Sheryl was sitting on the track, waiting for Nikki to show up. Several of the guys on the team were already on the field, playing a pick up game.
Abe threw the ball to Christopher Smith, who missed it by a mile. It landed at Sheryl's feet.
"Hey, Sher!" Chris yelled. "Throw it back."
"Yeah," Abe added, walking up beside Chris. "Only throw it back to me, cause this dude here, couldn't catch a BEACH BALL!"
.
"Man, shut up!" Chris replied. "You just can't throw."
Sheryl laughed and threw the ball to Chris, who easily caught it. "Wanna play?" he asked.
She thought about it for a minute, then hopped up. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool, you can be on our team," Chris replied.
"Yeah, maybe you can catch better than WonderBoy," Abe laughed.
Sheryl walked out on the field. "What position?"
"You can take Chris' place as running back."
"Hey!" Chris protested.
"Boy, get over there and block. Stick to your strengths."
Sheryl laughed. Sweet, lovable Abe was a bossy butt on the field.
"I AIN'T PLAYING WITH HER!!!"
Sheryl looked up to see Paul Budds on the field.
"What's the matter, Paul?" She asked. "Afraid I'll beat you?"
"Of course not," he answered. "I just wouldn't want to see you get any dirt on that pretty face, baby."
Chris leaned over and whispered to Abe. "Man is he just stupid, or has he been out in the sun too long?"
"Just stupid," Abe answered. "Either way, she's gonna terminate him."
But much to their surprise, she just replied, "You let me worry about my face, Budds. I'll see you in the endzone." She took her place.
"Hey Sheryl, are you sure you want to play?" Trey asked, concerned. "You could get hurt. Some of these guys are pretty big."
"Just watch me," she grinned.
"Okay," he laughed and passed her the ball. She ran with more agility and speed than any guy on the team.
One minute later, she was rushing past Paul to score a touchdown. He tripped in an attempt to catch her. "Oh, sorry, Paul, did you get any dirt on that pretty face?" She held out a hand to help him up and show no hard feelings.
"Get your hand out of my face," he snapped. "I don't need your help."
"Whatever," she tried to walk away. "Be an ass. I don't care."
She spotted Nikki and started to leave.
"Too bad your mom didn't stick around longer," Paul taunted. "Somebody needs to teach you how to act like a girl."
Sheryl stopped and turned around. "What did you say?"
"I said, somebody needs to teach you how to act like a lady, so you won't be such a bitch all the time." Paul answered.
Sheryl punched him. Gave him a bloody lip in fact. Before any one could react, she knocked him down. Soon, the two of them were rolling around on the ground, trying to stop the other. In Paul's credit, he never hit her. Not so much becuase he didn't want to hit someone smaller than him, just he knew that would get him in more trouble.
Finally, Abe and Chris managed to grab the two of them and pull them apart.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
Everyone cringed at the sound of Coach Boone's voice. That was just what they needed.
The three coachs pushed their way in to the group of teens.
Abe still held Sheryl, who, despite the fact that she didn't get hit intentionally, had several large scratches and smudges on her face, and a split lip of her own.
Paul looked worse for the wear with two black eyes, a bloody lip and scratches of his own.
"What happened?" Boone asked in frustration.
"Sheryl was playing with us," Abe said, montioning to himself and Chris and Trey. "And, Paul started picking a fight with her."
"Is that what happened?" Yoast asked.
Sheryl and Paul said nothing but continued to stare hatefully at each other.
"Yeah," Several of the other kids, including Nikki spoke up.
"Since this is school property you're both suspended," Boone announced. "Three days, starting immediately. You can come back Friday."
Paul stormed off, while Coach walked Sheryl back to the field house. Niether spoke.
"Coach, I'm sorry." Sheryl said, when she couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"Hush." He ordered. "You know better than to be fighting."
"But, Coach! He said...."
"I don't want to hear it right now, Sheryl." He interrupted. "Come in."
He helped her clean her face up, and let Paul call for a ride home.
"Get your stuff and go on home," he told Sheryl. "Go up to your room and stay there until I get home."
"But..," She stopped. "Nevermind. I should have known you wouldn't want to hear the real story."
She snatched her books up and walked out to her car. Throwing her books inside, she took off. She made it home in record time, slamming the door on her way in.
Gerry, who was staying with them while he was training, came out of the kitchen. "Everything okay, Coach?"
"No," she snapped. "I got suspended. For three days."
"By who?"
"Coach Boone." She wasn't going to offer much information.
"Why?"
"For fighting. With Paul Budds. Then Coach wouldn't even let me tell him why. He just told me to go home. That he didn't want to hear it right now." She flopped down on the sofa and folded her arms across her chest.
"So, tell me." He offered.
"What?"
"Tell me why you got in a fight," he explained. "That ain't like you."
"Yeah, well." She told him the whole story.
"Sounds like he got what he deserved. He grew up to be a jerk, too," Gerry said, when she was through. "But you understand that Coach Boone couldn't just punish him, since you were fighting too?"
"Yeah, but Coach could have at least listened to me."
"If I know Coach he will." Gerry smiled. "And, since I'm off tomorrow, you get to spend the day with your favorite person."
She laughed. Gerry could always cheer her up. She gave him a big hug, before running up to her room.
(Well, Kora, Sheryl didn't fight Trey, but she still kicked a boy's butt. GO SHERYL! LOL.)
Abe threw the ball to Christopher Smith, who missed it by a mile. It landed at Sheryl's feet.
"Hey, Sher!" Chris yelled. "Throw it back."
"Yeah," Abe added, walking up beside Chris. "Only throw it back to me, cause this dude here, couldn't catch a BEACH BALL!"
.
"Man, shut up!" Chris replied. "You just can't throw."
Sheryl laughed and threw the ball to Chris, who easily caught it. "Wanna play?" he asked.
She thought about it for a minute, then hopped up. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool, you can be on our team," Chris replied.
"Yeah, maybe you can catch better than WonderBoy," Abe laughed.
Sheryl walked out on the field. "What position?"
"You can take Chris' place as running back."
"Hey!" Chris protested.
"Boy, get over there and block. Stick to your strengths."
Sheryl laughed. Sweet, lovable Abe was a bossy butt on the field.
"I AIN'T PLAYING WITH HER!!!"
Sheryl looked up to see Paul Budds on the field.
"What's the matter, Paul?" She asked. "Afraid I'll beat you?"
"Of course not," he answered. "I just wouldn't want to see you get any dirt on that pretty face, baby."
Chris leaned over and whispered to Abe. "Man is he just stupid, or has he been out in the sun too long?"
"Just stupid," Abe answered. "Either way, she's gonna terminate him."
But much to their surprise, she just replied, "You let me worry about my face, Budds. I'll see you in the endzone." She took her place.
"Hey Sheryl, are you sure you want to play?" Trey asked, concerned. "You could get hurt. Some of these guys are pretty big."
"Just watch me," she grinned.
"Okay," he laughed and passed her the ball. She ran with more agility and speed than any guy on the team.
One minute later, she was rushing past Paul to score a touchdown. He tripped in an attempt to catch her. "Oh, sorry, Paul, did you get any dirt on that pretty face?" She held out a hand to help him up and show no hard feelings.
"Get your hand out of my face," he snapped. "I don't need your help."
"Whatever," she tried to walk away. "Be an ass. I don't care."
She spotted Nikki and started to leave.
"Too bad your mom didn't stick around longer," Paul taunted. "Somebody needs to teach you how to act like a girl."
Sheryl stopped and turned around. "What did you say?"
"I said, somebody needs to teach you how to act like a lady, so you won't be such a bitch all the time." Paul answered.
Sheryl punched him. Gave him a bloody lip in fact. Before any one could react, she knocked him down. Soon, the two of them were rolling around on the ground, trying to stop the other. In Paul's credit, he never hit her. Not so much becuase he didn't want to hit someone smaller than him, just he knew that would get him in more trouble.
Finally, Abe and Chris managed to grab the two of them and pull them apart.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
Everyone cringed at the sound of Coach Boone's voice. That was just what they needed.
The three coachs pushed their way in to the group of teens.
Abe still held Sheryl, who, despite the fact that she didn't get hit intentionally, had several large scratches and smudges on her face, and a split lip of her own.
Paul looked worse for the wear with two black eyes, a bloody lip and scratches of his own.
"What happened?" Boone asked in frustration.
"Sheryl was playing with us," Abe said, montioning to himself and Chris and Trey. "And, Paul started picking a fight with her."
"Is that what happened?" Yoast asked.
Sheryl and Paul said nothing but continued to stare hatefully at each other.
"Yeah," Several of the other kids, including Nikki spoke up.
"Since this is school property you're both suspended," Boone announced. "Three days, starting immediately. You can come back Friday."
Paul stormed off, while Coach walked Sheryl back to the field house. Niether spoke.
"Coach, I'm sorry." Sheryl said, when she couldn't stand the silence anymore.
"Hush." He ordered. "You know better than to be fighting."
"But, Coach! He said...."
"I don't want to hear it right now, Sheryl." He interrupted. "Come in."
He helped her clean her face up, and let Paul call for a ride home.
"Get your stuff and go on home," he told Sheryl. "Go up to your room and stay there until I get home."
"But..," She stopped. "Nevermind. I should have known you wouldn't want to hear the real story."
She snatched her books up and walked out to her car. Throwing her books inside, she took off. She made it home in record time, slamming the door on her way in.
Gerry, who was staying with them while he was training, came out of the kitchen. "Everything okay, Coach?"
"No," she snapped. "I got suspended. For three days."
"By who?"
"Coach Boone." She wasn't going to offer much information.
"Why?"
"For fighting. With Paul Budds. Then Coach wouldn't even let me tell him why. He just told me to go home. That he didn't want to hear it right now." She flopped down on the sofa and folded her arms across her chest.
"So, tell me." He offered.
"What?"
"Tell me why you got in a fight," he explained. "That ain't like you."
"Yeah, well." She told him the whole story.
"Sounds like he got what he deserved. He grew up to be a jerk, too," Gerry said, when she was through. "But you understand that Coach Boone couldn't just punish him, since you were fighting too?"
"Yeah, but Coach could have at least listened to me."
"If I know Coach he will." Gerry smiled. "And, since I'm off tomorrow, you get to spend the day with your favorite person."
She laughed. Gerry could always cheer her up. She gave him a big hug, before running up to her room.
(Well, Kora, Sheryl didn't fight Trey, but she still kicked a boy's butt. GO SHERYL! LOL.)