A Hundred Books 📚

Chapter 2 - Annalise Whitlock

I was so glad Noah was captain of the other team. I finally had an excuse to beat him at something.
Everyone loved Noah, I didn't understand why though, he was so annoying and thought that he was the best at everything. Okay I have to admit it, he was pretty good at soccer, but why did everyone praise him so much? Oh don't even get me started on the girls, they drooled I mean physically, literally drooled over him. One time I saw this girl in the cafeteria spit her water everywhere when he walked into the cafeteria. Sometimes I would be going home from practice and I would see girls outside on the soccer field watching the soccer practice just to see if he would notice them. I understood why they liked him. He had good looks, he wasn't ugly like at all. Most girls were obsessed with his eyes though, all they talked about was how dreamy his eyes were and how they were the same color as the ocean blah blah blah. He didn't care about school, but always got good grades, all cared about was soccer.
"Ha, look who we have here, Miss. Perfect!" Noah smirked. "You're one to be talking, isn't this person in front of me, Noah Hart the sweetheart of CreekSide, and captain of the soccer team," I looked at him with a copy of his smirk on my face.
"Come on Whitlock, I know all that sass is just built up fear of losing to me."
"Like I would ever be scared of you,"
"Oh your plenty scared, I can see you shivering with fear from a mile away,"
"No I'm not. Your just saying that because you're intimidated ,"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Am not!"
"See this just proves my point," I say, waving my pointer finger in between us.
"Okay, since I'm so intimidated, I'll let your team serve first."
"Woah, thank you so much Hart, you're such a gentleman," I say with clear sarcasm in my voice. "That's what all the ladies say, Lock." He winks at me. "You're disgusting, and don't call me Lock," He smirked at that. "Are you two going to stop flirting and start the game, or what?" Our coach yelled
"WE WERE NOT FLIRTING" Noah and I yell at the same time.
"Whatever you two, just start the game already," the coach complains.
    Hayle walks up to the back to serve, while I'm prepared to block anything that comes my way.
I love volleyball, like it has always been my life line.
There was only three things I really loved in life, and those things were
    1.Reading
    2.Volleyball
    3.Music
These 3 things were what mostly brought me happiness every day.

    Gym class was almost over and Noah and I were tied. This was our last round and whoever won got to brag about it until the next gym class. It was Haley's turn to serve again - and she was AMAZING at it - unlike me.
    I had to admit something to myself, I was scared of losing to Noah. So I was trying to do the best I could on defense.
Out of nowhere the ball comes straight at me, just a little bit too short, and I pancake on the floor. Thank god I had good reflexis because that ball was bound to hit the floor.
    The game was heated but with 3 minutes left till the bell rang everyone was already tired, so it was the perfect time to make a point and...
    "YES WE DID IT! I KNEW I WAS BETTER THAN NOAH!" Wait, I wasn't supposed to have screamed that. Those words were supposed to have stayed in my head. Oh no, Noah is coming my way. Ahh why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut.
    "Seems like you were scared of losing to me, weren't you ?" His usual infuriating smirk on his face. "Oh shut it Noah it's not like you weren't intimidated,"
    "Okay, I admit it. I was intimidated by you but who wouldn't be, look at you everyone wants to be Miss.Perfect at everything she tries, just like you are."
"You're impossible," I sigh, making my way into the girls locker room. "Love you too sweetie," he retorted back at me. Uh couldn't he be more annoying.

"Hey girl, how was gym?" Grace asked me as I sat down "Amazing, overall I beat Noah at volleyball," I shrug. "Oooh, somebody is happy about that," she smiles at me. "Grace, you know that couldn't be any further from the truth. You know how much he annoys me."
"Okay, Okay fine I'll stop making comments about you two."
"Thank you," just as i said that he walks into the classroom and sits right next to me, what's his problem? "What does victory taste like to the best volleyball player in the schools losing to just an average soccer player?" He laughs. "You know that you're not an average soccer player, everyone knows that," I look him in the eyes, "So I'm not going to tell you." I decide "Uhg, that really breaks my heart Lock," I roll my eyes at that. Finally the teacher starts talking about some of the most boring things, he goes on and on about something that in some way connects back to math, and I'm about to die when the bell finally rings.
I hate math and when I say hate I mean despise level of hate. It is so complex, and the thought that making one tiny mistake could change the whole answer of the problem scares me.

The end of the day comes, and I've never been so happy in my life before. The thing is I don't hate school I just hate how draining it can be. I love learning new things, but sometimes the teachers take it too far.
I walk into the girls locker room and get changed to go to practice. When I walk out into the gym I see that all the girls are staring out the window, "Hey Piper, what's going on?" I make my way next to her. "Oh, the soccer team is outside." That's all she says, not taking her eyes off the window once. I look at the window to see what they are looking at, and it's obvious they're looking at Noah.
He's running around with his sweaty skin shining as the sun hits it. How is he so tanned? I ask myself. His eyes are concentrated on the ball, and his brunette hair is the perfect spot where it is long enough but he can still see. What has gotten into me, why am I staring at him. I probably look like a perv, watching his every move out the window. Oh my gosh if he sees me staring I will never hear the end of it.
"Come on girls, move away from that window and let's start practice!" Coach Nelly yells at us. "Let's start with a warm up, um 4 laps around the gym," four laps may not seem like a lot but our gym was ginormous.

"Okay girls water break! Also while you rest I want to talk to you all about something," Coach Nelly said as she walked over to where we were sitting. "Girls, I know you have been having a great season, but we need to talk about our next game against FlairWood," we all looked at her with worry. "I think we all noticed last year, except Hayle, that FlairWood was not playing fair. They were making a lot of illegal hits. But because they play a dirty game that does not by any chance mean we are going to play dirty too," she looked around. "Do you girls understand me?"
"Yes, coach," the whole team yelled at the same time.

🌷

"Great job today ladies, have a great day!"
"Bye, you too Coach Nelly," I walked out into the soccer field, and that is when I saw him - Hart- walk over to me.