24
Quinn
“That is amazing.”
My entire team was pointing and smiling up toward the stands. Zeke, whose relationship with the Vipers had been improving exponentially since he took my advice about being more reasonable with them, had managed to convince some of his teammates to show up to cheer us on for our next game. They filed into the stands in seemingly random order at first, but once they were situated, it was clear to see that they formed the shape of a black widow. Most of the Vipers were dressed in black, but Zeke and two of his teammates were sitting in a line in the center, dressed in red, making the notable red marking on a black widow’s back.
Alec pinched my cheek. “Look at you. You’re beaming.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. That’s pretty awesome.”
I locked eyes with Zeke, and he mouthed, “Good luck.”
I couldn’t chart exactly when things had changed. For a while, the only thing that mattered to me was football and going semi-pro. It was like Zeke said—suddenly, there were things more important than that.
“You’re falling for him,” Alec murmured into my ear.
The sentence sent a shiver down my spine, not because I wanted to deny it but because I couldn’t. “Yeah.” I looked over at him. “I am.”
Alec squealed. “I’m so happy for you.” He tapped my head. “Now, let’s go win this game so I can quit my job and become the Widows’ manager for real.”
That thought made me happy, too. I briefly imagined a world where I worked with my best friend, did what I loved for a living every single day, and was in a relationship with the greatest guy I’d ever been with. It seemed too good to be true, yet I was staring it down. I was so close I could taste it.
I managed to drag my team’s attention away from Zeke and the other Vipers and brought us over to huddle with Cal. I handed my playbook to Cal and then went and stood amongst the fray. Between what Cal came up with and what Zeke and I concocted, we had a whole book of plays that utilized the ten of us to the best of our abilities. A lot of my plays simply needed revamping, creatively moving people from one place to another in order to cover the field and still make the important cogs in the plays turn. Cal had come with two new plays that had our team operating like a pack of birds flying south. Our practice the day before, which would ordinarily be just a couple of hours, ended up being six hours long and extending well into the night. No one complained. We were all exhilarated and energized by still being able to do damage without Lila’s attitude bogging us down.
“All right, Widows, I know I don’t need to tell you that this game is a big deal,” Cal said. “We’ve only won one of our first two games, so we have to win this one, or we’re out. It’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t want you to let it get to you. You’re a good team, and Lila or not, you can beat this team.”
He flipped open his binder. “Colorado is the only other all-women’s team you’re up against. Some might say that’s an advantage, but we all know that it means you’re going up against someone with your same gumption. We can’t afford to underestimate this team. The second we do, they’ll stomp all over us. They still have four times our team’s number to shuffle in and out if they want, so you have to keep your stamina high. No unnecessary movement, keep your feet on the ground as much as possible, and share the wealth. If you’ve got a girl closer to a mark, let them take it, but stay vigilant.” He looked over at me. “Cap?”
“Cal covered most of it. I know that we’re down Lila’s power, and that’s a tough gap to fill, but we practiced the hardest we ever have this week. Let’s get out there and prove that one person’s selfish attitude isn’t going to ruin our chances of going semi-pro.” I stuck my hand into the center of our huddle, and everyone’s landed on top of mine. “Black Widows on three! One, two, three.”
“Black Widows!”
We peeled off from one another to get our pads and helmets on, and a few seconds later, a whistle blew. I looked over, and a ref was beckoning the captains forward. I glanced at Kris, and she walked over to me. We stepped out onto the field. Colorado was taking their time, so I turned around and looked back at Zeke. He was talking and smiling with his team, but having him nearby filled me with power.
“Fuck. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
I looked back at Kris, and she looked like she’d seen a ghost. I followed her gaze to where Colorado’s captain was walking onto the field, and my heart sank. Standing next to her, in Colorado’s orange and brown jersey and walking toward us with an evil smirk on her face, was Lila.
“What?” I whispered. “What’s going on?”
The captain and Lila made their way over to us, and Lila smiled at me. “Hi, Quinn.”
“Why?” I asked. “Why did you—”
“All right, ladies, we want a clean game. Let’s give the people what they came for.” The ref pointed at Colorado’s captain. “Call it.”
The captain looked at me with an equally evil grin. “Heads.”
The ref flipped a coin into the air. It glinted against the afternoon sun before landing on the turf tails up. The ref looked over at me, but I was still too shocked to speak.
Kris nudged me, and I just managed to get out, “We’ll receive.”
“Very well.”
The ref motioned toward our team, letting everyone know we were receiving first, and then Kris had to physically drag me off the field. It didn’t take long for the rest of the Widows to notice my shock.
“Quinn, what’s wrong?” Cal asked, putting a hand on my back.
I still couldn’t answer, so Kris stepped forward. “Lila’s over there. She’s playing for Colorado.”
“What!” a chorus called in shock.
Their eyes all shot across the field, and just like she always did with us, Lila was already standing out on the field, waiting for her team to catch up.
“Bitch!” Mala barked.
George and Max exchanged heartbroken looks, and then Max’s jaw clenched, and her expression turned angry. “I thought she was fucking dead or something.”
George slammed her fist into her palm. “Let’s fucking smash her.”
I looked at Cal and shook my head. “I can’t. We didn’t account for that power. We couldn’t even beat Lila when she was playing against us.”
Cal grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the team. “You have to stop this. You’re the captain. If you waver, the whole team will crumble beneath you.”
“Quinn!” I looked over toward the stands, and Zeke was looking back at me with concern.
I shook my head until Cal snapped his hand in front of my face to bring me back to attention. “We can beat them. We can beat her. You believe in this team, right?” I nodded. “You’re not just a run of the mill player, Quinn.” He took my helmet from my hand, pulled it over my head, and then smacked it. “Now, get out there and fuck ‘em up.”
I nodded but didn’t go back toward the team. I walked out onto the field and took my mark, staring Lila down. Both teams bled in around us until we were prepped and ready to go. The noise around me faded away until all I could hear was my breathing. I ducked down, the sound of the whistle far from me, and I didn’t hear anything again until someone was screaming my name.