Jaided (2 page)

“So you all make sure Bhrade keeps trying, boys and, uh, girl. I will be keeping track of makes and misses, which is most important for mids and forwards. I will also be watching for speed, endurance, skill and effort. I'll take everything I see into account when I choose the team." He raised his clipboard. "Let's get started,” he said, and pointing to Bhrade, “there's some gloves in the equipment bag."

"I have my own, if that's ok."

The first boy grabbed a ball and placed it on the penalty mark 12 yards in front of the goal. He kicked and the ball went sailing, slowly, into Bhrade's arms. He didn't even have to move. Everyone snickered. Bhrade dropped the ball. Coach Thacker blew his whistle and they ran to the end of the field and back, and then back again. It felt good for Jaide. She liked running. She knew it would soon be hell though, as this goalie was good. A few more boys kicked, but with no one making it, they ran more. Many boys were very tired. No balls were getting past Bhrade.

Jaide was starting to tire but loved to stretch her legs. She glanced at Matt. He was breathing a little hard, too. She always ran right in the front of the pack, with Matt, Blaize and Garret.

Up next was Chance.
Thank God he was the last of the defenders to shoot
, Jaide thought. Oddly, Bhrade, who was brand new at Exeter, taunted him. "Come on, Chance. You think you can handle this?"

Chance grinned as he took a couple steps back. He stared right at the top left corner, a dead giveaway for the goalie, but Jaide suspected it was a fake. There was no way he was really going for the corner. And he didn't. Chance shot it with a curve, one of the best kicks she'd seen yet. It was a hard, fast kick and it did something unexpected. It curved right for Bhrade, who definitely wasn't expecting it from a seasoned soccer player.

The ball got him hard in the stomach and he fell back into the goal. Chance had scored. Bhrade rolled over, coughing, trying to get the wind back in his lungs.

Coach Thacker shook his head.

"That's a nice trick, boy, but it won't work more than once. Let's try not to cause our only goalie internal bleeding, ok?"

Chance nodded with a grin and set up his next shot. This one, he did aim for a corner but Bhrade caught it. They only had to run one down and back. A few mids shot, no one making it. Jaide felt she was starting to get really tired. She sensed that Matt was tired, too. They had gone all out on every sprint, but they had remained at the head of the pack.

Matt was up. He placed the ball and shot quickly. It sailed right through the bottom right corner, almost skimming the post. Bhrade dove but just barely missed it. He cursed. Matt grinned and took his time with his second shot. Bhrade barely stopped it this time and they had to run a down and back.

Jaide was finally up. A couple jeers came from a few of the boys. She kicked the ball smoothly. It sailed into the net. Bhrade was frowning. Jaide knew it was a shot that no goalie could stop.

She kicked her second ball, this time to a corner. It brushed Bhrade's fingertips and went in. Bhrade was downright scowling now. He didn't let any balls past him again until the forwards began shooting. Garret, Blaize and one other boy each got one past him but no one else. It was impressive, but a lot of running for everyone.

The rest of the practice consisted of more running, a timed mile and a skills-per-position workout. The coach was wandering throughout, observing and taking notes. Everyone was dead tired as the practice came to a close. Surprisingly, when Coach Thacker called everyone to him, he said, "Nice practice. I'm impressed. I think we will be even better than last year. The results will be posted tomorrow morning. Don’t bother me sooner than that because I won't tell you. I suggest you stretch a little before you leave so you don't get too sore for tomorrow's practice. It will be harder than today and I will expect even more out of you." He smiled and turned his back on the group, sauntering away while whistling "How Can I Leave Thee," a Washington University song of sentimental proportions.

Everyone remained after Coach Thacker left. They sat on the field in groups to talk and stretch, lazily removing their sweaty gear.

Jaide sat with the same boys that she had stretched with earlier. They all looked as tired as she felt.

"Hey, you have a nice shot, Jaide. Where did you learn to play soccer?" Bhrade asked her as he pulled off his cleats to examine his blisters.

"My brother taught me. I've never played on a team like this before, though."

"Well, I think you're going to make the team," Garret said, stretching his back.

"Oh, for sure. She’s better then you are," Alex said jokingly, taking off his shirt and flopping backwards into the grass.

Leith grinned at her. "Sweet kicks," he said.

She looked down at her cleats and laughed. They were pink. Her brother had gotten them for her. "Yeah, I like them."

Then she heard the sarcastic voice of Ablaiza from the edge of the group. “Coach Matthew Robinson seemed to like her sweet cleats, too.”

“Fuck that shit!” she snapped. Everyone laughed.

"We better head in, guys,” Bhrade said. “They stop serving dinner in ten minutes, and I am fucking starving."

Chance smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't cuss in front of girls."

Jaide laughed. "Nah, its fine. I cuss all the time. I just said, ‘fuck that shit,’ so don't pull that motherfuckin’ chauvinistic pig shit on me, big boy."

All the boys laughed again as they stood up, and Chance conceded. "Ok, ok. I wasn't sure, so thanks for letting me know."

She grinned at him. She liked all of them. She had found some friends. But it was only her first day.

B
laize remained steadfastly belligerent through dinner and later in their room, he nixed every attempt Jaide made to breach the gap between them. All the other boys were delightfully convivial but she noticed they seemed to avoid the obvious question: “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Was it a conspiracy
, she wondered,
something Tremaine had put them up to
? She knew even the best of brothers had a little larceny in their souls, especially toward sisters.

All the rooms at Exeter had been designed with extraordinarily comfortable appointments to suit the lush pocketbooks of the parents. Jaide shared the adjoining bathroom with Blaize, outfitted with a marvelously private shower stall with glass doors. When she had finished toweling off, she returned through the bathroom door to find Blaize snoring away in their darkened room, on top of his Exeter bedspread. He was a large boy, sleeping face-up in his blue cotton soccer sweats, with his equally large earphones clamped to his head. A little red button light told her his music player was on but thankfully, he’d turned it low. She couldn’t hear a sound and crept into her own bed, pulled a sheet over her head, and fell immediately into the exhausted world of her neverending nightmares.

In her besieged mind, she ran the Exeter soccer field ahead of a pack of wild dogs driven by a large figure on horseback. The figure kept clutching at her hair with his outstretched arm. The horse closed to within inches and the figure, who wore a black hood, gripped her hair in long, yellowing fingers, and lifted her body off the ground. Her running feet churned the air helplessly. She screamed for help but the horse, with its pounding hooves, turned its slobbering head into her lower abdomen and bit her crotch. Huge wads of spittle dripped down her helpless legs. She felt her pajamas become soaked in heavy horse slobber. The dark figure’s other hand reached into her mouth, turning her face toward the rider’s grinning countenance. She knew who it was and screamed again and again, until another hand shook her shoulder. She awoke with a start.

Jaide sat bolt upright to find Blaize still gripping her shoulder. “Shit girl, I can’t sleep with you mumbling like that. Roll over and shut the fuck up.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, but he had already plopped on his bed and in the dim light, she saw a bulky apparition put on earphones. She wasn’t sure where the nightmare left off and Blaize began.

In the morning, Jaide woke early. It was the first day of classes. She was careful not to wake Blaize and hopped in the shower. She examined her privates for teeth marks, but there were no traces of horse bites. Her pajamas were dry. When she got out, she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the bathroom. Blaize was up and in front of his dresser. When he saw her, he blushed and looked away.

"I left plenty of hot water."

He nodded and scooted past her into the bathroom. Jaide pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt. She was so glad this school didn't require uniforms. As Blaize came out, he was already dressed in dark blue jeans and a clean white t-shirt. He was clean-shaven.

They both busied themselves packing backpacks. She almost regretted the bright red backpack she had picked out. Blaize left for breakfast without a word and she followed soon after. Breakfast was your choice of cereal and fruit. She choose an apple and a banana for potassium. Her legs were stiff and sore from the day before. Only Chance, Matt and Alex were at the table. They all looked a little tired and stiff also.

She sat down beside Blaize, who had cereal.

"Mornin’," Chance mumbled through his toast.

"Hey, how are ya doing?"

"Very sore," Alex said.

Chance and Matt agreed. "For sure. Practice today is going to be a tough one," Matt groaned.

Jaide nodded. She wanted to go check if she made the team. "I got English first period. What about you guys?"

"Yeah, I do," Alex said

Alex nodded and stuffed half a banana in his mouth. "I wonder if Garret is even going to make it to his first class. He would not get up this morning."

Matt nodded. "I don't blame him. My muscles hate me right now."

"Same here," she said. She groaned for emphasis.

A voice came in her ear. "I could give you a leg massage ... you know, work out those kinks." A hand slipped around her waist.

She smiled and turned to Bhrade, removing his hand. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Ahh, man." He plopped down beside her. "Only Blaize gets action then?"

"Yeah ... right," she said. “That’ll be the day!”

Chance stood. "Are you guys done? I want to go look at the list."

Everyone stood except for Blaize.

"Blaize, you coming?"

He shook his head.

Alex shrugged. "I'll tell you about it first period then. See ya."

Jaide followed, munching on her apple. The list was posted on the coach's office door. A few boys gathered around, a couple looking happy and a couple walking away dejectedly.

Jaide peeked around Alex. She looked down the list for her name. Nothing, but finally at the end of the list was her name.
Yes!
She made the team. She grinned and stepped back. She knew she was good enough to make the team by comparing herself to the other newcomers. She just hadn’t been sure if the coach was going to let her, seeing as how she was a girl.

"Congratulations." Chance patted her on the back. "I knew you were going to make it."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"It's weird, though. He doesn't have a position listed for you, Matt, Leith or any of the others going out for mid."

She frowned. "Wasn't Matt center mid last year?"

"Yeah, he was, and Alex was left. I figured he'd just put you at right but he doesn't have you guys listed."

She frowned. "I just figured Matt would get it. He’s good."

"Yeah. I dunno what coach is up to, but I guess we'll find out at practice." Chance smiled at her reassuringly and she nodded.

Alex tugged on her backpack. "Come on soccer girl, let's get to class."

She smiled and they took off to class. Blaize was already there, sitting in the back and looking dour, just like he had at breakfast. Alex sat down on one side of him and Jaide on the other.

"Hey man, guess what," said Alex.

Blaize mumbled, "Huh?"

"Jaide made the team."

Blaize shrugged. "Ok."

Alex pushed his shoulder. "Come on, man. That’s pretty cool, right?"

"Sure." He didn't look up, but then addressed her abruptly. "So you saw the list then?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Did I get center forward or right?"

"Center. Garret got right."

Blaize nodded.

English class was pretty boring. It was all about how they were going to have a positive year and learn a lot, all that good stuff. The next class she had was History. She knew that Blaize had all the same classes, so she followed him. She still didn't know her way around the school.

The class was a good five-minute walk. When they arrived, she spotted Garret and immediately went to sit by him, as did Blaize.

"Hey," Garret greeted her. "How you doing?"

He looked like he woke up 10 minutes ago. "I'm ok. You look a little tired."

"Yeah ... I'm not really a morning person."

She laughed and got acquainted with Garret during the next hour and half. The teacher didn't seem to notice that no one was paying attention to him. She felt a liking for this group of guys more and more. Garret was awesome. She now knew some basic information on all the guys.