Cheap Shots

00:16

UNEDITED

16.

"Come on!" I yelled loudly at the team, trying to make my voice heard over the pouring rain. "We have one more fucking game until sectionals after this, and I didn't lose a foot and a shit ton of blood to be standing in the pouring rain losing to a team who can't tell a field hockey ball from the grass."

Tess was the first one to talk after my slightly violent halftime pep talk. "LET'S GO JAY!"

Soon, I was standing in the middle of a rowdy circle of fired up field hockey players, Jacque standing proudly next to me and clapping me on the back, before she was eventually joining in on the yelling and screaming encouragement.

"Are you ready to go?" Our coach asked us, coming over to our huddle with a small smile on her face.

"Hell yeah," Jacque said, causing coach to shoot her a little 'watch your mouth' look. If only she heard my speech.

Our starters took the field and scored a goal within the first few minutes of the second half, causing everyone to explode into a frenzy of happiness. I looked at the clock, smiling as I saw we were finally tied.

***

I'd like to think that we won because of my first-rate speech, because that's what Jacque and Tess were telling me, but I humbly voiced that it wasn't me but was the team. "Let's go get burgers," Tess suggested as we were all walking back to the bus, throwing our smelly equipment underneath the bus and taking seats.

"Yeah, Jacque, go ask the bus driver to stop on the way, he seems nice."

She rolled her eyes at me, "Orion, are you serious? No! You do it, you've got a mouth on you, anyways."

I rolled my eyes and lifted up my foot, stuck in a cast, "Can't walk, fractured my foot."

"Don't pull that card," she scolded me.

I smiled sarcastically, "Well than it's a waste."

"Fine!" She huffed, standing up and walking to the front of the bus. I watched as she animatedly chatted with the bus driver, finally putting her hands together and clapping excitedly.

Seconds later she walked back up to our seats flashing Tess and I a thumbs up and winking when she sat back down. "Way to go Jacque," Tess complimented and I held my hand out to her to fist bump.

I quickly grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head, desperately trying to replace my soaked shirt with one a little less wet. "What the hell is that?" Jacque suddenly asked loudly.

"What?" I asked confused, meeting her eyes as I started to pull my dry under armor over my head.

"The bandage underneath your ribcage?"

My eyes went wide as she glared daggers at me; probably thinking it was some kind of injury. "Surprise," I said, finally deciding that coming clean was the easiest option. "It's a tattoo."

"WHAT! You've got to be joking," she said, pulling my shirt up to see it again.

"If you wanted to take my clothes off all you had to do was ask," I told her cheekily, earning a scowl and a, "Shut up."

"You're hanging out with Beckett too much," she mumbled as she ripped the bandage off me forcefully. I winced in slight pain as she gasped again when she saw it.

"Whoa, that looks fucking awesome!" Tess enthusiastically said, whipping out her phone probably to take a picture of it.

I pulled my shirt down hastily, right as the flash from Tess' phone beamed brightly in the dimly lit bus. "What?"