Jemma: This was perhaps one of the hardest chapters to write out yet. And it was done in half an hour... Yeesh.
Coach Carter trained his eyes on his clipboard instead of on his team out there on the court, stumbling and swaying about trying to get the ball back.
It was the second-last game of the season; the semi-finals of the tournament and even though his boys were winning by 4 points... He wasn't that proud of them. Something in the way they played.. The way they communicated and the way Kyle constantly barked orders at them.
Even if they won the semifinals... Their season would go downhill from there. Kyle was a good player; Carter could never deny him that. But... Ever since he'd been forced to remove Eddie from the team, well... The poor boy just let it go right to his head.
Yes, Kyle had been captain last year; last year they'd made it to the game before the semifinals and lost. Kyle was furious... He blamed his teammates, and kept the slate clean for himself. He wasn't a good captain. ...And after what was said to poor Eddie, well... He didn't seem to be that great of a person at all.
Dammit, the moment Carter was buzzed to Payne's office and heard about the scuffle he knew Eddie didn't start it. Not literally. He was too helpful; too supportive in his short run as captain to be capable of beating Kyle up without a god-honest reason. Sadly, Kyle and his friends, inadvertently taking his side of course, knew just to play the headmaster. Five against one? Eddie didn't stand a chance.
"I know he wouldn't of done it, sir! That's just not in the boy!" Mr. Carter exclaimed while the six boys sat down in seats, looking at the two. "If only everybody here would tell the truth, or cough up some proof about what happened-"
"I'm sorry, Bill, but as it happens, Eddie was involved in a fight... Five testimonials defend Kyle and five convict Eddie. I'm sorry coach. But Eddie is exiled from the team indefinitely."
Carter felt bad after that. Downright bad. He knew Kyle had lied.. He knew his other players had lied; there was too much guilt in their eyes to deny it. Hell, they hadn't spoken a word clear to his face since. They missed Eddie. They knew their old leader had done wrong... They just got swept up in the tide. The man sighed and wiped some sweat off his brow as the buzzer rang and people began to cheer for the opposing team; slam dunk.
Kyle growled and threw his towel to the ground before turning to his teammates, and one particular boy who'd been the one to mis-block and gave him a hard shove.
"We could have this won by now if you stopped him, like, fuck!" Kyle cursed. The coach narrowed his eyes. Something had to be done.
Something had to change.
"I'll be right back boys. Gotta run to the locker room. Your waters' on the table, drink up." Then Mr. Carter headed off.
At the same time, Queen spotted a certain blonde boy step down from the bleachers with Mariam at his side, the duo talking and laughing. Her black eyes narrowed in disgust.
Something else had to be done too. She only had a little bit of time; she wanted to watch the rest of the game, and the boys would be heading into the locker room soon to get Kyle's latest strategy. So, quick and sly on her feet, Queen hopped down from her row of seating and jogged down the hallway toward Max and Mariam.
"Hey! Tate!"
Max, his arm slung around Mariam's shoulders, turned to her.
"..Yeah, what do you want?"
"I got something to tell you. Privately."
Mariam's blood ran cold; she didn't know why. Queen saw and knew nothing.. Or did she? Mariam just looked up at Max slowly.
"No, can't we just go get something to eat at the café? Please Maxie?" She began to plead. Something in the way Queen sent her looks.. Something not right. It was scary, even.
"Yeah yeah, but hold on a second." Max removed his arm and Mariam felt the color drain from her already-pale face. Max walked down to Queen, who sent Mariam a snide smirk. She and Max disappeared around the corner.
"In the locker room. Now!" Kyle barked, slapping a water bottle out of a guy's hand and following his team as they paraded into the room. He expected his coach to be there to help him brief, but, he wasn't. Must've already gone back to chat with the ref. Kyle just shrugged. Better the old shit wasn't there anyway.
All the boys sat down on the benches.
"You're all playing like shit."
"Kyle man, we're trying our best-"
"Don't give me that crap Lucas. You know you missed the damn block and I got knocked over so our fall-back's been a large part your fault." Kyle hissed, shaking some sandy-blonde sweat-drenched bangs out of his eyes.
He noted how there were so many groans and sighs.
"Hey!? Stop your fucking gay-ass complaining! We're still doing better than we ever would of with that fucking black bastard on the team!"
"You know what, Kyle? Eddie wasn't that bad!" Kyle turned his head sharply to one of the smaller guys on the team.
"'Da fuck did you say!?" He growled, taking a menacing step forward.
"Oh back off Kyle!" Someone else chimed in. "I'm really startin' to wish we didn't get Eddie kicked off. At least he treated us with some respect. AND, he was good." The boy spat.
If Coach Carter hadn't walked in and grabbed Kyle's raised fist at that moment, that poor guy would've been in a world of hurt. Carter just sighed, flicking his eyes towards the little red blinking dot, in the confines of the vent.
"Was she fucking serious Mariam!?" Max blared loudly, lightly shoving Mariam into the wall of the deserted hallway.
"No! Max please, me and Jemma didn't plan it out-"
"You're lying. Again. All you do is friggen lie, you know that!? I was wrong to think this would work out."
Max, so angry tears threatened to fall from his big azure eyes, turned his back on the scared girl and made a move to walk away.
"Max wait! PLEASE, BELIEVE ME! I don't Love Jemma! I Love YOU!" Mariam screamed after him. Max waved off her comment.
That was all he could take. All he could take from her. He turned back to her for one more second.
"You know what? You're really cruel, Mariam. You're a bad person. Well at least you won't have me to boss around anymore!" Max yelled back to her, before disappearing around the corner.
"......" Mariam's emerald eyes began to moisten, and she let her back slide down the cold brick of the hallway.
Queen ruined it. Queen ruined everything. Mariam wasn't a bad person... She really wasn't..! She hadn't intended for things to go this far...
Still, she should've stopped it right before she and Jemma shared their cursed kiss. The SaintShield really didn't Love her. It was more just... Interest.
The fun of doing something forbidden!..... But Max's face... Oh God, Max's face...
Max, especially in Mariam's eyes, never deserved to be hurt ever. Max was so pure, so sweet and Loving that to hurt such a soul was a sin in itself.
And Mariam hurt him. She hurt him bad... Fuck, the kid Loved her..! He Loved her so much, and Mariam threw it away. Mariam signed him up for pain the second she told Jemma she didn't want to stop.
..Maybe she was a bad person. After all, it wasn't too long ago that Salima and Mariam were still fighting over Tala, and that Julia was willing to fight her for Max... Mariam won that fight.. This is how she treated her reward...?
Like trash. She treated Max like trash.
Mariam scrubbed her wrist across her face, smudging her black eyeliner and leaving ghastly trails of black tears down her cheeks as she stared up at the ceiling.
She reaped what she'd sewn. She wouldn't blame Max. She wouldn't try and make him her's again... He deserved better.
Better, like Julia.
Better, unlike Mariam. The crying girl pushed herself up from the floor, and walked slowly back to her dorm.
"Well, this is an unfortunate situation..." Mr. Payne said, rubbing his bearded chin as he examined both exercise books Ms. Warren had submitted to him. "One of this is plagiarized from the other..." The man sighed deeply and layed the books out in front of Micheal and Lee, sitting across from his mahogany desk. "This is a real shame.. Are either of you willing to confess to it?"
Lee just snarled angrily, crossing his arms and carefully making sure to keep his pissed golden eyes away from Micheal. The AllStar just fidgeted nervously in his cushy chair.
The headmaster trained his gaze from boy to boy. Personally, he thought he knew the child to blame; Micheal, of course. He was a sweet boy; really. Just, a little mislead. School wasn't his thing.
But this, copying a poem he was too tired to do himself?
That was his thing. Headmaster Payne only hoped he could inspire Micheal to do some good in the situation..
"Well boys, I'm going to offer the both of you a deal; You have three days, for one of you to confess to the idea stealing and report it to me. If neither of you come forward, both of you will receive a failing English grade this term."
Lee's jaw dropped.
"Wha-" But a stiffly raised hand by Payne made sure to silence the protesting boy.
"My word is final, Mr. Wong. Now, both you and Mr. Parker go have a nice day. Hope to see one or both of you soon."
Micheal heard Lee roughly shove his chair away from him and walk out gruffly, while his eyes remained on his feet, scuffing Mr. Payne's carpet.
"..Micheal?"
The brunette boy looked up.
"Yes, Mr. Payne..?"
"Are you just enjoying your time here with me son, or do you have something to say?"
Micheal gulped. He'd forgotten that quickly that we was allowed to leave, and immediately stood up.
"No sir.. Thank you sir."
He hurried out of Mr. Payne's office, the headmaster just sighing and tapping his pen impatiently. Kids these days...
Mr. Payne didn't get the chance to think much more however, since the door to his office swung open again and Mr. Carter walked in.
"Hello Bill, what can I do ya for?" Payne said. "How're my boys doing out there in the game?"
"Hopefully a lot better once you see this."
Mr. Carter pulled a video camera out from behind his back.
No once could describe the roar of the crowd when Eddie ran full-speed out onto the basketball court, pulling on a black and blue jersey over his head as he did.
"Coach, you can't do this!" Kyle yelled as Mr. Carter gently tugged the boy by his jersey en route to Mr. Payne's office. "I've done everything for this team!"
"Yeah, everything they didn't need." Carter said. "I'll leave it to you, Eddie. Make me proud boy." He smiled generously.
Eddie grinned back.
"We're going to finals, coach. Gonna win too."
Carter laughed.
"I hope so son, I hope so." He then proceeded to drag Kyle off while a few team members cautiously approached their new/old captain.
"..Hey, Eddie?" Lucas asked. Eddie turned to him.
"What?"
"..We're sorry."
"...." Eddie didn't say anything. Instead, he stared around the gymnasium at the screaming fans. His, fans. He smiled.
"Please forgive us... We didn't wanna do it..."
Eddie untucked Old Reliable from under his arm and gave him a bounce.
"Tell ya what boys; after we win this game and you buy me pizza, I'll think about it."