DISCLAIMER: I own it. Please don't copy.
A/N: Okay, guys, we're coming down to the wire here. I haven't decided if
I'm going to completely start the series over so that I can fix some minor
flaws or if I'm just going to continue working with what I have. I don't
know how many more updates I have in my archives. Heh. Also, cbprice25
brought up an excellent question. How does Felicia end up on a team when
she can't properly pass a ball? This is one of the flaws of the story that
I would like to iron out. But basically, Felicia ended up on the team due
to her excellent character, sportsmanship, and abilities specifically to
the position she plays on the field, which doesn't require a lot of
passing. That's the best explanation I can give. You caught me. ^_^
CHAPTER 9
All Abbey could think was that being captain was giving her another responsibility to mess up and another serving added to her already full plate.
Had her father lost his mind? Did he think she had some superhuman powers that let her do everything at once? It wasn't that she didn't find the title flattering, she just didn't know if she had the energy to pull it off.
Logan had fallen asleep on her shoulder by the time she, Beth, and Robyn reached their room. After losing a quiet argument with her father, the bellhop carried all of Logan's things into Abbey's room. Her father didn't want to have to deal with her during the pizza party they were having for dinner. Logan was big enough to sleep with Abbey in her bed, and she could rest while Abbey went to the pizza party.
But there was no way she could leave Logan in a strange hotel room all alone.
Robyn unlocked their room with a card key and walked inside, snapping on lights and claiming the first visible bed as her own. There was a cot pulled between the two beds that Beth volunteered for.
Robyn sulked silently, hating Abbey for taking what was rightfully hers. She put the television on too loud and locked herself in the bathroom, slamming cupboards and letting the hot water run until there wasn't any left.
"I can't believe we have to share a room with her," Beth complained. "It may only be for one night, but we sure are gonna go through hell. Has your father lost his mind?
Abbey pulled away the blankets on the bed, set Logan down with a pillow under her head, and pulled up the sheet to cover her. "I was just asking myself the same question," she mumbled.
"I'm just glad he picked you for captain and not somebody else," she said, nodding towards the bathroom. "If Robyn were captain, I'd be the leader of the revolt to get her demoted."
"God knows you wouldn't make much of a captain either, Beth," Robyn declared, stepping out of the bathroom. "But I don't see how Abbey could be any better."
"Let me guess," Beth replied. "You think that you would make the perfect captain."
A slow smile spread across her lips. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm sure if Abbey didn't spend so much time sucking up to dear old dad and playing favorites, I would be next in line for the position."
"Coach barely even saw you play," Beth argued. "You missed all those days of practice and even the first game."
"Thanks to you," Robyn snorted. "Coach promised he wouldn't hold it against me. I'm the best player on this team and I'm a natural born leader. I should be captain, not coach's weak little daughter."
Beth got up from her cot and took one step towards Robyn. "Abbey is anything but weak." She took another step. "If you're going to insult her, you'll have to get through me first."
Robyn approached her in one giant stride. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her blood boiling at the thought of a fight. "No problem," she said firmly.
Abbey groaned. The last thing she need was to get Beth in trouble for defending her. "Robyn, get the hell out of this room before I tell my father."
"Running off to dear old dad? Figures." Robyn grunted in disgust, but backed off. "One day your stupid threats aren't going to work Abbey, and when you let your guard down that's when I'm going to hit you hard, in the place where it hurts most." She turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. "See you at the pizza party, girls," she called over her shoulder. The door slammed and locked behind her.
"I say we bolt the door shut and let her spend the night in the hallway," Beth suggested, sitting on the foot of Abbey's bed.
"I wish," she grinned. "That girl is one piece of work."
"She's smart too," Beth added. "Smarter than she looks. I think we've got our hands full." She paused. "So are you coming to your dad's room?"
Abbey shook her head. "I can't leave Logan."
"So take her with. It's a party, you're a captain, and you're expected to make an appearance."
"Logan's all settled in for the night. I think it's best I just stay here."
Beth sighed. "Suit yourself. But one day I'm going to drag you away from your little sister and we are going to do some serous partying."
"If you say so," Abbey yawned. "Bring me back some pizza."
She winked. "Sure thing, sis." She slipped out the door.
Evan had never been very social. Coach's room was crowded and most of the team was huddled near the desk where the boxes of pizza were stacked.
He and Tyler were on good terms, even though Evan despised him. Once Robyn entered the room he had gone off to see her, leaving him alone. He watched Tyler clearly. He was smooth and arrogant, flirting with Robyn constantly as he grabbed some pizza for her.
He never did anything like that for Beth. When Beth was around he treated her almost like he treated his sister: friendly, but not hinting around at anything more than that friendship. Evan didn't know who Beth's secret admirer notes were from, but they sure as hell weren't from Tyler.
The she came in. When Beth entered a room, heads were bound to turn. The slender spunky redhead made her way to the pizza and soda, pausing to talk to a few people along the way.
She was so gorgeous. Everything about her made Evan's head spin. It wasn't just her appearance. Her attitude was as fiery as the shade of her hair. She was such an original person, a beautiful individual.
He'd known it the moment they first met, virtually, and in reality. Online, it had simply been an accident. Her email address was very close to a girl that Evan had been hooked up with by one of his buddies. The first email was just an attempt to get to know her better, but he'd been a little more flirtatious than he wanted to be. It was easier to be smooth in words than in real life for him. Beth had soon told him that he had the wrong email address, and he apologized, feeling sorry for himself because he had yet again made a complete jerk out of himself. Beth took pity on him and they kept emailing each other. Finding out each other's identities had never occurred to him. The Tormented Shopper was just supposed to be an online friend.
But of course, the real girl had to show up in his life and make things even more awkward. It was just his luck, though it was more than worth it to see Beth. Evan would make a fool of himself a thousand times over for her.
"Hey Ev," Beth chirped, stepping beside him. She was gorgeous. "Why are you all by yourself?"
She sure knew how to hit the nail on the head. "It's not by choice," he muttered, and crushed his empty plastic cup in his hands. He didn't know if the frustration was from being alone or the overwhelming need to tell her the truth. He wanted to take her hand and whisper to her, whisper how he believed they were meant for each other, and promise he would never hurt her, not like Tyler did everyday.
He rubbed his hand over his face. Dear god, what was he thinking? He needed to get a hold of himself. Why did Beth have to have this effect on him?
"I think I'm just going to go back to my room and go to bed early," he shrugged, still not looking her in the eye.
"Something wrong?" she questioned. "You've been acting strange lately. Ever since the game." She took a step closer to him, so close the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as her scent swirled inside him and made his head spin. Her voice softened. "You can talk to me, you know."
"I know," he said quietly. But this was the one thing he couldn't talk about, the one thing that could do so much damage she would never forgive him.
Her face warmed, concerned. "Do you want to go someplace less crowded?"
Evan shook his head. "No, he'd lose all of his self-control if they were alone.
Beth sighed. "One day, Evan." She paused. "One day I'm going to figure out what's going on inside that head of yours." She lifted a hand towards him, and Evan expected her to point to his head, but instead she rested the palm of her hand on his chest.
Instantly, he felt his heartbeat race. Startled, Beth pulled away. Gathering courage he didn't know he hand, Evan brought his own hand to his chest and laid it over hers. It was soft and warm against his own skin, and for a moment he could only stare at them, pressed together.
Beth met his gaze through his rimmed glasses, her own heart quivering in her chest. She pulled away, her cheeks flushed, almost as though she'd done something wrong.
"Beth, I. I'm sorry."
Her smile was small and ingenuine. "Don't be sorry." She looked down at her feet sheepishly.
He'd really done it now. He messed everything up. Things would never be the same between them again.
But then she looked up, and the fire came back into her eyes. "Let's get some pizza," she said, and led him to the table.
It was then that he made up his mind. He had to tell Beth the truth. It didn't matter if it ruined their friendship. He had to tell her, and he knew the perfect way to do it.
CHAPTER 9
All Abbey could think was that being captain was giving her another responsibility to mess up and another serving added to her already full plate.
Had her father lost his mind? Did he think she had some superhuman powers that let her do everything at once? It wasn't that she didn't find the title flattering, she just didn't know if she had the energy to pull it off.
Logan had fallen asleep on her shoulder by the time she, Beth, and Robyn reached their room. After losing a quiet argument with her father, the bellhop carried all of Logan's things into Abbey's room. Her father didn't want to have to deal with her during the pizza party they were having for dinner. Logan was big enough to sleep with Abbey in her bed, and she could rest while Abbey went to the pizza party.
But there was no way she could leave Logan in a strange hotel room all alone.
Robyn unlocked their room with a card key and walked inside, snapping on lights and claiming the first visible bed as her own. There was a cot pulled between the two beds that Beth volunteered for.
Robyn sulked silently, hating Abbey for taking what was rightfully hers. She put the television on too loud and locked herself in the bathroom, slamming cupboards and letting the hot water run until there wasn't any left.
"I can't believe we have to share a room with her," Beth complained. "It may only be for one night, but we sure are gonna go through hell. Has your father lost his mind?
Abbey pulled away the blankets on the bed, set Logan down with a pillow under her head, and pulled up the sheet to cover her. "I was just asking myself the same question," she mumbled.
"I'm just glad he picked you for captain and not somebody else," she said, nodding towards the bathroom. "If Robyn were captain, I'd be the leader of the revolt to get her demoted."
"God knows you wouldn't make much of a captain either, Beth," Robyn declared, stepping out of the bathroom. "But I don't see how Abbey could be any better."
"Let me guess," Beth replied. "You think that you would make the perfect captain."
A slow smile spread across her lips. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm sure if Abbey didn't spend so much time sucking up to dear old dad and playing favorites, I would be next in line for the position."
"Coach barely even saw you play," Beth argued. "You missed all those days of practice and even the first game."
"Thanks to you," Robyn snorted. "Coach promised he wouldn't hold it against me. I'm the best player on this team and I'm a natural born leader. I should be captain, not coach's weak little daughter."
Beth got up from her cot and took one step towards Robyn. "Abbey is anything but weak." She took another step. "If you're going to insult her, you'll have to get through me first."
Robyn approached her in one giant stride. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her blood boiling at the thought of a fight. "No problem," she said firmly.
Abbey groaned. The last thing she need was to get Beth in trouble for defending her. "Robyn, get the hell out of this room before I tell my father."
"Running off to dear old dad? Figures." Robyn grunted in disgust, but backed off. "One day your stupid threats aren't going to work Abbey, and when you let your guard down that's when I'm going to hit you hard, in the place where it hurts most." She turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. "See you at the pizza party, girls," she called over her shoulder. The door slammed and locked behind her.
"I say we bolt the door shut and let her spend the night in the hallway," Beth suggested, sitting on the foot of Abbey's bed.
"I wish," she grinned. "That girl is one piece of work."
"She's smart too," Beth added. "Smarter than she looks. I think we've got our hands full." She paused. "So are you coming to your dad's room?"
Abbey shook her head. "I can't leave Logan."
"So take her with. It's a party, you're a captain, and you're expected to make an appearance."
"Logan's all settled in for the night. I think it's best I just stay here."
Beth sighed. "Suit yourself. But one day I'm going to drag you away from your little sister and we are going to do some serous partying."
"If you say so," Abbey yawned. "Bring me back some pizza."
She winked. "Sure thing, sis." She slipped out the door.
Evan had never been very social. Coach's room was crowded and most of the team was huddled near the desk where the boxes of pizza were stacked.
He and Tyler were on good terms, even though Evan despised him. Once Robyn entered the room he had gone off to see her, leaving him alone. He watched Tyler clearly. He was smooth and arrogant, flirting with Robyn constantly as he grabbed some pizza for her.
He never did anything like that for Beth. When Beth was around he treated her almost like he treated his sister: friendly, but not hinting around at anything more than that friendship. Evan didn't know who Beth's secret admirer notes were from, but they sure as hell weren't from Tyler.
The she came in. When Beth entered a room, heads were bound to turn. The slender spunky redhead made her way to the pizza and soda, pausing to talk to a few people along the way.
She was so gorgeous. Everything about her made Evan's head spin. It wasn't just her appearance. Her attitude was as fiery as the shade of her hair. She was such an original person, a beautiful individual.
He'd known it the moment they first met, virtually, and in reality. Online, it had simply been an accident. Her email address was very close to a girl that Evan had been hooked up with by one of his buddies. The first email was just an attempt to get to know her better, but he'd been a little more flirtatious than he wanted to be. It was easier to be smooth in words than in real life for him. Beth had soon told him that he had the wrong email address, and he apologized, feeling sorry for himself because he had yet again made a complete jerk out of himself. Beth took pity on him and they kept emailing each other. Finding out each other's identities had never occurred to him. The Tormented Shopper was just supposed to be an online friend.
But of course, the real girl had to show up in his life and make things even more awkward. It was just his luck, though it was more than worth it to see Beth. Evan would make a fool of himself a thousand times over for her.
"Hey Ev," Beth chirped, stepping beside him. She was gorgeous. "Why are you all by yourself?"
She sure knew how to hit the nail on the head. "It's not by choice," he muttered, and crushed his empty plastic cup in his hands. He didn't know if the frustration was from being alone or the overwhelming need to tell her the truth. He wanted to take her hand and whisper to her, whisper how he believed they were meant for each other, and promise he would never hurt her, not like Tyler did everyday.
He rubbed his hand over his face. Dear god, what was he thinking? He needed to get a hold of himself. Why did Beth have to have this effect on him?
"I think I'm just going to go back to my room and go to bed early," he shrugged, still not looking her in the eye.
"Something wrong?" she questioned. "You've been acting strange lately. Ever since the game." She took a step closer to him, so close the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as her scent swirled inside him and made his head spin. Her voice softened. "You can talk to me, you know."
"I know," he said quietly. But this was the one thing he couldn't talk about, the one thing that could do so much damage she would never forgive him.
Her face warmed, concerned. "Do you want to go someplace less crowded?"
Evan shook his head. "No, he'd lose all of his self-control if they were alone.
Beth sighed. "One day, Evan." She paused. "One day I'm going to figure out what's going on inside that head of yours." She lifted a hand towards him, and Evan expected her to point to his head, but instead she rested the palm of her hand on his chest.
Instantly, he felt his heartbeat race. Startled, Beth pulled away. Gathering courage he didn't know he hand, Evan brought his own hand to his chest and laid it over hers. It was soft and warm against his own skin, and for a moment he could only stare at them, pressed together.
Beth met his gaze through his rimmed glasses, her own heart quivering in her chest. She pulled away, her cheeks flushed, almost as though she'd done something wrong.
"Beth, I. I'm sorry."
Her smile was small and ingenuine. "Don't be sorry." She looked down at her feet sheepishly.
He'd really done it now. He messed everything up. Things would never be the same between them again.
But then she looked up, and the fire came back into her eyes. "Let's get some pizza," she said, and led him to the table.
It was then that he made up his mind. He had to tell Beth the truth. It didn't matter if it ruined their friendship. He had to tell her, and he knew the perfect way to do it.