The BSC Legacy – Book 2: Student Stratifications
By: CNJ
PG-13
3: Fateful Soccor Game
Abby:
"We've only lost one game
this season," I popped the tape out of the VCR in our living room and we
headed up to my room. The BSC was having its monthly sleepover that early
November and this month it was my turn to be the hostess. We have these
slumber celebrations the first Saturday of each month, just something to
keep our friendship strong. Anna was there too and we gathered in my room
to pig out, played games like Charades and Uno, and most of all, yakyakyak
away.
"We have JUNK FOOD GALORE!"
Claudia opened her backpack and pulled out big bags of a variety of chips
and cheetos.
"Awright!" We dug in.
"Does anybody feel like
hot chocolate?" Anna asked. "Ever since it's turned cold, I've been craving
chocolate."
"I have a HUMONGOUS idea!"
Claudia jumped up.
"Uhohh...what?" Mary Anne
looked worried.
"Nothing radical, silly,"
Claudia continued. "You know how most people top their chocolate with marshmallows?"
"Umm-hmm..." We glanced
at each other.
"I think we should have
MINT-topped chocolate!"
"Interesting theory," Stacey
nodded.
"I tried some the other
night and it was great," Claudia wheedled us back down to the kitchen.
I got out two trays. "The mints melt a little after a while, but the chocolate
has a minty taste." Anne pulled down a tin pan of pastel mints and once
we got the chocolate made, we put in the little mints. Once we carried
the chocolate back upstairs, Kristy was first to pick up a cup and take
a sip.
"Not bad...not bad..." she
mused. "Now you..." she gestured toward Mary Anne in imitation of the afterlife
caseworker in the movie Beetlejuice.
"Creative," was Mary Anne
opinion after she'd sipped. "Pretty good."
"Move over, conventional
marshmallows!" I crowed.
"Make room for mints," Mallory
added.
"You might be able to patent
this, Claud," Jessi added. We kept talking and continued to pig out, then
started on Uno.
"How many think we'll make
the championship this year?" I asked after Kristy had won two games in
a row.
"It's possible," Stacey
told me.
"Oh, we will," Kristy reshuffled
the cards. "We've only lost one game. And I have it on authority that you,
Abby are close to scoring more goals than Burkeview's quarterback, Randy
Kirwan.
"Way to go, Abby!" my friends
whooped as I grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kristy:
Don't misunderstand me, I
have hopes that Abby will take home the high title of the schools. But
she's SURE of it. All week after our sleepover, talk of the game bounced
around school. Randy, Burkeview's football quarterback was just ahead of
a Abby by nine scores. Maybe that's why we'd argued that BSC meeting Friday
before the game.
"Actually, Abby, I'm the
one that holds us together," I put in.
"You may be the leader of
the BSC, but you're NOT the expert on our team!" Abby snapped.
"I never said I was..."
I shifted. "I'm just saying if you by some remote chance you don't beat
Randy...it's our last chance and I want to make sure..."
"Thank you, Kristy," Abby
rolled her eyes. "I just think it would be swell if our team beat out Randy,
the Burkeview big guy quarterback."
"Abby...this isn't a personal
pique on Randy, is it?"
"I think I'm more mature
than that." Abby huffed. "It's about time the Barracudas actually PROVED
that not all guys are better than girls in sports."
"I can vouch..." Stacey
nodded. Just then the phone rang and we took a client call.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Claudia:
Five more...the Barracudas
were winning at that Saturday game. Unfortunately Kristy and Abby were
still a little miffed at each other. Abby was then just two more shots
away from beating Randy. "Abby...Abby..." we chanted. Sure enough, Abby
had then one more...she had the ball again and was heading toward another
goal! Just as the ball hit the net, Abby tried to dodge two players who
were actually almost on top of her, then one of them tripped and fell over,
bringing Abby down on top of her. Three other players who had been running
tumbled into the heap and to our shock we heard something break.
"Someone's hurt!" Mary Anne
wailed and we gasped. Coach Loskin called a time-out and the players got
up...except Abby, who was groaning. Her arm was twisted at an odd angle.
"Abby...Abby..." Kristy
ran up to her, tears streaking down her face. She sat next to Abby and
cried harder. I looked at my friends and they all looked ready to cry also.
Mary Anne went ahead and burst into tears as someone got a doctor.
"Broken..." someone muttered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary Anne:
I have never seen Kristy
so upset! All of us BSC members were in tears by the time we got to the
hospital, but Kristy was still crying hard.
"She'll be all right," Stacey
hugged her. I tried to speak, but couldn't. I was also crying pretty hard
myself, so all I could do was hug Kristy. We all then gathered in one big
hug and just cried. Anna and Ms. Stevenson were in the family waiting room
and were also shaken. We waited for what seemed like a lifetime. Just then
some of the Barracudas came in, some of them teary also.
"Good news," Kathy Maski
told us softly. "We won the game and...Abby won the title."
"Oh, good..." Claudia pulled
away and as we wiped our eyes. I handed out tissues. I, being a crier,
always carry two packets of tissues with me. I never leave home without
them.
"I shouldn't have p-pushed
her to..." Kristy buried her face into her tissue and started crying again.
I kept an arm around her and we sat on a couch.
"Hey..." I whispered. "Don't
blame yourself." I had to blow my nose. Just then, Ms. Stevenson peered
out, a weak smile on her face.
"Girls?" she whispered.
"Abby's all right. It was a compound fracture on her right arm, but it's
been set. She'll be here overnight and can go home tomorrow morning. She's
still groggy from anesthesia, so she can only have a few visitors..."
"You go, Kris," I whispered.
She nodded and headed over...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kristy:
It was a relief knowing Abby
was going to heal soon, but sad knowing that she wouldn't be playing soccer
for the rest of the season. I was able to stop crying when I saw Abby.
"Hi..." I whispered.
"Hi, Kris," Abby's arm was
in a sling and her eyes were droopy. Fresh tears threatened to burst out.
"Hey..." she reached out with her good arm and held my hand. "It's all
right. I'm sorry about our fight."
"Me, too. Why do I have
a big mouth?" I wiped my eyes.
"You don't. Tell me...did
I beat Randy?"
"Yes." I managed a weak
smile. "You sure kicked ass out there. Congratulations. I think you are
the strongest player. I may be a leader, but I'm not sure I could have
won that title."
"Keep it up, Kristy," Abby
smiled weakly. "You're great the way you are. All of us...isn't that why
we're a great team...the Barracudas and the BSC?" We hugged and as I left
her room, I thought about that. Even when we fight, all of us BSC manage
to work together.
