Hello everyone! I do hope you liked the last chapter. This is by far the longest chapter of the series. I debated with splitting it into two parts, but I think that will take away from the events that take place. Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who wrote in with their comments. I hope you like this installment of "The Silent Cellist".
Chapter Sixteen: Diary Entry of a Sane Mad-Girl
October 21, 2154
Dearest Illitor,
How have you been my dear friend? It's been a couple of weeks since we last spoke, but I must confess that these last few weeks have been among the best days of my life. Second only to mine and Sarah's wedding of course. Brittany is such a lovely young lady. And I mean she is a true lady. Her heart, her soul her very existence is seething with love and affection. Not to mention she is so warm and wonderful just to be around. I do believe Sarah could not have picked for me a better friend... if not girlfriend. I can't believe I actually confessed that to her just two nights past.
Brittany invited me to go out with her on a date... I guess one could call it that. I really don't know any other word to describe it. I must admit that I did feel a bit out of place, but as I mentioned before, she is a true lady. A true lady is always there for the comfort of her guest, as she referred to me. It was a small get-together with her team. They recently won both of their last two tournaments making their record at four wins for the season. I still don't quite follow the game, but for Brittany I'm willing to give it a chance. Their junior varsity team didn't fair so well in those same tournaments. They managed to finish in the "final four" but only as second and third (respectively), but they are still in first place for the season. Damn, even I'm getting into Brittany's enthusiasm for this sport. The get-together was more geared towards the celebration of them going to World Cup in three days.
Brittany's group of friends, who idolize her like I've never seen before, are very reasonable and understanding. To be honest, I was expecting people more like that she-devil Kayla: immature bastard sons of Satan who are so preoccupied with themselves to even give their own reflection a second glance. But not these kids. They tried to bring me in on the conversations throughout the night. Although I couldn't follow what they were talking about (something about a dynasty and some bushwhackers), it was still a nice gesture on their part. Brian, who I found out is the team's captain, is a very nice young man as he actually sat me down, with paper and pencil in-hand, and tried to explain the basics of this thing called X-Ball. Most of them, although Brian did most of the talking, would not shut up about how good Brittany is at this game. I guess they failed to notice the fact that I was there watching her play.
I am so glad that Brittany decided to walk by the bookstore all those weeks ago. She is a very lovely young lady with a great group of friends. However, I think her mother deserves most of the credit. She raised her daughter by herself during her most strenuous years and did it well. I can't help but love that woman. Hell, she even invited me to come along with her down to Florida to watch "our girl" play in the "biggest event of the year", as everyone keeps calling it. To think, if Sarah hadn't led her down to the bookstore that day I still may be looking for someone that could equal her as a person.
God Illitor, I finally remember what it feels like to be this happy once again. My life could end tomorrow and I could rest in peace. I haven't felt this level of elation since my wedding day. Brittany has this way with people that make them love her, and I am no exception. However, the kind of love I'm feeling for her goes deeper than a typical friendship. I think she feels it too. I could tell in the way she kissed me tonight. Oh yes, Illitor, we shared our first kiss tonight! I can't be certain who made the first move, but in all honesty I couldn't care less.
Brittany drove us back to the bookstore, right at the time she told Roger to be expecting us I might add, after our get-together ended. We sat in the car for a few minutes, but to me I think time stood still. I looked over at her as she looked at me. I swear, my old friend, that she and Sarah have identical eyes. I could spend the rest of time lost in her gaze. I don't know what it was that made us move. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, or perhaps it was the only way to break the ice between us. I'd like to think it was Sarah's way of telling me it was O.K. to let her go. Whatever it was, we inched closer to each other until our lips touched with the lightest bit of pressure. Then out mouths collapse into each other. I felt her fingers caressing my flared cheeks, sending goosebumps and tingles throughout my body. I don't know how long we held our kiss, but it ended far sooner than either of us wanted it to. She looked at me once more with those beautiful eyes of
hers and smiled. I could feel the happiness and joy flowing out her. I'm sure she could feel it flow from me as well.
Like the true lady that she is, she escorted me up to the front door of the store. We both exited the vehicle with smiles across our lips. Brittany took my arm into hers and led me up to Roger's front door. Once we arrived I could tell she didn't want to let my arm go. In fact, her grip only grew tighter. I looked at her once again and she looked back at me. Yet again I could feel the sensual tension rising between us. In that moment, I didn't care who saw us or what they would think, but I was overwhelmed with affection for this girl to the point of my knees getting weak. Brittany moved her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her in our second kiss. However, unlike our first, this kiss was much more passionate than passive. I felt the pressure of her strong arms around my neck as she rose on her toes to meet me once more. Surprised by her sudden display of affection? yes, but I resist? hell no! I accepted her brazen display and let her do as she wished with me. I
swear, Illitor, she could make me melt with a simple look.
Neither one of us cared who saw us in our moment, but yet again, it ended before we wanted it to. Brittany took a step back and smiled the most bashful, innocent smile I've ever seen in my life. I could tell by the look on her face that she was at a loss for words. The sensual heat coming out of her told me that she wanted to jump me right then, but her good sense told her not to... and she listened to the latter.
She looked back at me (my gaze hadn't moved an inch from her lovely face) and said, "Well, Amanda, I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm glad you got to meet my friends. They've been wanting to meet you all week. Will I see you down in Florida?"
To this I could only nod. I wanted to tell her everything that I felt for her, but sadly I could not.
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Well, I guess I should be getting home and packing. Good night, Amanda."
I moved my lips to the tune of a reciprocation of her words, but once again I could not. Illitor, I don't know how to tell you the kind of hurt I felt in that moment. This girl, who I have grown to love so much, will never hear me say the words. I want to tell her those famous three words. I want to make her feel secure with my voice, like I made Sarah all those years ago. But to my eternal disgrace I cannot. I think she saw the hurt in my eyes as my gaze finally drifted towards the ground. She lightly brought my chin up and pulled me into a loving embrace. I felt her lips against my cheek and, like the true lady she is, she whispered, "You don't have to say the words to make them true."
What does one do when told that? Honestly, I have no idea. All I did was lay my cheek against her head and held her there. After short while, we separated. I kissed her hands and went inside. I didn't look back. I didn't want her to see the hurt and pain on my face, it would have killed her mood. Even though my back was to her the whole way to the stairwell door, I could feel those eyes of hers piercing right into my heart and soul and that was a feeling I could get used to.
Well, my dear friend, the hour is growing late and I have to up early tomorrow. I'm glad to see that you and Inikye are happy for me. I don't want you two to feel that I'm betraying Sarah either. Hell, it took her words to my face for me to believe that I wasn't. Thank you my dear friend.
Love, Amanda
Chapter Seventeen: A Week in the Florida Heat
Brittany couldn't help but float on air. Ever since her trip to the asylum she's been a completely different person. Brian could see that her entire nature had changed back to the baby sister that he adores. Brittany had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time. Hell, the last time he's seen her even close to this happy was when they won the national championship last year. The entire school was buzzing about the way she seemed to float from one class to the other, but only a select few of the student body knew why. Her teachers and coaches were pleased to see one of their star pupils with such an upbeat attitude once again.
"So Brit," Tina said as they were loading the equipment into the bus that Wednesday, "is it true what Brian and Frank are saying? Are you and that Amanda girl really going out?" Her tone was spirited, but there was a hint of fear in her words.
"Yes!" she said, beaming. "We haven't had a real date yet, but she did come over to Brian's house after our last tournament to hang out with us for a while. Tina, I can't remember when I was this happy!"
"That's great, hon," Tina said in the same half-hearted tone. Brittany could tell what was bothering her, but debated on whether or not to break into such territory.
"What's the matter babe?" she asked, her concern finally winning out. Brittany knew damn well what was on her mind, but needed Tina to say the words out loud. "You seem so down and out right now. You should be happy. We're undefeated in our league and now we're getting a free trip to Orlando! Why would you be sad?"
"Why do you think?" Tina answered with a bit of a hiss. "Damn it Brittany, we've gone over this once before and it hurts. Alright! I'm glad you're happy, I really am, but I'd appreciate it if you left me alone right now."
"No!" Brittany answered back, insulted to high hell. By now some of the other team members were keeping an ear out for more details. Brittany took a breath before continuing. "Yes we have discussed this already and I thought we were clear about where we stand. I'm not about to have one my best players getting all pissed off because she can't have it her way. You're one of my best friends, Tina, not to mention one of the best back players I've ever met. I would back you up any day of the week and twice on Sunday so don't start acting like an immature little brat, especially when you ask me in the first place. Now I'm sorry that I hurt you, I really am, but I've got this personal quirk: I don't like dating within the team. It leads to nothing but problems. As your captain, and as your friend, I'm telling you to drop it."
Tina was in shambles by the time Brittany was done with her little speech. As pissed off and angry and hurt that she was, Tina couldn't find any words to come back with. Oh, how she wanted to punch her in the face, but at the same time she also wanted to kiss and hold her. That was the Brittany that everyone loves. She had a way with people and being able to put them in their place, but do it in a way that was hard to argue with. Tina said nothing. She turned her attention back to getting the gearbags accounted for and under the bus. Brittany went back to packing up the team's repair kits and tech equipment. She could hear some of her teammates already talking about the argument.
"Is there anything you want to tell me before we get on the road?" Coach Wilson asked of his star player. He heard her little speech, but didn't want to intervene; he wanted to see how she would handle herself about a personal matter against a friend. He was impressed by her candor and choice of words.
"No sir," Brittany said, not wanting to think about it. "Tina and I understand each other completely."
"That's not exactly what I had in mind," he answered sighing. "What was it that got Tina so upset in the first place?"
Brittany took a deep breath, not liking the tone of this conversation but was compelled to tell her coach what she knew. "A while back she told me she was in love with me. Now that I've found someone, and she knows exactly who it is, she can't handle it. She thought the two of us would be together by this time, I guess. I thought I told her back then that I was looking at someone else, but either she misunderstood me or thought I was just blowing her off. But I'm happy and it's not with her so she got a little pissed. So I made sure she understood me completely this time."
"I see," the coach said, taking in every word. He spoke evenly, but with great concern. Too often he's seen teams fall apart because of inter-team fighting. "Do you want me to switch her off your line with someone else, say like Mark or Adam?"
"With all due respect sir," Brittany said with a lift to her voice, "I think that would be a bit premature. I know she's pissed off right now, but that would only infuriate her more. Personally I think we should make that decision after we walk the fields. By then she should have cooled off enough."
"Well, Brittany, you're her captain so I'll support your decision," her coach answered, his voice still even. "I trust you enough to make this kind of call, so I'll go talk to her about it and let her know your decision. Now, once you get everything packed up here go out to the bus and tell Brian to double check that all of our gear is order. Draxxus is giving us our paint when we get there."
"O.K. coach," Brittany answered, smiling from ear to ear. It always made her happy to know that her coach has such confidence in her, even though she's only a junior. Brittany did as she was told. Once Brian had the list in order and roll taken, the team boarded the bus and they took off on the nine hundred mile trip to Orlando.
Mostly everyone just chatted like a typical bunch of high schoolers for the first leg of the trip. They discussed who all was going to be there and who there favorite teams are. What celebrity was dating who, who at the school was going out and what-not. Brittany got grilled about who her new girlfriend is and she answered with the perkiness of a cheerleader. She omitted the parts of her being a state certified nut-job, but spoke highly of her affection and her abilities with a cello. Several of her teammates knew who she was referring to once that part got out, but it didn't slow down the questions any.
The coaches kept to themselves from their front seat positions. They talked about everything from the team, to their families to their past jobs and playing experiences. As the day began to change into evening, Coach Wilson picked out a video for his kids to watch and get settled down. Brian and Brittany made some social commentary about how lame the movie was. Everyone, the coaches included, heard themselves laughing at the captains' comments. About halfway into the movie, the bus stopped for gas and the kids were told to get out and stretch their legs for a while.
Brittany got off the bus and saw the caravan behind them pull into the various parking places. She immediately ran over to her mom's van to see her Amanda. Even though she just saw her a few hours ago, one would've though she was gone for years. Brittany immediately saw that Amanda was wearing a pair of her mother's sunglasses. This made her laugh a little, but thought it was for the better; besides, they looked good on her. Amanda was just as giddy when Brittany was around. They walked into the travel stop to go to the bathroom and get some snacks. It was still another three hours before they were going to stop for a real meal. Some of Brittany's friends looked at her and started talking amongst themselves about who person is, and where they've seen her before.
They were back on the bus in less than twenty minutes. Brian called roll and the bus started back for the highway. The movie started right back from where they left off and so did the questions towards Brittany. She answered them as best, and as carefully, as she could. Ashley, Tony, Johnny and a couple of the others complimented Brittany on picking a looker and how cute they looked together. She blushed at those comments, but couldn't help but notice that Tina kept silent about the whole topic.
After dinner and few more hours on the road, the bus finally arrived at their hotel. Coach Wilson, along with over half of his team, had to be jogged awake by the driver. He flipped the lights on to a wave of moaning and groaning. Even Coach Wilson had to take a minute before he was thrown into coach mode.
"Everyone off the bus and get the shit unloaded," he called out over the intercom, making sure everyone was awake.
Brian led the team out to the undercarriage and carried out their orders. All of the guns and tech equipment was brought up to the team's main meeting area. All of the kids were given their room assignments for the week once everything was organized. After the coaches dismissed them they were to bring their personal gear into their rooms and get settled in. Brittany couldn't help but giggle at the thought of spending the next five days in the same room, once again, with Tina and Ashley.
None of the three girls said a word to each other the entire time they hauled in their gear. Brittany didn't want to start any more tension and just let Tina have her space. Tina, on the other hand, was dying inside for her captain to say something... anything. She hated herself for the way she acted back in Kennview. Her sister, on the other hand, simply couldn't form any words. She was just too overjoyed to be here.
Despite it being three in the morning, no one could get any sleep. They were due at the complex to walk the fields in just four hours and their thoughts couldn't slow down. Ashley, Johnny and even the ones that have played here before couldn't force themselves to sleep. Brittany lie under her blankets staring up at the ceiling with every thought she's ever had running through her head. She drifted from her nervousness that she gets before every event, to her worry about the rest of the team, to her new relationship with Amanda; who was sharing a room with Mrs. Williams and a couple of the other moms. She never moved, she never even blinked. Brittany could hear the two sisters talking quietly to each other on the other bed, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Either way it was of little consequence, the "wake up call" was scheduled to ring in about two hours.
"What do you think Brit?" Brittany heard Ashley call out from across the room, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" she answered, looking in the direction of the voice's owner.
"I was just asking Tina how she thought we'll do this weekend, but now I'm asking you."
"I dunno," Brittany responded, returning her gaze back to the ceiling. "I guess we'll see after Thursday."
"Come one, Brit," Ashley pleaded, "drop the captain bit for a sec. What do you think?"
"Ashley," Brittany sighed, "from where I sit, I have no real basis for any kind of opinion. We're playing Division One this weekend. The teams we've been playing all year so far are about Division Three, maybe a couple of Division Two teams. You and your fellow JV team have never experienced an upper echelon D-1 team, aside from us of course. Because you play against us all the time, you can predict our moves but the teams we're playing this weekend have never seen us before. I think we'll do well, of course, but I also know it's not going to be the cake-walk we're used to. Remember, this is World- fucking-Cup... everyone here is itching for that crown. And they want it bad. So no I will not drop the captain bit until we're standing on that podium, holding that Cup over our heads on Sunday."
Ashley flopped over onto her back. She felt a little deflated but once again, she asked Brittany to speak her mind and that's just what she got. "A simple good or bad would have sufficed," she sighed.
"Hey you asked," Brittany retorted with a bit of a laugh in her voice. Then words she never intended to speak left her mouth. "How about you, Tina."
Brittany heard the bed next to her stir as Tina sat up. Given that the window was on the far side of the room, Brittany could see her silhouette moving a little. "I think we'll do just fine," she said evenly, happy with the knowledge that her friend, and idol, was again speaking to her. "We've been training hard and we've got people that have been here before on our side, both players and coaches."
Brittany was relieved that Tina was back on speaking terms with her as well. "Nothing like turning up the pressure," she answered with a little giggle. She knew that it was her attitude that dictated how the people around her play, a burden she's endured since her days on the Redz Soldiers, but that didn't make it any easier. Knowing that the entire team's performance rested on your shoulders is a feeling that is beyond description. However, Brittany's way of coping with it all was to turn nervousness and apprehension into rage and aggression as she's shown time and time again.
She thought back to her very first World Cup victory. Not the overall crown, but her first victory in the preliminary round. She can still see the happiness and joy on her father's and brother's faces. They were right there, running with her to hang the flag for the final point of the match, a point that won them the game. She waved and twirled it over head, shouting out to her teammates and fans. That was a level of emotion she felt only three days later when she relived that moment to win her team the World Cup. Her father gathered her into his arms and whispered his pride and love... that is before the rest of the team mobbed out of the pit areas to join the celebration. Brittany felt a tear trickle down her face at that memory and could only hope that she will get to share that moment with her new team. Not to mention doing it while her old teammates watched.
The wake up call rang Brittany out of her glorious flashback. She picked up the phone, and without a second thought, threw it down. This part of these trips never got any easier. The lack of sleep, the crack-of-dawn wake up calls and then the mental and physical fatigue of the day--most of the spectators have no idea how much processing the brain goes through in every point of this game. Brittany dragged herself out of bed and got dressed for a day of walking and planning, plus getting out amongst the people she used to play with... and against. Tina and Ashley followed suit at about the same ass-dragging pace their captain did.
The team arrived at the field complex right on time. The fields were completely inflated and a couple other teams were there doing the same thing. Coach Wilson split the team into separate groups with a different coach. each walking a different field. Coach Wilson took Brian to the captain's meeting while the team carried out their orders. Little did the rest of the team know that these teams will challenge every fiber in their being.
Brittany, with Tina and Ashley in tow of course, took her group around the complex in a casual pace. They had all day to walk the fields and plan for this thing so in a rush they were not. She got to explain a little bit about how she got into the game and how many times she's been here. Some of the JV kids who didn't get to speak to her very much kept up the questions when they were in between fields. While they were on a field, they put in their two cents just like any other time, but would shut their mouths as soon as Brittany opened hers. And just like every other event, they all took notes on how the other teams read the layouts and what they were doing for their breakouts and first bumps.
As they were leaving Center Court, Brittany noticed a camera crew making their rounds. Brittany and her entourage thought it nothing more than one of the film companies doing what they do best, so they exited without giving it much thought. That is until Brittany heard a strange voice call out her name.
"Brittany Williams," the stranger said again, once she had the girl's attention.
"Yes," she answered confused, but not for long. As her eyes drifted from the woman's face to the camera, she quickly felt a smile creep across her face. Written in plain sight on both sides of the camera, and on the t-shirts of the crew, were the letters "ESPN".
"How does it feel to be back at this event with a new team?" the still strange woman said, pointing the mic into her face.
"Well, this isn't a new team," she answered happily, "I've been playing with them for a couple years now. You know, it feels great to be back here at this complex, getting ready to play in the biggest tournament of the year."
"Well, Brittany, you're the youngest girl to ever win a World Cup crown. You're the only girl to ever do it two years in a row, with two separate teams at that. How do you keep pace in a sport that still male dominated and, as your history shows, do it so damn well?"
"First and foremost, I'm not a whiny little bitch," she said point blank, almost in defiance of the woman's insinuation. "I work my ass off to 'keep pace' just like the rest of the guys do. I don't bitch when I get passed over for roster spots and I don't whine when I get shot or unfairly called out... as we all know that happens way too often anyway." Brittany took a minute to laugh at that last thought and how many times in her career that's happened. "To all the aspiring girl players out there, if you want to be the best then you have to think of yourself as the best and play with the best. I've played with the Assassins, Dynasty, the Bushwhackers... all the while I never once thought of myself as beneath them. If you go into a game and think to yourself, 'Oh my God I'm playing against Avalanche' or 'I'm playing against Dynasty' you will never win. I play every point like it's my last and more often than not, I'm the one running the points to the dead box." Most of
the gathered crowd got a bit of a laugh at her last comment.
"Well, Brittany that was quite a little speech there," the woman said with obvious shock on her face. "Tell me what goes through your mind when you're out there."
"The same thing that goes through everyone else's mind," Brittany said in a "duh" tone. "There is so much stuff going on; it's not as simple as we make it look. Not only is there that thundering sound of your bunker getting the shit shot out it, but you have to process, and relay, all of the information coming to you. Stuff like who is where on both teams; who's shooting what lane; who's running what lane; where all of that heat is coming from; what the dead count is; what the kill count is; how much time is left on the penalty clock; knowing when to change lanes to adapt the game plan; what everyone's part in the game plan is and what the back up plan is; knowing when to make your bumps and when to stay put; keeping yourself tight but loose enough to actually shoot someone; how much paint do you have left? and how much your teammates have... all the while you're filtering out the 'dead noise', as we call it."
"What's 'dead noise'?"
"False information; the sound of the spectators; the sound of your guns shooting... stuff like that. Just ask anyone here, you have to fall back on having faith in your team to do their jobs and the coaches to tell you what's going on in the best way possible. I know that if I don't trust Tina here to do her part, then I will second guess what I'm doing everytime; and so will she on my part." Brittany winked at her friend before continuing, "You have to be in good shape to make your runs and keep yourself up. This game is very physically demanding. All those hours of training will pay off at the end of the day if you can keep yourself in the game and not fall apart when the shit goes down."
"Well Brittany, thank you for spending some time with us and good luck this weekend." The woman sounded sincere in her tone, but Brittany could see she is a rookie reporter in this sport. The look she had on her face as Brittany told her about the thinking process and her obvious distaste for being thought of as "just a girl" was priceless. Brittany and her group couldn't help but laugh at her expense.
"Thank you," she answered with a smile, "keep and eye out for me on Sunday." She couldn't resist that set-up. Her self-promoting arrogance is what made her such a force off the field. She can go to any event and people will recognize her for that flamboyance she carries about herself. Even some of the gatherers laughed, knowing damn well that was no idle statement.
Back at the hotel that afternoon, Coach Wilson gathered everyone in the common room. He went over their schedule for both days of preliminary games and who he is expecting to meet on Sunday. He went reviewed everyone's game plans at lunch and came up with the overall strategies for each field. With the blown-up pictures her made before the trip, he went over point-by-point, field-by-field what of what was expected. However, just like every other event, these plans can go right out the window as soon as the first game is played.
After the meeting broke, the kids were free to have the rest of the day to themselves. This would be their only true "free time" so the coaches told--or rather ordered--them to live it up, but be back in their rooms by no later than ten o'clock. Some of the kids stayed in and played computer and video games. Others went out on the town to do some touristy stuff. Brittany and her clique stayed in and made sure all the guns were set to legal settings and all of the equipment had fresh batteries. They also went about their traditional inner-team scrutinizing and who they think will be their best opponents. Seeing as they were one of only sixteen teams in their division, this list was fairly short.
Brittany was out like a light once her head hit the pillow. She, like most of her teammates, had been awake for nearly two days straight. Not to mention that this weekend will be their third tournament in three weeks. She was instantly whisked away into a dreamless sleep. No thoughts had enough energy to stand out. Her brain needed the relaxation and that's just what she got. Brittany was so far gone in this restful state that she scarcely heard the alarm going off.
After a small breakfast, the team made it's way to the field. Some people were excited and jumping around, while others kept their emotions safe from being known. Brittany was among the latter. She's been here before and knows what it takes to win this thing, but didn't want to dampen the spirits of her inexperienced teammates. Brian too has been here; he was sharing a boat with Brittany. He kept his thoughts to himself and got his emotions ready to be unleashed when they stepped onto the field.
The bus arrived along side of a half-dozen others. The driver pulled into a space and turned off the motor. This is when Brittany felt her anger, wrath, whatever you care to call it, bottling up to the breaking point. Just like every other she's ever played, once her eyes see the fields on the day of they take on a life that drives her to the point of rage. And rage is what one needs to make a stand on this arena, at this level. Everyone who looked at her as they trod off the carriage saw her eyes with alight with fire; suddenly they felt the same rage building within themselves.
This over-sized venue was absolutely littered with vendor tents and people already mingling about. Not only were the six fields spread out over an area of more than seventy acres and the "Player's Village" set-up near the main through fare, but the vendor's area filled in nearly all the gaps. "Vendor Village", as it's aptly named, was a massive tent and trailer city of more than one hundred canopies and over thirty large tractor-trailer displays. The league's season sponsors, and sponsors who save their money for this one particular event, had their tent-shops and trailers demonstrating and selling off whatever goods they had on them. Angel Sports was showcasing the very same Angels Kennview had in their gearbags; Crossfire debuted a new kind of regulator for their already famous air systems; Monkey With A Gun Productions were featuring all of their latest videos and discussing their future projects. Redz unveiled their new clothing line due to come out next season
(some of which Brittany and some of the others were to wear on the field this weekend). There was even a V.I.P. area set-up for the leagues investors and executives to mingle and watch the event on closed circuit television. Coach Wilson looked at that and scoffed, "Damn politicians".
Kennview wasn't scheduled to go on until 9:30 that morning, so they had plenty of time to get their guns set-up and even do a little shopping. Brian gathered some of the others to get the paint from the Draxxus tent and the new gear from the Redz tent while Brittany, Frank and Curtis took a handful of the younger team to go and watch some of the games already in progress. Those who remained looked over the game plans and/or got their pads and other gear ready to go. Before anyone left to do anything, Coach told them to be back at their staging tent no later than nine.
Brittany led them to watch who would be their first opponent, the Palm Beach Vipers. They've been a team that's bounced between Division One and Semi-Pro for as long as anyone can remember. They had a problem with funding such an inconsistent program so it seemed like whenever they would finally go pro, they would place near dead last that season. Frustrating for them, but just as equally frustrating for their opponents since they never knew how they would play. Brittany and her crew watched as they were getting absolutely smashed by their opponents, who ironically would be Kennview's last match of the preliminaries. Aftermath II. They were the "B" team of the now pro team, San Fernando Aftermath, and they were also in first place of the season standings. As the game continued Frank, Curtis and the others could see why. Of the six events prior to this one, Aftermath II has won four of them and they putting a beatdown on the much weaker Vipers. By game's end, Aftermath
II had a commanding score of 12 to 4, and they were only playing 30 minute games as opposed to the 40 minute games Kennview was used to. The group of highs schooler gave them their due applause and left the grand stands.
By the time they got back to their staging area, Brain and his crew were already back with all of their paint and had most of the pods filled. He handed Brittany her new pants, pack and gloves and got back to work. Brittany dressed herself in her new gear while discussing what they observed about their first (and last) opponent. Coach Wilson and his staff wrote down everything the teenager told them. He looked at his blown-up field layouts with a curious expression on his face. As if his instincts guided his hand, he changed the game plan to fit what his star player just told him. After discussing what everyone was to do, he went over the line order. Shortly thereafter, the team loaded up their wagon and headed off to their first match of the weekend.
The were standing outside the nets waiting for the game on their field to end. It was a clash of the lower echelon Division Three teams. With nothing else to do until they were inside the pit area, the team watched; not so much to see the outcome, but to get a better idea of how the field was being played. Brittany noticed something about one of primary bunkers she failed to notice before, and it was obvious that the person she was watching didn't notice either. She smiled a wicked smile as the final horn blew. The team she was watching lost the game by only a single point, but if he played that thing right, according to Brittany that is, his team would of pulled it into overtime at least.
The kids from Kennview entered the pits as the other team was leaving. They exchanged a few words of 'good luck' and 'good job' to each other as they passed. The coaching staff and pit crew, who was cut in half from what their used to since this was an entirely different league, got all of the tanks aired up while the lines went about getting their bodies stretched out. Brian looked up in time to see their 0 and 1 opponents entering their pit. He tried to be a sportsman and wish them luck, but those guys would have none of it. Apparently, he thought, they were still bitter about the ass raping Aftermath put them through. he chuckled to himself at how much they about to get a second dose of that.
Brittany's was the first line to play this game. She stood up from that stupor she's known to go into before a game and exhaled a strong breath. She bobbed her head side to side, cracking her neck. The girl put her mask over her forehead while walking out onto the field. Her line followed her out onto the field, feeling neither joy or fear. As she's trained them to think, they felt noting. They showed their opponents no emotion. 'Ice is harder to break when the breaker is cold' she remembered her father telling her.
Since Kennview lost the coin toss, they had to start the first four points looking right into the sun. This was what Brittany was counting on, since that was the side she noticed her plethora of hidden shots and running lanes. As the two teams split away from the center X, she looked up to the stands. Her mother had an eager looking Amanda attached to her hip. They were sitting amongst a rather large crowd for this early in the day. That in and of itself struck her as odd, but whatever... they were sitting on "their" side of the bleachers which meant they were their fans. Brittany gave her mom and girlfriend and wave, but the entire crowd erupted at her gesture. They began cheering and chanting her name. This not only filled the girl with pride, but it filled the entire Vipers' line-up with dread.
The star got her team to gather around her to start one o their signature chants. "ALRIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS! GET IT UP! I DON'T WANT ANY BULLSHIT TO COME FROM ANYONE! I WANT YOU TO GO OUT THEIR AND SHOW THEM THE MEANING OF PAIN! WE ARE WINNERS! THEY'VE ALREADY SHOWED THAT THEY'RE LOSERS! NOW WE'RE GOING TO SHOW THEM HOW TO FUCKING PLAY THIS GAME THE RIGHT WAY!" She paused just long enough for the rest of them to start chanting. "GET OUT THERE AND RAM IT UP THEIR FUCKING ASSES! LET ME HEAR IT MOTHERFUCKERS!"
She could hear the crowd getting behind them as they broke out of the huddle. Everyone felt their hearts racing and their palms sweating. Heat from the Florida sun was already making them sweat, but it was what they didn't feel is what told them the story. They felt no energy coming from the other team. No energy meant no game, in their world. Then the horn blew to start the game. Brittany shot her way into her primary bunker, taking out the Viper's back player that was supposed to be covering her. Then she began her systematic decimation of their entire team. Using those shots she found earlier, she was able to take out anyone trying to run up the center of the field, and locked down that entire diagonal. This gave Thomas the opportunity to make his way down the opposite tapeline and shoot the remaining players in the back. Brittany ran the flag in for their first point of the match.
Brittany told Brian and the other players about that spot and the all the glory it beheld. Coach Wilson could see that the Vipers didn't notice what they were doing since they never once made a valiant effort to counter their strategy. The entire game passed by with every point going to the kids from Kennview. Brittany could hear her mom's voice over everyone else. She turned towards the stands and pumped her fist in the air. As they began chanting her name once more, she threw her mask off and took a courtly bow. Brian and the others damn near tackled her amidst the celebration, even though it was only their first of six games. Since they would return to this field at the end of the day, they made a special note to remember how every bunker played out, especially their new "God Bunker".
Kennview struggled in their next two games. Coach Wilson was reminded of the difference in skill level from the teams they were used to and the teams here. Not to mention they all have that drive that the World Cup tournament brings out in everyone. They were forced into overtime when the went up against the Queen City Killaz from Charlotte, North Carolina who, at one point offered a Brian a spot on their roster. Even though he turned down the offer he never held them in any disrespect. They were a team to be reckoned with; if you didn't play a near-perfect game, then these guys will destroy you. Even though Kennview won the match, they would only get one point, as opposed to two if they'd beaten them outright. In an act of sportsmanship, Brian and Brittany were even given a hug from everyone on the team after the last horn blew.
The second game after the Vipers slaughter was against Tippmann Factory. This was yet another team that rose and fell within the ranks of the crazy world that is tournament paintball. The one time Pros found themselves playing at the Division Three level within two years. They had to scratch and fight their way back to the Division One level and that road was not easy. Money wasn't the problem, it was keeping the players in their stable; many pros here today have a Tippmann Factory jersey on their wall, just like the one in the Williams' basement. However, this was a group of guys that were on their way back to the top. They played every game like they had something to prove to themselves and everyone watching. Reckless abandon was the plan of every point. This is a strategy that is very hard to counter. But that's why you run all those drills in practice. Kennview managed to beat them in regulation, but it was a bloodbath to the end. A low scoring match indeed but
still a lot of fun to watch. Brittany was once again congratulated by the entire roster giving her a hug, but even more so from those who remember when her dad played with them.
Kennview managed to secure a second place overall ranking. The were bested only by Aftermath II who won all three of their games in regulation, but that did nothing to hold back the kids from living it up. After the Tippmann Factory game, they celebrated like they just won the whole fucking thing. For them to come into an event like this, with the people they have and walk away with three wins at all was nothing short of a miracle.
Not only were they ecstatic about the way they've been playing, but about all of the attention as well. All throughout the day, they were catching glances at video cameras and professional photographers on their fields. Brian and Coach were interviewed several times with some of the local news stations and paintball-specific video crews. Brittany already told them about her interview with ESPN and that just heightened their mood further. The team could look at the stands and see "their" crowd growing with every game they played.
Back at the hotel room after dinner, the kids almost immediately crashed. Even though they were still riding the emotional high from the day's games, their bodies could take no more. They needed to rest. Brittany stood in shower with a strange little smile on her face. She and Amanda shared a kiss for the entire team to see during dinner. That in itself wasn't the unusual part-- some of the guys kissed their girlfriends (if they came along) as well, but it was the awe the mute girl inspired in them afterward. After their lips broke the embrace, Amanda went out to her mom's van and brought Inikye into the restaurant. She played the most triumphant song humanly imaginable. Brittany and everyone listening melted from the inside out. Neither pride or happiness could describe or compare to what that song made everyone feel. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire restaurant by the time Amanda finished playing. She didn't know it, but all of time in that buffet stood still and
the emotion that flowed from Inikye's strings was felt by all who bore witness. In front of the entire mass of witnesses, Brittany pulled her girlfriend into another lip-lock.
Brittany didn't realize it, but she'd been standing in the shower for nearly an hour as she relived that beautiful memory. What brought her out of her trance was Ashley banging on the door, eager for a shower herself. Brittany blinked a few times before remembering where exactly she was. She had done little by means of bathing, but the hot water had her muscles relaxed and the stench of sweat and paint out of her skin.
She joined Tina in the main room, wrapped in her own terry robe. Tina was lying on her back with her eyes closed, but she wasn't sleeping. Brittany turned on the television for some background noise as she got ready for bed. She pulled the robe off her shoulders, exposing her nude form without a hint of modesty. She casually walked over to her gearbag and pulled out a set of relaxing underwear. As soon as she had her panties and bra in place, she heard Tina stirring in the bed. Brittany immediately looked over at her friend to find her lying on her side facing her and with a quirky smile across her lips.
"You know you shouldn't tease like that," she sheepishly said to her captain.
"Hey, it's just us girls in here," Brittany retorted, not caring for what her friend just said. "Besides it's not like you never tried to see me like this before. Did you enjoy your show?"
"Why yes, thank you," Tina answered still holding that flirtatious grin on her lips.
Things went silent between the two of them for a few minutes. The passing minutes were not tense, but they could easily be mistaken as such. Brittany could feel Tina's eyes on her the whole time she went about getting ready for bed. Instead of feeling bothered or annoyed by that feeling, she decided that it made her feel attractive. The longer she felt those bright blue eyes of Tina's on her, the more she indulged in her flattery. Ashley came bouncing out of the bathroom a short time later. As soon as she was done readying herself for bed, the captain called "lights out". Brittany fell asleep quickly and was soon off in a world of happiness and love with the girl who so bewitched her heart and soul.
Kennview was scheduled to be the first game of the day. They were due at Canter Court against Static at 7:30. This gave the kids little time to get warmed-up and stretched, but that's they way shit goes sometimes. Coach Wilson went over the line-up order for the game as they went about filling their pods and tanks. Brian's line was to go on first, followed by Curtis's. Brittany was to go over to the other side and coach her teammates from there until it was time for her line to hit the field.
Right out of the gate, the kids from Kennview knew this would be a hard fought battle. While Aftermath II was busy winning all of the tournaments, Static had a habit of being right on their heels every time. In fact, if Aftermath didn't win the tournament, Static did. If nothing else, then this match would be a good precursor for what to expect from the division leaders. The first couple of points went to Static, but Kennview managed to make their enemy earn them. Those two points ate up nearly half of the first half clock alone. Kennview bounced back with a couple of points of their own, but they were trailing at the half. What brightened the moods of Brittany's team was the look of respect and hatred Static kept giving them; they were certainly not expecting this hard of a match from a team that's never before played a national event.
Brittany led her line back out to the field at the start of the second half. She did her best to keep them thinking ho much these guys truly disrespect them with her yelling and screaming, but it was obvious that they needed more. All she heard from them during halftime was their bitching about how tough these guys are, but Brittany would hear none of it. Despite her best efforts, her line lost all but one of their point series. This left them at a deficit of 6 to 3, an uphill climb against one of the toughest D-1 teams ever assembled. Brian's line managed to close the gap, but Static would not let up their onslaught. The horn blew with the final score of 8 to 6, Static.
This was the first time in over a year that the varsity kids knew the taste of defeat. Even though they were still a long way away from being knocked out of a semi-final appearance, it was deflating nonetheless. Brittany didn't seem at all defeated by the loss. She's played against these guys before and it's always been an uphill battle with them. However, convincing a bunch of teenagers that haven't lost a single game in nearly two years that it wasn't such a bad thing is nearly impossible. So she did it the only way she knew how, by getting in their faces and screaming it!
They had a break for rest of the morning. This gave them a chance to get re-energized and watch some of the other games. Most went on to watch the NXL games. Their hometown pros were facing off against the Seattle Naughty Dogs. This guaranteed to be a great game. It was the first Pro game of the weekend and everyone in that bracket was watching. Brittany sat with the majority of her team around her watching the game, but they were also studying how they were playing the field and their habits when put in certain situations. Watching them play on the field they were about to play on renewed their resolve.
Everyone met back in the staging area a short time later. The Assassins put the Naughty Dogs through a severe pounding, which only elated the team even more. William from the Assassins came up to Kennview's table while Coach Wilson was going over some last minute pep talking. His appearance was a welcomed sight. He went over some of the things about their opponents that Coach missed and about the angles some of the bunkers provided at certain stages of the game. Not only was he there prepping them, but also told them he was going to be "coaching" them from the spectator's side.
The kids were to go up against Vicious for this game. These guys had a bad habit of starting out strong but running flat as the tournament dragged on. In fact, they were technically tied with Kennview after yesterday but the point spread from their first game provided a sizable tie-breaker. Both of these two teams were coming off of losses, which meant they were both desperate for a win to stay alive in the standings. With the way the math worked out, the winner of this game clinched one of the four semi-final spots while the loser will need to a win and some serious help to advance.
Brittany's line was the first to take the field. Once again she could hear her fans chanting her name as she marched from behind the net. She couldn't help but think that the loss from last game only elevated their love for her. Her entire line looked up to the stands and saw that there were a lot more people here today than yesterday. Brittany could only see her mom and Amanda sitting hip to hip. She heard their voices mixed into those calling her name. That is until she put her mask over her face, then all she saw was her team and the insects they were about to crush. All she could hear was her own voice bellowing out to her teammates.
"THIS IS IT MOTHERFUCKERS! WE WIN HERE AND NOW WE GO ON TO PLAY IN THE FUCKING SEMIS! THIS AIN'T NO BULLSHIT! WE'RE HERE TO WIN THIS FUCKING THING... TO BEAT THESE FUCKING BITCHES DOWN! WE LOST LAST GAME BUT SO DID THEY! NOW GO OUT THERE AND SHOVE IT IN THEIR FUCKING FACES! THEY ARE NOT WINNERS, THEY ARE NOT EVEN HUMAN! GET IT UP MOTHERFUCKERS! MAKE'EM HEAR IT! MAKE'EM HATE OUR FUCKING GUTS!" To which her team returned with, "AND SPILL THEIRS!"
The head ref readied his crew to get ready for what was sure to be a great game. Th refs know who is desperate and who is calm. All through the week they see the raw emotion and anger that comes from these teams... not to mention putting up with their shit. The clock-keeper blew the horn to start the game and all hell broke loose.
Brittany deployed her tried and true tactic of an opening run-through. She ran the entire length of the field, taking paint from all directions and hearing the shots whiz past her head. She even took a couple bounces to her body. The girl would not stop until she made three of her opponents leave the field. While everyone concentrated fire on her, Thomas followed suit and shot the two remaining players in the back while Tina ran the flag in for the first point of the game. Almost immediately the crowd went absolutely nuts about what they just witnessed. Not only did they just see one of the hardest moves in the world to pull off actually work, but it was done in concert with another person in a very calculated manner.
That one play set the tone for the rest of the match as Vicious couldn't get their heads into the game. They had a nagging fear of seeing that girl running past them again, blazing her Angel in their faces. Every breakout, Brittany couldn't help but tease them with that fear. She would run only up to the 50 yardline, then stop. This allowed time and time again for Thomas or Tina the opportunity to advance further. All game, Kennview kept up this "leap frog" strategy without fail. Even if they managed to lose someone off the break, they were still able to pull off the maneuver. This was the kind of game was the sort of thing Coach Wilson prays for, a team too scared to make a move against his kids and if they did they somehow they would draw a penalty every time.
Brittany readied her line for would be the last point of the game. Since Vicious had two guys in the penalty box, she knew they would just lockdown their lanes and run the clock out. This would only serve to work to her advantage. With that evil grin she's known for wearing when she's ready to kill, she took off down the center of the field, but didn't stop this time. She shot out the two guys on her right, then spun around and shot out the guy on her left as he shot her as well. The Vicious player walked back to his pit area with his head down. Brittany, on the other hand, ran along side of the spectator's net cheering and pumping her fist in the air. She ran over to where William was standing and exchanged a few words and high-fives. She threw her mask off and yelled out to her fans, all the while Thomas ran the flag in for the point she earned them just seconds ago.
Back in the pits, Coach Wilson went ballistic. With this win, his team was guaranteed to be moving on no matter what happened against Aftermath. His team was going to make a podium finish at World Cup! He led the bum-rush out onto the field to join Brittany in her celebration. Brian ran along side the net, pointing out to the crowd. As he ran the length of the net, he initiated a "wave" from his fans. Mrs. Williams and Amanda had been in tears since they saw their Brittany shoot out all three of her enemies. Words could not describe what was running through her heart to see her daughter on the world's biggest stage doing what she loves to do. Then to have this many people cheering for her and chanting her name in the same admiration they hold for celebrities... that kind of feeling is beyond compare.
"Alright everyone, settle down," Coach Wilson said as they re-entered their staging tent some time later. "We're in the semis but we still have another game to play today. We're going up against Aftermath II, as you're well aware, and these guys are also going to semis. All this game is for, by now anyway, is to see who we play tomorrow. If we win, by my calculations, then we are going up against Detroit Sinister. If we lose, then guess who we get to play tomorrow... fucking Aftermath. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be playing them for the crown! In fact, they're almost done with their game so let's head on over to their field and see what's up."
The entire team followed their coach out of the "Player's Village". As they walked, they couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves. Brittany heard her name brought up several times, but didn't bother to address it. All she wanted right now was to find her mom and Amanda and hug the life out of them. She already knows what Aftermath brings to the table so their game was the last thing on her mind. She knows they're a tough team, but she has also played and beaten them on several occasions.
The team found it hard to find a bench large enough to accommodate all of their asses since the division leader was putting on a free clinic. The score told the story of what was happening, but Coach and everyone else were expecting nothing less. There was only four minutes left on the clock, but it was enough time to get a feel of how they liked to turn up the pressure, then back off, then turn it up again. It was a nearly identical tactic that Kennview just used against Vicious. Coach Wilson had the kids study how they liked to break out on every ensuing point and how they like to move down the field. William from the Assassins found them watching the game and decided to partake in the discussion. It was obvious that William didn't like the Aftermath program ("bunch of whiny little bitches", as he referred to them several times) so he was all the more inclined to help his hometown D-1 team, and biggest fans, any way he could.
After the game ended, Brittany was the first one to leave the group. She knew they still had another two hours before their match with them, so she went for a little window shopping. Some of the others were quick to join her and get away from all the strategy talk that Coach Wilson couldn't shut up about for a little while. He suddenly stopped when he realized his team had all but disappeared. Coach Peterson was about to say something to them, but Coach Wilson stopped him by saying 'giv'em a break for an hour; they've earned it'.
The star of Kennview was not alone in her walk through the Vendor Village. It seemed no matter where she went, some aspiring female player wanted her autograph of chat with her about their own experiences. She was always delighted to meet her fans, but there were only two people she wanted to see right now and neither one could be found.
Brittany eventually made her way to the Angel tent. She saw a couple of posters that she posed for last year and one from earlier this year. She looked around for a few minutes before she was spotted by one of employees. All of a sudden she was greeted and treated like a high ranking executive. James Stateton (or Jack as he prefers), the CEO of the company, personally escorted her back to their V.I.P. area and away from all the hustle and bustle. She saw her mother and Amanda already there, sipping some tea and watching Brittany's last game on the closed circuit television "re-run tape". 'No wonder I couldn't find them' she though to herself. Brittany instantly had a smile run across her lips and she threw herself against her women, scaring the hell out of them both. She hugged and squeezed the life out of them, while the Angel execs laughed at the little girl she was known to keep locked inside.
"Congratulations Brittany," her mother said with a tear in her eye. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks mom," she answered sharing that tear. After a couple of minutes, she looked over at Amanda and gave her girl her own hug. Amanda was quick to return the embrace and kissed her on the cheek.
The executives sat down with their favorite girl and chatted away for awhile. They discussed how she's been playing this event and how much they've seen her grow up and develop as a person and player. Try as they might, they couldn't keep business out of the conversation. She still hadn't replied to her letter about working for them once she graduates and here was the best time to answer that question. She had everyone in one location at the same time (a near impossibility) so her and her mother decided to negotiate the terms of the contract. It was obvious that they wanted her to not only play the game with their products, but work for them as well.
"I'll do it," the teenager said with a glee in her eye. "But I still have another year before I graduate so I hope you can wait that long."
"Not a problem, Brit," Jack said with a smile on his face. "In fact we were just discussing about we should be giving you more than that."
"What's that mean?" Brittany asked concerned. "You're already offering me a hell of a salary and job most people can only dream of. What more is there?"
"Well, Brittany, we've been sponsoring you nearly your entire career and you've given us so much in all these years. Hell, it's practically because of you that we even have a women's line of gear, not to mention all the letters and emails we receive with your name on them. Most of us in the corner offices think of you as our own daughter. We were thinking of giving you your own private label within the company. You're own signature marker, playing and casual apparel, the works. Consider that as a bonus for accepting our initial offer."
"Sure," Brittany answered, completely dumbfounded; no other words came to her brain. The way Jack said all of this made it seem like they've been discussing this for a long time and waited for the perfect opportunity to spring it on her. She looked over at her mother and saw her own expression on her face as well. Amanda too was struck dumb by the offer. She may not know everything about this sport, but knows you have to be good to get that kind of offer.
"One more thing," Jack said still holding that smile of happiness on his face, "They guys on Dynasty told me yesterday that you have an open invitation to come out for their team. Not Entourage. San Diego Dynasty. I told Steven that I'd let you know and that you'd get back with him."
"Brittany," her mom said, surprisingly calmed somewhat, "this is the chance of a lifetime... your dream."
Brittany didn't answer. She was beyond excited. A teenager that's still in high school is having her life's dream handed to her on a silver platter. There was but one option, and the girl shouted it. "FUCK YEAH!" which was followed by her grabbing the exec around the neck and giving him a million thank yous. People shopping on the other side of the curtain heard her scream; the employees just smiled and went about their work.
Brittany gave her new boss one last hug before she left to regroup with her team--she still had a game to play. Her mother and girlfriend followed her as far as they were allowed. The event security could only allow Brittany pass into the Player's Village, but that didn't bring her down her emotional high she was riding. She gave her mom and Amanda a three-way hug and received a kiss on either cheek. Her mom wished her luck and took off to find a seat before the crowd started gathering.
The teenager met up with her team, but neglected to tell the good news; she didn't want to take their heads out of the game. The team loaded up the gear and headed out to the field. People around the event were already calling it a "preview of the finals". All this distinguished title did was make each team want it even more. In the pits, Brian and his team could hear the guys from California start the hate-filled trash-talk. This wasn't just your average trash, it was flat-out asshole-ish. The way they spoke of So-Cal teams and how much better they than everyone else made him want to bunch them in the face, but Brian put on a smile. 'William was right, these guys are little bitches' he thought as he grinned at them. He volunteered his line to be the first go out, if nothing else to get his first stab at their collective egos.
As the teams took to the field, they couldn't help but notice how organized the fans had separated themselves. One half belonged to Aftermath, the other to Kennview. Even those who weren't sitting picked a side and wouldn't cross the centerfield net brace. This thought brought a chuckle out of him, especially since he noticed that the numbers were just about even. They were going up against the team was almost mathematically guaranteed to win the Division One season title and yet they shared an equal number of fans. Brian walked down to his team's start station and pumped his fist at his fans, getting them riled up even more. Several moments later, the game was on.
Everyone who was watching, either it be live, on CCTV or from the comfort of their own homes, wanted to see these two teams at each other's throats. This game was soon turned into a battle. Whatever one team threw at the other, they countered just as quickly and with more anger. Bodies were walking off the field completely covered in orange and green, points went back and forth and both teams didn't give into the other. At the half's end, the score was tied at 4 all.
Curtis was given the dubious honor of leading his line out for the start of the second half. By now, there were even more people gathered around, he assumed it was because the last of the NXL games ended. Curtis saw Steven from Dynasty and William from the Assassins chatting and pointing at them. He knew exactly what that meant, they have a new set of coaches on their team. He gathered his team around him for one of Kennview's signature chants, which by now the crowd was starting to learn. When he finished, the crowd answered with the rest of the team. Aftermath was not the least bit concerned by their enemy having a pair of pro coaches or that the crowd got into their chants. They have an entire pro team helping them along the way. It was this very attitude that Curtis and his line prepared for.
Out of the gate, Curtis made it his personal mission to run that ego of theirs into the dirt. He wanted to see them whine and bitch about anything and everything, just so he can keep their heads out of the game and thus get trampled by Brittany's line. He heard them talking down to Brittany, Tina and Ashley at every opportunity and now he was going to make them pay for it; his line shared that contempt. By the time his line was finished with their series of points, Curtis walked off the field yelling at Coach Wilson, "Mission accomplished!"
Brittany felt her anger and hatred run through her veins. She looked over at her fellow females and saw the same look in their eyes. For this reason if nothing else, she told Coach Wilson that Ashley will be playing on her line for the remainder of the game. He was almost too eager to allow his star to make that call. Ever since he got into this line of work, he's always hated people that go around with a heart of prejudice. He told all three of his girls 'do your thing' as they left the pit. It took all of her will power to not turn and punch those bastards square in the face for their sexist comments that they continued to dish out.
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCKING RAT'S ASS IF WE LOSE THIS GAME ANYMORE! I WANT THOSE FUCKING LITTLE BITCHES TO FEEL THE WRATH OF A GIRL! I WANT THEM TO CRY FOR THEIR FUCKING WHORE MOMMIES! MAKE THOSE FUCKING COCKSUCKERS WISH THEY WERE SWALLOWED! NOW IS THE TIME MOTHERFUCKERS! GET IT UP AND..." her line and their fans replied "IN THEIR FUCKING FACES!"
With their collective rage put into it's proper place, Brittany, Tina, Ashley and even the two guys out there with them got ready to dish out the "wrath of a girl", even though the guys smiled at that thought. And dinner was served. Brittany opened up the flood gates of pain and let it flow. She repeated her earlier move of running the length of the field and shooting most of those little bastards out. She would've had them all in one move if their coach didn't alert the last guy at the last moment that she was still alive, but Ashley followed her captain and blasted the hell out of the guy. That earned her a stay in the penalty box, but felt it was well worth it. Even from there she joined in with the chanting and cheering between points. The game ended with Tina bunkering out the last two guys and hanging the flag. Then it hit Coach that Aftermath didn't score but one point the entire second half, and that was because they were playing a person short for two minutes.
This was one of the biggest losses the Aftermath program has suffered, 12 to 5.
All of the girls couldn't help but take stabs at their opponents' egos. They forsook all notions of sportsmanship just to add insult to injury. Not only did they get beat by a "newbie team" but it was a team led by a girl. Even though most of those guys were old enough to legally vote and drink, they couldn't stand the thought of being beaten by a girl, let alone three of them who were still in high school.
"Alright everyone," Coach Wilson said once they were back in their meeting room at the hotel. "I'm proud of you. Your parents are all proud of you. Your sponsors are all proud of you and your new fans appreciated the show you put on tonight. I just got off the phone with several companies about interviews with a select few of you after this thing is over. We still have one more day before this thing is over. Tomorrow we go up against Detroit Sinister and if all goes to plan then we face off against the winner of the Aftermath-RNT All-Stars match.
Since the team wasn't scheduled for their semi-final match until mid morning, much later than their preliminary starts, the team was allowed to sleep in for an extra hour. Coach Wilson told his staff that he too needed some extra sleep, it was his brain that was being picked at every waking moment. No one on the team wanted to get up that morning. They played the hardest they've every played in their entire lives and now their bodies were paying for it. They haven't felt this level of fatigue and pain since Hell Week. Then again, that's what Hell Week was all about, getting them acquainted with this level of bodily stress. The only thing that drove them out of bed was the fact that they were only two games away from winning the World Cup, something no first year team has ever done at this level of the game.
There were no pep-talks, there were no speeches. At this point they were a waste of words and oxygen. Coach Wilson knew that his kids knew what needed to be done and he let them do get themselves ready for it. All morning he didn't say a single word. He didn't want them to go around filled with words of hope and "maybes" on their brains. He wanted them to relax and get ready to play some goddamn paintball. Before their game with Sinister, all that was spoke was the game plan variations and few words of input from the other coaches. Through the separating net of the pit area, they could hear their opponents chanting and hollering, while they kept their mouths shut.
The two teams took the field as soon as the Aftermath--RNT All-Stars game ended. It seemed that the division leader would need some help to keep their title since they lost to the All-Stars. They will need to win their finals game and the winner of this game will need to win the crown for Aftermath to win the season title. Kennview had no qualms about obliging that request. Detroit Sinister had been keeping a close eye on Kennview ever since their game against the Vipers. Every time they took the field they had this kind of spirit and life about their collective soul. This was the kind of attitude and nature one would expect from teams playing in the "Sunday Club" and thus kept everything on an even keel. But the lack of emotion and words Kennview was showing at this moment was more unsettling than anyone could have predicted. Whenever they made eye contact, Sinister was at a loss to read what was going through their heads. Coach Wilson taught every team he coached the
phrase: "A cold silence is more fearful than heated words". This head-game tactic worked without fail.
Brian lined his team up, pointing at seemingly random locations throughout the field. He could hear the Sinister coached calling out their most likely plan of attack. In fact his whole team listened intently to what the were saying, thinking to themselves "Oh, how wrong you are!". When the horn blew for the first point, no one went where they were "suppose to". Brian and his four other players ran straight up the middle while Sinister wasted their break-out paint on empty locations. They patiently waited for that brief, "postbreak-out" pause before they sprung into action. Before most of the Sinister players could reload their hoppers, Kennview's front four were in their faces, shooting the shit out of them all. Sinister's dark blue jerseys were instantaneously changed to orange. Adam brought the flag in for the point in front of a very enthusiastic crowd and a very stunned Sinister pit. Brian looked over at one of the two guys he shot out and couldn't hold himself
back, "You liked that one, huh?"
Fortunately the guy had a sense of humor about the whole thing and just laughed at the comment as he walked back to his team.
After that point, things went back to normal for this division of World Cup. Now that Sinister knew what Kennview could throw at them, they could formulate a decent enough counter to keep that little event from happening again. The teams began trading point-for-point until the end of the half. Tina was by herself, struggling from her back corner position against two of the Sinister players to keep them from scoring the last point of the half. She managed to shoot out the guy closest to her in a fan-friendly shot over the top of her bunker (which kissed him right in the lips), but decided it best to sacrifice herself in a trade-off with the last guy. Coach Wilson went ballistic when he saw her make that move, but in a stroke of luck, as she took off for him he decided to reload. This forced him to put his gun down for those precious two seconds that allowed her come from his blind side and triple tap his back. Tina grabbed the flag and sprinted for the deadbox. She
managed to get the hang with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. The time keeper ended the half anyway after the point was awarded since that would be pointless to play that out. Even though they had a two point lead over Sinister, Kennview knew these guys will not just sit back and let them ruin their chances for World Cup gold.
Curtis led his line out for the start of the second half. He glanced up at the scoreboard and put on the biggest smile of his life. The illuminated red numbers under the words "Home" and "Away" made his already elated state soar even higher. He felt a rush flow through his veins the more he looked upon it. As the team gathered at the start station, he began to chant his life away. The crowd got behind the "underdog favorite" of the event. This elevated that rush to another dimension.
The second half horn blew mere moments later. Curtis began going through his mental checklist like he does at start of every point. 'Where did they go? How many went left? How many went right? How many are shooting tape? Who is shooting at my front man?'... As he asked himself these questions, he was getting all of the information and passing it along, all the while keeping his lane burning with orange paint. He checked off to his left, just in time for him to shoot out a sacrifice run-through player, then spun around and, with incredible skill (or dumb luck) shot out the guy who was supposed to do the most damage. During his spin-move and shooting out both guys, and despite losing two of his front players, he got a chance to see the entire field firsthand. Armed with this knowledge, he took off down the center of the field, shooting out the guy in the snake and making it to the X. From there he managed to successfully lock down the last two bad guys while his remaining
two players to come in and shot them out for the point.
Coach Wilson opted to play the match much more conservatively after that. He wanted Sinister to not only feel the clock working against them, but to know that it was. He's deployed this mind game many times in his career with great amount of success. It puts the pressure on the enemy and will more often than not drive them into making mistake after mistake. Today was no exception. Sinister managed to score two more points during the half, but all the minutes wasted gun-battling proved costly. Kennview scored a point for themselves during that time and put the game out of reach for their opponents.
When the final horn blew, Brian was fending off Sinister's final desperate attempt at a comeback. He was so into holding them off that a referee had to yell at him to stop shooting. He growled at the poor guy, but them saw his team rushing out onto the field. Only them did he throw his mask off in celebration. He ran up to every one of his teammates and coaches shouting at the top of his lungs. Everybody was crying out, but some were crying. Tina and Ashley had tears flowing down their cheeks as they cheered out to their captain. Coach Wilson let his kids get that out of their systems before he calmed them down.
"Alright everyone shut up!" he said with a great amount of force to be heard in the first place. "We haven't won shit, so get your asses ready for real game. RNT watched this game and they've been winning just as much as we have so, knock off the bullshit and get ready to go."
The team felt a little disheartened that he never once congratulated them on making it to the finals. Curtis himself was expecting to at least hear a simple 'good job' or the like, but nothing like that. Brian, after calming himself down, went about his orders. The last time he was here, this was as far as he got; he was ecstatic to just be moving onto the final round, just like everyone else. Brittany, the only one to have every won a World Cup, decided that Coach was saving his energy for the real game, but at the same time would have liked to hear some sort of encouraging words to come from him.
They had an hour before their game was supposed to be played. The game was to be played on Center Court, so they didn't have any equipment to move around. The Ultimate Referee allowed them to keep the pit they were in, but they still had to get it cleaned up. Frank rounded up a posse to get the next game's paint supply while the rest of the team threw out the empty paint boxes, broken pods, dead batteries and empty water bottles. The referee crew went to work cleaning the paint off of the bunkers like they've done between every game this weekend.
The two teams met out at the center X for the National Anthem and coin toss. Kennview won the toss and chose their starting side. The two teams parted back to their pits after exchanging words of luck and encouragement. Brittany looked up to the stands to see that her mom had a death grip on Amanda's arms. Both of them were beaming. Brian's mom and dad had a spot next to the single mother, telling her something that was making her tear up. Brittany smiled brightly at them before she disappeared behind the nets. No sooner had the drape fallen to the ground that she became the fearful player everyone knows her to be.
During her ranting and raving she volunteered he line to be the first to go out. What she didn't see was the RNT guys immediately start cringing when they saw her suiting up; they were all familiar with the the stories of Brittany Williams. She had her mask resting on her forehead and her Angel tightly gripped in her hand as she made her entrance back onto the field of glory. Her and her entire line were greeted to their fans holding signs and screaming their name. When she saw those taped up, old paint boxes painted with the words "Brittany Owns" and "Kennview Rules" she couldn't but laugh. The goofy guys playing the cardboard guitars didn't help any.
Brittany threw her mask over her face and immediately went into "Captain Mode". She started hitting her line on their backs, getting them pumped up about this game... though she really didn't need to. "THIS IS IT MOTHERFUCKERS! THIS IS WHAT WE TRAIN FOR! THEY ARE NOT WINNERS... THEY ARE FUCK-UPS WHO GOT LUCKY! WE ARE WINNERS! WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND SHOVE DOWN THEIR FUCKING THROATS! DON'T STOP UNTIL THEY CHOKE ON IT! LET ME HERE IT MOTHERFUCKERS!"
The entire line chanted along side of their captain. They were hollering, jumping up and down within the huddle, barking out choice phrases of their own, all the while feeling the crowd's fervor driving into their very souls. All five of their hearts were afire with adrenalin, their veins flowing with a bloodlust they've never felt before. They separated into their respective starting positions and prepared for the battle of their lives. Brittany looked across the field to see her enemy was equally pumped to be playing in this game, but they were lacking that deep emotion you need in order to win here; she knows what to look for more than anyone here. This knowledge forced an evil smile to her lips that refused to fade. The horn blew and the paint started flying.
Brittany took off towards her break-out bunker, shooting out one of RNT guys along the way. She heard Tina's voice coming behind her, giving her all the information she required, "RIGHT TAPE DOWN!". Those three words were all she needed to hear. After a quick glance across the field, she took off to the snake but didn't stop until she was on their half of the field. The Head Ref called her 'clean' after she dove under the cover the bunker provided. Tina had her back from her corner position and shot out the guy coming in to eliminate her friend. Brittany stayed low and let her enemies focus their efforts on her while Adam methodically made his way down the other side of the field. After getting the confirmation that her heat had cooled, she popped up and blasted the last two guys in a hurricane of orange with that evil grin still intact. Ashley grabbed the flag and waved it over her head as she ran in the first point of the match.
The entire first half showed the crowd all they needed to see. It was obvious from the get-go that Kennview wanted it more. RNT has always been a team that will intentionally lose the first couple of points just so they could observe how the team functions. Armed with this intelligence, they would find every hole and flaw in their opponent's structure and strategy and make their game a living hell. However, they failed to find any such flaws in Kennview's plans. The way they would storm the field one point, then play a more methodical point the next, and in a random pattern at that, kept the players and coaches guessing. RNT did manage to score twice, but by the time the horn blew to end the half, they had a serious hill to climb. They were losing 6 to 2 against the toughest opponent they faced all year.
Coach Wilson let an entire line of his JV kids start off the second half. Even though it was a risky move to let the more inexperienced players play the lead-off point, he figured they've earned it. They've all fought and bled just like everyone else and, besides, they had a four point lead so he could afford the sacrifice in exchange of his kids getting some field time. Ashley led her line out onto the field. It made her proud that she was chosen as the line's captain, even if it was for this one point, and even more was she could feel Brittany's inspiring presence flowing through her body. Then she felt it. That rush of adrenalin ran through her veins and filled her heart with the bloodlust. She wanted to win and she made damn sure that her line knew that. Just like her idol, she shouted and chanted with that anger seething from her voice.
The horn resounded throughout the arena; the half of the teenagers' lives was on. Ashley and her line fought with all of their hearts and souls to fend off the more experienced RNT squad, who was playing like they had something to prove. Coach Wilson's ulterior motive was for these five to waste as much clock as possible, just like he did last game; he wasn't expecting them to win the point. He watched his JV squad play at their enemy's level for the better part of six minutes and could remember thinking that this has got to be the most boring point in World Cup history. With neither team gaining an advantage over the other, and no one on either side wanted to be the one to fuck up their chances with a stupid move this point seemed to last forever. Most of them were filling their loaders with their last pod before someone on the RNT All-Stars broke the game open. He ran down the snake tape and shot out two of the four remaining Kennview players before getting shot out
himself. Ashley retreated to the back corner to get in better position to make a stand, but the point ended forty seconds later in favor of the RNT team.
As Ashley started walking back to the pits, she took her last tube of paint and threw it down while cussing herself for losing the point. Her coaching staff, and entire crowd, watched this vulgar display of emotion. Since the point was over, the refs couldn't assess a penalty, fortunately enough. Ashely's blatant show of emotion proved to be the most interesting part of the point, and sparked a new fire in her team's collective gut. In that simple but powerful gesture, she showed her entire team how much this match truly meant to her. Even Coach Wilson was inspired by his girl's frustration. Rather than reprimand her for disrespecting, and breaking, her equipment he decided to let her lead that same line back onto the field for the next point.
The entire team felt that rush flowing through them. As Ashley lined up her squad for this point, Brittany and Brian were busy in the pits keeping that energy flowing. Ashley's line came out firing on all cylinders. They didn't play the conservative game like last time, but took the fight to the enemy. The animosity pouring from every shot they took was easily felt by the unlucky bastard who was hit. For every shot that eliminated a player, there was at least five more coming his way. Even though the point was significantly shorter than the last, it still ate more than two-and-a-half minutes off the clock.
Brian lead his line out for the next series of points. He could tell that his opponents were not the same people he faced the last point he played. They looked tired, deflated and demoralized, especially after they learned that the line they just played was the "B" squad of the team. Brian and Frank dawned smiles that could melt an iceberg. Brian made sure his line added insult to injury as they continued to pound the All-Stars into the ground. Again and again and again his line came out swinging and didn't stop until the coach called for the line change. Brian happily turned the field over to Brittany's line to close out the match.
The star player from Kennview was greeted to her, by now, usual ovation. She saw her mother wearing a dire expression on her face, but figure she was just thinking the same thing that was on her mind. The girl threw her mask over her face and got herself ready to finish this thing. There was still three minutes on the clock and she knows that anything can happen. The girl's evil grin gave way to a solemn expression. This was the same face she wore the last time she was here, in this same situation. Her team is leading by a considerable margin and just minutes away from taking home the World Cup crown. Her heart was thumping and the sweat on her hands saturated through her gloves. She absentmindedly started tapping her fingers against the side of the trigger, just waiting for that horn to sound off again. Those ten seconds took forever to tick away... then she heard it.
In the blink of an eye, she went from her semi-crouched position with her gun below her waist to running and shooting her way upfield. The girl's four teammates scattered out to their assigned break-out spots while calling out the enemy. Brittany was standing at the X in less than eight seconds, chopping down half the field with her blazing firepower. Even though she was soon shot out of her spot, the entire left side of the field was opened up for her teammates to do as they pleased. Brittany felt that rush coming to her as she walked back to the deadbox. She pumped her fists at her sides then pointed up to the crowd. Tina ran down the field, high-fiving her captain along the way, and posted their first point of the series.
After everyone got their pods and tanks refilled and went over their assignments, they head out for what would be the last point of the tournament. Kennview managed to eat up almost ninety seconds during that last point, so know that was all that stood between them and total victory. RNT could make this a fifteen second point and it would make little difference; they had to finish out the clock to call it over. Brittany gathered her line around her one last time as they waited those agonizing ten seconds for the horn to blow. The referee at their start station gave them an early 'congratulations' while they waited. This made the entire team smile and giggle. Tina was about to thank him, but that sound bellowed out over the field.
The entire line simply dropped to one knee and put paint through the most likely running lanes. They knew that RNT will try an all-out blitz to make the score look that much more respectable. It it almost customary to do so if you're down by this many points, go out swinging. But instead of swinging, they were getting chopped up. Yet again, RNT fell before the overwhelming firepower of the kids from Kennview. All five ran the length of the field and all five were shot out before they could make it passed the X. Even though they managed to shoot Ashley and Adam, it was all for nothing. Kennview had just pulled off a miracle.
No one could believe their eyes. The defeated RNT guys slowly started walking off the field and the entire Kennview team started running down the length of the field. Brittany and her remaining teammates started hugging each other while moving towards their enemy's deadbox. They had to wait for the clock to expire before it was officially over, but that didn't matter. Brittany picked up the flag from the stand and started twirling it over her head. She turned to her fans and pumped the token at them, as if asking for their permission to hang it one last time. After getting their approval, she turned to her pit crew and did it again. She saw them smiling and crying, but pointed towards the RNT All-Stars' deadbox. Brittany looked over at Tina and Johnny who were still calling out to their family and fans, she called for them to come to her. The three of them each grabbed part of the flag and started to walk towards the other endzone. In front of the entire venue, the
three of them watched the clock to tick down to one second before they touched it to the netting.
Once it was touched and the Head Referee checked them over, the pits emptied. All of them came swarming onto the field. No one could control the celebratory chaos that followed. Brian pickup up his "little sister" and spun her around while the rest of the team jumped into a huddle/pile of emotion. Brittany managed to escape Brian's grasp and ran over to the fan-side netting. She was given her due ovation. She took her mask off and hurled it over the twenty foot netting into the waiting crowd. A smile came across her lips as people went clamoring for it, but she continued to peel off her uniform parts. The girl pulled her jersey over the top of her head and waved it around like a flag of victory, running up and down the length of the field pointing towards her supporters. She took off her gloves and pads and threw them over the netting as well. Brian, Curtis and Frank quickly followed suit with their own gear. Brittany laughed at her brothers stripping of their gear, but
felt an air of nostalgia wash over her heart. The raven-haired girl looked up to see her mother hunched over in her seat, with her face in her hands. Amanda had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She was trying to comfort her, but Brittany knew exactly why she was crying the way she was; it wasn't just motherly pride. Brittany was snapped out of her memory by Brian, Frank and Curtis, who gang tackled her to the ground. Tina and Ashley came running over to them.
Meanwhile, Coach Wilson went over to the Head Ref and asked for the game flag, which he was given without question. Everyone gathered around their head coach a few moments later. He presented the flag to his team with a tear in his eye, "This is going to be framed and hung in my office with the score and everyone's name on it. I'm so proud of you kids, everyone take hold of this thing!" And everyone did. They raised it over their heads in a display of their love for each other and their victory. Some went so far as to extend their index fingers while their hands were above their heads, telling everyone who really was "Number One". In what has become their own little tradition, the team lines themselves up on the tapeline facing the bleachers. They held hands and took a collective bow before their fans. Even with their eyes closed, they could still see the flashes of the scores of cameras capturing this moment.
After a short while, everyone began to calm down and get ready to depart the field so the Pros could play their final game. They loaded up their gear and made their way through the crowd. Brittany was pulled aside for an interview once again with that same woman from ESPN.
She looked right at the camera with the microphone up to her mouth. She put her arm around the teenager before she started speaking. "I'm here with Brittany Williams of the Kennview Kids. She's just led her team to their first World Cup title against the RNT All-Stars." She turned to the girl and asked, "Tell me what it feels like to win an event like this."
Brittany spoke from the heart, without thinking. "Words can't describe what it feels like to win a World Cup title. But to think that I was the leader behind it all is a grave mistake. We fielded over twenty different people in this event and they were not led by me alone. We have over five different leaders on this team and everyone one them pulled more than his or her own weight. To win here, everyone has to play more than one hundred-fifty percent and then some. We just have a great group of players with more heart and drive than I've ever seen.
"A perfect example of our heart and chemistry was the first point of the second half. You saw Ashley throw down that tube of paint at at the start of the second half and heard her screaming, but what you didn't see and what you didn't hear was the conversation we all had in the pits. She demanded that her line be allowed to play the next point... she wanted, or rather needed, a chance to redeem herself as a leader. Any less of a coach would have punished her for what she did on the field, but not ours. He saw that display through her eyes and gave her the chance. You know happened after that." Brittany finished her answer with a shit-eating smile.
"Well, that was quite a speech there," the woman said as turned back to the camera. "I hear that you yourself have some good personal news. Care to comment on that?"
That was a question Brittany was not prepared to answer. She didn't know if she should say something and give her new employer some on-camera mention, or go the moral route and deliver the news to her teammates in person. She took a breath before giving her answer. "Yes, after our first day I walked to the Angel Sports tent and met with Jack to discuss a few things. As everyone knows, I've been sponsored and supported by Angel since my first tournament. Let me just say thank you to all the guys at Angel and the rest of our sponsors, Redz, Nissan, JT Sports, Custom Sports Gear, Draxxus... we really appreciate your support. In this meeting, Jack and I discussed a few terms and agreed on a new contract that will go into effect next year. I am not at liberty to discuss the terms of our agreement, but stay posted to the magazines and Angel's website for the updates. This opportunity would not have been made possible if I didn't have a strong supporting cast and great
coaches. Everyone around me, my coaches, teammates, family, friends and fans, want me to succeed... and I like to please." Once again, Brittany felt a smile come across her lips at her last comment.
"Well thank you for your time Brittany," the woman said after blinking a few times. She wasn't used to seeing teenagers with this level of maturity and respect, let alone interviewing one. "I'm glad you told me the other day to keep an eye out for you today. Always glad to see a player back-up what they say."
Brittany grinned broadly at that one. "Hey, I like to think I don't lie!"
With that, Brittany took off to find the rest of her team. She looked back over her shoulder to find that they captured Coach Wilson into the grips of an interview, and he was smiling and laughing at whatever it was she said. Brittany found her team in their staging tent putting the gear away. She ran up behind Tina and grabbed her around the waist, scaring the shit out of her. This earned her a slap to the shoulder and a laugh from the rest of the team. Everyone came over to give their star player a warm reception before getting back to work. As if on queue, Brian and the coaching staff came walking into the tent right as the last of the gear was stowed away.
Everyone broke into applause when their coach made his appearance. He put his hands up and smiled. "Hey, there's no need for speeches. We came here to win and we did. We showed the entire world that any team can walk into this event and win. You don't need to be some high profile team like those Aftermath bastards, or even Static. All you need is a lot of heart, some good gear and some damn fine coaches." Everyone laughed at their coach and mentor cracked the one joke he was famous for. "Alright, let's get the bus loaded up and then we're due back at Center Court for the awards ceremony after the NXL Finals."
The entire team was feeling the burn of the event. Their muscles ached beyond pain, their throats and voices were hoarse and they still had a long-ass ride ahead of them tonight. They did as they were told to do, but they did it at their own pace. Brian led the group back to the fields to watch the final few minutes of the game between Sand Diego Dynasty and the New England Hurricanes. Their beloved Assassins lost their semi-final match to the Hurricanes and were forced to play for third, but that really didn't matter. Since Dynasty made it to the finals, they were guaranteed the season title, beating out the Assassins by two series points. The game was much closer than the Division One game. It looked like it might go into overtime, but one of the Hurricanes made a move down the snake-side tape and blew the game wide open. Brian laughed at himself as he watched Dynasty fall right into their trap. Once the Hurricanes hung the point, everyone knew who was going to win it all.
The awards ceremony started as soon as they got the stage and podium set up. The finals teams were waiting in the pit areas for their Division to be called, and almost everyone who watched this tournament was in the stands cheering for the winning teams. they started off with Division Three so Kennview had a little bit of a wait. Thomas Ferneaux, the president of the league, had to give his congratulatory speeches to all the teams and the media had to get pictures. It was only ten minutes, but felt like forever until they heard "Division One" announce over the speakers.
Everyone in the Kennview ranks held hands as they walked onto the field for the last time today. Brittany saw her mom and Amanda huddled in the middle of the rest of the parental convoy. Brian's parents once again flanked Mrs. Williams. Brittany was the first one to take a spot on the center riser. She helped the rest of the team climb up and then they had to wait some more. As usual, they started off with fourth place and moved on up to the winner, then crowned the season champions.
As soon as Thomas read the name Kennview Kids, the entire team took another bow to the people watching. The president came over to the podium and handed the Cup to the winning team. Brian shot the fourteen pound trophy over his head and yelled out to the audience. He kissed the silver monument and passed it down the line so everyone could do the same. When it got Frank, he put his tongue against the side and licked it all the way to the rim. They handed it off to their coach and shook hands with the rest of their divisional winners. RNT All-Stars were great sportsmen about the whole thing and reciprocated. Aftermath, although they smiled and nodded back to the victors, they were happy for another reason. Since Kennview beat the RNT All-Stars, and Static was beaten to a pulp, that meant that there was a fifth award to be presented to this group. Aftermath II was presented with an additional plaque and trophy of the Division's Champions. Kennview naturally congratulated
them on that accomplishment, that doesn't necessitate that they actually wanted to. The kids exited the field and immediately headed for the bus. They didn't wait to hear who won the Semi-Pro and NXL titles. The only things on their young minds was this fourteen hour bus ride and sleep.
Brittany took a seat in the back of her mom's van. She managed to talk the coach into letting her ride home with her mom, as he did with the rest of those who had parents here this week. Amanda held her against her shoulder and stroked her hair. She knew that her Brittany was worn out beyond belief, but she still wanted to congratulate her in her own special way. All weekend she's watched her play her heart out. All weekend she watched her win and lose. She saw with her own eyes the kind of love and dedication she has to her beloved sport and know she has a job waiting for her once she graduates. Not only that, but her girlfriend also has a guaranteed spot on a pro roster, the one thing she's wanted since she was a little girl. Amanda just closed her eyes and felt the wave of happiness and contentment wash over her soul.
Mrs. Williams congratulated her daughter for her hard fought victory in every way a mother could. She even offered to allow Amanda to stay the night for the next few days if she wanted to. But right now, all Brittany wanted was a week in a hot tub and just as long of a nap, and in the van, she could get part of that wish. Within moments of Amanda lovingly stroking her matted and sweat-dried hair she was out cold. The mother at the wheel felt her own content smile wash over her face. Her daughter just lived her dream and she shared it with the women she loves most. She looked in the rear-view mirror after about an hour to find that Amanda too had fallen asleep. Mrs. Williams couldn't be more happy for her little girl.
Amanda woke up only thirty minutes later to find Brittany's head still resting in her lap. She mumbled her girlfriend's name during the course of her nap from time to time. This brought an even warmer feeling to the mute's heart. Amanda felt wash of emotion over her soul at the thought of this becoming a regular occurrence.