Off the Field

Chapter Nineteen

Hello! This week was great because the last two days we've had off of school because of negative temperatures yay!! Gotta love winter sometimes, except I miss running outside. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter...we're getting close to the end. Maybe like 5 more? Can't remember. Please shoot me a comment and vote, let me know what you're thinking! I always need advice.

Gracias! <3 vb12331

Chapter Nineteen

I could barely see straight as I stormed down the hallway to my locker, my feet pounding like cleats against dry grass. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in class, but there was still a half hour left in the school day and I definitely couldn’t afford to skip. I grabbed a textbook from my locker without checking if it was the right one and then headed to the bathroom because I wasn’t quite ready to face everyone.

Wetting a bunch of paper towel, I mopped dried blood off my mouth and nose and drank about a gallon of water trying to get the taste off the back of my throat. My reflection stared balefully back at me with a swelling black eye and nose. Blood stained the front of my shirt and dirt from the cafeteria floor the back; I looked like I’d been hit by a truck.

Taking deep breaths didn’t really help me calm down as I walked to class because every time I thought about it I felt like kicking something. I couldn’t block it out, no matter how hard I tried; for the first time I hated that my thoughts always revolved around soccer.

Mrs. Jenkins stopped talking as I came into her classroom, her expression shocked and disapproving, but I offered no explanation as I strode down the row and flung myself in my desk behind Ray. The entire class was staring at me, I knew, though no one dared ask me anything as I glowered at the board. After a moment, Mrs. Jenkins cleared her throat squeakily and continued her lesson.

“Now, in Morte D’Arthur, the sword symbolizes…”

Kasey sat across the room from me, I realized belatedly; funny how she no longer came up flashing on my radar. Although I didn’t look at her, not wanting to see her smug smile, out of the corner of my eye I could still see her flouncing her ponytail and whispering to the boy sitting behind her. How had I ever fallen for that?

Mal was seated near the front but kept looking back at me anxiously, much to the chagrin of Davis, who sat to her left and spent most of the class disregarding his book as he tried to get her to talk to him. Ray turned sideways in his seat and looked at me questioningly, but I leaned my elbows against the desk and put my head in my hands, squeezing my eyes shut.

I warned you, Daniel.

Of course you’re not Jack.

Why had I ever thought he’d listen to me even for a second?

After a century of Mrs. Jenkins’ quavering voice, the bell rang and I bolted from the room with Ray hurrying behind me. As we made our way down the hall, I heard Davis calling Mal’s name, but when I glanced back, she had pushed past him and was headed toward me with her face burning.

“Danny –”

“Dude, what happened?”