Joshua
The sky grows dark gradually, starting after the coin toss and only darkening after the first whistle blow. The cold, slick rain starts coming down before half-time, augmented only by the spiteful, howling wind; and yet the game goes on. Of course it does, the only thing that could stop it now would be a natural disaster, lightning, or every single player suddenly dropping with mysterious injury. (Not that that's ever actually happened.)
The parents in the stands shiver and shift awkwardly under their umbrellas, some of them having left or taken shelter in their cars. Coach Brown has taken her team into the gym to keep them as warm and as dry as possible before their game. I have eyes only for the ball, but somehow I can feel the pair of emerald eyes on me, and it only spurs me to run faster.
The game has already been going on for a while, and Windsor has the lead by two points.
Marc, Windsor's lead striker, has the ball, and he's quickly taking it back out of the Wizard's half of the field, but I race to intercept him. The rain is causing our uniforms to stick to us, and I have to repeatedly slick my wet bangs out of my eyes; Marc has to blink water out of his eyes as well, and maybe that's why I'm able to take the ball from him so easily. He stops as I come up on him, and he tries to maneuver the ball through his legs to get around me, but I dart forward and kick it out from under him.
The teammates closest to me cheer, and they keep on their marks to hinder their pursuit of me. The momentary second Marc loses while realising he's lost the ball, while having to turn around after me, gives me the lead I need to keep ahead of him as I take the ball out of Tiger territory and into the Wizard's half. The parents seem to have caught on by now, and they holler encouragement and sporty chants that I don't hear. The only thing in my head is the roar of blood through my veins and the shudder of each exhale. Time goes slow and quick all at once.
I race across the field, Marc close behind, his defense darting to intercept me. I quick-step around the backliner right in front of me, and the guy trips over his feet as he tries to keep up. I almost make it to 18-yard line when Marc overtakes me, and I have to take the shot. The world goes bright for a moment and I can't see if I make it, then it comes back and the ball is flying past the goalie's finger tips into the right corner of the net and the crowd—and my team—goes wild.
I turn around with the widest grin on my face, and Marc is breathing hard in front of me. He's shaking water from his hair and despite himself, he's smiling too. Davy, the other striker from Grand Junction whom I hadn't even noticed pacing me for a pass, comes up and claps me roughly on the shoulder.
"Nice shot, Gonzalo!" He screams, and I roar with him.
Marc knocks my shoulder as well, though less roughly. "Fuck," he pants, "you're faster than I remember."
"Damn right," I crow, and he makes a good natured but frustrated sound of agreement before shifting around me to check on his goalie.
The teams were already moving for the reset when the refs start tweeting their whistles incessantly. What? I look between them and the goal, wiping my hair out of my face again. The ball made it into the net, I saw it! I know I didn't foul, I can shoot from where I was!
But the shot wasn't the problem, I realise very quickly. The sky splits with a crack of thunder that rumbles in my chest, and players from both teams groan in protest. We all know the rules though: Thunder means there's lightning, and lightning means there's no game. We're just going to have to wait for the storm to die down and the lightning to pass.
The referees keep blowing their whistles at us, gesticulating, and our coaches gesture to come off the field. Some of us go eagerly, while the majority of us come off resentfully and begrudgingly, me included. Marc and I share are look before heading to our respective coaches to get the lowdown.
Ethan
The teams split for a bit while their coaches talk to them, and then they come back together rowdily to mutually head in the direction of the gym, where they'll all be waiting out the storm. They're all sopping wet and riled up and flushed and— goddamn, do I love rainouts.
A ref comes up to us spectators, mostly parents, to tell us what's up. The athletes are gonna be in the gym, they say, but there's not enough room for everyone so parents and siblings aren't allowed to join; they'll have to find somewhere else to wait. Athletes take priority, sorry.
The parents grumble and complain as they pack up their stuff, but otherwise they don't argue with the ref. I pay him no attention, and I hop off the stands with a grin, heading off towards the gym.
Hey, I may not be currently playing, but I count as an athlete too, right?
Maggs and all the other hot soccer babes are already in the gym, and Josh is heading there now, I honestly don't see where else I'd want to go. Sucks that my games probably gonna be canceled, but oh well.
I jog to catch up with Josh and his soccer crew, only to slow down and come to a surprised halt as he comes into my line of sight again. There's a tall guy approaching him, wearing a pair of old jeans and a ratty pleather jacket rather than soccer gear like all the other dudes. I don't recognise him as someone from Grand Junction, but I don't recognise him as any of the Windsor players either.
Something feels oddly strange about him. Rather than catching up, I follow at a slower pace behind the players, unable to help from curiously watching as he catches Josh's attention.
Whatever he says, Josh looks back at him and seems to have the fright of his life. He looks back to a tall, black Windsor kid he was talking to, but the kid seems alright with letting Josh and the other guy talk, so he turns to chat animatedly with one of his own teammates. Turning back to the stranger, Josh scowls and says something most likely scolding, but I can see an uncharacteristic nervousness in him even as he does so. The stranger nods awkwardly and runs a hand through rain-slick black hair; whatever he says next to Josh, I miss, but it affects my friend visibly. He stops, his eyebrows raise, and his cheeks grow rosy in a way I've only seen happen rarely.
He glances away from the stranger, and whatever he says, it looks like, "thank... thank you."
The guy smiles warmly, and the expression is enchanting enough that even I find my stomach twisting into knots at the sight. Is this Seth? Is this the guy Josh all confused for but won't tell me anything about? It's crazy, the way Josh as acting lately, he's breaking all his own rules and he's not talking to me like he normally does. Does this Seth-guy have something to do with it?
My curiosity is eating me alive, and I want nothing more than to just run up and throw myself into the conversation and force Joshie to introduce us. But for some reason I can feel that I really shouldn't. I swear though, if this guy is hurting Joshua in any way, I'm going to fuck him up so bad. I don't even care Josh thinks he might have a thing for him, if he's harassing him, making life tough for him, he's got another thing coming.
I watch the guy closely as he and Josh catch up with their group again, and I struggle with what to think of him as I follow them the rest of the way to the gym.
Joshua
Eight teams in the gym. My game was going, a softball game was going, Ethan's game was to start soon after, and the girls' soccer game was to start soon after mine. Two teams per game, eight teams. The gym is packed.
If you were to look at all of us, however, you wouldn't even be able to tell we're from separate schools, let alone teams. At some point someone's pulled out their bluetooth speaker from who knows where, and the gym lights up with roaring music. Players get pulled into the dance circle that forms with little communication needed, and from where I sit towards the top of the bleachers, I watch the Windsor and Grand Junction kids dance and bounce and chant to the rap blaring from the speaker.
What was a rainout has now become what's basically a party, and I can't believe it. It's pretty fun to watch though, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to hop down and join them. I'm not the only one on the bleachers though, thankfully, there are a couple other kids hanging out either alone or in groups, scattered about the bleachers on their phones or talking happily. Some of the coaches and refs are hanging about the edges of the gym, keeping an eye on us, but since the partying hasn't done anything wrong yet, they're letting us do what we want.
Unsurprisingly, I spot Ethan in the dance circle, and he looks to be having the time of his life. I look around for anyone else I recognise, and I spot a good number of my own teammates, but I don't spot anyone else. Particularly Seth. Where has he gotten off to? I didn't see where he went once we all entered the gym.
An uneasy feeling distills itself in my gut, but I push it down. There's nothing to worry about, I tell myself, it's not like he can be getting up to any trouble. If he does and he gets caught, well, I'm going to tell myself it's not my problem, and then he'll be out of my hair. Yeah.
I don't really know if I'm successful in tricking myself or not. I think of how he complimented my shot when we were heading up here, and I think of how weird it made me feel. Did I like that he was watching my game? Or did I just like that he was impressed by something I did? I can't tell, and I'm sure there's a difference between the two, but I can't articulate what it is at the moment. Everything just feels so up-in-the-air with him now, so... unsure. I'm scared of him, yes, but I also think I might be attracted to him, and this is... crazy. Really, really not good. Is it possible that I like him? Is that why I'm feeling all these contradicting feelings, thinking all these weird thoughts??
I try to distract myself by looking back out over the gym again.
The dance circle has broken up by now, and the group seems to have split down a gender divide. The boys have gone off and made themselves a basketball gauntlet: they've lined up on either sides of the the hoop, having given one of the guys a basketball so that they can hoot and cheer and goad him on while he runs down the line and tries to make a slam dunk. Considering most of them aren't basketball players, it's pretty amusing to watch.
The girls are also playing a sport other than their own, but they choose to do it in a much less wild way than the boys do. They've made themselves a volleyball circle, and they talk to each other merrily as they bump-set-try-to-spike the ball within the group. Imagine my surprise when I finally find where Seth got off to. 'Cause there he is, in the circle with the girls, smiling and chatting gaily as he bumps the ball with them. They seem happy to have him, and he seems to be enjoying playing their game with them, keeping the ball off the ground.
Watching them only causes my feelings to grow more conflicted. I frown, but the expression is more inward, more at myself with confusion. Am I... jealous? No way, I can't be. I know I shouldn't care if Seth hangs out with those girls, it's not my problem. In fact, it's good that he is, because I want him to stay away from me! But for some reason... I'm left with uncertainty and weird twinge in my chest that isn't the contentedness it should be. I really shouldn't care. But for some reason I do, and it's driving me nuts. Why? Why do I care if Seth hangs out with them? He could be friends with them for all I care! He could be best friends! I'm terrified of the guy, I hate him! I shouldn't care!
But I do, and I can't deny it. It's clearly bothering me. Why though...?
I think, maybe it might be jealousy. I don't want to admit it, but I don't know what else to place the emotion as. Despite it all, despite how terrifyingly wretched he is as a monster, despite what he's done to me, he's still a good guy on the inside. He tries. I've seen it. He's sweet, and happy-go-lucky, and maybe he makes mistakes, huge, awful mistakes, but we all do right? And he's a kid. Maybe he doesn't know better.
What am I trying to do, dissuade myself from hating him? Christ. Shut up, Joshua, you're just trying to figure out why it bothers you that he's just playing volleyball with some girls. Shouldn't be a big deal. Should be something good! But it's not.
I look up at him again, and somehow he must feel my heavy gaze, because he looks up and meets my eye. His gaze instantly lights up and he smiles brightly, bringing a hand up to wave. As he does so, he misses the ball he was supposed to notice and catch, and it bounces off his head. He blinks and gasps, then the girls around him fall into giggling, and he laughs. He grins at me, his face going warm with humility, then he looks to the girls and grins just as wide, chattering with them about it cheerily, and that's when I figure out why I'm jealous.
Goddamn it, Joshua, you're so selfish. You have something special with him, so you don't want him to have it with anyone else. Is that what it is? Is that why you want him to watch your games and talk only to you and just be your secret, pretty little alien to compliment you and love you? Jesus Christ. You don't even want to talk to him, you've told him as much, you've told him to stay away from you, and yet now you get irritated when he does just that?
You, Joshua Gonzalo, are a hypocrite.
Furiously I groan at myself, shoving my hands into my hair and shaking them with vigor, before scrubbing them down my face as if that could rid me of my anger or my embarrassment. If I could just die now, that'd be great.
I glance up to Seth again, though this time it's more like a peek. He doesn't notice me watching this time. I decide right here and right now, I need to go talk to him. I might not be able to explain all my thoughts, but there are so many things we need to talk about and set straight (well, straight is probably the wrong word, ugh) that I need to at least try. He's probably still worrying about the date, fuck. I told him I had a lot of things I needed to think about, and I guess that really wasn't a lie. I did. And I still do.
Just because I semi-understand my own feelings now doesn't mean I know how to deal with them. They're a tangled mess of confusion and nightmares and probably hormones and I should... I should really just talk to him, ugh. I should ask his opinion on all of this maybe, if I can muster the courage, maybe what he has to say can help me make up my mind. I don't know how I could be able to push him away again, but I still have that option, and if I absolutely decide I need to, I need to not forget that I can.
I need to not forget that he's still a dangerous alien.
That being said, he has weird feelings for me and I'm going to talk to him about it. Yeah. I stand up from my seat on the bleachers with determination, only for it to skitter away from me as I look at him once more. Am I really going to do this now? Can I? Yes, I should... I should try.
I take a deep breath, and start down the bleachers to the gym floor.
Then I'm stopped by a familiar soft voice, and the surprise freezes me in place.
"Joshua..?" Ying says from beside me. "Do you have time? We... We need to talk. It's about... us."
I look over to her slowly, and I swear I can feel the sweat trickling down my neck. Or maybe that's just rainwater. Standing next to her, radiating seriousness and authority, is Maggie, her hands at her hips and her clothes dry. I want to say no, I don't have time, but the look on Maggie's face says I probably shouldn't.
That being said, I've just worked up the courage to talk to Seth! And that's no small feat! I can feel it wavering even as I stand here, and I'm tempted to chicken out and talk to them instead of the alien, but I tell myself I better not.
"I... I'm sorry, is it urgent? This isn't a good time, I... I need to go do something..." I hedge, probably sounding awkward as I glance around them to the volleyball circle. I hope I don't sound like I don't want to hear what she has to say about us, I do, and I'm sure it's important, but I just don't want to hear it right at this moment.
Ying looks quietly nervous and ready to give in, but Maggie scowls.
"Yeah, actually, it is urgent. Can you spare a second, Joshua? This is in your best interest." Ying stops fidgeting enough to pull her own phone out of her pocket as Maggie says this, and for a moment I can't imagine why. Then I'm reminded of when I saw them on the field bleachers, discussing something serious, Ying's phone in hand.
By now, Seth seems to have noticed us. Surprise blanches his features, and he politely excuses himself from the game in order to make his way over. Right here and now, I'm struck with a choice. I look to Maggie's expectant expression and Ying's familiar timid demeanor, and then I glance to Seth.
"Look at this," Maggie starts to say, but by then I'd made my choice.
"I'm really sorry," I say, trying to ignore the disappointment that befalls Ying's features and the irritation on Maggie's. "But I have to go do something. I promise I'll come find you and ask later, whatever it is you have to tell me. Can I do that?"
I barely hear Ying's quiet yes; I'm already hurrying off to confront an alien, and it's probably a mistake.
.
.
.
The rainout-party in this chapter is actually heavily based off of an actual experience I had when I was a freshman: it was wild. If you're curious, you can read the next like anecdotal paragraph, if not, you can skip it!
I was taken as an alternate for the sprint medley at track euros (basically like the championships at the end of the season with all the schools and all the qualified athletes competing). I wasn't hella into running at the time, (heck, I'm still not), and I'd never even run an 800m before then, so it was one of the most terrifying meets I'd ever run. Needless to say, when it it literally started flooding with rain the second day during finals, I was the most relieved, most frustrated kid ever. I was so glad I wouldn't have to run it again, but I was also so frustrated that we wouldn't get to be in the runnings for at least fourth place!
CHECK OUT THIS BOMB-ASS, ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL DRAWING OF SETH IN THE HEADER BY Shannie_The_Bunnie! It brought me to tears, I'm so in love with it, it's very well done. <3 If y'all want to see more of his adorable art and fun stuff you should check out his tumblr at shannie-the-bunnie. :]
Hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving! I'm thankful to you all for reading! Please leave a vote if you enjoyed and lemme know what y'all thought! And have an awesome day/night where ever you are :-)