BY VERY DEFINITION
16. That Girl
Parker edged her way along the bleachers as the Basketball game tipped off. She waved at Kurt and Brittany, who were cheering at the sideline. At the far end of the bleachers Rachel was standing in the front row, shouting encouragement to Finn and ignoring all of the griping from the people behind her. Giving that enthusiasm a wide berth, Parker found a seat in the second row near the center line of the court.
I don't really like sports. Not that I have anything against them, but I've never been very enthusiastic about them. But I promised Kurt I'd come, I'm not entirely sure how I got roped into it. Rachel could get excited about anything, I doubt she even knows the rules of Basketball. But I think that it's nice of her to come and support her boyfriend. I'd kind of like a boyfriend. Not that it's high on the "I need" list but I'm always single. I've never had a boyfriend of any kind, and nearly everyone in Glee club has been in a relationship at some time or another. How embarrassing is that? It's like being at the bottom of the barrel, and I'm at the bottom of the Glee Club barrel! Which is even worse. I kind of like the Cheerio uniforms... I can't believe I wore a skirt today...
Parker was wearing a beige sweater, black tights, a black skirt, and black wedges. Her hair was down but she hadn't looked at it for a few hours. She was just focused on finding a sweater so that she could walk to the school in the chilly Ohio weather.
Parker zoned in and out of focus as the game continued. She couldn't figure out the point system to save her life, every now and then she'd look up at the scoreboard and see that the numbers had changed without a clue on how it happened. She also didn't know how violent the sport was. As she watched during the first quarter one of the starting players for McKinley high fell and hurt his wrist. They got him back to the bench and the attending physician examined him and wrapped his wrist up. Sometime during the third quarter Parker wasn't paying attention, she was thinking about her room, she was thinking about dinner, she was thinking about a lot of things. Apparently, zoning out in a courtside seat during a high school basketball game isn't a very good idea.
"Look out!" Someone shouted. Next thing she knew, Parker was knocked back as the basketball made solid contact with her face. Her hand flew up to her nose automatically, she was seeing stars, her brain was moving slowly and she was dizzy and disoriented.
"Parker, are you okay?" She heard someone ask. Parker blinked to see Kurt and Brittany swimming in and out of her vision.
"Hold on." She muttered.
"I think she's going to pass out!" Rachel said, moving next to the new target.
"I'm not gonna pass out!" Parker snapped.
"Back off, Rach. Give her some room." Finn suggested from nearby.
"Everybody step aside please." And authoritative voice commanded. Parker blinked heavily for a few seconds until she was finally able to see again. She saw Kurt, Brittany, Rachel, Puck, and Finn all part to allow the physician and Coach Tanaka through. The physician knelt in front of where Parker was sitting and examined her nose, poking it every now and then with a "Does this hurt?" Parker winced, nodded, and shook her head until the physician straightened. "It's not broken or fractured, she'll be fine." He said, "She may want to clean up." Parker cupped her hand around her bleeding nose, humiliated.
"Here, we need to get to a bathroom." Kurt said, helping Parker to her feet.
"We're supposed to be cheering." Brittany reminded him. Kurt looked back at Parker with a pained expression.
"But look at her, she bled all over her shirt!" He pleaded, "She needs to get to the emergency stash of clothes that I set up in her locker." Until that moment, Parker hadn't seen the point in having a wardrobe at school, but now it was a blessing to have one.
"Get back on the court. Finn, Puckerman, you too. I'll get someone to take her to wash up." Coach Tanaka insisted. Parker's worried cluster of friends slowly back off while Coach Tanaka turned around and scanned his team. "Hanson!" He barked finally. The boy that had hurt his wrist in the first quarter turned around on the player's bench. Coach Tanaka crooked his finger in a "Come here" gesture and Hanson stood and walked over. "Hanson, escort this little lady to the bathroom and her locker so she can clean up. Be nice. Treat her right." Hanson just nodded once and led Parker out of the gym.
"That looked like it hurt." Hanson said sympathetically as soon as the gym door closed behind them.
"It did." Parker said, she sounded congested, unable to breath through her nose since she was still clutching it to keep it from bleeding anymore, "But it's numb now."
"You're a tough little thing." Hanson complimented with a laugh. "My name's Tate, by the way. Tate Hanson."
"Parker Evans." Parker replied, Tate broke into a grin.
"I've heard of you." He said cheerily. Parker rolled her eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Sure."
As they walked down the deserted hallways Parker looked up at him. Tate Hanson was tall, but not nearly as tall as Finn, he was more Puck-sized. His hair was dirty blond and just a little bit shaggy, his skin was tan, his eyes were wide and blue-gray, his arms were muscular. His wrist was wrapped in red bandage wrap. He had long eyelashes, dark eyebrows, and a friendly expression. His mouth was long, it was a mouth that was made to smile, and every line of his face was soft and endearing.
"How's your wrist?" Parker asked.
"It's not so bad." Tate said, holding his hand up and examining it, "It's just a sprain. I won't be able to play for a couple of weeks, though."
"Do you like playing?"
"I love it. And I'm good at it, too."
"So...what are you going to do, if you can't play?" Parker pressed.
"I don't know yet. Homework, maybe."
"So does that mean you're a lefty?" Parker asked. The bandage was wrapped around Tate's right wrist and hand.
"No I'm..." Parker watched as comprehension dawned on his face, he looked at his right hand with horror, "Son of a grapefruit." His reaction made Parker giggle. "Hey now, this isn't funny. How am I supposed to write my papers now?"
"You could get someone else to write them for you until you can use your wrist again." Parker suggested, pulling off to the side, "This is my locker." She opened the locker, several T-shirts were folded at the bottom. She selected the topmost one and closed the locker door. She and Tate walked to the nearest ladies room, she ducked inside while Tate waited outside the door. Parker took off her bloody shirt and put on the clean, stretchy, green v-neck that Kurt had insisted she keep at school. She looked in the mirror and was appalled by her reflection. Her red hair was frizzy and unappealing, dried blood was caked in paths under her nose. She tore a piece of paper towel from the dispenser and ran it under the cold water. Her palms turned icy cold as she rang the towel out and brought it to her face, scrubbing the blood away. After tossing the brown crumpled paper into the wastebasket she dampened her hair to flatten out the frizzies. She then peeled the hair band that she always wore on her wrist (it helped hold her glove in place) away from her glove's fabric and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. When she emerged from the room, Tate straightened and smiled at her.
"Wow, you clean up good." He complimented her. Parker smiled back, unable to keep herself from batting her eyelashes a couple more times than was necessary for blinking. "Do you like basketball?" Tate asked as they started making their way back to the gym.
"Not particularly." Parker answered with a shrug, "I came because my friend Kurt begged me to."
"Kurt? The Cheerleader?"
"That's the one. Everyone else bailed on him so I came for support."
"That's really nice of you, it's too bad you had to get hit in the head. How's that for karma?"
"How's that for 'I'm never going to a basketball game again?" The girl retorted.
"Don't be like that." The jock insisted, "You should come some other time. After my wrist gets better. I'll make sure you don't get hit again." Parker poked her nose experimentally and winced. Unfortunately, she'd been too distracted by her nose to notice the rubber door separator when the two walked through an open doorway in the hallway. She stubbed her toe on the hard rubber and stumbled, she tottered right into Tate's arms. Her gripped her just above her elbows. "Steady. Are you okay?"
"Sorry." Parker mumbled, moving away from him, very aware of how her skin burned pleasantly where he had touched her, "Did that hurt your wrist?"
"Nah, it was already hurting. You're kind of clumsy, aren't you?" Tate smiled at her with a wicked glint in his eyes.
"Sometimes. It's not that big of a deal."
"It is if I have to follow you around with a cushion all the time."
"You won't have to. I'm sorry you had to come with me for all of this, it's silly."
"I don't mind, really." Tate said kindly, Parker's lowered her eyes, staring determinedly at the ground in front of her feet.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Hey," He studied her for a moment, "Aren't you Quinn Fabray's friend?" Parker froze on the spot, looking up at him with narrowed eyes.
"Yes." She said slowly.
"That's cool. She's really pretty. You know her, do you think she'd go for me?" Tate asked. Parker just stared at him, she felt as though the rug and been ripped out from under her only to reveal she was standing on top of a bottomless pit that she was now falling down.
"I...I don't know." She answered quickly before starting to walk again.
"Come on, you're her friend, what does she like? I'm sure you could put in a good word for me." He nudged her with his elbow, Parker brushed him off.
"I think she and Puck are kind of together." She answered briskly, "She's having his baby, after all."
"Well, there's that." Tate agreed reasonably, "Tough break." Parker nodded coldly. They reached the doors to the gymnasium and Parker stopped outside of them.
"You know what? I'm not sure I want to stay." Parker said.
"But the game isn't over yet." Tate pointed out.
"I know. But I've had a long day and I just want to go home." She crossed her arms across her stomach and focused her gaze on Tate's jersey number, which was just about eye level.
"If you insist." He said finally, shrugging, "I'll tell everyone you're alive."
"Much appreciated." With a nod, Tate Hanson ducked back into the gym. Parker walked slowly out of the school and stood outside for a minute. It was almost dark, stars were shining overhead and barely any of the sun's rays remained. Parker wrapped her hands around her elbows in a vain attempt to keep warm against the wind. Just outside of the school were a few members of the band that often helped with Glee rehearsal: The Violinist, the piano player (on a keyboard), and the percussionist (holding chimes). They waved at Parker as she slowly walked past, then they started a new song. The music followed her on her trek down the lonely sidewalk, and as she walked home she sang along.
"Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl:
Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl
Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in
Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl:
Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl"
Thanks to GleekFreak12345 who helped me get past a block on this chapter.
Now I just have to write next chapter. Bleh.
You really have to review this one.
l
V