Higher, Faster, Stronger

Like I said before, confrontation is no problem.

I had just left the class room to get my water bottle and I'd meet the boys back there. I open the door and bump into the Glacier Extraordinaire himself.

Derek.

Derek Thompson.

With the weight of my messenger bag behind me (stupid new textbooks) I fell backward on the ground. My butt took the brunt of the impact. That was going to make some fascinating black and blues.

The human ice cube was past the door before I even hit the ground. He didn't look back. Nada. Zilch.

"Thanks a lot," I replied sarcastically. Under my breath I muttered, "Someone's PMSing."

In a flash he was holding me by my neck against the wall. I've been in those situations before. Usually the more you struggle, the tighter the grip on your neck becomes. As your oxygen fades away, it's generally futile.

Quickly I lifted my left second and third finger and found the pulse on the side of his neck.

"That's your carotid and that's your jugular. Let me go. Let me or I sever them."

Side Note: I love my nails. I keep them long and well taken care of.

I put my remaining hand near his sternum.

Any martial arts expert knows a few things about the human body. If you hit the sternum area hard enough you can wind your opponent. One self defense class later and I learned a trick or two for sticky situations. It would be hard to sever the arteries but I wasn't going to let him know that, was I?

I could feel a healthy pulse under my fingers. His grip on my throat tightened briefly before he dropped me to the ground.

While he was choking me I got a good look at him. Relatively tall and good looking but those eyes were lethal. Spiky hair too. Green vs. black. Neither of us really won that though.

"Sarah! What are you doing on the ground?" shouted Nathan. Glaring at the back of the cold hearted snake, I leapt up and dusted myself off.

"I just tripped," I muttered. Better to let them think me clumsy than already having issues with the person I'd have to work hardest with.

Collecting my stuff the boys and I chatted about the recent events of the school. They filled me in about everything Hannah might have missed, especially sports. As we reached the school's front doors I turned and asked, "Where's the nearest food joint? I'm starving."

Nathan pumped his fist in the air. "Alright!!! Ramen!"

Steve leaned over, "It's his favorite food. Not a day goes by that he doesn't eat it."

"That can't be healthy," I whispered back.

"It's not. But trying to take him off it results in chaos, so we just let him be. High sodium and all."

Nathan kept shouting and jumping until he saw someone. He turned around and pointed.

"Hey, Sarah! That's Neil! He's our school's prodigy/genius. He has a cute cousin. He and Derek are always battling to be number 1. He's on the team as well."

I took a good look at the genius boy. Shocking eyes, long black/brown hair and a lithe but muscular structure. Cute too. He had a cold look to him. He was waiting by a car, arms folded and his head was down.

We heard the door open behind us. Hannah and her backpack came toddling out.

"Hannah!" I called. "Do you want to get something to eat with us?"

She shyly looked over the one called Neil.

"Neil? May I?"

"If you must. You have your cell correct? Then give me a call when you want to come home."

I rolled my eyes. Adorably pathetic.

"You can come with us you know." I called. With a curt nod I assumed to mean yes, we gathered in our respective cars and went.
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We got a booth and ordered. Then Nathan had to open his mouth.

"Neil! Sarah wants to try out for the football team!"

I groaned. Honestly, no one wanted to question by this guy. He has got a cold stare that could take the skin off you.

"You ever played before?"

"9 years, girl's league and varsity at my previous school."

"Weight?"

"Most girls would find that offensive but 135."

Neil frowned at that.

"You're really light."

"It wouldn't be my first time being hit, you do realize."

"Position?"

"I've played most. So wherever I'm needed."

"Any other sports?"

"I run and swim in the off season."

"Physical limitations?"

"None."

It went on for a little more after that. I tell you that kid was thorough. Good quality in a captain but boy, he could make you shiver.

"Ok, enough Q and A. Would they let a girl play?" I asked.

"I don't know. I've never seen you play but you're up some good competition. I know the rule book front and back and it doesn't say anything about gender discrimination. However," he turned to me, "you'd have some people who wouldn't want you to play. You'd have to earn your spot. Some of your teammates may not even want you there. Are you ready to handle it?"

I nodded and spoke again.

"Put me through your boot camp and I'll pass your physical."

"That's only half of it." Neil frowned. "Some of the boys can be slightly chauvinistic, and you'd have to deal with being the only girl on an all boys team. You'd be under the strictest of guidelines. One wayward hit to the chest and you could easily have a sexual harassment suit on hand. You'd be changing alone and some people wouldn't take you seriously. On a girls team you never had to worry about that."

I sighed. I'd only thought of some of this.

"I don't want to cause a whole gender issue. I just want to play football. I'll earn their respect. I don't care if I get hit in the game but if any boy tries to touch me like that afterward, he's going straight to traction."

Neil stood up and extended his hand for me to shake.

"You talk big, let's see how you play. Friday is tryouts. Hannah, let's go."

"B-bye, Sarah!" Hannah waved back at me.

I sighed and sat down again.

"Do I got a shot?" I wearily asked Nathan.

"As much as the rest of us."
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The rest of the week I stretched, jogged, and lifted weights. I thought about what Neil had said and he did have some good points.

I was the test case, provided they let me play. I wasn't going to mess this up. Just in case, Mom put her lawyer on speed dial for me.

Oh Perfect.
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The final bell rang on Friday and I headed out towards the field. I hit the changing rooms and found the cheerleaders. Oh joy.

One girl with blonde hair looked over at me and asked, "What's with all the bulky padding?"

"I'm trying out for football." You know, trying to pass it off as no big deal when in fact heads could roll over this is harder than I thought.

My statement set off a wave of murmurs.

"Sorry sweetie but I think you have the wrong locker room. Anyone with less than 90% testosterone in their body isn't making that team." She said with a sympathetic smile.

"That's what I'm here to change," I stood up with my pads half on. "I'm not here to start a war, I just wan to play football."

"Good luck to ya!" the blonde smiled. "I'm Isabelle, by the way!"

She and the rest of the cheerleaders headed out, full of energy. I felt nervous for some reason, as I headed toward the boys part of the field.
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At a distance, it looked like a dude with blonde hair was trying out. Close range, there was no way they could mistake me for a boy.

The coach was in the process of taking names.

Now, coach Morino was a pretty formidable looking guy. Scars dotted his face and he wore a blank bandanna on his head.

In a gruff voice he called out, "Anyone else?"

"Sarah Hall." I voiced in return.

A few boys looked back and twittered. I kind of expected that reaction. Derek was sitting on the side lines with his helmet.

The coach looked my way and frowned.

"Have you ever played football before?"

I rattled off my stats, as I did with Neil only omitting weight. I didn't need every boy in school to know my weight. I saw Nathan waving out of the corner of my head and gave him a nod. Steve was sitting on a bleacher with his computer in his lap, already making plays.

"Look," I called, as the snickering grew louder. "I've played, I've taken hits, I've broken bones and I don't care about my nails. Treat me the same as everyone else."

Ok so the last thing about my nails was basically a lie but still, they didn't need to know it.

A taller kid approached me, whose name I would later find out to be Kael.

"Aww that's sweet, little cupcake here wants to try out. Go make me some brownies, sugar ok?"

Automatically I reached down and grabbed his boy parts, making him cringe in pain, bringing him down to my eye level.

"Listen here, cupcake," I hissed. "One more comment and I go apple picking. Or in your case, raisin."

I could hear the laughs as Kael sank down in pain on the ground. I turned and walked away and commented, "Anyone else?"

They gave me a clear path to the coach.

"Not bad. Not many kids can put that one in his place. But violence while not in play isn't tolerated, you understand?" he half barked the last part.

"Sir." I answered as a form of yes.

"Everyone, 6 laps around the field. Go!"

As soon as we were all running, the coach called Derek over to him.

"What do you make of her?"

"A bit volatile. If she plays half as well as talks it's fine but I don't like the idea."

"Go lead them in calisthenics. The normal hundred push ups, crunches, that sort of thing. You know the drill. Don't go easy on the up-downs."

Wordlessly, he headed over to us.

"Down on the ground for one handed push ups."