The Final Season

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

It was getting closer to sectionals each week. We already had a guaranteed spot for sectionals, we only lost two games out of the eight we have played so far, so we're having a pretty solid season. I'm excited for sectionals, I believe that we really can take it all this year, and I really want to. I want this so badly. Unfortunately, there was a downside to sectionals being in a few weeks. Davis was practically putting us through a military camp right now, but with bleachers and soccer balls.


"I want to see you bring your knees higher!" He shouted as we did our high knees to the other end of the field. "You call that higher? What are you a bunch of girls? HIGHER. H-I-G-H-E-R, am I speaking Spanish or something? Do you guys not understand? Más alto! Más alto!" I resisted the urge to run over to Davis and tackle to him to the ground and then take the whistle from around his neck and blow it in his face.


This practice was freaking ridiculous. I mean this is worse than tryouts. Davis's tryouts are a pain in the ass but compared to this practice they looked like an easy day. I mean it's a Friday for the love of god! Can he not give us a break? I bet if I asked him that right now, he would probably make me run to China and back. I usually made snarky remarks at Davis during practices but I didn't have the guts to mess with him when he was in psycho coach mode.


"And sprint back!" He barked as soon as we reached the end-line across the field. My poor little soul thought we would be having a water break right after we finished those high knees. I desperately needed some. I felt like I was about to fall over at any moment. "Under thirty seconds!" He ordered looking at the stopwatch around his neck. "Each one of you better make it back to the other end in under thirty seconds!" He shouted as we sprinted to the other side in fear. I, for one did not want to do more sprints or running, so I pushed myself over my usual limit. As soon as I reached the turf that was painted in a straight white line, I dropped to my knees and tried to take deep breaths. I didn't have asthma or anything, but I was pretty sure I needed an inhaler right now. I wondered how Beth was freaking surviving when she did actually have asthma. I looked over my shoulder and watched her take her inhaler out of her sports bra and get as much air as she could before Davis started barking more orders.


"Lets go, on the ground, fifty sit ups." He ordered and we all dropped to the floor like flys when someone swatted and killed them.


"I'd rather sit on your face," Valerie mumbled beside me and I nearly gagged.


"Ew Val you are so gross." I said managing to laugh even after all of this. "How are we friends?"


"What? You wouldn't sit on his face? Come on look at him, I'd totally do it if I wasn't on the team 'cause that'd be awkward." Thankfully, Davis had his back turned away from us and was farther down the field so he couldn't hear our conversation. Imagine how awkward that would be if he heard all of the dirty comments Valerie made about him? I think she would die of embarrassment, and I think that Davis would avoid eye contact with her for the rest of the season and pretend he didn't hear anything.


"Seriously you need help." I said and then began my sit ups before Davis came over here and got upset. Now I had images of Valerie and Davis roaming through my mind, images that I never ever ever in a million years wanted to imagine. I seriously need to go see a therapist after this practice because of it. Once we finished our sit ups we all remained on the ground, our energy was drained from us. I don't think I could get up even if I tried. I could just fall asleep right here, if it wasn't so hot.


"Alright lets stop being overdramatic, get over to those bleachers and don't skip over one stair." He demanded. Being overdramatic? What is wrong with you, you monster! This school really needs to reevaluate who they give a freaking job to! "I'll give you under three minutes...and go!" I took off onto the bleachers and imagined Davis's face on each step as I climbed and stomped on them. I guess because of that I was actually sort of enjoying the bleachers. When I finished, I hunched over and placed my hands on my knees. When I realized this was no help I brought my arms up and rested them on top of my head. There was a sharp ache in my chest and breathing was just making it worse. The sun was out and blazing this entire time. Buckets of sweat were pouring off of me. I pulled my t-shirt over my head leaving me in my red Nike sports bra and spandex shorts.


Davis gave us a two minute water break and suddenly I was full of enough energy to sprint toward our bags and grab my huge water bottle, eager to gulp down as much water as possible. I quickly pulled my phone out and checked my clock to see it was only four thirty. We still had half an hour, plenty of time for Davis to torture us and ruin our lives some more. Maybe I could say I have to use the bathroom and go over to the area where the porta potties were near the front gate and then I could just sprint off toward my car. Davis wouldn't be able to do anything to me by then. I'd be long one and if he showed up at my house I wouldn't answer the door.


"Alright water break over, we're doing the cooper," he said and I died a little more inside. It was when we all ran around the edge of the field nonstop until twelve minutes or if you reached seven laps before the twelve minutes were up. I'd rather do bleachers all over again instead of this. By the time twelve minutes were up I managed to only do six laps, everyone else pretty much had the same, except for the psycho Maggie who did all seven. She was the track star on this soccer team, and she seriously loved to run. Sometimes I wished I could be like that, but I would never be like that. The only reason I run is to stay in shape or to get my mind off things, it doesn't mean that I enjoy it. Not like her.


I dropped to the ground as soon as Davis said twelve minutes was up. I could feel the sweat pouring down my chest and along my toned abdomen. The black seeds inside the turf were sticking to all parts of my body and I knew that my shower tonight was going to be full of them. I thought that we were finally done considering the football team was already near the turf. They were standing on the track watching us, with their helmets in their hands, and they were padded up and in their uniforms. They had a game they had to get ready for right after our practice was over.


"Alright I just want to do the Indian run, and then we'll be done for the day." My head snapped in the direction of Davis. We're not done? Is he insane? We just did the Cooper and now he wants us to do the Indian? Do I look like I'm freaking in the mood to do an Indian run? I don't even remember touching a soccer ball this practice. If I wanted to run all practice, I would have joined crossed country or track. What was funny about that was that the track girls said they didn't even have to run that much during their practices. I'd like to see Davis do all these things that he demands from us.


"Something wrong Grey?" Davis asked and everyone looked at me waiting to see if I would make a comment. I haven't spoken to him this entire practice. Honestly, my mind was still sort of on the whole incident that happened a couple of days ago, and every time I saw Davis I thought about it. I really wanted to say something to him. I wanted to tell him that something was wrong, and that it was him and he should see a psychiatrist for it but I kept my mouth shut and shook my head.


"When I get a heart attack, make sure they charge Davis for murder." I mutter to the team and make sure that Davis doesn't hear it. They laugh half-heartedly, probably because they were thinking about the next run that they had to go through. Davis told us to break up into groups of five. I was with Beth, Val, Zo, and Maggie. The Indian run was when your group ran together and then the person at the back had to sprint around the rest of the group until they reached the front, and then the next person in the back did the same thing while we ran around the field until Davis said it was good enough.


By the time practice was over, my red sports bra was a few shades darker from all of the sweat dripping onto it. My abs clenched and unclenched as I tried to control my breathing. The boys looked at us with wide-eyes after they saw the shit we had to go through. I bet they wouldn't even last through that workout. They might be stronger physically, but we were stronger mentally and able to endure more. The worst part of all of this was that tonight was the night Austin and I were going out on our date. I think it's a date at least.


In class he told me he was thinking about going to the movies to watch Grown Ups 2 and I was so excited to go watch it! I was so glad that Austin wasn't one of those guys who didn't like telling a girl where they were going so he could surprise her. I don't need any surprises so I was glad I don't have to deal with them. I was so excited and nervous for this date earlier today but now after practice, I was just tired and wanted to go sleep. Davis really knows how to ruin a girl's day. I wasn't going to cancel on Austin though.


When I got home I went to the shower right away. It was five thirty and Austin was picking me up at eight thirty so I had plenty of time. The hot water felt so good on my aching muscles and it almost put me to sleep. There was so much turf in my hair, and I don't know how that much got in there. Black seeds covered my shower floor and then went down the drain. When I got out I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt(I would change later) and then went down the stairs and met my parents in the kitchen.


My mom was making dinner and my dad was helping Max with his homework. I was way too hungry to wait for her food to finish so I made myself a bagel. She looked at me with a disapproving expression and I shrugged. She'd rather have me wait and starve than find myself something to eat.


"I'm going out tonight." I said to my parents while I spread cream cheese on my bagel.


"With who and where?"


"To the movies, with um...a friend."


"A friend?" My dad asked. "Do I need to have a talk
with this friend of yours?"


"No!" I shrieked. God how embarrassing would it be if he had a talk with Austin? We're only going to the movies it's not like he's asking me to be his wife. My dad would embarrass the crap out of me and then Austin would never want anything to be with me. "I mean, it's not necessary. It's just a movie." I said scratching the back of my neck.


"Uh-huh, I know what you kids do at movies." He said crossing his arms over chest and I nearly choked on my bagel.


"Well I'm no kid, I'm a young adult." I said standing straighter and my parents raised an eyebrow at me. Yup, I said it. I'm eighteen years old, well two weeks from being eighteen, and this will be the first time I ever was interested enough in someone to go on a date with them, so I wasn't going to let them embarrass and ruin this for me.


"Well well well, did you hear that Mike? We have a young adult now." My mom said and I rolled my eyes. Now she was teasing me. I mumbled incoherent words under my breath and maneuvered my way around the island and towards the stairs to go to my room. "We're just teasing!" I heard my mom call and laugh. "No need to get all pouty."


I made it to my room that was safe from the confinement of my parents. They could be so overprotective sometimes. It's not like I was a little baby anymore. I could only imagine what they would have done if they found out about that other night. I probably wouldn't even be able to go out tonight. I decided to do my hair first because it was the most time consuming task. I blow dried it which took about half an hour and then decided to straighten it, which took about an hour. I don't usually straighten my hair. I like it straight but it takes so long to do it that I usually just leave it in it's natural curls.


When I finished my hair I was tempted to just wear my sweatpants and t-shirt, no one would even pay attention to me and the movies would be dark, but I decided that I wanted to make a good impression on Austin. So I found myself doing the unthinkable, I was willingly choosing to wear jeans. Jeans of all things. The worst enemy of a soccer player. I opened my drawer and looked at the uncomfortable and restricting materials in the drawer. I sighed a little and took out a pair of light blue skinny jeans that had small rips on the upper thigh area and a larger rip on one of the knee caps. They were probably the most comfortable pair so I put them on(barely).


I then went into my closet and scanned through all of my shirts. I wanted something casual. I took out a brown and white plaid flannel shirt and put it on over my white tank top, and left it unbuttoned. My grandmother's locket still hung around my neck, where it belonged. I smiled slightly at myself in the mirror. I would have told her about Austin and our date, and she probably would have smiled. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to focus on something else. I grabbed my perfume and sprayed some on my neck just as my doorbell rang.


God no, I have to get down those stairs before my parents bombard him with questions. I ran down the stairs and cut my parents path off and sped in front of them into my hallway where I slipped on my dark brown vans and then opened the door for Austin. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt with three small buttons at the top and he had all three undone. The shirt clung to his body, hinting at the probably rock hard muscles underneath. He had on a dark jeans and a pair of black Nike sneakers. I liked that he didn't wear skinny jeans, they were more of a straight leg. Not much guys could pull off skinny jeans in my eyes. The only one I could think about that could, would probably be Adam Levine, and he could wear anything and he'd still be hot.


I heard the hallway door open and knew it would be my parents so I grabbed Austin's hand and pulled him toward his car with a horrified expression on my face. Please let me make it to this car before they say something embarrassing to him.


"Don't stay out too late and have fun honey!" My mother still managed to get something out and I nodded frantically and then got inside the car not even letting Austin get the door for me. He got inside and started laughing. His fingers were holding his keys that were in the ignition but before he started the car he asked what that was about.


"Embarrassing parents." I mumbled under my breath and slid down a little in my seat. He chuckled and started the car. I snuck a few glances at him as he rubbed his jar and stared off onto the road. Light music was playing in the background but I was too busy paying attention to him to listen to what song was on. "You don't know how to be subtle huh?" He asked and I stared at him confused and then I realized what he meant. He knew I was staring at him...checking him out. I imagined my face turning fifty shades of red. That was humiliating. I said nothing and decided to just look out the window hoping we could forget that that just happened.


We made it to the movie theater and walked inside and turned left to get our tickets. I wanted to pay for my own ticket but Austin insisted on paying for it. I felt really bad so I said I was paying for the snacks. He agreed and then we made it to the counter and I asked for a slushee while Austin got a soda. I didn't really want popcorn so I got some candy and Austin got some popcorn. I went in my bag for my wallet and as soon as I got it out and was ready to fish out enough money to pay, but then Austin already handed the cashier his own. I gave him a look and crossed my arms over my chest and he gave me an innocent look as he grabbed the popcorn and candy and I grabbed the drinks.


"I was suppose to pay."


"Oh yeah! I really forgot, my bad. We can go back and have him redo it all if you want?" He said grinning. He definitely didn't forget. I glared at him and handed the guy my ticket before we went to the theater. We searched for seats near the back and found two near the aisle and only a couple rows away from the last row. I was so excited to watch this movie. I loved the first one that came out and having Adam Sandler in there was a plus since he was my favorite actor. I couldn't wait to laugh the entire time.


"I can't wait to watch this movie." I said to Austin who was already starting on the popcorn and I smiled.


"I know I heard it's suppose to be hilarious." The previews turned on and we remained silent through out them but we both snuck glances at each other and then smiled when we caught each other. I was eating my Swedish fish and offered some to Austin but he crinkled his nose and shook his head. I looked at him in disbelief, who doesn't like Swedish Fish? Him and I are definitely not going to work out. Okay, that's a bit overdramatic, I still want him whether he likes Swedish Fish or not.


During the entire movie, I was laughing like a complete crazy person. Austin looked over at me, laughing too, and smiled. I was glad he didn't take me to dinner or something. Sure I love food and all, but I'd rather prefer a movie, and plus I wouldn't want to pig out in front of him. I could imagine me having half of the contents on my plate over my face while I talked to him with my mouth full and he'd have a horrified expression on his face the entire time. Yeah, I'm glad he didn't take me to dinner...


After the movie was done, Austin and I decided to take a little walk on the sidewalk, passing by the stores and restaurants that were next to the theater. Our shoulders brushed against each other's, and the little contact made me feel excited for some odd reason. I stepped away slightly so that they didn't continue to brush against each other so I could concentrate on what he was saying.


"So do you this often?" He asked with his hands in his pockets.


"Do what?"


"Go to movies with guys, stuff like that." I scratched the back of my neck. I didn't really want to tell him how he was really the first guy I went on a date with. I think I'd die of embarrassment but I also didn't want to lie to him either.


"Er---no. I guess I like to focus more on soccer and stuff." I said and he nodded and smiled.


"Same, soccer comes first." He said smiling.


"I doubt that you don't date. I think every girl in school is interested in you."


"Every girl?" He asked eyeing me with a raised eyebrow and I blushed and shrugged my shoulders slightly. "Well, it's true. I don't really ask girls out."


It made me happy to know that I wasn't the only one who wasn't that interested in the opposite gender. I was a bit skeptical when Austin said he doesn't really date girls though. I mean, he is literally perfection in my eyes, and how can someone who has girls throwing themselves at him all the time resist dating? "So how come you asked me out then?" I asked wanting to know.


"Well," he said nudging my shoulder with his own and I smiled, "I think you're awesome, and you play soccer so it's pretty much the best of both worlds." He said and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and I shook my head and smiled while looking down. "And if I'm being honest, I've kind of had a thing for you since freshmen year."


"What?" I shrieked and then cleared my throat trying to get rid of the way my voice sounded. "What do you mean since freshmen year?" I couldn't believe it. I thought I was the only one who practically perved on him during practice and in class.


"I remember going to your first game on varsity, and I couldn't stop watching you play. I hope that doesn't sound creepy, it's just pretty cool watching you play and you make this face when you're all serious and concentrated." He said smiling.


"I do not!" I didn't even find him creepy for eyeing me considering I always found myself staring at him whenever I got the chance.


"You do it's really funny," he said and then tried to imitate the face I supposedly make while I play. I think I would know if I make a face or not. I rolled my eyes and we started walking back to the car.


"Since we're being honest here, I've kind of had a thing for you since freshmen year too." I always found him cute but I really started liking him last year. He looked over at me and I smiled. Most of the ride back was in a comfortable silence.


"So what's the deal with you and Davis?" He asked and I bit back a sigh. I didn't really want to be talking about Davis right now. It might just put me into a bad mood. I shook my head slightly, Davis is not that bad. He could be nice and funny and--did I really just say something nice about Davis? I must have banged my head pretty hard on the road when I fell. Davis is--evil and--a demon who likes to torture me--and comfort me when I'm crying uncontrollably--and keeps things from my mom because I ask him to. I nearly slapped myself which would have made me look like an idiot in front of Austin. Did I really just have nice thoughts about Davis?


"We have a dysfunctional relationship." There are probably a million words that can describe the two of us. Bipolar, psychotic, deranged, but dysfunctional probably fit us best. Austin laughed and then dropped the conversation. When we reached my house, Austin parked in the driveway and then walked me to my door. I turned to face him and played with the buttons on my shirt.


"Thanks," I said awkwardly, "I had fun." I wasn't sure what to say after a date. I scratched the back of my neck and met Austin's eyes while he smiled back at me and I blushed.


"Me too," he said and I smiled, I don't think I could stop if I tried. Something about Austin made me smile(okay everything about him made me smile) but I didn't want to admit that because I felt all corny and like a dork. I could smell the cologne he was wearing because of his close proximity. If this was one of those romance movies, my legs would feel like jelly and give out on me and I'd feel butterflies in my stomach and fireworks would go off when we kiss. I hope he kisses me. I want him to. I've never been kissed, as embarrassing as it sounds, an almost eighteen year old, never being kissed, classic embarrassing fact.


I don't care if I have no experience or if I'd make a fool out of myself, I wanted him to kiss me. He must have not seen that because all he did was smile and say he'd see me in class. I turned around to unlock my door and frowned. Did he not want to kiss me? Was tonight not as amazing as I thought it was? Maybe he had a terrible time. I put my key in, ready to turn the knob and go to sleep disappointed when Austin cut me off.


"You know what?" He asked and I turned around eagerly.


"What?" I asked quickly. I clasped my hands together and started twisting my fingers nervously.


"I was going to wait but I can't," before I could ask or say anything, he stepped close to me, so close, and then pressed his lips against mine. I let go of my hands and placed them on his shoulders while his went to my waist. When we pulled away from each other I couldn't help but grin the entire time. He kissed me once more before he said goodbye(for real this time) and then left. I refrained myself from doing a little happy dance once I got inside and decided to just run to my room so I wouldn't be bothered with questions.


I quickly changed into my pajamas and went to brush my teeth and hair before I got into bed. I stared up at my ceiling with that stupid little smile still etched on my face. I reevaluated the kiss, practically reliving it, and then rolled around on my bed before I buried my face in my pillow.


Not even Davis could ruin this moment for me.


~~~

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