Play With Me

Miller, who wrote down names on a list. He gave me
the sticker which I was supposed to pop on my chest and smiled. So far, I hadn’t
seen Ryan without his ball cap, except on rare occasions, and then from far
away, too. But today, the sun played in his dark hair that fell devilishly over
his forehead, giving him a whole new appearance. His unexpected good looks took
me unaware, and he caught me staring. His matter of fact tone changed to a sly
rumble. “Good luck, Matthews.”
    When everyone
got their numbers, he raised his voice over the chatting crowd. “Okay, everybody.
For a little warm-up, I want you to run three laps around the field then come
back here.”
    Panic kicked me
in the gut. “Is he kidding? Three laps?”
    “Don’t say you
already regret opting for the team.”
    I hated Tony’s I-told-you-so chuckle as he dragged me from the trimmed lawn and started jogging next to me. Swallowing
my retort, I tried to match his pace. Impossible of course, when one of his
strides measured two of mine.
    Shit, one lap
seemed like ten miles. Screw Hunter and his warm-up. By the time I was done, I
collapsed on the grass, hearing nothing but my own erratic breathing. Thank the
Lord, I had a chance to catch my breath as forty-six candidates attempted to
score goals before it was my turn.
    Tony got me a drink
from the water cooler while I mimed a dead frog for several minutes. My mouth
and throat felt like the desert. As he stepped over me, his shadow was a
welcome respite from the sun. I sat up, longing for the cup of water he held out
to me.
    But when I
grabbed the plastic cup, my heart sank. “So little?” I held the mouthful of
liquid against the sun, turning it this way and that, seeing if it would miraculously
become more. “There’s something seriously wrong with your head.”
    “Not at all.” He
laughed. “But since you can hardly breathe after this short run, more water
would make you sick. In fact, it would be better if you just rinsed your mouth
with this and spit it out.”
    I offered him a sneer.
“Can I spit it into your face?” Not waiting for his come back, I downed the
little he granted me. The sip evaporated on my tongue in an instant.
    “Matthews! Your
turn!” That was Hunter, and when I turned in his direction, the soccer ball
came flying toward me. Praise my mad reflexes. I caught it before it hit my
churning stomach. Tony pulled me to my feet and gave me quick instructions on
how to hit the ball for best impact.
    Yeah, right. As
if I really wanted to know that. I placed the ball on the ground then kicked it
toward Frederickson who stood in the goal. It dropped to the lawn several feet
in front of him then rolled on as if out for a relaxing stroll before it
touched his left shoe.
    My beam at Tony
was full of faked enthusiasm. “Hey, what do you know, I got the direction
right.”
    “Come on,
Matthews.” Ryan came jogging toward me with the ball under his arm. “I’ve seen you
kick Mitchell’s butt harder than that.”
    Beaten and
exhausted, I was ready to capitulate, but when he offered me the soccer ball, his
lips curved to a mocking smile, which prompted me to prove him wrong. I
accepted the challenge.
    He planted the ball
in front of me, but then he had me taking several steps back. “Now take a short
run and put a little more power in your thrust.”
    “Ah no, don’t
let him make me do that,” I begged Tony and grabbed his shirt in growing
horror. “We both know I will just trip over the damn thing.”
    The boys
laughed, and Tony pried my fingers loose from his collar. “No, you won’t. Tell
you what, if you hit Frederickson straight in the chest, I’ll buy you a
chocolate decadence ice cream sundae. Deal?”
    Ice cream? If
there was the right incentive… “Deal.” I started forward and kicked hard,
aiming for the redhead guarding the goalie net. The soccer ball dropped neatly
in Frederickson’s arms.
    “Well done!”
Ryan yelled. Then he sprinted back to the low desk where Susan took her notes
and called Sebastian Ramirez to try his luck.
    Unspeakably
proud, I turned a smiling face at Tony. But my smile got lost the moment I
glimpsed Barbie girl standing with him.
    Hands laced
behind her back, she rocked on her heels in front of him. Her boobs pushed out
so far, she could have staked him in the heart. “Will you be at Hunter’s party later?”
she asked him in a sickly sweet voice.
    I gulped. Ryan
Hunter’s parties were legend. I could only rely on the gossip