𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 | an anthology

i | vii. lonnie » fem

     "All right boys. Let's line it up. Carlos, you're with me. Let's go." I watch from the shadows as the boys move into their positions.
     "Yeah." Carlos mutters.
     "Assembler. Salute. Lower the point. Masks down." They all put their masks down over their faces, and so do I. I've been waiting for this for a while, but today was the only practice I could make it to.
     "En garde!" Jay calls as he squats down, and the satisfying clink of sword to sword fills my ears. I smile and continue to watch and listen, waiting for the time I can join in.
     "Keep your center!" Jay says to Carlos as he tosses him away. Jay slides into the center of the playing area.
     "Eyes on your opponent!" He instructs Carlos, and then he leaps over Jay. "Up and over." I slide in quickly, and begin parrying with a random prince, I'm sure. He deflects a few times, but I easily disarm him and kick his sword away. 

     I defeat another one, and soon everyone but Jay, a mystery figure, and I are left.
     "Get him, Jay!" Carlos calls from the sidelines as a mystery figure challenges him. I was planning on challenging Jay myself, but if this mystery figure beats him... I'll challenge them.
     "Watch out, Jay!"
     "Nice!" General commentary carries on as they parry, and I let out a quiet whistle when the figure does a cartwheel. After a few seconds, the mystery figure has taken his sword, and he's out. He sits down glumly, and Carlos says to him;
     "Jay, what happened?" I let out a laugh and I stop listening to them. I leap into the center, holding my sword loosely. The figure strikes out, and I parry. I step up onto the blocks and leap as I flip. The figure doesn't react quickly enough, but they manage to knock my mask off. Jane gasps excitedly from the deck.
     "It's (y/n)!" 

     I breathe out, refocus, and strike again. They deflect and we go back and forth, when finally they trip over the block and their mask falls off. It's... Lonnie. I feel a blush spreading across my cheek, and I trip on the block too and accidentally fall on top of her. I breathe in softly, and search her chocolate eyes. She smiles at me and whispers softly.
     "Hi." She says. Her breath smells like citrus and chocolate somehow.
     "Hi." I whisper back, and I start leaning in to kiss her when I hear sarcastic clapping from the one and only Jay. I leap up, embarrassed, and hold out a hand for Lonnie. She takes it and I help her up. After we recover, Jay starts genuinely clapping.
     "Not bad." He says. I cock an eyebrow at him, and he tilts his head back and forth.
     "Fine, it was pretty good." I smile giddily, and I don't let go of Lonnie's hand. Jane and the other two girls on the balcony start clapping and cheering, then everyone else cheers too.
     "You should put us on the team." Lonnie says, and Jay opens his mouth to start saying something. But Chad steps forward and interjects.
     "Hey, w-what?!" Chad interjects. "No, no, no. We'll- we'll be the laughing stock of the league. A-and what's gonna happen next? We'll have girls playing tourney? Come on, guys." He laughs nervously.
     "So?" I say, and cross my arms at the same time as Jay. Chad looks at me incredulously.
     "So? Uh, so, have you not read the rule book?" He pulls a tiny book out of his pocket.
     "Section 2, paragraph 3, 11-4. 'A team will be comprised of a captain and eight men.' Hmm? Why don't you read the rule book?"
     "Okay, Chad, but do you realize that's the old copy? Outdated, and 100% misogynistic?" I pull out a slim book, with a fresher blue than his.
     "See, this one, is the new one. It says in Section 2, paragraph 3, 11-4, 'A team will be comprised of a captain and eight players' Hmm? Why don't you read the rule book?" Lonnie smiles widely, and Chad stands still with his mouth open, dumbfounded.
     "I- I'm sorry, what?"
     "New book, new rules. You're wrong." Jay looks with a smirk from me to Chad.
     "And you're off the team, for lying about the rules. Coach trusts me, I can't have a liar, who could be a cheater, on my team." Jay smiles with pursed lips and Chad clenches his old rule book in his hand as he stomps off.
     "Thanks Jay." I say, and he smirks.
     "Hey, that wasn't me. You did that." I smile and laugh a little.
     "I suppose I did. So we're... on the team? Me and Lonnie?" He nods.
     "Yep, you're on the team." He claps me on the back, picks up his sword, and everyone clears out of the playing area. It's just me and Lonnie left. I sit down on a square and smile happily at the wall. The room has a lingering smell of sweat and misogyny, but when Lonnie sits down next to me, all I smell are flowers and citrus.
     "Thanks for what you did. With- uh- with Chad." I turn to smile at her.
     "Of course." She makes eye contact with me, and smiling, she delicately presses her lips to mine. I feel butterflies in my stomach, and I run my hand through her hair as she wraps her arms around my waist.
     "Lonnie..." I say, and gently push her away.
     "Yeah?" She says casually, but from her eyes I can tell she's hurt.
     "Would you want to go- on a- date or-or something sometime?" She nods and smiles, relieved.
     "Yeah. I mean, I've liked you- for a while now, and what you did- that really... I really really like you, (y/n)." I kiss her softly again.
     "I really really like you too, Lonnie."