Wrangling teenage emotions is hard enough on good days, but what if on bad days they could manifest as giant flesh and blood monsters?
Pacific Rim meets Friday Night Lights as knee-jerk rebel Sage Sawyer is forced to join her high school "tourneytub...
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"So Sage is an unfairly exceptional jockey already, isn't she?" Peter strides beside Artie, his long hair damp from the showers. It's been a long afternoon, but at least no one fractured any ankles today.
In fact, despite everything that happened in the last twenty four hours, a sense of cautious optimism has lifted the Jackalopes' spirits.
"Yup. I mean, she's no Talia, of course, but-"
"But she'll do." Peter finishes Artie's sentence.
Artie nods in reply, huffing and puffing as he pulls his wheelchair's wheels along. "She'll do."
"What position do you think the new coach will have her play in?" Peter says.
"Probably wrangler. I think Sage has what it takes. She's agile. Ferocious. Packs a mean punch. Slightly out of her mind. You know, standard wrangler traits." Artie says.
Just like Genesis O'Toole, he chooses not to add.
He'd never hear the end of it from Peter.
They fall into a companionable silence as they make their way over to the parking lot where Genesis waits for them. Talia can't drive her little brother and his friend to and fro anymore, for obvious reasons, so Gee has stepped in to help out a few teammates in need.
Gee!
Artie's heart flutters at the thought of spending more time in her jeep. Sure, his wheelchair barely fits in her backseat beside Peter. But then Artie gets to feel Gee's arms wrap around him while she helps him move to the front passenger's seat. These transfers only take two minutes, but they're some of the best two minutes of his life. Her warmth against him. Her muscles rippling-
Artie really has to stop this. He feels like such a pervert.
His crush on the older jockey has done nothing but intensify recently.
Genesis O'Toole.
Peter calls her 'the bashful Barbie messiah' behind her back. Artie understands his buddy is trying to be derogatory, but he can't help but agree she certainly looks like something touched by the divine. Tangled blonde curls sprouting above a warm smile. Freckles sprinkled across an adorable button nose. Large emerald eyes.
To Artie, Genesis looks heavenly, but she's so much more than that, too.
As soon as Gee steps foot into a tub and onto the Court, it's pretty obvious she isn't your garden variety cherub.
She is the avenging angel of death.
Finally, with the quiet becoming far too much for him, Peter expertly derails Artie's train of thought. He's become very good at it over the years. He probably guessed exactly who Artie was thinking about, on top of everything else.
