𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 [𝐣𝐢𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐨𝐜]

Chapter 20 | Changeling

Liz clapped her hands. "Kudos for making a rhyming threat."

"It's a gift," Claire said, sweeping her hair back with a flick of her wrist. Then, the two girls burst into giggles. Without a second to lose, Claire instantly grabs onto Liz and drags her to follow.

"Where are we going, Claire?" Liz asked, puzzled by her friend's actions. Claire glances over her shoulder, her face once again painted with mischief. "I'm taking to see your Romeo in action, Juliet. What else do you think I'm doing?"

Liz groans. "I thought we went over this, Claire. Stop trying to matchmake me."

"I'm your friend. It's part of the job."

Jim Lake POV

"Dodge this, Lake!"

Jim rolls, easily dodging the ball Steve threw and ducking from another one as Toby stood behind him, doing nothing but staring at the floor. "Hey, come on! You're gonna get your head in the game, Tobes, or do I have to do this all by myself?"

Stomping his foot down, Toby replies in frustration. "Why bother taking another step? My Chubby Tracker's gone. Life's so empty when you're not racking up points."

During the conversation, balls were continued being thrown, yet none had hit the two until Toby had dropped the ball, not moving as one bounced against his equally round stomach.

"Well, I thought you'd be more concerned about the goblins coming to kill us," Jim stresses his point when suddenly another ball comes towards his best friend.

"Oh, yeah, you're right." Toby perked up at his words, mostly in fear and realization that the Goblins were still out there as Jim jumped forward, catching the ball. He chucked the ball back at the other side, Steve easily avoiding it. With two balls in both palms of his hands, Steve tossed them at Jim, who jumped and slid from each ball while Steve continued to throw. Jim twisted and flipped, the coach raising an eyebrow in shock as Jim continued to flip and jump from the balls. Steve growled as his target couldn't be hit and threw more in his raging fit.

"At least your training's paying off," Toby remarked before getting pummeled by multiple balls and falling to the ground. "My Gronk-nuks!"

One more ball was thrown at him as Steve celebrated. "In your face! You're out, Domzalski!"

Steve caught a flying ball and chucked it at Jim, the boy ducking. Instead of the ball taking down Jim, it had hit the two balls that Eli was holding, sending him to the floor also, the balls leaving his grip and his glasses laying beside him. Jim rolls to the two balls, grabbing them and flipping forward as he tossed them, the two red death balls striking Steve's other teammates. Eli and Jim share a high five while the Trollhunter chuckled happily. With a slow clap, Steve heads over to the two.

"Pretty good, Romeo, but kiss your Juliet goodbye," Steve said, wrapping his arms around himself, moaning and kissing with mockery. Jim's eyebrows furrowed in anger, pointing at Steve. "Leave Liz out of this."

"Don't let him get to you-" Toby started but was struck by another ball as Coach Lawrence just watched from the sidelines. "Ow! Seriously?"

Grabbing a ball from the floor, Jim takes aim. "Pucker up, Steve, and kiss this!"

Jim throws the ball, but Steve ducks in time, letting the ball continue to fly, finding new prey. The ball heads towards the doors when one of them opens to reveal Claire and Liz.

"Nooo!" Jim yelled in panic as everyone watched with their eyes wide. "Oh, snap!"

Liz Walker POV

As soon as they open the gymnasium door, Liz senses a projectile heading straight for them. Suddenly, everything around her plays in slow motion as she pulls back her friend and leaps forward. Lifting a palm in the air, it makes contact with the ball, and with it in her grasp, Liz twirls her body around, using the momentum of the ball to her advantage and throwing it back. Towards whom, she didn't know until a loud resounding smack and a scream met her ears, bringing her surroundings back to average speed.