Black Butterflies & Blurred Lines

Chapter 5

Marinette

She stepped to the side, dodging a ball coming from her left. There were three left on the other team, but all three were some of the best. She turned, counting those left on her team. Alya, Kim, Adrien, and herself.

"Alya!"

Alya jogged over, ducking a ball thrown at her head. A whistle sounded, and the coach scolded the boy who threw it.

"What's up?"

She asked out of breath, and Marinette nodded in Max's direction.

"I need both you and Adrien to aim for Max. He's basically the brain. We get rid of him, and their team will crumble."
"You're talking like we're at war."

Alya said with a grin, and the coach blew the whistle.

"Get back to Adrien, and get Kim to come up here."

Alya saluted her, and Marinette turned back to the game. Max was in the middle of the two guys, who were a bit bigger than him, giving him a solid wall of defense. He was telling them whether to duck, aim, or catch. The only way to beat Max was strategy.

"Got a plan?"

Adrien was slightly behind her to her right, and she glanced back for Alya.

"I did. I guess Alya got out. We need to get Max out."
"I was thinking the same thing."

He stepped up beside her, tossing a ball to her. They made eye contact, and simultaneously pulled their arms back, chucking the balls forward, as if they were on a pitcher's mound instead of in the courtyard. One of the balls they threw hit one person, bounced and hit Max in the arm. They both sulked to the side line, while everyone else cheered their final teammate on. It was now three against one. There was no way this guy would win. She looked back for Kim, who was now waving from the side line as well. Well, it was still two against one, with the odds stacked in their favor.

"Mari look out!"

She heard Alya shout, and she turned, one of the dodge balls aimed at her face. She didn't have time to react, but she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge anyway. Her body tensed, awaiting the inevitable impact. A flash of a hand obstructed her vision, catching the ball before it hit her.

"I caught it, you're out."

She followed up the arm, looking up at Adrien. He had this victorious look on his face, and that pang in her heart made itself known again. Whoops and hollers erupted from their teammates, and Adrien gave her an award winning smile.

"Good catch."

She whispered, and he laughed, tossing the ball towards the coach, who was packing them up for the day.

"We make a pretty good team."

She would have argued that she didn't do anything but stand there, if Alya hadn't grabbed her arm, hauling her away. She held up her phone, sporting a wicked grin.

"What did you do?"

Her grin got wider, and she turned the screen to Marinette. She had taken several photos, the first being where they had both pitched at the same time.

"Alya, I told you to stop doing that."
"How could I resist? Look at when he caught the ball."

She scrolled, and Alya zoomed in on Adrien's face. He looked pissed, and he was glaring at the guy that threw it. It must have happened fast, because when she looked at him, he was happy about winning.

"I already sent them to your phone."

Marinette forced a smile, nodding her head.

"Okay. Thanks Alya."
"And Adrien's."