Game, Set, Match

{5}

Nate

"You two have got to be kidding me?" Coach says as Chase and I sit silently in his office.

Isn't this a sight? Chase with a cut lip and bruised nose and I've got a swollen eye and bruised jaw.

After they managed to separate Chase and I on the field, Coach Ray basically threw us into the coach and we drove quietly back to school. I didn't get to sit next to my friends on the one hour drive back. Instead, I was seated in the very front of the coach with Coach Ray behind me and Chase seated in the two seats across. When we finally arrived, everyone was then dismissed and able to go home but Chase and I were forced into one of Coach's meetings.

Lucky us.

"First we lose the game, then our two co-captains are fighting in the middle of the pitch! If I wanted to watch two lads at each other's throats I would have put WWE on the tele! We were supposed to get out there and make a name for ourselves, now we're a laughing stock! We are never going to be taken seriously again!" I jolt as Coach slams his palms into his wooden desk. Chase looks at me and smirks. I rarely get told off. Chase seems as though he's far too familiar with this.

"If we want to be a team, a real team with a real shot at this, you two boys need to get along." He points his finger at the both of us.

"Coach, that's impossible." I say.

"What he says." Chase replies.

"Well too bad. You are going to make the impossible possible. For the sake of the team, you two have to get along. You've left me with no choice so as of now the two of you will be doing a series of bonding exercises."

"Coach! You can't make us do that." I say.

"Coach, come on. That's unnecessary. How about we promise never to fight again during a match?" Chase tries.

Like that's gonna happen.

"Not good enough boys. I already got everything set up while we were coming back from that dreadful match. You're first task is to ask each other a series of questions and you must answer truthfully. Ask the other about three things: family, friends and future. It's simple. I want the answers to the questions back by Monday. So you two have a lovely weekend getting to know each other and I'll see you boys in my office early Monday morning."

Coach seems too happy with himself as he exits his office. "Oh and I almost forgot." He pops back into sight. "If you fail to properly complete any of your tasks, not only will you be removed as captain, but you two will be removed from the team and in detention for a week for fighting. You boys are lucky I didn't tell Ms O'Neil. She would have had your heads on a silver platter for breaking her zero fighting policy." Coach walks out for good I assume.

I turn to look at Chase to see that he is already half way out of his chair.

"Oi, Chase." I call as I try to catch up with him. He pushes the school doors open and they swing back sharply, nearly crashing into me.

"Hey, I said wait up." Chase continues to walk. I run to his side and pull on his arm which is buried deep into the pockets of his muddy football shorts. I finally gain his attention.

"I get that you don't want to do this. I don't too. But I still want to be captain or co-captain or whatever and I'm not going to let you ruin this for me. So can we just do this for the team and pretend to at least be civil with each other until we've convinced Coach. Then we can go back to hating each other."

"You make it sound so easy not to hate you." He says. Does he really hate me that much?

What the fuck have I done to him?

"See! It's this! You!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Chase asks confused.

"This is why we can't get along. It's because you've already decided that you hate me when I've done fucking nothing to you! Come on, tell me. What's the reason why you hate me so much? Is it because I'm popular? Is it because people can actually tolerate my presence? Or is it because I have more than two fucking friends?"

I don't realise I've gone too far until Chase is standing right in front of me, fists clenched tightly by his side, his breathing heavy and forceful. I'm anticipating the punch now, preparing myself for the pain to come. But he doesn't punch me. Just continues to breath. In a particular pattern this time, perhaps one he was taught.

I didn't mean to snap again but I couldn't help it. He just gets me so angry sometimes. Maybe we have the same effect on each other. Maybe we're both ticking time bombs and we're each other's trigger. Or maybe we're the catalyst speeding up each other's reactions.

He takes a couple steps away from me but I don't feel any safer from his rage. Then he yells "Don't fucking act like your mind wasn't made up about me the second you saw me!"

He's got me there. With the way he looks and the stories that circulate around him it's hard not to picture him as the bad guy.

"Don't fucking act like this is all my fault when for some goddamn reason you hate me too!" Chase yells.

It's true. I hate him.

And to be honest, I don't have a specific reason why. We never spoke before this or interacted in any way. He was a name I heard pop up in some of my friends' conversations. A face I saw around school and nothing more. Since when did he become my enemy? The person I wanted to see least in the world?

But he hates me too.

I guess we're just as bad as each other.