The Final Season

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five


My alarm blared and disrupted me from my already troublesome sleep(if it's even considered sleep, I'm pretty sure I was awake during most of it). My mind decided it would be an appropriate time to consider the possibility of losing the last Finals I will ever be apart of as a Red Devil. I couldn't even stomach the thought of losing, and watching Carly and her teammates celebrate what should be mine. It's highly probable that the events will unfold in that manner. I've had this feeling lodged in my gut for the past week, foreshadowing the inevitable loss that I won't know how to cope with. The sour taste of failure is going to resonate in my mouth until I'm old and wrinkly, and forget what a soccer ball even looks like anymore.


"Iris shut your freaking alarm off," Max shouted through my door and I groaned and opened one of my eyes to shut off the annoying electronic. I laid back down on my bed and shut my eyes to rest them for five more minutes before I had to get everything ready for our game.


Iris

Iris

Iris


I whined slightly as I turned over in my bed. Suddenly I hated my name. It was interrupting the tranquility I was void of last night, and anything that did that deserved my hate.


"Iris mom says you only have an hour before the bus leaves,"


I jumped from my bed and pushed my hair out of my face. The alarm clock read nine and I needed to be at the parking lot at ten. Resting my eyes for a couple minutes turned into falling asleep for an extra hour. I groaned loudly and ran into my bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth quickly. I didn't even want to tackle the beehive on my head but I had to. I swung my door open, still in my pajamas, and startled Max who was still stationed by my door.


"Ew, you're ugly in the morning," he said scrunching his nose and I grabbed his face and pushed him back as I ran past him and down the stairs. I held onto the railing as I clumsily ran down, if I hurt my ankle any further I'd be on crutches, and I wouldn't want to explain to Davis how I managed to fall down a flight of stairs to do so. Especially after he's giving me this chance to play.


"Oh Iris, I thought you were never going to wake up," my mom said as she took a bite of her eggs. There was a plate of toast in front of her and I grabbed one quickly and stuffed it in my mouth. I grabbed her fork and took some of her eggs and then washed it all down with her cup of orange juice. She stared at me with her mouth wide open and I grabbed another piece of toast and took a bite.


"Sorry mom I'm running out of time," I called out as I ran out of the kitchen and back towards my room. I definitely was not a morning person, and everyone in this household knew that. They stayed clear from me as I ran around the house frantically gathering around everything I needed. I was in my sports bra and shorts as I packed my other stuff in my bag. I managed to finish everything within a half an hour.


Pulling my jersey on, and then my warm ups, I grabbed my bag and keys and ran down the steps. I packed some snacks for the bus ride and then kissed my parents goodbye. They said they would start heading out in an hour, and our game didn't start until twelve so I was content with that. At least they were coming. That made feel a bit better.


When I reached the parking lot I knew that everyone was waiting for my arrival. Davis was leaning against the bus, arms crossed, and constantly glancing at his watch when I pulled into the parking lot. I parked right next to his car and jumped out.


"Has punctuality ever been a problem for you Grey?"


I glanced at my phone and checked the time, "never," I smirked, "made it here with ten minutes to spare," I added as I winked and walked passed him. He rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the bus and followed me on. I greeted everyone on the bus but decided to sit on the seat across from Davis. I wanted to be alone and I knew that if I sat near Davis, we'd pretend the other wasn't there. I needed to get my thoughts straight before the game. I have to reevaluate the importance of it and what needs to be done. I can't do that listening to Val and god knows what story she'd have for us this time.


"Where's Olly?" I asked Davis when I noticed we were missing someone's attendance. Usually he's one of the first here, and usually he's the one seated across from Davis.


"He's going to meet us there," he told me as he placed his bag next to him, "why are you up here?"


"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know that this seat was reserved for your imaginary friend," I told him sarcastically.


"You can walk y'know" he said briefly glancing at me, "a pre warm up for you,"


"Are you threatening me? The bus driver is my witness, you see this right sir? Does this camera on the top work? Can they hear his cruelty?"


The old man in front of me laughed and smiled. He had on a worn out baseball cap and a blue flannel jacket on. I admired his looks. There was something about the elderly that made me smile, and this man was no exception.


"Y'all are funny," he told me and I glared at Davis who glared back.


"I'm funnier," he said. What an adult this guy is.


"Yeah, funnier looking," I replied having my own childish moment. The bus driver shook his head in amusement and then asked if we were set to leave. When the bus rolled out of the parking lot, I reached for my headphones in my bag and shut my eyes, trying to sort through the mess of thoughts spinning in my mind. I grabbed the bag of pretzel m&ms in my bag and popped one after another in my mouth as memories of last year's game flashed through my mind. We could have won. I just needed to make the penalty shot to equalize the game, and I freaked out. Carly had no trouble in reminding me of how I "choked" last year. Honestly, I kind of want to choke her. Thank god for laws because I probably would have done it, and I'm not sure how well I'd hold up in prison.


Davis was against the window in his seat, with a clipboard in his hand. I knew that he was working out the line-up for today, but I couldn't stop replaying me shooting the ball over the crossbar. I remember everyone's face after I missed the shot, but the worst was Davis. The look of pure defeat masked his face after I missed the shot, and I knew he was trying his hardest to hide his disappointment. That disappoint felt worse than missing the shot. I will never forget it, and I've tried.


I decided to disrupt Davis anyway. I left my seat and went into his. I slid my feet out of my sandals and then crossed my legs after I turned my body to face him. The bag of candy stayed untouched in my lap, suddenly far less appetizing. He made a few more marks on the board and I saw him eyeing me from the corner of his eye, any discretion he attempted was a failed plan. Once he realized he couldn't get rid of me, he set his things aside and then turned to me. He said nothing. Waiting for me to speak, he eyed me curiously and I bit my lip, not sure how to start. Confiding in him was not something I've ever been accustom to.


"What if I make the wrong choice?" I finally blurted. He furrowed his eyebrows so I elaborated further, "what if I end of messing up again and ruining the game?"


"Grey, you'll be fine."


I thought coaches were suppose to be reassuring. If so, Davis was a terrible coach then, "we lost last year because of me," I told him, dragging everything on further. I could have stopped after he told me I'd be fine, but something felt unsettled. I've never openly talked about last year's game, and I think I've hurt myself in doing so.


"We didn't lose because of you stop being crazy, focus on today's game Grey."


"You were disappointed in me,"


"What?" Shock overtook his features as he waited for my response. I swallowed the lump lodged in my throat.


"I saw your face after I missed, it was obvious," I said playing with the end of my braid.


"I wasn't disappointed in you Grey--"


I cut him off before he could continue, and finally admitted what I've done so well at keeping in, "It's okay, I mean I'd be disappointed too, I freaking missed that shot. It was so bad, and I looked at you after, and you looked so upset with me, and--I hated seeing that."


My throat had never felt this dry before. I looked at everything but him. Silence was the only prominence between us after my confession. My mind shouted for me to go back to my seat, but then Davis reached out and grabbed my hand, abruptly silencing my mind, but then sending it into an entirely different rant. I stared at him questionably as he remained silent for another moment.


"I wouldn't have made you captain if I didn't believe in you Grey," he reassured me as he gently squeezed the hand he continued to hold. "You are the difference on this team, and you have been for a long time."


"What if I don't know what to do out there? What if I make a decision and it back fires? I can mess it up all over again, and it's my senior year. I can't lose. I can't lose again, I just can't. I can't."


He squeezed my hand once more and smiled slightly, "trust your gut." I stared at him anxiously and he laughed, "and trust me."


"Thanks," I whispered. Truth be told, Davis was good at listening, and even better at comforting. I moved back to my seat and remained silent for the rest of the ride, with my mind at ease at least for now. There was no certainty that my demeanor would remain intact for the entire morning. In fact, a part of me had a feeling that I was bound to fall apart soon.


When we reached the Warriors' stadium, we detoured to the restrooms and made sure everything was in place. I made sure that everyone had their warm ups and everything on. I put pre wrap on as the door to the bathroom opened. Carly and Hannah walked in. Our eyes locked immediately. There was no way that I would reveal any sign of nervousness in front of them. Granting them that satisfaction would be the last thing I'd ever do.


"Oh, hey Iris!" Carly grinned as she walked over to us. The chatter in the room dissipated and I felt the presence of people around me. I turned my head to see Val on one side and Beth on the other, glaring at Hannah.


I said nothing. I wasn't going to play her stupid little games. The only game I was focused on was the one that was going to start in an hour. I turned my direction to the mirror and adjusted my pre wrap once more before I attempted to leave the bathroom, and set an example for my team.


"You know you're gonna choke again today Iris, no matter how big and bad you act,"


"Can I punch her for you?" Val asked beside me. Carly looked over at her and rolled her eyes which only encouraged Val further, "please? I'll take the shit from Davis, just let me punch her once," she begged me and I laughed.


"After we win the game you go ahead Val, I might do it myself," I said before I walked by Carly and out to the field.


Olly was finally here, and so was his wife and son. Davis was holding him and sticking his tongue out and I quickly jogged over to him to see him.


"Can I play too uncle Ty?" the boy asked. Davis messed up the mop of brown hair on his head as he laughed and blue eyes met mine. I smiled at him and he smiled back slightly. Davis looked over at me and then back at the Olly's son.


"Michael this is Iris, you want to say hi?"


There was hesitance in his voice as he greeted me. I took nothing personally. I was just a stranger to him. Jace was just as shy when someone he didn't know someone tried talking to him. I smiled once more, greeted Olly and his wife, and then told Davis that we were going to head out to the field. He nodded and handed Michael off to Olly's wife and rounded up the girls before we entered the gate.


"Now it's time to be serious guys. I want you to go out there and start your warm up. Don't fool around, think to yourself about what you need to do today to win this game, alright? Lets go," he said and we nodded and followed after him. The Warriors were already out there, but they hadn't started their warm up yet. There was a few people here but not a lot yet. We placed our bags behind the bench and put the water jug at the end of the bench. There was no fooling around. Davis's words stuck in our heads as we ran our laps silently, and did our drills. Music blasted above us and the stands became more and more populated as time elapsed. The boys soccer team arrived and even our principle showed up.


I was juggling the ball near Davis as he called us over to tell us what drill he wanted next. Roar by Katy Perry was the next song to leave the speakers and I couldn't help but sing the first few lines.


"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath. Scared to rock the boat and make a mess. So I sat quietly, agreed politely"


Davis stared at me for a moment and then laughed, "you? Yeah right."


Everyone laughed and I scowled at him. I do bite my tongue and remain silent a lot! I could have said so much more than I did in the past to him, but I always held it back. Once he finished laughing, he told us what drill he wanted next. For today I'd do everything he said. He should appreciate it while it lasts.


My eyes continued glancing at the scoreboard for the time remaining. With ten minutes left, the stands were full, and the refs called over captains from both sides for the coin toss. "Shake hands," he said and the four of us made no attempt at following his orders. I looked at him, waiting for him to carry on. The ref asked what side I wanted and I told him tails, just for old time sake. I already knew it would be heads when it landed in the man's palm. He confirmed my thoughts and Carly smirked and said they wanted ball first.


"History's already repeating itself," Carly said to me with a smile and I smiled sarcastically at her and then told the ref which half of the field we wanted to start on.


"Oh and as my history teacher would say, sometimes history repeating itself is a bad sign, so I wouldn't get too happy Carly."


"You just quoted Davis," Beth told me as we made our way back.


"That will go with us to our graves,"

~


"This is it ladies," we were all circled around Davis as he kneeled down, clipboard in hand. "I've watched you work for today. If you give as much effort as you did throughout the entire season, we will win this year. I know I want this, and I know you all want this just as bad. And I'd really love to see Fred's face after we win." We all laughed and he smiled, "think when you're out there, make the right decisions," his eyes found mine momentarily, "and trust your gut."


My fingers wrapped around the locket hanging from my neck. I couldn't wear it but I couldn't just stuff it in my bag either. I needed her to watch me. I needed her to be here for me. I went to the only person that I knew would have his eyes on the field the entire time. He stared at me as I stood in front of him nervously, wondering if this was asking for too much. I ignored the thought and asked him anyway.


"I was wondering if you could um--" I took the locket off and looked at him again. He seemed to know what I was thinking because he took if from my hands and put it over his head. I smiled gratefully and he returned one. I felt slightly better knowing he was wearing it because I knew his eyes would be on me during the game.


After the starting line-up was announced for both sides, and the national anthem finished, we took our places on the field just as we did plenty of times before, except this time was different. This game meant so much more than any other I've ever played. I shook slightly from the nerves, or it could have been the immense cold of a November afternoon. I gripped the end of my underarmor and jogged in place, waiting for the whistle to blow. Davis put me as outside mid and Carly was across from me, just as she was the last time we played.


My mind replayed the day. The horrid game, the storm that followed, and the news of my grandmother all in a twenty-four hour span. More than anyone I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to at least make something out of the decisions I made that day. I chose soccer over her that day, and though I will always regret it, maybe winning today can help make the thought of that a little easier to swallow.


The whistle finally blew and the game I've been waiting for forever finally began. It started the same way that it ended last year. There was pushing and shoving, we wanted to send them a message, and they wanted to do the same. Carly received the ball from a pass and I stood in front of her, watching the ball between her feet, and stood on my toes, waiting for her next move. I stayed with her as she tried to move, frustration must have overcame her because her elbow met my side in an attempt to free herself from me and keep going.


I held my side momentarily and then ran after her. Val met Carly halfway and was able to take the ball from her. She passed it up to me, but managed to elbow Carly back for what she had done earlier, and knowing Val, probably for the bathroom incident too. I smiled and then ran to the ball and then dribbled down the field. Maggie was making a run in the middle of the field and I passed the ball over to her before the defender came my way. She made a pass to Beth, who found a gap between the defenders and took a shot. It was just wide of the goal and resulted in a goal kick.


The game continued its course, with the ball going from one end of the field to the other equally. There were few chances for both sides. Our defense made sure to not let the ball get past them. They looked to pull the offsides trap constantly, and they caught Hannah offsides several times because of it.


With five minutes left in the half, the cold weather was forgotten as I began to sweat profusely. My elbows, along with one side of my shorts, were covered in dirt from the times that I had "fallen" or even more likely, been pushed. My only thought was that there was only five minutes until half time, and five minutes until I could have some water. My ankle throbbed slightly but I ignored any pain I felt from it. There were no goals scored by either sides. Our defense pulled the offsides trap again, but this time Hannah remained onsides. Expecting a call, they didn't run at first. Seconds later they realized there was no whistle coming, so they sprinted after her. I sprinted as well, watching helplessly as Mar stepped out of goal, trying to give Hannah a harder angle to shoot from, but Hannah managed to get a shot off, and I watched Mar reach for it. The ball slipped passed her fingers and the Warriors erupted in cheers.


I stopped running and placed my hands on my hips as I caught my breath, and fought back tears. I hung my head, trying to steady my breathing, I wasn't sure if the trouble came from the sprint or from watching them score a goal. I heard Mar's shouts. She was furious, blaming everything and everyone, including herself. Davis called out to her and told her to calm down, and then told us let's go. I heard the anger accumulating in his voice. I shut my eyes for a moment and then looked up. The scoreboard buzzed, signaling the end of the half and Carly ran passed me.


"Oh by the way, tell that history teacher of yours that in this case, history repeating itself is a good sign,"


I had no energy left to say anything to her. In fact, she was right. It was a good sign, at least for her. I grabbed my water bottle and walked over to the corner flag. The rest of the team was already there. I separated myself from the group and sat in a vacant area, void of any other person. The team was already divided anyway, choosing to isolate myself by where I sat wasn't going to make a difference.


Davis and Olly walked over. Davis set his clipboard down and crouched down so that he was eye level with us. That didn't seem to matter because everyone's eyes were already focused on the ground beneath us. I was hoping that my patch of grass would open up and swallow me whole.


"Okay, so they scored, so what?"


No one said anything. Either they didn't know how to respond, or they had already given up. For me, it was becoming the latter.


"You guys had chances. You can win this game. They got lucky okay? If they didn't score that goal I would have been surprised. So put that behind yourselves, and get back in this game. I'm so proud of you all either way,"


Hearing his last few words upset me. I stood up and walked away. People only say those words when they know they're going to lose. I was already beginning to lose hope, but knowing that Davis already had only made the situation so much more real. Everything we worked for was going to be a waste, and I was going to end my senior year as a Red Devil in failure. Salty tears ran down my cheeks, and with this weather, I was surprised they didn't freeze.


A hand reached my shoulder, and turned me around. Davis was standing in front of me and I quickly wiped away the evidence of my emotions.


"What are you crying for?" he asked angirlly. "Is this game over? I'm pretty sure that there is still another half, and if you don't pull yourself together Grey, I will bench you." I stared silently at him, "you need to stay strong up here," he said tapping my head, "you won't get anywhere being just physically strong. You need the mentality too. That's what separates champions from second place. Alright?"


"Alright,"


"Good, now get in that huddle and talk to your team. Second half starts in a minute."


That minute felt like thirty seconds. Either way, we treated this half as a clean slate. To us, the score was still goalless, and we were still determined to win. Carly smirked at me as the whistle blew, and I pushed passed her and recieved the pass from Beth. We started an attack instantly, and I dribbled passed two defenders. I passed the ball over to Zo, who saw me making my run into the box, and sent the ball my way. I took a shot, but the goalie reached out and grabbed it.


I groaned in frustration but turned around and made my run back for defense. Carly was making a run for the ball and I followed after her. She pulled at my jersey to try and pull me behind her, but I pulled hers back, letting her know that I wasn't going to be some pet that she played around with. The ref blew his whistle and warned the both of us to quit fooling around.


Of course we didnt listen. We weren't planning to in the first place, and if anything, she was the one provoking me further. I passed the ball to Val who was open in the middle, she manuevered her way through two Warriors and continued toward the penalty box. Carly left me to go defend Val, but Val was already in front of her, and ready to take a shot. Carly reached out, and with no intention of going for the ball, tripped Val. The ref blew his whistle and immediately pulled a yellow card out. Carly protested her case but the ref refused to listen as he pointed to the penalty spot.


I stared in horror, and when Davis called out my name to take the shot, I shut my eyes and pretended not to hear him. I couldn't do this again. I couldn't risk missing. He may have faith in me, but I sure as hell did not.


"Iris take the shot!" he shouted, and I looked over at him, silently pleading for him to ask someone else. He only repeated himself, and I sighed internally. I took the ball from the ref and placed it on the penalty mark. I stepped back and stared at the goal, and heard Carly murmur "don't choke" from behind me. I swallowed, and looked at each end of the goal, wondering which side I should choose, silently worried that I might choose wrong. I looked over at Davis once more and then back at the ball.


Trust your gut.

~~~

I enjoyed writing this chapter so much, I was going to finish the entire game in this chapter but I liked the idea of ending here, don't hate me(: Anyway let me know what you guys think and what you think will happen with Iris(:

Comment, Vote, Fan(: