My High School Life Pt. 1

Chapter 21: The Finals

Chapter 21: The Finals

"We did it!" Amy shouts in my ear as we jump up and down with our teammates. "What did I tell Y'all! We're going to the finals!"

We begin cheering and the crowd was celebrating with us by throwing confetti at us. A bell was blown, signaling us that it was time to leave. We head to the locker rooms and changed out of our uniforms.

We hear another whistle and it was our coach. 

"Okay, girls, last game is next week and we have to practice more than we have ever!" She warns us. She smiled over at us. "I just want to warn y'all that we're going to share a bus with part of the football team", she advises us and some girls begin to cheer out happily that they made it too. "I'm almost done emailing your teachers to know who is leaving for two days and know if there is any work that you need to complete before we leave. Now, go home, rest up, and be ready for your last game of the season."

Once she leaves we begin chanting out the school's  fight song as loud as we could which was beginning to make my ear drums hurt. I don't know if it was because of the echo or because Amy was next to me yelling her heart out. I laughed it out anyway. I begin packing my belongings and started to head toward the door. Everyone followed behind me as if we were still playing the game.

"You have been a great captain", Amy says as she places her hand on my shoulder. I smiled and thanked her. When we walked out the building we hurried onto the bus and relaxed. Someone started playing music and we just sang to it. Time to time I would find our coach singing along, but mostly she would just look down at her phone and smile. Rumor has it that she's with the football coach. I couldn't help by smile knowing that someone is happy in their relationship. I looked away and focused on Amy who was texting away.

"Who are you texting?" I wondered.

"Josh", she admitted quickly. "He's out with his team celebrating, they're bowling...he's telling us that we should all go over there and celebrate too."

"Oh, well I don't mind," I shrugged.

"Hey!" Amy shouts out making everyone turn to the back. "Do y'all want to go bowling as a celebration?" She asks out and everyone stays quiet.

I sigh out. "The football team invited us", I informed them and they begin to agree.

"Great idea", Amy whispered patting my back.

When we arrived back to school the parents were there to pick up their daughters. I find mom easily.

"Hey", I say before hugging her.

"How did it go?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you think it went?"

"Did you win?" I nod my head and she hugs me tightly.

"Paisley! You coming?!" Amy shouted out.

"Where do you want to go? Aren't you tired?" Mom adds onto the questions.

"Yeah, but they want to celebrate at the bowling ally with the football team since we're both going to the finals", I explained.

"Okay then", mom says as she hands me some money. "Have fun and don't do anything inappropriate", she reminds me and I nod my head. I kiss her goodbye and head off to Amy's car.

*

Tanner:

Nothing. I have heard nothing about her. There were times when I would call dad to ask him how he's doing and hear Paisley talking or laughing away in the background. If she seems happy, then there is no point to ask dad about her.

At school, I managed to get on the football team by my cousin Austin. He set me up a late-late try out to see if I was even able to qualify. Without a doubt, I knew I was. When we won our last game, I have gotten news saying that a team from Texas was coming to compete with us. I didn't think much of it because there are so many high schools that it can be anyone.

When it comes to girls around here, I've kept my distance. I've just kept it natural and not bother to flirt with anyone because I knew I was going to break someone's heart since my heart wasn't into it. Classes are lame. The only people I only talk to are the ones from the team and no one else. I sit with them in lunch and just join in on conversations.

So, when lunch comes around and we're all at the table one of them clears their throats trying to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, we have to win this... we win every year and this week will not be the week we lose our streak", Wes threatened us. "If we lose, I swear I will go to each and every one of your houses and egg it", he warns us. I keep in laugh because I knew he was being serious, but come on... that is such a weak threat.

"So, Tanner... you used to live in Texas right", DJ asks me. I nod my head.

"Yeah", I answered.

"What's the school name?" Austin asks out,

"Richwood High", I answer before taking a bite of my burger. I move the tray away and swallow. The food here even stinks, and that's saying a lot. I guess Texas burgers are better.

"Nope, not the school", another person says out. I nod my head thankful that it isn't because I wouldn't want to betray my friends back home. In a way, I wish they would so I play my old team and be proud of how far they have gotten to come here.

The subject then changed into talking about thru girls. Our volleyball team is also going to compete with a school back in Texas which makes my heart race some more. Paisley. I miss her, but I think she still hates me. I want to explain myself to her and tell her that it was all of the sudden, but that time will come when she answers the phone or I head back to Texas.

*

Four days later:

The time has come and we are walking onto the field. The weather is not as burning hot as it is in Texas, so I'll be able to play as good as I did back there. The football team isn't going to play first, we're going to watch the volleyball game. Our girls are stretching away, so I begin to focus on something else.

"This is going to be epic", Wes hums out and I raise an eyebrow. He looks over at me and grins. I look at over at my other teammates and see them smiling at me. What's got into them? I shrugged it off.

"Here man", Austin says handing me ear phones since I was playing my music. I put them on and begin listening. The crowd then begins to cheer and just when I was going to stand up and see who we were going to compete with a flag was thrown in front of my face and I look over to see Wes and Austin holding it up.

"Austin!" I shout at him, but he didn't move. I groan out and tried moving to a different spot but no one would let me pass by. What's with them?! I stay put. I turn off my music and take off the ear phones.

The whistle gets blown. I could hear the ball getting hit repeatedly until the whistle blows.

"Point for Richwood!" Someone shouts out and my heart fluttered. I stand up and bring the flag down to find Paisley up and center while Amy was behind her. I send a glare over to my team.

"You knew!" I shout at them.

"So what! You're with us!" Wes warned me. "We're your team! Not them!" He proclaimed. I looked back at Paisley to find her with a straight face as she jumps and tried to make a spike, but failed. I bite my lower lip. I look around the stands to see my old team. They are wearing their school shirts. I have to go over there and talk to them.

Out of nowhere, I get pushed down until I was sitting back down. Austin sat next to me and I sent him a glare.

"I'm sorry okay, but we couldn't tell you because you would back out the game", he explained to me. I understood, but it still hurt that my own cousin would keep it away from me.

The whistle gets blown and it's like a break. Our girls come and drink up, while Paisley's team is huddled and talking about some business. I look back at Wes to find him nodding his head at Monica, the captain of the team. The whistle gets blown again and they all head back. Paisley and Monica shake one another hands and all of the sudden Monica points over to the stands and Paisley's eyes caught mine. Her face fell and the next thing I knew was that she was running off the field.