Riley

5

I spent the rest of the day in a permanent state of depression. I didn't even eat lunch. Troy, aka Mr. Didn't-put-me-on-the-team even had the nerve to ask me to still come to practice after school as a "final day on the field". I honestly thought about saying no and just going home but two-thirty found me walking out to the soccer field. The people who had made the team were sitting in the center of the field and I walked over and sat dejectedly beside Sara, the assistant captain of the team.

"Congrats," I told her. She smiled sadly at me.

"Thanks. And Riley," She said, placing her hand over mine. "Alex wasn't on the list either." My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"He wasn't?" I asked in shock.

"No," Sara said, shaking her head. "His name is usually first on the list, but it wasn't on there at all. That's why he's over there sulking as much as you are." She nodded in his direction. She was right. Alex's face mirrored the sadness, confusion, depression, and slight anger that was currently running rampant through my soul.

"I wonder-" I started but stopped when Troy walked into the center of the circle. He was carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other which he sat down before he started speaking.

"Congratulations on making the team! Most of you may not know that this is my first-year coaching and my rules and expectations are different than most. Know that I did not put you all on this team from sheer skill alone. There were many other factors that ultimately led to my final decisions. While I looked at your grades, behavioral records, and how well you performed on the field, know that the most important factor was your character. I observed how each of you treat other people throughout the school day, how well each of you interacted with the other players, and if you played with a team or individual mindset. And after evaluating all of that, you all were chosen. I don't believe that a team is a strong as its weakest link. I know that it's unbeatable if we remain a team. If we stick together, I know that we can beat any other team that is unfortunate enough to step on the field against us. And a great team requires great captains. So, will our two assistant captains, Sara Hamilton and Adrian Harris please come up and get your jerseys." Troy had to yell over all our cheering and applause. They both got their jerseys and Sara sat back down beside me, holding her new uniform and smiling harder than ever. The sheer joy on her face was enough to make me forget about my own despair for a moment.

"Hey. Congratulations. You deserve it." I told her sincerely, leaning over to give her a quick hug.

"Ri-"

"Now, I believe an explanation is in order," Troy announced. "As I have said before, I value one's character more than I value their skill. But, we must also have skilled players if we want to truly be a competitive team. And I believe that our captains should be able to lead their team both on and off the field which requires an additional test that I am happy to say they both passed. Now, I would like for you all to join me in congratulating your team captains. Captains Alexander Tremmor and Riley Chase, please come up and get your uniforms!"

**

Of course, we all know that happiness never lasts. The day after the soccer thing, I found myself in after-school detention. Being the type of person that I am, I made one minor (although truthful) comment to my Government teacher which landed me in detention. I was lucky that soccer practice was canceled today, or Troy would have been pissed. Especially after his whole spiel about the character of his team and of the captains of said team. The downside was that I ended up having to walk home by myself, not that it was really a problem or anything. I put in my earbuds and started to jog back home, but since soccer practice was canceled, I decided to take the long way so that I would still be able to work on my cardio. The extra weight from my backpack was honestly just an added bonus. As I arrived at the road that I knew I needed to take to head towards the house, I decided to just keep going. I didn't want to stop yet. I was enjoying the burning in my calves and the wonderful ache that came with running. I was so caught up in my run that I didn't notice that a black car had been following me ever since I left the school. It was only when it pulled up to the corner in front of me that I slowed to a walk and removed my earbuds. I felt my muscles tense as the back door to the car opened in preparation to run in the other direction. After taking a quick glance at my surroundings, I cursed myself for putting myself in this situation. I was on a deserted, practically abandoned road that looked like the car pulling in front of me was the first that had been on it in decades. This is honestly how horror movies are made.

The first thing I saw was a head full of dirty blond hair and a pair of grey eyes. I stand, frozen, as the man gets out the car and walks over until stops about a foot from me. He was about half a foot taller than me with a similar body structure to my own. His hair is short and spiked, and he was wearing all black. Black shoes, jeans, shirt, leather jacket, biker gloves, and shades that were clipped to his shirt. He had finger-sized gauges in each ear with black snakebites on his bottom lip. There were tattoos covering both of his arms that seemed to be continued on his neck. And he was really, really muscular.

"Riley Chase?" His voice didn't match his appearance at all. It sounded young, almost childlike in its softness.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" I asked, giving him the best glare that I could muster.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer that we continue this conversation in the car." He said. I must admit that for a moment I actually considered it. Just as I was about to refuse and run off, what he said next caused me to freeze where I stood. "If it's your safety you're worried about, don't be. I promise. Family doesn't harm family."

"Family?"