"Mae!"
"Ashlee!"
"Wendy!"
"Destiny!"
"Adri-oh COACH!" Destiny clapped her hands to her mouth as the soccer ball, meant for me, hit the nearby Coach in the crotch.
"Coach, are you all right?" Ashlee asked as our group of five crowded around Coach.
"Yeah." He replied in a strained voice.
"I'm so sorry, Coach!"
"It's okay. Just give me a lap."
"C'mon, Des." I smiled, starting to jog around the field.
"Remind me why none of the other groups run with their people!" Wendy called, catching up to me.
"Because we're a team-well part of one-and so we'll do things as a team." I replied.
"Oh, is that why we all seem to have our periods at the same time?!" Maeyella called, running in the back next to Destiny.
"Mae!"
"Well, it could be true, Adrien." Wendy, Ashlee and Destiny laughed.
"You girls need to hurry it up!" Coach yelled. "Let's add four laps! Sit ups and push-ups in between!"
"Yes, Coach!" We yelled back. We all began to jog a little faster. When we got back around to where Coach was, we got in push-up position.
"Five each, except for Destiny, she gets ten."
Anyone who didn't know the team would think Coach gave Des ten push-ups because she hit him with the ball, but he actually gave her ten because she's the back-up goalie.
"Fifteen each, girls?" I asked, looking at them.
"Sure."
"Count 'em out."
"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15!" We counted together.
"Twenty sit-ups." Coach added before going to check on another group.
"C'mon girls, let's get 'em over with." Wendy groaned, flipping over onto her back.
"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15...16...17...18...19...20!" We got to our feet and continued with our laps. In between each lap, we did fifteen push-ups and twenty sit-ups. When we were finished, Coach gave us our soccer ball back.
"Try not to hit me at least until next week. Okay, Destiny?"
"Yes Coach." Destiny replied sheepishly, taking the soccer ball from Coach. Wendy patted her back.
"All right ladies, you have half an hour 'til you're free to leave!"
"Coach Tracker, can I have a word?" Principle Mason called from the other side of the field. Coach jogged over.
"Hey, goal's free." Maeyella pointed out. "Should we practice our goals?"
"Definitely." I said.
"Hey, Des, pass me the ball." Ashlee laughed, jogging towards the goal. Destiny passed Ashlee the ball before running to the goal.
"Aim for her head, Ash!" Maeyella joked.
Ashlee, Mae, Wendy and I each attempted five goals before switching. Wendy played goalie next, then Ashlee, then Mae and I went last.
I knew they were gonna go hard on me; I played hard on each of them.
"Destiny, you go first." Ashlee pushed Destiny forward.
Destiny is known for having unpredictable kicks. They don't always go the way she plans.
Destiny kicked the ball. She was aiming left but it came straight towards me. I caught it and threw it back.
"Ugh." Destiny aimed right, and it went right. She aimed left, went right. Aimed center, went center. Aimed center, hit me in the head.
"Sorry, Ien." Destiny smiled apologetically as she ran up to me.
Maeyella, Wendy and Ashlee were sitting on the ground, breathless from laughter.
"Perry, what's wrong with your face?" Rebecca called from her group.
"Destiny kicked!" Wendy laughed.
"Oh."
"I'm so sorry, Adrien. I guess I kicked it harder than I meant. I was a little fed up." Destiny shook her head. "I am fed up. I can hardly ever get a goal to go the way I want. I've been playing soccer for a long time too."
"Don't worry, Des. You just have to focus." I laughed. Destiny's face softened into a smile.
"I guess you're right."
"Thank you. Now, are you three going to try?"
"No, we're fine." Mae was lying on the ground, holding her sides.
"Get up, Mae."
We just played around with the ball until Coach blew his whistle.
"Bring it in!" Each group kicked their balls to Coach before running over to him. "All right. Nice practice. See you tomorrow afternoon."
All the girls look at each other, looks of slight confusion on their faces. I thought someone was going to say something, but no one did. So I guess it's up to me.
"Coach, tomorrow's Saturday."
"Wha-oh. Oh, yes. See you girls Monday."
"Bye Coach!" All the girls were gone within ten minutes, except for me and Mae.
"Hey girlies."
"Hi, Jacob." We smiled as our friend, Jacob Hensin, walked up to us, just having finished his soccer practice too.
"Waiting long have you?"
"Twenty minutes. You?"
"Same."
"I told Caryn that practice ended at 3:30 today."
"She never listens, Ien. I'll walk you two girls home."
"You live right around us; it's not exactly out of your way." Mae scoffed.
"Just shut up and grab your crap." Jacob smiled at us.
"Such a gentleman." I laughed.
"As long as that's what your Pop thinks."
"As long as you're nicer than those creeps, he'll have no problem with you." I laughed.
"My dad doesn't care." Mae smiled. "He has this delusional fantasy that I'll marry Jacob."
"Oh, Buttercup, you told him!" Jacob pouted.
"Oh shush."
"I wish my car worked." Jacob sighed.
"Us too." I sighed, resting my hands on the top of my head. "I wouldn't have to rely on the cheerleader."
"Ah, just wait, she'll be out of here soon enough!" Mae said, not bothering to hide her excitement.
"Hold on a sec'...I think that's my Uncle Bobby Ray." I squinted as to get a better look at the back of the guy in front of us. Sure enough, he turned around when I said this. "Bobby Ray!"
"How's my favorite Goddaughter?" Bobby Ray asked, waiting for us to catch up.
"Pretty good, seeing as how I'm your only Goddaughter." I replied, smiling.
"Details. Wasn't Caryn supposed to pick you up?"
"Like she listens, Bobby Ray." Mae answered.
"That would be a good reason." Bobby Ray sighed. "Well, I got to get to the bank, so I'll let you go. As rude as that may be."
"See you later, Bobby Ray." I waved, as he ran across the street and into the bank.
"I still think he's an odd man." Jacob laughed, shaking his head.
"Adrien?" Mae called as I stared up at the darkening sky.
"Let's go. I wanna swim in the lake while it rains."
"You got it." Jacob said, giving me a small push forward.
We didn't run, knowing that the clouds were just rolling in. The rain wouldn't be to the lake until we got home. But that didn't stop us from walking quickly. We didn't speak until we were sure we were only minutes away from home. "Ouch!"
"Jacob, how many times do you forget that branch?" Mae asked, hands on her hips.
"Just about every time I walk." Jacob replied, rubbing his eye.
"Guys, let's go! The rains almost here!" I called, pointing to the sky as lightning lit the sky. "Jacob go change and meet us on the dock."
"Sure thing, ladies." Jacob ran to his house, down a ways from my house, while Mae and I ran to mine.
"Hi Momma. Hi Daddy." I called running into the house, I quickly gave both parents a kiss on the cheek before running to my room. Mae followed quickly after hugging my parents and saying, "Hey Uncle Jake, Aunt Melanie."
"Hey, Where's your sister?" my dad asked, knocking on the door.
"I don't know, Daddy. She didn't pick me up." I replied, quickly changing into my swim suit. Mae found one of the many pairs she left in my room and changed in my bathroom.
"What do you mean she didn't pick you up?" Momma asked as Mae and I left my room.
"Put some shorts on over that!" Daddy called. "And answer your momma."
"Exactly what I said, Momma, she didn't pick me up. Me and Mae were waiting for twenty minutes before Jacob offered to walk us home." I said, ignoring what Daddy had said.
"Adrien, shorts, now." Daddy called again, turning me to face my room.
"Yes, Daddy." I grabbed a pair of my soccer shorts before walking out of my room. "I would probably just be leaving now if I had decided to wait for her. I would've just noticed the clouds now."
"Please put your shorts on. And Mae, I would feel better if you put some on too."
I gave Mae my shorts and went to get another pair.
"Did you call your sister?" Momma asked.
"No, I didn't, Momma." I sighed pulling my shorts over my swimsuit bottoms. It had started raining already. The whole town would be wet in a few seconds. "She doesn't answer when I call her."
Momma was about to say something when the door banged open. Bryan, who had been snoozing quietly on my bed until this point, came bounding out of my room, howling at my sister, who stood in the doorway, drenched.
"Shut up, Bryan!" Mae and I snapped.
"YOU!" Caryn yelled, pointing at me.
"Me."
"You owe me new clothes, a new purse and you're going to get the inside of my car fixed!" Caryn screamed, slamming the door behind her.
"What happen to your car?" Daddy yelled.
"I couldn't get the top up and it got wet in the rain!"
"None of this would have happened if you had picked me up on time!" I yelled at Caryn. "But you got what you deserved. C'mon, Mae." Mae walked of the house before me. My hand was still on the door when Caryn spoke again.
"Do something! Ground her!"
"Ground me?!" I roared, wheeling around to look at her. "Ground me?! You are the one who didn't pick me up on time!"
"You're practice ends at 4, same as mine."
"You didn't have practice today, Caryn." Momma said.
"You knew my practice ended early today."
"I did not." Caryn growled. "This is all your fault."
"Momma, you heard me tell her yesterday! You said that she had to pick me up at 3:30."
"Don't put your Momma in the middle of this." Daddy snapped.
"I'm not!" I screamed. "You know what?! Just ground me, take away my allowance! Whatever will make princess happy! Just like you always do!" I slammed the door behind me and walked down to the dock by Mae's house. Jacob and Mae, were sitting on the dock, waiting for me.
"Sorry guys."
"Just get in the water before it stops raining!" Jacob smiled, pushing me into the lake. Mae laughed until Jacob picked her up and jumped in.
"Jacob Quinten Hensin!" Mae yelled, breaching the surface. Jacob smiled and dunked her.
"Oh quit trying to drown her, Jacob."
"Sorry, babycakes."