Sunflower

Chapter Fifteen: Protector

"You ready?" My dad asked handing me my bag. 

I shook my head, "No. Does my first game have to be against Garfield?" 

"Hey you've got the twins watching your back, you'll be alright." 

I nodded a bit, "Hey, come here," My dad pulled me into a tight hug, "I love you." 

"I love you too." 

On the bus ride to the field, I sat next to Blake with the twins in their own seats. Garfield High school was a good 45-minute drive up. I was about to fall asleep until I saw Asher next to me looking more anxious than normal. 

"Ash?" 

He looked over biting his thumbnail as knee bounced up and down, "Hm?" 

"You alright? Are you always this nervous before games?" 

Maverick took notice and looked over, "Asher, they're can't get to you. I'm here, and I'm not going to let them." 

That's when I came to a sudden realization. Before transferring to my school the boys attended Garfield and from what I was told, they didn't fit in well. 

"Mave, did he have bullies at your last school?" 

Maverick nodded, "Bad." 

I immediately turned back to Asher, "I'm not gonna let them hurt you either." 

As the bus stopped in front of the school we grabbed our gear but Maverick went into the overprotective mood as a crowd of students had gathered behind the fence shouting racial slurs among other words. He flipped Asher's hood up and put his arm around his shoulder to keep him moving forward towards the locker room. 

Blake grabbed my hand pulling me closer as we were met with a hostile crowd, "They really don't like us do they?" I muttered to Blake. 

"No," Coach walked in front of us as two SPD officers escorted the team through the crowd. 

Someone throw a smoothie through the air it landed on my shoulder the styrofoam cup giving way to the heavy liquid. Blake went to grab whoever threw it but Reyes in full inform tackled the parent responsible. 

The crowd started shouting, "Black lives matter!" 

But when I looked at the man Reyes had tackled, he was white. Very white, "You good kid?" 

Kogin asked once we stood in front of the locker room, "Yeah I'm okay. Jokes on them, they lost their smoothie." 

Kogin just laughed as Reyes walked in, "I'm only slightly confused." 

"Why?" 

"I didn't even know you were on the lacrosse team." 

"Neither did I," Kogin laughed. 

"So you guys are the Gig Harbor personal escorts tonight?" 

"Something like that." 

"Alright well, I've gotta get changed." 

Kogin and Reyes nodded walking off, "They hate us," Maverick muttered walking into the hallways with me. 

"Why?" 

"Who knows." 

"I'd hate to say it," Blake began, "But look at us," Maverick and I looked at each other confused, "We're all white as hell." 

"And..." 

"Exactly," Blake muttered, "We're a rural high school in a rich ass town. This is an inner-city school."