This choice: Keep Hannah's appointment • Go Back...Chapter #36Team Introductions by: rugal b.   sry cant
hav 2 meet sum ppl
need 2 adjust 1st
oh
well can we meet tomorrow
yea of course!
we can connect :)
ok
i'll see u tomorrow
count on it
luv ya girl ;)
.....
weird
You want to laugh at that. You'd imagine she would find it weird to see Hannah send her messages like that. Even weirder knowing who's playing the part of Hannah. But it is a style that Hannah often affects in text or on social media and you've found it very easy to slide right into the roles that you've been playing. Briefly you wonder if there's something about that you should look into but you brush it off. If the bands give you direct access to the person's mind, then of course you shouldn't have any problem just stepping into the role of Evie Cummings or Hannah Westrick.
So you brush any of those thoughts off and head to Mr. Rodriguez's class. You're probably a good ten minutes late but it's such a nothing class, especially for Hannah who takes two other high level language classes, that nobody bats an eye as you slip in and into your usual seat in the back, two of Hannah's teammates sitting around her.
To her left is Dominique Hughes, leggy with warm caramel skin and dark hair in tight curls. She's the striker, the team's main goal scorer, and her strong legs are able to deliver powerful kicks that serve her well in that role. As the winger, Hannah's role is to create opportunities to allow Dominique to score and the two have developed a strong rapport due to it. It's a rapport that is sometimes put to the test however as Dominique is also one of Anita's good friends and will, more often than not, jump to her defense when her and Hannah butt heads.
In front of her is Tara Weston, the goalkeeper. Graced with a toned body and with reactions, she's like a brick wall and is very, very good at what she does able to stop most anything that comes her way. Her body is contrasted by her soft face, soft blonde hair and soft voice. She's Hannah's best friend on the squad, being the first to approach her when she joined. There are strong rumors about her, however, ones that she's done her best to debunk and ones Hannah's paid no mind to.
"I saw Evie skulking around at practice," Tara snickers.
"Yeah, she wanted to talk to me about Sunday," you tell her.
Tara rolls her eyes, "I can only imagine. Did she at least apologize for being a fuck up?"
"Yeah, kinda," you tell her. "We set things straight between us."
"The only thing to really set straight is that she doesn't have any business on the field," she huffs.
"That's not really fair," Dominique interjects. "At least she's trying. There's a couple of girls on the JV team who don't seem to give a crap."
"You sound like Anita," you tell her.
"Yeah, for real. She's kind of stupid to think she can actually shape someone like that," Tara says.
Dominique just shrugs. "All I'm saying is that I'd rather have someone putting in the effort than dogging it," she states.
"Well I kind of agree with you," you tell her much to Tara's shock. "I agreed to help her out with training and shit."
"So you and Anita are both going to be helping her out," Tara asks in surprise. "Christ, I don't get it. An Olympian couldn't teach her anything, she's hopeless."
You flash her a smirk. "Don't think I'm doing this for Evie's benefit or Anita's," you tell her, "If I'm able to make her into a competent player how will that make me look?"
"So you're just going along with it to try and knock down Anita," Dominique states.
"Yeah, so what," you ask her. "I'm not looking to kick Anita off of the team or anything, I just want the team to be the absolute best it's going to be and if that means me captaining it instead of her then that's how it should be."
* * * * *
You plan on spending the rest of the day acclimating to Hannah's life and you're surprised that she's a lot sharper than you'd have expected: statistics, a lot of AP language classes and zoology, none of which are jokes. A glimpse into her mind reveals that she shares a few of those classes with some other teammates. Statistics is shared with Anita, though the two of you sit on opposite sides of the room. Mrs. Kohl's German class contains Katrina Schwarz, one of the defenders. Tara is there again in zoology along with Becca from the JV team.
And there's lunch. Anita and Dominique and some of the others have fourth lunch; so does Marc and you can feel a longing from Hannah regarding that as she generally doesn't have much of an opportunity to see him during school hours. But Tara and Katrina are there, Hannah's mind tells you, and so are Gabriela Costa and Dani Sumner. Some times others from the boys team join you but for Hannah this is her usual lunch time group. That's why you're surprised when Luz, the captain of the JV squad, approaches you before you have a chance to get to the table.
"So you talked with Evie this morning," she asks not long after you've entered the cafeteria.
"Why's everyone so interested in that," you ask with annoyance. "Yeah, I did. What's it to you?"
"I'm captain so everything," she replies defiantly.
"You're queen of the kiddie table, Luz, so it doesn't mean as much as you think," you sneer at her.
She holds your eye seemingly expecting you to flinch. You don't but neither does she as you try and turn it back on her. Luz is a lot of things--athletic, beautiful, haughty--but a coward isn't one of them so it'll take more than a few tough glares to get her to back down.
"I have things, about Evie, that I need to talk to you about but I don't need you meddling around with my team either," she states. "It's my squad and I'll do things my way without you butting in."
"But you'd let Anita butt in, right? Of course you would," you smirk. Luz is Anita's cousin and as such, for all of her bluster, will still defer to her in matters regarding the squad. If Luz wasn't so good you'd half-expect that's the reason she's likely getting the captain spot on the varsity team next year once Anita graduates.
"Look, we need to talk but I want to do it in private," she says. "I need to check some things in peace and quiet anyway so if you've actually got any shred of integrity then you can find me there. We need to work this out and the sooner it's done the better."
With that she walks out of the cafeteria. You can feel your blood boiling, Hannah and Luz don't like each other that much is certain, but you're able to temper it for the time being. However you've barely walked ten steps when you hear someone call out to you.
"What," you growl as you move to see Tara. "God, sorry. I'm worked up right now."
"I bet, I saw you and Luz just now. What was that about," she asks.
You shake your head. "Nothing, she just wants to talk in private. Some shit about Evie and her team," you tell her. "You know, being her usual pleasant self."
"Oh god, I can only imagine," Tara sympathetically coos, "But that's kind of why I want to borrow you for myself too. We need to set things regarding that mouse straight."
"Mouse," you ask eying her oddly.
"Well, yeah because she's... small and annoying and... GOD! Whatever, you know what I mean right?"
You laugh a little, "I'm fucking with you Tara. You need to stop getting so worked up all the time."
"Yeah," she says softly, "yeah. You're right. But I still want to talk to you about this as well and what you said Hartford's earlier. So forget about Luz and just come with me because I think you're making a big mistake."
"What if I want to forget about both of you," you ask, "and just eat my lunch in peace?" Tara makes a face at that and you sigh, "But neither of you are going to let me, are you?"
"Right, so let's get this all corrected," she says as she starts to walk towards the door. You stop her however.
"I didn't say I was going with you did I," you tell her.
There's a look of confusion on Tara's face, like a despondent little puppy dog, and you start to wonder if there's some truth to the rumors. As Hannah's heard it she'd been caught at a party last year with Joelle Morgan, a member of the team who'd graduated at the end of the year and now plays for a college out of state. Tara's long decried it and stated it was due to being drunk and as someone who's been in that situation more than once Hannah is certainly sympathetic.
The veracity of the rumors are not really what's important though. What is important is that mask you'd made up last night that's sitting in your bag. Caleb had demanded, threatened you really, into getting him a mask of a soccer player for him to have fun with and you figure if you'll have any kind of chance now's the time to take it. Just go off with Tara, slip the mask on her and you're good to go.
But do you have to go off with Tara? You can always talk to her after school, calling or texting her when you're done with Marc if she really needs to "set things straight" with you so badly. Luz isn't someone Hannah is usually alone with however and she's absolutely stunning. Get a mask of her and that would more than make it up to Caleb for getting under his skin yesterday.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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