Football can be a girls sport.

Chapter 22

We were standing in the empty hallway, facing each other, no one speaking.

I raised my eyebrows, waiting.

Jeff finally broke the silence, "You look good today."

"What did you want to talk to me about," I cut straight to it.

He sighed, "Well, I wanted to start by saying I'm really sorry for whatever happened Friday night."

"Whatever? Happened? You know what happened," I accused. This outfit really did give me some bold confidence.

"Okay, I shouldn't have done anything with you. We both weren't sober, and so I was wondering if we could just start over."

"So I'm just supposed to forget everything you did," I crossed my arms.

"Well you probably don't remember much anyway," he shrugged.

"Excuse me?!" How. Dare. He.

"You definitely were not in it at all."

My jaw dropped, "Which is exactly why you should not have tried to pull anything. Obviously I could not say yes or no for myself, and that is so wrong of you. Just because I was your date to the dance means nothing. Frankly, you were extremely rude to me, until you saw how GOOD I looked and then you couldn't wipe the drool off your face fast enough. That's all you wanted me for. You would be the school king if you could've had me." My voice had risen and I was all up in his face. I took a breath and stepped back, "Curtis warned me about you, and I should've listened. I may not remember much but he filled me in and I am absolutely disgusted with what boys like you think they can get away with."

Now he started to accuse me, "Oh so did you do anything with Curtis then? I mean you stayed the night so, it's basically a given. Besides, you think I'm the bad guy, but I always had a crush on you. You know that. Before you ever showed off your body, went to a party, or wore anything other than sweatpants to school. You say I only wanted you for your body, but I'm pretty sure Curtis never gave you the light of day until he saw you in that dress. Then he got in your head, and started making his moves."

His last few words got to me. He was right, and I had never thought about it. I hated that. Was I just another girl now, another one to check off the list because now I appeared desirable?

I had almost forgot Jeff's accusation, "No, I didn't do anything with him." My words were quiet, "Only you."

His voice softened, "Oh, Robin, I'm so sorry. You didn't realize what he was doing until I told you." He wrapped his arms around me in a securing hug.

I leaned into him, appreciating the reassurance. "It's ok, I guess I should have known. I told myself I wouldn't let a boy get to me, and I let myself down."

"Don't say that, he was just the wrong guy," he rested his chin on top of my head.

I smiled into his chest, "I guess."

The bell rang, and all the doors burst open on cue, kids pouring into the hallway.

His arms lingered a moment longer before they were just a memory, and he disappeared into the crowd.

I sighed, my stomach growling that I had skipped another meal. I needed to find something before practice or I would be good for nothing.

________

I sprinted onto the field, my body dragging more than usual. I had grabbed a few carrots from my bag before changing for practice, hoping they would give me some energy. The scorching heat didn't help. It was early fall, but the sun still beat down relentlessly. 

Most of the other guys were already on the side stretching; I spotted Curtis and Jeff both in separate groups of guys talking about who knows what. I plop down in my usual spot by the bench, avoiding all eye contact. This was the first time I had seen most of the guys since that night and I wasn't in the mood to gloat about it. 

"Alright boys and Robin," coach blew the whistle twice, "Friday was a great game, but it's time we need to prepare for state. These next few games will be the hardest yet, and you need to be in your best shape imaginable. I want you all hydrated, eating properly, and making good choices every day for you and your body. Now, let's start with two laps!"

The whistle screamed at us to get moving. I was up and the first one on the track. I had to make up to myself for what I did Friday night. I had to prove to everyone I was still their teammate, and not any pushover type girl.

The lack of food made it impossible to sprint at the speed I knew I could, and should be. As I finished in front, my lungs wheezed for air, and I knew I shouldn't have pushed it. Sweat already dripped down every inch of my body. This was going to be a rough practice.

And rough was an understatement.