A/N: I'm back!!! Thanks sooooooooo much to DeLorean86 and Roxie for
reviewing. You guys are the best!!!!
Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but this next chapter has nothing to do with Harry Potter! Like I said last time, that was technically the last chapter in the Harry Potter fic. But the adventures of Jess and Cole continue! If you like, please review, and I'll update again!!!! Thanks again, and hope someone enjoys!!!
~Sammy Solo
P.S.- I thought everyone should know that the World Cup was my idea entirely, and that I own Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm. JUST KIDDING!! Sorry! I don't own these people at all, I'm just playing with them!!
I tumbled through the blackness, crying out to Cole to explain what was happening. There was still no answer.
After an eternity of falling, the darkness began to fade. A few more seconds of tumbling, then.
"Oof!" I had landed on grass again, but this time in broad daylight. Looking around, I realized, from much experience, that I was at a soccer game. The crowd behind me was deafening. A chant was running through the stands: "USA! USA! USA!" It was then that it hit me- I wasn't at just any soccer game.
"Cole, check this out!" I yelled over the crowd. "It's a World Cup Game! Go USA!"
Cole still didn't answer, but I was too excited to care. I was at a World Cup Soccer game, and right in the front row, too, seeing as home there were no fans in front of me. I watched the white-shirted U.S. team run up and down the field, playing against a black-shirted team whose country of origin I couldn't tell. And, staring more closely, I saw that this was a women's game! Even better!
It looked like an amazing game; finding the scoreboard with my eyes, I saw that the game was tied 2-2. There were about six minutes left in regulation before overtime started. Both teams looked tired, and the black team's defense seemed almost impassable. . .
"Jess!" For a second I thought Cole had come back, but when I tried to get him to respond again, he didn't answer. "Hey, Jess!" The voice was definitely deeper than Cole's. I turned around to see an older man quickly striding towards me. He was wearing a white jacket with USA in red letters embroidered on the front. "You ready?" he asked.
"Ready for what?" I inquired, confused. He looked down at me, eyebrow raised.
"To go in! Coach told you to stretch. Are you ready yet?" It was then, for the first time, that I examined myself. I, too, was wearing a white jacket, with the same embroidered letters on the front. Unlike my last adventure, there were no health or energy bars floating in front of me. I had on white, knee high socks, bulging with the presence of shin pads. Black Nike spikes completed my outfit. Oh my God! I thought. I'm a player on the U.S. Women's National Team! "Well, are you ready?"
His annoyed voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Y-yeah," I managed to get out. "Where am I going in?"
He reached down and pulled me to my feet. "You'll be going in at left wing. Jess." His voice took on a note of seriousness and he rested his hand on my shoulder. "We need a goal. If this goes into overtime, I don't know if we can hold out. The defense is killing us. You, Mia, and Brandi really need to work together out there. We need it." He patted me on the shoulder and headed over to the bench, assumedly to tell the coach that I was ready to go in. I struggled out of the white jacket. Excitement coursing through me, I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. I was going to play in a World Cup Soccer game!
"Substitute for the United States." The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium. "Number fifteen, Jessica Gabriel, in for number eleven, Amy Malage."
Cheers erupted as my teammate jogged towards me. She grabbed my hand, wished me good luck, and stepped off the field. I took off in a sprint for the far side of the field. I set myself into the left wing position and turned towards the ball, held in the hands of the left halfback. She threw it to the center forward, who turned and ran towards the opposing goal. The back of her shirt was embroidered with a red number nine and the name Hamm. Oh my God, I'm playing soccer with Mia Hamm!
I sprinted up the sideline and called out "Square!" Over the roar of the crowd I could barely hear myself, but Mia seemed to hear me. As she approached a black shirted defender, she slid the ball behind her left foot and sent it skipping towards me. It landed on the inside of my left foot and I dribbled up the field. With a skill I had never known before, I swerved around one defender and turned towards the center of the field. Mia was positioned right in front of the goal, struggling to get away from one of the opposing fullbacks. I jogged forward a few more steps until another defender challenged me. Putting as much strength in my leg as I could, I kicked the ball into the air towards the center of the field. Mia jumped, the goalie jumped. . .
But the goalie's hands reached the ball first and she pulled it out of the air. The crowd groaned as the goalie sent the ball flying down the field to a waiting halfback.
"Nice cross," Mia called, jogging back towards the half line of the field.
"T-thanks," I stammered, in absolute amazement. Mia Hamm, complimenting my soccer playing abilities. . .
"Keep it up," she said, and turned back towards the play happening at the other end of the field. Wow, Mia Hamm. . .
"Who was that?" It was a man's voice that spoke, but in the middle of a Woman's World Cup game? "Jess, can you hear me?" Then I recognized the voice.
"Cole! Where have you been?" I continued to watch the activity at the other end of the field, but listened hard to hear Cole over the constant roar of the fans.
"The screen just went black after you and Harry beat Quirrell. You weren't responding verbally either, and, well. . . I had to go to the bathroom." I laughed, but Cole continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So, where's Harry? What happened?"
"New adventure, Cole," I said, gasping as the ball zoomed towards the U.S. net. The goalie caught the ball and began to search for an open teammate. I backpedaled, explaining, "It's a World Cup Game, Cole. I'm playing on the U.S. Women's World Cup team." The ball came soaring off of the goalie's foot towards my side of the field. The center halfback turned and caught the ball on her thigh. The name and number on the back of her jersey made my mouth fall open:
Chastain, 6.
I couldn't process it. Me. . . Brandi Chastain. . . same stadium. . . same field. . . same team! This was a dream come true. . .
"Chastain? Isn't she some famous player or something?" Leave it to a boy to ruin a moment like this. I didn't have the time to yell at him, though, as Brandi came sprinting up the field, dodging defenders as she went. The announcer's voice temporarily broke through the noise of the crowd.
"One minute to play in regulation time!"
The screaming from the stands got louder as Brandi shot the ball into the air. "I got it!" I yelled, and started running for the spot under the ball. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of black, and then SLAM! Crying out, I toppled over onto the wet grass. I saw the ball land a few feet away. The defender who had knocked me over got the ball on her foot and started the other way. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted after her, but Mia cut her off and got the ball.
"Switch!" Mia yelled. She sprinted up the sideline, and I hurried to the center of the field. I shot past the fullbacks, too worried about Mia and the ball to notice me. I positioned myself a little behind the goalie and waited. Challenged by two defenders, Mia sent the ball backwards onto the waiting foot of Brandi. Brandi glanced around, looking for someone else to pass it to as the defenders turned to her.
"Ten. . . nine. . . eight. . . seven," The crowd began to count down the seconds till the end of the game. In a final desperate attempt, Brandi sent the ball soaring towards me.
"Six. . . five. . . "
The ball was right on target.
"Four. . . three. . . "
I got under the ball and jumped.
"Two. . . one. . . "
The ball bounced off of my head and towards the net. The goalie dived. . .
But she wasn't fast enough. The ball hit the back of the net with a sound like thunder in the suddenly silent stadium. It stayed silent for an instant. Then, three shrill whistles split the still air. The crowd erupted like a violent volcano.
"United States wins! The U.S. wins the World Cup from a game winning goal by Jessica Gabriel!" The announcer sounded almost as excited as I felt.
My teammates ran towards me and started cheering even louder.
"Alright Jess!" Cole yelled in my ear. "You did it!"
"Jess! Jess! Jess!" A chant ran through the crowd as the World Cup was brought onto the field. It passed through the hands of my teammates before falling into mine. I held it up for all to see and the screaming sounded like it could shatter steel.
"Jess, get ready! It's about to change again!" Cole said.
"No!" I objected. "Can't I just. . . " But I was cut short as I fell once again into blackness, the now familiar tingling feeling returning. I plummeted into the darkness, on my way to the next adventure.
Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but this next chapter has nothing to do with Harry Potter! Like I said last time, that was technically the last chapter in the Harry Potter fic. But the adventures of Jess and Cole continue! If you like, please review, and I'll update again!!!! Thanks again, and hope someone enjoys!!!
~Sammy Solo
P.S.- I thought everyone should know that the World Cup was my idea entirely, and that I own Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm. JUST KIDDING!! Sorry! I don't own these people at all, I'm just playing with them!!
I tumbled through the blackness, crying out to Cole to explain what was happening. There was still no answer.
After an eternity of falling, the darkness began to fade. A few more seconds of tumbling, then.
"Oof!" I had landed on grass again, but this time in broad daylight. Looking around, I realized, from much experience, that I was at a soccer game. The crowd behind me was deafening. A chant was running through the stands: "USA! USA! USA!" It was then that it hit me- I wasn't at just any soccer game.
"Cole, check this out!" I yelled over the crowd. "It's a World Cup Game! Go USA!"
Cole still didn't answer, but I was too excited to care. I was at a World Cup Soccer game, and right in the front row, too, seeing as home there were no fans in front of me. I watched the white-shirted U.S. team run up and down the field, playing against a black-shirted team whose country of origin I couldn't tell. And, staring more closely, I saw that this was a women's game! Even better!
It looked like an amazing game; finding the scoreboard with my eyes, I saw that the game was tied 2-2. There were about six minutes left in regulation before overtime started. Both teams looked tired, and the black team's defense seemed almost impassable. . .
"Jess!" For a second I thought Cole had come back, but when I tried to get him to respond again, he didn't answer. "Hey, Jess!" The voice was definitely deeper than Cole's. I turned around to see an older man quickly striding towards me. He was wearing a white jacket with USA in red letters embroidered on the front. "You ready?" he asked.
"Ready for what?" I inquired, confused. He looked down at me, eyebrow raised.
"To go in! Coach told you to stretch. Are you ready yet?" It was then, for the first time, that I examined myself. I, too, was wearing a white jacket, with the same embroidered letters on the front. Unlike my last adventure, there were no health or energy bars floating in front of me. I had on white, knee high socks, bulging with the presence of shin pads. Black Nike spikes completed my outfit. Oh my God! I thought. I'm a player on the U.S. Women's National Team! "Well, are you ready?"
His annoyed voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Y-yeah," I managed to get out. "Where am I going in?"
He reached down and pulled me to my feet. "You'll be going in at left wing. Jess." His voice took on a note of seriousness and he rested his hand on my shoulder. "We need a goal. If this goes into overtime, I don't know if we can hold out. The defense is killing us. You, Mia, and Brandi really need to work together out there. We need it." He patted me on the shoulder and headed over to the bench, assumedly to tell the coach that I was ready to go in. I struggled out of the white jacket. Excitement coursing through me, I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. I was going to play in a World Cup Soccer game!
"Substitute for the United States." The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium. "Number fifteen, Jessica Gabriel, in for number eleven, Amy Malage."
Cheers erupted as my teammate jogged towards me. She grabbed my hand, wished me good luck, and stepped off the field. I took off in a sprint for the far side of the field. I set myself into the left wing position and turned towards the ball, held in the hands of the left halfback. She threw it to the center forward, who turned and ran towards the opposing goal. The back of her shirt was embroidered with a red number nine and the name Hamm. Oh my God, I'm playing soccer with Mia Hamm!
I sprinted up the sideline and called out "Square!" Over the roar of the crowd I could barely hear myself, but Mia seemed to hear me. As she approached a black shirted defender, she slid the ball behind her left foot and sent it skipping towards me. It landed on the inside of my left foot and I dribbled up the field. With a skill I had never known before, I swerved around one defender and turned towards the center of the field. Mia was positioned right in front of the goal, struggling to get away from one of the opposing fullbacks. I jogged forward a few more steps until another defender challenged me. Putting as much strength in my leg as I could, I kicked the ball into the air towards the center of the field. Mia jumped, the goalie jumped. . .
But the goalie's hands reached the ball first and she pulled it out of the air. The crowd groaned as the goalie sent the ball flying down the field to a waiting halfback.
"Nice cross," Mia called, jogging back towards the half line of the field.
"T-thanks," I stammered, in absolute amazement. Mia Hamm, complimenting my soccer playing abilities. . .
"Keep it up," she said, and turned back towards the play happening at the other end of the field. Wow, Mia Hamm. . .
"Who was that?" It was a man's voice that spoke, but in the middle of a Woman's World Cup game? "Jess, can you hear me?" Then I recognized the voice.
"Cole! Where have you been?" I continued to watch the activity at the other end of the field, but listened hard to hear Cole over the constant roar of the fans.
"The screen just went black after you and Harry beat Quirrell. You weren't responding verbally either, and, well. . . I had to go to the bathroom." I laughed, but Cole continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So, where's Harry? What happened?"
"New adventure, Cole," I said, gasping as the ball zoomed towards the U.S. net. The goalie caught the ball and began to search for an open teammate. I backpedaled, explaining, "It's a World Cup Game, Cole. I'm playing on the U.S. Women's World Cup team." The ball came soaring off of the goalie's foot towards my side of the field. The center halfback turned and caught the ball on her thigh. The name and number on the back of her jersey made my mouth fall open:
Chastain, 6.
I couldn't process it. Me. . . Brandi Chastain. . . same stadium. . . same field. . . same team! This was a dream come true. . .
"Chastain? Isn't she some famous player or something?" Leave it to a boy to ruin a moment like this. I didn't have the time to yell at him, though, as Brandi came sprinting up the field, dodging defenders as she went. The announcer's voice temporarily broke through the noise of the crowd.
"One minute to play in regulation time!"
The screaming from the stands got louder as Brandi shot the ball into the air. "I got it!" I yelled, and started running for the spot under the ball. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of black, and then SLAM! Crying out, I toppled over onto the wet grass. I saw the ball land a few feet away. The defender who had knocked me over got the ball on her foot and started the other way. I scrambled to my feet and sprinted after her, but Mia cut her off and got the ball.
"Switch!" Mia yelled. She sprinted up the sideline, and I hurried to the center of the field. I shot past the fullbacks, too worried about Mia and the ball to notice me. I positioned myself a little behind the goalie and waited. Challenged by two defenders, Mia sent the ball backwards onto the waiting foot of Brandi. Brandi glanced around, looking for someone else to pass it to as the defenders turned to her.
"Ten. . . nine. . . eight. . . seven," The crowd began to count down the seconds till the end of the game. In a final desperate attempt, Brandi sent the ball soaring towards me.
"Six. . . five. . . "
The ball was right on target.
"Four. . . three. . . "
I got under the ball and jumped.
"Two. . . one. . . "
The ball bounced off of my head and towards the net. The goalie dived. . .
But she wasn't fast enough. The ball hit the back of the net with a sound like thunder in the suddenly silent stadium. It stayed silent for an instant. Then, three shrill whistles split the still air. The crowd erupted like a violent volcano.
"United States wins! The U.S. wins the World Cup from a game winning goal by Jessica Gabriel!" The announcer sounded almost as excited as I felt.
My teammates ran towards me and started cheering even louder.
"Alright Jess!" Cole yelled in my ear. "You did it!"
"Jess! Jess! Jess!" A chant ran through the crowd as the World Cup was brought onto the field. It passed through the hands of my teammates before falling into mine. I held it up for all to see and the screaming sounded like it could shatter steel.
"Jess, get ready! It's about to change again!" Cole said.
"No!" I objected. "Can't I just. . . " But I was cut short as I fell once again into blackness, the now familiar tingling feeling returning. I plummeted into the darkness, on my way to the next adventure.