The Final Season

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

It's the beginning of October and its ninety degrees outside. I can't understand how it's hotter now than it was during Summer. It's suppose to be chilly outside, leaves are suppose to be falling(well, some have begun actually) but it's not suppose to be this hot. I hope that the temperature will drop by the time practice comes around. The only thing worse than being with Davis during after school hours is being with Davis during after school hours in the blazing heat.


I decided to go for a pair of shorts today. I was a bit apprehensive to wearing them because I had the most unflattering tan lines from soccer. My thighs were really toned, and dark from the sun, but from just below the knee and lower, my skin was paler due to the socks I had to wear during games and practice. I hated it and didn't want to broadcast the fifty different shades on my legs, but it was too hot for any lengthy material. I put on a pair maroon shorts that were a few inches above mid thigh. I rummaged through my closet, with very little effort(I never had effort to get dressed) and found a black leather shirt. My hair was in its usual curly disheveled mess on the top of my head. I ran my fingers through it and grabbed my soccer bag and put both red straps on my shoulders and headed downstairs.


We were only two months in and I already wanted the school year to end. Why couldn't we just come to the building every other month and have a break from it on all the ones in between? I didn't even want to be thinking about college yet, but I should be preparing to apply to all sorts of colleges, unfortunately I had no idea where I wanted to go. College really isn't my thing, school isn't actually. I do my work and I understand the importance of it and all, but I just don't enjoy it. I enjoy soccer, that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to become the greatest to ever set foot(or cleat) on the field. My parents think I should do something more productive with my life though. They don't think soccer is enough, frankly, everything I do is probably not enough for them. If its not my dream to be a fancy lawyer or surgeon, they wouldn't want to hear it.


They think that chasing after a sport is just a waste of time. They think that it's too big of a risk. So many people want to be a professional athlete, and they think not everyone can make it, which I take into translation of them not believing in me, or my dream. When I tell them that so many people want to be doctors and lawyers and not everyone makes that either, they tell me there's a difference. They tell me I'd still be getting an education. They tell me it would all be worth it. Apparently soccer isn't.


I grab the box of Captain Crunch(I refuse to pronoune it Cap'n Crunch) and sit down at the island. Do you know that feeling people get warning them that their day was going to be complete and utter crap? That feeling was overwhelming me as I picked through my cereal for the round "berries". My mom walking into the kitchen as I was slurping the excess milk in my bowl. She gave me a disapproving look as she turned the kettle on.


"You eat like a pig," she stated for what has been like the thousandth time.


"Technically I'm drinking," I shot back with a final smirk.


"It's way too early for your smart remarks."


"Well you are in luck mom!" I said with mock enthusiasm. "I am off to a place where I will be tortured for six hours, your precious daughter, and you encourage this. How can you sleep at night?" I cried out dramatically as I grabbed my bag that rested near my feet.


"Go to school Iris," she replied rolling her eyes and I laughed. I grabbed my pair of black vans. They looked worn out and ripped in some areas and I grinned in triumph. It takes effort to wear out a pair of shoes, and make them look better than when you first got them. I think that vans and chuck taylors are the only shoes that actually look good when they get dirty and old.


I sighed loudly once I reached the lot in front of the school. If I could just stay in my car for the entire day, I would. As soon as I walk into that horrid building, I'll be swarmed by annoying human beings who scream and hug each other like they've been separated for an eternity. I begrudgingly opened my car door and dragged my feet across the pavement. If the sun was out this early, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like in the afternoon. I cringed inwardly, I wasn't looking forward to practice in the heat, and especially since psycho coach still hasn't departed.


On my way over to my locker, I noticed Austin by his, with Amy by his side. Amy was a really nice girl. She was a junior though, younger than the both of us, but I remember her because we had gym together last year. She was like a brainiac. When I say brainiac, I mean brainiac. The girl does extra assignments for fun, and the extra points as well. I barely even have the will to finish my needed assignments let alone do extra. Her hair was blonde, and braided into a fishtail that cascaded down her back. She continued to tuck a stray piece behind her ear but it continued to fall out of place. Her eyes were a warm brown and her skin was paler than mine, slightly matching Austin's.


I looked them both over. I couldn't help but notice that they would look great together. Despair engulfed me as I watched her laugh and slap his chest. I frowned at the feeling accumulating inside of me. It's not like I expected anything from Austin. We were friends. Friends that shared a kiss a few days ago. Okay, maybe a part of me was expecting something from Austin. What that something was, I'm not sure about, but I didn't imagine it to be him with Amy.


You're jealous, my conscious voiced and I quickly looked away from the duo and in an instant I bumped into something hard and backtracked a few steps.


"Be careful klutz," Zach, one of Austin's friends teased and I scowled at him. He loved to push my buttons, and he succeeded in doing so each time. I directed a sarcastic smile in his direction and then stormed off toward my locker, in hope that no one saw the embarrassing incident that happened moments before.


Austin and Amy continued to swarm my mind as I walked to my locker. This...jealousy was causing me to become frustrated. I never liked someone before, and definitely not enough to have me upset and dwelling over the fact of seeing them with someone else. I wasn't sure of what I should do. I didn't know if I should tell him how I feel about seeing him with Amy because I'll probably come across as a desperate stalker. I wanted to bang my head against my locker. This has never been a problem for me. Boys have never been a problem for me.


I groaned in frustration as I slammed my locker shut. Beth appeared out of thin air, in her usual perky attitude. I gave her a look, signaling that I wasn't in the mood for whatever she wanted to say. She ignored my warning completely(as always) and began her rant.


"So it's Davis's birthday soon, and the team wants to do something for him."


"His birthday is in November. That's nearly a month away."


"Yeah, I know. But I want to do something nice for his birthday because it's our last year with him. Are you in?" She asked looking at me.


"Sure why not." It's not like I completely hated the guy. To be honest, he was starting to grow on me. I was beginning to look past his demonic meat suit and notice that he wasn't so bad after all. He did let me off practice when Sarah surprisingly showed up, and he did save me from a psycho stranger, and he didn't give up on me when I left the team and gave up on soccer.


By the time lunch came around, I was in my regular bad mood. I need to go see a therapist or someone related to that profession because I need to get happier than I usually am. Maybe I could get one of those stress balls that you squeeze whenever you're upset. Then again, I might just get so annoyed that I chuck it at the head of whatever person that pisses me off(Davis would have a few headaches by the end of the day.)


I noticed Austin(without Amy) sitting at his lunch table with friends. I began walking toward my table when I heard him call out my name. I wasn't sure if I should ignore him, because that would just be childish and for no reason at all, or if I should pretend like nothing is bothering me when something actually is.


"Hey, want to go off campus for lunch?" He asked slightly jogging until he stopped in front of me. He was in a red nike hoodie, and a pair of nike trackpants. His blue eyes stared back at me intently as they waited for my answer. I bit my lip, wanting to refuse his offer, wanting to be upset at him even if the reason for it was ridiculous, but I found myself giving in.


"Subway?" I asked and he smiled.


As we walked over to his car, I felt awkward, only because I kept thinking about Amy. I wanted to know what he thought of me as. Maybe that one date we shared didn't even mean anything to him. Maybe he just wanted to be friends with me. I would be okay with either, as long as he didn't lead me on.


The questions still teemed my mind as we sat at a table eating our subs, the occasional classmates passing by with questioning glances(probably wondering why I was eating with Austin instead of Amy.) I sighed internally. I really needed to stop thinking about it. I was becoming a jealous teenage girl, obsessing over a guy who I wasn't even in a relationship with.


"What's wrong?" Austin asked sensing my uneasiness.


I stared at him for a while, not sure of how I should answer the question. Would he laugh at me? Probably. But he wouldn't lie to me. If I told him what was bothering me, he would tell me the truth about it. I could just tell by his straight forward demeanor that he wasn't a liar, but how do I even say it?


"Um, this morning I saw you at your locker," I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, "and I saw you with...Amy." I refused to meet his eyes but when he said nothing I needed to look over at him. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at me perplexed. It was like a light bulb turned on in his head because he stared at me in realization, and then slowly grinned.


"You're jealous." He gloated. I scoffed, wishing it wasn't true, even though I knew it was. He then began to laugh and I stared at him, waiting to understand what was so funny. "Amy's my step-cousin Iris. You have nothing to worry about."


"That doesn't stop some people," I remarked and earned a raised eyebrow from Austin. "I've read stories." I said shrugging and taking a sip of my sprite.


"Well you have nothing to worry about." That simple sentence me feel better immediately. I smiled at him, slightly flustered for being jealous of him and Amy.


~


Boredom struck as I sat in Davis's class. I just wasn't in the mood to learn today. He kept trying to call on me and get me to participate in class but I gave him half-assed answers and he stopped calling on me. I stretched my arms over my head as I stifled a yawn. it was getting tougher and tougher to keep my eyes from closing.


When class was over, I was ready to jump from my chair and run as fast as I could. Unfortunately for me, Davis had different plans as he called me to stay after class. I groaned quietly and turned to walk in his direction. He was standing in front of his desk, his hands were rested on the wood of his desk as he leaned forward.


"Yeah?" I asked.


"I wanted to discuss your grade on the last quiz." He responded. He fished something out of his folder and handed it over to me. I stared down at the eighty written in red pen in the top right corner of the page. I looked at him puzzled. What was there to discuss?


"I got an eighty."


"You can do so much better."


I nearly rolled my eyes. He needed to stop expecting so much from me because I will always come up short, and then it will leave him disappointed. As if he could read my mind and reveal my inner thoughts, he tried to assure me that I could.


"Grey, you get an eighty without even putting effort into your work. Imagine your grades if you actually tried. If you actually studied."


If I actually cared.


"Whatever you say." I replied and Davis sighed and gestured that I could leave. He shouldn't be upset with me. He's known me for four years. He should already expect this from me. Never did I promise that I would be a straight A student, and never did I promise that it would be his class that I actually tried in.


~


The boys had to share the turf with us today. I was glad because then I could see Austin some more(maybe even shirtless.) Speaking of Austin, I saw him walking through the gate toward the stadium and walked toward him. He stopped near the bleachers and put his shin guards and cleats on. From where we were standing, we were hidden by everyone who was already on the turf.


Sadly, he didn't drop the whole Amy situation and teased me further. I shoved him away playfully and crossed my arms over my chest. He was becoming so big-headed and his ego needed to be deflated.


"So you were really jealous?" He asked stepping closer to me, causing my nerves to jitter. He was centimeters away from me, and so were his lips. My eyes quickly glanced down to them, hoping that he would kiss me again. If it would be anything like our first kiss, I was praying for it to happen. Austin leaned in, sensing the same thing as I was. His lips were millimeters away, and I anticipated them.


"Iris, get on the field." Davis's voice boomed behind us, pissed, and I jumped away from Austin and flushed in embarassment. I understand that he was upset at me, probably for what happened earlier with us, but that was no reason to humiliate me. I glared at him and he glared back at me, waiting for me to do as he asked. I apologized to Austin and then breezed past Davis, bumping his shoulder as I did so.


The rest of the team was already doing the warm up stretches, so I ran a lap and then joined them. I could feel Davis's eyes on me but I refused to look at him and give him the satisfaction of seeing me angry. It was hotter out now than it was in the morning and I already wanted a water break just from doing our warm up.


"Okay girls, we're running the mile today." Davis announced and everyone looked at him as if he was insane, but i busied myself by getting a cup of water and remained silently annoyed that he was making us run a mile for no reason at all, and in this heat. "Lets go, everyone on the track." We all begrudgingly walked over to the red lanes.


I wasn't going to run this mile, I don't care. As he blew his whistle everyone took off running while I jogged at a reasonable pace. Nearly two minutes passed by the time I finished a lap. Davis narrowed his eyes at me as I jogged by and glanced at his stopwatch. By the time I was on my fourth lap, Davis was annoyed with me.


"Iris you're the captian of this team. Act like it or don't be it at all." He told me and something about his statement set me off as i began to actually run my final lap. I wasn't doing it for him, or because he was practically threatening my captian position, but I did it because he upset me.


The rest of practice ended the same exact way. Him throwing jibes in my direction. Grey what are you doing? Are you serious? You call that a pass? Do you not know how to one touch a ball? I wanted to shout shut up. I wanted to grab him by the front of his shirt and give him a piece of my mind. He wouldn't like it very much, but i didn't like him very much. And to think that he was actually beginning to "grow" on me. More like the hatred I felt for him, was beginning to grow on me.

~

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