× Mercury

It was game day.

The practices that week were tiring. Coach Mathews pushed us and pushed us to work hard over the week because of our game. I didn't think my legs had ever been that sore before. He had us scrimmage and run drills for hours every day until the time was finally here; the big game now less than five hours away.

It was weird, however, because of Niall. He did what he was supposed to do, pass the ball when it was necessary and only talked to me if it was needed. He barely looked at me, even when he was speaking to me directly. He made sure to keep his distance like he said he would, that was for sure.

I didn't like it. Not at all.

I could tell that my game had been off because of his change of attitude toward me, but luckily Coach and everyone else couldn't. I didn't know what it was, but that spark I always felt when I was on the field just wouldn't light up that week.

That was a lie, I knew why that was, I just hoped I was wrong.

I fed off Niall's watchful gaze - off his irritated look that gave me so much joy to know that he still wasn't a hundred percent wanting me on the team. I fed off it and played hard just to prove that he was right, I was going to take the limelight from him. But I wasn't getting anything from him this time, and it was making me uneasy.

I was sitting in the locker room putting on my shin guards, getting ready to do a few drills before the opposing team was to join us. The locker room was lonely. I noticed that a lot of the girls didn't want anything to do with sports, just liked to go to the games probably to watch the cute boys run around. It was saddening really, having this big locker room for only... me.

I quickly tied my cleats and grabbed my water bottle before heading out and joined my team on the pitch. Coach had us run around the field a couple of times to warm up. He then made us pass the ball back and forth with a partner and then made someone stand in the goal while everyone else kicked the ball at him.

"Lynn!" I heard someone shout as I was waiting for my turn to boot the ball in the goal. I looked around where the voice came from and saw Jamie running at me, Emily, Macey, and Coach Sharp following after her.

"Jam!" I shouted as I abandoned the ball and started running toward her.

We collided half way and gripped onto each other. Jamie had a lot more momentum so no matter how hard I tried to keep us upright, her force was too great and knocked us backward on the turf, making us break out into giggles.

"I can't believe you're here!" I said into her hair. "I've missed you so much."

Jamie sat up, a huge grin on her face. "I can't believe I'm here either! London is so cool!"

Before I could respond, a shadow cascaded over us and we both looked up to see Jace peering down with a shy smile. Jamie quickly removed her strawberry blonde hair from her face and fixed the white tank top she was wearing. Jace reached a hand down to help her up and she took it gracefully. I stood up after her.

"Hi," Jamie said self-consciously as she looked up at him. Jamie was a lot of things, being shy wasn't one of them, and I knew that only Jace could bring that trait forward.

"Hi," he responded just as timidly.

"Well, this was a very heartfelt reunion, and may I add a painful one to watch," I heard Niall say from behind me. I spun and saw him standing there in his maroon jersey, his black knee brace peeking out from under his shorts. He had his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance. "But we have maybe ten minutes before the other team arrives and we still need to practice as much as we can."

I opened my mouth to respond - I had every intention to tell him to shut his mouth and to go and harass his other teammates - but I didn't get a chance because the next thing I knew Coach Mathews clapped a hand on Niall's shoulder, shutting me up instantly.

"Oh, relax, Horan," he said just as my two other friends and Coach Sharp came up beside me. "You have warmed up long enough for the day; let the girl catch up with her friends."

Niall gave me a look and walked away.

"Hey, kiddo," Coach Sharp greeted as she walked up to me with arms wide open. I walked into them as she engulfed me in a big bear hug. "I can see that Niall kid hasn't changed much," she said softly in my ear.

I laughed. "Oh, if only you knew..."

She pulled away, but continued to clutch onto my shoulders as she looked me up and down. "Well, I must say you look better in baby blue than you do in maroon," she teased as she pinched the knitted fabric of the jersey between her fingers. "But I'm glad to see that you're still number thirteen."

"Always," I told her with a smile.

"Okay, you had your turn," Emily said to Coach Sharp. "Let me have her."

I was quickly immersed in Emily's strong arms only to be consumed by another pair of arms that I knew belonged to Macey. God, I missed them. I missed everyone. I missed home...

Emily, Macey, and Coach Sharp told me about their game last week against Montana and how it was really close, but that they ended up winning by two. I was listening to them, and also paying some attention to Jamie and Jace as they chatted just a couple feet away.

They were cute together, if I was being honest. Jamie was a shorty and Jace was just so tall that it was kind of funny to watch them talk. Throughout the week, both Jamie and Jace have told me that they were still texting back and forth and how it was going really well. And I was happy for them.

"They look.... kind of angry," Emily said, looking over my shoulder. I turned and saw what she was looking at. Bangor University I believed was the team we were playing against today. And Emily was right, they didn't look very happy.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Coach Mathews said. "They're probably just mad that they're going to get their arses kicked."

"You can take them," Coach Sharp agreed with a grin. "I think the girls and I will let you go to find our seats. You kick their butts, kiddo. We'll be cheering for you."

I hugged her one more time before I let her go, taking the other three girls (who were a little reluctant to go) with her.

Jace started walking back to the rest of the team sitting on the bench by the sidelines and I quickly caught up to him, a stupid grin on my face.

"Why are you all smiley?" he asked me.

"Because of you," I told him and explained before he could ask why. "You were so smitten with Jamie. It's cute."

"I was not... smitten," he emphasized with a playful grin. I could see some color rise to his cheeks which only made me grin more. I loved seeing the little crush development in people. Their denials and blushes, their fidgeting and smiles. It reminded me that not everything has to be rough in a relationship, but that it can also be sweet and tender. Healthy, in other words.

There was a little under a half hour before game time, and we all sat listening to Coach and Niall about game plays while the opposing team was on the field warming up. Every once and a while I would catch someone from the field looking at me and then whisper to his teammate. It was obvious that it was about me, and it made me feel anxious.

Time went by and soon enough, I was being placed on the field along with half of my teammates to start the game. Taking my rightful place on the right side of the center line, I was faced with a tall boy with dark skin and black hair. His chocolate brown eyes were watching me intently, but I refused to crumble under his aggressive stare.

"This is mental," James said as he walked up to me. He was looking at the crowd in the stands that had gathered in the past half hour. "It's completely filled up."

I looked up at the crowd and spotted Emily, Jamie, Macey, and Coach Sharp sitting in the first row, waving and smiling at me. All around them, people ate popcorn and chatted to their friends. I didn't see one empty seat.

"You mean it hasn't filled up before?" I asked.

"No," James answered.

"How come?"

"Because of you. I mean, football is the most popular sport here, probably just as popular as your American football, so we always gather a large crowd. But nothing like this. People came here to see you play. You're the big-shot today, best not to disappoint."

I gawked as James walked back to his position in the center.

This was it. People didn't know what to think of me from the beginning. I heard whispers being passed around the university wondering how I even managed to get there on the team, if I was even that good. Today was my time to prove myself, and it looked like everyone else wanted me to, too. That, or see me fuck up royally. I was hoping it wouldn't come to the latter.

Either way, it was going to be a show.

I was under a lot of pressure, that was understandable, but I had to overlook that just like I had to overlook all the stares from the opposing team. I was there for a reason and I couldn't forget that. I had to bring my all and I wasn't going to disappoint.

I got into my position just as the whistle blew and I saw the ball come whirling in my direction. I didn't hesitate to snatch it before anyone else could. I ran, the dark skinned boy following right beside me to get a chance at the ball. He was consistent, keeping up right beside me, but I could tell he was holding back, almost like he didn't want to risk bumping into me - like I might fall over, like he didn't want to be responsible that I got hurt.

Like I was a girl.

Knowing I wasn't going to find a way past him, I stopped in my tracks to get rid of him and booted the ball across the field to Niall, who got it with ease.

The game kept going like that. Every single time they subbed in a new player on my side, they would run up alongside me but wouldn't get close enough to get the ball. It was clear they were scared to hurt me and it was pissing me off.

"They're afraid of me," I told Coach once I was subbed out and standing on the sidelines, water bottle in my hands. "They won't get close to take the ball away because I'm a girl."

"That's their problem, not yours," Coach told me. "You remember how the lads reacted around you at first; they felt the same thing at practice. But they learned that you can take a blow. Use it to your advantage. They won't be aggressive with you; they won't get too close, so use that. Use the space you have and do something with it."

And I did. I used my escape of being pushed and elbowed by putting my concentration on where I was going and a strategy to get the ball into the goal. I made two out of five goals before halftime, so far winning by two points.

After the fifteen minute break of Coach yelling at us to do something better, and then pumping us back up to go out there and win the game, it was time to go back out and continue the last half.

"I'm open!" I heard James shout, but when I looked up, an opponent player got in his way so I couldn't pass the ball. I looked passed him and saw Niall trying to fight off his guy to get open but it wasn't working. Even the midfielders were unable to help me. Whatever the opposing team talked about during the half time really kicked them in gear because they were not budging for nothing.

It was all on me this time.

As I made my way down the field, a new opposing player showed up and to my surprise, grabbed the arm of my jersey and pulled me toward him so I was crushed to his chest. After he stole the ball away, he slammed his shoulder into me, hard, making me lose my balance.

I quickly reached out and broke my fall with my hands, but I twisted in a way that my ankle didn't agree with. Shooting pain shot up my leg, making me curl into a ball with a yell of agony.

I distantly heard the whistle blow, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Someone came rushing over and leaned down, their hand on my back. I didn't look up to see who it was, I was just glad someone was there. A referee came over then asking if I was okay and if I needed help standing up.

"No," I tell him, my voice strained, still not lifting my head up from the grass. "No, I can do it. Just give me a second."

"That's not fair!" I heard a shout a few feet away. Biting my lip, I finally looked up to see who shouted and saw a group around the other referee in a heated argument. "I didn't know she was going to go down like that!"

"You're not getting the yellow card because she got hurt," the referee assured him, seriousness in his voice. "You're getting one because you have unsporting behavior for pushing her aside like that. You should also get another one for disagreeing with a referee."

I pushed myself up and got some help from Matt who was the one who came over to see if I was okay. After the referee next to me saw that I could walk, he joined his partner in the group to help resolve the problem. Matt and I followed after him.

Once I joined the group, I heard Coach Mathews and the Bangor's coach discuss with the referees, only catching a few words here and there because my concentration was on the crowed. They were standing up and chanting something I couldn't quite catch. My friends face's flashes in the crowed and as everyone around them looked angry, they looked worried.

"It's not my fault she got hurt!" the guy proceeded to complain. "If this was anyone else, it wouldn't have been a problem. It's only because she's a girl!"

"Ohh..." I heard Niall say from behind me. "You shouldn't have said that, mate."

And he was right. I was fuming!

I marched over to the guy and grabbed his jersey, making him look down at me. From the look on his face, I knew he could see how unbelievably pissed I was. "I joined this team knowing what I was getting myself into," I told him, fire in my voice. "I knew I wasn't going to get special treatment, I don't want special treatment. Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse to dismiss your act. You're getting the yellow card because of what you did, not because of who you did it to. Don't use me to get what you want."

I let go of his arm and walked away. My rage seemed to overpower myself because the pain in my ankle had gone away. When I got to the bench, my teammates came up to me and asked what was going on.

"Football is all very well as a game for rough girls," I quoted. "But is hardly suitable for delicate boys."