Hey I hope that everyone is doing alright. It has been a long time coming but things are starting to look normal again for Chris, and while it has been a while since I have covered a Frisbee chapter in this much detail, it is well worth it. I hope you enjoy it.
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It was clear from the initial toss that this was going to be a very heated fight. Kyle was smart to stay off the first point, knowing that if he played, Victoria would have grilled him. She was already fuming that the opposition held some of the players that had attacked us but if Kyle had played, it would have looked like she couldn't even control her own team. When she made the initial toss to Arizona State University, it flew so perfectly that it was evident that her anger was the main reason for the epic spin. With a sly smile on her face she noted where exactly it would fall, right at the corner of the court in the end zone. They were unable to walk it up five meters past the end zone and center the disk.
Ellie and I ran off to mark the disk, putting an effective force on the handler. Victoria knew that it was going to be hard to go against them so instead of running a man marking defense, she called for a zone style resistance. Cutting right across the sand, my shoes flew up the particles all up into the air, creating a small cloud as I caught the player.
With a controlled anger flashing on my face, I sneered at the player as his eyes flew wide at my arrival. "Didn't expect this did you?" I snip at him as he moves back and forth on his pivot to look for a good toss. Ellie was doing a great job standing back left, my force flick starting to annoy him.
Normally I would have been intimidated by the player, the tall Mexican athlete about an inch or two higher than me. He was a bit beefier than me as well, maybe holding a hefty 160 pounds of muscle. His auburn eyes flashed flames out as he looked to me, smirking, "Doesn't matter. We're still going to beat you."
Before I could react, he knives the disc over my head to an oncoming player. Turning around to follow the disk, I shout out "UP!" notifying Fullerton that the disk was in the air. It wasn't airborne for too long, the player appearing behind me to catch the disk. Grumbling to myself I turn to run to mark the disk again. Right as I take off, the Mexican runs past me, giving me a hard cold shoulder, enough to make me stumble to the side. "Hey!" I snarl out as he runs off.
The sidelines go crazy as they all notice the push, an almost legal move given the shortened court. My team is especially fuming as they follow the guy down the court. Kyle doesn't say a word, instead growing red in the face. The Fullerton team erupts with shouting, urging me to call a foul. I am so tempted to but I am already at the disk with Ellie, her turn to place the force.
Standing behind her, I rub my shoulder as I watch the player. Having always gone against Ellie in games, I knew she put on great forces but seeing it as a teammate, my respect for her skill rose greatly. She was close enough to make his sweat but far enough away so that he could not call foul on her being too close. As she started to approach stall 6 then stall 7, the player jumps to throw a hammer to the end zone.
"Foul! Travel!" I shout out to stop the game. The ASU player starts to open his mouth but the sideline (on both sides I add) quickly shut him up, all agreeing with me. I move up to where he jumped in the same and point at his new feet marks. "Reset the disk." I growl at him. He only glared at me as he waived back for the disk. His team was pissed that I called the travel, especially since had it not been called they would have just scored.
Resetting the disk, Ellie taps it in, starting at stall 7. ASU moves quickly, breaking up to assist their player. From the rear I hear Victoria shout out, "You got two coming up!" I try to cover them off but the player manages to throw a short backhand to them, centering the disk in the field.
The new player is another one of the attackers, his lime green eyes widening for a second as he recognizes me. "YOU!" He hisses to me as he tries to out-pivot me. Holding a strong force on him, I force him to toss a flick back towards Ellie. It goes over her head to the player right behind her. Before we could move to the disk, the new player hammers the disk the short distance towards the end zone. Victoria had been calling out for some small help, her being dealt with two players to cover. She wasn't able to cover them both, the two of them breaking off to different sides of the end zone, the right side being the one dealt with the hammer. He catches it with an obnoxious clap; his two hands smacking down on the disk to show his completion.
Leering at me as he walks to the winning line, the green eyed player wants to say something but I turn away to ignore him. He is a tall player, at least 6'2. I know I will have a little trouble handling him but I am not going to let up on him, not even in the slightest bit.
Walking across the field, I saw how annoyed the teams were. It was basically ASU versus Irvine, Fullerton, and Long Beach. And they had just gotten the first point. Looking at the starting line, I saw Ian had moved off, Kyle having called him out to replace him. His face was flush, his brow slightly scrunched. Arriving at the line, I move next to him. "You sure this a great idea, you playing while slight injured and all?"
Before Kyle could respond, Victoria moved up and looked at him. Her fierce look was an attempt of motherly love looking at a defiant child. She was upset at him for playing. "Kyle, what are you doing here?" She crossed her arms, standing tall and commanding.
Kyle looked at her, then down the line at the opposition. His rebelliousness had always been a bit of a thorn in her side, even though she wouldn't admit it. She needed him too much. "You need me Victoria. You know it, I know it; we all know it." He might have been a bit cocky on the statement but given his demeanor, he was not going to back down.
Victoria wanted to reprimand him a little, I could tell in her eyes. Instead she changed her tactics, trying something else. "You need to rest Kyle. Are you sure you can play with your eye being swollen like it is?"
Arizona State was getting impatient, the team waiving their hand at the end of the field. Kyle looked at Victoria again, opening his bruised eye enough to make it noted how much he can see out of it. "I am not resting till those assholes are beaten." Raising his hand, he motioned for ASU to toss the disk. Victoria could not argue much longer, the time ticking down against us.
It was a bad toss by ASU and everyone knew it. My team on the sideline cheered me on as I ran up to grab the disk, quickly backhanding it to Kyle. Making for a two person tea party, Kyle flicks it back to me, moving the disk slightly up the field. Victoria and Ellie rush past us, trailed by Luke, Edward and Will. Moving it slowly up the field, I toss it back and forth to Kyle before we are met with a wall of players.
ASU smartened up and sent three of their better players up to cover us, making it so that Kyle and I could not play together anymore. Kyle was left with the disk as I tried to cut around the back of him to an opening. My guy who was guarding me was good, almost too good for me to lose. As it got close to the stall out, Kyle threw a hammer. I stopped running to watch the disk fly in the air only to sputter out and start falling to the ground.
Everyone on the lines went silent as the disk started its plummet to the sand. It had originally been meant for Ellie but with the way the disk was falling back, there was no way she was going to make it in time. The closest ASU player went to smack the disk down to the ground but before he could, a hand reached over him and snatched it out of the air, almost like the tip of a scorpion's tail stealing a helpless fly from the waiting spider.
Victoria slammed onto the sand and rolled as she has just beaten the player. Her face showed everything, utter contempt of the opposing team. Before anyone could move Ellie motioned with the disk to where her player was to run and then threw it. Fullerton, even though they have been dealt with some pretty bad cards lately, seemed to work so perfectly in that point.
When Victoria had cut back to save the disk, Luke took the chance and ran off. His man marking him had stopped expecting a turnover but Luke seemed to have known better. He broke left dragging a new mark to the sideline before cutting a hard right. Victoria flicked the disk at such a pace that it almost seemed to have disappeared in the air. Luke held it up at the end zone, it somehow magically appearing in his hands as if it teleported there.
The sidelines cheered as Fullerton scored a point, a very heated point at that. Walking down to the line, Victoria pulls us in. "I want another zone. I know we can hold them. Kyle, you stay up with Chris on cup. Put a strong force on them." Even though we just scored, Victoria is not letting down an inch, instead calling for us to step up our game. Turning to toss off, Victoria handles the disk perfectly again, this time the opposite corner.
Running down the field with Kyle, it seemed strangely perfect. It was as if we were meant to play this game together, and even better yet, not be on opposing teams. I marked the disk as Kyle stood behind me, watching for the break that wasn't going to happen. The ASU player was the last of the attackers, this guy a shorter stocker guy. It had just occurred to me that the guy with the green eyes was the previous leader, this guy the one who saved him from getting a beat down.
On his own, this guy still seemed to have a mouth. I couldn't believe the audacity of him when, to throw me off, he asked out loud, "Here to protect your boyfriend?" He mocked me as he tried to flick the disk around me.
Kicking my leg out high, I stopped the disk in its flight, causing it to fly to the ground in a failed attempt to move forward. Glaring at him, I snarl out, "No, I'm here to wipe your asses across this field." Moving to pick up the disk, I only have to wait a second before a figure flies past me, moving along the line then cutting towards the center. With a glint in my eyes, I fake left but in an instant turn right and forehand the disk right down the line to Kyle, him standing wide open.
Returning the ridicule back to him, I spit out, "How does it feel to be broken by a queer?" Watching as he steams back to his team, I move to the line and high five Kyle. "That is what I am talking about!" I scream out as the team arrives. Slowly smiles are starting to appear, a good sign that we might have a chance at winning.
Moving to sit it out, I pull Ian back in. Moving over to my team, I take a drink of some water. Pike and Ally both move to my side, inconspicuously. Pike broke the silence first, "So, its getting a little heated out there. You doing alright?"
I stop drinking and look away from the game to face them. "It's weird playing for them but in a way fun. I have never seen Kyle play like this before but it feels soo... natural to be with him. Almost as if we were made to do this together. Does that sound weird?"
Pike shrugs his shoulders, "Well actually no. Victoria and I are polar opposites of each other but on the field we match each other on every aspect. Before we went to college we played together and, like you, it felt natural to be with her." In front of us, the disk is slowly moving forward for Arizona State. Grumbling under my breath, I try to focus back on the conversation.
Ally pulls me off away from the game, leading me away from the sidelines, "You need to calm down. You are almost enticing a fight out there Chris." Rolling my eyes at her only furthers her lecture. "This isn't funny Chris. Stop the fighting, focus on the game and you'll do twice as better."
Sighing heavily, I reluctantly agree. Moving back to the sideline to watch the game, I watch as ASU push Ellie, Ian, and Will over, the three of them tumbling into the sand as the team moves forward. The entire sideline, me included, erupt angrily. "What the fuck was that?" "ASU! What the hell?" "Major foul!" Everyone starts screaming out. Victoria noticed it as well and instead of blowing up in the team captain's face, calmly tells him to reset the disk. I really wanted to see her tear the little shithead to pieces.
ASU resets the disk, and in an instant breaks away from Fullerton. Three of their players rush the end zone. Screaming out to Kyle, Ellie and Victoria to cover the rear, I point out as the break happens. It was too little too late though as the disk was sent down, the bomb being placed perfectly right in the corner.
Moving back down the line, Fullerton lines up. Victoria looks over her players and chooses Will and Edward to sit out, calling Laura and me to transfer in. Running onto the field, I get amped back up to play. Victoria looks to Kyle and I; telling us to go long.
The disk comes in and off Kyle and I go. Ellie, Victoria, Ian, and Laura all play around with the disk, weaving it in and out ASU. These few moments show how not to underestimate women, all three of the girls schooling the team on how to cut in sync and how to pivot on the perfect moment.
Kyle and I crisscross the field, making a note not to get a pick called. Right when we reach the end zone, he takes the front and I take the rear. Moving in a parallel motion, we move across the line, him moving to my end and me to his. Victoria, having moved the disk up far enough, tosses it long, hoping that it would make it to either Kyle or I.
Before it could make the height needed, one of the taller ASU players snatches the disk out of the air and plants on the ground. Looking as his team scatters to the end zone, he picks a player to toss it to. I wish at this point I could have been there to help with the defense but it was too late. Running back to hopefully stop the disk in mid air, I try to reach the guy but he tossed off right as I approached him.
The disk was too high for any of our players to catch, but perfect for green eyes to reach. With an extension of his disgustingly long arm, he caught the disk. Falling to the ground, he raises his head with a snicker echoing out of his smug mouth.
Walking back to the line, I expect for another go around. We can't lose this now. Victoria was the last one back, and before we could start talking, she makes the "time out" sign. We were all caught off guard by it, none of us expecting to take a break at the moment.
Victoria was sullen in her eyes. She wanted to win really badly but I could see that an internal battle was brewing. Swallowing hard, she looks to me directly. "Chris, you have been a great help but I am going to need you to sit out the rest of the game."
The players around me erupted in shock, all urging her to reconsider her choice. I felt a little betrayed. We were halfway through the game, I can't leave now. Holding up her hand, she continued. "Chris, I really want you to play but this isn't your fight."
Kyle interjected curtly, "The hell it isn't. They attacked us. He has just as much invested in this as we do."
Victoria shook her head, trying to get them to understand. "You will get a chance to fight them with Pike. We will be there to cheer you on. But this is Fullerton's fight. I'm sorry Chris."
Looking at ASU, I was peeved. I really wanted to play and beat them. But she did have a point. This wasn't my fight. My loyalty was with Long Beach. Extending out my hand, I gripped Victoria's equally and shook. "It's been a pleasure. Thank you." With that, I walked off to watch with my team.
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Well that was a fun chapter but it is not nearly over. While Chris may not be playing for Fullerton anymore, Long Beach will have their own bone to pick with ASU and it will be just as competitive.