Well it's only been what... 2 months since I've updated... Sad. Well at least this chapter is a little longer than my usual ones. I'm sorry I take forever but seriously.. the next parts should go a little faster because I have parts of it written already. But... I don't have that much time to write and type because I have school everyday (my junior year... gotta start thinking about college brah), soccer Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, I coach soccer Tuesdays and Thursdays... but yeah. I'm working on it. This is kinda a filler chapter but I hope you still like it!

I ran down the side, working on making sure Hamilton didn't get any further advantage than the kick off gave them. The familiar adrenaline kick from running set in and I stole the ball. I found Taylor M. behind me, tapped it back to her and took off towards the goal. The ball continued to come my way and I took the liberty of taking it down the side and getting off a few shots. Ten minutes in the score was still 0-0. One of the Hamilton defenders kicked the ball out of bounds near the corner and I raced to go get it. My throw-ins are usually pretty far but this time I decided to try something else. Tay had parked herself on the far side and was completely open because her five foot eleven inches giraffe looking self was basically being guarded by a midget. I allowed myself enough room, ran forward and did a flip throw-in. Instead of watching the ball, I made a quick glance at the bleachers to see Nick's reaction. I couldn't find him so I turned back to the game. The ball went right to Tay who headed it into the goal, our perfect tag team play.

Happy that we scored and that I had potentially impressed Nick, I returned to playing. Eager for more, the next time I got the ball I took it up the side, blew past the side defender, did a scissors move around the sweeper and tucked the ball in the back of the net. Not satisfied yet after my first goal I parked myself at midfield and called for the ball. When I got it I tried the same thing that I did before except down the middle. I got triple teamed and got the ball stolen from me.

"Miley! That's your girl!" Blake yelled.

In the midst of my 'ball getting stolen from me' incident I forgot to cover back. I turned to see my player taking the ball down the line. It was too late for me to catch up now so I didn't go, I wanted to stay up and score again. The girl crossed it, wide open and Hamilton got an easy finish.

Brushing it off, I kept playing. We were still winning. In the last couple minutes of the first half I found myself with the ball again and an open field in front of me. I had Nicole doing an overlap to my left and Keke running down on the right, but since I was open I took it. At the top of the box I launched the ball in. 3-1.

As we walked off for halftime Blake ran up to my side. "Hey Milez, you gotta start passing more. I know Hamilton kinda sucks but everyone is wide open." Her tone was a little angry but sounded more like she was trying to help than anyone else.

I replayed what I had done in the first half and bit my lip, my soccer ego deflating like a sad balloon. "Okay."

Once back by the bench, I grabbed my water and started after Kevin and the rest of the team. Zac pulled me back by my jersey. "Miley."

I spun around. He did not look happy. "What?" The rest of the team went off to talk in the corner leaving Zac and I alone by the bench.

"Don't what me," he spat. "What the hell was that out there? We know you're good, you can do moves, but this is a team sport, not the 'Miley' show. The throw in was great, a nice assist to your teammate. But the others, you had girls wide open. Yes, you made your shots but it's not always going to work. Like when you got triple teamed. And what the fuck was with you not getting back on defense? You just stood there! If you were tired that would be a different story but you were just being lazy. It's pathetic!" Zac's face was beginning to turn red and I could feel tears stinging in the back of my eyes. But he wasn't finished yet. "You're sitting in the second half. Kevin's not happy either Miley. I don't know why you think you can play so selfishly. You're not impressing anyone. You're being a ball hog and pissing off your own team."

A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another. Zac has never yelled at me this much about soccer. "I'm sorry," I sniffed, wiping away the tears. He shook his head and went over to talk to Scott. The team came back over and I plopped myself down on the bench next to Demi as the game began again. "Are you still contagious?"

"No."

"Good." I lay my head on her shoulder, my soccer ego balloon completely popped. "Zac yelled at me," I told her.

"I know," she laughed. "We could all hear him."

"Awesome."

"Why were you playing like that anyways? You were like those crazy bitch girls we always make fun of cuz they think they sweet but everyone really hates them."

"Do you hate me?"

"When you're a bitchy ball hog?" She paused. "Nahhh. You don't do this all the time so it's obviously not gonna happen again. Plus I found much entertainment in listening to Zac have a heart attack over here while you were out there. Oh, and you never answered my question."

"Well part of it is... I don't know. When I got out there I got so caught up. You know, my adrenaline got really high..." I realized how stupid I sounded and sighed. "And I might have been trying to impress Nick."

Demi smirked. "I'm sure he's very impressed by your bench sitting skills."

We were interrupted by Kevin squeezing in between us. "Hello."

"You're not gonna yell at me too, are you?" I squeaked. Getting yelled at by my own brother was one thing. Getting yelled at by Kevin, my actual coach, would be a whole other, much more painful situation.

"No. I think your brother covered that." He smiled. "But I do have to ask, what was going on out there? You weren't doing it in practice."

"I guess I got a little too excited," I lied, giving a simpler explanation than what I was trying to tell Demi before. I wasn't about to tell him that I was showing off for his little brother who just so happened to have asked me out earlier today. "I won't do it again," I promised.

"So if I put you back in you'll start passing?"

I nodded quickly.

"Will you get back on defense no matter what?"

Another nod.

"Alrighty then, you can go in for Dakota. She's at the same place you were before." I started to get up but he stopped me. "But anymore crap like the first half and you're out. I know you're better than this Miley. Show me."

When he let me go I went over to the middle line, waiting for the ball to go out so I could go back in. I liked Kevin's talk way more than Zac's. It was much friendlier. Demi soon joined me at the line and we went back in. This time I didn't hold onto the ball, I doled it out to everyone else to set up attacks. Near the end of the game I found myself in front of the goal once more with only the sweeper in front of me. No one was around me so I did a spin move around her. Maya, who Kevin brought up to center mid when Demi went back out, was wide open. My angle sucked so I passed the ball to her. Maya shot it low and in the corner, out of reach of the goalie. The game ended, 4-2.

When I was taking off my shinguards Kevin came up behind me. "Way to turn it around Miley. Good job," he praised, giving me a pat on the back.

My lips tugged into a smile. "Thanks Kevin." As corny as his little compliment was, it made me feel good. Zac's lecture really beat me down and Kevin's postitive approach to it was way better. I picked my bag up, ignoring the fact that Zac was walking towards me and caught up with Demi and Tay.

"Hey ball hog," Tay greeted, teasing.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly.

"She was showing off for Nick," Demi chimed in.

"Ahhh!" Tay shrieked, leaping into the air, almost tripping as she came back down. "Screw your rule! You're so in lurrrvveee with him!"

I covered her mouth with my hand. "Shh Tay, stop screaming like a ruh-tard," I said, using my best Alan voice for the 'ruh-tard' part. "And I'm not screwing the rule. I can't just make it, then break it. It'd be wrong," I tried, removing my hand when I felt her tongue lapping at my fingers.

She dragged her barefeet through the grass. "I still say screw it. And.." She stuck her tongue out. "Your hand tastes like shit."

We made it to the other side of the field where the crowd was emptying from the bleachers. "Mija!" Mrs. Lavato came bustling over. "How are you feeling?" She fussed over Demi, muttering in spanish.

"I'm fine," Demi muttered, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as her mom continued to fuss over her.

"I'm driving you home, I already spoke to your coach... C'mon." She began pulling her away. "And Miley, Taylor, buen trabajo." (good job). She smiled and walked away with Demi in tow. I love Mrs. Lavato. She speaks perfect English but always rambles in Spanish. Even though Selena and Demi think she's embarrassing, Tay and I think it's awesome.

Tay and I navigated though the crowd. I wasn't looking for anyone particular, I just wanted to put off seeing Zac until I absolutely had to. I followed Tay even though she was probably just looking for her mom or Joe. And finding Joe meant Nick too, which could be a good or bad thing depending on if he brought up the game or what happened earlier. "JOE!" Taylor squealed when she spotted him, nerd glasses and all. Tay never tends to talk in an inside voice. Her volume is always intensified, especially when she's excited. Unfortunately for everyone's ears, she's excited all the time.

"You were awesome!" Joe exclaimed, his sound level just as amplified as Tay's. They were meant to be together. The moment took a sharp turn from cute to nasty as the kissed; a little too 'passionately' for the environment we were currently in.

I turned my attention to Nick who was standing off to the side. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi." I made my way closer to him, turning my back on the PDA.

"I never knew girl's soccer was so intense," he commented.

"What's so intense about it?" I questioned, letting my bag drop to the ground.

He shrugged, sending me a shy smile. "I don't know. You were really good though."

"Good enough to get myself benched," I joked even though the thought of Zac yelling made me cringe.

"I saw Zac talking to you at halftime. Why did he bench you? You scored twice."

Nick's confusion about it made me smile. "He wasn't talking, he was screaming at me. I wasn't being a team player, like I wasn't passing and stuff."

"And why weren't you passing?"

I bit my lip nervously. "I may have been showing off for you a little bit." I was surprised by my flirtiness, mentally kicking myself for doing it.

"So you were benched cuz of me?" he chuckled.

"Yes..." I admitted sheepishly. "Oh no." I saw Zac coming our way. "Hide me!" Giggling, I pulled Nick in front of me, trying to conceal myself from Zac's view.

I held my breath as Zac stopped a few feet away. "Taylor, get on the bus. We're about to leave." He did not sound happy. Flustered and a bit embarrassed, Tay grabbed her bag, gave Joe one last peck on the cheek and sprinted towards the bus. He didn't leave after that. "I see you Miley," he stated, agitated.

I poked my head out from behind Nick. "Hey Zac..."

He sighed. "Get on the god damn bus."

Picking my bag up, I withdrew from my excellent hiding spot. "See ya later Nick." I shot him a nervous smile and reluctantly followed Zac back to the bus.

For the obnoxiously long ride home I put my iPod in, letting MGMT calm me down. The bus brought us back to school and I was forced to ride the rest of the way home with my grumpy brother. Vanessa was chilling in the living room when we came in.

"How was the game?" she asked when she saw us walk in.

Zac responded, "Awful," at the same time I said, "We won."

Nessa stood up. "I'm confused. How was it awful if you won?"

"Well the team didn't necessarily do bad," Zac began. "You can ask Miley about the awful part."

I threw my bag down forcefully. "Are you serious Zac?" He just stood there giving me a look like he had said nothing wrong, which of course just set me off. "It was only the first half! I'm so sorry I got a little excited and didn't pass the ball as much. You don't have to be such a dick about it! Kevin wasn't and I was better in the second half. And you already yelled at me, why can't you just leave me alone?" I stalked off into the kitchen and began fixing myself a glass of chocolate milk. It's times like these where I wish Zac wasn't my coach and I was like everyone else on my team; having their parents come to all the games and have them cheer them on and congratulate them even when they do crappy. I stirred the Nesquik chocolate powder into my milk and listened to Zac and Vanessa as they carried on the conversation.

"Why do you always have to yell at her?" Vanessa asked.

"Technically she was the one yelling," Zac corrected, defending himself like a true boy.

"She said you yelled at her before..." V pointed out.

"Yes," he admitted. "Kevin asked me to talk to her and I told her the truth."

"And what was that?" I could just imagine the way the two of them looked right now. Zac, trying to play it off as nothing and Nessa in her mad stance, arms crossed and death glare prominent.

There was a pause. "Ness, I don't remember exactly what I said. You should have seen it though, she was playing like a brat. Never in my life have I seen her play so narcissistically. So yeah, maybe I yelled at her a lot, but I stopped when she started crying and in the second-"

The spiel was cut off by Vanessa's furious voice. "You made her cry?" Zachary, she is your sister! I get that you want to push her because she's so talented, but it's things like this that will make her quit. She's only sixteen. Stop being so absorbed in her being the best. It is her life, not yours."

I'm sure Vanessa could have continued for a lot longer, but I couldn't listen to them fight about something that wasn't even between them. I burst into the living room. "Stop!" They both turned at my sudden outburst. "It doesn't even matter, just stop!" Giving them both a glare I spun on my heel and rushed up to my room. Despite my little interruption and my shut door, I could still hear the muffled yells drifting up from downstairs. Grabbing my phone, I curled up on my bed and began searching though my contacts. My fingers hovered over one number for a minute before I finally hit 'talk'.

After a few rings the person picked up, their warm voice seeping through the phone. "Hey Miley..."

"Hi Nick." My tone immediately turned awkward.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this lovely phone call?" he asked. It was so dorky in the sweetest way possible.

I wanted to giggle. I love how even though I rejected him only a couple hours earlier Nick still acted like the amazing friend he always was. The want to laugh quickly faded when I remembered my actual reason for the call. "Zac and Vanessa are fighting and I don't want to listen to it."

"Do you know what they're fighting about?"

"Me," I told him, pulling the blankets tightly around myself. "V doesn't like when Zac pushes me in soccer. I don't think that's what they're fighting about anymore, but that's what started it."

"So, what's your favorite kind of pizza?

"Huh?"

"I'm getting your mind off of what's going on," he explained, shedding light on the before, irrelevant question. "Favorite pizza. Mine is pepperoni."

I smiled, sinking back into the pillows. "Um, it's a tie. I can never choose between sausage and pepperoni."

"Favorite ice cream?" he drilled.

" What is this, Twenty Questions?"

"Just answer it."

"Chocolate chip cookie dough. Stop asking food questions. I'm hungry," I complained, feeling my mood lift up the more we talked.

"Fine." He thought for a moment. "What would you do if you didn't play soccer?"

Go out with you was the automatic response in my head, but I didn't say that outloud. "Play basketball, I guess," I answered instead.

"Besides sports."

"I'm not good at anything else." I poked my toes out the bottom of the blanket.

"You're probably good at lots of things, you just don't know it yet."

The shouting downstairs intensified and I latched onto my pillow. "It's getting worse..."

"Can you hear what they're saying?" he asked.

"No, and I don't wanna know." I let my top teeth sink into my lip, chewing on it, worried. "They haven't fought like this since the time they broke up two years ago. They got back together obviously, but it took like five months. Nessa's like my older sister, sometimes like my mom since my real one is never here." I paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't want that to happen again."

"They'll work it out Miles. Everything will be fine," he tried reassuring me, giving the stereotypical response to the situation.

"You don't know that," I sniffed, feeling all my emotions catch up with me. "They're like screaming at each other."

"What kind of music do you listen to?" he asked, attempting another way to distract me.

"Um, kinda like indie more underground bands and stuff."

"Me too. Mainstream shit kinda bothers me. Do you like Of Montreal?"

"Mmmmhmmm..." I was barely listening to what Nick was saying. The shouting match downstairs held the majority of my thoughts.

"Miley..." Nick called out, catching my attention again.

"Sorry." I tried my best to tune out the voices again. If I listened it made me sad and paying attention to Nick lifted me up again. "I don't wanna talk about me anymore. Where did you come from?" I was done saying weird things about me.

"Well," he started out. "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, they decide to do this thing called sex. See, the daddy puts his thing into the mommy's thing and the sperm-"

"Stop," I interrupted. "I know where babies come from." I lay back, putting the pillow over my head, keeping the phone on my ear. "I meant where did you live before Jeneva?"

"Grenada, Mississippi."

"You don't sound very southern."

"Not everyone from the south has an accent. And I wasn't born there. We lived in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Texas before that. We moved to Grenada when I was eleven."

"Why did you move here then?"

"We moved around a lot when I was little because my mom and dad were spreading the word of God or whatever. We stayed in Grenada because my dad got a steady job as a pastor. Last summer they wanted to start preaching around the country again. Me, Kevin and Joe were sick of it so I filed for emancipation. When I won my case, Joe was eighteen and Kevin had found a job up here so we moved with him," Nick explained.

"Wow..." We were kind of in the same situation, except for the fact that he doesn't live with his parents by choice. Since it was a sore subject for me and most likely for him, considering his tone of voice, I changed the subject. "What's Grenada like?"

"Well, the best place to hang out is the Walmart and it never snows. I don't think you could survive there, my old school didn't have a girls soccer team."

"That just sounds like a blast," I commented sarcastically.

"It really wasn't that bad. I like it here better though."

"Good."

"Only bad thing is I got stuck in this stupid Independent Living class sixth hour. We're gonna have fake babies. This chick next to me wants to name hers Pocahantas Bon Qui Qui. It's just weird."

"You should switch into my gym class," I suggested, my head still underneath my pillow.

"That would be way better. How do I get out?"

"Go to the guidance office and ask," I giggled. "Gym would be way more fun if you were in it."

"Do you not have friends in that either?" he teased.

"Actually I have Alyson, Taylor M. and Justin, (Bieber) even though he's kind of annoying."

"Aren't you popular!"

"Yesssss!" I sat up laughing, the pillow dropping into my lap. As soon as my laughter stopped what was happening downstairs became loud and clear.

"NO DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND?"

"FUCK YOU ZAC!"

The front door slammed shut, the bang echoing through the now silent house.

If there's any typos, sorry... I always type really late at night. Annnnd... yeahhh

Review! 10 would be wondrous for the next!

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xoxo

Shmadders