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Excuse the Mistakes

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“It’s nice to see you again, Babe.”

Julian, like the coward he seemed to be, stood across the small clearing in the cornfield, with two beefy teammates of his standing on either side of him. He honestly reminded me of that kid who had others do his muscle work because he was too much of a pussy to do it himself.

My arms were being held tightly behind me by one guy, and another had his hand over my mouth. If I wasn’t so pissed off at the moment, I might’ve been genuinely scared at what the Kings had in store for me. However, I was mad, and I wasn’t about to just stand here and let them hold me captive like helpless damsel in distress. However, I also wanted to wait for the right moment to get away.

“Now, don’t worry about yourself,” Julian said with a shrug, “We’re not going to kill you or anything violent. We just want to play a little prank on your teammates.”

 I frowned at Julian, completely lost on the effect that this would have on my team because, frankly, I felt like the one getting pranked. Julian, sensing my confusion, smirked. “It’s simple, really,” he explained in a cocky, pretentious way, “Obviously, your team, especially Dane, seem to care a whole lot about you. When they realize you’re not with them, they’re going to freak out and we get to watch.”

“Uh, how?” One of Julian’s teammates asked, cocking his head to the side. “I mean, if we’re here with her, how are we going to watch the Ice Devils freak out?”

“We’re not all staying here, idiot,” Julian replied, shooting him a dirty look. Then, he turned to look at me once again. “This prank is the perfect way to break your team’s focus and give us the opportunity to sneak in and kick their ass.”

I decided not to point out all of the flaws in his plan out loud, which was large in part to the fact that my mouth was still covered by a hand that smelled weird.

First of all, this prank was going to backfire completely. Julian was just going to piss off my teammates, and in the end, that was just going to make them want to kick the Kings’ asses. I thought it was somewhat amusing that Julian thought that he needed to pull a prank on my team just so that they could beat us, even though it wasn’t going to work. Julian was scared like the little bitch he was.

The second flaw was that I could probably get Julian and his teammates arrested, since this could be considered attempted kidnapping. However, that wasn’t going to happen because of the third reason this was going to backfire.

I’m not a damsel in distress.

I bit down hard on the hand that was holding me, and then I kicked back with my foot. I felt a connection with the guy holding me, and judging from his grunt, I’d managed to kick him where the sun doesn’t shine. I was instantly released, and I was pretty angry.

“Don’t just let her run away!” Julian yelled, like he was a mob boss.

The other teammates came at me, and I didn’t hesitate in sprinting through the cornstalks and out of the clearing. As I ran, I could hear the guys coming after me, but I couldn’t manage to find a break in the maze that was part of the path. That meant I had to keep pushing through the dense corn with no idea what direction I was heading in.

In a way, this seemed like its own horror me. The heroine was running from the bad guys, it was dark, and she had no idea where she was going. There were only a few things that were missing; me screaming, a monster, or a bloody weapon owned by Julian that I would eventually use to save myself and slaughter him.

Suddenly, as I reached a small bald spot in the cornfield, I was tackled from behind. I swore as I landed roughly against the ground, and I rolled onto my back to see Julian a few feet away, glaring at me. “C’mere, Babe,” he growled, reaching for me.

Before he could lay a hand on me, I pulled my fist back and brought it straight down to his face. Blood immediately spurted from his nose, and Julian let out a girly scream as his hands flew up to his face. “You stupid bitch!” he yelled, his eyes widening at me.

I jumped up to my feet, now completely a mess, and pointed at myself. “My name isn’t bitch, or babe; it’s Kelsey, you dipshit!” Then, I faked like I was going to hit Julian again, and he flinched and scrambled away. “Nice,” I said with a roll of my eyes, and then I heard the sound of the rest of the Kings coming towards us. It was probably because of Julian’s cry.

I took a step back and then turned and started running away once again. This time, after a few seconds, I found the maze path. I sent a silent thank-you up to the heavens, and instead of using the right hand rule, since that had worked out so well before, I just sprinted through the maze.

In less than a minute, I turned a corner and saw the exit of the maze. I let out a cry of relief, and I went faster than ever to just get out of the rows of cornstalk. As I exited the maze, I found my entire team standing where you apparently loaded onto the wagon for the haunted hayride, and every single one of them looked worried and also pissed off.

“Kelsey!”

Owen’s eyes went wide as he saw me, and Dane, who was standing between Owen and Tony, whipped around. “Kelsey, what the hell happened?” he yelled, a mixture of concern and anger playing on his features.

I opened my mouth to try and explain, but I was panting and wheezing so bad that I couldn’t come up with any words. Suddenly, I heard the sound of running, and I turned around to find the Kings, Julian at the helm, come running out of the maze. Instinctively, I took a step back, and Dane, sensing something was wrong, actually came and stood slightly in front of me, as if he was about to step in front of a punch or something to protect me.

“What the fuck did you do, Julian?” Dane demanded through gritted teeth, and without looking back at me, he reached and wrapped his hand around my own hand protectively.

“Look at my face!” Julian screeched shrilly, and he gestured towards his nose, which was still bloody and actively bleeding, “That bitch broke my fucking nose!”

“You deserved it!” Tony interjected, pointing at him, “You’re lucky we didn’t call the cops on your ass, Julian!”

“Just leave, Julian,” I said from slightly behind Dane, my voice being far calmer than Tony or Dane’s. However, that didn’t stop it from being menacing and angry. “This bitch already broke your nose, and I am pretty sure that every single one of my teammates has their own ideas in mind. We don’t want a scene here.”

“Maybe we do,” Julian replied, taking a step towards Dane so that they were standing toe-to-toe.

“Beat it, Julian,” Dane growled, “Beat it before I smash your nose so bad the doctor can’t put it back together.”

Julian opened his mouth to protest, but instead, he scanned the faces of my teammates before looking back at his own. Then, he let out a short grunt and narrowed his eyes. “We’ll sort this out on the ice,” he growled, and then he looked at me. “You’re going to regret breaking my nose, Kelsey.”

“Oh, I don’t think I will,” I replied, which just seemed to piss Julian off more.

He turned on his heel and stalked away, though the emergency exit path in the maze, which would lead him back to the start. The Kings followed quickly behind, and after all of them had disappeared, I heard almost all of my teammates let out sighs of relief.

Dane, on the other hand, was still glaring at the Kings, and probably more specifically, Julian. His jaw was clenched in anger, and he looked like he wanted to punch a wall or someone’s face. I couldn’t really blame him.

“Dane,” I said quietly, nudging him with my free arm, “you’re still holding onto my hand. Again.”

“Sorry,” Dane said quickly, and he released me, “Sorry, Kels. I didn’t realize that I was doing it again.”

“It’s okay,” I replied honestly. I actually really didn’t mind; Dane holding my hand felt pretty nice, and I had to bite my lip to keep from asking Dane to hold it again. I mean, he was my captain! Asking him out, which was basically what I sort of wanted to do, would probably weird Dane out.

“Did they hurt you?” Dane asked suddenly, and he clamped his hands on each of my shoulders.

“No, Dane,” I answered simply, and Dane gave me a serious, hard look. “No!” I cried, gaining the attention of the rest of the team. “They were just going to hold me and let you guys freak out,” I stated, and then I added quietly, “Which was a shitty prank anyways.”

“How did you get away?” Alec asked, “I mean, no offense Kels, but it was you against almost a whole hockey team. You’re not really the Hulk.”

“I kicked one in the balls and bit another,” I stated matter-of-factly, “And then, I ran like hell.”

“And you broke Julian’s nose?” Tony questioned.

“I sure as hell hope so,” I muttered, and Tony started laughing hysterically. He actually had to hold his side and bend over for a bit, and it took him a good couple minutes to gain back his composure. A couple of the guys had also started laughing, but Dane stayed serious.

“Dane,” I said quietly yet firmly, “Please don’t let this ruin the night. I’ve never been on a haunted hayride before, and I can’t enjoy it if you’re sitting next to me, being grumpy and angry.”

“Next to you?” Dane echoed, almost to himself.

“Yes,” I replied slowly, and Dane pursed his lips together before nodding.

“Alright,” he said, and then he raised his voice to address the rest of the team and not just me, “C’mon guys. Let’s go get ready for the next wagon.”

We waited for about ten minutes, during which I got complimented on breaking Julian’s nose and learned about the rivalry between the Kings and the Ice Devils.

Apparently, the rivalry started two years ago, which was the first year that there had ever been a Kings travel team. During the first game between the two teams, Julian had thrown a cheap shot at Tony while the ref wasn’t looking, which royally pissed off Dane and resulted in a fist fight between the two. Since then, the Kings and the Ice Devils hated each other with a passion, which was a reflection of Dane and Julian’s rivalry.

It was like something out of a book.

Suddenly, an empty wagon being pulled by a tractor drove up, and I noticed that the driver was wearing all black. I felt my stomach tighten in a mixture of excitement and fear, and I followed my teammates as we loaded up. Our team was big enough to take up the whole wagon, since it wasn’t all too big to begin with, and Dane and I ended up sitting next to each other on the back of it.

“Are you ready to be scared shitless?” Dane whispered in my ear, and I glanced over at him to see that he was wearing a genuine, crooked smile.

“Of course,” I replied with a grin. This was going to be fun.

*

“You know, I’ve heard someone scream that loud in my entire life.”

“It was a scary haunted house!” Tony stated defensively, and he crossed his arms over his chest tightly, “I wasn’t the only one screaming.”

“Yes, but you were the only one screaming like a five year old girl,” Dane replied, and I laughed. In return, Tony swore under his breath and kicked his feet up onto the center console between the two front seats. For the drive back home, Tony and I had switched so now he was sitting in the back and I was sitting in the passenger seat.

The haunted hayride had been a huge success. I’d gotten scared a ton of times by actors dressed in scared costumes and make-ups jumping out at the wagon, which was awesome. Plus, since Dane and I were at the end, the actors would pull at our legs, like they were going to pull us off of the wagon. It was really fun.

The haunted house was also really scary. There were different rooms that you had to go through, and the creepiest one was the one where there were fake dead bodies hanging from the low ceiling, and you had no choice but to walk through them. It was disgusting, scary, and amusing, but that was mostly because Tony had been screaming and holding onto my arm the entire time.

Now, we were just about to drop Tony off, and I could feel the weight of fatigue start to drop on my whole body. It was almost one in the morning, and I was exhausted. Thankfully, we didn’t have a game tomorrow, but we did have practice, and I was starting to dread it. Of course, I would force my body to work as hard as possible, but I definitely wouldn’t enjoy it.

Dane pulled up in front of a pale green house with almost every single light turned on, and then he turned around to look at Tony. “Looks like your mom stayed up again to make sure her baby got home safely,” he said in a teasing tone.

“You’re an ass,” Tony muttered, and he opened the car door and slid out.

Tony waved a quick goodbye at Dane and I, still wearing a cranky expression, and he then turned and walked across his lawn. I watched as the door opened to reveal a woman who I recognized as Tony’s mom, and she gave him a big hug and a dramatic kiss on the cheek. Then, she waved at Dane and I with a huge smile on her face.

We waved back, and then Dane pulled away from the curb. As we drove down the street towards our own respective homes, Dane glanced over at me and asked, “So, how was your first haunted hayride?”

“Spectacular,” I replied with a grin.

“Good,” Dane said with a nod. There was another moment of silence before he asked, “So, do you like horror movies?”

“Yeah, they’re my favorites,” I answered, “I like Scream and Friday the Thirteenth the best, but the early Saw movies weren’t bad either.”

“Friday the Thirteenth makes Tony scream like a girl,” Dane stated with a laugh.

“I resent that comment,” I deadpanned, glancing over at him. Dane blanched for a moment, and I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively. “I’m totally kidding!” I said, and Dane sighed.

“Not cool, Kels,” he replied, and I shrugged.

Dane looked away and opened his mouth like he was going to ask me something, but then he closed it and frowned. “What?” I asked, and Dane jumped, like he hadn’t noticed me looking at him.

“Nothing,” he replied, but it hadn’t looked like nothing. Still, I wasn’t going to push Dane for an answer because, judging from the frown on his face, he wasn’t going to tell me.

After about five minutes filled with silence, Dane pulled into the driveway at his house, and he shut off the car. “Thanks for the ride,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt, “I had a lot of fun with you and the team tonight.”

“Good,” Dane mumbled quietly, and he still looked somewhat distracted.

“Alright,” I muttered, and I climbed out of the passenger seat, “I guess I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”

“Bye, Kelsey,” Dane said, and he gave me an awkward grin. I returned it with a confused smile, and then I started towards my house, which only had the porch light on since my dad was probably fast asleep.

“Wait, Kelsey!”

I stopped where I was standing, which was in my own driveway, and I turned around to see Dane standing on the other side of his car. He leaned against it, and, looking a bit troubled, he said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Was that it?” I asked, and when Dane didn’t crack a smile, I realized that he was being serious. “Sure,” I said, nodding seriously, “Go ahead.”

“Well,” Dane said slowly, “I was wondering if… if, you know… um…” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and I took a step towards him.

“Are you okay?” I asked, squinting at him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dane replied, shaking his hand dismissively. It took him a moment, but with renewed confidence, Dane looked me in the eye and asked, “Kels, do you want to hang out all sometime?”

Dane and I hung out all the time with the team, and now in gym and history class, so obviously, he didn’t mean hang out like that. Dane was talking about taking me out on a date, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised.

“On a date?” I asked, even though it was quite obvious.

“Well, yeah,” Dane said, and he frowned, “Is this you saying no?”

“No,” I replied, and then I had to keep from laughing at saying the word he didn’t want to hear, “I was just clarifying, Dane.”

“Gotcha,” he drawled, and he tapped his fingers against the hood of his car. I could tell he was nervous and waiting for an answer.

“Yes.”

“What?” Dane asked, standing straight up and staring at me.

“Sure, I’ll go out with you,” I answered with a smile.

Dane was my captain, and going out with him might not be the best idea, but I remembered holding his hand and how nice it felt. I kinda wanted an excuse to do that again. Plus, it was one date. If it didn’t go well, we could just go back to being friends.

“Awesome,” Dane stated, his mouth spreading into a big grin.

“Text me about it, okay?” I said, and I nodded towards my house, “I should probably get to bed.”

“Me too,” Dane replied, and his grin got wider. “I’m glad you said yes, Kels.”

“I’m glad you asked,” I stated, and I was. 

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Yeah; Kels is a badass. AND THEY'RE GOING OUT! Predictions, people? (I do have the story plotted out, but I'm still curious)

Sorry for the later update, but I've been spending a lot of time with my stepdad since his surgery. l He came home today, which was a day early, so I had to spend some time preparing. He's doing great, and I really appreciate the good wishes. I told him about you guys, and he grinned and looked touched. 

To the people who thought Kelsey was going to get raped or beaten up; this is a humor story. Julian and his team are not fools; they wouldn't beat up a girl just for a prank. Also, I am 99% sure that I will never write a story about rape or having a rape. My reasons on that are my own.

Song on the side is Heartsink by Blood Red Shoes because I love that song and finally bought it on iTunes. I am very excited :)

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