Chapter Twenty Two

       “And John goes for the goal! And... touchdown!” I said, dropping my bag on the perfectly trimmed, bright, green grass, and running over to John and Phillip, who were in the middle of a practice.

       “Close enough,” John smiled.

       “I have an idea,” Phillip said, picking me up before I could think. He threw me over his shoulder and continued, “Let’s play catch with Elle!”

       “Yes!” John said.

       “No!” I said, attempting to dismount from Phillip’s shoulder.

       “Oh come on, Elle, please?” Phillip pleaded.

       “No way!”

       “Fine. Then I guess we’re just going to have to play catch with a real ball,” he said, dropping me. I tumbled to the grass, and brushed myself off. Grass stains! Yay! I couldn’t wait to brag about them to Kara!

       Once, in gym, I may have accidently pushed her onto the feild, and let’s just say she wasn’t the happiest camper. Her pants may have gotten a little dirty, and she may have overreacted a little too much. She called home, and made her mom bring her an extra change of clothes- not pants, clothes. Her defense was that if she changed pants her outfit wouldn’t work, so the logical solution was to just completely change outfits. She was so mad at me! 

       “Think fast!” John said, as a ball hurled its way towards me.

       “Ah!” I shrieked, quickly moving out of its line of attack.

       “You were supposed to catch it!” he said.

       “I don’t like footballs!”

       “Oh yeah, in seventh grade didn’t you say that you had footballaphobia?” Phillip asked.

       “Still do,” I said.

       “Footballs aren’t going to hurt you. Here, pet it,” John said, putting my hand on the bumpy, oddly shaped ball.

       “No! It’s going to kill me!” I joked, running away.

       I ran right into what felt like a post. I hated having blonde moments like these. I stepped back, and looked at not the object, but rather the person I had run into. I knew his name! It started with an R… Total jerk… Come on, Elle! You could do it! R... Ryan! Yes! Score! Ryan! He was that boring, annoying kid!

       “Elle Paterson,” he said, smiling, “what are you doing on the football field?”

       “Running away from the football field,” I said.

       “Are you with John and Phillip?”

       “Yeah.”

       “Cool. Yeah, I know I look hot in shoulder pads,” he said, patting his shoulders. Psh. Yeah, okay, Ryan. You go ahead thinking that. 

       “What? Oh I wasn’t- who’s that kid over there?” I asked, pointing behind him, trying to distract him long enough for me to run back over to Phillip and John.

       “Who, Sam?”

       “Oh! Yeah, okay, cool, well, great seeing you!” I said, turning away, but was stopped as five strong fingers wrapping themselves around my wrist. “Please let go.”

       “Oh, come on! Elle, are you saying that you don’t feel the connection between us?” he questioned.

       “What connection? We’re connectionless,” I said, trying to keep the mood light.

       “Elle, you know you’re really pretty.”

       “I know, and you know what, Ryan, you’re a real douchebag!” I said, kneeing him in the crotch. I ran as fast as I could over to John and Phillip, who were clapping.

       “Nicely done, Ellie!” Phillip said, flicking me.

       “I have never, ever, ever had to do something like that in my life!” I said, scared. I NEVER did stuff like that. NEVER.

       “Yeah, but was he screwing with you, so that’s cause for justification,” John said.

       “I don’t like him,” I stated.

       “Then why’d you run into him?” Phillip asked.

       “I thought he was a pole.” Phillip doubled over in laughter at my brilliant response.

       “And, that, Elle Paterson, is why I love you,” John said, also joining in on Phillip’s humorous state.

       “What are you on?” Phillip asked, between laughs.

       “Top of the world,” I said instantly.

       “Is that a new drug?” he asked.

       “Nah.”

       “Okay, well-” Phillip began, though was cut off by a gruff voice.

       “Excuse me, Ms. Paterson, are you disrupting these boys from practice?” the football coach most deemed as terrifying as terror is asked. 

       “No,” I said.

       “Then what are you doing?” he demanded.

       “I want a spot on the team,” I said. Phillip was now in hysterics.

       “Well, considering I didn’t let Nick Ross on the team, who I knew first hand was the best player that’s ever walked those halls, don’t think I’m letting a girl on.”

       “Oh no, sir, you don’t understand. Nick was a player, but now we’re dating, so isn’t one anymore. Also, I believe that’s considered sexism,” I said boldly.

       “I was indicating that he was an amazing quarterback, and, Elle, do you really want to go down that road? I mean if you want to we can, but I’m just warning you, if you win the lawsuit, that would mean that you would actually have to play football.”

       “Huh. Yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that offer.”

       “Am I going to be able to get rid of you?” he asked.

       “No, sir.”

       “Fine; stay. Boys, keep going,” he said, jogging away.

       “I can’t believe him! I had to turn the math team down, and yet the football team isn’t even considering me?” I gasped.

       “Yes, Elle, it’s a very complex topic,” John said, throwing the pointy ball to Phillip. There was something very wrong with that sentence- balls weren’t supposed to be pointy; they were supposed to be round, like a sphere.

       “I’m very sensitive,” I said.

       “Yeah, right!” Phillip said.

       “What? I am!” I stuck out my tongue.

       “You keep telling yourself that,” he said.

       “Thank you, I will!”

       “Elle, after practice, do you mind if I ask you something?” John asked.

       “Why not right now?”

       “No offense, Phillip, but it’s just something I have hunch you don’t want anyone else to hear, considering you’re so sensitive and all,” he smirked, flipping his blonde hair away from his forehead.

       “Mkay,” I said, grabbing a football off the ground, and pelting it at Phillip’s back.

       “Hey!” he said, turning around, and throwing it right back at me. I caught it. I rocked.

       “TOUCHDOWN!” I yelled.

       “No, Elle. Just, no,” Phillip shook his head.

       “Yes, Phillip. Just, yes,” I corrected him.

       “You want to go talk to this nut case?” Phillip asked John.

       “Sure,” John shrugged.

       “Okay, cool, she’s all yours; I’m going to go play catch with Sam,” Phillip said, jogging off.

       “Bye Philly!” I shouted after him.

       “Don’t call me that!” he yelled back, with the verge of annoyance seeping through.

       “So, Johnny, what’s up?” I asked. I didn’t know why, but I was in a strangely happy mood today. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I got back one of my English papers- A+, I got a math test back- one hundred and one percent, and I got a science quiz back- ninty-seven percent. My parents wouldn’t be too thrilled with the last grade, but the other two were average. Huh, nothing special today, and yet I was in a good mood.

       “Not here,” he said, looking around the football field. He took my hand and started walking over the bleachers.

       “Please don’t tell me you’re taking me behind the bleachers to talk; that’s so cliché!” I said, skipping. Yes, skipping. I was in a cheerful state, which resulted in me having the urge to skip.

       “Fine, then on top of the bleachers. Are you skipping?” he said, stepping onto the vast rows of metal that stood in front of us.

       “Yes, I am. And, good; the stoners scare me,” I said.

       “You know that that only includes, like, four people from the entire school, right?”

       “Sure…”

       “Sit down.”

       “Please,” I chimed.

       “Sit down please.” I sat on the cold steel, and looked at John. Even though he hadn’t gone anywhere, for some reason I got the feeling that I had missed him; It was hard to explain.

       “I’m sitting, so tell me what’s up!”

       “The sky.”

       “Johnny! Please, you can trust me, go.”

       “I was talking to Cam, and he said you two dated,” John sighed, surprising me.

       “That we did,” I said slowly.

       “He said it was serious.”

       “That is was.”

       “He said you loved each other?”

       “Sounds about right.”

       “Then he said he wished it never ended.”

       “Ah, yes. What he neglected to mention was that he was the one who harshly ended it.”

       “He did what exactly?”

       “He dumped me, Johnny, and tore my heart in two. Let’s be fair, around that time I wasn’t the most stable person in the world emotionally, so that may have added to my response,” I said, amazing myself with how lightly I was able to take the subject.

       “What’d you say?”

       “That I never wanted to speak or see him again.”

       “Didn’t hold your promise.”

       “No, I did not.”

       “I don’t get it.”

       “What?”

       “Cameron seems like a smart guy, why would he be so stupid to break up with you?”

       “He’s an asshole.”

       “If I was with you…” he trailed off, looking away.

       “Mhmm. Right, so, how’s that Hayley girl?” I asked.

       “You mean Hadley?”

       “Sure.”

       “I don’t know.”

       “I thought you two were…” I trailed off.

       “No. It was a mere friendship. Elle, can I tell you something?” he questioned seriously.

       “Anything,” I smiled supportively.

       “I-I like Kara,” he whispered, looking down.

       My eyes grew huge with the information he had uttered, and my mouth dropped. “Johnny and Kara Kent. I like the sound of that,” I smiled, as he flicked me playfully.