Ripped Apart

Chapter 1: Pink really ISN'T my colour!

It had been the crappiest training session that month, which was saying something seeing as it was winter and every session it was either raining or the pitch was so slippy you'd come home looking like something from Scooby Doo. Keith, my delightful football coach had shouted at me at least six times in the past hour. I knew he'd never really liked me from the word go, (which I put down to his jealousy of my stunning good looks) but today he was out to destroy what was left of my self esteem all together.

Nobody could really explain Keith's mysterious burst of anger, except Johnny who reckoned he'd slipped and got a red hot poker lodged up his ass. Steve also said that he was secretly a woman and today was his 'time of the month.'

Keith announced the beginning of a game with a sharp blow of the whistle which would provide even more of a reason for Keith to release his anger on us. I focused all my attention on the ball. Keith's raging fury was not to be messed with and it was more than my life was worth to screw anything up with the prospects of coming face to face with Keith's inner demon. I could not get distracted.

So of course, being typical me, I got distracted. I was trying so hard to concentrate when I heard giggling coming from the stands beside me. Sitting half way up, whispering to eachother, were two of the fittest girls in the year. They were pointing at me and making comments sending each of them in turn into a fit of childish giggles. I flashed them a bright smile and chuckled as they both flushed a deep crimson red simultaneously.

Focussing once more on the game I watched as our star striker slide tackled the ball and raced towards the goal. It wasn't coming down this end of the pitch anytime soon so I risked another glance at the giggling girls. They greeted my look with a cheeky wink. It was my turn to go bright red. Just as I was about to wink back a whoosh of cold air hit my bare ankles making the hairs on my legs stand instantly on end. I looked down immediately and the whole moment went into slow motion. I watched horror stricken as the ball flew past me, soar through the air and hit the back of the net making it ripple furiously, almost as if it was purposely confirming my fatal mistake. I watched the ball roll out of the net and across the muddy green with a bitter sense of dismay. Johnny's whispered swearing said it all.

My conscience screamed abuse at me.

YOU IDIOT! YOU IMBECILE! HOW COULD YOU MISS THAT?! GIRLS ALWAYS MESS THINGS UP! BUT YOU GOT DISTRACTED, AGAIN??!!

I was doomed. My conscience was right as it so often was. It was the end of my life as I knew it.

Sure enough Keith started striding forcefully towards me. His beer belly wobbled with every step and I could feel the anger pulsating off him and the large throbbing vein at his temple. What would normally be a hysterical sight, (an angry, overweight, middle aged man racing across a footy pitch) was now a scene sent directly from hell. His face was going a deeper shade of puce every second he got closer. He was going to kill me. Or worse.

He put his face inches from mine and sighed. Just as I was starting thinking, 'maybe this won't be so bad after all..' he began to scream sending shocks through my body. He screamed so loud I swear even the trees a mile away shrank back in fear. I stared at the ground, most conscious of the girls eyes burning the nape of my neck from above me. It was all too easy to sense their silent giggles.

Keith predictably blamed my 'mistake' on my long, sweeping fringe which he hated with a vengeance. (He pretty much hated everything about me..) It hung limply over my eyes and did usually impair my vision and from day one Keith, who was already bald at 45 and was jealous of any human being who still had hair, had disliked it's entire existence. I hastily brushed it behind my ear trying to make it seem as small as possible, praying that he didn't have a pair of scissors in his pocket. It was around that point that I wouldn't have believed the session could get any worse. I was wrong.

Keith brought me to the ultimate new heights of embarrassment. He addressed the two girls in the stand who instantly stopped giggling and tried to keep straight faces. My whole body sank as Keith commanded that they hand over any spare hair bobbles in their possession. My stomach clenched particularly tight as they handed over a large bright pink, glittery one. Keith smiled evilly.

"Perfect. Just what Alec needs. As well as a haircut." he muttered slyly.

And so I was forced to wear it in my hair for the remainder of the practice. Keith looked at me every so often and made no attempt to hide the happiness he felt from his twisted revenge. By the end of the half hour, my dignity had been ripped away, spat on a few times and then stamped into the earth where it would lie shattered forever. I left the pitch and distinctly heard Johnny's booming voice in the distance.

"Don't worry Alec, pink's definitely your colour!"

I rolled my eyes and pulled the bobble viciously from my hair, releasing my fringe once again to take it's rightful place in front of my eyes.

"Never again." I swore to myself.

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XD

Hope you like it. This chapter made my sister laugh so I hope it's okay. Please let me know what you think. Your opinions mean everything to me, even bad ones. (:

Thank you xxxxxxxxxxxxx