Whoo hoo! I am so happy for this chapter. The drama really is getting started now. Little longer than the norm. Enjoy!
2:49 P.M Monday October 3
Boiler Room
BOCD
"Massie, could you seriously hurry up already?" Alicia pleaded. She was huddled up next to Dylan and not letting go until she was brought out of the damp, darkness of the boiler room and into the familiar yet at the same time foreign feeling of the soon-to-be-theirs again bomb shelter.
The hum coming from an unidentified cylindrical thing in the corner was drowning out any conversation that could possibly be going on. Claire eyed the machine suspiciously and went back to helping Alicia beg their way in.
"Just chill. I have to find the key. I know I have it somewhere…" Massie was rooting through her bag again and almost had her head all the way inside of the luxurious, leather sack trying to hunt down the key without having to dump the whole bag out as she had this morning while looking for Claire's gummy bag.
Finally, a small shimmer from behind her new, LV wallet caught her eye. She pulled out the thick, cotton strap it was attached to and inserted the small, cool key into its lock with ease. She twisted it to the left and pushed on the slick, round knob bringing the dim light and excruciating smell that became unleashed.
"Ehmagawd" Kristen instantly pulled a small piece of fabric from her aqua halter over her nose and breathed in the traces of green apple from her new, eighth grade scent by Juicy. The thin material barely kept the stench from reaching her nose.
"What is that" Alicia complained after mimicking Kristen with her button down shirt. She flipped on the extra light switch and made a beeline for the bleachers. She set her bag down and tried to mask the sweat smell with Angel. Angel was losing the battle.
"Boy" Massie deadpanned and looked around the room with a stone gaze. There was going to be a lot of work in here. The fluffy carpet had been pulled up to display the plain, cement flooring. The walls were now covered with rows of shiny, orange lockers that had been mercilessly Sharpie-d on with signatures and doodles.
The beloved disco ball was now completely covered. Boxers, uniforms, you name it. It was a pigsty. All the lockers were open and clothes of every type and color were splayed out all over the place in mounds. The only organized part of it seemed to be that all the blue and orange uniforms were balled up in a stack in the corner.
"AGH!" Claire almost takes a face plant to the grey concrete floor when the tips of her designer shoes catch a pair of jeans the wrong way. She catches herself on an orange locker door just in time.
"This place should come with yellow caution tape" Claire settles herself on the bleachers with Alicia and fluffs her Disney-bangs up again to prevent an upside down V from forming. She decided to not grow them out again. Atleast for now.
"It thtill thmells" Kristen was now pinching her nose because she had gotten used to the perfume and it couldn't mask the staleness of fermented sweat anymore.
Massie glided over to the back wall and was tapping her index finger on her chin. She examines every open locker until she finds what she was looking for in locker 11. AXE body spray.
She presses down and the can hisses to life expelling a woodsy, spicy scent that in a subtle way, reminded her of Derrington. A confused look inside the locker confirmed it was his by the Diesel jeans and muddy Timberlands from Lake Placid. He still had those?
She tore herself back to reality and leaned against the edge of one locker, crossing one foot over the other, she hooked one of her thumbs in a belt loop.
"The disco ball has to go. That thing has seen way to much" Massie declared as she started to peel through the layers of clothes on it. She threw them all to the ground in disgust with a snarl on her face.
Kristen was busy herding everything into a mound by the uniform pile with her white flats. They all got to work and were able to breathe in the Axe smell easier than the alternative. They all came to the same conclusion: boys were de-sgust-ing.
"Ooooh Cammie got a love letter" Dylan flashed a folded up piece of paper for everyone to see. She was half way in locker 7 and pulling everything out of it. Her head was completely inside but her straightened red mane flew wildly around her.
"Put it back. Now" Claire's tone was grave. She stood completely still across the room and her eyes went from baby blue to stormy sapphire.
"Aww. Is someone jealous?" Dylan teased again. She held up the 7 'Fisher' jersey that had actually been inside of his locker. It must have been the only one there.
"No," Claire retorted. She crossed her arms across her chest and stood tall. " I am done with snooping. God, Dylan. Didn't you learn anything at the end of last year.
Massie raised her brows at Claire's bold and braveness. She shot a 'stop it' look to Claire because she knew how bad Kemp and Chris had hurt Dylan.
"You're no fun Claire" Dylan stated and waved her hands in the air before backing away.
The final bell could be faintly heard along with the manic trampling of eager kids to get home or to the game. It could only be a few minutes until the heavy footsteps of the soccer team and play punching and laughter would be heard and the girls would be caught in the room for the second time.
"Come on. We have to get out now before they catch us." Massie warned in a beaten voice. Turning on a heel, she left the two remaining dirty, t-shirts on her disco ball and sauntered out the door. She flipped the lights back to the dim setting and all the girls trickled out of the room behind her.
Claire stayed behind for a minute. She ran back over to locker 7 and made sure the note she had written to Cam during Health was still unread and in his locker.
"Claire, come on" Kristen called for her just before disappearing into the darkness and shadows of the boiler room. The humming could still be heard with the clacking of heels and flats on the stairs. It was like the scene from a scary movie down there.
Claire slammed the locker shut and followed silently, carefully closing the door to the bomb shelter and waiting for the metal click the lock would make before she ran to catch up with the rest of the group.
----------------------
BOCD Soccer Field
Tomahawks vs. Sirens game
Monday October 3, 5:02 p.m
"Go Kriistennn!" Massie yelled energetically for the blonde firecracker. It was the last 3 minutes of the game and the Tomahawks were only up by one goal. The Sirens needed Kristen to tie it up so there would be a period of overtime.
Kori swooped in and stole the ball from Marc Rawson. Rawson wasn't one of the best players in the mid-field but he was almost good enough in goal to steal Derrick's position. Almost.
Kori dribbled the ball sloppily until Kemp ran up from the defensive line to cover her. She easily went around him suddenly showing off her skill. She had 2 Tomahawks coming from behind and needed to get rid of the ball fast. She was too far out to shoot it from the outside box. She didn't have enough power to get it past Derrick who was readily shuffling on his line.
"KORI! Up!!!" Kristen called from her open spot on the other side of the field. She positioned herself for the kick. Kori flipped the ball up at a perfect angle. The ball soared in a defectless arc and Kristen flipped for her bicycle kick, nailing it in the top corner of the goal. The one place she knew Derrick couldn't reach.
As soon as the swish sound of the ball hitting the net rang through the stadium, the crowds jumped to their feet and cheered out of pride and overjoyment. The portion of the crowd wearing navy and yellow, anyway.
The PC all jumped up and cheered for their girl. There was no way they could lose now. The warm temperature made sweat pour from all the players but the fans found it a nice change from watching all bundled up in puffy coats and hats.
The Tomahawks hung their heads, upset that a girl had just scored on them. They trudged back into position where the girls were happily bouncing and getting ready for the next play.
Right after Cam tapped the ball to start the clock, the final whistle was blown marking the end of the game. The players excitedly left the field and went to their benches.
"Wasn't there supposed to be overtime?" Alicia asked cluelessly. She furrowed her brows in confusion and picked up her bottle of mineral water before gathering her bag.
"Not for charity games" Claire left off before standing up and stretching. She was wearing the adorable, promised outfit from the mall. She had a plain white t-shirt with a yellow tube top over it. She wore a pair of light True Religions and had a red belt over the tube top and a shiny, red headband in her hair. She had on a black pair of Converse's and carried a plain black bag.( Leesh picked out red flats but she wouldn't budge on the shoes.) A 9.8 for sure.
Massie finger-combed her hair and helped pull Dylan up from her current spot on the cool metal bleacher. Dylan popped one last red Sour Skittle before putting away the half-full bag.
"So what do we do now?" Dylan asked out of boredom. People were all clearing out but nobody would dare push the girls around. A frantic mother was trying to chase down a little girl with two blond pig tails and bows.
"Maria!" the frazzled women called out. The PC giggled at the little girl sticking her tongue out as she ran.
"I'm never having kids" Alicia declared with a smirk. She popped one foot trying to get rid of the pain in her heels.
They all smiled and migrated their way to the end of the row and walked down the ramp of the stadium. Claire grazed her fingers along the cement wall and winced when it scraped a bit of skin off her palm.
All the girls gathered at the bottom of the incline at a grassy patch in waiting for Kristen
to come across the field. The girls were all shocked with who she brought along.
She walked up to them standing in a clump with all the Briarwood Boys, laughing and putting in re-caps of different parts of the game.
"Dude, that was so funny when you slide tackled Chris. He never saw it coming from you" Kemp play punched Kristen and the whole group laughed at the memory of Chris laying on the field looking like he didn't know where he was.
Yeah. It was just as funny as when she went right around you and scored that first goal five minutes into the game" Chris retorted sourly. His blue eyes lit up as he watched Kemp slink back and give him evil eye.
Josh stared at Claire and semi-smiled subtly so Alicia wouldn't notice it. Claire shifted uncomfortably and decided focusing on Cam would be a better idea.
"Well if it isn't the schemer herself" Derrick played as her approached Massie. She was texting on her iPhone and swiftly put it in her back pocket as he got closer. He was taller than her now. About an inch or two higher.
"You know me, you love me" Massie bit back in a clever remark. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and stood straighter.
"Nice, but maybe you should save the love for Dumps- I mean Dempsey." Derrick put on a show while trying to hold back from just kissing her right there.
Cam slid over next to Claire. She could smell the yummy Drakkar Noir. He smiled at her and laced his fingers through hers so nobody else would notice.
So he got my letter. Claire beamed on the inside for a moment and went back to watching Massie and Derrick cat fight.
Massie turned red and got ready to return another wisecrack but got distracted by Cam and Claire's hands.
"What? Kuh-laire, you never told me you and Cam got back together!" Massie pointed out to the group. Massie sounded blasé while putting on a coat of gloss from one of the Abby-esque rings she got from Claire.
"Um, we sorta just did." she smiled but didn't want to give much away to everybody else. She saw Josh's eye twitch weirdly at the news. She could see some emotion…..Was Josh jealous?!
"Um, where is the bathroom here?" Dylan blurted. The guys all pointed to the other side of the bleachers to the little hut on the other side. The bathroom doors were on the other side of the little room.
"Um, I think I'll go too." Claire put in. She wanted so badly to escape Josh's gaze. He was acting so weird.
Dylan and Claire walked in silence except the noise coming from Dylan's old Chocolate phone ringing from texts every couple seconds until they reached the tiny building. A breeze whipped their hair over their eyes as they tried to navigate the field. They finally reached it without getting lost in the maze of people or having a my-hair-stuck-to-my-gloss situation.
Dylan opened the door and walked inside the immaculate bathroom. "You comin?" Dylan raised her eyebrows and motioned to the row of five closed stall doors.
"Nah, I just needed some more air." Claire smiles weakly and watches Dylan shrug before closing the door to the room.
She turns around and leans against the rough stones that make the bathrooms look like a little, old cottage from the outside. She wanders over to the area on the other side of the bleachers. Claire couldn't see the group from where she was and they couldn't see her either.
Time gets lost as Claire starts to think swiftly of how she would explain it to Massie. The note. Massie would dismiss it as mushy and desperate. Maybe she could turn it around the other way. Or maybe just make a new story altogether. Or she could-
"Agh!" she screams in shock as her thoughts are interrupted. Josh was smiling sweetly at her from the corner he just turned.
"Did I scare you? Sorry if I did" Josh talks in a low and syrupy voice. He is wearing his Yankee cap and being in this position reminds her of last year when she made a really bad mistake in almost the same space.
"No. I- you should really get back to them" Claire tries to calm herself (and her pulse) down as she gets her bearings and decides it would be best just to leave. Giving him the wrong idea could be fatal for her relationship with Cam.
"It's okay. I just wanted to talk" Josh steps closer and Claire is frozen.
"Then talk" she sighs and tunes him out.
"-and I think we should get together because I really, really like you. You are so much cooler and sweeter. I-" Josh is cut off because Claire listened for that part of his speech.
"Okay, NO! You are happy with Alicia and I am happy with Cam. Can't we all just be happy for once." Claire whines and stomps her foot. She has finally had enough.
Ehmagawd! Dylan thinks. She had just walked out of the bathroom in time to find Josh and Claire talking. She whipped out her cell phone and pressed "Record" on her video camera just in time to catch and record Josh asking Claire out. She was hidden from their sight.
Claire is still explaining to Josh why they can't go out when he starts to lean in to her.
Ehmagawd he is seriously going to try and kiss me!!!
The realization sweeps over her and she is stuck in trauma mode before she can react.
Claire comes out of shock just before Josh's lips can land on hers. She quickly slaps him and pushes him so hard that he falls to the ground.
"What?" Josh looks up at her with a confused look. He doesn't seem angry. He looks……She couldn't place that look in his eyes. But it sent her sprinting back to the group on the other side of the stadium.
Candid camera! Josh, just wait until your girlfriend sees this one. Dylan thought evilly before starting to walk back to the group on a different route.
Ooooooooh Josh just got caught red handed! Tell me what you think!
