I've dedicated this chapter to Shravya because if she hadn't told me how much she liked my book and how she was waiting for the next chapter, I don't think I would've updated today, or for a long while.
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Kelly and I had signed up for Glitchketball at the last minute, and as of now, we were surely going to make the team because we were the only two Sloppies trying out. I wasn't particularly interested in the game, I mainly just wanted the practices as a break from cleaning.
"Hey Sloppie! Keaton spilled his orange juice!" Yelled one of the Speedies, Lucy. The Director of Glitchketball.
"Coming," I grumbled, walking over to the table where they sat eating lunch. It was funny what being a Sloppie did to your reputation. A few days ago I was a sensation, now I was a nobody. I knew everyone's names, but no one knew mine.
Reaching out with a finger, I gently pulled at the Code of the spilled orange juice, rearranging it into the Code for air and causing it to vaporize. Above me, Keaton had his arm around Lucy and they were laughing as if I didn't even exist. It would take me, a former celebrity, a really, really long time to get used to being ignored like that.
"Hey Claire, it's time for Glitchketball tryouts!" A cheerful Kelly called out from behind me.
"Already?" I gasped, looking down at my watch which read 2:00. It felt like my 11:00 lunch break had just been minutes ago! I hadn't realized I'd been working for so long!
You're getting used to it, Claire. You're getting used to being Amanda's freaking maid! My brain yelled at me. I scrunched my face up in disgust and rose, finally finished cleaning up the orange juice.
"Come on!" Kelly hopped up and down in place, her short purple ponytail bobbing behind her. We were both dressed in typical Sloppie clothes, short shorts and an old t-shirt, which was perfect for Glitchketball. We walked on behind the Sloppie building and into the Glitchketball stadium, where a few Glitches and regs were gathered to watch the tryouts.
"Participants, get over here!" A Speedie girl- Lucy- yelled, waving her hands. I saw her wink at Keaton, who was already jogging in place, eager to begin tryouts. How had they gotten over here so fast? Well, they were Speedies for a reason. Kelly and I jogged over, joining a clump of seventy to eighty Glitches and regs all vying for a spot on the Glitchketball teams.
"Okay, here's the deal," Lucy began. We've split you into groups of twenty, two teams of ten, eight regs and two Glitches, which is the way it'll be in an actual game. Since we have exactly eighty people trying out this year, we will have four groups and everyone will go exactly once. Are there any questions before we begin?"
"This is my first year here, I'm not exactly sure how to play..." I said with uncertainty, not sure if I would be laughed at.
"It was your choice, and you chose to try out, so you'd better learn on the fly!" Lucy shrugged. I nodded and turned to Kelly.
"It's pretty simple," she explained. "It's almost exactly like regular basketball, except there are Glitches controlling the reg players. See the extra lines on the sides of the court? Those mark where the Glitches are allowed to stand." I nodded and she continued to describe the game, strategies, and general rules.
"Wait," an all too familiar chilling voice pierced the air and Kelly stopped mid-sentence.
"Where is Blake?" Amanda asked Lucy, her tone so even it was impossible to decipher her emotions. "Um...he's...trying out today...right there," she pointed with a shaky finger to the Speedie leader.
"So I'm guessing you'll be conducting tryouts today?"
"Y-Yes" Lucy replied.
"Wonderful," Amanda smiled, clearly taking great pleasure in Lucy's discomfort. "I need to speak with you privately." Lucy's face turned pale, but she quickly nodded and the Glitch president led her to a corner where Jade and Calvin waited for Amanda, their heads bowed as they nervously fiddled with their thumbs. They looked more like her bodyguards than her friends and coworkers.
3rd Person POV
"I see that a certain Sloppie is trying out," Amanda slowly pulled out a small object from her pocket with a smooth shirr and pointed it in Claire's direction. To Lucy's horror, it was a gleaming pocketknife. It was obvious from the blade's perfect sheen that the President polished it often.
Amanda continued to talk about Claire with feigned sympathy, going on and on about how she was such a talented Glitch and how unfortunate her division placement was, but Lucy couldn't listen. All she could focus on was the tiny knife with a sleek black hilt and a super sharp blade that glinted in the light and how Amanda so effortlessly and carelessly twirled it through the air, throwing and catching it as she talked.
Just as she finished talking, she caught the knife in her left hand and gently stroked the flat side of the blade with her right in an almost loving manner. Lucy felt sick.
She was probably waiting for an opportunity to use it.
Lucy shuddered at the thought and reflexively backed away from Amanda. The President only laughed. "Is something the matter, Lucy?"
"Uh, no, not at all, I was just wondering...that knife...why do you-"
"Destruction can be a beautiful thing," Amanda laughed, still caressing her knife.
Yes, this girl was definitely psycho, Lucy backed away even further.
"Oh, don't be silly. Of course I'm not talking about the mindless kind, like war and bombs. I'm talking about carefully planned, flawlessly executed, perfect annihilation. Not that you'd understand."
"Was there something you wanted to tell me?" Lucy quickly asked, burying the unsettling subject.
"Oh yes, since you're in charge of tryouts, you'll also be in charge of results. I don't care what else happens, but Claire King does not make the team. Period. Or else..." Amanda hissed in Lucy's ear, so close the other girl could smell her overwhelmingly minty breath.
"But Amanda, there are only two Sloppies trying out," Lucy held up her roster. "She has to make the team." Amanda's face darkened for a second, but she quickly perked back up.
"Fine then, let her join the Sloppie team. Let her experience last place firsthand, that's even better!" She chuckled. "Oh, little Megan," she muttered to herself as she, Jade, and Calvin walked away. "You're going to love this."
Claire's POV
"Alright everyone, we're ready to begin tryouts!" Lucy tried to sound cheerful, but we could all tell that her conversation with Amanda had been far from pleasant.
"Group 1, Team 1: Keaton, Kelly, Lara, Michael, Josh, Bob, Kennedy, Vivian, Lauren, and Victory. Team 2: Blake, Eva, Tom, Sara, Will, Joe, Elyse, Justin, Liz, and Peyton. Get on the court!" Lucy yelled.
"Good luck, Kelly!" I patted my friend on the back as she ran onto the court and gave my brother an encouraging nod- he was too far away for much else. Those of us who weren't playing sat down on the pavement to watch Group 1's match. Tryouts had begun.