Chapter 19

Things Never Go As Planned

Amanda took her place on the far side of the field to Akko's right. She twisted her stick back and forth, warming up her wrists for the battle ahead. As she approached, she sized up the opponent she'd be defending against, and who would be defending against her. She remembered the girl from scouting the French team's last couple recorded games and oddly enough, she was the best player on their team. Not that Amanda O'Neill would ever back down from such a challenge, but she was thoroughly surprised that this girl wasn't lined up with Akko in the middle of the field. That's one decision the French team would pay for, surely. Akko was going to run circles around that poor blonde girl. The redhead stopped a few feet away from her tall brunette opponent, facing her fully. The girl was beautiful if she was being honest. Her long brunette locks were held back in a low ponytail and the left side of her bangs seemed to be held back with a pair of crossed bobby pins.

To Amanda's annoyance, the girl hadn't even noticed her in the slightest. She was intently staring at the exchange of conversation by the pair in the middle of the field. The redhead turned her gaze as well to see what could be more interesting than herself, but only saw Akko and her blonde opponent. Amanda did notice the odd interaction between the two earlier and now was really no different. The French blonde was clearly into Akko. 'Ooooh' she thought as she turned and smirked at her brunette opponent. 'She's jealous. This could be fun'. Now what Amanda lacked in hockey skills, she more than made up for in shit talking and being an annoyance overall.

"What? You afraid Akko is gonna still your girl?" Amanda said loud enough to snap the tall brunette out of her trance.

The girl turned her cold stare to the redhead now and tilted her head questioningly.

"Yeah, she has a thing for blondes." Amanda said as she shrugged and flashed a wolfish grin. "And it would seem the blondes are into her too. Am I right?"

For a millisecond, Amanda swore she saw a flash of disdain in those bright purple eyes. But her expression turned to stone once more, and much to the redhead's irritation, the brunette turned away from her and had the audacity to look bored.

"Look...uh...what's your name again? M...egan? M...arcy?M..." Amanda narrowed her eyes as if she was truly trying to solve this name puzzle. She wasn't, though. She knew this girl's name. But this is what gave her the reaction she was looking for. That reaction being a death glare that could rival Diana's. It was unnerving to say the least. 'Ah. Mightier than thou syndrome. Good to know.' Amanda made an internal note for her future endeavors. It was likely they'd see each other again.

"Maya." The girl said more calmly than Amanda would have liked. "And for your information, I am not worried. Because as good as your friend is rumored to be, I will always be a step ahead. And my Claudine would never be interested in anything but the best." Maya smirked confidently to further accentuate her smug statement.

"Sure, whatever you say hot shit." Amanda rolled her eyes and looked back to the center of the field, seeing the referee place the ball down. "We'll see how you feel after we kick your ass."

"I assume I will feel much the same. As that is very unlikely." Maya turned and began walking toward Claudine, seeing as the game was ready to begin. "Good luck. You're going to need it." She called out as she went, not looking back at the redhead.

"Bitch." Amanda grumbled to herself as she moved closer to Akko, never taking her eyes off of Maya.

A whistle blew and Claudine immediately passed the ball behind her to Maya who had began sprinting across the field. The quick start surprised Amanda and she struggled to catch up to the fast brunette who had already turned and was running down field, expertly handling the ball.

"Shit." The redhead hissed to herself. She growled as she willed her legs to move faster and finally was able to catch up and place herself between Maya and the goal.

The tall brunette grinned when she noticed Amanda in front of her now. She faked like she was about to go left, effectively baiting the redhead to lean that way before she changed directions at the last second and went right. It seemed that none of the other Luna Nova defenders had better luck and before she knew it, Amanda saw the ball pass by Jasminka's left leg and hit the back of the net. The French team cheered and each player took a turn to give their captain high fives as the brunette jogged back to the center of the field.

"Damn it!" Amanda yelled, seething as she locked eyes with Maya, who winked at her with that infuriating smirk on her face. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Akko standing there.

"Amanda." The brunette leaned in closer. "Dizzy."

The redhead, took a took a deep breath and grinned at her captain. Dizzy was play they had come up with for when they needed a quick goal. It was only effective about once in a game, twice at the most. But after that abysmal start, they needed something big.

Akko took her place at point and the ball was set in front of her. She looked to her left and then to her right to make sure her team was set up before she looked at the defense. They were set up much the same as before and the brunette easily mapped out the route she was about to take. The ref blew the whistle and Akko passed the ball quickly to Amanda and half the team sprinted down the field. She could see the looks of confusion on the French girl's faces at the unorthodox play unfolding, and she could almost feel Claudine right on her heels. Akko looked over to see Amanda switch directions and she followed. They were now running full sprint at each other until Amanda pushed the ball to the side at the last second allowing Akko to easily take it with her as they passed each other. Maya and Claudine nearly ran into each other as they were forced to side step quickly out of each other's way, but the hesitation was enough to allow Akko a clear view of the goal, save for a few defenders who the brunette easily passed with her speed. She took a shot at the goal and the ball passed by the goalie easily, scoring a point and tying the game. Akko threw her hands and stick in the air in celebration as she ran back to the middle of the field. Her team joined in as always and she was met with hugs and high fives. Cheers and whistles came from the small group in the seats behind Luna Nova's bench. The brunette looked over in time to see Diana standing and clapping excitedly with a brilliant smile on her face. Shock set in, though, when the Diana and Akemi high fived each other, with both hands no less. The sight made Akko giggle as she jogged the rest of the way to midfield.

The game slowed considerably as the first half went on, neither team being able to keep up the blistering pace they set at the beginning. Akko and Amanda had switched positions about half way through the half, and Akko and Maya seemed to be nearly evenly matched. Amanda and Claudine were evenly matched as well, making any progress hard to come by for either team. To the brunette and redhead's surprise, Maya and Claudine were enjoying the competition, reveling in the chance to prove themselves against formidable opponents for once. Amanda was surprised to see a genuine smile on Maya's face at many points, and Akko couldn't believe it when Claudine had chuckled when the a horn was blown, signaling the end of the first half. The score was tied at two goals each.

"My my. It seems your reputation is indeed well deserved, Akko." The blonde breathed out as stopped next to Akko, her hands behind her head as she struggled to get oxygen. "Bravo magnifique." With a wink, Claudine sauntered away, following her teammates toward the French bench.

"Uh...yeah. You too!" Akko shouted through labored breaths. "...I think?"

During the short halftime period, Chariot gave her players the usual bits of advice and praise as everyone hydrated quickly. The coach was obviously quite proud of her players and seemed relieved that all was going to plan. Part of her was feeling a little silly that she was so nervous, but another part of her was still wary of the French coach on the opposite side of the field. Every time she caught Gabriel looking at her, it would send chills up her spine. And right now as her team took the field once more, the French coach was in deep conversation with the head referee. It was normal for a coach to speak to the officials, but she was no ordinary person. Gabriel would do anything to come out on top. Even ruin someone's life. So this seemingly innocent conversation sent alarms blaring in the back of Chariot's mind.

The whistle blew and the second half of the match started. Almost immediately, Chariot's fears began to come to fruition. On the very first play of the game, Akko controlled the ball and Maya was only a few feet away watching intently and planning her next move. The taller brunette finally jolted forward to try to still the ball away and for a brief second, their shoulders made contact and the whistle blew. Both Akko and Maya froze in shock as they looked at the referee in confusion as he gestured toward Akko and held up a green warning card. A foul.

"What?!" Akko said mostly to herself. She looked to her right where Maya stood and saw genuine confusion in her expression as well.

As the minutes wore on, Akko and Amanda were both call for various fouls. Amanda was the more physical player out of the two and earned herself a few five minute suspensions, albeit unfairly. Claudine was just as flabbergasted as Maya had been as the penalties seemed to spiral out of control. If anyone on Luna Nova's team so much as touched a French player, they would be reprimanded.

Chariot seemed to have frozen completely on the sideline as she heard whistle after whistle. Flashbacks of the game that had compelled the rumors to begin spreading filled her mind. The game where Gabriel had pretended to defend her when people began questioning Chariot about cheating and paying off the referees. They had later found out from reliable sources that it had, in fact been Gabriel who had paid off the referees and it had been her to begin the rumors of Chariot's possible involvement. In the end, Gabriel had the money to make it all go away. But it was happening again at this very moment, to her players. This was her fault. If she would have stuck with her alternate persona, her team wouldn't be involved in the feud. They were suffering the consequences of her past. She was paralyzed when she locked eyes with the French coach across the field, seeing a knowing smile on her face. The expression she's seen too many times before. The expression that shouted 'I win'. Her hands began to shake as she balled them into fists. She turned around and found Croix right behind her in the first row with a look of utter hatred as she had also seen the smug smile on Gabriel's face. Snapping out of it quickly, Croix looked down at Chariot with eyes full of concern. That's when she heard it, a pained yell rang out in the otherwise quiet stadium. Chariot spun around to find the source, and when she did, her heart shattered. If the world around her hadn't fallen apart already, this was surely what was going to finally break her.

Diana's hands were gripped tightly together as she leaned forward in her seat, watching the dubious event's occur on the field. She hadn't been interested in hockey in a rather long time, but even she could tell that something was very wrong. Foul after foul was called for no reason that she could see, and along with the players, the crowd was growing more frustrated as every minute passed. Whispers and murmurs grew louder around her after the whistle blew yet again, eliciting a groan from the blonde as she covered her face with her hands.

"I may not be an expert, but that didn't seem like a foul to me." Hannah whispered into Diana's ear in confusion.

"It wasn't." The blonde looked up in irritation. "Something's wrong." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before she glanced to the person on the other side of her. Akemi bounced her knee up and down as she watched, biting her nails in the process. Haruto was expressionless and sat completely still next to his wife. Neither of them seemed to be faring any better than she was at the moment.

Watching Akko grow more frustrated on the field was slowly breaking her heart. She knew how hard her girlfriend worked to get here. She knew how passionate the brunette was about this sport. It was her life. And to see this game being ripped away from her slowly because of a few incompetent or corrupted officials made her feel physically ill. She crossed one leg over the other and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before her gaze lifted to the field once more. Just in time to hear someone scream in pain. Immediately she knew exactly who it was, and the sound made her blood run cold. She stood up out of her chair when she saw the girl rolling around on the field in agony and put her hands up to cover her mouth.

"Akko." Diana whimpered as tears began pool in the corners of her eyes.

Akko stole the ball as it was being passed and Maya was immediately there to cut her off and block the opening she had seen. Switching directions and slowing down, her eyes flitted between her teammates, looking for someone open to pass it to, looking for any opening she might be able to take advantage of to get closer to the goal. She saw none, and cursed internally. This game had been the most frustrating one she's ever played in. The most frustrating part was the referees who had more than questionable morals as she had come to find out. And there was nothing she could do about it. But even with the terrible calls and many, many fouls, Luna Nova was only down by one goal. Just one goal. They have overcome steeper obstacles many times before, and only that thought was driving her now. They could do this. She could do this. She believed in herself and her team.

Akko made the decision to dribble the ball to her right, trying to catch Maya off guard with the sudden move. And although it did surprise the defender, Akko wasn't quick enough. Maya's outstretched stick hit the ball at an odd angle and it flew through the air and out of bounds. The shorter brunette jogged to retrieve the ball as Maya set up in her defensive stance.

"Maya. Claudine." Akko heard the French couch call out. Curiously she watched Maya and Claudine look at each other in confusion before jogging off the field to speak to their coach and were replaced by players that Akko had never seen before. They hadn't played yet in this game, which means they were most likely not the best talent they had, although Akko hated to underestimate anyone. But the decision to pull the French team's best two players in the crucial final minutes of the game boggled the brunette's mind.

Shaking her head to get her mind back into the game, Akko hit the ball into play and began running downfield as girl who substituted for Maya followed closely. The ball was intercepted moments later and Akko fell back on defense. The girl she was matched up with received a pass and dribbled the ball slowly toward the sidelines and Akko followed. Oddly, the girl never made a move forward. It seemed that she was waiting for the brunette to make the first move. Akko's gaze flitted between the girl's eyes and the ball that was being hit back and forth with the girl's stick. But before Akko could make a move, she heard a whistle blow. She turned to find a livid Amanda jabbing at a French player's chest as she said something angrily through grit teeth. She wasn't able to dwell on the confrontation much longer as she suddenly felt something hit her ankle hard. She unconsciously let out a pained scream as the searing pain traveled down her foot and up her leg until her leg buckled and she was forced to fall to her knees. She grabbed her hurting ankle with her hand as she fell onto her side before rolling onto her back. Akko's jaw was tense and her eyes shut tightly, and tears were steadily streaming down her face now.

"Akko!" She heard someone yell, it sounded like Amanda.

Opening her eyes to see the small group gathered around her in concern, she locked eyes with the girl she had been defending against. Her expression was indiscernible at first, but to Akko's horror, a smirk formed on her face for only a second before she turned around and walked away toward the French sidelines. Suddenly Amanda was there by her side in shock.

"Fuck, Akko. Are you okay?" The redhead said through heavy breaths.

Akko opened her mouth to speak but another bout of pain shot up her leg and she immediately clenched her jaw once more. She nodded to let her friend know that she would be okay before two men made their way through the now large circle of girls.

"We're going to help you back to the locker room so we can take a look at that ankle. Is that alright?" The first man said as he knelt down and held a hand out for her to take.

Again, Akko just nodded and took the man's hand to help her sit up. The other man knelt down on the other side of her and she put her arms around each of their necks. They helped her stand up easily but without thinking, she put weight on her injured ankle and let out a pained growl. The men all but carried her off the field. As they went, the first person she saw was Chariot. Her coach, who had become like a sister to her if she was being honest, hadn't moved an inch. She was staring at the ground in shock, refusing to even look at Akko as they passed. Then she looked up into the stands where she found Diana, her hands held tightly to her chest and she was biting her lip, clearly very worried. Next to the blonde, Akko's mother had her hands over her mouth still, her eyes wide as they followed every step she and the men holding her took. Before she was out of view, Diana had begun to quickly walk toward the exit, her parents following right behind her.

When Akko arrived back to the locker room, one of the men urged her to sit down on the bed in the small medical area in the corner of the large room. She did as she was told and sat down, arm still around the other medic's shoulders for stability. Her shoe and sock were taken off cautiously, but when they were both removed, Akko could already tell that it was bad. Her ankle was swollen and dark bruising had already formed.

"Well, just looking at it, I'm fairly confident that your ankle is fractured. We need to get you to a hospital for an x-ray." The man stated as he slowly set her ankle on the bed to keep in elevated. He looked at his watch and turned to the other medic. "The game should be ending right about now. Let her coach know to get in here as soon as possible."

The other man nodded and hurried out the door, but before it could close all the way, Diana popped her head in and looked around until her eyes met Akko's.

"Akko are you okay?" She asked as she crossed the room in a flash and sat down on the bed next to her girlfriend. The medic looked as if he was about to protest but the glare sent his way by the blonde made him choose to do otherwise.

"I'll give you two a minute." He said as he stood up and awkwardly made his way out of the locker room, leaving them in silence.

Diana suddenly heard a sniffle come from Akko and just noticed that tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Akko, is it serious? Do you need pain medication? I'm sur-" The blonde started as she looked around the small area for any kind of pill bottles before she was cut off.

"It's not that." The brunette said softly as her voice cracked. She brought her hands up and wiped away her tears, unfortunately they were replaced by more almost immediately. "We lost, didn't we."

Diana bit her lip and looked away before reluctantly answering.

"Yes. The score was five to three. I'm really sorry, Akko."

When she didn't get a response from the brunette, the blonde looked over to see her girlfriend staring at nothing in particular on the floor in front of her. The tears hadn't stopped but they had slowed significantly.

"How did this happen?" Akko whispered, more to herself than to Diana.

The blonde thought she knew the answer anyway. It didn't take a genius to figure out that someone on the French side had somehow convinced the referees to make calls in their favor, most likely they paid them off. She had to wonder though, how high the corruption went? How did they plan to get away with something so blatantly obvious? But Akko's injury, was that part of the plan? No one could be that cruel right? She reached out and took her girlfriend's hand in her own and began rubbing her knuckles, trying to comfort her in any way.

"We were never going to win that game. Not with the referees on their side." The brunette gripped the bed sheet tightly as she grew angry. "And she broke my fucking ankle anyway."

"You...think it was on purpose?" Diana asked with her eyebrows raised.

"I really do. She...the look she had..." Akko shook her head and sighed. She honestly didn't know what to think. Today had been a nightmare. She had never imagined the possibility of them even losing, let alone the rest of the events that transpired. This was their year. This was her year. When she noticed she hadn't gotten a response from her girlfriend, she turned her head and raised her eyebrows at the now seething blonde. Akko just realized how hard Diana was squeezing her hand, almost to the point of pain but not quite. Her eyes were trained on the wall opposite of them as if trying to burn a hole through it with her mind.

"Um...Diana?" Akko asked hesitantly.

"If you would excuse me, Akko," Diana said, her voice terrifyingly cold, as she stood up without looking at the brunette. "I need to have a word with whoever is in charge here." She let go of Akko's hand and began to walk toward the door.

"Uh..." The brunette raised her hand and tried to think of any words to stop her girlfriend. But she failed to get anything out before Diana disappeared into the hallway. "Please don't kill anyone." She mumbled to herself as silence overcame the room once more. Now with nothing else to concentrate on, the throbbing in her ankle seemed to increase. She tried breathing through it, which never worked really. Why did she even try?

A moment later the medic returned to the room, his expression was that of a kicked puppy. No doubt, he was the temporary target of a certain blonde's wrath if he was standing just outside of the locker room. The thought made Akko smile slightly for the first time since all of this chaos began. Behind him, her team began to trickle their way in, looks of sadness and anger written all over their faces until Amanda entered last. There was a whole different look her face.

"Amanda! What happened to you?" Akko asked in shock as she saw the blood trickling down from a swollen lip, and an eye that had already began to bruise.

"I punched the girl that hit you. Her teammates weren't too happy with me." The redhead's mischievous grin was contagious as most of her teammates smirked at the recent memory. Akko smiled at that as well, temporarily forgetting her despair and thankful for her friends who always look out for her. "So what's goin on with princess? She was on a rampage down the hall."

Akko chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck in response. In truth, she had no idea what was going through Diana's head but she almost felt bad for the person she was looking for.

"Your mom was in on it too. I don't think Hannah or your dad knew what to do when they were yelling at...that guy." Amanda pointed at the medic who hadn't spoken a word since returning. He was nervously rifling through a large bag full of medical supplies, choosing to ignore the comment.

"My mom went with Diana?" Akko asked in shock. 'Well, RIP to the man in charge'.

The door to the locker room swung open and the medic that was supposed to have retrieved Chariot walk in breathlessly and approached the small medical area.

"Hey...uh...the coach is gone."

The medic that was now wrapping Akko's ankle in a bandage looked up with furrowed brows.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"I've looked everywhere. She just gone!"

Akko and Amanda shared a look of disbelief. Chariot's gone?

"Akko, call her. I'll call Croix." The redhead said as she walked over to the brunette's locker to retrieve her phone and tossed it to Akko.

"Yeah, okay." The brunette replied. She found Chariot's number and pressed call.

Immediately they heard ringing coming from the coaches office. Amanda opened the door and saw her coach's phone on the desk, the woman whom it belonged to, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Well that doesn't help." The redhead said, disappointed. She pressed a button on her own phone and held it up to her ear and waited. When no one picked up on the other side, she let out a long sigh and looked around at the team who had been watching them. "Well, shit. What do we do now?"

"God this day sucks!" Akko whined as she flopped back onto the bed, bouncing her ankle painfully off of the bed in the process. "Ow."

Diana knocked three times on the door she had arrived at. After asking, more like interrogating if she was being honest, many people who worked there, eventually she had been pointed in this direction. She was standing in front of the makeshift office of Thomas Jones, commissioner of the league that was hosting the tournament. Akemi stood next to her bouncing on her heels. She had immediately joined Diana on her journey to find answers. The blonde had the suspicion that the older woman just wanted an excuse to take her anger out on anyone she could after watching her daughter get hurt on the field. And she didn't blame her at all. It seemed that Akemi could be just as, if not more intimidating than the blonde CEO, and that was saying something. The door opened and a shorter woman stood in the opening. Diana glanced into the room behind her and saw a gray haired man sitting at a desk engaged in a phone call.

"I need to speak with Mr. Jones." Diana stated authoritatively, making the woman take a small step back.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Jones is una-" The small woman started, but before she could finish, Diana brushed past her without caring about the answer she was being given. "Excuse me miss, you can't ju-" her protest was cut off once more as Akemi followed Diana in, shoving the woman's shoulder slightly for good measure.

The man, noticing their presence, arched an eyebrow at the women who had just barged into his office. His eyes found his assistant cowering by the door before he sighed.

"I apologize, I'm going to need to call you back." Mr. Jones said to whoever was on the other side of the call before he lowered it and set in on the desk in front of him. Leaning back in his chair, he clasped his hands together over his stomach before he began speaking.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

"Indeed." Diana sat down in one of the chairs across from the man and crossed her legs. "I want some answers."

"To which questions?" Mr. Jones furrowed his brows at the blonde.

"What will the repercussions be for the blatant cheating that transpired today?" Diana asked calmly, tilting her head as she waited for an answer.

"E-excuse me?" The older man scoffed. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You didn't watch the game, did you." The blonde said flatly. Of course he didn't watch. She rolled her eyes and looked at Akemi and motioned for her to take a seat next to her. The older woman did exactly that before Diana continued. "Mr. Jones, do you know who I am?" She arched an eyebrow at the man who shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Of course I do." He replied immediately. "Diana Cavendish."

"Correct. I'm a very powerful woman Mr. Jones."The blonde narrowed her eyes. "I can assure you that you are going to want to cooperate with me and the investigation that is going to happen. Can you do that?"

"Investigation? You can't be ser-"

"I am deadly serious, Mr. Jones." Diana spat out coldly. "Mark my word that I will do everything in my power to ruin your livelihood if you continue to let this corruption happen under your watch. And if you are involved, I will have you thrown in jail unless you come forward. Do you understand?" The blonde had slowly been leaning closer to the desk and her deadly glare grew darker as she spoke. The man in front of her visibly gulped and chose to respond by simply nodding his head. "Good answer." Diana leaned back in her chair once more and smirked. "You will be hearing from my people Mr. Jones, your full cooperation is expected," She stood up and straightened out her clothes before looking at the man once more and smiling as sweetly as she could. "And appreciated of course. Have a good day, Mr. Jones."

The blonde waved over her shoulder and sauntered out of the office without looking back. Akemi was paralyzed for a moment as she watched Diana go, still processing what had just gone down. She shook her head, breaking the trance and stood up hastily before turning to the distressed man on the other side of the desk.

"She's going to be me daughter-in-law some day." She said as she smiled proudly and turned to follow Diana out of the office.

"You must be very proud." Mr. Jones grumbled as he picked up his phone once again.

As Diana left the room, she stopped after turning a corner, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath as she waited for Akko's mother to catch up. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and turned to see Akemi looking and pointing down the hallway. Furrowing her eyebrows, Diana looked to the area where the older woman was pointing and saw two irritatingly familiar faces coming toward them. A tall brunette and blonde with tracksuits on sporting the French hockey team's logo.

"You." Diana growled and narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl.

On instinct, Claudine took a step back and hid partially behind Maya, surprised at the unexpected anger coming from someone she's never met.

"Do I know you?" The French blonde asked in confusion.

"No. But if you ever flirt with Akko again, we are going to have a problem. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Claudine squeaked out.

"Oooh." Maya chimed in, realization dawning on her face. "Blondes really are her type."

"What?" Claudine and Diana asked at the same time with wide eyes.

"Wait, you weren't really...flirting with that girl were you?" Maya stepped to the side so she could turn to look at Claudine.

The French blonde looked back and forth between Diana and Maya a few times before opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. When no noise came out, she cleared her throat and composed herself before turning and walking away without a word.

"Je n'aurais pas à flirter avec quelqu'un d'autre si vous me demandiez de sortir." Claudine grumbled as she went, leaving a flabbergasted Maya and a somewhat amused Diana looking after her.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened, by the way." Maya said softly. "I want you to know that we had nothing to do with it." With a sad smile, the tall brunette turned and left in the direction Claudine had disappeared to.

"Merci."