up,” Tom replies to both of them. “Not my fault William winds up so easy.”
Maja sighs, shuffling her papers on his desk and shaking her head. “And what about the article? I haven’t seen you working on anything since he assigned it.”
“I tried,” Tom says with a shrug, taking his feet down and grabbing his camera. He flicks through the pictures, the very few that he has, of the band and the dance team. He pauses on the one of Keltie’s backside and smirks to himself. “But the drum major keeps blocking me.”
“Blocking you?” Maja asks skeptically. “You’re supposed to be interviewing the dance team not the drum major.”
“I’m supposed to be getting a crappy story about some stupid band competition and practice is the only time they’re both together for photos. I’ve been trying to talk to the dancers but Mr. Drumstick-Up-His-Ass won’t let me get near them. He’s like their little guard dog, and fuck, I want to talk to them.”
“Pretty girl?” Jon asks, fiddling with his own camera and glancing up when Tom laughs.
“Hot girl,” he corrects. “Dancer girl.”
Maja rolls her eyes. “Men are such pigs.”
“I resent that,” Tom says, turning the camera around and showing Maja a picture of Keltie. “Look at that leg, practically over her head. Now that’s what I call flexible.”
Maja smacks him around the head and he hardly reacts.
“Keltie’s got it all,” he says, and Ryan Ross looks over sharply as he passes by with an article for William. Tom ignores him, though, gazing at the picture, but he sighs. “If only I could get her away from the painted peacock for two seconds, but the guy’s got, like, super radar for anyone trying to interrupt practice.”
“Too bad,” Jon comments, flicking through the pictures on his computer, and Tom pauses, glancing at him.
“Oh God,” Maja mutters to herself, grabbing her stack of papers. She doesn’t try to stop Tom from what he’s about to do and just leaves for her own desk on the other side of the room.
Tom doesn’t say anything for a moment, waiting for Jon to look up, which he does at length, frowning slightly at Tom.
Then he laughs for half a second. “No.”
“Oh, come on,” Tom says, rolling his chair over. “Just be your usual charming self and distract him for five minutes.”
Jon gives him an unimpressed look. “I’m not doing your job for you, Tom. Remember last time? Remember how my camera got smashed by an alligator?”
“Crocodile,” Tom corrects and Jon doesn’t respond, arching an eyebrow. “It was an accident, and there won’t be crocodiles this time, I mean, unless you count how he likes to snap at people.”
Jon just shakes his head. “What would I even do? It’s not my assignment.”
“I just need you to distract him so I can talk to the girl,” Tom replies and Jon sighs. “You know, he’s not completely bad-looking.”
Jon isn’t impressed and arches an eyebrow. “Tom.”
“Okay,” Tom allows. “I’ll buy you a new lens!”
Jon eyes him suspiciously and Tom gives him his best begging look which isn’t really much, but they’ve been friends too long for Jon to completely ignore him.
“How hot is this girl?” Jon asks finally and Tom grins.
“Like every dancer fantasy you’ve ever had.”
Jon hums softly. “Fine, but you owe me a new lens.”
Tom flicks his camera back on, smirking at the photo of Keltie that appears. Totally worth it.
*
The library is quiet except for the occasional flap of a page turning or soft footsteps as people pad down aisles looking for books. Keltie is trying to focus on the book in front of her (applied mathematics) but just the thought of doing numbers is giving her a headache and she’s glad when Vicky slumps into the chair across from her, dumping her book bag on the floor and setting her head down on the table.
“I feel like I haven’t slept in days,” she mumbles into the table and Keltie can’t say she disagrees.
“I can’t remember the last time I actually had a real meal that didn’t involve a bag and sitting on the field,” Keltie adds, closing her book resolutely. She’s not going to study.
“Can’t we tell Spencer there’s such a thing as manic practicing?” Vicky asks, sighing and lifting her head. “He’s going crazy with all this.”
“To be honest, I’m almost glad,” Keltie says, twirling the pen around in her fingers as Vicky glances up at her.
“It’s been a month,” she says and Keltie nods slowly.
“Yeah.”
She knows she should let it go, really. Ryan isn’t worth all the trouble. She’s really better off without him she keeps telling herself, but things keep reminding her of him and it doesn’t help that he keeps trying to call. She doesn’t know why he keeps calling because she’s not going to call him back.
The girls on the team have been more than supportive but she doesn’t want them to worry about her. Ryan was just a guy and she can get over him. Then there’s Tom, who’s also on the newspaper. She isn’t sure what attracts them to her.
Vicky is giving her that look - the same one everyone has been giving her for a month. It says that she feels bad for what happened and also that she would like to rough Ryan up a little if Keltie would let her. But Keltie doesn’t need to be protected. She’s not some innocent freshman. She’s going to graduate in May and go out into the real world. She can do this on her own.
Vicky sighs, taking out her pen and pulling Keltie’s arm to her. Keltie doesn’t protest as Vicky doodles on her forearm, only thinks vaguely that Spencer will be mad about it later.
“Maybe you should become a lesbian,” she offers, concentrating on the drawing as Keltie laughs.
“I don’t think that would work.”
Vicky shrugs. “Shave your head. Guys hate that.”
“Vicky,” Keltie says, watching Vicky draw a unicorn on her arm, sparkles twinkling around the horn. “I’m not swearing off guys. I’m just trying to move on.”
Vicky makes a soft noise, adding in the unicorn’s mane and switching pen colors. “How about that Tom guy?”
“What about that Tom guy?” Keltie asks, thinking back to Tom’s smirk, his hair brushed across his forehead, the way he’s hardly bothered by Spencer’s bitchface. That’s one strong guy.
“He seems like an asshole.”
Keltie laughs. “Yeah, yes, he does.”
Vicky glances up at Keltie for a second then goes back to her drawing. Keltie knows that look too.
“All guys are jerks,” Vicky mutters to her arm, concentrating on the horn and adding in a few rainbow colored swirls. “You’d be better off joining a convent, taking a vow of chastity, and never reading another newspaper in your life.”
Keltie laughs. “That’s sure encouraging, Vicky.”
Vicky shrugs noncommittally. “It’s the truth.”
Sighing, Keltie pulls her arm out of Vicky’s grip and opens her math book again. Vicky arches her eyebrows at her and caps her pen.
“They’re not all jerks,” Keltie replies finally. “They have hearts. It’s just hard to find sometimes.” She’s not sure if she believes what she’s saying, but she’d like to in spite of all that’s happened in the past month.
Vicky scoffs, pulling a book from her bag. “Really hard to find.”
*
It’s too warm for mid-November and the competition is less than a week away. Spencer’s practice schedule has reached insane proportions and Keltie wonders if there’s anyway anyone could talk him out of the all-day weekend practices now.
They’ve stopped and started so many times that Keltie is sure she could have done the routine at least twenty times through by now. The rest of the dance team is quickly losing their patience with every pause of Spencer’s.
“I’m going to kill him!” Vicky exclaims when the band stops again mid-song and a tuba stumbles over another, falling to the ground in a clang of metal.
Sighing, Keltie stops the routine, wiping at her forehead and wishing Spencer would just let it go for once. That doesn’t seem to be the case as he heads over to the struggling tubas and starts telling them everything they’ve been doing wrong.
“We’re never gonna get out of here, are we?” Cassadee asks hopelessly, flopping down on the grass and staring up at the blue sky above.
“How about if we kidnap Spencer?” Ashlee suggests. “Just until the competition is over.”
Keltie just sighs and watches Spencer yelling at his band. He really does need to relax. He’s going to drive everyone crazy, if he hasn’t already.
The only bright side about non-stop practice is that it doesn’t allow Keltie to dwell on her problems and she’d rather be worn out dancing than spending hours thinking about everything that had gone wrong with Ryan and her relationship.
“Hey, look,” Ashlee says, looking away across the field at the edge where a guy is standing, a camera around his neck. “Is that Tom?”
Keltie groans softly, turning to squint into the sun, but she can’t get a clear view. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do if it is Tom.
The guy waits a minute as Spencer continues to yell at the brass section, pushing them back into formation and saying something about the steps and the counting. Keltie isn’t paying attention, still trying to figure out if it’s Tom or not.
Then the guy comes closer and Keltie almost lets out a breath of relief when she realizes that no, it’s not Tom. It’s some other guy she doesn’t know who also happens to have a camera.
Spencer doesn’t notice the guy until he’s practically to the band. Vicky nudges Keltie and they wait for whatever’s coming.
When Spencer finally notices the guy, he rolls his eyes exasperatedly. “Not another stupid photographer,” he snaps, striding over while the guy just stops and waits. “What do you want? Don’t you people understand what leave us alone means? Or is it a requirement that all people on the newspaper can’t take a hint?”
Keltie tries to ignore the comment obviously directed towards her. She’s well-aware that the whole Ryan debacle has affected more than just her.
The guy just smiles. “Well, I heard the band was looking really good for the competition and I was just kind of hoping I could get an interview with the guy responsible.”
Spencer pauses, a frown gracing his features, and the rest of the band and dance team are listening carefully now.
“You want to interview me?” Spencer deadpans and the guy grins, and Keltie wonders how long Spencer will really be able to resist this guy’s obvious charm. He’s much more charming than Tom, and even Keltie would agree to an interview with him.
“Yeah. Rumor has it you guys are a shoe-in for number one. I mean, there must be some strategy behind that. You guys practice a lot and I want to know more about the genius behind it.”
Behind Keltie, Ashlee leans over to Greta. “Ten bucks says they fuck in the locker rooms.”
Greta stares. “Ashlee!”
She shrugs. “All that worthless flattery isn’t for nothing.”
Keltie rolls her eyes and ignores them both. They really should be practicing if they want to leave at a decent time at all, but Spencer is now sufficiently distracted by the photographer guy.
“I guess maybe I could answer a few questions,” Spencer says finally, and the band silently cheers behind him. He eyes the guy and the guy only smiles.
“Great. How about right now?”
“What?” Spencer stares. “Now?”
“Sure,” the guy replies, and Keltie can feel the rest of the band holding their breath, silently willing Spencer to say yes so they can actually catch a break for once. “It’ll only take, like, ten minutes. Promise”
Spencer looks uneasy, glancing back at the band, who straighten up and act as though they haven’t been listening in. Keltie sighs, knowing he’s about to give in and there’s ten more minutes they’ll have to stay later. She actually had plans to go see a movie with Allison tonight but that might not be happening.
Spencer looks back at the guy and pauses. “Fine,” he says sharply. “Ten minutes.”
The collective breath of the band is let out and few people high five just as Spencer looks back.
“Take a break!” he calls sharply. “And you better be perfect when I get back!”
Keltie sighs as he leaves with the guy off the field and she turns back to her squad.
“I guess we’re on a break.”
Most of the girls head off to get water, but Ashlee’s eyes are widening and Keltie frowns.
“What?”
Vicky nods behind her and Keltie turns around, almost not surprised when Tom is there, grinning at her and holding up his camera.
“Did you know that drum majors are easily flattered?” he asks and Keltie isn’t amused.
“What do you want?” she asks tiredly. She isn’t really in the mood to deter his advances at the moment.
Tom lowers his camera, ignoring Vicky’s glare from beside Keltie. “Believe it or not, I do actually need to write an article about the dance team and the band and this competition.”
“Then what is that other guy doing?” Vicky butts in skeptically and Tom barely glances at her, still watching Keltie, who crosses her arms over her stomach. She has the feeling Tom wants more than an article but she’s not going to accuse him of it.
“Who, Jon?” Tom asks vaguely, looking away to where Jon and Spencer have disappeared. Keltie wonders how long it’ll be until they get back. She’s kind of hoping Spencer will come and scare Tom off again. There are benefits to having a manic drum major. “He’s doing me a favor.” He turns back and smiles at Keltie.
When he’s not throwing out horrible pick-up lines, Tom’s not exactly unattractive, Keltie thinks for a second then shakes herself out of it. She has no desire to give in to any of his stupid tricks. She doesn’t want to date anyone, and especially not someone like Tom - a pompous, know-it-all photographer who’s only in this to get in her pants.
Instead of smiling back at Tom, she sighs. “So what is it you want exactly?”
Tom looks at her for a second, and a sense of unease creeps over her the longer he pauses, no longer smiling, just looking. It makes her nervous, like he knows something more about her that he’s not telling.
“I need an interview,” he says finally, sweeping his hair across his forehead as she frowns.
“An interview?”
“Yeah, you know. I ask questions. You answer them. I write them down and on Tuesday it’s in the newspaper along with a few pictures, just in time for the competition.”
“She knows what an interview is,” Vicky snaps from beside her, and Keltie puts up a hand to stop her from punching Tom or anything else like that. She’s not completely useless and can protect herself. She wishes the rest of her dance team would realize this at some point. She appreciates everything that they do, but sometimes she wishes they could be a little less.
“I know what an interview is,” she echoes Vicky but less angrily, and Tom smiles again.
“Good. So when are you free?”
Keltie blinks, confused. “Can’t we just do it now and get it over with?”
Tom laughs and she frowns. How is that funny?
“Interviews take more than ten minutes. And your drum major will be back soon unless Jon’s more talented than I thought, so how about I just take you out to dinner later and we do it then?”
“Dinner.” Keltie’s tone is doubtful. This is sounding more and more like a date and less than work.
“I’ve gotta get this thing done,” Tom says with a shrug. “My editor’s been riding my ass all week and even if he is being a prissy bitch, I don’t like to miss deadlines.”
“You want me to go to dinner,” Keltie says again slowly, glancing over as Spencer reappears on the field, glancing out at the band which is now spread out, talking and laughing. She has to get rid of Tom fast before Spencer snaps in two.
“She’d love to!” Ashlee intervenes quickly, grinning at Tom as she appears at Keltie’s shoulder.
“Ashlee!” Keltie breathes, surprised and slightly annoyed.
Tom just mirrors Ashlee’s grin and looks at Keltie. “Awesome. When’s practice over?”
Keltie grasps for words, unable to believe this is happening. She doesn’t really want to go to dinner with Tom or do an interview or spend any time with him. She’s supposed to go to a movie with Allison.
“Look, I can’t toni-”
“It should be done at seven,” Ashlee interrupts before Keltie can finish. She ignores Keltie’s look silently ordering her to be quiet. Beside her, Vicky grabs Ashlee’s arm, jerking her backwards. Ashlee sends her a momentary glare. “She’ll be waiting.”
Tom glances at Keltie and the way she’s frowning at Ashlee.
“Great. I’ll be here.”
As soon as he turns to leave, Keltie spins around. “What the hell are you doing?” she demands and Ashlee gives her a questioning look.
“What? He’s hot and you’ve been moping over Ryan for way too long.”
“I have not been moping!” Keltie argues. “I just don’t want to date anyone and how do you know that Tom is any different? They’re both on the paper. They’re both self-centered. Can’t you understand that I just don’t want to be around guys right now? They’re selfish and only care about one thing, and it isn’t an interview!”
Spinning around on her heel, she leaves the field despite Spencer calling after her, asking where she’s going.
She doesn’t know where she’s going as she disappears underneath the bleachers. A part of her knows there’s really nowhere to go. They still have practice and Spencer won’t let them leave until it’s perfect.
It’s nice and cool inside the stadium halls and she wanders aimlessly for a while, listening to the band starting up again. She knows it was immature to just leave like that and she’s usually better about controlling her emotions, but something just snapped.
She knows it’s been a month since she broke up with Ryan and she knows she shouldn’t care as much, but she dated Ryan for nearly two years before that day she’d found a strange pair of underwear mixed in with Ryan’s laundry. He’d tried vaguely to deny it but Keltie knew it was over. She just wishes she could move on from it.
Finally, she sinks down onto the ground outside the door to the locker rooms, pulling her knees up to her chin and sighing into the echoing silence. The only sound is the distant rumble of the band outside. She doesn’t want to go back out yet. She just needs a few minutes to collect herself, to feel in control again.
“Kelts?”
A soft voice comes down the hallway a few minutes later and Keltie barely glances up as Greta approaches carefully, finally sliding down beside her and reaching for her hand.
“Are you okay?”
Of course Greta is the one to ask, Keltie thinks, almost laughing, but instead she just shakes her head.
“I don’t know.”
“Is it Tom?” Greta asks quietly and Keltie shakes her head. “Ryan?”
Keltie’s shoulders drop and she sighs, letting her head fall back against the wall as she gazes up to the ceiling, above which are tons of bleachers.
“I don’t know,” she says finally and pauses, thinking. Greta doesn’t say anything, squeezing her hand reassuringly and sitting there in silence with her. Keltie listens to the band play for a moment. “Is it stupid,” she asks suddenly, “this whole thing? Maybe I’m just being dumb. Tom’s just a guy and it’s just an interview.”
Greta is quiet for a moment as the band continues to play outside and they can hear the wrong notes before the song stops in a clashing of bad notes. Keltie imagines she can hear Spencer yelling through the walls.
“You got hurt,” Greta counsels finally, patting her knee comfortingly. “It’s normal to want to be alone for a while.”
“I guess,” Keltie agrees slowly. “But maybe Ashlee is right. Maybe I have been moping.”
“You don’t mope,” Greta corrects her knowingly. “You cope.”
“Okay, but it has been a month. And I’m over Ryan.”
“Good,” Greta agrees calmly. “And you have an interview with Tom tonight.”
“No thanks to Ashlee,” Keltie mutters and sighs.
“It might not be all bad,” Greta says reassuringly. “Like Ashlee said, he is hot.”
Keltie laughs before she can stop herself. “I guess he kind of is.”
“And he has a nice smile,” Greta adds, nudging Keltie’s knee. “Plus he’s a photographer not a writer so he probably has a firmer grasp on reality than Ryan ever did.”
“That’s true,” Keltie allows, thinking back on Ryan and how he never seemed to understand anything she was talking about unless it involved writing. Sometimes it used to drive her crazy.
Greta pauses, glancing at her slowly. “So you’re gonna go to dinner?”
Sighing, Keltie shifts, pushing herself up and dusting off her shorts. “I guess it’s too late to cancel now.”
“It’s only dinner,” Greta says reassuringly. “And if he really is a self-centered jerk, you can let him pay the tab and then never see him again.”
“Words of wisdom,” Keltie agrees with a half smile. She can do this. She just needs to calm down and stop thinking about this so hard. It’s only an interview with a guy who took a picture of her ass. Oh right. She forgot about that. Still, it’s too late now.
As she and Greta head back for the field, she pauses, glancing at Greta.
“What are the odds Spencer will actually finish practice at seven?”
Greta smiles and pushes open a door leading back out to the bleachers. “Zero.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Part Two ->>