If Trouble Could Talk

Oops... Sorry!

"Okay! Teams Alpha and Bravo! First team to five goals wins - losers do three laps around the field! GO!"

"He's not serious is he?" Georgie puffed as we began chasing a ball around the field, feeling as if it was being kicked by a Socceroo.

***

"We're never going to beat them to five goals - they've got Lauren!" I heard another girl from our team moan as their star player scored yet another goal; raising their third goal to the one that Jen had scored us.

Wednesday again. I'd just spent the whole weekend trying to read as much of Jane Eyre as I could - falling behind was not something I wanted to get in trouble for. And Monday and Tuesday were consumed by this Math assignment we'd just been handed. I still didn't understand any of what I had to do - but I guess that's what I get for starting Year 11 three weeks into the third term for the year.

"Hey team Bravo! You know the aim of this exercise is actually to get more goals than Alpha, right? You should be right up the front there Kaylynn; I don't know what's wrong with you today!" He shouted over to me with a sarcastic smile.

I wasn't sure why I liked Darren, but I was sure that my tolerance for his antics was diminishing with every second I spent in his presence. And ever since we started practice today - he'd been in my face about how I was 'off my game', which did make me all the more pissed off with him. Alot more pissed off than I'd been with Abigail last Friday when she'd flaked and told us the wrong audition time.

Speak of the devil. I thought to myself as Abigail made her way up the field with the ball. She seemed so innocent - like none of yesterday's (or last weeks) sins mattered anymore. Like for some reason she'd completely forgotten what she'd said, and somehow Georgie and I were supposed to just get over it too.

Georgie already had.

I heard a familiar laugh and turned to see her joking around with Abigail as Lauren was going for yet another goal for their team.

They're not on our team, girl. I thought to myself. Jogging toward Lauren to try to stop her from scoring.

I wanted to like Abigail, to be friends with her, like she thought we were. But something about her was off. She seemed so... fake. So commercial. Like everything that happened around her was some sort of Home and Away spin-off.

Seriously Georgie! Watch that ball! I thought again as Lauren swept to the left of me at the last second, slipped past a stationary Georgie and kicked the ball with a swift movement of her right leg, sending it hurtling into the goal net.

Four-one. Brilliant.

After a quick cheer from Lauren's teammates, and another smart remark from Darren about our focus; I had really had enough.

I started jogging for the ball once the goalie threw it back. Shooting Georgie and Abigail a slight glare as I passed them. I was not letting Abigail sweet-talk her way into us doing three laps - not today.

Halfway down the field and Jen had kicked me the ball. I guided it carefully around a few of Alpha's defense, and before I knew it I was headed straight for the goal. Yes.

Just a few feet away, I began to slow down, to steady myself for the shot. I could hear girls calling for it. "Here!" "Over here!"

But this shot was mine.

As I drew nearer still, I aimed roughly in my mind, hoping not to kick it too far left and let the ball ricochet off the goal post in the wrong direction.

Target acquired, I decided I'd aim right for the middle and kick it fast enough that the goalie would be thrown off and have to guess which way it was going to go - A strong kick ought to do it.

By now I was jogging fairly slowly, nearly out of space. This was it. No more remarks from Darren, no more of Abigail trying to chat me out of the game. I braked suddenly, swinging my right leg out behind me and throwing it forward just a few seconds after. I had my eyes on the goal in that second - but I really should have looked down.

Because I would have seen someone throw their own foot towards the ball as well, reaching it just earlier than mine, but not early enough to move it away after.

Smash.

My leg hit her ankle. Bone against bone. With a loud crack, we were both thrown to the ground. For a moment my foot ached, but then, as soon as it appeared - it was gone.

I stood up, mind blurry, looking around at everyone's shocked faces, they were all staring at her, still lying on the ground.

At Abigail.

The blurry feeling in my mind became clear again as Abigail let out a shriek. I looked back at her, now with five or six girls kneeling around her. Her perfect, porcelain cheeks now a deep red as tears streamed from her eyes.

Someone yelled for the nurse. And soon the entire field was standing around her, looks of sympathy on their faces.

"Move aside! Give her some space!" Darren was yelling, as he pulled people away by their arms to get to her. He spoke softly to her, and within a few minutes he was helping his sister up, pulling her arm around his neck. Barking orders to others as he did so.

"Lauren and Josh! Take her to the nurse's office!" A young man stepped out of the crowd, I'd seen him earlier practicing hockey on the other side of the field, he'd run over when everyone else did and was probably a mate of Darren's.

"Everyone else! Back to training!" He yelled once more as he carefully helped a limping Abigail over to Josh and Lauren.

To my utter surprise, he then turned to me.

"That was a pretty hard kick."

Standing there, watching Abigail, I had almost forgotten that I'd actually been involved too.

"I'm so sorry - I didn't see her until it was too late. I-"

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, in a voice that almost made me feel bad for being so pissed with him earlier. "That looks like that's gonna leave a mark."

We both looked down at my leg, which now bore a large red mark, right above my ankle...