Derbyball

Shocker.

I stuff a spoonful of mashed potatoes into my mouth as we sit around the table for a family meal yet again. Mom and Dad are speaking quietly beside each other to my left while Joey and Allison do the same to my right.

They're all being subconsciously rude. I'm here by myself, the double third wheel, while they all have at least one conversion each.

I stare down at my peas. You love me, right? I mean, we're like two peas in a pod.

I can't help but laugh aloud at my insane joke. As I cackle, I look up to find four pairs of eyes watching me, all showing a different kind of emotion, from frightened to amused.

"What's so funny, Jess?" Joey asks, his eyes being the amused pair.

I scratch the back of my neck. "Um... Er- something on my phone made me laugh. It's really funny..."

Everyone keeps staring at me and it makes me want to dive under the table.

"Your phone's on the coffee table in the living room, I just saw it a minute or two ago." Joey smirks, catching my lie like a dog catches a ball.

I duck my head close to my plate so I don't have to see my parents' disapproving faces. They hate lies, even those of the slightest, and this really isn't the time to be scolded.

There's a comfortable silence between them all for about five minutes. I keep my head ducked as I eat, almost resembling how a squirrel eats.

As the silence drags on, my thoughts become louder. I might as well try to think out how I'm going to figure out what the team met about without me. I had tried to hint to them that I wanted to know what they met about, several times, but no one took the bait.

I really hate them sometimes.

The scary thing is that they may have been discussing a way to get me off of the team. This thought has haunted my mind ever sense I saw them on the boardwalk. They might just be tired of me. They might think I'm not good enough. They may think I'm unworthy.

If they do, they're the biggest idiots I know. I worked my ass off trying to fit on the team without a majority of rejection as a team mate. I sat through every plan, exercised like never before, got up at unreasonable times in the morning just to practice, skipped gatherings with my friends, cried once or twice, just to get the spot on the team I deserve.

I'm not saying I'm the best they've ever seen, I'm not saying they're the most unreasonable team mates, I'm just saying that I deserve what I worked for and they have no right to take it away from me.

No right what-so-ever.

"Will you marry me, Allison Irene Hensly?"

My head snaps upwards so fast that I'm sure I'll have a pain when I wake up tomorrow. I almost choke on my own saliva.

Joey's kneeling on one knee as Ally sits in the chair, her hands on his cheeks.

Holy crap.

I watch closely as Joey pulls out a small blue box from his jeans. I can hear my mom gasp aloud as Joey opens up the box to reveal a small band with a pebble sized gem, a diamond, on the top.

"Oh my God! Oh my God, Joey!" Ally screams in his face, her countenance completely shocked. I can see her eyes get misty as she looks at him. "Are you sure you-"

"Yes, I do, forever and always with-"

"Yes!" Ally cries.

Now it's Joey's turn to look surprised. "Yes?"