Who We Are

"Do you kids want to play girls against boys or separate teams?"

There were many shouts from the rest of the kids around me as they replied to the gym teacher.

"Separate teams it is," Mr. Galvin said with a nod of his head. "I need girls and guys to split into two teams." He looked over the large group of kids. "I'm assured that you don't need me to do it for you."

There was a mutter of agreement as the girls split into two random teams and the guys chose captains. Mr. Galvin hurried off to get a frisbee to play with. I headed towards the far side of the gym as the other group of girls moved with us.

I stood next to Emily as she chatted with another girl on our team. My eyes moved across the room towards where Ronnie and Max were leaning against the brick wall, refusing to participate in gym just like they always did.

Max was talking animatedly as Ronnie nodded his head, his hands shoved down deep into the pockets of his tight black pants. Max called out to one of the girls on the other team with a smirk on his lips. The girl looked over her shoulder at him and shook her hair out of her face.

I glanced away as Mr. Galvin came over to get the game of Ultimate Frisbee started between us and the other team. I moved to the starting line as the other team took the frisbee. The game was a lot like Ultimate Football, where once you got the frisbee you had to stop and pass it to someone else before you could move down "field".

I took off towards the girl that held the orange frisbee, my feet slapping against the painted floor. Emily cheered for me and stayed where she was, since she never actually played the game either.

I went and acted as a "defender" standing in front of one of the girls on the team who was waiting for the frisbee to be thrown to her. When the girl tossed it in my direction, I leaped out and grabbed it from the air and looked around quickly for someone on my team to throw it to.

"Emily!" I shouted. Then I tossed it to the girl, watching as her eyes grew wide and she reached for it.

She grinned when she caught it. "I caught it!" she shouted as she hopped into the air.

I didn't have time to congratulate her as I raced past her towards the "end zone". "Throw it back to me, Emily!" I yelled at her, watching as she tossed it in my direction. I cursed as it flew towards a spot a few feet away from me.

The frisbee hit the ground before I could grab it. I groaned and glared it Emily. "You suck at sports," I called to her as she shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

"You're pretty good."

I looked over my shoulder and bit my lip as Ronnie stood behind me, his hands in his pockets and his eyes searching for my gaze.

"What do you want?" I asked softly, glancing towards Emily as she called out my name so that we could start a new round of our game. All the girls were waiting for me to head back to the line so that we could start. "I have to go," I told Ronnie when I saw that they were all looking at me.

Ronnie shook his head and reached out to grab onto my wrist. He looked past me towards everyone else. "She'll be right with you. Why don't you keep playing."

I sighed but nodded to Emily as she gave me a distressed look. Emily huffed and turned back to the rest of the girls. I could see the looks that all the girls were giving each other. No one expected Ronnie and I to interact, or for me not to scream when he laid his hands on me.

"What did you do that for?" I asked as I pulled my hands close to me.

"What?" Ronnie asked as he started walking over towards the far wall, assuming that I was following after him.

I rolled my eyes and went towards him. I crossed my arms over my chest when he gave me a silent look.

He asked, "Are you mad about being kissed or being talked to in public?"

I glared at him and licked over my lips. "Stop being so sarcastic."

He sighed. "Well which is it?" he asked impatiently.

"You could've talked to me last night if you hadn't 'refused' to come over last night," I told him with a growl in my voice, "According to your brother anyways."

Ronnie rolled his eyes and reached out to touch my arm. He licked his lips and shook his head. "It's not like that," he said simply, "I didn't come over because I didn't want to talk to you."

I looked at him plainly, waiting for an answer.

He sighed. "I didn't come over because I didn't think you'd want to see me."

I just stared at him. "I don't," I told him.

"Want to see me?" he asked, allowing a smirk come onto his lips. He leaned against the wall and looked at me in the same way that I was looking at him, except he was amused by the anger that was bubbling in my eyes.

"What do you want?" I asked, "Get to the point, Radke."

He sighed and pulled his hands out of his pockets. "I want to talk to you."

I realized what he wanted to talk about and I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about that," I hissed, "Ever."

Ronnie ran his fingers through his hair. He untangled a few strands of dark hair and then let his hand drop to his side. "Do you want me to apologize?" he asked as he took a half step towards me.

I looked him over once slowly, and then nodded my head. "Yeah, actually."

He chuckled and shook his head at me. "Well I'm not going to."

"Well then I'm leaving." I turned on my heel and headed back towards the group of girls who were running in our direction.

"Kat, come back," Ronnie called.

I ignored him and the couple of girls who were looking between us.

"Katerina, come on."

I looked over my shoulder and shook my head.

Ronnie sighed. "I'll see you after school, then!"

I hurried over to the other side of the court and continued to play. Although I wasn't nearly as focused as I was before Ronnie interrupted my game. Emily was now attached to my hip, where ever I ran, she walked after me and asked me 10 more questions.

"Just lay off, Emily," I growled as she stood right next to me, trying her hardest to hide from what ever girl was holding the frisbee.

"But what was that all about?" she asked loudly, her eyes moving to Ronnie. "I thought you weren't going to confront him about the thing." She grabbed onto my purple and gold gym shirt and held me in place so that I could not run away again.

I looked to her and pushed her hand off of me. "He confronted me, Emily."

"You still talked to him," she replied, giving me a pointed look.

I scoffed. "Was I supposed to yell 'rape' and run away crying, Emily?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "It probably would've been a better idea, Kat." She looked over my shoulder and crinkled her nose. "Because now he won't stop looking at you."

I looked in his direction and sighed. Emily was right, even when I looked to him, he continued to stare at me.

Emily rolled her eyes at him. "He's probably attracted to baggy t'shirts and basketball shorts that fall to your knees."

I sighed. "Oh please. This is the kind of shirt that forces school spirit on people. 'We love our Giants'?" I laughed, quoting the shirt, "That's such bull. Nobody likes the school team, they suck."

Emily chuckled and nodded her head. "They're not the best, but you should see the people that actually show up to the games."

I smiled. "You go to all the games, Emily."

She smiled too, shrugged her shoulders, and smoothed down her incredibly short shorts. "Yeah," she nodded, "But I go for the boys. Not the teams."

I laughed and nodded my head, remembering when we were in middle school and used to attend each and every high school game so that we could check out the 'high school' boys. "Remember that year that Todd Anderson asked you out?"

Emily nodded her head and was unable to control her laughter. "Nathaniel walked over and threatened him."

I chuckled and shook my head, remembering how Nate would always take us but never leave us alone when we got there.

"What did he say to you when you left?" Emily asked after our laughter died down.

"Who?" I asked, thinking about the day that Nate left for college. "Nathaniel?"

"No, Ronnie Radke," she said, giving me a look that insinuated that I was an idiot.

"Oh," I said simply, unable to stop myself from looking in the direction where I left him. "Nothing," I told her when I saw that he wasn't there. "He was just being an asshole."

Emily scoffed and added, "As usual."

I nodded my head and glanced to the ground as Mr. Galvin called us in and shouted for us to head to the locker rooms to change. "As usual," I echoed, although I wasn't so sure.