Kelly
Manjari
X
Sun rays pleasantly warmed my exposed skin, and the light wind blew my hair onto my face as I walked to the metal bleachers on our school’s grounds.
It was a nice day to be out, a perfect blend of sunny and a little windy. And a complete contrast to the anxiety that was bubbling inside me.
James’s dark expression in the lunchroom when Lucas had sat with me haunted my mind, and I expected his attack anytime now.
He was unreasonably persistent in keeping Lucas away from me, which would have been funny if it weren’t for his constant b*dy–shaming.
And I felt it was only going to escalate if the ominous look that had flashed on his face in calculus, upon hearing I was coming to watch the tryouts, was anything to go by.
Heck, I wouldn’t have put it past James to aim the football at my head and knock me out just for showing up here.
Or maybe I’m overthinking. I do have a tendency to do that, especially with him.
On my way, I counted about twenty guys clustered at the center of the football field..
Only a few of them were in their football gear with black jerseys, while others wore sweatpants or shorts and loose T-shirts.
Our team’s coach stood out among them with his bald head, whistle hanging from his neck, and the boisterous way he shouted at the boys.
Cheerleaders were also on the field in a small corner, most of them dressed similarly in sweatpants and tank tops. They were doing stretches.
I saw Addison among them too, doing a graceful split, which made my eyebrows rise at her flexibility. She was so immaculate and elegant that someone like me could only wish to be her.
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Matt and Lola were already sitting at the end of the middle row when I renched the bleachers. Some other students were also scattered in the seats, and I deduced that football was important at Jenkins.
Matt was excitedly speaking to Lola, who, as always, was only listening and nodding.
I was hesitant to join the couple. They looked too engrossed in themselves, but Lola spotted me when I ascended the stairs and waved me over.
“Lucas managed to drag you out here after all,” Matt said, looking at me with a grin.
“He seemed pretty excited about the tryout,” I said as I sat next to Lola, taking the bag from my shoulders and putting it on my lap. “It was hard to refuse.”
“He does love football,” Lola added.
“Did Lucas ask you two too?” I asked.
“He doesn’t need to,” Lola answered, and pointed a thumb at her boyfriend.
“Matt here is a big football fan, so big that he sucked me into it too. We never miss our team’s games. Tryouts are kind of fun to watch too.”
“Then why aren’t you on the team?” I looked past Lola to ask Matt.
“I have a heart condition,” he answered.
- r. and my
“Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Got it from my cardiologist told me to avoid extreme physical exercise.
“Football involves a lot of that, so I didn’t join the team, just to be on the safe side.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t
worry,
37
I’m not dying,” Matt continued with a laugh, probably seeing my shocked face.
“It’s not that bad for me. I can still do normal exercise like jogging or workouts, just not anything high intensity.
“I have also made my peace with not being able to play, but I can’t stop watching it.”
I nodded with a smile. He seemed content with what he had.
Lola gave Matt a small peck on his lips and leaned on his side. I turned my head to look ahead, not
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Soon, my eyes started searching for Lucas in the field, and maybe also James. I didn’t find either of
them.
“Lucas is not here yet,” Lola said, making me turn to face her for reading my mind..
“Coach has asked him and James to show some plays to the others. They both must still be putting on their gear in the locker room, like the lazy asses they are.”
“They get a little leeway from Coach Martin,” Matt pushed his glasses up.
“James and Lucas are our best players and also our ticket to get this season’s trophy. Coach knows that, so he goes easy on them.”
“Isn’t it a team sport? Why put only two people on a pedestal?” I challenged the notion.
“Nob*dy is putting anyone on a pedestal. Coach just doesn’t breathe down their necks, like he does. with others. James and Lucas have been playing football since middle school, so they have his trust.
“But you can always expect him to whup their asses if they ever cross the line. Martin takes his game seriously.”
“Very seriously,” Lola joined in. “He even tried to put those two against each other for the quarterback position in the beginning of junior year, but James wasn’t interested.
“They both are equally talented, but the game means more to Lucas.
“He wants to get into college on a sports scholarship, and James, on the other hand, admitted himself that he has no plans for football in the future.” She shook her head.
“Why would he? Brat has rich parents and a successful business waiting for him to take over. He didn’t give a shit about being a quarterback or a captain, so Martin finally had to settle on Lucas.”
That was a big ramble for quiet Lola, giving me new insight about the relationship between James. and Lucas.
“Now don’t dis James.” Matt wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and a small smile appeared on her face at the gesture.
“He might want to study medicine like his mother. Probability seems high since it’s the doctor’s kids who become doctors.”
“His older brother is already in med school. I’m pretty sure Mr. Haynes will not like his other son Chapter 9 of 34: Chapter 9
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“His older brother is already in med school. I’m pretty sure Mr. Haynes will not like his other son going too. Who’ll look after his precious company?”
I kept
silent and soaked in the new information about James. Even though I loathed him, a big part of me was curious and wanted to know everything about him.
I reasoned that I wanted leverage to stop him from going after me, but till now, I’d found none, and it had only solidified the idea that he was perfect–minus the bullying part.
“Finally, they’re here,” Matt said, and I turned my head to the field.
James and Lucas walked toward the other guys. They were in their football gear and our team’s black jersey, with their helmets in their hands.
Even in heavy equipment, they managed to look suave. Coach Martin talked to them for a minute once they reached him.
When he let them go, Lucas looked at the bleachers and waved, his teeth shining in the distance.
I grinned and waved back. But my joy faltered when my eyes moved to James, who was standing behind him. I felt his penetrating gaze from across the field.
After making the remaining arrangements and lining up the candidates, tryouts began. In the beginning, there was no tackling or one–on–one like I had expected.
Coach simply blew the whistle and made them run laps. He repeated the same exercise again and again. Then he made them run crisscross around the long line of orange cones at least five times.
By the time those poor boys finished, they were drenched in sweat from head to toe, their shirts and pants sticking to their bodies.
“He’s testing their stamina, and what’s better than running?” Matt commented. “Half of them are going to be rejected by now.” And he was right; almost half of them left, panting and barely walking.
The fun part is here,” Lola said when Lucas was handed a ball. He had his helmet on. “They’re
going to perform a play.”
He marched past a white line, twirling the oval ball in his hand. I saw James standing near the midline, facing our side. My breath hitched as he looked up at us–or at me before he put on his
helmet.
The whistle blew, and everything happened in a flash. Lucas sprinted to the other side before he was
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tacklest to the ground by James.
I flinched at his fall. Even with all the padding, it had to hurt a lot. I hadn’t known the game was this
violent.
Matt oofed, and I looked at him. His nose was scrunched as he stared ahead, “James didn’t have to go this hard just for the tryouts,” he said.
***What do you mean?“” My face whipped back to the field. James had his hand held out, and Lucas was using it to stand up.
“Nothing. That tackle was more aggressive than it needed to be. Maybe James didn’t mean it.“”
Soon enough. Matt was proven wrong. James totally meant it.
When Coach asked them to repeat the play, Lucas was once again harshly tackled, but the fool gave a thumbs–up and was ready for another round.
By the fourth fall, he was having a hard time just standing up.
“Is James angry at Lucas?” I heard Lola ask.
No, he’s angry at me. And Lucas was taking the brunt. James made sure I knew that. His moved up to look at me every time before he tackled Lucas.
gaze had
Fortunately, Coach decided that four times was enough for others to learn the technique. Lucas began limping to the bench. Maybe having seen his condition, Coach had ordered him to sit it out.
I frowned. He had been looking forward to tackling the boys who had come for the tryout, and even though I didn’t understand his excitement, I felt bad..
It was all because of James.
Anger and anxiety flared inside me at the thought of the devil. He was so petty, going after his friend just to punish me. My grip on my bag tightened, and I looked at him.
His eyes were already on me as he nodded to Coach, who stood in front, speaking to him. My brows knitted in a glare, and he smirked back.
This asshole!
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It seemed James was now assigned Lucas’s task of tackling the others, and the boys didn’t look happy about that after watching him pinning their quarterback so brutally.
However, their fears were put to rest. When the first player took Lucas’s place, wearing a helmet and shoulder pads, James went easier on him, a lot easier. This angered me further.
The training continued for another hour. Coach used James and another one of his teammates to teach some other moves like kicking, handling, and passing the ball.
Football was not my forte, so I couldn’t keep up with everything. But despite my rage, I discerned that James was really good at it.
His movements were swift and experienced, like he knew his opponent’s mind better than he did himself. My eyes couldn’t waver from him, even if I wanted them to.
By the end of it, only four sophomores had made it on the team. They received pats on their backs from their teammates as part of the initiation.
“Let’s go see them,” Matt said when Coach left and others started to clear the field. We all picked up our bags and went down to the field.
I didn’t want to face James, but as luck would have it, he was with Lucas, who was still sitting on the bench with James standing over him. Their helmets were off, and they were talking.
I heard some of their words as we neared them.
“Don’t bitch about it; they’ll stop hurting by tomorrow,” James said, making me scowl at how he was treating his friend.
“I f**king don’t care about that,” Lucas spat.
“Oh yes. You wanted to be a big macho captain to those kids.”
“It’s better than being a jealous motherfucker like you” He stopped when he saw us coming
toward them.
James followed his friend’s gaze, an angry frown marring his features as he turned his head to us.
“James is jealous?” Matt questioned once we reached them. His face lit up with amusement as he looked between the two. “What is he jealous of, Lucas?”
I wanted to know that too. Maybe Lucas’s predicament was not on me after all.
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“Bick off, Mall,” James glared at him.
Lola rolled her eyes beside me.
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Lucas let out a tired sigh. “It’s nothing.”
He looked at me and gave a small smile. “Kelly, you came, but I couldn’t even show off. I’ll make sure to compensate for that when you come to see our games.”
“Sure,” I answered, trying to smile back at him. “I at least saw you run today. You were fast.” A part of me felt guilty, wondering if he really suffered because of the conflict between James and me.
“What about me?” James asked, a taunt seeping into his tone. His dark eyes were regarding me with challenge and enjoying my distress. “Did you enjoy my play, Piggy?”
What an ass!
