Group Therapy

Fifteen

Dallen

"Are you ready?" Taniko asks me in the locker room.

"Yeah. I'm nervous but I'm ready," I says. It's the first game of the season, and we still had a couple of hours until we'd be out on the field.

"We got this. We're playing Atlantic High today," says Dorino.

"I know. It's just that I'm super nervous about my next two years with football. I've started looking at colleges and I need to get a football scholarship." I mean sure my parents have plenty of money to pay for college. More than they know what to do with. But I would like the bragging rights to say that I got a football scholarship.

"Well we know for sure we're going to win today. We're beating Caigen at playoffs, trust me," says Jared.

"How do we even know we're going to make it to playoffs? How do we know they are?"

"They've made it to playoffs for the past ten years. I can't guarantee that we'll make it but I know if we try our hardest we can do it," says Clark.

"I see how we are on the field. We're getting so good. We can do this Dallen," says Dorino.

"You're right. We're going to win this. Let's get inside the gym before the teachers think we're skipping," I say. At least I was in gym class. I can release my stress out on more sports.

The guys and I walk into the gym. Everyone's in a big cluster in the center of the gym.

Our teacher, Mrs Goddard, blows the whistle. "Alright, since its Friday I won't be giving you guys anything too bad. Just a couple games of dodgeball. Dallen and Polly, you guys are captains. Dallen choose first."

Polly and I stand in front of everyone else. Polly's looking at me, expecting me to go.

"Marissa," I say. It was the first thing that came into mind.

Everyone looks at Marissa puzzlingly. The guys look at me confused. I just shrug. Marissa comes and stands up next to me.

"Why did you pick me? I'm literally the most unathletic person in the room," she whispers.

"Yeah but you're aggressive and I need that," I lie.

"Okay," she says.

Polly and me continue picking people. At least I get all my boys. She picked the whole cheer squad.

"Pick Arden," says Marissa.

"Arden," I say. Arden's face lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Alright start the game," the teacher says and blows her whistle. Immediately everyone runs to the middle of the gym where all the balls are located. I grab three balls and hit three people on the other team just like that. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dorino chuck a ball and hit two people with that one ball. Someone from the other team throws a ball at Tommy. He ducks and it hits the wall. Everyone in the football team is preparing for the game and showing that they can win just about anything.

Eventually everyone is off on the other team.

"Dallen's team wins. Round two."

I try to find Marissa and when I look at her, she's nodding at Morgan who is on the other team.

"What was that about?" I ask her.

"What are you talking about?"

"That nodding."

"Oh nothing," she says and smirks.

The whistle is blown and I immediately run to the center of the gym again. Marissa is running beside me and I'm actually surprised she's actually at least trying. She usually doesn't try very hard for anything but I guess that's changing.