“Goalie.”
And her world came tumbling around her. Nonononono, Buffy thought, internally moaning with grief. This couldn’t possibly be happening to her. She had taken on three defensemen! How was this fair? How?
Life isn’t fair but if you gotta deal, you gotta deal. Don’t be a pussy and become the waterboy of the team. Live with your chin up and you’ll get what you want. Faith’s kind, cheery words.
But despite Faith’s command, Buffy hung her head low in disappointment and shock, not allowing anyone to see the unshed tears glistening in her hazel eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and her tall stance faltered slightly in the wake of her bruised pride. She could feel the eyes of her teammates boring into her back as she stood in front of the crowd. Then, she realized how pitiful she was acting about everything. She could cry in self-pity and wallow in her depression later, in private. For now, she could not allow anyone to see her vulnerable. She would stand strong.
She hunched her shoulders back, stuck out her chest in a show of almost manly strength, and lifted her chin with a smug expression on her face, as if becoming goalie had all been part of some mastermind plan of hers. She relished in the confused expressions, as they expected her to break down and create some sort of dramatic scene. No, she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of that.
Her eyes flickered back to Ethan’s, and their gazes locked. His steely grey ones reflected no sympathy or warmth at all. There was simply a flat, cold bleakness that insinuated he wanted nothing more than to penalize her for something Drusilla had done. God, she was pissed. But she forced herself to remain expressionless, though she was aware her eyes were most likely alight with a fiery blaze that threatened to burst at any moment. She was not good at controlling her emotions, especially when she was angry but for now, Ethan would only succeed in bruising her ego. He would not be the reason for her to embarrass herself either.
“Now,” Ethan said, looking away from Buffy with the traces of a smug expression leaving his face, only to be replaced with a cold and gritty one of determination. “The next two weeks will be filled with some of the hardest work and training that any of you will ever experience. Probably more than the amount you may experience should be drafted to a competitive league.” He looked at everyone as he spoke, but his gaze lingered slightly longer on Buffy’s face before scanning the coaches. Buffy had neglected to see Mallory’s reaction to the announcement of her position and she glanced at her in curiosity.
Her eyes met the disappointed ones of Mallory’s and she almost flinched. Intuition told her that at this moment, she was probably more proud of Drusilla than her. After all, Drusilla had arrived on time and ready, and gained her spot on the team. Buffy, on the other hand, had been late and had been reduced to something less than what she wanted. Faith would have been so disappointed, like Mallory.
Buffy recognized, however, that being goalie wasn’t actually so bad. Forwards were sometimes considered as goalies because of their abilities to pinpoint the location of a ball at all times. They were constantly watching the ball and determined how they wanted the ball to enter the net. They had to practice more in “safe” positions (positions that needed to be practiced for specific shots) but otherwise, they were suitable candidates. Buffy sighed inwardly and forced herself to pay attention. There would be time for self-reflection later.
“Now that you have all been assigned your desired positions,” he continued. “We will be kicking into hardcore training. Each of you will be grouped into your appropriate positions and I will train you individually with the skills you need for the Miami game. I will assess your playing level and raise it higher than you can ever expect it to be. Understood?”
There was silence for a moment before murmurs of assent sounded throughout the crowd. Ethan nodded, satisfied, and started barking orders.
“I want mid-fielders in this section of the field, forwards in the right, fullbacks in the centre and the goalie in the far left.” The crowd scattered fearfully in the provided direction. Buffy watched with wistful eyes as Spike and Drusilla ran over to the right side of the field, their backs to her as she turned away, sullenly walking to her spot on the field. She saw Dawn and Riley talking animatedly as Tara hung back, a closed off expression on her face. As if sensing eyes on her, she glanced up to meet Buffy’s eyes and smiled tentatively. Buffy gave a small smile back but kept her eyes grim, watching with a sliver of satisfaction as she turned away disappointedly, as if sensing her detachment.
Buffy folded her arms protectively across her chest, underneath her full breasts, as she viewed everyone chatting happily before her. Doyle, Oz and Angel seemed to be getting along well. Buffy took a liking to Oz since he seemed relatively laid back and relaxed. She liked that; no pressure to have a great conversation. Just relax and be yourself and Oz could become your next best friend. Then Buffy turned her eyes onto the forwards, the most painful group to watch. Darla, who had originally tried out for goalie, was chosen as forward and looked equally as disdainful as Buffy had been. However, her disdain had quickly grown to smug satisfaction as she appeared to connect well with Drusilla. She watched with hurt as they talked flirtatiously with Spike, who also appeared to be returning the innuendos.
Whatever, Buffy thought with a roll of her eyes, refusing to second think the “hurt” she had felt when she saw Spike’s reaction to the two girls.
Buffy sighed again, her ruined and tarnished day going into overload as she waited to hear Ethan’s instructions. For some reason, when Ethan kept looking at her, she felt as if he had wanted her to be goalie for a reason that meant more than just penalizing her. She didn’t know what it was, but deep down beneath her bruised pride and her boiling anger, she felt he was planning something for her.
She didn’t know how right she was.
TBC
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Author's Chapter Notes:
*squeals* I'm so happy with all the lovely reviews I've gotten. I'm sincerely glad you guys are enjoying this story and I hope chapter seven quenches your thirst for an update all right! I'll update w/ chapter eight next week Friday or so. Maybe earlier! =) *if I get some awesome reviews, I will definitely update sooner. hint hint* LOL
Many thanks to Christine for beta-ing this chapter for me. You're awesome sweetie! =) *muah*
Warm thanks go to sask, PhotographyNut, tv and lindsay for reviewing! Love you guys! =)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Many thanks to Christine for beta-ing this chapter for me. You're awesome sweetie! =) *muah*
Warm thanks go to sask, PhotographyNut, tv and lindsay for reviewing! Love you guys! =)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter End Notes:
Please leave a review on your way! *waggles eyebrows* Might encourage me to get the next chappie up faster! (wink wink)