Mondays... The days my world changes

My Footy Dream

Chapter 15: My footy dream

While I was walking home after school, a Mitsubishi 4x4 Ute passed by with a truckload of the jocks from school. They kept on wolf whistling at me and I turned around to find that they had stopped right in front of me. I turned around to see the Ute stop right next to me. Jason (the captain of the football team) jumped out of the car and stood in front of me with a grin. “Hey girly.” I think he spotted the shock and confusion on my face because he then said “What’s up with you, chicky?” “You just never talk to me and now you talk to me like we’ve been besties forever!” I said with genuine curiosity. He turned back to his mates and laughed like I had said some hilarious joke. “You can believe what you want girly but I came here to ask you something.” “What?” He was starting to creep me out. “I want to ask you if you would like to join the Oakland High Junior Rugby League Team?” “What! I thought that the football team only had guys?” He nodded to that but continued on. “Yes it has only had guys because we haven’t found a chick that would be alright in the footy team until we saw you. When you punched Rick in the face we were like WOW she’s got some guts.” I looked down to the floor and muttered, “I’ll think about it.” He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. What was he playing at? He’s Michael’s best mate! “Don’t you think Michael will like you even more if you joined?” I didn’t know what to say so I said, “I think your ‘mates’ are starting to get restless.” He turned and saw all his mates starting to beat each other up inside the car. “Ummm, yeah. I better go before they start beating up the car.” He offered if I wanted a ride. Of course I said no! I wouldn’t stand one second in that death trap. “Bye Jason, I’ll think about it”. I started to walk slowly to my house when I felt my phone vibrate. Michael was calling!! OMG OMG. I pressed start call and took a deep breath. “Hi Michael.” I said in a cheery, upbeat voice. I sounded like a chipmunk! For god’s sake. “Hi babe, Whatcha doing”. “Walking home.” “Still. I thought you would’ve been there ages ago.” I sighed and explained the whole thing with Jason. “OMG. He never asks a chick to join any of the teams he captains! Babe, this is very rare. Take it. Do what your good at.” I smiled to myself and told Michael. “I told Jason that I would think about it but I’m not sure if they are going to be sexist or take it easy on me. I don’t want that. I want to be as equal as any of them.” Michael knows how sensitive I get when guys take it easy on me. I want to be equal with them. Girls can do anything guys can do. “I know you don’t want that babe. Just say yes and see how it is. I’ll talk to Jason about it later.” I turned down the street and stopped. “I, I, I have to go Michael. Talk to you later.” “Ok, bye babe”. It’s there. Right in front of me. There, staring at me. The ghost. She (or he, I don’t know) wasn’t doing anything, not saying anything. It didn’t even look like it was even paying attention to anything around it. I didn’t dare move in case the ghost reacted. After 10 minutes of standing there debating in my head whether I should move or not, I finally decided to move my leg. Slowly and carefully I raised my leg and took one step towards the ghostly figure. At the blink of an eye the ghost disappeared form my vision. I scanned my surroundings but could only see office workers and families walking around me talking and blissfully unaware of what was happening to me right now. I took a deep breath and took a couple of steps around the corner. I don’t remember what happened next. Only that I was knocked to the floor and felt something warm ooze down my head. I was drifting to sleep while hearing a familiar voice above me screaming for help. “Michael? Mic…..”