This chapter is pretty short but it has a lot of stuff in it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Holes.
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"Get settled down. It's a long story" He sat at the end of her bed, patiently waiting. She too settled herself deep in her bed. She fingered a cartilage piercing that he had never noticed before and looked uncertainly up into his eyes. Bright Green met Brown. Apparently she had listened to Pendanski for once and had not worn her contacts. Gripping her pillow tightly next to her stomach she slowly began.
"I played goalkeeper for a very prestigious soccer club. I was on the Olympic Development Team for a long time where it was players from all over the state playing on one elite team. It was basically the State Team. We would have these huge practices where six or seven age groups would all be together practicing together and we would share coaches, drill and for goalkeepers, training sessions.
"Now, I'm not trying to be cocky or anything, but I was one of the better goalkeepers at these things. I was in the third oldest age group and I was one of the ones with the choicest coaches that trained me back at the club so there weren't many drills that I hadn't seen before.
"For warm-ups we had to do some side shuffling drills. The coach would point in a direction and everybody would side shuffle that way and he would point to another direction and we would have to shuffle that way as well.
"He would point towards us and we would have to back pedal and we ran forward when he pointed backwards. To throw us off a bit, he would point to the ground and we would have to dive in the way he was pointing and then he would point up and we would have to jump like we were getting a high ball. We would train for forty five seconds at a time.
"During the last session, it was absolutely pouring down rain and we were destroying the fields. You would put your foot down and there would be water up to your ankles. Also, our coach switched up the drill a bit.
"He told us that every command that he did, we were supposed to do the exact opposite. If he pointed to the left, we shuffled to the right and if he pointed to the ground we would jump and so on. And I know this seems random but this does have a point." Britt reassured, seeing Squid getting overwhelmed by information that to him, was pointless.
"Now we were already tired. It had been raining all day and it was the sixth session that weekend. One guy in particular was having trouble in the drill and he would make mistakes really often. His name was Greg Peola. Then we had to do push-ups on our fists so our gloves wouldn't get completely soaked.
"Needless to say, we were all pretty pissed at him by the time the training session was through. We were cold, soaking wet and while we couldn't completely blame our state on one person, Greg was the one that we were all going to eventually target.
"He had cost us sixty push-ups, which are ridiculously hard when you are soaked by rain water. We refused to talk to him but the problem was that we had to do a partners drill during the session and since I didn't have many friends at this clinic, I was stuck with him. He cost me thirty more push-ups by the end of the session. So I turned on him and started to yell at him. And he just took it.
"By that time, I had forgotten that my brother said he was a complete psycho and an idiot to boot. His father was also a Sergeant in the military and apparently, Greg knew a little martial arts. I had also forgotten that he got in fights at school and had been suspended four times. If I had just stopped to think I could have avoided this whole disaster…" she trailed off.
Squid nudged her shoulder, gently encouraging her to go on. Britt took a deep breath and continued.
"The hotel was just down the street and I told my dad that I was going to walk back. I couldn't get much wetter and I needed to work out some of the lactic acid in my muscles so a little walk couldn't hurt much. Dad didn't want me soaking up his car so he went ahead and left me at the fields.
"I changed in the bathroom next to the concession stand. I had to get out of my Under Armour, shingaurds and stuff like that. Everybody was gone at that point because nobody wanted to stay out in the rain. When I walked out, Greg was waiting for me. He shoved me up against the brick wall of the bathrooms, hard; but not too hard so that I wouldn't bruise or anything like what I'm sure, his father had taught him. He was pretty pissed.
"He said 'you're going to regret ever calling me out like that' and he tried to kiss me while his hand went to the drawstring of my shorts. Now, growing up with a brother who was less than a year and a half older than you can teach you some pretty important things. Like how to fight dirty. I kneed him in the groin and punched his side. He doubled over so I kneed him in the face, right in the nose. Blood flew everywhere and he fell.
"I kicked him a few times and then I realized what I was doing. So I ran. Luckily, my shirt didn't get any of his blood on it and while my knee was covered in his blood, it easily washed off in the rain. I just told my dad that I was late because it was hard walking in the rain with my soccer bag.
"About a week later, I got arrested for assault and fleeing the scene of a crime. I had broken his nose, two of his ribs and I partially tore some of the cartilage on his ribs as well. Greg's family had friends in high places and so I was convicted of the crime. The judge said that I was guilty since Greg was the one that was injured and that they had no proof of him trying to rape me. I was sent here and I promised myself that it would never happen again. So now you have my story. You can stop being my friend now."
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So we finally learn why Sparks is there! I know I update really sporadically but I have been so busy!
