Soccer Showdown
I could swear I saw a wicked smirk on Reu’s face for a split second when she walked out with her team members to the field.
Reu, a girl with honey skinned complexion, with luscious flowing locks which she always styled with classic shades and so much sass, had warned me not to join the soccer game and even threatened to deal with me if I did but I have seen more formidable foes in a toddler's tantrum so I took her threats for granted and embraced the offer to join team sapphire when presented to me by Ms Bleu.
It was that time of the year again when Future High would be engaging students in different recreational sports. I loved soccer so much and any school I attended, I made sure to join the school’s female soccer team.
On one of the days while we were practicing, Reu’s crush, Damien, the school's head boy, had hailed me for a perfect shot at the ball and since then, I've been in Reu’s bad books as she claims I have eyes for her man and shot the ball that way to impress him.
Before the match began, the teams exchanged handshakes but when I tried shaking hands with Reu, she pulled back her hand. “Loser,” she scoffed. For a brief moment, it pricked my heart to be called a loser but knowing I wasn't one, I shook off the bad energy and ran along with my teammates.
The coin toss was made and my team was to perform the kickoff. The ball was given to me to make the first pass. Reu, with contempt in her eyes, immediately attacked to get the ball from me even when I hadn't passed it to anyone yet. The referee, noticing her attitude blew the whistle and warned that she played the defense she was put there for.
The parents, students and guardians that sat around watched with so much interest and, of course, Damien took a seat in the first row of bleachers. He looked nice in his sportswear I wouldn't deny but I wasn't into him in any way neither were we friends. My mom, of a certainty, was somewhere watching. She never missed any of my matches and that made me feel and do better.
The match had kicked off and the dribbling became intense as each team struggled to score a goal. Reu had the ball in her possession and dribbled off many people showcasing her football skills as she headed for our goal post. With speed, I approached her. When she saw me running towards her, she kicked the ball with strength but I was able to dive in and nod it far away from the goalpost.
The crowd cheered and I could hear my mom scream “that's my daughter.” Pride washed over me as my teammates rounded me, hailing me for obstructing the ball from entering the goalpost because judging from the position and speed at which the ball went, our keeper wouldn't have caught it.
“Don't you dare get in my way again,” Reu warned as she ran past me. I shook my head in disbelief and looked up. Damien immediately gave me a thumbs up and winked at me. Reu saw that too and she was very vexed. Moving on, she began playing aggressively, and pushing players out of the way each time they approached her to get the ball. Before the first half came to an end, Reu was given a yellow card.
To be continued.