Haunted || Theo Raeken

08. Pack

"You really should've stayed home, Vi," Liam said worriedly to his best friend, the all too familiar frown scrunching his face as he jogged to keep up with the soccer team captain while simultaneously avoiding crashing into the innocent students. His werewolf speed was not enough to keep up with her.

"I'm fine, Liam," the brunette rolled her eyes as she kept walking toward the locker room, her ponytail swinging with every step. "And besides, Coach called us for a team meeting." Before the boy could keep whining she stopped in front of the doors and turned around, plastering a fake smile for the worried boy. "I'll see you later, okay?," Her eyes softened as she watched the boy fidgeting with his fingers with unease. The girl herself wasn't sure if coming back to school was a great idea after everything that happened, especially with her anxiety attacks, but up to that moment she had yet to feel anything but anger and complete desperation, so she figured she would be okay. Taking pity on the boy she leaned in closer and kissed his cheek to appease his nerves. Vinnie turned around and opened the door, unaware of the blushing mess she left behind.

"Abbot!" Coach Finstock's loud voice boomed as she entered the empty room. Her brown eyes met his across the room where he stood leaning against the wall, his arm raised in front of him as he read his watch. "You're late."

Ever since she arrived at school that morning she had been receiving pitiful glances and unnecessary sympathy, it was annoying and it only made her mood worsen. So Coach's aggravating and assholy tone felt like taking a whiff of fresh air. It was familiar and almost brought a smile to her face.

Dramatically, she moved her head around the empty room and squinted her eyes. "I must be turning blind because I'm the only one here," Coach opened his mouth but the sound of the door opening interrupted him, as Hayden, the newest addition to the team, sprinted inside.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" The Romero girl panted as she placed her backpack down by her feet on the dirty floor. She stole a nervous glance at her captain and her coach as they glared at each other. Hayden was pretty new to the team, no more than a few weeks, but one thing she had noticed straight away, was their... strange dynamic. It wasn't much of a coach-player one, but rather a grumpy old man-hyperactive child one. The young team captain seemed to never run out of witty responses and Bobby Finstock of empty threats to her well-being. With both of them on the team, there never was a boring practice.

At first, Hayden was sure those two hated each other daily but tolerated one another on match days at best, but after some observing, she realized that deep down, he had a soft spot for his best player.

She had always wondered about their relationship, as the whole team did, but Vinnie could be quite scary when she wanted, so no one dared question her why Coach Finstock and her would bicker like children all the time. 

To an outsider, it would appear they hated each other, but after some time, the team learned that was just the way they communicated with each other. To a normal person, 'My obese grandmother can run faster than that, Abbot' or 'My mother could coach us better and she's dead' would seem harsh, and borderline abusive, but to them, it was as close of a compliment they would ever hear from each other's mouth.

"That's what you should've said," Coach snapped as he pointed his finger in his best player's face, who narrowed her eyebrows in response as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Would never dream of forgetting," the girl said enthusiastically as she plastered the fakest smile she could muster. Coach readied himself to keep arguing with her, but the doors opened and the rest of the team walked in.

"Hi, Hayden, how you're doing?" The brunette turned to the tan girl and smiled slightly at her. Fidgeting on her spot, Hayden stared at her wide-eyed, suddenly speechless. Hayden admired her as much as she felt intimidated. In her opinion, there was just something commanding about her presence, that made everyone aware she was there. Not only was she an absolute genius, but she was also the team captain and an excellent player. Vinnie Abbot was the same age as her, but the Romero girl looked up to her, and at the same time, she feared her like one would a wild animal. You never knew what to expect from her.