Loving Siblings: Aidan & Dionne (4 page)

Aidan chuckled, putting up an acknowledging
hand. 

As the game resumed, the Arcadia Aces were
fighting hard to retrieve the ball from Romero. He was so fast,
zigzagging through the maze of Arcadia Aces legs with dangerous
ease that it looked as if no one could stop him. It was as if he
had four legs as quick as he was, but when he finally handed off
the ball just yards away from the Arcadia Aces’ goal, he made the
classic mistake all overconfident players make—not taking the kick
himself. Instead, he passed it to his fellow Brazilian team mate,
Mendes, but Mendes never got it. 

Stan defended, and shot forward. Then he
kicked the ball through the wall of black, red, and white bodies
where the wall parted just in time for Aidan to throw out his
chest, catching and stopping the ball before letting it drop, and
with a swift pivot, blocked a Blazer defender from snatching it
away. He kicked it forward and chased it down as the hands of time
ticked mercilessly away . . .

Aidan van Nuys might be six feet four,
and his long legs were normally an advantage, but five foot six
Mendes was a human
rocket.
With unbelievable speed, Mendes shot over the field, but
Aidan was smart enough to keep the ball close to his cleats. Mendes
tried to take the ball, but using rapid footwork and his athletic
bulk, Aidan maintained possession.

All of a sudden, multiple players were on
him. It looked as if he was having a hard time, but with quick,
energetic footwork, his cleats were able to keep the ball from
being taken. Now he used his skill and the advantage of his broad
back to snap around, using cleats to make quick chops down and
around the ball, blocking feet from snatching the ball away.

Then he showed a real fancy move, holding
four attackers at bay with arms wide and back to them. He suddenly
broke away, and shot forward with so much unexpected energy that
the Beach Blazers’ goalie was stunned when the ball whizzed past
him!  

Dumbfounded, the goalie could only watch as
the ball hit the back of the net just before a deafening cheer
roared up from the bleachers. Seconds later, the bell rang
signaling the end of the game . . . and Aidan van Nuys could close
off a high school soccer career as a legend.

“
That was a Cruijf Turn!” Elian Romero
cried awestruck.

Aidan grinned from a sweaty face, his black
locks falling haphazardly over his flat forehead. ”Damn. I
think you’re right, Romero. It was,” he chuckled. “My Dad taught
me. Been training to do it since I was four.” He grinned when he
saw respect flicker in both of the Brazilians players’ eyes before
he winked, turned, and sprinted back to his team as pretty girls
flooded the field with happy skips. 

“
What did I miss, Dee?” a tall,
tawny-haired young man asked Dionne van Nuys as he made his way to
her.

She’d been staring pensively at the field
and discovered she had to tear her gaze away with effort!. Her
pouty lips were drawn down at the corners having witnessed three
beauties throwing themselves at her victorious younger brother.

She looked up to see Helmut holding a bag of
soft pretzels for the hungry kids around her.

“
What?”

“
What did I miss?” Helmut asked
again.

She smiled. “Only everything, Helly,” she
answered with soft laughter, but then her normally gentle,
golden-brown eyes suddenly looked stern at the boisterous children
grabbing for the bag of pretzels. “Try to be civil you guys! You’re
about to take Helmut’s hand off.”

They instantly quieted. No matter how unruly
they were, they were always respectful toward their oldest sister.
That’s the kind of authority she had. It was the kind that made you
feel if you disappointed her you’d do her irreparable damage!

“
Sorry Helmut,” the children
apologized in unison.

He frowned a bit uncomfortably as Dionne
smiled up at him. 

“
Aidan did a Cruijf!” a blond,
somewhat nerdy boy said enthusiastically. He was proud of his big
brother. Obsessively so. 

“
A what, Brian?” Helmut asked,
confused. 

“
A Cruijf Turn,” Dionne
said.

“
Cruijf turn, Dee? Don’t get it.”
Helmut looked more confused.

“
Johan Cruijf is the legendary soccer
player from The Netherlands,” she said. “He was famous for his
technique that could hold back any number of defenders from taking
the ball when he had possession. Aidan’s scored the winning goal,
and the championship, for the Arcadia Aces using the Cruijf Turn.
It’s really very hard to do because it takes an enormous amount of
energy. This is their fourth championship in a row.”
 

“
He was so
rad
,” a russet brown haired boy said, looking
awestruck. 

“
What did you say, Scott? Rad? Oh.
Okay. I get it. Cool, right?” Helmut asked as he looked down into
Dionne’s pretty, smiling face as she shook her
head. 

“
Oh Helly . . .” she laughed softly,
touched he was so blissfully clueless at times. She rose and
slipped arms around his waist, looking up at him. “Sometimes I
wonder if you even know you’re in 1986.” 

“
Did you see it, Helmoot?” Arnold van
Nuys asked excitedly, his Dutch-Indonesian accent coming through
strongly. “Aidan did the
Cruijf
.” He huffed proudly, chest out. “Did you
know Cruijf is a legend in Europe? Like Pelé. That legendary. I
taught my son the Cruijf. He’s very talented.” 

“
Arnold! Enough now.” Betty van Nuys
laughed. “We know you are proud of Aidan. But can you stop boasting
for a few minutes? The coach wants to talk to you. Now go, and
leave Dionne and Helly alone,” she said with a mild reprimand in
her tone. “I need to see the little girl’s room. Coming, Gina?
Genna?” she said as she took the hands of the redheaded
twins.

“
They’re so proud of him it’s almost
embarrassing,” Dionne said with a warm smile.

“
Yes. I’ve noticed,” Helmut returned
with an uncomfortable smile.

“
Can you blame them? I mean, Aidan’s
the perfect son. He never gets into trouble. Never did drugs. Never
drinks. He’s very athletic, and a straight A student who is
destined for higher education—” 

“—
Yes,” Helmut cut in. “I know all of
that, too.”

His tone made her look curiously up into his
handsome face, as he slipped his arms around her, having a nice
perch for his arms on her somewhat wide hips.

Seeing her blinking big eyes up at him, he
smiled, and bent his head to touch the tip of his broad nose
against the tip of her pert one, and she giggled.

“
I’m sorry, Dee. Sometimes I can’t
help feeling a little jealous the way you talk about your little
brother.” 

“
Oomm...” she cooed as she rested
slender hands against his lean cheeks, making him smile as their
foreheads touched, “I didn’t know my little Helly was jealous—” A
loud thud at Helmut’s back made her abruptly stop.

She watched as his head snapped back and the
wind was knocked out of him. She gasped and stepped back just when
he dropped to his knees on the grass, pressing his hands in his
back, and his handsome face was wrung in pain.

“
Helly!!” Dionne cried as she dropped
to her knees beside him. She immediately checked his back where his
fingers were pressing before she snapped up her angry face just as
her younger brother came sprinting over with a sheepish grin.
“Aidan? Did you do this?!”

“
I’m sorry Dionne. It was an
accident,” he said, looking remorseful. “I shouldn’t have been
showing off for the girls. I got a little careless when I made the
kick.” He bent and swept the ball up, but paused as looked into
Helmut Kraus’ red face. “Sorry, Helgut. No hard feelings, right?”
He grinned and winked.

“
Uh, um . . . no,” he got out a little
breathlessly. “Of course not. It was an accident. But my name is
Hel
mut
,
” he
added as he accepted the offered dark, lean hand to help him up. He
was tugged to his feet, smiling at Arcadia’s favorite son who
returned a bland, lopsided smirk.

Tossing up the ball with a spin, Aidan
watched as his sister stepped to her boyfriend. A tic appeared in
his cheek as she gently touched Helmut’s face with a concerned
frown marring her brow. The act made her pretty skirt rise a
little, exposing her long ivory legs from mid-thigh down, but it
also emphasized her lush, round behind.

Aidan’s gaze lowered before it slowly rose
up her legs, her thighs, and finally her perky ass where it seemed
to linger. Then his gaze met her boyfriend’s, seeing him watching
him with narrowed eyes. Aidan merely smiled. 

“
Are you sure you’re all right, Helly?
Are you sure you’re not dizzy, Honey?” she asked, but before he
could answer, her younger brother spoke up. 

“
He’s a big boy. Don’t need to baby
him, Dionne,” he drawled. He looked down through lashes at his
upset sister who frowned back disapprovingly. “Right,
Hel
get
?”  

“
Oh, well I guess I’m fine, Dee, but I
really don’t mind a little attention. What sane guy would, right?”
he grinned less confidently at Dionne’s obnoxious younger brother
whose lips merely twitched. Helmut cleared his through and added,
“And it’s Hel—” 

“—
Aren’t you going to congratulate me,
Sis?” Aidan cut in, dismissing him. “This is a really big win for
me. It makes it four years in a row, something that hasn’t happened
in the history of Arcadia High, and it is my last game as a high
schooler. I guess you can say I’m a man today, huh?”

“
Congratulations, Aidan,” she sighed.
“You know I’m proud of you. I’m always proud of you.” She shook her
head at him.

He smiled with a look in his eye he hoped
she’d see for once, but she’d already returned her attention to her
boyfriend.

“
Come on, Helly. Let’s get a cold pack
on that bump. I’m sure Mom brought one with us in the
cooler.”

Then she led him away, leaving her younger
brother standing as he watched them while absently tossing and
catching the ball. 

“
You did that on purpose.”

Aidan arched a black brow and looked down at
one of his younger brothers. It was Nathaniel, one of the many
other adopted children in the van Nuys’ home. He was looking up at
him with much too wise brown eyes from under surprisingly platinum
blond hair. 

“
Did
what
on purpose, Nate?” Aidan grinned with head
back, looking down at his usually quiet little
brother. 

“
Kick the ball at Dee’s boyfriend. You
don’t like him, do you?” 

“
Whatever gave you
that
idea?” Aidan chuckled, and although
Nathaniel’s mouth opened to answer, their father stopped him as he
called him over. Aidan grinned and motioned with his head for
Nathaniel to follow. “Come on, Nate. Dad’s callin’.”

He let the ball roll off his fingers into
his little brother’s hands as they crossed the field. Nathanial was
so gleeful for this prize that he’d already forgotten what he
wanted to say. He smiled up at his big brother, but noticed he was
looking off into the distance, so he turned his blond head, and
followed his gaze.

In the distance, he saw his big sister
Dionne and her boyfriend walking away. She had her arm around his
waist as headed for the exit to leave the field. She was clearly
mothering him, doting on him as she always did, and Nathaniel
looked back up at his older brother noticing the hard line of his
jaw.

Feeling Nathaniel’s eyes on him, Aidan
quickly produced a smile, ruffled his little brother’s platinum
locks, and motioned with his head. “Come on. Beat you to Dad!” he
said with a bright, knee-melting smile before he sprinted off, and
Nathaniel followed, laughing 

“
Not fair!” Nathaniel cried. “You
didn’t give me a head start like you always do!”

**~~**

Chapter Three:
A
Spark of Hope

Aidan was the last one in the locker room.
He was the last to finish since he’d been talking with a scout who
wanted to recruit him for Loma Linda University. What he offered
was tempting although far from perfect.

He’d get a full scholarship, but he’d have
no dorm room. He was expected to rent a studio apartment that,
coincidentally, L.L.U. offered at reduced rates for
students. 

Pass. He knew he could do much better.

The locker room was eerily empty now. He was
standing by his open locker with a white towel wrapped around his
sinewy hips. It left his long, lean torso bare, showing the young
body of a blossoming young man who’d been athletic all his life.
There wasn’t an ounce of unnecessary fat anywhere. Just lots of
lean, hard muscle.

His black hair was glistening and tousled,
and a towel was draped around his neck. He was busy applying the
deodorant stick under his arm, frowning in deep thought. He looked
very troubled and frustrated; his normally full, wide lips were now
pulled into a thin, grim line.

“
Aidan?” an all too familiar voice
echoed in the empty boy’s locker-room.

He paused with tanned arm up and stick
frozen under his armpit. He thought he was hearing things. But he
finally turned his head when the distinct sound of lightly clicking
heels echoed through the locker-room. Then he saw Dionne appear
around the corner with a happy smile on her face for having found
him—before she froze with eyes big in shock.