Lake Larson

I ran across campus in the chilly fall weather. The icy air froze over the evening, masking with hazy clouds into the night sky. Cheesy Halloween decorations flattened on the frost-bitten grass, ready to be stored for another year. The lights above blinked on as I jogged to a stop before opening the locker room door.

A girl from the club team walked out of the door. She glanced at me with tear-filled eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbled before running off.

I watched her jog away, using her sleeve to wipe her face. With my hand on the door, the warm air from inside floated around my ears. I rushed by the showers toward the lockers, smelling body odor and bleach.

The Eastern Washington women's team had the end of the season sneaking up on us, and I was grateful for it to be over. High school soccer was my favorite thing when I played with my best friend Alex, but unfortunately, she did not attend EWU with me. If I didn't get a full scholarship to the university based on my skills, I would have quit in my first year. The girls on the team were more focused on their appearance than winning.

Spinning the lock on my locker, I opened the metal door, seeing the soccer bag I had left that morning.

"Ladies, look, Lake got a haircut!" a high-pitched devil voice yelled, silencing the locker room.

I looked at Gabby, who was already smiling in my direction. Her fake grin matched her copy personality. Gabby's black ponytail pulled so tight that her forehead tugged her brows higher from her dark eyes. Her perfect body swayed closer to me as she placed her hand on her hip.

Everyone glanced at us before returning to getting ready for practice. Gabby huffed in annoyance because her audience lacked attention at her mocking personality. She looked around, mad at the idea that nobody wanted to play her game, causing her to glare at me and stomp out of the locker room.

I quickly stripped my shirt off, letting the dress material flop into my locker. My red sports bra and black shorts to match with my black and red cleats piled perfectly in my sports bag as I scooped them out.

Placing everything on, I soon realized my shirt was missing. I dug through my bag in a panic when my shirt for practice was not in sight. An image of it lying on my bed popped into my head, and I realized I had forgotten it.

"Crap," I whispered to myself, glancing around.

The locker room emptied fast while I watched the last girl race to the door.

"Hey, Jamie," I said, but she did not hear me before the door shut behind her.

I huffed out, glancing down at my sports bra. Practicing in this outfit would be standard to most, but I was not most, being uncomfortable with the exposure.

Without my choice, I jogged out of the locker room, racing up the hillside to the fields on the backside of the campus. I pulled my hair into a half ponytail and stretched my arms while fast walking to my teammates.

The men's soccer club team practiced on the field nearest us. They all paused, looking at Gabby as she stretched, more like putting a show on for them. She knew what she was doing as she giggled.

"Okay, come on over, girls!" Coach Hanson yelled with her clipboard to her chest.

Her short hair stopped above her ears, showing us her youthful face. Coach Hanson graduated from Eastern about five years ago, and the school offered her the coaching job the year I started. She was the best coach on the campus and probably paid the least.

"We have a game coming up, so we need an extra practice tomorrow," she announced as the girls complained.

Panic formed in my gut, knowing I would not make the added practice because of my job.

Gabby held her hand in the air while the other rested on her hip. "Coach," she screeched.

Hanson rolled her eyes while writing on her clipboard. "Yes, Gabby," she said without looking up.

"I will miss the extra practice because I have a waxing appointment," she whined.

"Sorry, waxing appointments do not trump practice." She placed the clipboard under her armpits, glancing at Gabby as she pouted. "Now, one mile around the field before we run some drills."

She blew her whistle while Gabby tried to argue back. My teammates ran toward the edge of the field while Gabby's shoulder shoved me on her way by.

I waited for Hanson to stop blowing her whistle when I walked to her. "Hey, Coach, I will not be attending tomorrow's practice. I have to work at the aquarium tomorrow." I watched my feet as I talked to her.

"Lake, that's fine. You don't need the extra practice. I'll see you on Friday for the game." She smiled with a toothy grin before waving her hand. "But get going." Hanson placed the whistle between her lips, blowing it a few times as I ran off.

I sprinted to the edge but slowed to a jog as I rounded the field for the mile. One mile was easy, but the sprints and drills afterward would kill me.

As my breath stayed steady, I saw the men's club team stretching near my path. Their chuckles filled the air as one cat-called my teammates with a distance head-start in front of me. The ones with the most douchebag personality were the ones to get attention.

I jogged by the group of eyes, hoping for the best. Being invisible was my superpower, after all.

"Hey there, beautiful!" a deep voice yelled, causing me to speed up.

"Why don't we ever see you at the parties?" another voice asked with an echo of laughter.

I put my head down, counting my steps as I ignored them. If I don't respond, maybe they will give up. Right?

Wrong.

A hand gripped my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to look at a smiling face. The guy's shoulders were broad and very lean. I ripped my hand away from him while jogging backward.

"I asked you a question, beautiful," he said, running to keep up with me. A few more guys raced beside me with chuckles to support the guy.

"I don't party," I replied, trying to end the conversation.

"Wait, I know your name," one guy said while pointing at me. "Lake Larson, the ice queen." He laughed, thinking his comment was funny.

What does that even mean?

I looked at all of them, confused by the interaction. Why was today so weird? Shaking my head, I glanced down, seeing my sports bra and getting my answer.

The first guy hummed in agreement with his friend. "Yes, I've heard of you. Beautiful, yet unavailable."

I glared at him, speeding up my pace. This conversation needed to end. I peered at Coach Hanson, hoping she would yell at them for me, but she was talking to a staff member.

"I'm Jacob," the guy that grabbed me stopped running as I kept going. "By the way." I shook my head while his friends stayed back with him. "I'll see you later, Lake!" Jacob yelled while fist-pumping his friends.

I sprinted to my teammates, feeling my cleats dig into the grass while the Coach handed out colored pinnies.

"I will be splitting you into two groups," she said, handing me a red pinny. "Red will be starters for Friday's game, and blue will be bench. If you are in green, you will be a high option for a sixty-minute sub."

I glanced over to see Gabby with a blue one over her bra. She glared at me while rolling her eyes.

"Pinnies can switch by the end of practice, so if you want to be a starter, prove you deserve it." The Coach blew her whistle. "Seven on seven, go."

A staff member tossed the ball in the center with two small goals at each end of a smaller field. I raced after the ball, collecting it first and passing it to a teammate in a red pinny.

I sprinted down the field while Gabby tried to hold me back with hands. Her nails dug into my arm, but I shook her off, gaining distance.

"Ball!" I yelled in time for a pass right to my feet.

I cut the ball to the left, forcing the defender to my weak side. With her in the right spot, I spun before shooting at the tiny goal, watching the ball rocket to the back of the net.

"Nice job, Lake!" Coach Hanson yelled. "Sub out with Clair."

I ran to the side, high-fiving Clair. "Great job," she said, running to the field.

"Gabby, pick it up!" Hanson yelled, shaking her head and writing on her clipboard. "What was that, Mel?"

A staff member handed me water as I watched the scrimmage play out. I was aching to return to the field and touch the ball, but the Coach kept subbing in others.

"Great job, Clair." Hanson jotted something down. "Switch pinnies with Mel and sub out with Jen." Jen sprinted in with her green pinny, hoping to take a red.

Clair jogged off the field with the red pinny still in her hands and stood beside me. A staff member handed her water as the Coach pointed at us. "You two can head back to the lockers." She smiled at Clair. "Have a great night."

Clair and I jogged to the locker without a word as others followed behind. The area filled with steam as some girls showered before heading to their dorm. Perfume floated in the air with the smell of hairspray and sweaty clothes.

"You should have kept your long hair," Gabby's voice caused me to huff out, annoyed by her presence.

I closed my locker door and decided not to change before leaving, unlike my teammates, who had half their gear off.

"Why is that?" I asked Gabby while stuffing my backpack into my sports bag.

"Well, the short hair makes your face look fat." She looked at herself in a hand mirror, fixing her makeup.

I glanced around the locker room to see if anyone heard her. Everyone acted like they weren't paying attention, but I knew they were. Just a bunch of sheep following their farmer.

"Don't get me wrong." She tilted her head, pushing out her bottom lip. "I'm just trying to be a good friend." Gabby patted my shoulder. "I mean, I would want someone to tell me if I looked fat."

"Thank you, Gabby." I was weak.

"Oh, and I saw you talking to Jacob earlier." She closed her hand mirror, leaning closer to me. "He's off limits."

Am I still in high school with petty drama?

"O-o-oh, n-n-no," I stuttered back to her.

"Lake, know your place. I will stomp on you if you decide to come out of that hole you had been hiding in," Gabby whispered, so nobody would hear her.

She clicked on a new personality with a giggle before spinning around with her hair slapping my face. Gabby hooked her arm with Mel while other teammates followed her, laughter echoing out of the locker room.

"Are you okay, Lake?" Clair asked me with her sports bag on her shoulder.

I slightly smiled at her. "Yeah, only one more week left, right?"

Clair huffed with a smile before jogging away.

Gabby's life was one big brunch. She lived off the campus in a castle of a house her parents bought for her. On weekends, she would go to concerts and clubs, always talking about knowing famous people in California. She had everything she wished for and now was catching the eyes of Hudson, making my life a nightmare.

I exited the locker room, feeling the winter wind hit my face. Winter in Cheney, Washington, was harsh, but I enjoyed the snow covering the ground and cleaning the muddy surroundings of the campus. Snow wasn't simple, with every flake uniquely its own. And yet, my dream was to move to Maui to work at the aquarium, saving the reefs.

Zipping up my jacket, I pulled my hood on, walking back to my dorm room in the dark. With the overhead light, I sped to the next, racing through the darkness. Sprinkles of rain threatened to freeze into snow in the November weather.

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