Preath: Head In The Game [Complete]

3: A Classic Case of The SS

Soon enough, it was time to take a little break, and Alex was carrying a metal tray of what we like to call Morgan morsels because they're weird little vegan snacks she brings that are colourful but usually taste disgusting. Still, I had to go over and see what she brought.

"What are those?" I asked.

"They're like dumplings," she said. "They've got beans, mushrooms, onions, vegan cheese, kimchi and I think the sauce is just standard with peppers and garlic."

Then Megan came along. "Yum, gimme one," she said, but before Alex could hand it to her Megan already had one halfway down the jugular.

Then Alex tried to feed one to Allie. She turned it down, motioning with her hands that she already had something in her mouth.

Kelley approached and Alex offered her one, but Kelley simply shook her head.

Then Crystal came by, and Alex said, "Hey, Crys, want some of my-"

"Nope."

"Seriously?"

"Girl, not if it's sounding like something I'll be pukin' up in a few hours! I bet your dog wouldn't even eat that."

"Damnit," Alex said. "Julie?"

"No, sorry."

"Ugh!"

Mainly because I didn't have a lot for breakfast, this vegan dish of Alex's looked appealing. I picked one of the 'dumplings' up and smelled it before trying it. They were crunchy and messy and not bad... it wasn't until I swallowed I could feel how truly hot they were.

"Nghm! Alex," I said. "You didn't mention they had a bite to them."

"Yeah, I did."

"You said they were standard."

"With peppers and garlic!"

I let the aftertaste sink in. "They're actually kind of good."

"I told you vegan stuff was good."

"Hey, I never said anything about vegan stuff as a whole. That's too general."

Dawn Scott called over Alex and Megan to discuss something and Alex left me with the tray. I was still hungry so I kept eating those... things. I could've had six or I could've had eight; I was not sure. While somewhat annoying to hold, I recognized how great it felt to have the tray to go taunt people with Alex's vegan food. Christen came and stood next to me and I wagged it in her face.

She took my arm. "Come spot for me."

So I passed the tray on to an unsuspecting Sammy and followed.

"Does Press crush the bench press?" I asked.

Christen rolled her eyes. "Shameful."

"Shameless."

While spotting for her, I got to look at her from a very close and intimate angle, which was both a dream and utterly terrifying because I knew she had the same view of me. Perhaps to focus better, I noticed she liked to close her eyes. I decided that when she opened them and looked up at me, she needed to be seeing a funny face. Sure enough, it worked.

"Ahh! Tobin," she giggled. "You're going to make me drop this."

"That's kinda the point."

"Oh really?" She looked at me scornfully. "And what if I die?"

"Come on, you know these muscles aren't going to let that happen." Immediately after speaking, I searched her face for her reaction. She was smiling, so that was good. "And if I do kill you," I continued, "we don't get paid enough for me to fight that in court."

"Then I'll also make sure it doesn't happen," she said. The corners of her mouth curled up, causing her dimples to materialize. I wasn't the one bench pressing, but for once my muscles were weak.

Soon enough weight training was over and it was time to hit the field. The grass was still wet since it had rained early in the morning. Now I got to see Christen's skills up close. From the first moment the ball touched her foot, her eyes changed from gentle and lovely to fierce and wyvern-like. Her mouth, capable of the sweetest smile, turned solemn, straightening into a horizontal locked dungeon, the shift's immediacy akin to a lever being pulled.

Our drills required a lot of shouting, especially since everyone was trying to get comfortable with saying Christen's name. It was shortened to Chris in a hurry. Now I was starting to call Crystal "Dunn" to avoid confusion. Christen was incredibly competitive, challenging me with every chance she got, but I found myself pulling back to prevent myself from crashing into her or injuring her. I felt so unlike me, and when she beat me in a ball-shielding exercise, I decided I needed to step away for a minute.

"Harry?" Allie sat down next to me, facing away from the others. "What's going on?"

"I dunno, I just...shoot," I said. "I can't get my head in the game!"

"Aw." She cradled my head in her shoulder. "...You seemed energetic at the gym, though."

"Well, not anymore." A gust of cool air shot at my eardrum.

"What about now?" Allie asked.

"Nah, that's weird," I said, but it just prompted her to blow even more.

"And now?" Now she was attacking both ears.

"Harry, stop." With one arm I kept her at a distance and with the other I pointed a finger in her face. "Aye! Stoppit!"

"Great," she said, patting my back. "Now go show that same aggression on the field." Then she was up and gone. So, I got to my feet and back into the practice to do what I did best: making people look stupid.

I snuck up behind Christen and nutmegged her. If I thought that was something the defenders hated, Christen looked as if I'd just flushed the toilet while she was in the shower.

"You're so dirty!" she accused.

"I'm an entertainer," I said. Then she gave me a look that I knew would be ingrained in my mind until my dying days. The kind of look that said I hate you and I love you at the same time. She was giving me the evil eye with quivering lips suppressing her laughter, and I just had to shake my head.

After our afternoon scrimmage we got back on the bus. I let Christen go ahead of me and realized something didn't feel quite right. Nay: something felt wrong.

Oh no. I'd recognize that feeling anywhere. The goosebumps on my limbs that would sometimes form before a big game. The tension. As Dick Van Dyke would say, winds from the east mist coming in like something is brewing and 'bout to begin.

I had the shit shivers, and bad. Alex's vegan food was doing a number on me... and I couldn't open that goddamned bathroom door.