The Average Highschool Experience

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Matthew stood in his normal spot on the soccer field: In the middle of the net, playing goaltender. He had already let one in today, and he was pretty pissed off about that. His nerves were getting to him; he was the only goalie left on the team after last years seniors graduated, and he was still struggling with the responsibilities of being a starter. He couldn't let any more points, that was for sure. He looked at the crowd as the game was reset after Jimmy scored a goal, and it felt like they were all judging him, casting him off as a failure. The whistle was blown, and although the play was on the opposite side of the field, Matt got into the ready position, just in case things changed rapidly. He couldn't really see much from where he was, although he could tell by the roar of the crowd that they had scored. He backed into his goal and grabbed a drink.

The game was reset, and now he would have to start playing goalie, because the "enemy" started with the ball.
 
"Hey Alex!" Corrie greeted him enthusiastically, grinning a broad smile that caused little dimples to form in her cheeks. Her hands were shaking now from pent up energy, and she had to sit on them to keep them still. The small girl wondered idly how he managed to keep his hands still enough to take pictures with when she could barely write her name without her letters coming out messy, but quickly dismissed the thought to focus on him. That was one of her few talents, she thought, focusing on the person she was talking to, and she knew that was the reason that very few people disliked her. That said, no one really knew her enough to like her considerably, as she was always bouncing between friends. It was politics, she told herself, because it sounded like a good excuse not to have friends.

But Alex was nice, she knew from the few classes she had shared with him, and she didn't particularly mind the distraction from the game. "I'd love some company. This game is getting reeeeally boring." She tilted her head in an almost puppy-like way, some of her long, curly hair flopping into her face, and wrinkled her freckled nose.
 
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For as much as Alex went on and on about Mrs. Becker he had to admit that Corrie had a smile that was just perfection. It was a photographer's dream in the sense that it really did show who Corrie really was. That there was no pretense or that it looked like the person had a gun in their back and was told to "act natural."

When Corrie called the game boring and she wrinkled her nose Alex smiled back at her. He said, "Yeah it's not exactly a barn burner right now, but it's got it's moments. Overall though I can't remember the last time I got to sit and enjoy an entire game without feeling like I had to get a picture at some point."

Alex leaned over and said, "I can tell that soccer isn't exactly your sport." He looked around as though he was about to spill state secrets and said, "It's okay your secret is safe with me, and true confession..." Alex did the look around again and said, "It's not mine either, but Mrs. Becker knows how much the sport means to our school and so I get the plum job. Personally I like the art club assignments. Some look down on it, but not me."

Alex pulled away because he didn't want Corrie to feel too uncomfortable and said, "I like looking at the work of others. It inspires me, helps me see what I can improve on, and what mistakes I can avoid. Not to mention we got some pretty talented people in that club, and I do believe I'm sitting next to one"

Just then a soda vendor came by and Alex signaled for a drink and asked Corrie, "Would you like one? I'm buying."
 
Corrie felt her cheeks heat up, and knew it would be visible on her pale, freckled cheeks. "Thank you," She replied softly. She had always been terrible at taking compliments- she got all flustered and quiet, every time without fail. This meant she was very glad for the distraction of the drink vendor. "Oh, I'd love one, thank you!" She answered, removing her hands from under her legs in order to run her fingers through her hair.

{Whooo, guess who has no muse tonight.}
 
Alex paid the vendor and handed Corrie a soda. He took his and grabbed a quick swig of it before putting it by his feet. Alex could tell that his compliment somewhat embarrassed and said, "I didn't mean to embarrass you Corrie. I happen to think though that you're a talented girl and a nice person."

Alex quickly pulled out his camera and snapped a couple of quick photos of some of the on-filed action. He then got his soda and took another drink. Alex motioned to the end of the bench and said, "The two guys at the end of the bench Johnson and Manfredi they aren't into the game right now they're counting down to the final gun. I know because they're gonna be throwing a party at Johnson's parents beach house tonight win or lose. Johnson's parents are out of town and I was invited to go."

Alex quickly snapped off a few more shots and said, "That should do it until the post game shots." He looked at Corrie and said, "I could never really go to parties like that. With my father being a cop and if I got busted..." Alex shook his head and said, "I know my dad. He would have no issues leaving me in lock up for the weekend."

Alex looked at his camera and then back at Corrie and said, "I hope you don't think i'm being creepy, but would you mind if I got one picture of you? I promise it won't get into the paper or the yearbook, but you have such a gracious smile and your personality comes shining through." He let out an exhale and said, "You're not exactly seeing me at my best right now, and I'm sorry about that."
 
In the pit was where Tanya's text instructed Glenn to look for her. He wrinkled his nose as he approached the crowd, with food in hand; the noise would be enormous, but there was the fault in letting Tanya choose where they sat. He pushed his way through the people, then gave up and hopped up onto the bleachers. Students screamed as a goal was scored, and Glenn looked in the pit for Tanya. A moment later, he spotted her, and braced himself for the throng. Glenn pushed his way through, guarding the fries that he'd picked up for them, until he was the closest person on Tanya's left.

"I'm alive," he gloated. Tanya turned, grinned at him, took a fry, and span back towards the game. She tried to inch forward, towards the front of the pit, the movement was a mistake- somehow or another, Tanya was pushed, and stumbled into the person on her right.

"Crap, sorry," she said, and turned to her victim. It was a boy in her grade, Andrew, who she knew from some classes that they'd shared. "Oh- hey, man, what's up?" Tanya said, changing tone quickly and warmly. She smiled, and only glanced back towards the field when there was a noticeable influx of noise from the crowd.

Glenn shrugged, and took a fry. Not being nearly as interested in the game, he instead looked to see who was in the pit, and found his eyes skimming over Mendi, and her underclassman friend Aujuli. Or something like that. Glenn wasn't the closest with Mendi or her friends, but someone he knew from language club was better than cheering for a game he only cared about on his friend's behalf. "Mendi! Hey," he called, and waved to be sure he grabbed his classmate's attention.
 
Corrie listened intently as Alex spoke to her on various topics, nodding along every so often. When he came to the final question, she sort of just stared blankly at him or a moment, her blue eyes slightly wider than normal. After a second, she snapped out of her own little world and nodded. "Yeah, sure I guess!" It wasa bit of an odd question, but she never had been one to get in the way of someone's art, and if he wanted her to be a part of it so be it. Her cheeks, still, were flushed a slightly pinker colour than she would have liked, but it was odd to be complimented so many times in such a short time frame, especially from a senior. "Besides, you don't seem to be too 'not your best', don't be hard on yourself." She smiled with her comment, though it was a softer, less enthusiastic smile than before.
 
Alec smiled back at Corrie and said, "Thank you. Usually I'm a little more aware of what I'm saying. Right now though..." he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Thanks for being understanding." He snapped the picture quickly and said, "Very nice. Again I promise it's not going public." Alex then snapped a couple more shots of the game and then turned his attention back to Corrie and said, "I gotta say it's nice sitting with someone who wants to be here as much as I do." Alex rolled his eyes and said, "Promise though the next Art club presentation I'll be there for it." Alex smiled back and said, "Even if I'm not the one covering it for the paper."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mrs. Becker who leaned over to kiss her husband. Alex looked away and snapped one more picture of the field action, and then deleted the picture of Mrs. Becker.

Like I ever really had a chance.

He looked back at Corrie and said, "Thanks for letting me sit with you. Beats the daylights out of roaming the field all night. "
 
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Mendi watched the game, studied it to jot mental notes in her mind. The boys team was hot tonight, and the guys had made a few moves even she couldn't do. They were just what she needed to enhance her playing ability. But, she heard her name shouting out from The Pit. Looking behind her and then before her throughout the bleachers, she spotted Glenn waving and shaking his head like a madman. She waved back with a grin, "Oh, Hey Glenn, Tanya!

She quickly turned to Aujuli, "Say, let's move down to sit with them. We can start a really short wave if we collect everyone and all sit together."

Aujuli shook her head, "That's silly, but hey, it's better than a one-man wave, right?" Soon, the two collected their things and made their way down to the others. They sat behind the two.

"Hey Tanya," Mendi said, "Is it just me, or are the guys showing some major skill tonight? If they're playing like this, then us Lady Generals better be ready to hang. We'll look like chumps if our boys soccer team hits State this year, and we don't."
 
Corrie caught the odd look that crossed the older boy's face, her brow creasing slightly in either worry or confusion (she didn't really know), but didn't pry. We all have our secrets, she thought idly and watched him for a moment while he took more pictures. She had always found artists to be so intriguing in their own element, creating whatever they created, and she loved watching it happen. When he turned back to face her, she smiled brightly yet again. "Hey, any time Alex!" She chirped, tilting her head slightly with a widened grin.

"Besides, they're playing really well tonight!" Her eyes trailed over to Matthew, in the net, and subconsciously widened her smile. While she didn't understand the game for the most part, and some of it really quite bored her, she did love to watch her best friend play. She supposed sports were almost like an art in themselves, depending on who was playing. It also depended on what one would classify as art, but she figured anything someone was passionate about could probably be considered art.

Quickly, Corrie turned her gaze back to Alex. "So, outside of photography, what do you do with your free time?"
 
Garrett watched as the ball was put back in play, now with the opposing team carried the ball towards his goals, or to be specific, Matt's goal. He backed pedaled, but the ball was passed around and behind him, leaving only the defense and the goalie in the way of the drive. Another powerhouse player on the other team, Jackson, carried the ball. Garrett stopped his back pedal and turned, now fully facing his goal. The defense was crushed and passed by, and now Matt was the last chance of defense remaining. Jackson was notorious for playing rough, and what happened next further proved his point.

=

Matt watched as Jackson weaved around midfielders and his brother. Geez, this guy could move. Matthew moved up to the goal line and got ready; this guy was about to take it all the way up. The defense was easily overtook, and now Jackson was just feet from the goal. Matt rushed him, and before he knew what was happening, Jackson passed the ball and went slid right into Matt's ankle.

Snap!

Matt was lying on the ground, cringing and screaming. Did he just break his fucking ankle? Did that really, just happen? The crowd was silent, and even the opposing team stopped playing.

Too bad there weren't any referees at the game to give Jackson a red-card for that illegal tackle...

=

Garrett watched from the outside of the goal box as Jackson slid into his brother. Garrett watched as his brother fell to the ground screaming, and he was immediately pissed at Jackson. He had made some asshole moves before this, but not this bad.

It was probably a stupid move, but Garrett rushed Jackson, and it looked as though he was the only one moving in an otherwise motionless game. Just as Jackson saw him coming, Garrett smashed into him, tackling him to the ground. He pulled his fist back and drove it through Jackson's face, and then repeated the motion with his other arm. He cursed and continued hitting him, turning his face into a bloody mess. The entire playing party was waiting for someone to pull Garrett off of him, and no one moved... yet.
 
Darcy got up from her seat, trying to exit the stadium. She was bored with the game, considering she didn't understand it and the score wasn't really moving. Plus, she wanted to get home before her brother had to go to bed so she could say goodnight to him. However, just as she got up, she was stopped by the screaming of Matthew, her neighbor and part of the soccer team. The entire crowd went silent, including the opposing team, until a chorus of boos rang in from the audience members who had seen the obviously illegal play. Not only that, but Garrett looked angry, obviously having seen the play go down, and he charged at Jackson, the player that had knocked Matt over, and punched him repeatedly in the face. Garrett's fist retracted from every hit, leaving bloodier and dirtier than when it started. Jackson's screams melded with Matt's, who was now hobbling off the field on his obviously broken ankle. Even from the top of the stands, she could see it was bent wrong.

The worst part, however, was through all this, Garrett had not stopped hitting Jackson. And nobody had tried to stop him from doing so.

Darcy yelled from the top of the stands, barely hearing herself over the loud screaming of the fans and the whistle of the coaches, who, even through all the violence, had not stepped in yet. "Garrett, stop! Enough!" She called, but she wasn't heard, "Garrett!" She tried screaming louder. But when she saw the bloody mess that was Jackson's face, she stopped yelling and turned away from the sight, nauseated. Darcy had never been good with blood, despite the fact that her mother was a nurse and dealt with it all the time. She just never got used to the sight or smell. So she turned and ran into the parking lot, taking a deep breath when she reached her car and hopping in, still feeling sick. She would find out what happened tomorrow morning, but right now she had to get home so that she had less of a risk of getting sick.
 
Corrie stood up, her breath catching in her throat. "Holy f-" Before she could finish the exclamation, she was on her feet, quickly calculating the quickest and least populated path to Matt. "I- uh, Alex- I've gotta go." She stumbled over her words, starting forward almost before she had even finished her sentence. "I'm sorry, it was great catching up with you- I'll see you in class sometime!" She called over her shoulder, jumping over a few stretched out legs in an attempt to reach her friend. "Matt, Matt, Matt-" She was repeating, along with a few "Please move! I need through! Please!"s added in when her small frame was blocked. Finally she reached him, and skidded around a final bench to kneel beside him. "Hey, hey Matt- I'm here okay? Ah-" Her hands were shaking uncontrollably now- probably along with the rest of her, she thought. It was times like these she realized just how terrible with stress and worry she was. "Matt- Are you hurt? Of course you're hurt- I- What do I do?"
 
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Castor saw the illegal move, heard Matt's screams, and rushed across the field where the cluster of players and officials were huddled around his teammate. It was a sickening sight, an injury normally seen during a heavy game. But this was just a scrimmage! Why in hell would Jackson make such a debilitating move as that on one of their guys, knowing that will set him out for the season for good?

Seeing Matt was in good hands with their coach and the trainer, the sounds of a fight moved him from his side. Garrett wasn't going to let Jackson get away with what he did. His fist was making absolutely sure Jackson will never forget his crime for the rest of the school year. Pushing his way through his team, Castor rushed to Garrett. He wanted Jackson to suffer, but he knew Garrett will end up penalized for this if he didn't stop.

"Garrett! Damn it, man; STOP!" He grabbed his arms and pulled him off of Jackson, while his teammates huddled around them to keep him safe. The Raiders rushed to Jackson's aid as well, dragging him off the ground and pulling him out of harms way. They cussed them out, but Castor just flipped them off and kept a tight hold around his friend. The rest of the Generals stood before them, sending enough insults for their poor sportsmanship that the Raiders finally gave up.

Heading to the benches, Castor tried his best to calm Garrett down. "You're done it now, man; but hell, no one's blaming you. Not after what he did. But ya gotta calm down and check on your brother, K. Jackson's not going to forget that beat down for a long time... So, check on Matt, will ya!" He wasn't going to let go until Garrett showed some control. He knew it was going to be hard, for he wanted to rush the field and beat the entire Raiders' line for their bullshit. But, what good was that going to do, especially for Matt...for their team?

Mendi and Aujuli were on their feet watching the whole thing. They didn't know what to do, but to see their friends going through something so horrible just drove them to do something drastic to help them out. Aujuli feared her brother would jump into the fight, but instead he kept Garrett from going further. Mendi just covered her mouth to avoid screaming. She's seen Garrett go all beast once before, when he was helping out a friend one time near the gym. But, that was a long time ago. To see him tear into Jackson's face reminded her just how far Garrett will go to defend his friends and family. They stood quietly and watched until everything calmed down. Now, they worried about Matt's ankle.
 
Alex smiled at Corrie as she asked what he was into and he replied, "I love playing my saxophone, really into the music of Bruce Springsteen, and yeah I collect..."

Just then there was a horrible gasp from the crowd and Alex immediately turned to the field and saw Matt on the ground. Corrie used a colorful metaphor, excused herself, and was gone.

Alex looked at Mrs. Becker who just gave him a quick nod. Within seconds Alex was out of the stands and off to a corner of the field. He snapped a couple of pictures of Matt and Corrie kneeling next to him, but then he turned his full attention to Garrett just nailing Jackson like it was an MMA match over and over. Garrett was turning Jackson's face into a pasty dough, and there would be hell to pay. The beach party would probably get called off, and who knows if the game was about to be suspended. It was possible they might call it a draw, call it off, or they might even try to continue with it.

All of that paled in comparison though to Matt's injury. His season was more than likely over, and who knew what kind of permanent damage he was looking at. Alex got a few more pictures of the crowd and the training staff gathering around Matt. One of the trainers signaled for the ambulance to be brought on the field.

Alex put his camera down said a quiet prayer for Matt and crossed himself when he was done. Alex looked over at the Raiders' bench and more than a few began to eye Garrett as everyone was starting to cool down. Some of the Raiders' fans looked like they were about to rush the field too. Alex wasn't a big soccer fan, but he knew there was NO love lost between these two teams. This was the rivalry that everyone talked about. Alex then realized that this had the potential of being a powder keg, and the fuse was lit and burning slowly. Alex took a few more pictures and then he realized that this was far from over.

Alex put his hand in his pocket pulled out his phone and kept it at the ready. If all Hell broke loose one phone call to his dad and half the police department would be down there in two minutes.
 
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"Are you kidding? Of course we'll show them up," Tanya started. She opened her mouth to say more, but everyone went silent. The girl turned and stared at the field, and her mouth dropped open as she watched the scene unfold. It felt like it couldn't have taken more than a second for Matt to start scream, and Garrett to start beating up on Jackson.

Tanya ran through the pit, and ran to the side of the bleachers, where some volunteers were stationed, responsible for first aid. "There's some shit going down on the field," she said, and glanced over to the scene. "I think Matt hurt his foot, and one of the kids from the other team just got the shit beaten out of him," she explained. The volunteers scrambled for what they had and took their supplies towards the injured kids.

Glenn had stayed where he was, shocked by how quickly everything went from one chaos to another. "Holy..." he muttered, then looked and Meni and Aujuli. They both looked fairly shook up. "Hey- you two- are you okay?" he asked, gently. At the very least, maybe he could distract them from all of this, since it had already happened. But it was kind of like a train wreck, and Glenn found himself looking back at the players just after asking, and again after snapping his head back towards the girls.
 
Aujuli heard Glenn, but couldn't say anything. She was lost within the actions of the field; watching her brother play the peacekeeper before his teammate. Mendi pulled from the actions, seeing things calming down, and glanced at Glenn.

"It's just...um, yea, we're fine; just scared for Matt and Castor...and Garrett..." Her hand glided through her hair to push it away from her face as a breeze blew past her. The sounds of Matt's screams seem to shake her to the bone; she knew his season was over...before it even started. "I can't believe what that guy did to Matt...but Garrett... well, I don't blame him, but still... Geez, this totally sucks!" She wrapped an arm around Aujuli who seem to be okay, but Mendi understood. They knew the Wilsons well and understood how devastated Matt was right now about his ankle.

Aujuli sat down, but Mendi stayed on her feet to boo the Raiders for such a sick move. "I hope they throw Jackson out for the season on that one. He doesn't deserve to finish out the year for such shitty moves!" She watched, hoping Matt was going to be okay.
 
Garrett sat down on the bench and cooled down. Castor was right, he needed to calm down and get his wits about him. He looked down at his bloodied knuckles, unsure whether the crimson that covered them was his or Jackson's; probably both, to be honest. He turned to Matt, who was accompanied by his friend Corrie.

It might be better right now to hold off, let her take care of Matt. Garrett was still so angry he was practically shaking. It was just a stupid rivalry scrimmage. It wasn't a championship game, hell, it wasn't even a regular season game. Jackson wouldn't receive any formal punishment, so Garrett decided to take it into his own hands, literally.

=

Matt sat down at the bench and held his head in his hands. His ankle burned; it was a sensation unlike any other, but it was not pleasant to say the least. He looked up when he heard a familiar voice.

"Yeah, Corrie. I'm fine, don't- don't worry about it." he said, struggling to smile. She looked so panicked, like she had just had a heart attack. "You look worse than me-" his voice cut out from another pulse of pain, and he winced. Of all things, he didn't want her to be worried or freak out.

Before he could say anything, he was off the ground, being carried to an ambulance by medical staff on a stretcher. This wasn't his first injury, and it wouldn't be his last.
 
With Matt safe in the hands of the paramedics, and the crowds on both sides of the field calmed down, the game continued on. Soon, the first half of the game was over. Mendi and Aujuli headed to the concession stands to grab a few drinks, excited that their school was ahead by five points. They stood in the extremely long line waiting their turn. "Hell, I so wished I carried a cooler, or snuck some drinks in my backpack. The games going to start by the time we get our stuff."
 
Andrew cheered throughout the game, however when he saw Matt's injury he had a deep intake of breath. Matt was the star and that injury did not look like something that could just go away over the course of a week. He leaned against the railing as people rushed down, he didn't know Matt well enough like the others to rush down and help so all he could do was watch. After all the commotion had calmed down and the game had continued to half time, Andrew got up to go to the concession stand. He thought of leaving but decided that people would see that as weird so he got in line
 
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