Warren Beasts

48: Team Sports

Dawn is not happy.

She confronts Sage as soon as her jockey disembarks from Storm Zen and enters the Jackalopes' locker room.

"Sage. What the hell was that out there?" The Coach says, pressing her trusty clipboard against her chest, the furrow in her brow ever deepening.

"Winning." Sage shoots back.

"That wasn't winning, Sawyer, that was a blatant display of public assholery. Tourneytub is a team sport. Emphasis on team. There was no reason to toss Gee out of the way like that!"

"There were plenty of reasons, actually." Sage throws her helmet into her locker. She has no intention of elaborating upon those reasons. She sits down on the chair in front of her, boiling over in silence.

Dawn sighs. Her anger is already dissipating under the onslaught of Sage's constant stubbornness. "Gee could've helped you. What you did was unnecessary and might have cost us the game. Two on one is always better than one on one. Simple odds. You have to learn how to get along with all your teammates, Sage."

Sage stands up so quickly the chair she's been sitting on tips over backwards. The sound of it clattering to the floor is resounding. Everyone stops what they're doing to stare at her.

"I'm not the one who can't get along with her teammates, Coach!" Sage heads for the exit.

The rest of the team nods heartily. For once, they actually agree with her. Coach looks from one jockey to the other.

"Really? So I'm the bad guy now?"

Everyone shrugs, and then goes back to what they were doing.

Sage is nearly through the door when Gee finally decides to make her appearance. From the expression on her face, Sage can tell she's been listening to that whole exchange. Sage tries to brush aggressively past her.

Gee reaches out her arm. She manages to stop Sage, gently.

"Look. Sage, I'm sorry. I wasn't myself out there. I know that. Please- Please be patient with me, OK? I'm still trying to figure this all out." Gee says.

Sage rips her arm out of Gee's grip. "Why should I be patient!?"

Sage leaves Gee standing there again, just as she had in the hotel room.

Sage heads for some air, anywhere she can possibly find it.

"Why do you have to always be at war with the whole world?" Gee calls after her.

"Cuz the whole world is always at war with me!" Sage shouts back over her shoulder.

Artie is finally rolling back to the locker room from the benchpen when someone taps him on the shoulder.

"Hey! I thought I might catch you here!" A familiar voice speaks.

Artie whirls his wheelchair around and looks up.

It's Jenny, auburn hair done up behind her head in a complicated bun. She's wearing a puffy jacket and cargo pants with more pockets than Artie has ever seen in his life. Wrenches and screws and spare nails dangle at her sides, tipping precariously from all those open pockets.

This is the first time Artie has actually seen her since their first meeting.

Since all their texting back and forth.

Since he realized he has a gigantic nerdy ass crush on her.

Artie swallows. Hard.

"j-Jenny, hey! I didn't know you were here. I thought the Hammers didn't make it to the playoffs." He says.

Jenny's face drops. "Yeah, we weren't that good this year..." She looks down at her feet.

Smooth move, Amphigore, he thinks to himself.

Way to make a girl feel real good about herself...

"I'm sure you weren't that bad. You nearly beat us!" Artie tries to say encouragingly.

Jenny rubs the back of her neck. "No. We were. But only cuz my idiot coach wouldn't listen to any of my engineering suggestions. Anyway... I just watched your Jackalopes play. Are you ever gonna jockey a tub in one of these games?"

Artie shakes his head sheepishly. "Nah. I tried that a while back. It didn't go so well. The Jackalopes are better with me sticking my ass firmly in that old benchpen, I assure you."

"I dunno about that, Amphigore. If you have even half the jockey skills as you do engineering skills, I'm sure you'd become a force to be reckoned with. And I'd love to see that one day." Jenny says.

Artie has no idea how to reply to that. So he just nods dumbly, hoping he's not blushing up a storm.

"Well, I won't keep you from your team for long, Artie. I know you have a lot to do before the semis in two days. Just know I'll be sitting out here watching you guys." Jenny says.

"Yeah, uh- Thanks! I'll see you around Jenny."

"Good luck!" Jenny waves while slowly walking away.

"You too!" Artie soon realizes what he's just said, and slaps himself over the forehead.

What the hell does she need good luck for?

Wendy's right. He is hopeless.

Artie starts rolling his wheelchair back towards the locker room. He crosses paths with Sage, walking in the other direction. She's grinning ear to ear at him. Evidently, she saw him talking to Jenny.

"Get it Amphigore!" Sage pumps her fist in the air as she strolls by.

Artie rolls his eyes, but he's grinning now too.

***

Photo courtesy of James Fitzgerald on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@reallygoodjames. Edited.