[Going to be some character descriptions and building this chapter, so bear with me!]
retiform : resembling a net
It's game day.
It was her favorite three word sentence to wake up to. She had been dreading this moment but was excited, for it was the first game of her last season. Since it was an away game, she had to dress up, which was something she did not mind, for she had to keep up her popular standard somehow. When you are the homecoming queen, varsity athlete, and valedictorian of your school, you tend to be known. She had perfect teeth from three years of braces, long sandy colored hair that had the slightest curl to it, and grey-blue eyes. She stood five-foot seven-inches, and of course had the body of an athlete, complete with muscular legs and arms, as well as a six pack worked out into her core. She was naturally tan, for she was considered Latina have spent the first eight years of her life in Brazil. She spoke fluent Portuguese as well as English, having to learn it before she could go back to school, but still had the accent.
When she moved, she had just started playing soccer in one of the soccer capitals of the world, so she looked up to a lot of Brazilian players over Americans, but one that would always be at the top of her list of idols is Hope Solo. She had retired from the team after the whole Sweden outing thing during the Olympics, but she was still the best goalkeeper she had ever witnessed. If she were to ever get to that moment in her life to be called up to a national team, she would choose the United States, for they had the best goalkeepers in the world.
She went through her closet and chose a dusty pink colored t-shirt dress with a black bralette and a pair of brown ankle boots. She packed a sports bra in her soccer bag as well as her uniform then went to finish doing her makeup. After applying concealer and foundation, she did her eyebrows, although she really did not have to, and applied eyeliner, then went upstairs with her bags in hand.
"Are you coming to the game later?" She asked as she sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast, looking to her parents as she ate.
"We're going to try, but you know how our work schedules are." Her father stated without looking up from the newspaper in front of him, and she sighed, definitely knowing how their work schedules were. They had been to one game a year so far, and that was because it was a Friday at home.
"Alright, well I have to go." She said, excusing herself from the table and grabbing her backpack as well as her soccer bag. "Tchau!" She shouted into the house as she left with her car keys in her hand. She unlocked her car and put her things in the backseat before getting into the driver's seat, starting it and buckling her seat belt.
Twenty minutes later she parked in her spot in the student lot at Blue Lake High School and went inside, leaving her soccer bag in her car, for she would be driving herself to the game and changing at the locker room of the Westview High School, for the junior varsity would play first anyhow.
She went through her classes, the day going by slowly as she awaited the time to leave at the beginning of fifth hour, and as she sat down at lunch in her spot between Allison and Antonio after getting lunch.
"You look nice." Antonio said in her ear, and she smiled, feeling her cheeks redden underneath her makeup.
"Why thank you, Antonio. That's probably the nicest thing you've said to be all year." She teased, and he rolled his eyes at her. The both laughed and held their own conversation as they ate, Georgia smiling more than usual. She looked him over as she usually did, and he was sporting jeans and a sweatshirt as he normally did. His curly brown hair was messy on top and the sides and back were shaved down, and his green eyes were dull in the cafeteria lighting. He had the eyelashes and eyebrows no man deserved, and of course he had a muscular build after playing soccer, track star, and being a swimmer all his life. It served him well. The bell rang overhead, signalling lunch was over and there was only one more hour of AP chemistry to go through until they left on a bus to head to the home of the Wildcats.
"We'll see you at the game later!" Antonio called as he walked with a group of guys in the opposite direction of her. She smiled, for it was a huge rivalry game and their school was big into soccer. It was the football of Blue Lake High School, for no one showed up to the football games anymore since soccer was established. The only game that was big was the homecoming game, which filled the stadium once a year.
Georgia found herself parked at a stoplight behind the bus an hour and a half later, Allison in the passenger seat. They were singing along to the game day playlist Allison had made at the beginning of the year during their track season, so they knew all the songs from then. After the song that was playing, Allison turned the music down and looked to Georgia with pleading eyes.
"Okay GJ, spill. What's happening with Antonio?" She asked, and she let a sigh escape her lips as they turned at a light.
"Nothing is going on since the last time you asked." Georgia responded with a grunt.
"You guys looked so cute at lunch today, though! There's got to be something you're not telling me." She pried as they pulled into the parking lot of the stadium.
"There's nothing going on. I still like him and he's oblivious." She stated, shutting off the car and unlocking the doors, ending their conversation. She got her soccer bag out of the back seat and closed the door, waiting until Allison got hers before locking it. They followed the rest of the team as they got off the bus and went into the locker room, the junior varsity team already taking the field. The girls who were not changed yet like Georgia and Allison got changed into uniform and went out into the stands as the game began, sitting near the student section that the Blue Lake Chieftains set up in the away bleachers, but the section remained scarce, for it was just the junior varsity team playing at the moment. Coach Carter sat with them, and they all talked about who they were up against and what they needed to do. Westview was one of three rival schools in Portland that they were up against, but the Chieftains typically came out on top. They were state title winners three years in a row, no one coming in to take their title yet.
The game wound down as the Chieftains took the lead, and the varsity team began warming up on the side of the field, Allison warming Georgia up before they went into their drills on the field, the junior varsity team winning two-one in their first game of the season. By now, the student section was filling up, and the boys varsity team was leading the rally. She spotted Antonio along with some of the other guys, and his eyes were on her the entire time.
They moved to the field and continued to warm up, Georgia getting some shots on net before her and Allison were called to the sideline to take care of their captain duty. They won the coin toss, for tails always won, and got the kick first half. They all huddled around each other as the whistle blew for the teams to get out on the field, and Coach Carter took the time to get them pumped before Georgia took over, for since her freshman year she had broke the team down.
"Alright ladies, this is it. First game of the season, and probably one that will determine our season. We can't bear to lose this game, for it is a rivalry game and we would never hear the end of it, so let's go out, play our game, and win this. Alright Georgia, break us down!" Coach Carter said, rallying them up as Georgia took a knee, raising a gloved hand into the air as others piled on top of it.
"Let's kick some ass, ladies. Chieftains on three! One, two, three-" Georgia started, shouting with the rest of the team "Chieftains!" as they broke apart and took the field. Allison and Georgia did their handshake as she went to her side of the field, and she knew this was going to be a good game.
The wave of the referee's arm, the blow of the whistle, and the time beginning to count down on the scoreboard signaled the start of the game. She watched as the home team immediately started pressing against the Chieftains, forcing them backwards to the defense. One of the defenders, Riley Truman, passed it up field for Allison. She looked around, making a move around a midfielder on the opposing team before passing it off to forward Madison Dewerk, who crossed the ball from outside the eighteen yard box towards the penalty spot, but their goalkeeper punched it away, falling to the turf as she did so, giving Allison a wide open shot. She took it, and although a defender tried to step in front, the ball went just past the spikes of her cleats and the ball hit the net. They all celebrated the first goal of the season, and Georgia found herself going towards midfield to hug her best friend before going back to the net. They could all hear their student section roar with excitement, reciting their fight song as the whistle blew for play to continue, possession in favor of the Westview Wildcats in the twenty-third minute. They sent it forward then backwards to give their wingers time to head up field. There was a long ball to the left side of the field, and Hannah got on it instantly, jockeying the opponent and tracking her every move. After a fake turn, the midfielder got around her, looking up to make a cross to dangerous territory. Georgia read the ball as it soared towards the penalty spot, and she came out and jumped, grasping the ball in her gloves as bodies clashed into her, causing her to be knocked to the ground with the ball in her hands. She heard the whistle blow as Allison helped her to her feet, Georgia setting the ball on the turf and quickly sending it to an outside midfielder to get their players in deep before the Wildcats' defense could get back. The Chieftains got down the field quickly, Hannah raising a hand from across the field, looking for a cross, looking to get up two-nil before going into halftime. Grace sent the ball to Allison and she backheeled it to Hannah, who took a curling shot to the upper ninety, but the keeper got a hand on it before it could cross the line.
Halftime was called, and they all talked about things they needed to improve upon in the second half. Georgia and Allison contributed to the team conversation with their coach, for they saw the field better than anyone on the field. Ten minutes later they were on the other side of the field, Allison and her doing their handshake a second time before getting ready for the half to start. The whistle blew and the clock started to count down, the Chieftains leading by one over the Wildcats.
The rest of the game was fairly uneventful, the ball going back and forth between both teams attacking thirds, and although both teams created great chances, the score remained one-nil, which meant the first win of many for the Chieftains, ans the first shutout of the season for Georgia.
Hands wrapped around her waist as she stood at the trunk of her car to put her bag in the back. She elbowed whoever it was and turned around, shutting the trunk and looking at the figure who was doubled over in pain, realizing who it was.
"Oh my, Antonio I'm so sorry." She apologized as she got him to stand straight, both of them leaning against her trunk. He laughed, then winced.
"I always forget you're extremely strong and know where to hit a guy." He commented, causing her to let out a small chuckle.
"It's why you don't mess with me in the first place." Georgia responded, taking her hair out of her ponytail. She hand changed out of her jersey while she was still at the field, but remained in her uniform shorts until she got home.
"You played good today, GJ." Antonio stated with a smile, his teeth bright in the setting sunlight.
"Thanks, but I know there's a 'but' in there somewhere." She responded sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"But, I think you've got to work on your punts. They're a little short of the other net." He answered, and they both began to laugh, the both of them knowing her punts sometimes led to assists on her end of the field.
"I've got to get going. I still have a lot of homework to get going on." She said with a ghost of a smile, twirling her keys in her hand.
"Oh, alright." He said with a disappointed look on his face.
"What?" She asked with a grin.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to grab something to eat, but if you've got to go, I understand." Antonio responded with a hidden broken look on his face, which made her heart shatter.
"How about after the game on Friday?" She suggested, restoring the goofy grin that had been on his face seconds before.
"Okay, okay." He studdered with a smile, then started to back up. "I'll see you tomorrow, GJ!" He added before turning rowarss his car, and she found herself with a huge grin on hee face as she started her car to head home and start the two hours of homework she had that night.