Author's Note
Hey, everyone!
canadianbanana: Thank you for the review! I really appreciated it and it motivated me to hurry up and update! I'm glad you like the story so far and if you have any ideas, please feel free to PM me about them or leave them in a review. I'd love to hear them! Thanks for your support so far!
Fangirl762616: Thank you! I'm really happy that you read all my stories; I really appreciate that! Also, thanks so much for the compliment about my writing technique; it made me so happy! Like canadianbanana's review, your's motivated me to update quickly as well. Thanks for your support so far in this story and if you've got any ideas for the story, let me know; I would love to hear them!
I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Wearing His Jersey
Chapter Two
Four's P.O.V.
As I walked down the street, passing the few houses between mine and Zeke's and Uriah's, I was trying give myself a pep talk. Because today is the day for football tryouts, I'll be staying after school for a few hours. Right now, I'm on my way down to Zeke and Uriah's place to walk to school.
I was just about to knock on the door when I heard a quick movement from behind me and there was one hand on my back and another wrapped itself around my head and covered my mouth. I instantly brought my foot up behind me and spun around. I heard a grunt and ripped the hand off of my mouth.
Behind me, Uriah was hunched over in pain; I rolled my eyes.
"How many times are you going to do that, man?" I asked.
"How many times are you going to do that?" he said back, still hunched over.
"Do what?" I asked as I opened the front door.
"That. Whenever I do what I just did, you get out of the attack the same way; you kick me there and twist around, which twists my wrist!"
"I thought you would've learned not to do that by now, then, Uri," I said as I stepped inside. He follows me into the house.
"Obviously, I have learned, but it's still fun. Until you fight back, that is."
"Okay. Well, we'd better go, so where's Zeke?"
"Right here!" I heard from the hallway to my right. I turned; Zeke emerged, backpack over his shoulder, and walked up to us. "Hey, man. How've you been?" I just shook my head in response; Zeke was the only one who knew how bad my father could get, and that basically summed everything up. He nodded in understanding and we walked outside, him locking his front door behind us.
"Today's tryouts," I said. "Are you guys trying out?" I asked him and Uriah.
"Yeah," Uri said. "I made it last year, so I hope I will again this year."
"Same as him," Zeke agreed. I nodded. We walked the short distance to school and once there, I walked with Zeke to our lockers while Uri went to find Marlene.
"Are you nervous?" Zeke asked me.
"For what?"
"Tryouts."
"No."
We walked a while longer on silence before I picked the conversation back up.
"Are you?"
"Me? Kind of. I'm not exactly nervous about whether I'll make it or not - I'm pretty sure I will - but I am to see what the team thinks of me. I want to . . . I don't really know how to put it . . . lead them and have them respect me, trust me. I don't want to be just another player on the field. I want to be a big part of the team. I want to be friends with everyone on the team, but what if total jerks make the team?"
"Then don't be friends with everybody. You have your friends, you've got yours." I nudged him.
"I guess you're right."
"Everyone trying out for the boys' football team, today is the day! I wish you all good luck. Make sure you do well representing Chicago High!" the overhead speaker announced at the end of ninth period.
"Class dismissed!" my teacher said. I scooped my things up and walked out of the classroom as quick as I could; I wanted to be early for tryouts.
I put my books and binders in my locker and grabbed my backpack and things I brought for the tryouts and slammed my locker shut. Then, I took off through the busy halls to the locker rooms.
Once there, I put my things in my gym locker and quickly changed into my football equipment.
"Hey, man." I turned to see Zeke behind me, putting his things in his locker. Behind him, more boys were filing into the locker room.
"Hey." I slid on my cleats and closed my locker. I waited with Zeke as he finished changing and we went to get Will, who was a few lockers down with Uriah.
"Hey! I haven't seen you guys today," Will said.
"You've seen me!" Uri yelled.
"I wasn't talking to you, bro."
"Oh. Okay. Carry on, then." I smiled.
"You nervous?" Will asked.
"No," I said.
"Not really," Uriah replied and Zeke just shrugged. "Are you?"
"Eh. Kind of. Kind of not," he replied. I nodded and we all walked out of the locker room and headed outside, where the coach was setting everything up and hauling a large net bag of footballs out of his truck.
"Hey, Coach," I said as we got close. He turned.
"Four! Hey; I didn't know you were going to try out!"
"Yeah, I am. I'm looking forward to it."
"To trying out?"
"To being on the team."
A few minutes later, everyone was gathered around the coach as he was giving an introduction; he was introducing himself as Coach Jap and explaining about how he would be observing us in tryouts.
"At the end of the tryouts, I'll take each of you aside and personally speak with you, and I'll tell you whether you made it or not. Good luck!"
"I don't need luck," I heard someone mutter from behind me. Just then, Zeke elbowed me in the side. I turned to face him, giving him a questioning expression. He nodded to the person behind us, who I just realized I was probably blocking their view, for he looked about five feet tall. I'm almost a foot and a half taller.
"Do you know him?" Zeke whispered. "I've never seen a boy here with hair like that. I tried to casually turn around to see the boy's hair. When I did, he was watching me from behind his helmet, and he raised his eyebrows at me challengingly. I saw long, wavy, blonde hair and spun back around.
"Zeke."
"Hmm?"
"I think 'he' is a 'she'."
"What? Really? No, this is boys football."
"I guess we'll find out," I said just as the coach began to call names from his sheet.
"Peter Hoover!"
"Here!" a voice said from in front of me.
"Uiah Pedrad!"
"I'm here, Coach!"
"Ezekiel Pedrad!"
"Here!"
"William Cann!"
"I'm here!"
"Four Eaton!"
"Here!" I called out.
"Beatrice Prior!" I watched the coach take a second look at the sheet as a voice called out from behind me.
"Here!"
"Dude." Zeke elbowed me. "That's a girl."
"Yeah," I smirked. "It is." I was confused at why she signed up for boys football, but I was also amused. I was glad this girl was trying out.
"Uh . . . Beatrice? Can I please speak with you for a minute?" Coach asked.
"Sure," the voice from behind me said. I turned as she took her helmet off her head and flipped her hair back. She held the helmet under her arm as she tossed her long hair up into a high ponytail.
"A girl? She can't be on the team!" the kid in front of me - Peter? - exclaimed. "It's boys football?"
"Your point?" Beatrice said as she brushed past me, making her way through the crowd up to where the coach was.
"Why don't we talk over here?" Coach said as he led her a few yards further away from the team, out of earshot.
Beatrice P.O.V.
"Hello, Beatrice," the coach said as he led me over to a spot on the field further away from the rest of the people trying out.
"Hi."
"So, you see - "
"I know exactly what you are going to say," I interrupted. He raised his eyebrows. I cleared my throat. "You're going to tell me how you're glad that I came to try out, but you apologize, for you believe there was a misunderstanding on my part. These are football tryouts for boys, for the boys football team. Am I right?"
"Well, yes, - "
"And you apologize, but I cant try out; I am not aloud on the boys' football team."
"Yes, I suppose it would've been along those lines. I guess you already know, so it won't be as hard for me to tell you that you can't try out, that you have to go."
"Wrong!" I exclaimed. "I am not going anywhere; I will be trying out."
"You can't do that, though, Beatrice, I'm sorry."
"Well, I am doing it. I want to play football; I'm good at football. So, here I am! Trying out!" With that, I turned and walked away, back to the team.
"Sorry," some kid named Peter faked sympathy. "I guess you have to go now!"
"I am not going anywhere, except on that field to kick your butt!"
Author's Note
Okay, I'm sorry; I know I said that this chapter would be tryouts, but I was typing this, and I thought this was the perfect spot to end this chapter! I love the sass she had here, so determined to be on the team! Next chapter will be tryouts, though. Let me know what you think will happen, or any ideas you've got for the tryouts! I'd love to hear them, and I'd be glad to fit them into the story!
I'll try and have another chapter up tomorrow or Monday.
~MoMaster