The Look Of Love

Chapter 40: Cow Manure

The girls woke up bright and early, despite going to bed late. They stayed up and talked about everything from Katie G's new haircut, to Dutch's wandering hands. Today is a big day though, the All Valley Tournament. Each girl wanted to make sure they were dressed on time. The competition starts at one, and Bobby told Mary to get there by noon. Which is smart, considering they need to get good seats.

Mary rushed to the laundry room and pulled the "I ❤️ Cobra's" shirts from the dryer. She went into each guest room and redistributed the tees. After that she got herself ready. She had to look her best for Bobby. Hair up in a messy bun, shirt and skinnies on, light make-up, and black heels... totally done. 

In the kitchen, she found her friends eating breakfast. "Hey guys, I put your T-shirts in your rooms," Mary told them. She grabbed a blueberry muffin and a glass of orange juice. 

"I hope they win today. Have any of you thought about what happens if the guys don't win?" asked Gwen. She always tries to have a worst case scenario plan handy, for all situations. The tournament is no exception to her rule.

Gemma and Ashley shook their heads. However Mary said, "I hope they win too. On the off chance they don't, then we'll have to remind them they're still winners. They're good guys, despite what we all thought of them before this school year. Which is a shame, years of friendship lost."

The girls agreed. "They are. I wish we had known them before Senior year too. I think if our Cobra's don't win, then we'll just have to be patient," stated Gemma. She and Johnny weren't dating, but getting to know each other better. She really liked him, and knew what a struggle it was to move past his break-up. If he had to add another loss to his life, this year, it could be a real battle to bounce back. 

Everyone got up and moving. They scurried around getting dressed, and loading the dishwasher. It's funny because even though they woke up early, they still rushed to get out the door. But they made it, with one minute to spare. Vehicles loaded, off they drove to the arena.

While the girls were on the road, the Cobra's were already there. They took three vehicles: Jimmy, Dutch, and Bobby's (as he planned to head back to Mary's). They greeted each other and went to the locker room. 

For some reason Bobby felt nervous today. It was odd because he'd never been nervous, at a tournament before. Maybe it was the fact he actually had someone, other than his family, cheering for him. He couldn't really put a finger on his nerves, but they were there all the same. 

"So, are you excited or what? We're gonna win this thing today! I just know it! We're the best around!" shouted Tommy with glee. He clapped all the guys on the back.

They stared at him with funny looks. Jimmy broke the silence, "How many cups of coffee did you drink?" 

Tommy thought for a moment, then said "I don't know... four, maybe five." They all shook their heads in understanding now.

"What time is our cheering section showing up?" asked Dutch. He wanted to see Ashley before the matches started.

Bobby looked at his watch. It read eleven fifty. "I told Mary to try to get here at noon. So, they should be arriving soon," he told them. 

They all changed into their black competition gi's. Then wandered out to the entrance, to wait for the girls. "Bobby why is your gi open? No one wants to see that," Dutch said. Bobby gave him a frigid look.

Johnny who was walking in front of the group, remarked "Don't you know by now, he wants to look hot for his woman." He was running his black headband through his fingers. Maybe it was time to let go of this, and try another color like red. He'd ask Gemma about it.