"o.k., calm down now." Speedle said trying to ease the atmosphere on the air
"Too late now, she wants to be humiliated then let her be it." Marty replied with a smile.
"Less talking more making." Calleigh spat grabbing the ball from Speedles hand's.
"o.k., let's do this, first one making 3 touchdowns wins." Marty said getting to the middle of the field with Calleigh, the rest of the team gathering about 20 feet away.
"o.k., and what do we win?" Calleigh questioned.
"If I win, You won't play, if you win, then you play, and I won't say a thing about it." Marty said not giving anyone else a chance to talk.
"Ok." The girl agreed shrugging.
"o.k., c'mon then, show me what you got."
"I don't like this" Eric said fidgeting.
"She'll do fine." Speed sighed rolling his eyes at Eric's concern.
"Actually, she won't." Eaton corrected from his place, his observant eyes not leaving the two teenagers in the field.
"What do you mean?" Eric spat obviously taking that as an insult.
"I'm not saying this because she's a girl, I'm saying this because Marty's good, and let's be honest, Calleigh's in clear physical disadvantage."
"But?" Eric added wishing that there was a but coming.
"But she's lighter, which mean's she's faster and she has a smaller reaction time, so she can make faster movements too."
"See." Speed said trying to calm Eric's nerves.
"Yeah, but if Marty catches her it's the end." Eaton added.
"Let's not be pessimists o.k.?"
"Man, realize something, she's going down." Aaron elucidated.
"You better shut up before I break your nose."
"Oohh, look at him all manly protecting his bitch."
"We need an arbiter, if you're not too busy arguing. Calleigh shouted sending a glare to Eric in an attempt of calming him down.
"I'll do it" Eaton offered getting up.
"o.k., you can't break any bones, we need you with all of them functional, you know the rules so start."
"Who?"
"Ladies first."
"Whatever."
"Calleigh squeezed the ball taking a deep breath."
"Scared?"
Calleigh used his moment of distraction to run throw the field like a bullet with Marty perusing her a few feet away groaning in frustration when she reached touchdown.
"The girl's winning."
"Shut up".
"C'mon Marty, you start now." Calleigh teased passing him the ball.
He smiled running to the line smirking when Calleigh reached him and he only had to make a movement against her to knock her to the ground from where she lifted a second to late allowing Marty to score.
"1-1, your ball Calleigh."
The girl clenched her fist grabbing the ball focused running as soon as Eaton said the word start but this time she was reached by her opponent that tried to stop her by throwing her in the ground and smash her with his weight but Calleigh managed to escape just in time getting up and running until Marty kicked her feet making her fall on her stomach hitting her nose on the ground. Calleigh got up running again ignoring the blood in her face but Marty reached her again this time making her fall In her back her head hitting the ground with an audible noise.
"Son of a bitch!" Eric yelled being grabbed by Speedle and Ryan.
"Not so strong now are we?"
I still have the ball you idiot, besides, look where we are.
He looked down only to notice that her hands were holding the ball 3 inches after the touchdown line, which meant she had scored.
"This can't count!"
"We all know it does."
"C'mon, it's 3 inches, pure luck!"
"And yet she scored."
"Way to go Cal!" Eric yelled from his place earning a role of eyes from some members of the team.
"It's your time to have the ball now."
He ran to the middle of the field followed by Calleigh who stood in front of him.
"You won't win!"
"We'll see."
He ran forward trying to use his strength once again, but Calleigh moved and jumped to his back making him fall.
"o.k., to your positions, you can start!"
He ran again but Calleigh was smarter so she reaped the movement which wasn't effective at first, but with a light twist in her position the boy was forced to rotate to stay steady, which came as an error that actually made him fall.
"Two more and she has the ball."
Said and done, Calleigh gained the ball but before she could give a step she was in the ground getting up immediately pretending to run forward but taking a step back and turning around a confused and off balanced Marty to shoot like a bullet again scoring for a second, since Marty's hands had just slipped in her sweaty skin, which made her go untouched.
"And she wins."
"That can't count, it was just luck!"
"She won."
"Fine! I quit the team, I won't humiliate myself in front of the whole school!" Marty screamed throwing his hands up.
"Fine!" Eric yelled too.
Calleigh looked shocked at Marty as he left the field.
"Marty you can't leave!" Aaron screamed.
"Watch me!" The other shouted grabbing his bg walking away.
Everyone looked at Eric expecting him to say something.
"What, he's a coward, let him be."
"I'm not a coward!" Marty yelled turning around and pointing at Eric furiously.
"No, why, you said yourself, it was just luck, and yet here you are, running away cause you feel embarrassed! Cause you're too scared thinking that we'll lose when you don't even try to win!"
"We will lose! They're bigger, they're stronger, they're better, they train for this everyday!"
"Yeah, so what?"
"So what?! It's the same as you swimming against Phelps!"
"He's a professional! They aren't, they're just as we are, but they're stronger, and we're smarter."
"It's football, intelligence will get you nowhere!"
"No? you think so?" Calleigh interrupted.
"Yes!"
"Then listen to me, if intelligence does not count why do all teams have coaches who make strategies hum?"
"They have one too!"
"We'll make it for god's sake! It's football, not rocket science!" She yelled exasperated.
"Yeah right, you haven't even played yet!"
"No, but I've watched their games, I know the strategies, I know the weaknesses, I know that number 3 has something in his right arm, he's hurt, he tried to hide it, but I figured it out."
"So?"
"So, we attack on his right side and it's easier to win."
"She's right." Eaton agreed realizing how wise in the new team member's words were.
"You think so?" Marty asked getting right in front of Eaton.
"Yes."
"Do you really think so Eaton, would you gather information? Would you get us a strategy?"
"Yes!"
"This better be good or I'll start cracking heads."
Marty came back to the circle.
"Yes!"
"Thank you Marty."
"You were just lucky, you won't be lucky all the time."
"I know."
"Good."
"So, everyday at 6 A.M and at 6 P.M we'll train, at weekends too." Eric alleged.
"I can't at 6 p.m." Leon lamented
"C'mon, for a week can't you talk to your mom?" Eric begged.
"I probably would have to bring my brother too." He growled.
"Isn't he like, 3?"
"4, he can walk, I'll keep him entertained." Leon smiled
"o.k., bring him."
"Cool, now we have to babysit too." Aaron muttered.
"Hey Calleigh, you're the girl." Leon realized earning a glare from the referred schoolgirl
"Yes."
"So you're the one with maternal instincts."
"I guess, but I need to train too." She remembered.
"We could tie him to a tree, he wouldn't cause any troubles." Eric suggested smiling with a shrug of shoulders.
"Eric! He's a kid, not a dog!"
"Hey, I was tied to a tree when I was a kid too."
"It certainly explains a lot." Calleigh joked.
"Funny, let's train."
"You can't just train like that." Eaton sighed.
"No?" Leon questioned surprised.
"No, what about this, we make two teams, play against which other and move on from there?" Ryan suggested.
"But we're eleven."
"Yeah, But Calleigh has to get used to the team so she could play half the game in one team and half the game with the other half." Patrick remembered.
"I'm in."
"o.k. then, lets get dressed everyone."
The boys got up heading for the locker room until Calleigh called them
"Hum guys, there's only one locker room."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, am I suppose to change my clothes in front of you?"
"Right I forgot that." Eric said frowning at the idea of the boys from the team seeing his girlfriend naked.
"Hum, there's a broom closet."
"It'll do the trick, thank you."
10 minutes later the team was out in the field again Speedle with the ball in his hands.
"You look cool in that suit you know?" Eric whispered creeping behind Calleigh making her shiver.
"Thank you."
"Anytime."
"That broom closet has mice on it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Are you afraid of them?"
"No, I don't have anything against the mice."
"What creeps you out then?""
"Ants." Calleigh answered with goosebumps in her harms.
"Hey you two, stop the P.D.A and come train please!" Ryan mocked.
"Sorry." The couple said at the same time blushing at the laughs.
C'mon lovebirds, we're choosing the teams." Speedle joked too.
"o.k." Eric mumbled getting in the circle right next to Calleigh.
"it's me and Eric picking o.k.?" Speedle asked, or bettor said, stated, because his tune gave no margin for arguing.
"why?" Patrick complained.
"Because he's the captain and I said first." Speed atated simply taking the ball from Danny's hand.
"Fine." – The boy growled a hint of a smile appearing.
"So, I pick Calleigh." Speed announced getting a death glare from Eric.
"I'm gonna kill you."
"You'll be playing with her next remember." Danny reasoned not feeling like having to hear the two arguing.
"I know."
"Then stop whining."
"Yeah, and there's no easing on which other just because you date." Jason joked.
"yeah." the team supported smiling devilshy.
"o.k. o.k. jeez."
"It's your turn to pick." Speed remembered Eric.
"Eaton."
"Jerk." Tim muttered.
"I let you pick him if you let me have Cal the whole game." Eric offered.
"No, she has to get used to play with the rest team." Speedle retorted.
"I know." Eric complained.
Marty cleared his throat so they would keep going.
"O.k., Marty, you're mine." Speed said.
"Jason."
"Aaron"
"Danny."
"Ryan."
"Leon."
"Patrick."
"o.k. let's do this!" Danny screamed.
...
"You can't block him like that!" Danny yelled to Patrick who had blocked Leon so hard that he was in the floor groaning even though all protections.
"They'll do the same in the game." Patrick argued.
"Yes, but we'll like to get there with no one having broken bones so don't do that!" Ryan spat.
"Guys, he's right, we have to prepare to this kinds of attacks." Leon said getting up from the floor.
"Yes." Eric agreed contradicted.
"How?" Ryan questioned.
"Hum, you know what they use to train, those guys made of foam and they'll run into it and everything?" Leon wondered with a smile that he used when he had an idea.
"Yes." Calleigh said exitantly.
"Well, we could train like that."
"We don't have those." Marty sighed.
"No, we have people."
"That's a no." Eric said imediatly.
"Eric we have to train, it's our weak point." Leon begged.
"I know, but not with which other, we'll get some old mattress and we'll train on it." the other replied.
"Mattresses are soft, besides, if we want to train we should do it with someone because that someone would react just like they would." Eaton reasoned
"No." Eric repeated firmly.
"Give me one good explanation." Leon demanded crossing his harms.
"We'll get hurt."
"Eric, that's the lamest excuse ever, we're playing football, and there are a thousand ways of getting hurt!"
"No." He insisted
"If you don't want to do it then don't, but we will."
"I won't take you to the hospital."
"We call an ambulance if we need to." Speed joked.
Calleigh sighed as the team putted on the helmets and sat besides Eric.
"Tell me why you don't want to do this."
"We'll get hurt, it's stupid to do something we should avoid."
"Like drinking, or smoking, or riding a bike, you can die riding a bike, and you do it anyway."
"Because I need to."
"The real reason Eric, and don't say we'll get hurt."
"You'll get hurt." He muttered.
"what?" She asked even though she had heard him just perfectly
"You'll get hurt, there, make fun of me, laugh."
"I won't laugh."
"Why not?"
"Because you're scared that I'll get hurt."
"So?"
"So, I like it."
"Let me guess, I look cute when I worry?" Eric joked with a smile.
"You look cute all the time, but you look even cutter when you worry."
"Please don't train with them."
"I need to train, in case you haven't noticed I'm the weakest."
"Yeah, but I saw you playing against Marty, you were bleeding and you kept going, you felt in a way that I heard 30 feet away and you kept going, you're tough."
"What if we do like this, I'll only train blocks with you. That way you don't have to worry."
"What if I hurt you."
"Eric do you want me to strangle you?"
"No."
"Then shut up and come train!"
He chuckled being pulled by her and got up.
"Only because you're so cute when you're mad."
"c'mon sweet pie, you start.
"I thought that we had agreed that you would never call me that."
"We did? I don't remember it sweet pie."
"Calleigh." Eric warned
"o.k., I won't call you sweet pie, sweet pie."
"Ugh, please stop it."
"What do I gain with it?"
"Extra long make out session."
"I need something else sweet pie."
"I cook you dinner."
"O.k."
"Yes, now, you start?"
"Sure."
Calleigh ran towards her boyfriend trying to block him but Eric moved getting behind her and grabbing her by the waist.
"You missed He whispered at her ear."
"You're supposed to let me block you."
"Now, that's easy, ain't we training?"
"Yes."
"So we should do this as hard as possible."
Calleigh smiled before sliding from Eric's harms to the ground where she twisted her body jumping tackling Eric.
"Wow." He said his voice muffled by Calleigh who was on top of him.
"I tackled you, your turn."
Eric grinned getting up and tackled her like the players do when they wan to throw someone so they lift the adversary by the waist but instead of throwing her down he hold her on his shoulder, upside down.
"Eric put me down!"
"Nup."
"Eric!"
He just laughed running in circles.
"What are you to doing?" Marty asked looking at them as the rest of the guys were.
"Make him put me down!" Calleigh yelled laughing.
"Hey, Leon, get me a bottle of water please."
Leon did so laughing when Jake spilled the water on Calleigh's head making her scream.
"I'll kill you Jake!"
"Will you now."
"I'm freezing!"
"You're pretty hot actually."
"Shut up and put me down sweet pie."
"The team busted out in laughs at the nickname."
"Really Eric, sweet pie?"
"It was what my mum called me as a baby!"
"No it's not, he called you that yesterday."
"Oohhh, is that so sweet pie."
"No!"
"Calleigh?"
"It is."
"Cal would you cooperate?!"
"Put me down and I may do that."
Eric sighed putting her down jumping when he felt ice cold water slid down his back.
"Cal!"
"Ups."
She ran with Eric chasing her as she threw water at everyone she passed by laughing and starting a water fight.
…
"God I'm freezing." Marty complained shivering as he dropped breathless in the floor.
"Hum guys, it's eight already." Eaon warned lookinhg at the time in his cellphone.
"What!"
"Yes."
"OMG, my mum's going to kill me!" Leon shouted.