Author's Note: wow i can't believe it's been years since i wrote anything. i don't know what happened, but i woke up this morning with an urge to just... write. i wanted to give kristen some love because she's always cut out in my stories. IT'S HER TIME TO SHINE and as you all know, i can never resist a good rivals to friends to lovers trope. dis ma jam.

i'm honestly cringing because i honestly don't know anything about soccer, but i do want to write girls kicking some ass. all my soccer knowledge comes from a few games of fifa and amanda bynes in she's the man circa 2006.

don't mind me. just putting this out there...


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Chapter One

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"You're not seriously going to join in, are you?"

Kristen Gregory alternated her leg on the wrought-iron workout bench in front of her for another stretch. She glanced up at her redheaded friend with her brow raised.

"Of course I am," she replied, straightening up and pulling her calf up behind her. She arched her back and tugged on her leg, loving the pleasurable pull in her quads.

Done with her stretches, Kristen finally turned her full attention to her friends. Alicia Rivera was seated on the bench she had just been stretching on, her face buried in her phone and giggling loudly. Massie Block sat next to her, arms crossed tight and eyes out on the soccer field. Kristen had a small hint who had her friend's attention. Dylan Marvil stood behind them, snapping her gum skeptically. Claire Lyons was the only other girl in their group that was taking gym class seriously. She was seated on the grass in front of them, finishing up her light stretches.

Third period gym was generally considered a joke by the entire class, but when Coach Belford brought sports into it, it became a whole other ball game for Kristen. Not only that, but when it came to soccer…

Dylan stopped chewing her gum at Kristen's expression. "But," she emphasized, "the Tomahawks are here."

The words finally captured Massie's attention. She turned back to face their group casually. "Yes, but so is a Soccer Sister."

Kristen felt a rush of joy all that way from her toes to her fingertips at her friend's acknowledgement. Despite the fact that Kristen had dropped out of the program a few years ago, it was touching that Massie remembered. Massie was acknowledging her soccer skills, putting her on par with the boys of their famous high school soccer team.

Kristen's wide eyes met Massie's intense amber ones.

"Crush them," her friend told her.

Kristen felt that command all that way to her core.

Oh, she would. She was practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. Soccer was her passion. For as long as she could remember, it had been a way for her to unleash herself. A way to challenge her reflexes, her sense, her drive. Nothing gave Kristen more of a rush than scoring a goal in front of a stadium full of cheering fans.

Having to cut herself off, resign as captain, and step down from the Sisters in order to maintain her grades for a scholarship to keep her acceptance at one of the most prestigious high schools in the nation had crushed her.

So despite that it was only going to be an impromptu match to kill time in the last 30 minutes of gym class on a random Wednesday morning, Kristen was going to give it her all.

"But Kristen," Alicia interjected. "You're really going to go all out and get all sweaty when Coach Belford isn't even watching?"

Kristen cast her blue eyes over to their gym teacher on the other side of the field, reading a book behind her thick clipboard.

"It's pass or fail anyway," Claire reasoned. She reached out and tugged on Dylan's arm to leverage herself up. "As long as we make it look like we're doing something."

Dylan sighed in resignation and joined Claire and Kristen on the field. Alicia didn't stand up until Massie did, her phone still in her hands. Kristen rolled her eyes. Alicia wouldn't let go of her lifeline for anything.

"I'm going in," Kristen told them, before running off over to the group of boys clustered on the opposite end of the field.

Derrick Harrington, the Tomahawks goalie, had the soccer ball in his gloved hands. He was cracking up at Kemp Hurley, who had an arm thrown over Chris Plovert in a choke hold. Chris was fighting it with all his might, but he wasn't managing to escape. Coach Belford, of course, was missing all of this. Kristen refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Are we playing or what?" she snapped.

She tried not to flinch back when all eyes cut to her. She might have been a bit louder than she had intended, but she refused to be intimidated by a group of boys.

Derrick raised his brows and glanced at his friends. Cam Fisher and Josh Hotz glanced back at him, waiting for his verdict. Chris had stopped struggling in Kemp's arms. For a moment, no one said anything as they appraised her.

Kristen tried not to let their gazes on her regulation gym clothes, knee socks, and scuffed cleats faze her. She reached up and tightened her high ponytail.

Derrick's eyes slid past her for a moment and then he nodded his head. "Yeah, we'll play."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kemp interrupted, releasing Chris instantly and stepping up. "What happened to practice?"

"We can practice at practice," Cam interjected him hurriedly. Like he knew his friend was close to something resembling a blowup. Kristen wasn't surprised; everyone knew that Kemp was a hot head. He got as heated as they come.

"Derrick, our first game is in two weeks," Kemp stressed. His eyes flashed over to glare at Kristen as if their time crunch was her fault.

"We can spare a quick game," Derrick replied causally, easily defusing the tension that had ratcheted up unexpectedly in two seconds because of Kemp.

Kemp sat back on his heels, arms crossed and a mean scowl on his face. He cast a dismissive eye at Kristen. "I guess it'll be quick."

Kristen bristled.

"Yeah," she snapped. "With you playing defense, it will be."

"Oooh," Chris and Kemp hollered at her comeback. They reached over and shoved at Kemp, but he was unmovable.

She had no idea what had caused her to sass back, but there was no way she was letting Kemp diss her like that. There was nothing she hated more in the world than that dismissive look he had cast at her. As if she was beneath him. She got it all the time: from people around town when they recognized her last name, from shop attendants or waiters when she was out somewhere with the Pretty Committee out of her price range, from people at school when they found out she was on scholarship. She was tired of it.

She was sick of seeing it all her life.

Kemp's scowl darkened. While his friends all looked like they were carefree and having a good time, he looked murderous. Kristen tried not to let it intimidate her.

"You think just because you played a bit in middle school you're any good?" Kemp asked her.

Kristen bristled again. Captain of the Octavian Country Day School soccer team and a Soccer Sirens player was no small feat. She hated that he was tried to belittle her achievements. Her old team, her old position, her skill that came with years and years of practice was nothing to scoff at. She hadn't felt this angry in a long time.

She didn't even hesitate before she met Kemp's eyes and said, "I think I'm good enough to get past you."

Kemp held her eyes for a moment too long. "We'll see about that."

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When she noticed that most of the class was waiting for her call, Coach Belford looked up from her book long enough to blow on the whistle for the start of the game. Right at kickoff, the ball was passed to Kristen who took off a second later. The Tomahawk guys all knew she was going to be her team's go-to after hearing her straight up issue a challenge, but this wasn't her first game.

Kristen's instincts took over instantly. She dribbled the ball past Josh, around Cam, and past Chris, heading straight towards the goal.

Kemp met Kristen's eyes from across the field. She continued towards him, already knowing she would need to get around him no matter what if she wanted to take her shot. He still had that dark scowl on his face, but he didn't leave his area. For a second, Kristen was in disbelief that he would be that cocky, but she cast that thought away immediately. He must have known she could come to him eventually.

For a moment, Kristen was tempted to dismiss him in return completely and head towards the right field defender, but she discarded that thought away too. She had a point to make.

When Kristen was close enough, Kemp finally moved into action. He sprinted towards her straight on. Kristen's flight or fight instinct kicked in. Kemp Hurley was six feet tall and pure lean muscle. Seeing him charge with a snarl like that would have made anyone's heart skip a beat, but Kristen had been to all the Tomahawk boys' soccer games.

She knew Kemp always started with a feint right before snatching the ball from the left. It was classic move, but Kristen was ready for him.

She spun and crossed her legs, one in front of the other to switch the soccer between her feet. She made another spin and she was past him.

The field between her and the goalie was clear.

Her heart in her throat, Kristen kicked the ball with her all might.

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Kemp must have realized she had figured out his signature move, that it was useless to her now, because the next time she approached him with the ball, he feinted the other way and swung right between her legs. Kristen swung her left leg out and wrestled it right back into her control for a second before passing it off. She sacrificed a shot at a goal to prevent Kemp from gaining control of the ball over her. In his possession, there was no way her team would score a goal at all.

All Kristen could do now was evade.

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The next time Kristen had possession of the ball, she knew she was in for it.

Kemp was out for blood. The moment she had reached midfield, he was on her. Kristen saw him coming from the corner of her eye, but he was too fast. She brought up her arm to block him and tried to feint, but Kemp had already predicted that.

Kristen watched the ball escape her grasp and into Kemp's. He spun around, backed up for room and prepared to kick off, but Kristen wasn't giving in that easy.

She sprinted after him and slid down to the ground, skidding her entire body into a kick aimed straight at the ball. It was a last ditch desperate attempt to prevent Kemp from passing.

It was a stupid move. She would never have done it in a real game, but something had taken over her.

Kristen barely grazed the soccer ball, right as Kemp kicked off with all his might. The ball was already flying. Kristen's cleated feet slammed straight into Kemp's right leg.

Kemp's quick reflexes pulled his left leg back and his unbalance was the only thing that saved him. He toppled over, slamming into the ground next to her.

Coach Belford's whistle cut through the air. She blew on it three times in quick succession.

"Alright!" she called out. "THAT'S ENOUGH! Game over!"

This was the most engaged Kristen had ever seen Coach Belford. Kristen was surprised she had even noticed what was happening on the field. Kristen sat up with her heart in her throat. She could feel the tension in the air from the entire gym class as they all watched, herself included, as Kemp pushed himself up off the ground.

Coach Belford's book was on the ground and she was actually heading towards the field.

Kristen stood up quickly, so she wasn't on the ground as Kemp stood over her. He had crossed the field over to her in a matter of moments, despite his leg. For a moment, Kristen feared for her life. This is how she was going out. She would even deserve it. It was a shitty move, risky as hell. It could have really hurt her. Hell, it hurt Kemp.

If he was taken out before soccer season even started, the whole school would have—

Chris cut in front of his friend, an attempt to stop him from approaching Kristen. "Dude—are you—" he tried to ask.

He didn't get any further, because Kemp shouldered past him. He stopped an inch away from Kristen. His entire right leg was scuffed up and he was bleeding through his sock. There was an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Kristen couldn't deny she was intimidated. Kemp wasn't the tallest guy Kristen's ever seen, but she couldn't help but feel small with the tension in the air between them hotter than flammable gas. The air was ripe for ignition any moment.

"I'm sorry," Kristen choked out.

Kemp's eyes narrowed. "What?" he hissed between gritted teeth.

Kristen's own eyes narrowed. Oh, so it was like that, huh? She straightened up and crossed her arms across her chest as a protective barrier. She ground her teeth together in anger, but still… she knew she had been in the wrong. "I said, I'm sor—"

Coach Belford reached them at that moment, and Kemp stepped back, his eyes still on her. At that moment, Kristen would almost say that he looked confused, much to her confusion. His brow furrowed the more he watched her.

Coach Belford inspected both of them for injuries. Kristen was fine, but Kemp refused any help. Coach Belford obviously knew better than to force him. Kristen backed off when the other Tomahawk boys came over to hover over Kemp. None of them said anything to Kristen.

Kristen stood still and accepted Coach Belford's chiding about sportsmanship and endangering fellow classmates over a game. Coach Belford accepted her apology absentmindedly, her eyes were glued to her watch. Gym was over. Kristen escaped punishment due to timing. The entire time, Kemp's eyes never left her.

"Alright," Coach Belford sighed to the class. "You're free to go."

Needless to say, this was probably the last time their class was playing sports during gym class. Kristen turned and slowly caught up with the class slowly heading off the field. Kristen caught up to her friends. The moment she was close enough, Massie took her into her arms and the entire Pretty Committee surrounded her.

"Kristen, that was amazing," Dylan gushed. The other girls nodded vigorously.

Claire was almost jumping up and down. "You were so awesome out there," she added. "That first goal—"

"No! What about when—"

Massie tugged Kristen closer to her, so their heads were pressed close together.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Kristen swallowed the lump in her throat at the warm swelling heat growing inside her chest at her friends' words and care. She had never felt more loved than at this moment, surrounded by the Pretty Committee's support.

She nodded.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I'm okay."

She threw her own arms around Massie and it was a testament to how proud her Alpha was of her, despite the way the game had ended, that she didn't even complain that Kristen was sweaty from running around and covered in dirt from skidding on the grass.

Despite this, or maybe because of this, Kristen couldn't help but glance back behind her at Kemp. She accidentally met his eyes, because he was already staring at her.

His stare must have been hot, because Kristen felt herself heating up.

She whipped back around to Massie. "Kemp's staring at me like he's never seen a girl before."

Massie, whose sharp eyes always seemed to notice everything, was already watching them. That was the thing about her best friend. Not only did Massie have keen observational skills, she had the daring and desire to cause trouble. She spotted drama and strove to fuel it. It was something that always excited Kristen, but she had never had it turned on her.

Massie smirked at her cheekily. "Never seen a girl own his ass so thoroughly, maybe."

Kristen flushed red and choked on her signature cackle, letting the girl's locker room doors slam shut behind them. She was glad they were finally away from the field, the Tomahawk boys, and the judgment in Kemp's dark eyes. She would have died of embarrassment if he had heard Massie's comment.

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Because of the drama at the end of gym, Kristen was late for her next class. Her friends had barely worked up a sweat and had only needed touch ups, but Kristen had gone all out and needed a full shower. Hair tie in her hands, Kristen piled all her dirty blonde hair into a messy bun to dry. Anything to get her wet hair out of her face.

She had just exited the locker room and rounded a corner when she slammed right into solid muscle.

Kristen stumbled back, but Kemp grabbed her by the elbows, preventing her from slamming on her ass just like she had made him less than 20 minutes ago on the soccer field.

Suddenly, once again, Kemp was an obstacle in her way. He was a wall, with dark eyes, impenetrable thoughts, and a solid presence.

Kristen swallowed, working her throat to speak.

"Hey," he said before she could say anything. Hey, he said, Kristen thought in disbelief, like he started conversations with her every single day. Like his arms around her and his stupid body up close and personal right in front of her face again was a normal occurrence for them.

Just to let you know: it wasn't.

"That last move of yours—can you do it again?"

Of all the things Kristen expected him to say to her after that game, that hadn't been it. Had he been looking for her after gym, to talk to her?

"What?" she said out loud, confused.

Kemp's expression shifted back into a familiar one: a scowl. "The one where you almost dislocated my ankle, broke my leg, and took me out?"

Kristen flushed red in embarrassment again. She had already apologized for that.

"What about it?" she snapped angrily. She hadn't meant to sound so defensive. She felt bad enough about it already, but the way Kemp worded it made shame crawl up her back. She hated that she felt that way about something related to soccer.

Kemp stared at her like he couldn't believe she was being so difficult. "Can you do it again?" he stressed.

Kristen stared at him, startled out of her feelings. "Wait, you want me to do it again?"

Kemp's expression shifted straight into annoyance. He released her arms and stepped back. "Wow, you really do fit the blonde stereotype," he scoffed.

Wait, was Kemp Hurley calling her a dumb blonde? Kristen's emotions moved back from shame and jumped right back into anger so fast she gave herself whiplash. "What the hell is your prob—"

"Can you or not?" Kemp interrupted her.

At that moment, Kristen barely held herself back from kicking her legs out and slamming right into him right then and there just to watch him hit the ground again. "Oh, you better believe I can," she hissed at him. "I can do it right now, if you need another demonstration."

Kemp raised his brow at her and a small smirk teased at his lips.

Kristen felt her stomach swoop in confusion for a moment.

"Tonight. After school at six. Meet me back at the field," he told her, nodding his head. As if this was a given already. It was fine, it wasn't like Kristen had any plans other than studying, but even if she did, she wouldn't have cared. She would have canceled them.

It was a given already, because Kristen was raring to go.

"You're on," she snapped, sealing the deal.

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Author's Note: i'm cackling bc i'm so embarrassed. it's been so long i don't know how to write anymore. i'll proof read tomorrow.