Derbyball

Praise.

I stride into school and try to rush to homeroom. All day yesterday, sunday, the day after my game, people had been telling me how great of a job I did on Saterday. It got old about four hours into it, so now I'm dodging the praises from left to right.

To add to that frustrating fact, it's a monday. The hardest day of the week for me. Back to the classwork and the tests and quizzes, back to the noice in the hallways, all that and some.

To add to it all, Joey skyped my parents and I late last night after his day on the base. I was happy and we stayed up talking and rejoicing for maybe two hours. So obviously, I'm more tired than a woman who just gave birth.

"Yo, cool moves out there on Saterday, Jessie," A voice says. I nod and try to stop the pounding that had originated in my head.

Letting out a breath of relief, my feet carry me to the sight of my homeroom doorway.

I slip through the door and hear the small chat escalate. Rolling my eyes, I step across the second row of desks to mine and and slide down into the uncomfortable plastic seat.

This afternoon, Cooper is suppose to take me to the movies and out to eat. Yeah, you're probably thinking that we'll do something that we shouldn't, but of course, I'm not that type of girl. My mother and father didn't raise a complete fool.

A finger lightly trails my arm as it's owner's voice says, "Hey! Nice fall you took yesterday, bet that pretty little butt of yours must hurt."

It takes my brain a moment to assure myself that I heard the guy right. My butt may have been sore but still, that doesn't give this guy the right to speak to me this way.

I pass him a disgusted look and hiss, "Dude, I'll have all of the team come here and kick your tail of you say something else like that to me, okay? Watch your filthy fucking mouth. Got it?"

He looks stricken and walks away, looking nervously over his shoulder as he walks back to his seat.

Jerkface.

To my utter disappointment, there is a simular situation like this every single place I go, throughout the entire school building, the entire day.

The worst was the time when some recognizable face from Cassy's party tried to grab my behind by putting his hands into my jeans.

Let's just say I hope his testies aren't split in half from the knee that was shoved there. Filthy pigs.

As I'm walking into the lunch room, I hear several people call me to their tables. Each time I shake my head, though.

Like I normally do, I walk over to a small circular table in the east corner of the lunch room. Ever since freshman year, Erika, Annalyne and I have put dibs on it. Nobody ever really paid attention to our table: all the attention was stationed on my brothers' table. To be honest, I liked it that way. None of the drama, none of the fights were centered around this table, no people waiting for you to slip up so they can dog you out.

Now, all of this would be different.

I take a seat in my usual seat and meet the eyes of people on this side of the cafeteria as I do so.

Automatically praised.

The other half of the eyes are on the jock's table, where I now know that my entire team sits, witb the exception of Eddie and Austin, considering that they are both juniors, not seniors like the rest of us.

"Aye, Jessie," Annalyne and Erika go, slipping into their seats at the table. I smile and high five them both.

"Hey!"