Girls Can't Play Football

Chapter 20

Sorry for intruding, but quick question: since this book is going for a darker turn (totally not a spoiler alert), I edited the original cover into the cover that's in the media section above. I just found it more... fitting. So I really wanted your opinion. What do you prefer? Please comment in! Thank you! Now onto the chapter! Enjoy the dream at the start ;)

~ Pakhi <3

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"Pass the ball, Seb! I'm open!"

The ball came flying towards me and I caught it, already used to the force of the ball when it comes along from a distance. "Good pass!" I called out before I looked out and saw Frederick out in the open. "Fred! The pass is on you!"

The boys tried to cover him up but failed as the ball swished past them and landed into the arms of Frederick. It was Fred's turn to pass it along and he chose Toby since he was the closest one that was open. Frederick threw the ball and Troy caught it with ease, but there had been a minor fault they had done in the course of it. By the look on Frederick's face-- he'd realized it.

I called them all over. "You know what I always say. Practices are meant to learn from your mistakes," I gave him a knowing smile and he shared an 'oops, I screwed up again, didn't I?' look with me, "but that pass was well-explained before, I believe. Don't make the pass too obvious or it doesn't take too long for anyone to intercept the ball. Got it? Your eyes lingered on him as soon as you caught the ball and stayed there till you threw it.

Look at all your options-- don't take too long, but have a quick look nonetheless. Granted, passing it to Troy was the best option at that moment of time, but that was a lucky pass. Did you see Xavier behind him? What if it went a little over? In that case, Daniel would have been a better option. This time, we're focusing more on the throws and passes; we're not trying too hard to intercept. . .that was the reason Troy even caught the ball without any hesitance. Am I clear or do we need to repeat this one more time?"

"You're clear," everyone chorused.

"Good."

"On the field, boys!"

"Got it, Captain!"

I'd gotten used to hearing that over time. At first, I told them that I preferred Sam, but they were some stubborn people. They never stopped calling me that-- especially in practice. Eventually, I gave up, deciding that they could call me whatever the heck they wanted. Even "Captain". All it ever did was make me wanna quote Spongebob SquarePants everytime I heard it.

There was another hour or so of passes and then the daily sprints around the field. Ten rounds continuously. Sometimes we stretched it up a little bit. Coach Meyers usually timed us. That exercise was one of the most important ones since it helped us built both our stamina and our speed. Every day was a day where you had to aim to beat the score you had the previous day all in the goal to make yourself better.

After one sweaty practice session, Seb and I said our goodbyes and walked together home. It was our little thing. . . kind of. It was the time we got together properly. We'd walk for around thirty to forty-five minutes till we'd reach home and just talk about the things that were going on in our lives. We'd share things we didn't want our parents to know. . . like whether we got a bad mark on a certain subject or whatever. . .

It wasn't like our parents would get too mad or anything, it was just the look on their faces that made us feel like we could do better. So, instead, we kept it to ourselves and shared it with each other. Then, we'd work harder for the next exam and made sure we got those grades we wanted. Since both of us were exceptionally smart from the very start, it wasn't much of a problem-- but we all had bad days.