Hey guys I hope everyone has been alright. This has been the longest chapter I have written in a while but it felt great to get back into it. Enjoy.
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I was pissed and in all actuality, I had every right to be. I didn't want to believe it but my team had, in a way, turned its back on me because I was dating a rival. Even Kyle's team had turned its back on him because of our "forbidden love". You would think that we would be the emotionally compromised ones in this dilemma but for once, we were the ones thinking clearly. We knew that we needed to separate our feelings on the court from off the court but our teams were too invested in us to think that we couldn't do it. It actually stung a little as I rode over with Bryan, Zach, and Christine.
They all knew I was pissed at them so they were smart not to say anything they would regret. Even my own friends, guys whom I counted on, felt I couldn't, no, wouldn't think clearly if I were going against Kyle. As I tried over and over to get to them, I would actually be thinking more clearly because I knew his moves, I knew the way he worked better than anyone. But no one listened.
So here we are on the car ride over to San Bernadino, the tournament starting in less than an hour. Beyond the whole Kyle issue, I was excited about the weekend. This was the first game of the year and, in a way, could define how well we did for the rest of the year. But as I looked out the rear window of Bryan's car, the dark cloud of my relationship hung over us, seemingly following us all the way to the campus.
As was usual we arrived before any of the other players, but this was kind of expected out of us now. CSU Los Angeles, CSU San Dominguez and of course CSU San Bernadino were all there; the prepping of the fields the first issue at hand. Looking on the map to where most of our games were going to be played, the four of us all headed down the field towards an empty green spot. It was about in the middle of their fields, a perfect location to watch over all the games.
Around 8:15 most of the teams started to arrive, first our team, then Fullerton, then Northridge. Pike didn't have to look too hard to find us, content with the spot that we had chosen. He could hardly look at me as he shook each of our hands, thanking us for getting the spot and registering us in. I made sure to put an extra grip into my hand, showing that I had not forgotten what had happened last night.
As they unpacked I saw Kyle show up with Ellie, the two of them exiting silently from her car. Not even caring, I left my team to go say hi to the two of them. Bryan started to pipe up some concern but I quickly shot him down with a death stare, my irritation with this really starting to get under my skin. He quickly turned back around as I approached Kyle, gripping his hands with a tender touch. Moving in for a quick peck on the lips, I toss out the usual question, "How was the drive over?"
Kyle shrugged nonchalantly, though from Ellie's snort, I could tell there was more to it. Ellie glanced at Kyle then back at me, "It was quiet. He's still steamed at Vic for not letting him play against you."
Gripping my hands tighter against his, I look him straight in the eyes, "Hey, Kyle, look at me." He was avoiding my sight, something that he tended to do when there was something he didn't want to talk about. "We'll make it work." Pulling my hands off his, I reach into my wallet to pull out a coin. "To make it fair, let's have one of us play one half and the other the other. Seem fair? Could you call it Ellie?"
Kyle shrugged then muttered out, "Fine." It was clear to tell this was bugging him just as it was me but given our situation there was not much we could really do about it. "Heads you go first, Tails me." I placed the coin in his hand then cupped it closed. With a gentle toss into the air, he placed it against my arm. Ellie had called out heads but when Kyle lifted it up, tails was clearly shown as the winning side. Raising his shoulders in defeat, Kyle looked down at the ground and grumbled.
Bothered by his actions, I lifted his head up and defiantly called him out. "Hey don't act like that. Today will be a great day. Yea our game will be different but you still have five other teams that you are going against. Fullerton needs you today Kyle; give it your best please."
By this time the rest of Fullerton had began to arrive, the team moving past us with a few glances placed in here and there. Victoria showed up near the end, hauling the gear bag for the team. She was more civil today, a hopeful sign for bettering the issues between us. "Hey Chris, good luck today. I want to let you know that it's not personal what we are doing. I'm sorry." She didn't stick around too long but from her voice, I could tell that she meant it today, unlike yesterday when it felt like a show.
Walking with Kyle over to their place, I was amused that it wasn't too far from where my own team had called home, maybe a mere ten feet away from each other. Smiling lightly, I looked at Kyle as we held hands, "Well at least we can talk about our games together."
Kyle broke into a small smile, the first sign that the day could get a little better for him. Looking over the fields, the teams were all here, well all but Northridge. Discs were flying in the air left and right as the players made their cuts in the morning grass, the dew flicking into the air with every change of direction made. My team was already moving around the field in coordinated movements, drills that Pike had taught us over and over during our practices.
Out in the parking lot it looked like Northridge had arrived, the team unloading from their respective cars. Something was different as they all gathered together to find a spot to call their own. I couldn't tell if it was the way they moved or the new players that they had on their team but they had a sense of confidence that the other teams were taking note of. As their team captain went to sign in, they walked right past us, and I am not lying, literally right past Fullerton and Long Beach's spots. It felt as if they were almost cocky, a sense of pride about them that needed to be broken. As I looked over each of their players, I swore I saw one of them wink at me, his luminescent orange eyes reaching out to almost grab my attention. It didn't hold well though as I shifted my gaze to another player to see who all was new on the team.
Releasing my grip on Kyle's hand, I quickly kiss him and confidently told him, "Hey I need to get with my team. You play your best today OK? Do NOT go easy on us because I am not playing ok." He just nodded his head as he looked back at Northridge, their aura of confidence clearly having an effect on him. "Hey focus on your team Kyle." With another quick peck, I turn and move back towards my team.
As I got myself laced up, Bryan and Zach both came over to converse about the new team that had arrived. "What is it with Northridge? They seem... different." Bryan was slightly shaken as I laced up. I snorted as I finished with my last knot.
Zach took my drift and backed me up, "They'll go back to being number 3... or was it 4 last semester? They just have new players. We all have new players."
Bryan remained undeterred as I got up and he threw me the disk. "I don't know guys. Even with their new players, they have a confidence that other teams don't have."
Stretching myself out with each throw, I assertively assured Bryan it was going to be ok. "It's the first game of the year. I'm willing to bet most of their new players haven't even played a game yet. We've got these guys." I put on a good face for the two of them but somewhere deep in my stomach it was off.
The day started off great for us, our first game happening at 9:30. Our opponents, San Dominguez, had improved over their summer break, bringing in a lot of fresh talent to their team. While we did have to work a little here and there, the overall game began to shift towards our win after 5 minutes had passed.
With every point they would win we would take a point an a half, our quest to win stronger than theirs. Pike was on the sidelines calling out what we needed to focus on, occasionally entering in to act as captain during that round. After we won a few points he would exit, not because he was tired but because he wanted to view things from a coach's view.
My mark did his best to stay up with me but in the end it proved to be a futile effort, my sprint skills outperforming his long distance running. I remembered being in his shoes as with every cut I did, I left him in the dust. He was a good sport about it, knowing himself that he needed to work on his sprints, a hard task to do when all he knew was durability.
Our final score was a decent 13-8. It was good enough to take away as a win but compared to last year we had grown lax. Our next few games would have to be much better. The teams that weren't playing, Fullerton and Northridge, both applauded our win and gave Dominguez kudos for doing as well as them.
Moving off the field to relax during our off game, I took a deep chug of water and watched Kyle prep for his game. He looked very fluid in his movements, every cut and pivot to the extent that they needed to be. Scanning over the rest of his team, they too looked in the zone, their silent demeanor showing that they knew where they needed to be and what tasks they needed to do without even being told.
The silence though was unnerving as I realized it wasn't just their team that was calm and collected. Shifting my gaze to the other team, I noticed they too had a bravado about them that showed they were ready to play. Swallowing hard, I knew instantly they were going to be a challenge.
11 O'clock came around and it was game time for Fullerton. With Long Beach sitting on the side watching the game, they did their best to remain unbiased about which team they wanted to win. Me however, I knew which team to support. Shouting out to Kyle every so often, I kept instructing him to calm down and focus on the game.
It was hard for him to do or for Fullerton in general and Northridge began to meet Fullerton point for point, every turnover taken and turned into a point for their team. Fullerton's cuts were starting to slow down and their pivots began to fall apart s they barely sidestepped their mark, the stress and exhaustion starting to get to them. Everyone around us began to take note of the battle raging on the field, Northridge's rise to power catching Fullerton off guard.
During one of Kyle's off points, I approached him and gave him his water. He was frustrated that he wasn't doing as well as he wanted, even though from the sidelines I could tell that he was giving it all that he could. "Babe calm down. It's the first game of the season. It's better to see them act this way now than emerge stronger down the line. Learn from them and adapt."
He didn't appear to be listening though as his attention remained fixed upon a singular player on their team, a tall burnette guy with orange eyes, the same radiant orange eyes I had seen earlier. He acted as if he knew what he was doing, even though from his face he looked like a freshman; a typical cocky freshman. Or at least I wanted to call him that. His expertise though showed in his actions; the sprints throwing up grass behind him like it was freshly cut, the pivots out making him appear super flexible. Kyle muttered under his breath angrily, "I don't like him."
As Northridge seemingly played around with Fullerton, the player would occasionally look over to Kyle and me, his attention obviously transfixed by one of us. I didn't know which one he had an interest in until they scored a point, taking the lead over Fullerton by two points now. It was now 5-7 Northridge's lead.
With their win, the cocky player extended his index finger out towards me and winked, catching both Kyle and I by surprise. Kyle was the first to find his words, quickly spitting out, "Who the fuck does that asshole think he is? And what the hell was that?"
I stood there agape, my reaction probably priceless to the Northridge player. Stammering for words, I tried to formulate a proper sentence to comprehend what just happened. "I... I have no idea what that was. I don't even know him." Now was not the time to joke around with Kyle that he had competition as I truly think he did.
I couldn't lie, the player was a good looking guy. He had a great complexion to his face and the squareness of made it almost look as if he was chiseled out of stone. His brunette hair was cleanly cut against his head, almost a militaristic sense towards it, something that I had grown up with and learned to like. He was perfectly built body wise, not too large with muscle or fat but not too skinny with just skin and bones. He knew how to properly carry himself as he threw the disk off down field, the whirl of the Frisbee echoing off the air as it cut towards Fullerton.
I could now tel that Kyle was itching to get back in, his urge to beat this guy specifically overwhelming him. Though it was a futile effort, I tried my best keep him from pacing the sidelines like a cat, his anger rising ever so higher. It didn't take long though for Fullerton to lose this point as well, the drive for the win becoming harder and harder with every point. Kyle quickly ran out onto the field, almost screaming out "Last back!" as he made his way to the line.
With this specific task on hand, Kyle was determined to overcome this player, making him public enemy number one. The Northridge player didn't seem to mind however as he kept breaking Kyle and out pacing him. I really wanted to help Kyle out but since we weren't on the same team, I could only shout out what I saw, my concerns falling on deaf ears as Fullerton did their own thing, the tide overwhelming them.
The game seemed to take forever as Kyle did his best to stick with the player but it was a lost cause. The final score ended up being 7 to 10, something that was unexpected from everyone at the tournament. As the whistle blew time, Fullerton groaned in exasperation as they realized they had just lost. Adding salt to the open wound was Northridge reveling in the fact that they had just beaten one of the top better teams in the league. Kyle slunk off the field and grabbed his water, avoiding any conversation with anyone. Tossing the bottle down in frustration he approached me as I was about to prep for my own game against Los Angeles. "When you go against Northridge, you NEED to beat them. Do NOT take them lightly Chris." He shook his head as the loss replayed in his head.
Grabbing his shoulders, I looked him dead in the eyes and confirmed his command, "You bet we will beat them. They don't deserve to win, not just yet. They'll have to earn it, blood and sweat." A crooked grim creased across my face as I tried to cheer Kyle back up.
The next two games went well in our favors, almost prep games for the upcoming battle against Northridge. Every team that we went against warned us of the new power threat on campus, this unseen force that we needed to be concerned over. Fullerton as well got back their groove, taking in the wins for their games, something that made me happy to hear.
Around 3 in the afternoon it came to our game with Northridge. We were ready for them and regardless of if they were ready for us, we were going to beat them. Standing on the field, I looked at the players on the field. The cocky guys were lined up directly across from me, a sign that he wanted to duel against me personally. What was his issue? We threw off the disc.
We didn't want to lose but then again we didn't want to toss fun out the window for a win. Pike did his best to stay under control as we moved up the field, our rotations working well for us. The player stayed right on my side the entire time, doing his best to intercept the disk whenever he could. Smirking at him each time I grabbed the disk out of the air in front of him.
Pivoting out to my left, I try for a backhand but he shuffles over before I could throw, making me reverse my stance quickly into a flick, tossing the disk down the line to Dustin near the end zone. Bryan was clearly open in the corner but Dustin, being in his first game, tossed it off to Zach in the opposite corner, a task made harder than it ever needed to be.
I looked to the player as he walked away, hoping he was going to be frustrated but instead he was happy. The next point came around and we were lucky to have a turnover, the disk back in our hands where it belonged. Zach and Rachel initially double teamed the disk up the field but Northridge stopped that as soon as they realized what as going on, forcing Zach to flick the disk towards me. I caught it fair and square but the player tripped me, forcing him and me to fall onto the ground into a jumbled mess.
"Hey sorry about that." He coughed out as he tried to catch his breath. He was uncomfortably lying on top of me, his prone body extended to cover almost every surface.
Quickly pushing him off, I made it well known I wasn't interested in him, even though I began to suspect he was gay. His pride necklace gave it away as he pulled me to my feet. With a charming smile, he brushed off his hand and extended it towards me, "Hi I'm Parker."
So the cocky guy does have a sweet side. Shaking it back I told him my name. "So Parker, in on zero?" I flicked the disk around in my hand, looking out at my team who were all ready to go.
Parker looked at the disk, then behind him, then at me with a grin on his face. "What no small talk? You're going to be a hard guy to get." Catching me off guard, he taps the disk in and starts counting.
Wasting two seconds thinking it over, I look at him confused, "What?" My team cuts left and right behind him. He does a great job keeping up a backhand toss so I am left with off it to Bryan. As I move up the field to my new position, I expect him to explain why he is hitting on me. "You know I have a boyfriend right?"
"The guy on Fullerton? He doesn't look to be your type." Parker shrugs his shoulders as he looks over the field to the disk.
"Dude you don't even know me. Or my 'types'." I break off from him, quickly cutting up towards the disk, making him try to get in front of me. It works the way I wanted it to; as he overpasses me, I turn back and jet it towards the end zone, making myself completely open to any tosses. Pike at that moment had the disk and he threw it to me, landing it directly in my hands.
Sneering at Parker as he walked away, I finally get the response I want. He knew now that I was a challenge for him, both on and off the field. The rest of the game mirrored my relationship with Parker. At first they had a good hand on us, thinking they knew every move we could pull but we began to break away from them, bringing in the points when we needed to. Parker grew more irritated with every read I put on him, my actions unclear to how he was accustomed to reacting.
The final score ended up finishing at 11 to 13. During our team shake, I took special note on Parker, gripping him hard and smiling in a bad boy tone, "Maybe next time Parker." To him it probably came across as a playful gesture, though I meant that he wasn't going to get this. No way was he going to fuck up what I had going on. He smiled back mischievously at me, leaving me to wonder what tricks he was going to pull.
Walking off the field, I find Kyle near my stuff. Instead of being happy over our win, he was defensive over me, instantly questioning me about Parker. "What was that Chris? You can't possibly be serious about him."
Caught off guard by the accusation, I turn it on him and tell him to back down. "Kyle, first off, nothing happened. Second, if it did, I am you're boyfriend. I'm not going to screw this up so calm down. And thirdly, how about a congratulations or something? We beat them." I took his hands and caressed them affectionately.
He seemed to relax a little as he realized how much of a dick he just was, "Sorry." He lowered his head in shame.
Lifting it back up, I wipe his cheeks and kiss him on the lips, staying a second longer than needed. "It's ok but understand I'm not going anywhere. Now for our last game; lets see who can get more points in the half time we have." I wink at him as I move my left hand to his dirt covered shoulder. Rubbing it, I pull him in for a hug.
Our last game of the day, Long Beach versus Fullerton. This was the pinacle game for both teams, especially for Fullerton given their loss against Northridge. Kyle, as we had arranged earlier, took the first half. Pike was frustrated by our agreement, slightly afraid that they would gain too main points for us to come back. If we were going to make this work, Kyle ad I wanted to show that both teams needed us on at the same time, ending the bullshit of not letting us play against each other.
The first half went as expected, Fullerton lead strongly over Long Beach. Even though Pike wanted me to go in and Victoria kept calling Kyle out, neither of us swapped spots. Kyle waas obvioously gettinng tired of playing for so long but he hung out like a trooper, gaining the points left annd right. At half time the score was 3 to 7, Kyle scoring 4 of those points.
Smiling at me as he left the field to relax, I emerged from the grass ready to play. 'My turn' I thought to myself as jogged back and forth to warm up. Pike approached me, irritated at the move Kyle and I had pulled, "I hope you're happy Chris. We have to come back five points minumum to win."
Glaring at him, I firmly stood my ground. "What? Kyle was in the game the entire time. I couldn't go in." I knew he needed me so he wasn't going to pull me out. I was the freshest legs out of anyone.
Pike rubbed his temples as he began to accept what happened. "Real cute Chris. Real Cute. You better get those points back." The team was starting to assemble near us, waiting for Pike's instructions.
Twitching my cheek, I voice my displeasure, "Oh trust me I will." With that, Pike took over and told the team what we needed to do. He wasn't ahppy with how far behind we had fallen but with me now in the game, he was eager to get it back. Bryan and Zach shook their heads at me, their comprehension of the moved I pulled not going well with them either.Moving back to them, I quietly hiss to them, "Don't even start. Kyle annd I are showing how well we play agasint each other, and how you need us to keep doing that."
Like Kyle and Fullerton going against Long Beach, it was a compete reversal into our favor. I managed to get the four points that Kyle had gotten, especially since there was no one on their team that could adequately cover me. One of the players that had issues with me tried to cover me consistanntly but he failed miserably. When we managed to get the score to be even at 9-9, that was when Kyle rose up and bega to beg to be put in. Victoria desperatly wanted to put him in as well but her deal with Pike meant more to her than this game. She too began to realize how much she needed him against me.
The battle began to go lopsided when we broke away with a two point streak, bringing us up to 11-9. The grass at this point was well worn, cleat marks imprinted all over it. For some reason Fullerton was having trouble getting their footing in it, their players constantly slippinng left and right when we would cut. We had our moments as well but not to the extent that they did.the final score ended at 10-13, a very long game for both teams. It was a great battle but withot Kyle, they couldn't hold it as much as they had wanted.
Walking off the field, I smile playfully at Kyle. "6 points. Your turn." We exchanged handshakes as the two of us parted ways to talk with our teams. On my way to my bag, Parker surrpsied me by extedning his congradulations to me. Slightly annnoyed that he hadn't gotten the hint, I tried to brush him off with a simple thanks.
It didn't work as he stayed with me like a lost puppy, his colongue ridden body stinking up everything arond me. If this were Kyle I would have enjoyed it more but since it was a heavy flirt, it was just annoying. After our team talks, I was not surprised to find him waiting for me, his amber orange eyes locked onto me.
Kyle however had finsihed his team talk as well and made his way over to me, intercepting me before Parker could. That didn't stop the shark from circling, him actually being so brave as to approach the two of us for a moment, "Hey, I'm Parker." he exteded his hand out to Kyle, who left it there hanging. "Ok... well I just wanted to say good game earlier today. You fought hard."
Kyle mustered up a decent fake smile, flashing his own teeth at Parker to let him know he wasn't the only shark on the field. "Thanks." With that Parker turned and walked away, not before flashing me a quick wink. Kyle noticed it as well and pulled me closer, "Please tell me you're not into that creep."
As we went back to our respective teams, I turned and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm not. Trust me." Looking around subtly, I had hoped Parker saw that. Disappointed I didn't see him, I looked back at Kyle, then towards our teams. "We have competition this year, more than just our two teams."
With a deflated sigh, Kyle let go of my hand annd made his way over tohis team, "Yea we do. Do you wanna come over later?" Happy at the thought of being able to relax with Kyle that night, I happily agreed. Looking around the field one last time, I really wanted to see if Parker was still watching us.
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Well that was fun. Who is Parker and what is his angle? Furthermore how about their teams? This predicament will be interesting to watch as it unfolds, especially with an added surprise down the line.