THE ROSE AND THE THORN

Chapter 44

"1, 2, 3, Varsity!" our team chanted, throwing our hands up in the air as we stood in a circle.

It was our soccer grand final today, we had come first on the leaderboard for the competition and we were playing second place for the title. It was the team who played dirty, the team whose goalkeeper and I got into a fight. The game could go either way but I was determined to win. We needed to win.

We jogged out onto the field, and I took one last glance behind me to see Ruby smiling at me. She blew me a small kiss, unseen by anyone but me. I winked at her and turned around, running to my spot on the field next to Aimee.

It wasn't long until I finished school. Our last day was less than a month away and then it was our final exams. After that I would be free from Varsity Lakes High School, and free to be open with my relationship with Ruby.

The ref blew his whistle and Aimee kicked me the ball. I was instantly tackled by my opponent, her foot clearly missing the ball and slamming into my shin guards. I didn't let it phase me, manoeuvring the ball around her feet and passing it to Candice.

Twenty minutes in and we were tied 1-1. The other team's forward had done a high kick and hit our goalie in the face with her boot, but the ref didn't see it. I could hear Mr Linder and Ruby screaming from the sidelines, but the ref let the goal through.

"That's bullshit, ref!" I heard Ruby scream, and I turned towards her and out my finger to my mouth.

I knew she had seen me because she instantly quietened. The rest of the first half she remained silent, only yelling encouragement as we continued to battle the other team for the ball. Once the half time whistle blew, the girls and I jogged off the field and grabbed our drink bottles.

"You're all doing great girls, but so are they. Candice, stick tight on number twelve, she's good with the ball but she's slow. Aimee, India, you're doing great out there keep up the good work!" Mr Linder coached us.

The ref blew the whistle for us to continue the game, and we all put our hands in for our team chant.

"1, 2, 3, VARSITY!" We all screamed, louder than ever.

We jogged back onto the field, rehydrated and reenergised. The other team kicked off this time, taking the ball down the field.

With five minutes left in the game we were still tied 1-1. I had the ball at my feet and was dribbling down the field, quickly passing to Aimee who was sprinting down the sideline. At the last second a defender came out of nowhere just as Aimee had entered the box, slide tackling her well and truly before she had gotten the ball. Aimee went down with a loud yelp, grasping at her ankle and wincing in pain.

"You fucking bitch!" I screamed at the defender, running over and pushing her.

"Don't fucking touch me, you slut!" she pushed me back.

The ref came running up to us, blowing his whistle loudly and rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out a red card, pointing at the defender before holding the card in the air. She let out a string of swear words before storming off the field. The ref then turned to me, pulling a yellow card out holding it in the air. I shook my head and sighed, knowing there was no point arguing.

I crouched down next to Aimee who was still holding her ankle, trying to stop herself from crying. Ruby and Mr Linder came over to the field, both supporting Aimee as she hobbled painfully off the field. By this point there was only 4 minutes left in the game, and we would surely get a penalty.

"Free kick!" the ref called out, and I smirked at the goalkeeper evilly.

I placed the ball on the ground, scuffing my boots against the grass.

"You ready to fucking lose?" the goalkeeper jeered at me.

I didn't answer her, I just waited for the ref to blow his whistle. When he finally did I took a short run up, feigning right but then kicking the ball to the left. The goalkeeper took the bait, jumping to the right as the ball sailed directly into the back of the net.

The cheers from the sideline could've been heard from space, but so could the goalkeepers screams. She claimed that I had cheated, demanding another free kick, and I couldn't help but laugh as the ref held a yellow card in her face.

Minutes later, the game was over. We had won the grand final 2-1. The first thing I did was run to the sidelines, Ruby jumping over the fence to run towards me. We met on the field, me instantly jumping into her arms and wrapping my limbs around her. She held onto me tightly, screaming how happy she was into my ear. When she put me down we both looked around nervously, but no one had seemed to notice our public display of affection. Everyone else was too busy celebrating the incredible win or crying because they lost.

"You did so well, baby!" Ruby smiled at me.

"Do I get a reward?" I smirked at her.

"Oh, you bet you will!" she smirked back, and I bit my lip in excitement.

Instead of celebrating with the rest of the team that night, Ruby and I accompanied Aimee to the emergency room. Turns out it was a grade three sprain, and she was to be in a boot for a month until it healed.

"You're lucky you did this today and not earlier in the season!" I told her.

"Yeah I know, but I still wanna kill the bitch!" Aimee complained, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"Well as much as I enjoy sitting here listening to your rants, Ruby and I need to get home and celebrate today's win..." I grinned.

"Gross, ok, bye. I don't want to know," Aimee gagged.

And celebrate we did.