(A/N) Hey all, time for our latest Grifball: Running Rampant update, and this one is brought to you by ParabolaOfMystery, whom some of you may recognise as Carolina's writer in Phase One: Genesis. Personally loved this chapter, and I hope you all will too! Going to keep this short and sweet, so without further ado...

Enjoy!

Chapter Six – Just Smile and Wave

Will Weissman

Written by ParabolaOfMystery

"I laugh and joke, but I don't get distracted very easily." - LeBron James

Will clapped his hands together excitedly. "Ah, I do love press conferences." In front of them, dozens of chattering reporters were already scribbling notes on their little yellow pads and bustling about to try and get the best spot. Shiny black camera lenses winked at them and flashed and recorded. The entire team was there, seated at a long table bursting with microphones. Each seat had a little gold plaque in front of it, inscribed with their names. Every seat was filled except for Coach Anderson's. Will refused to call him anything except for 'Coach.'

Jackson squinted against the lights. He pulled at his collar, uncomfortable. "I never saw the appeal," he grumbled. His hair was slightly shiny with gel, and his tie was askew. He had the obvious air of someone that really, really didn't want to be there, which Will didn't understand. He liked interviews and press conferences, for the most part. "Why can't we just start without Coach? This will be over with much faster."

Will laughed. "Come on, buddy. Wink at the cameras. The girls will go crazy. Want me to demonstrate?"

Jackson smirked. "You can't even wink. You just end up blinking." Will grinned. There was a smile. Well, not much of one, but it was something. The guy really just needed to loosen up. Relax. He'd been on a major edge this week, with the girls and everything. Will knew that eventually the girls could get on their level of talent, but Jackson didn't.

Their other teammates seemed to be having a good time so far, with the exception of Kiara. Arika looked pretty, Will had to admit, with her black hair down instead of tucked into her helmet. It was strange to see her all dressed up for the conference. Meanwhile, Ellen looked the part of a professional female player- strong, poised, intelligent. Will could already tell the cameras would love her. Both girls were on either side of Alex, who looked perfectly pleased to be explaining press conference basics to them. He talked with his hands, and Arika and Ellen listened intently. Alex glanced toward Will, and gave an ecstatic smile before he continued talking.

Next to Will, Kiara fidgeted. She was pale, which made her freckles stand out. It made her look younger than the rest of them. Smaller. Will knew that wouldn't go down too well in front of the press. A scared, tiny female Grifball player? She wouldn't be helping the female player's image. Plus he could tell that she was mentally revisiting that interview with Stu. He had to admit, that montage that they played was a complete dick move. They saw her weaknesses, and someone obviously wanted to make them prevalent, otherwise they wouldn't have put in so much time editing that video. While Stu was practically an old friend to him, he had given her a pretty rough time. Kiara had managed to get through it, but that experience really was not helping the current situation.

Will nudged her with his elbow. "Nervous?"

She blinked, biting her lip. "There's a lot of people."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Just pretend they're all your friends or something." She looked out into the crowd, skeptical. "Make them like you."

"How do I do that? What if I get completely attacked like the other night?"

"Smile. Laugh. Be yourself," Will said, "or don't."

A hint of a smile played on her lips. "Don't be myself? That's pretty much the opposite of everything I've heard. Ever."

Will leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but people do it all the time in these situations. They shook you up in that last interview, but you mostly managed to get through it. Take it to the next level and get even stronger. Take Jackson, for example. He doesn't seemlike a total dick in interviews, does he?"

Jackson rolled his eyes, but Kiara chuckled. She looked a lot less uncomfortable now, and there was some color returning to her face. "So when are we starting?"

Will looked at his watch. "Whenever Coach gets here… ah. Speak of the devil, and in two seconds we'll all go to hell."

"I don't think that's how that saying goes, Weissman," Coach said, brushing his suit with his hands. The low rumble that was the reporter's chatter escalated as he sat down. "Ready to start?"

"I was born ready, Coach."

"Don't say anything stupid now, Weissman. You too, Jackson." Jackson glared at him, but Coach glared back. "You know what I'm talking about. Now shut up. I'm talking."

The reporters hushed as Coach launched into a little speech about the inclusion of female players in Grifball, and Will immediately tuned out. It probably wasn't anything special, just positive words to help their image or something. Typical media crap. He scanned down the table. Jackson remained expressionless and Alex seemed to be equally bored, but the girls seemed to be listening intently. It didn't surprise him- it was their first time at a press conference, and they probably felt the need to look like good little face-smashing Grifball players. That had been his first press conference as well, but he was long over it now.

A question jolted him out of his daze and told him that Coach's spiel was over. A stick-thin woman with dyed blonde hair asked, "Ladies: what was your reaction to the announcement of female inclusion?"

Kiara was first to answer, to Will's surprise. She pushed her red hair behind her ear and leaned toward her microphone. "I immediately went to the gym to work out," she said, blushing. A collective chuckle went through the reporters. "I felt like I needed to prove myself."

Arika added to her answer. While she spoke, Will gave Kiara a nod of approval. She smiled nervously. "I actually felt the same way. My first instinct was to prepare myself. No matter what, I was going to get on a team."

When she was finished, Ellen spoke up. "My first reaction was mostly disbelief," she said, with a perfect smile on her face. "Then I was just happy that the men in charge had finally come to their senses. They've made the right decision letting women play Grifball, and they will not regret it."

The blonde reporter smiled politely. "Same question for the men. Mr. Cross, would you like to start?"

Alex pushed himself up in his seat. "Um, sure. I was kind of uncertain, to be honest. I knew that we were going to get a female player or two, sinse we lost Caleb and the guys. I was curious whether they would have the same level of talent."

Will suppressed a laugh. He wasn't just curious about talent levels; right after the announcement was made, Alex had called him wondering if the girls would be using the same locker room as them.

"Mr. Weissman, what was your reaction?"

Will leaned forward on his forearms. "Oops, my turn. Well, I thought it was about time that women were allowed to play Grifball. I mean, the aliens were allowed to, why shouldn't they be able to play? And it's not like they can't handle it. I've seen them in training. They don't even do girl pushups!" He heard Kiara giggle from next to him.

Jackson cleared his throat and began to speak. "I felt about the same as Will," he started, but Will knew it was a lie. "I was mostly concerned that they wouldn't be able to fill the shoes that our old players left behind, but I'm getting less worried each day." Coach nodded in approval. Will knew the truth. He'd slammed his phone into a wall when he'd heard the news, but it was understandable. Jackson was protective of his team. He was smart, too; he knew that with their lost teammates and the amendment to the rules that they would end up with some new people. He didn't want some rookie messing everything up.

A different reporter asked a question this time: "How are you working together as a team?"

"Well, it took a little getting used to," Ellen said. "The intensity is not even comparable as before. I think Kiara and Arika know what I'm talking about," she added, while the girls nodded. "But it's getting smoother and smoother each day."

"And what about relationships on the team?"

Coach leaned into the microphone. "I think Mr. Cross can tell you about that."

All eyes swiveled toward Alex, who turned deep red and shook his head, nonverbally answering the question as the press laughed.

Will leaned forward and added, "We already know that relationships on teams don't work out. Right, Jackson?" The press went wild as Jackson glared and mouthed death threats at Will. This will probably end with some lovely fanfiction, Will thought. He made a mental note to print some off and give it to Jackson, if he found it.

Another reporter spoke up. "Mr. Weissman- what are your thoughts on being benched?"

Will managed to keep his smile, although it felt like someone had plunged a knife in his stomach and twisted. He felt Coach's eyes on him, and chose his words carefully. "I think that it's a good opportunity for another person to prove themselves, if they can. I mean, I've already proved myself as a Runner. It doesn't mean I'll won't be training as hard as them or be any less part of the team. To be honest, I was disappointed, but it's just something you have to accept." Alex seemed a little distraught at his answer. His teammate knew him too well to believe that he was fine with being benched. But Alex didn't ask for it. He was given the place, and Will would have to just wait to see if he'd sink or swim.

He glanced over at Coach, and was surprised to see him looking apologetic, and Will realized that it might not have been his first choice to take him out. He probably had to make room for the women for some reason. Maybe the realization should have been comforting, but it just made Will even more uneasy.

By the time the conference was over, Will was having trouble concealing his growling stomach. He glanced over at Jackson, but upon seeing his expression, decided his teammate was probably not in the mood for a food run. He turned to Kiara, who was still blinking shyly at the cameras, and nudged her arm. "Hungry?"

"What?"

"Come on, rookie," he said, guiding her out of her chair by the arm. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, bringing one of the new chicks on one of his sacred food runs, but he might as well get to know his new teammates better. He ignored a skeptical look from Coach and a wink from Alex as he made his way through the sea of reporters, cameras, and screaming fans.

"Where are we going?" Kiara asked, confused.

Will flashed a grin at her. "Somewhere delicious," he told her, but she just looked more puzzled. Finally, they reached the street and Will waved down a taxi. They got in, and Will gave the address to a sleepy driver. Kiara stared out the window, distracted. Her eyes followed the lights of the city, and she seemed uneasy.

"What's the problem?" Will asked.

"Huh?" Kiara blushed. "Oh. I'm just overwhelmed, I guess. This is all pretty new to me."

He leaned back in the car seat, pressing his knees against the seat in front of him. "I guess I know what you mean. It kind of sucks at first. Interviews and training, blah blah blah. Just wait until the actual season starts up."

Kiara frowned. "I just wish that I could get some real playing time."

Will didn't know what to say. They were in the same boat. She had to sit out the first game while the other female players were making their debut. They were the benchwarmers. It was almost like they were forgotten, cast aside. Although his spirits were low, he tried to make a humorous approach. "Well, we just need a serious injury or death or something. Then we can get out in the arena," he said cheerfully. Upon seeing Kiara's shocked expression, he chuckled a little. "Kidding. Kind of. Let's admit, Alex does need a little head-bashing."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Did you see the way he was flirting with the others? It was extremely annoying. And what's the deal with Jackson?"

"Jackson?" Will chuckled. The guy seemed rough, he had to admit. Heck, when the two of them met, they weren't exactly friends either. "He's just… protective, I guess."

Kiara raised an eyebrow, causing the scar above to ripple a bit. "Protective? That's heartwarming."

Oh, Jackson. That was his problem, as Will had learned over the years. The guy built a giant wall around him, making him seem like a total dick to any outsiders. But on the inside… he was soft and cuddly. Well, maybe not cuddly. Or soft. "Well, picture this. Your team is falling apart, and you're trying to keep it together, when all of a sudden three chicks that may or may not even be good at Grifball strut in and take everyone's places. How would you feel?" Kiara thought about it and her expression softened, and the cab rolled to a stop. Will glanced out the window to see their destination right outside. He rummaged through his pocket until he found a wad of bills and gave it to the driver. "Thanks, cabbie. Keep the change."

"An ice cream shop?" Kiara observed, squinting up at the flickering neon sign. "I always thought you guys would go to much fancier places."

"Which is exactly the point." Will led her inside. His nose was immediately attacked with the rich, cold smell of ice cream. Five minutes later, they were seated at a booth right by the window so they could watch people walking by. Kiara ate her ice cream slowly and thoughtfully- Cherry Garcia. Not something Will would get, but he respected the choice.

"So is this supposed to be a date or something?" Kiara asked suspiciously.

Will almost choked on his Zanzibar chocolate. "What, is it wrong for a guy to not want to get ice cream by himself?"

Her face reddened. "Sorry, it's just that Coach said-"

"Who do you think I am- Alex?" He felt embarrassed. Maybe he made the wrong choice in bringing her here. Looking at it, it did seem kind of date-y. Shiiit.If Coach found out about this, he was in for a nice, long talk. "I wanted to get to know one of my new teammates better, and you seemed the nicest. Ellen and Arika seem kind of scary, to be honest."

Kiara laughed. "Glad to know I'm not scary, then."

Will leaned back thoughtfully. She wasn't scary. She was the opposite. She was vulnerable. "Well, you're just shy. Your personality isn't completely overpowering."

She sighed. "Well, that doesn't seem to be helping in all these interviews."

"You seemed fine today," Will told her, licking his spoon.

"I was secretly terrified, though. My hands were shaking the whole time. I had to hide them under the table." She looked down, embarrassed.

Will looked at her. She didn't seem to be made for this kind of thing. The publicity was going to take a toll on her if she didn't learn how to deal with it. And she was his new teammate, after all. Teammates had to look out for each other. "What if I helped you out with that sort of thing? I could be your Haymitch."

"My what?"

"I could… train you, I guess, to be good at interviews," he explained, scraping his spoon against the sides of his paper ice cream dish to get the last bits of chocolate out. "So you're not so nervous, and so you can always give good answers." He looked up, grinning. "You could call me Coach!"

Kiara looked skeptical. "I'm not calling you 'Coach.'"

"Fine. I'll just have to find myself another grand title, then. But seriously, if you'd like help, don't be afraid to ask." Will licked the last bits of ice cream off his spoon, and saw that Kiara had finished hers as well. "Ready to go?" She nodded, and they got up to leave. "Oh, and can you do me a favor?"

She narrowed her eyes cautiously. "Depends on the favor."

Will laughed. He was beginning to like this rookie. She was cool. "Don't tell Jackson we came here, of all places. This is kind of a bro spot, and if he finds out you tainted it with your cooties…"

She punched his arm. "What is this, first grade?"

Will smiled and rubbed his arm. It would probably leave a pretty nice bruise for tomorrow morning. The girl could hit hard. Maybe she could survive it in this sport. But she would need to hit harder than that.