Heart Starter by Michelle Hercules

6

SADIE

I spentthe entire weekend agonizing about my first day of preseason training. Besides Vanessa, I only met a couple of the girls last Friday before I had to haul Katrina back home. If I couldn’t tell she was drunk on the way to the Red Barn, there was no mistaking her drunken state when I finally found her at the party. She couldn’t even stand up straight; I had to practically drag her to the car.

I made sure to set my alarm clock an hour earlier than my usual wake-up time. I simply couldn’t arrive late on my first day. Anxiety kept me up all night, so the alarm wasn’t needed in the end. I was wide awake.

I still don’t have a car. Dad was busy all weekend prepping for work today and only sent me a few links. The options all looked fine to me. I’m not fussy about what car I drive.

The training field isn’t far from my dorm building, so I simply jog there. It’s a good warm-up. I’m surprised when I find Vanessa in the locker room, already in practice gear.

“Wow, I can’t believe you beat me here,” I say in greeting.

“Coach Lauda wanted to talk to me about the season before the rest of the team arrived.”

“Oh.”

I turn around and look for the locker with my name on it. One of the topics of the conversation was probably me. I’m the new recruit recovering from an injury, after all. I’ve spoken with Coach Lauda a few times online before I flew over, but I haven’t met her in person yet.

“She told me you’re aware we have two strikers already. Melody McCoy and Joanne Barnes.”

“Yeah, I’m aware. But she said she’d let me play during a portion of the second half depending on my performance during training.”

I’m not conceited when I say I was the star of my former team. But I am worried my performance won’t be the same. Six weeks without playing is way too long. I don’t voice my doubts out loud though. I sure hope Coach keeps her promise, because that’s all I need, a chance to prove I should be starting the game. I’ve seen a few tapes. McCoy and Barnes are good, but I’m better—or was better.

No, Sadie. You can’t think like that.

“Don’t worry though. This is Melody’s senior year. You’ll have plenty of time to show off your skills. Just be patient.”

“I’m a team player. I’ll do whatever is best for the team.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Coach Lauda pipes up from outside her office.

Wearing a tracksuit in dark green with our team’s logo embroidered on the chest and a determined glint in her eyes, she’s the epitome of a badass coach. Her short blonde hair and businesslike stare remind me a bit of Coach Sue Silvester from Glee.

“Good morning, Coach,” I say.

“Good morning, Sadie. I’m happy to see you’re here bright and early. You’re sweaty. Have you been running already?”

“Yeah, I jogged here. No car yet.”

“Nothing wrong with a good cardio to begin the day. There are three new girls starting today besides you. Two are freshmen like you, and the third is a sophomore transfer from Florida. You might have met them at the mixer last Friday.”

I almost giggle at her use of “mixer,” but I manage to swallow my amusement down. Glancing at Vanessa, I catch her trying to hide a smirk.

“No, I didn’t stay long at the party,” I reply.

“You’ll meet them today. Vanessa will show you around before we start.” She returns to her office and shuts the door.

Despite the circumstances surrounding my admission to Josh Rushmore, Coach Lauda was clear that she wanted me on her team. I’m not a favor Dad had to call in. From the get-go, I knew she had a no-bullshit attitude and didn’t play favoritism. All she cares about is having the best players on the field and winning games.

Once I change clothes, Vanessa shows me where everything is in the locker room plus the showers, and by the time she finishes her tour, some of my other teammates have arrived. The three newbies—Charlotte, Phoebe, and Steff—are standing close together and looking a little uncertain about themselves. Super easy to tell they’re fresh meat. I made sure to learn who they were before coming here, because as the newest people on the team, we have to stick together. I’m sure there will be some kind of hazing to welcome us to the Rushmore Ravens.

Tessa and Gabi—who I met at the party on Friday—are also already here, way less chatty this morning. They barely look awake. I say hello to them, and they grunt and nod in reply.

“Hi, I’m Sadie.” I wave at Charlotte, Phoebe, and Steff.

“Nice to meet you, Sadie. I’m Charlotte,” the shortest of the group replies.

What she lacks for in height, she makes up for in solid muscle. Her kicks can turn a ball into a missile. She’s a midfielder. In high school, she alternated between center midfielder and attacking midfielder. Vanessa usually plays the latter, and she’s damn good at her job.

Phoebe and Steff proceed to introduce themselves, and then the conversation veers toward the Red Barn party. Since I didn’t have a jolly good time like everyone else, I choose to simply listen.

Steff is the transfer from Florida. I couldn’t find out in my research why she transferred, but I’m sure I’ll learn that soon enough. She’s a keeper, but despite being new to the team, there’s a good chance she’ll be starting. Her nickname at her previous school was The Wall because getting through her was almost impossible. I’m glad she’s on my team.

And finally there’s Phoebe, the girl with the multicolored hair. She plays defense. While Steff and Charlotte chat away, Phoebe remains quiet like me. It’s hard to get a read on her.

A minute later, Melody walks into the locker room, acting like she’s a bloody rock star. She even has sunglasses on. She says hello to everyone in a cheerful tone, and then she spots our little group.

“Oh, you’re the new blood. Welcome to the team.” She pushes her shades up and stares at me.

“Thanks,” I say.

“I heard you’re a striker. I can’t wait to see what you got.”

“Melody holds the record for most goals scored in the championship two years in a row,” Gabi pipes up from across the room.

“That’s awesome. I’m looking forward to beating that record.” I smile from ear to ear.

Melody’s grin fades, and her eyes flash with annoyance.

Oooh, the claws are already coming out.If there was a record for bringing the worst out in people, I’d win it.

“You’ll have to actually play in a game to score,” she replies sweetly and then walks to her locker.

Vanessa comes over and whispers, “Why did you have to poke the bear with a short stick?”

“I didn’t realize we had wild animals among us,” I joke, earning chuckles from my companions.

She rolls her eyes. “Antagonizing Melody the first time you meet her was not smart, Sadie. She’s fiercely competitive and has a mean streak.”

“Oops?”

“Yeah, joke now. Don’t come crying to me later.” She walks away.

“Vanessa is right. I should know,” a cute brunette with short hair says. “I’m Joanne Barnes.” She shakes my hand in a businesslike manner. “Welcome to the team.”

“Thanks.”

I’m not sure if Joanne was joking or not, but it’s unlikely their advice will scare me off. If Melody is mean, then I’m her 2.0 version. Maybe I should have played nicer until I get the lay of the land, but what’s the fun in that? And a little competition among teammates is healthy. It keeps us on our toes. It’s not like I’m showing off my scary side yet. This is just letting them get to know me slowly.

After Joanne heads over to her locker, Charlotte asks, “So, any guesses as to what our welcoming prank will be?”

“No bloody clue,” I reply.

* * *

The Three Musketeers and I—that’swhat I started calling Charlotte, Phoebe, and Steff—couldn’t guess what our welcome to the team hazing was, and our imagination had been wild. After practice, we were more than ready to hit the showers and go home, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Our wonderful teammates let us shower in peace, but when we were all fresh and wearing clean clothes, they turned us into oversized chicken tenders ready for the fryer. First came the egging, and I tell you, being hit by dozens of eggs at once hurts. And I’m certain Melody aimed most of her attack at me.

After the first coating was done, it was time for the flour part. And for the grand finale, we have to go back to our dorm rooms in a walk of shame from hell. The mix of egg and flour formed a disgusting coating over our bodies, which is turning hard as we trudge under the hot California sun.

“I thought I was prepared for the prank, but this is a nightmare,” Charlotte moans.

“I have egg and flour everywhere, even in my ears,” Steff joins the cryfest.

“And it itches like crazy,” Phoebe adds.

“Well, it could have been worse,” I say.

“Worse than this?” Steff’s voice rises an octave.

“We’re not bleeding.”

A heavy silence descends on our group. I glance at the trio and find them looking at me with their jaws hanging loose.

“What?” I ask.

“What exactly did you think they’d do to us?” Charlotte asks.

I shrug. “Well, they could have whooped our arses, for starters.”

“Jesus, is that what they do in England?” Phoebe asks.

I open my mouth to reply, but the sound of a car approaching distracts me. I glance over my shoulder and grimace when I notice the vehicle is slowing down. It’s one of those open Jeeps that fuckboys like to drive, and that seems to be exactly who is behind the steering wheel.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” The driver smiles at us, exulting cocky attitude and amusement. “Need any help?”

For a second, I suspect he’s from the soccer team until I notice the guy riding shotgun.

Bloody hell. It’s Danny, looking like a damn Greek god with his blond curls shining under the sun. And here I am covered in junk.

“If by help you mean a hose down, sure,” I say, trying my best to avoid making eye contact with Danny.

“Sorry, don’t have enough water here to get all that gunk off you. But even if I did, I wouldn’t meddle in the Ravens’ affairs. Vanessa would have my balls.”

“You could give us a ride,” Charlotte pipes up.

The driver twists his face into a scowl. “Are you crazy? And let you guys mess up my car? Hell no.”

“So did you just stop to laugh at us?” I ask, annoyed.

“I stopped because Danny-boy here asked me to.” He points at his friend, and like an idiot, I shift my attention to him.

I can’t guess what he’s thinking since he’s wearing sunglasses and has a poker face on, but I feel oddly exposed.

“Is that so? Did you want to make sure I hadn’t skipped town?”

Danny scoffs. “I wanted to make sure you were all right. Clearly you are.”

“Yep, we’re all fine and dandy here. Run along now.” I wave my hand impatiently.

I expect him to scowl, but he laughs instead, shaking his head. “I’ll call you later, Sadie. Come on, Andy. We’ve been dismissed.”

“See you later, alligator.” Andy waves at us and then accelerates away.

I keep staring at their car while I wrestle with my emotions. Why didn’t Danny bite my head off? Or better yet, why did I want him to?

“What was that all about?” Charlotte asks.

I blink fast, peeling my eyes off the road. “Nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing,” Steff chimes in. “When did you meet Danny Hudson?”

“It’s a long story.” I resume walking.

“It’s a long trek back to the dorms.” Charlotte nudges my elbow.

Bollocks.I guess there’s no escaping rehashing the stellar beginning of my new life.