Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT
EPOV
I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming in my window right on my face.
With a groan I rolled out of bed, only to fall right back. It felt like I had been run over by a truck.
What the hell?
I tried to think back to last night, wondering what could have caused me to be so sore.
But all I could remember was…nothing.
I frowned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, groaning as I stretched my arm.
I took a deep breath and forced myself out of bed, stumbling slightly as I did so. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw that I was still wearing my tux from last night, except I had dirt smeared all over it. And I had a few twigs in my unruly hair.
I swung open my door to find Alice with her hand poised as if she was about to knock.
"Oh good, you're up. I was about to come and get you. It's already twelve o'clock, I thought you were going to sleep all day." She said in a voice way too cheery for my ears. "We should go shopping today. I need to get some more clothes. We really haven't gone shopping in a long ti-"
"Alice! Stop talking for a second." I said cutting her off. "My head is killing me."
"Really? Why?" She asked in a curious and concerned tone.
"I don't know, I'm sore all over. Do you know what happened?" I asked holding my head in my palm, trying to relieve the pounding headache.
Then for some reason she smirked. "Well all I know is that I saw both you and Bella leave the gym. Then about an hour later I get a text from her saying that you were asleep on the table outside. And now you telling me you can't remember what happened. Riiigght." She said using air quotes around the 'can't remember', and stretching out the last word.
"We didn't do anything!" I said giving her a fierce glare.
"Then what's that?" She asked with one eyebrow raised, pointing towards my neck.
"What's what?" I asked back walking back into my room to look in the mirror.
I immediately saw what she was talking about. Among all the bruises and scrapes was a mark that was eerily similar to a hickey.
I put my hand over the mark, trying to see if it wasn't just a scratch.
I don't think we did anything. I would hope I would remember something like that.
I turned around and looked at Alice with an honestly confused expression on my face, honestly not knowing what to say.
She threw up her hands and said, "Fine! If you're not going to tell me, I'll just have to ask Bella." She left my room, only to immediately poke her head back in and say, "But we're still going shopping today." And then leave once again.
Damn
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BPOV
I had woken up on Saturday morning sprawled on my bed with my dress and shoes still on.
All my muscles had been sore, but I didn't have nearly as many bruises as I thought I would have. For that I was thankful. Though there was one rather large one on my arm that I think came from hitting a rock.
I probably wasn't nearly as bad as Edward though.
I didn't try to call him, though I did spent a lot more time looking at the GPS on my phone, just to be careful.
I spent the rest of the weekend stretching out my muscles and using one of my special balms that helped to heal bruises.
By Monday morning I was feeling like new again.
I had barely gotten out of my car when I was attacked.
By Alice.
She has been texting me all weekend, trying to find out what happened. I think she believed that something happened between Edward and I. I couldn't blame her for thinking it. There are only so many things that a teenager can do when unsupervised.
I smiled innocently and started walking towards the school.
Alice wasn't having any of that so she immediately ran after me.
"Are you going to tell me what happened after the dance, or not!?!" She said, trying to get me to talk.
"What do you mean? I found Edward asleep on one of the tables and send you a text" I asked, glancing at her.
"So let me get this straight. It took you an hour to wander around the school and find my brother lying on the table?" She asked in a 'that is total crap' type of tone.
"Yep." I said, glancing at my watch. I did not want to stay on this topic.
She seemed to sense that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this and gave me a small glare.
"Well, I gotta go to class. I'll see you in PE." I said scurrying off.
"This isn't over!" She yelled when I was roughly a hundred feet away.
I blushed crimson at all the stares I received.
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I spent the rest of the day dodging Alice and the next thing I knew I was sitting beside Edward in Biology.
I smiled at him as I took my seat, he gave me a nervous one in return.
He must have no clue what happened. And god only knows what theories Alice has given him.
"So we're going to tell coach about the whole co-captain thing at practice today, right?" I asked, trying to ease the tension.
He seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking because he smiled and said, "Yeah, sounds like a plan. I'm really excited for our first game of the season tomorrow."
I smiled back but wasn't able to respond on account of the teacher starting his lecture.
Seeing Edward reminded me about what really happened at the dance. That was a close call.
I don't think that the guy driving the car was the actual person out to get Edward; he was probably just hired for the job. I would bet a lot of money that he isn't the only one who was hired though.
One major downside is that now whoever it is that is out to get him, obviously knows that someone is messing with their plans.
I also figured that they have aborted the original plan of just killing Edward, now they probably want him as a hostage, they'll get more money that way.
It made me edgy to know that that is all the information I have. No name. No place. Nothing.
The teacher gave us the few minutes before the bell rang, as free time. Edward took this as an opportunity to talk to me.
"So, Alice says that you're the one who found me after I passed out." He said with a questioning look. I merely nodded in response.
He took that as a sign to keep going, "So do you know what happened, because I can't remember a thing. I just remember running out of the gym after you left and then waking up in my bed the next morning. Alice seems to think we…ummm *cough*…did something…together."
I had to contain the fit of laughter that bubbled up. Instead I said, "No, sorry, I just found you lying there. You probably fell down those stairs near the gym and hit your head."
He seemed to look almost…disappointed. The bell rang and I grabbed my stuff and left, not wanting to answer any more questions.
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EPOV
I was sitting in Biology, waiting for the class to begin, when I heard the chair pull out next to me. I looked up to see none other then Bella, the girl who's been on my mind all day, smile at me.
I sucked in my breath at how beautiful she looked when she smiled and I couldn't help but give her one in return, it was just too hard not to.
I was still thinking about the things that Alice said to me this weekend, wondering if what she suggested was true.
"So we're going to tell coach about the whole co-captain thing at practice today, right?" She said, breaking me out of my reverie.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I'm really excited for our first game of the season tomorrow." I replied, my mind going blank when she smiled at me again. She seemed like she was about to say more, but was cut short by the teacher.
I sat through the entire period trying to recall even a single ounce of memory from that short amount of time, but to no avail.
The teacher gave us the few minutes before the bell rang, as free time. I took this as an opportunity to talk to her about it.
"So, Alice says that you're the one who found me after I passed out." I asked, hoping to get some information out of her. She didn't say anything, just nodded, so I kept going.
"So do you know what happened, because I can't remember a thing. I just remember running out of the gym after you left and then waking up in my bed the next morning. Alice seems to think we…ummm *cough*…did something…together." By now my cheeks were probably red, and I gave her a nervous glance.
Instead of getting a laugh in response, she surprised me by saying in a completely serious tone "No, sorry, I just found you lying there. You probably fell down those stairs near the gym and hit your head."
Well that settles that I guess. The bell rang and I started putting my stuff away. I can't believe I even hoped for a second that she would be interested in me that way. I feel like an idiot.
She's probably right; I probably slipped down the stairs chasing after her.
Wait, stairs? There are no stairs near the gym!
I quickly turned around to tell her this, but she was already gone.
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BPOV
I wore a changed into a long sleeve shirt and shorts for soccer practice, and ran out onto the field.
Edward was already there, along with about half of the team.
I looked at Edward and pointed towards the coach who was scribbling on his clipboard.
He nodded in understanding and followed me as I made my way over.
Surprisingly, the coach was fine with the fact that the two of us wanted to share the captain spot. He seemed to think that it was a good idea.
Coach ran us pretty hard, and before I remembered why I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, I rolled up my sleeves.
It didn't take long for Edward to notice the large bruise that had started to fade, but was still clearly visible.
His brow crinkled in confusion as a he asked, "Where'd you get that bruise?"
Noticing my mistake, I immediately pulled down my sleeves, hiding the bruise from view.
"I must have fallen." Was my brilliant excuse.
He looked skeptical but seemed to let it go, much to my relief.
We finished up practice and were packing up all the gear when it started to rain.
Thinking about the game tomorrow, I expected everyone to be upset.
Instead, the sudden downpour made everyone, including Edward, smile.
I gave him a questioning look and he simply said, "Mud."
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BPOV
The next school day went by in a flash, and before I knew it I was walking towards the locker room in my soccer uniform, hearing the "shmuck" sound of my shoe's sticking to the mud with each step.
I was really excited for the game; it's been a while since I've done anything really competitive.
I almost laughed as I opened the door to the boys locker room, I was allowed in there only because that's where coach talks to the players before the game.
Luckily all the guys were already changed and I was the last to arrive.
Coach stood next to a whiteboard with wheels on it, pen in hand. Once he saw me enter, he started talking.
"Alright, this is the first game of the season, as you all should know, this is a big deal. We are playing the Sequoia Bears today, they got second in the league last year." He said, looking everyone in the eye.
"It's up to you guys to knock them out of that position if you want to take it all this year." Without even realizing it, I had begun to set myself into my competitive way of thinking. I usually reserved this only for missions, but to me, this right now felt like a mission.
"Alright, I'm going to head out there and hand it over to you're two captains to tell you what to do." With that said, he tossed the marker to Edward, who caught it easily in one hand.
We both walked up to the front of the group, immediately getting the attention from the rest of the team.
"Alright so, does anyone have any ideas?" Edward started off.
I gave him a disbelieving look and grabbed the pen out of his hand.
"Alright listen up. I'm going to tell you which position your going to go to." I said and began to draw out a field on the whiteboard.
By the time I was finished, the entire board was coated with markings and symbols.
I turned around to find Mike open his mouth to complain. However, he quickly shut it by the look I gave him. "Now I know that these aren't your usual spots, but I've matched up your abilities with a specific position, and I have a feeling it will work out better this way." I said turning back to inspect my work.
"I've placed Edward in center forward, he's going to be in charge of the offense. While, I will playing stopper (center forward defense), I'll keep an eye on the defense. That way, we have both sides of the field covered, and we can adjust as needed." I finished, turning back around to find a stunned audience.
Edward was the first to snap out of it, "Works for me, let's go."
We hustled out onto the field; Edward and I went straight for the center ring. Since we were the captains, we were responsible for representing our team for the coin flip.
The other team's captain's were already there, thought the reff wasn't.
Once they saw me, the other two guys burst out laughing, making me scowl.
"So Edward… are you guys that desperate…that your bringing girls onto the team." He said in-between laughs.
I growled and took a step forward, only to be held back by Edward.
"Oooh, feisty are we?" The other one asked with a sadistic smile.
"Shut it, Seth." Edward said, taking the offensive but still not removing his hands from my shoulders.
"Let's save it for the game gentlemen." Said the reff as he walked up. "And lady." He added nodding towards me.
We settled down enough for him to flip the coin, allowing them to start off with the ball in the first half.
Angry, I stomped my way over to my position on the field. I could feel the anticipation and anger running through my veins, looking for an outlet.
I looked over at the sideline, scowling when I saw the other team's captain pointing me out to the rest of his team and then laughing. I glanced at our fans, which was actually quite a large number of people, and noticed that even they seemed a little skeptical about me being on the team.
Edward saw me brooding and jogged over.
"Don't pay any attention to them." He said in a soothing voice, "Besides we'll be the ones laughing when we kick their butts."
I gave a short laugh at his choice of words. I could definitely agree on one thing with him though, there was no way in hell I was going to let them beat me.
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EPOV
The game was going to start soon so I left Bella's side and ran up to my position on the field.
The reff blew the whistle and the other team started off.
My attempt to steal the ball away was easily feuded and their forwards blew right past me.
The ball was no longer in my area to get so I turned around to see what was happening with our defense.
I was worried that Bella wouldn't be able to stop them, but she didn't seem to have any worries at all. She stood in a slight crouch with a look of fierce determination on her face as she watched the three players come at her. It was only when they got to be around twenty feet away that she began to move.
What I saw was incredible. She started sprinting towards the one kicking the ball, all the while yelling out orders for the rest of our defense, telling them to get into the correct position. It looked like she was a general commanding an army.
She looked vicious and deadly, yet at the same time beautiful.
She clashed with the guy who had possession of the ball. It was nearly impossible to see what was happening with all the mud flying everywhere; but in the end Bella was sprinting up the field with the ball in her possession, covered from head to toe in mud.
She didn't seem to be injured at all. In fact, she seemed to be having the time of her life.
I immediately took off running, accepting the pass that she sent towards me from quite a ways away, allowing her to drop back to the defensive side of the field again.
I continued sprinting up the field, dodging those that came my way, even jumping over one player who tried to slide tackle the ball away.
At about fifteen feet away from the goal I kicked the ball with all my might and sent it sailing into the net.
I was rewarded by the sound of the crowd cheering for me. I sprinted back into position and got ready for the next kick-off.
Bella congratulated me on my goal, but I told her that it was only possible because of her defense.
I smiled when she blushed at the compliment.
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BPOV
The game went back and forth for remainder of the time.
The game was tied at the half; I was planning on staying in all four quarters, keeping an eye on the defense. It didn't take long for the other players on my team to figure out that I knew what I was doing and that they should just do what I say. In fact, I think they were a little bit afraid of me.
Edward did exceptionally well at offense. I was itching to get up there with him, but I was afraid that I would get too much into it and my training would kick in and I would hurt someone.
So I figured that it was just better if I stuck to defense. I would be less likely to break someone's arm or kill them from back here.
At half time we got the honor of watching the cheerleaders perform. I cheered for Alice; she was actually pretty good at the flips. And she got to be the one on top of the pyramid because she was so tiny. But watching Tanya and her cronies was a different story. I tried not to gag at the sight of them.
We were still tied when we took the last break, in-between the third and fourth quarters.
My blood was pumping and I could fell the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
I must have been some sight, covered in mud and grass stains.
I noticed as I looked around that I was by far the dirtiest.
Must have been that slide tackle through the mud-puddle that I did in the second quarter.
Edward didn't seem to mind though because he gave me a big smile, which I couldn't help but return, cracking some of the dried mud on my face.
Our fans no longer seemed to have any more doubts about me. I know for a fact that the other team no longer thought of me as an innocent little girl.
The coach on the other side looked furious as he yelled at his team, continuously pointing at ours.
"Okay, since were ahead, I'm going to have Bella go up front and play offense for this last quarter.
Uh-oh
"Uhhh…coach are you sure. I mean, shouldn't we just leave it how it is?" I asked biting my lip.
"No, we're going to try something new." He said with finality
We headed back out onto the field to our assigned positions. This time with me next to Edward on the offensive line.
The other team didn't seem to like having both Edward and me near their goal.
The other team seemed to come up with a new set of plans for the last quarter:
Make sure that Bella can't score any goals
Score a goal for ourselves
I spent the entire time jumping over people slide-tackling towards me, obviously going for my ankle, not the ball.
I had to dodge kicks, shoves and trips. One time one of their players actually managed to trip me, sending me face first into the mud.
THAT IS IT!!!
I chased after the ball I had just lost, shoving the player out of the way. I sprinted towards the opposing goal, using twists and turns to avoid contact with their defense.
I put all that adrenaline to good use as I ran my fastest, blowing past everyone.
When I was close enough to the goal, I pulled my foot back and slammed it against the ball, sending it flying past the diving goalie.
The whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. We had one by one point.
The crowd went wild; apparently we didn't win very man games last year.
Edward and another player from our team came and hoisted me up onto their shoulders. I laughed and cheered right along with everyone else.
By the time they let me down and most of the crowd had headed home, the sun was starting to set.
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Edward and I were standing in the parking lot, smiling and talking about the game; when someone shoved past me, making me stumble.
Edward caught me and glared at the guy who shoved me, I recognized him as one of the captains of the other team who had insulted me earlier.
"What's your problem Seth?" Edward asked in an aggressive tone, setting me back up on my feet.
"My problem is, that you guys are nothing but a bunch of low-life cheaters." He spat.
Furious, I took a step forward and glared at him while saying, "We cheated!?! You guys were the ones who were trying to break my ankle with your cleats."
He looked at me like I was a piece of gum he found stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"And I don't even know where to begin with you. You shouldn't even be allowed to play, you stupid bitch." He sneered.
I was about to send my fist flying, but Edward beat me to it.
He brushed past me and swung his fist, hitting Seth in the jaw.
However, he hardly seemed fazed by it and he sent his fist flying right back with tremendous force, hitting Edward in the face, making him stumble and fall backwards.
I winced and knelt next to Edward. "Are you okay?" I asked sincerely.
He nodded, but winced all the same.
"Good, because I'm going to go kick his ass." I said hurriedly standing up.
"No Bella don-" He tried to say, fearing for my safety.
"I'll be right back, I promise." I said cutting him off.
I was touched; no one ever cared about me like that, no matter how pointless it was.
I started running after Seth; "Hey you!" I yelled at his retreating figure.
He turned around and started to laugh.
He was about to open his mouth to make some sort of insulting comment, but I didn't give him the chance.
I tucked my thumb under my fingers and threw my fist forward, hitting him square in the face. I heard the crunch of his nose breaking, causing blood to start pooling out.
"That was for hitting Edward." I said
Then I kicked him where it hurts guys the most, making him double over in pain, still gripping his bleeding nose.
"And that was for calling me a bitch." I said, slightly out of breath.
Satisfied, I ran back to Edward to see find him on his feet again and looking at me in awe.
A large bruise was already forming over his right eye, and I felt a little guilty.
I walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek in thanks.
Then I whispered in his ear. "Thank you for trying to protect me Edward."
He smiled at me as I made my way over to my car. I gave him one in return before hopping in and driving away.
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EPOV
I watched Bella drive away out of my left eye; my right eye was too swollen to see out of.
I winced as I gingerly felt it with my fingertips, but then I put my fingertips on the spot where her lips had touched my cheek, and thought:
Definitely worth it
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A/N: Okay, so I got some requests for more soccer; so there you go. I really really really want to reach 500 REVIEWS (at least). I don't care if you leave one word or an entire story; I just want some feedback. Tell you what, if I get enough reviews for this chapter, I might make something good happen in the next one. Let me know what you want to read about in this story, and if I get enough reviews, your ideas might actually appear.