Submitting to the Cowboy

*Skylar*

This place used to fill me with nothing but adrenaline. The screaming of fans, the sea of purple and gold, the white-hot lights and thrumming music that had me riding a high so intense everything else paled in comparison. 

The Staples Center felt like home at one point.

The stadium echoed with my unsteady footsteps as I walked toward the center of the court, my duffle bag hanging loosely on my shoulder. Six months ago, I stood right in that very spot and smiled as I waved my hands in the air, my hair bouncing off my shoulders while the commentators announced what I didn’t know would be my last performance as a Laker Girl. 

Now the arena was empty, stale, utterly silent. 

“It’s a career ending injury, Skylar,” Coach told me a few weeks ago when I'd come to watch the audition for this year's rookie dancers. “You gotta give something like this more time.”

I didn't have time. Being a dancer was all I’d ever known. All I’d ever wanted. One wrong move and it was all over. 

All of this had ended. No more lights. No more music. 

I'd been cut from the team.

“You okay?” Gabby said somewhere behind me, her voice echoing across the court. 

“I'm just taking a minute.” I swallowed hard and looked down at my sneakers, squeezing my eyes shut as tears threatened to spill over my lashes.

“We’re all going to go grab some drinks with the new girls. You should come. It’d be fun!”

I’d danced with Gabby on this team for three years. We were veterans on the team. There hadn’t been many girls who lasted as long as we had.

Following the Los Angeles Lakers from game to game during the NBA season took a toll on everyone. We weren’t paid much, pennies compared to the basketball players we cheered for. I’d scrapped by for three years just to stand where I stood now. Just to feel alive. This was my dream, and now I lived my greatest nightmare.

“I–” I cleared my throat, wiping a rogue tear from my cheek before turning to face her and plastering a casual, carefree smile on my face. She still wore her outfit from practice. They’d run drills today, taught the new girls our old cheers and dances. The season didn’t start until October, which was three months away, but that didn’t matter. I got called in for a meeting with my coach and management. The season would start without me leading the team. They couldn’t risk it, not when my knee still clicked and burned during the easiest drills. 

They told me it was because they cared about me. I could easily ruin my chances of ever dancing again if I pushed myself too hard, too soon. 

I practically begged on my knees for them to reconsider, but it was done. Their minds made up. 

I'd lost my spot. 

“Couch did say you could audition next year–”

“I know,” I replied, forcing a smooth smile on my face even though inside I screamed. “I'll catch up with you later, okay? Carter’s taking me out to celebrate me getting back on the team tonight. So… I need to go home to break the news to him.”

Gabby gave me a somber smile at the mention of Carter, who I’d met shortly after making the team three years ago. She eyed me, tilting her head which caused her thick black curls to fall over her shoulders. 

“How are things with Carter?”

“Great,” I replied tightly, forcing the lie from my lips. Carter, the only man I'd ever known intimately. Carter, with his soft blonde hair and strict demeanor. “I think he's going to propose.”

Why did I feel like crawling into a hole every time he brought it up?

“Really?” Gabby asked with excitement. 

“We're going to Napa this weekend to visit his parents. He has a whole thing planned–dinner, the works.”