Stormz on the Horizon

Provoked

Diamond

"—-and seven and eight. Questions?" Asked Williams.

All of the girls shake their heads no. We're nearing the end of the week, still practicing from sun up 'til sun down. Tired is a complete understatement. We're at this school day after day, learning count after count, march after march, and my favorite, running. This is not for the weak.

"Okay, water break then up to the band room to hear some music. Ten minutes, " said Taylor through that loud ass bull horn. All of a sudden I'm very irritated and the volume of the horn is topping the cake. I'm hot, exhausted, and my muscles hurt. The awful shrill of the football coaches' whistles isn't doing anything to subside my rather irate attitude right now.

Yes, we are still being subjected to the human oven that is our football field.

As I'm standing on the sideline next to the Gatorade coolers having a drink, I glance at the players having their practice. They look like they're playing around more so than working. I see three balls go in the air at one time and the rays of the bright sun didn't allow me to follow their destination. "Neither of those balls better come over here," I thought to myself. I'm already in a mood.

The reoccurring fear of being taken out with yet another ball has turned into a rage over the last couple of practices. The phrase "heads up" has officially become a trigger and irks me to death. Being annoyed by a football doing what a football does might be the most stereotypical girly-category I fall into. I definitely don't enjoy that because I am not a stereotype-type of girl.

I saw Jordyn walk up in my peripheral. I'm typically always talking to Brandy at practice, but she isn't here today. So, I just kinda hang back quietly, like I do best. "Hey watcha thinking about? You look upset," She inquired drinking a big jug of water.

"Nothing much. The sun's blaring, it's making me scrunch up my face," I reply. Although she guessed right about my disposition I'm not telling her that. She nods in understanding, "I get it. I'm not a fan of this sun myself."

"Mhm." I let out dryly as I continue to watch their practice.

Mainly the balls.
Flying.
In every which way.

"So do you have anything you need help with? I can help you clean some things up if you want," Jordyn said. "We could be squad buddies!" "What's that?" I ask fanning my cheeks. "We'd basically be like dance besties. It's usually a vet and a crab and I just help you with whatever you want."

I thought it over. "Um sure, I'd like that," I say rather out of tune with the conversation, still watching those flying footballs.

They have my head spinning on my shoulders like a lunatic the way I'm frantically watching for them.

I flinch mildly as soon as I see one launch out of the corner of my eye.

Of several in the air, one comes zooming past Jordyn and she turned and squealed. It came not very close to my direction, but it did the job to piss me off. Apparently her shriek was enough to make a group of them cackle from the fifty-yard line.

A player by the number eighteen jogged over to retrieve the ball from where it landed on the track. Jordyn lashed on him immediately, "Sailor keep them fucking balls over there I'm not playing!" "My bad, damn. You lucky you my girlfriend or I'll be telling them to keep throwing," he said.