Soccer Fields

Chapter 12 - Foul is Fair

Chapter Twelve - Foul is Fair

Pulling into the AIS all of the kids moved around so that they had their faces pressed against the windows.

It was a huge complex with buildings surrounding them.

Giant signs told them where the Basketball players trained and where the swimming pools were. The sign that caught Megan's eye was the one directing them to the soccer and hockey training grounds.

Once everyone was out of the bus they immediately began the tour.

It started in the exercise gym.

The minute they stepped in the room there were a bunch of people calling out to their athlete idols that were working out. The boys weren't listening to the teachers and started running off to talk to the athletes.

The rest of the tour consisted of everyone marvelling at the size of the place and random spottings of famous people.

Megan wasn't really that interested in anything until their guide started to lead them towards the soccer fields.

Megan was surprised to see a full size soccer field inside a stadium.

They were told that the fields were special as they could change the temperature of the room so that the teams were well prepared for all kind of temperatures when they went to tournaments.

Megan could have stayed there forever just taking it all in. She had no such luck.

Everyone was then ushered into what they called the 'interactive play room'.

There were games that ranged from wheelchair basketball and netball shoot outs to reflex buttons and simulated skiing.

The teachers left all the students alone as they went off to organise the trip home and some other things.

Megan walked over to a simulated game of soccer. There was a virtual goalie standing in front of a goal and two soccer balls set up in the middle of the roped off area for the activity. Megan pressed the start button just as Tommy was walking past.

"Hey Megan can we talk?" Megan heard Tommy but ignored him easily.

Soon she had completely zoned everything out and was just focusing on the soccer ball in front of her.

Stepping a few steps back, she double stepped towards the ball and went for a goal.

It appeared virtually on the screen in front of her once the ball hit the wall and curved around, missing the goalie, but sinking straight into the back left corner of the net.

A huge smile spread across Megan's face and she came out of her zone to see Tommy cheering for her. She gave him a small smile before turning back to the next soccer ball.

"What's going on over there?"

"Is that Megan?"

The rest of the class had started to move towards Megan but she was already in her zone again and didn't notice them.

Taking a couple more steps back from the ball Megan began a longer run up only to fall short of the ball onto her face.

Sitting up Megan looked over to see her whole class laughing at her and then looked down to notice a stray tennis ball a little to the right of where her foot had stepped and slipped on it.

She heard a few of the guys from the soccer team tell her to get up and actually aim for the soccer ball.

They were laughing and pointing and calling her a stupid klutz.

None of them had noticed that the cause of the fall was the elusive tennis ball.

Looking around she saw a worried look on Tommy and Athena's face but next to Tommy made her more angry than embarrassed.

Guinevere was holding a tennis ball tube and one was missing.

"What the hell?" Megan yelled at Guinevere. It took her a moment after the shock of being yelled at to respond to Megan.

Putting on an innocent smile and sliding her arm over Tommy's shoulder she asked "What did I do?"

Before Megan's temper got the better of her Athena rushed forward helped her up and pulled her towards the netball shoot out which was completely empty and away from everyone.

"Hey you ok?" Athena was holding Megan's upper arms before she pulled her in for a hug.

They sat down in the corner, up against the wall, and Megan told Athena everything.

She told her about the after school practices and late nights together. About his sister begging to let him help and then about her crush. Her huge, giant and horrible crush on Tommy.

It took Athena a few moments to get over the secrets her best friend had been keeping from her.

Once she was over it she felt sorry and a little mad with herself for not totally being there for her but also at Tommy.

"Megan just tell him how you feel. I bet he probably feels that same way as you he just doesn't show it."

"Yeah, well. As if he would ever be into me when he already has someone as perfect as Guinevere." As soon as Megan had called Guinevere perfect she looked over to Athena and both of them cracked up.

It wasn't that it was really funny but they needed a laugh. They needed to let lose and to let their walls down around each other.

The rest of the day went quickly.

Soon enough they were on the bus and heading back to school.

A few people made comments about Megan's fall, and how she should leave the real soccer players to score the goals.

Megan brushed it off and followed Athena to her locker.

Once Athena got her stuff they made their way to Megan's locker. On the way they bumped into Chris. Athena waited with Chris for the bus while Megan went to her locker before it arrived.

When she opened her locker a small note fell to the ground.

It was a scrap piece of paper that had been ripped out of a book.

On the front it said to M from T. Inside it only had one sentence.

Meet me at the bleachers tonight at 5, don't be late!