Fitting In

Chapter 3 - Peanut Butter and Co-Ed Teams

Before I could get revenge, I needed to figure out how I was going get payback. I needed information.

First I texted Macey. I didn't want to bring Tyler up around Hattie, and I wasn't that close with the others.

Hey, This is Taylor.

Hi😁. I heard about ur locker.

Yeah, about that...what do u know about Tyler.

U sure it was him?

Pretty sure. It said we'll see. That's the same thing he said to me at lunch.

Ok, I don't know much, but I might know someone who does.

Who?

Ur not gonna bring me into this r u?

A good detective never reveals her sources.

K, I know he's the left running back on the football team. Practice is every day after school, unless they have a game. If you really want the details I would talk to either Katie Hupt or Wyatt Ostsien.

Who?

Katie is another ex. They had a really awful break up. She might be willing to give you some details. Wyatt is a long shot, but he's Tyler's best friend. It might not be worth the risk.

What happened with Katie?

He cheated.

Woah.

Yeah.

I turned my phone off and slipped it into my backpack. I'll do some digging later. As I pull out of the parking lot an unknown caller ID pops up as the device vibrates. I leave it. With all of the spam calls nowadays it's more suspicious to pick up than to ignore a new caller.

I turn up the radio and put on my sunglasses. I was pretty pleased with myself. Today wasn't awful, and I had a feeling this year would be... interesting.

As soon as I got home I ran upstairs, plopped my things on my bed, and went downstairs to scavenge for a snack. As I raid the fridge I play the message from earlier.

"Hello Taylor, this is Coach J. I heard you played soccer last year. I've also heard you were a great asset to the team, and one of the reasons why you all finished in states where you did. Our school unfortunately doesn't have enough players for a girls team. The boys team has already started practices, but if your interested we do have a spot open. Please give me a call back, and I can send you a schedule and add you to the group chat. Have a nice day. Bye."

I almost dropped my spoonful of peanut butter. No girls team? I haven't played with boys since rec. It's better than nothing though. I took out a sheet of paper and started planning out what I was going to say. Then I stopped myself. That's something the old me would do. I'm not going to be flustered by a phone call. Before I can chicken out I call her back.

"Hi, this is Taylor. I'm definitely interested in the position." (Oh, gosh, what do I say now?) "Um...Just so you know I live a half an hour away, so there might be some conflicts with that. Thanks for calling me! Bye."

Gosh, why do I have to be so cringy? This definitely calls for peanut butter. I grab the entire jar and head upstairs. My mom would kill me if she saw me doing this, but she's too tired when she gets home to notice the peanut butter's gone.

Not having a girls team sucks. At this point it's just going to be awkward. I bet some of the boys won't even pass to me because I'm a girl. I'll have to prove not only that I belong on the team, but also that I can keep up. It'll be girls on one side and boys on the other. This isn't going to work.