Planet B

The Pirates & The Hornets

Two things I learned from Theo's tutoring session:

One: he can make a mean double chocolate chip brownie.

Two: the faster the acceleration and the bigger the mass, the stronger the force is on it.

Hear me out.

The force exerted on Theo to get closer with me depends on my acceleration with him. Faster I go, stronger the force. Meaning faster we get closer, the stronger he'll be pushed towards me.

Maybe my math is wrong, but that's not the point here. The point is that I can't slack for a moment on opportunities with him, even if his face makes me impractically irritated. Rich boy or nice boy or whatever.

Guilt still tried to nip at my heels for it but I kicked it away as quickly as I could. I had no time for but I feel bad. Do now, think later. It was a reflexive motto at this rate.

Theo would have to wait for a few hours, though.

Because right now, I was too busy deciding what color my coffin would be after this game.

It was the Hunter's first game today against the Pirates and the Hornets. Now, I didn't know much about the other two but I did know they weren't going to be a great walk in the park. Kate made sure I knew that, but that was because Kate was an asshole.

"Listen up!" Coach began. "This is the freshmen's first game, so make sure you communicate with them in all your moves. We've reviewed this game plan and even tried it in action, so you should know it. Got it?" We nodded. "Good."

It was Friday, and the day of our first game. The entirety of the stands were completely filled, and the people were roaring in approval. It was predominately bronze and white, but there were still large sections of pink and white—why a school with a team called the Pirates chose those colors, I don't know—or black and yellow. Blue and white lights illuminated the entire stadium, bright against the darkening sky.

I swallowed. Wow, okay. Not gonna freak out. This is great.

The cheering squad were on the side, their shorts skin tight and their faces threaded with geometric blue lines painted on. They moved in complete synchrony, hyping the crowd up with their mechanical movements and shiny smiles.

We were at the center of the rink, three teams on each corner. Coach was explaining the game to us, but I was only half-paying attention, which was a really bad move to pull on your first game of the season.

"And, Briar," March said, snapping me to attention. She pointed at me, eyes solid stone. "No last minute plays. They're fun with your friends, but these guys will tear you apart. So do not try another risky move."

"Got it," I said.

"Say it."

"Say...what?"

"No risky moves."

"No risky moves."

"Stick with the plan."

"Stick with the plan."

"No matter what."

"For sure, for sure."

She sighed heavily, tucking her tablet under her arm. "This is on me," she muttered, then turned back. "We ready for your first game of the season, Hunters?"

"Yes, ma'am!" we chorused.

She clapped. "Then let's go show these bastards whose rink they just stepped into."

We walked down the steps and fastened our blades on tight. The crowd was cheering louder now and I swallowed, hoping my nerves would deplete as the game went on.