This story is dedicated to all of the American high schools in which dodge ball is unfortunately banned. RIP.
The Rezist Ants vs. The Star Killers
Rey curses for the seventh time this period.
Someone-probably one of the "Star Killers"-has just come in late for Gym, and they casually throw their backpack on top of the tower of backpacks sitting on the bleachers, effectively burying Rey and the new kid under a pile of bags as they topple over like dominos. They probably didn't know Rey was there…but with the Star Killers one could not be entirely sure.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be out there playing dodge ball with the rest of them?" Rey asks him once again.
"Nah." He says bravely, trying his best to hoist a backpack at least as large as he is off of his chest. "I'd rather stay here with you anyway."
They hunker back down, hiding behind the bags, only their heads peeping above the pile as they sit and crouch down. Meanwhile, the rest of the class is embroiled in an epic battle of dodge ball for the ultimate prize: bragging rights.
"Suit yourself." Rey says, going back to tinkering with a broken I-Pod.
"Besides," BB continues, "Finn, says it's dangerous for freshmen to play dodge ball."
"He's probably right. I can't believe they put a freshman in this period, anyway."
"It's not so bad." BB says quietly. "After all, this is the only class we have together." Since his first day of school a week ago, she and her best friend Finn have been looking out for him all the time, and it took all of three minutes for BB to fall in love with the older junior girl. Ever since the first day, he's followed her around like a puppy.
"Mmm hmm." Rey replies. She hears him, but she doesn't look up, so she can't see the look of complete hero worship that the tiny ginger bestows on Rey.
Like a bolt from the blue, a rubber dodge ball comes out of nowhere to slam BB in the face.
The force is so hard it actually sends the kid flying a few rows back, and even Rey can tell the freshman will be unconscious for at least five minutes.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Rey shouts.
She takes her thick glasses off and slams them onto her lap for emphasis. "WHO DID THAT?!"
She doesn't even bother looking over at the right side of the Gym, where team captain Poe and his "Rezist Ants" are playing their hearts out in their blue and green jerseys.
No, her gaze immediately shoots to the left side, where the Star Killers are playing to kill.
She isn't surprised when she sees Hux laughing. He's co-captain of the Star Killers, so he's always picked first by the team captain. The tall red-haired senior snorts and giggles, pointing and laughing so hard at BB she thinks he might be about to fall over.
She's barely aware of the hiss that escapes her lips, or that she has stood up, her hands making fists.
Abruptly Hux stops laughing, and actually looks scared for a minute. As much as he would love to take credit for this, he's a coward at heart, and doesn't want to risk any repercussions.
He points a little farther away, where the team captain is standing at the back, arms crossed over his red and black jersey, his hard gaze piercing her from across an entire gymnasium.
For a minute she can't believe it.
She's managed to make it to her junior year without attracting the wrath of the scary dodge ball captain Kylo Ren. She can't imagine what BB could have done already to get on this senior's dark side. She almost wouldn't believe that he threw it, except that the gaze he is giving her is so angry and full of hate, she knows it must have been him.
Getting over her shock, she shakes her fist at him. "What the hell was that for? You think you're tough picking on a little freshman who's not even half you're size?!"
Rubber balls are flying all over the gym, and the game so intense hardly anyone notices the drama going on here.
But Finn, co-captain of the Rezist Ants is standing close enough to the edge that he hears what's going on, and in a gallant but doomed effort to avenge his friends, he takes a dodge ball and throws it with all of his might across the gym at Kylo Ren.
Rey loves Finn for his big heart, but unfortunately Finn isn't very good at dodge ball.
Kylo Ren easily catches the ball. This should automatically cause Finn to be out, but Kylo doesn't let him off so easily.
Not only is the captain of the Star Killers taller and stronger than everyone else in school, his large arms ensure that he can carry up to five dodgeballs at a time, making him virtually undefeatable.
Hurling first one, then two, then three, four, five, dodgeballs in a succession, he launches them across the room one after the other into Finn's chest until Finn is lying on the ground pummeled and shaken.
Hux laughs like a donkey at the sight. "Stttrrrrrike!" He yells across the room with his hands cupped around his mouth. Phasma, a tall blond senior with a silver baseball cap constantly lowered over her eyes, gives him a high-five.
Poe gives a cry and leaves his team in the middle of the fight to go try to shake Finn awake.
Kylo himself doesn't laugh but stands there with a satisfied look on his face.
It's too much for Rey.
Searching around quickly, she finds the dodge ball that started all this lying beside the motionless BB.
Quicker than lightning, she runs forwards to gain momentum, then hurls the ball so fast and forcefully that Kylo doesn't even have time to react before it hits him square in the face.
For a split second the gymnasium is speechless, but this is dodge ball, and although no one has ever seen Kylo Ren hit before by anyone except Poe, the battle is quickly resumed as curses and balls return to flying across the Gym. He isn't out, though, because hitting in the face is against the rules and because Rey technically isn't on either team
Kylo Ren is dumbstruck for a moment, hardly even noticing the blood running down his face. Looking surprised, he reaches his hand to his face and realizes that his nose is broken. He gives Rey a look she can't fathom before Hux speaks up.
"You let the junior tech-geek hit you! I can't believe it! This is why I should be the new captain, I-"
His rant is cut short from his shock when Kylo Ren surprises everyone by walking out of the Gym, hand to his face as he painfully resets his nose in the process.
The Star Killers win, anyway.
…
"That was amazing!" Poe says to Rey after gym is over. They are making their way to the nurse's office, and each have someone under their arm. For Rey, it's BB, for Poe, it's Finn.
"Yeah yeah." Rey says sheepishly. She hates praise. "I just couldn't let him do that and get away with it. What did BB ever do to him, huh? It just doesn't make sense."
"Those Star Killers don't need a reason to inflict cruelty and misery on lowerclassmen," Poe says, "But even if Finn hadn't tried to hit Kylo, he probably still would have been hurt today. I think Kylo is still mad that Finn left the Star Killers to join my team."
Finn surprises them both by mumbling from under Poe's arm. "Oh he's still mad all right. He threw a paper airplane at me in math class last week with the words TRAITOR written in all caps."
Poe laughed.
"You know, maybe you should choose someone else to be your second-in-command. Finn is pretty bad at dodge ball."
Poe flashes a bright smile. "Oh, I know." After a minute he adds, "Rey, you should quit hiding in the bleachers and come and play on our team. We could really use someone like you. Heck, we might have a chance of winning for once."
"Thanks but no thanks. I hate dodge ball, and besides, I have to look after BB." With that, she scurries off ahead of them, still supporting BB, and Poe shakes his head in regret.
…
Rey isn't surprised that none of the others are working. She's the only girl in her entire woodshop class, and the only junior. The boys usually smoke or leave the school anyways during that class, which she doesn't mind, so long as she can do her work in peace.
She is surprised when for the first time ever Kylo Ren comes over to her, and leans up against the wall, watching her cut a 2X4 piece of wood with a circular saw.
For a while she ignores him, and keeps on cutting, her anger making her shear the wood with greater force. But after a while, she cuts the switch, and lifts her goggles up and turns to him.
"Can I help you with something?"
He takes his foot off the wall and discontinues his menacing lean to walk over to her.
She's never been this close to him before, and so she's never noticed before how freaking tall he is. She hopes he didn't hear her just take a gulp.
He seems strangely calm, and pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He lights one with a lighter that says "Rage Against the Light." He lights it and sticks it in his mouth for a long time, taking a puff so long it seems to last for a whole minute and then coolly blows smoke away from them both. He puts the lighter away and takes another cigarette, and hands it to her.
Uh-oh.
Rey has heard about this moment.
If a senior ever offers a lowerclassman one of their cigarettes, it is seen as a sign of respect, and it would be a huge faux pas not to take it. (Not to mention you might get your ass kicked).
Rey doesn't care about Kylo Ren, and she certainly doesn't want to smoke, indeed nor has she ever, but she definitely isn't going to look weak in front of him.
She gently takes it from his hand, gasping a little at the cool brush of his hand against hers.
Instead of using his lighter, he takes a match out of his pocket, and strikes it against his shoe, before holding the flame up to the cigarette in her mouth.
Show Off.
They smoke for a bit in silence. She concentrates with all her might on not coughing/throwing up/passing out, and he just watches her, puffing occasionally with his eyebrows drawn together.
He's wearing black pants with a chain hanging from one pocket. His shoes don't match the rest of his outfit; they look like expensive Nike's, the kind only a jock would wear, and she figures it's because he takes the game too seriously to risk it for the sake of fashion. He is still wearing his jersey. He always wears his jersey; it's a statement to the rest of the school that he is the ultimate dodge ball champion. Rey just thinks that it's pathetic to take a game so seriously.
"How did you do it?" He finally asks. His voice is somehow strangely deep, menacing, and soft all at the same time, and she wonders how that is possible. She realizes she has never heard him speak before. After all, besides Gym this is their only class together, and usually he is too busy smoking or bragging to the other kids to notice her.
In fact, she realizes with a sudden pang, no one besides Finn, BB, and Poe have ever noticed her.
"Lucky shot I guess." She mumbles, still not wanting to push her luck by trash talking the most powerful kid in school.
His eyes narrow. He takes a last blow from the cigarette and then crushes it under his shoe.
He takes a step towards her.
"Don't lie to me."
He 's not so calm any longer. He 's so close to her now she can smell him, smoke and sweat and a little bit of cologne. He slowly takes one of his big hands, and wraps it all the way around her forearm. She gazes up at him, wondering what the hell he's doing. Feeling her muscles? Trying to intimidate her? She gets goose bumps from the contact, and shudders.
At that, he looks surprised for some reason, and quickly releases her.
There's an awkward pause for a moment. "You're going to want to tie that." He says, looking her dead in the eye.
She's extremely confused. "Huh?"
He points down, where one of her shoelaces is untied, and then walks away without another word.
At the last minute he turns. He's about to say something else, she can tell, when the bell rings. Stepping away from him, she quickly grabs her books and glasses and runs out of the woodshop annex.
Before she goes back inside the main building, she finds some trees where she can throw up the taste of the cigarette.
….
Rey thinks everything is going to be back to normal the next day.
And it is, until gym class arrives.
For a while everything is the same.
Coach Maz blows her whistle and asks the team captains to come forward. Poe and Kylo both step up, are forced to shake hands which they both do quickly and a little more forcefully than necessary, and then she asks them to pick their teams.
By now Rey would be tinkering with something mechanical, but for the first time in a while she actually watches what happens.
As usual, Kylo picks Hux first and then Poe picks Finn.
Kylo then picks Phasma, quiet and mysterious under her silver baseball cap, and after her are all of the "troopers". Groomed by Hux since they were freshman to join the Star Killers, they all have mandatory white dyed hair and all look eerily similar.
This makes up the Star Killer team. Meanwhile Poe picks the rest of the students. There are a few talented players in there for sure, but there is a lot of dead weight as well, as Poe is willing to take the weaklings and misfits that Kylo and Hux refuse to take on.
There is an awkward moment as both captains look over towards where she and BB are sitting out of the corner of their eyes. She ducks quickly, thinking she must be imagining things.
When she looks up later, poking her head above the backpacks, the game is about to start.
Lining up the dodgeballs along the center of the court, Coach Maz blows her whistle, and then waddles over to her chair against the wall, her job done for the day.
Finn makes a quick dash for the middle. Although he sucks at dodge ball, he is surprisingly fast and does a good job of grabbing three balls for the Rezist Ants side.
The leaders of the Star Killers don't deign to rush for the balls at the beginning; they let the troopers do that. The white haired students make a mad dash for the center, grabbing significantly more dodgeballs then the 'Ants. They bring them all back to Hux, Phasma, and Ren. After that they throw as much is necessary, but their main job is to shield their leaders and retrieve more balls. As a young sophomore trooper hands Kylo dodge balls, the captain throws them with great force, picking off Rezist Ants one by one, sending them to the "out" line. He's more forceful than usual today, and in hardly any time at all half of the Ants are out. Finn and Poe are both still in, but they are struggling.
For seemingly no reason at all, Kylo grabs his next ball out of the trooper's hands and hits the tower of backpacks in front of Rey, exposing her and BB to the rest of the Gym.
He raises his hands in the air, calling a time-out, which only a team captain can call. The Star Killers look confused, but the 'Ants look thankful for this chance to regroup.
Whatever they think Kylo is about to do, he doesn't do it.
He further confuses the entire Gym by calling out to Coach Maz from across the room.
"Coach Maz!"
"Uh?" Coach Maz nearly jumps out of her chair. "What is it?"
"I don't think it's fair that Rey isn't participating in class. Our team is short a few people, and the Rezist Ants always have more players. Don't you think that Rey should have to participate with the rest of us?"
Rey nearly chokes on the gum she was chewing, and BB has to pull the Heimlich on her.
The whole class waits expectantly for Maz's decision, but the old woman simply smiles and says "You kids are doing great!"
She hasn't been able to see or hear anything since 1979.
Kylo grits his teeth together, then turns to Coach Snoke sitting in the chair beside her.
"Coach Snoke, won't you make Rey play?!"
Coach Snoke is clearly ready to retire, or maybe die, (it's unclear exactly how old his is), but one thing is for sure, he is angry to have been woken up, and grumbles and then steps outside to have a smoke with the janitors.
Kylo's face flushes red; he is unused to not having his way, but no one is really surprised. This whole encounter just confirmed what they already knew: that Gym teachers don't actually have any authority.
Rey blushes, because the entire class is staring at her, and she excuses herself to go to the restroom. BB tries to follow her in there as well, but she gently prods him in the direction of the men's room, which he goes to reluctantly.
When she comes back the game has resumed and no one notices her return.
But she can't believe what she sees.
Finn is the lone Rezist Ant left. Even Poe is in the "out" line, and Finn stands shaking as Kylo Ren approaches the line.
If Rey had ever paid attention, she would have seen this same scene repeated everyday.
As it is, Kylo slowly approaches, taking one slow step at a time. All of the Star Killers are lined up behind him holding dodgeballs. They wait patiently. Kylo loves this part.
The "out" Rangers are all sobbing and wiping their tears off on one another's jerseys. Their wailing echoes through the wide room as Kylo raises his arm, a lone dodge ball in his hand.
Finn bows his head in defeat, willing this to be over quickly.
Kylo finally throws the ball. It flies with precision and power, and Finn flinches because it looks like it's going to hurt.
The blow never comes.
Rey, despite BB pulling on her shirt and begging her not to, has ran in front of the ball. Launching herself six feet into the air, she deftly catches it.
For a moment there is complete silence, and then Poe screams.
Laughing hysterically, he points at Kylo Ren. "You're OUT! You're out! You're out you're out you're out! OUT! OUT! OUT!
Hux watches in disbelief as Kylo walks over to be the first person standing in the Star Killers "out" line.
He looks understandably angry, but there is something else in his eye that almost makes Rey shiver. Pride. His dark brown eyes watch her like a snake, but she is distracted by Poe calling to her.
"You get to choose someone to bring back in!"
She gestures to him to come forward, and he nearly jumps with happiness.
The three of them are annihilating the other team. It becomes apparent that Kylo Ren was at the very least half the reason why the Star Killers always won. Without him, they are significantly weakened. And in addition, many of the troopers now have to actually hit the other team, which it turns out they aren't so good at.
Hux manages to get Finn out, but screams as Rey skillfully slams a ball into his side. He joins Kylo Ren in the outline, and they stand there together stressfully watching the game.
Phasma is still holding her own.
It's down to her and three more troopers, against Rey and Poe.
They are fighting to ward off both the troopers and Phasma's shots; too busy to consider firing back, when BB joins the game.
Rey smiles to herself although she is to busy dodging balls to say anything to him. She's astounded at the little ginger's bravery, and surprised as he takes out two of the troopers. It's clear he doesn't have the skill of she or Poe, but he is very quick, and his small body is a difficult target for the last trooper, who he ultimately is sent out as well.
Then, as if by miracle, only Phasma, BB, Poe and Rey are left. Phasma holds up two dodgeballs, not going down without a fight.
She loses bravely, getting Poe out in the process, but at the same time she is hit by three different dodge balls.
The Rezist Ant's throw their jerseys into the air, and BB and Rey are carried out of the gym on their teammates shoulders, much to the surprise of the other students not in fourth period gym.
…..
The next day Rey and BB drink milkshakes during lunch that they bought at the McDonald's down the road. Rey is thankful that their school doesn't enforce the rule that all students eat inside the building; otherwise the cafeteria would be way too crowded and she would have to watch one of the fights that always break out every single day. There are a few other stragglers that eat outside as well, but Rey and BB have some distance between themselves and the other students underneath the large oak tree they always use.
BB is chattering on about how much he loves Geography class, but Rey is barely listening. She just doesn't understand BB's passion for maps.
His high-pitched chatter awkwardly drains away when a shadow falls over the both of them.
Rey turns her head and continues to drink her milkshake like nothing has happened, but when he tells BB harshly to "beat it" the poor freshman squeaks and scatters away.
"What did you that for?" she asks him angrily as he sits down beside her.
He casually picks up the milkshake BB left behind, looks inside, and tosses it away. "I wanted to talk to you."
"You couldn't speak to me in front of BB?"
"No."
She doesn't know what to say to that, and he doesn't volunteer anything new. A gentle breeze rustles the trees around them.
"I didn't see you in woodshop yesterday." She finally says.
"No you didn't." He answers with what Rey swears is the hint of a smile. "I was in the principle's office yesterday."
"I forgot you were too cool for school."
"Not just school." He adds, totally serious.
"So what'd you do anyway?"
"See for yourself." He pulls out a yellow slip from his pocket and hands it to her.
A little hesitantly, she unfolds it and then reads it aloud. "Time: 1:50. Teacher: Mr. Hershel. Class: Chemistry. Offense: Today Kylo Ren refused to open his book and follow along with the rest of the class, preferring instead to listen to 'death metal' through his headphones. Also caught him shooting classmate Brendan Hux with a stapler gun. Degree: 14th offense. Parent signature: Required." She looks up at him. "Impressive. So why'd you do it?"
He folds the paper and puts it back into his pocket. "I know all that Chemistry stuff already. And Hux was well…Hux. Running his mouth as usual. So, you're Senator Palpatine's granddaughter aren't you?
She turns to him with wide eyes. "What? How did you know that?"
"I had my suspicions. But it was when I saw you play dodge ball that I knew. Palpatine was a dodge ball champion, just like my Uncle and Grandfather. He had the gift. He was maybe the only person that could rival my family in skill."
She looks away, refusing to make eye contact.
"How come you didn't tell anyone?"
She turns to him exasperated, throwing up her hands.
"Because! My grandfather was ruthless. He used his dodge ball skills to hurt other people and take over the entire sport. I never want to end up like that, and if it means I can't play dodge ball, then so be it."
Kylo Ren takes her hand, but he's squeezing it so tight she can't be sure if he's trying to be friendly or threatening.
"Rey, you have to play. I can teach you. I can show you the mysteries of dodge ball."
"I'll never join the Star Killers!"
"Don't be a child, Rey. You have a gift, and you need a teacher. You must join my team or you will die of embarrassment from being part of the Rezist Ants."
"Your team is evil, and so are you. You can tell everyone about my stupid grandfather, I don't even care."
She starts to storm off, but the first step she takes she lands on her untied shoelace and crashes face first onto the rocky path.
"I told you to tie that thing."
Sighing, she starts to scramble up, and is surprised to see him standing there waiting, a hand extended to help her up.
She takes it cautiously, then immediately snatches it back when she is on her feet again. He hesitantly puts a hand to her face. "You're bleeding."
She touches her cheek and feels blood where the rocks scratched her face. "I'll just head to the nurse's office now."
"Don't be ridiculous." He says, rolling his eyes. Putting his hands around her waist, he hoists her up above him and sets her down on a branch before she can even protest.
He pulls himself up beside her with an arm until they are sitting together on the same branch.
"So, what do you propose to-OW! That hurts!" He's poured something wet out of a flask and onto the end of his sleeve. When he rubs it into the cut she could almost cry from the pain. "Is that whiskey?" He nods. "Why do you carry whiskey around school?"
"I think a better question might be how do you manage without it?"
She huffs and tries to think of something snarky to say, but the tiny tug at the corner of his mouth stops her. "There. All done." He looks so proud of himself; Rey lets out a laugh before she can help it.
A look of surprise crosses his face. As if her actions have given him courage, he suddenly blurts out: "I've been watching you."
"Umm…I guess you mean that not in the not creepy way."
"Since before the whole dodge ball incident, I mean. I've been watching you for a while now."
Sitting here with him now, shards of sunlight slipping through the trees and illuminating his dark hair, she could almost forget that she's sitting with the most feared kid in school. No one has ever said anything like that to her before. She's always been quiet and invisible. Unseen and unbothered. His words give her a warm glow on the inside that she can't repress. It doesn't last forever; she hears a bell ring and suddenly reality flashes back to her. She turns a serious face to him now.
"You have a lot of issues. The least of which is your unhealthy obsession with dodge ball and the joy you get from inflicting pain on the other kids. Not to mention the way you seem to try to piss off your parents and the teachers on purpose." And, of course, the time Finn told me you shoved him into your locker and there were pictures of your grandfather plastered all over the place.
"Is that all?" He says sarcastically.
"No. Most importantly, how could you hit BB in the head with a dodge ball? He's so small and sweet. He never bothered you, or anybody for that matter."
"I guess you would have had to be standing from where I was."
"Whatever." She says. "I heard a bell ring; I'm gonna be late."
She begins to jump down, but before she can she feels herself caught in two strong arms.
"Hey! What do you-"
The feel of his lips crushing against hers cut off whatever she is about to say next.
He tastes like Big Red, she thinks to herself dreamily.
After a while he stops kissing her and lets her go. His eyes are closed and there's a small smile on his face.
"Was that your first kiss?" He asks, his eyes still closed in bliss.
She flushes dark red. "No! Well, I uh...maybe."
"Then I guess this will be your second."
This time she can't help herself. She winds her hands in his fluffy dark hair, working with him as he wraps his arms around her lower waist and pulls her practically into his lap. When she stops for breath, he presses a surprisingly sweet kiss to her temple.
"My real name is Ben." He whispers into her ear.
"Huh."
"What is it?"
"You look more like a Matt to me."
She remembers that the bell rang a long time ago, and when she gets back inside the school, a teacher is already waiting for her with her first write-up. As she's being led to detention, she glances back and she sees Kylo Ren sneaking in. The bastard is grinning from ear to ear and has a look on his face that can only be called smug.
….
At gym later that day Maz asks for Kylo Ren and Poe to pick their teams as usual. Poe winks at Finn, who gladly steps up to the captain's side.
When it's Kylo Ren's turn to pick his co-captain, he says in a clear voice for everyone in the Gymnasium to hear: "Rey."
Everyone looks at her; even Phasma tilts her head up a little to take lift her eyebrows curiously at Kylo's decision.
Hux is the first person to break the silence.
"What?" he shrieks. "What?!" He runs out in front of Kylo Ren, waiving his arms like an idiot. "What do you think you're doing?" He whines. "I'm the co-captain of the Star Killers! You can't seriously mean to make that dorky-"
A blow to the stomach silences him.
They all turn to look expectantly at Rey. She can't deny the pleasure that she feels from the gesture, but she still is furious at him. He thinks he can try and force me into joining his dodge ball team.
But as much as Rey doesn't want to admit it to herself, she knows that she can't continue to hide behind the bleachers anymore. The gig is up, the word is out. She knows she must now step forward and use her dodge ball skills for good or for evil.
Without saying a word, she walks up to Kylo, nods her head at him, and turns on her feet to go stand beside Finn and Poe and the other Rezist Ants.
"I knew you would make the right decision." Finn whispers to her.
"Thanks." She whispers back. "I just wish our team name wasn't so embarrassing."
Someone brings her a green and blue jersey, which she slips on proudly. She looks and sees that BB has joined the Rezist Ants as well, and that all of the Star Killers are already on the other side of the gym, the dodge balls lined up in the middle, and ready for action.
Across the room, Kylo Ren's eyes are narrowed and hostile, but at the same time bright. "Your move." He says, and all the students know that he's talking to her.
She smiles at him, and runs to the middle.
Rey throws a ball and starts the game.