Survival

7. Life of the Party

In half an hour, Stephanie was showered, dressed and for all intensive purposes, ready for the game. Besides the fact that she didn't understand football, as she'd had a little too much in her life to handle without worrying about attending games, Stephanie was actually happy to be going out to do something normal.

To kill time before going to the game, Stephanie decided she might as well get some food. Grabbing her backpack from the corner of the room, Stephanie left the building, using the side entrance to leave. It was difficult to ignore how much her store of cash would be depleted after the short stay in the hotel. Just fewer than two hundred dollars would not be enough to find a place to rent.

Shoving the money problems back into a dark closet in her mind, Stephanie headed to a corner store to get a sandwich. The streets were busier than normal, no doubt from the rush of spectators from the city's team. From what Stephanie had gathered, the rivalry was something they took quite seriously.

Stephanie pushed open the door, a bell signaling her presence in the store. A group of kids her age were paying for whatever they were buying at the counter, joking and bantering loudly as they went. Keeping out of the city kids' way, as judging by the smell of smoke and expensive clothes, she took a bottle of water and a sandwich from the fridges and stood in line to pay. What seemed like an eternity later, the loud group moved on and Stephanie paid for her things.

On the way to the field, she ate the sandwich- more like inhaled it. The school grounds were buzzing with activity and life; it teemed with people. Trepidation tightened her stomach when she realized just how many people there were. Calming herself with a deep breath, Stephanie sucked up her worry and squared her shoulders. Why should she be afraid of crowds?

Still, rather than venture out into the bleachers, Stephanie headed toward her spot underneath the oak tree. Dusk was approaching fast, casting a cooler air over the rowdy group of people. It was a good thing she'd opted to wear her leather jacket. Under the oak tree sat an assembly of teenagers, and from the way they weren't familiar to Stephanie they were probably from the city.

Discouraged by this, Stephanie awkwardly stood on the lawn of the school, hoping that Kirsten would arrive soon. Checking her watch, she noted that she was fifteen minutes early. Stephanie hoped that Kirsten wasn't the type to be late.

***

Almost three hours later, after seemingly endless plays that Stephanie didn't understand in a game that she couldn't get her head around, the football game finally ended. Luckily, Stephanie knew numbers enough to take notice of the fact that the city team had won by three points. To her surprise, there wasn't any anger or disbelief swirling in the air around her. No one seemed that bothered by the loss; in fact, it was like the town was almost victorious. Stephanie looked over at Kirsten, perplexed.

Kirsten smiled and shrugged. "We always lose, but we got closer this time than we ever have before."

Stephanie wasn't going to pretend that she understood the whole thing, but she smiled anyway. "I suppose it's a step nearer?"

Nodding, Kirsten tugged her cardigan closer around her, smiling at the tall guy beside her, fresh out of the locker room. He glanced over her shoulder, straight at Stephanie before redirecting his attention to her only friend.

"Hey, you coming to the party tonight?"

Stephanie was still trying to get her head around the whole not-quite-victory thing, so it was amusing to hear about a party for the losing team. Her smile apparently translated to an acceptance of the invitation.

Kirsten pretended to think about it for a second, before nodding. "Of course I am, as long as I can bring Stephanie too?"

Trying not to butt in and opt out, Stephanie looked away, keeping herself separate from the whole thing. She felt the football player's eyes on her for a moment, even as she pretended to be absorbed with something on the field.