Chapter 9

I pounded on Kenneth's door frantically until he opened it with an annoyed expression. I just smiled sheepishly and threw my bag at him, preventing him from saying anything. He caught it before it could hit his face, his annoyance visibly growing.

I glanced over my shoulder, making sure there wasn't any car coming up from either side of the road. "My mother is bound to be here any minute now. If she asks you where I am, just tell her I headed out to buy something to eat, I don't know. Just make something up then text me once she's gone. I'll hide my baby in the meantime," I instructed.

He stared at me with a bored expression, the bag now thrown by the side of the door. He just sighed and nodded, waving a hand in a 'go away' motion, then closed the door.

I hurried back to my bike and hopped on, driving slowly to not make much noise. I reached an abandoned building about four houses down Kenneth's and parked my baby behind it. Shutting the engine down, I stretched my arms over my head and waited patiently. About ten minutes later, I heard the sound of a car passing by, then felt the vibration of my phone in my pocket. Sure enough, it was Kenneth letting me know that the coast was clear.

I jogged back to his house and found him already waiting for me at the door. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he saw me approaching. "You know that you've got to stop lying to your mother one of these days."

"Maybe, but I'm sure that today is not that day." I shrugged.

He shook his head and stepped aside to let me in. "You can't always run away from your problems, and I'm sure you're aware of that," he pointed out.

I ignored him and headed to the living room, going straight to the rack of movies. I picked out an action movie and placed the disk in the movie player. Throwing myself on the couch comfortably, I hit the play button on the remote.

Kenneth sat on the floor next to the couch and watched the movie with me. "You're lucky that your mom thinks that I'm a sane boy."

"I'm sure she wonders why an 'innocent' boy would be friends with such a troublemaker." I laughed. "Hey, let's invite Dan over."

"Lily, you know that her dad is not a complete fan of me. I'm sure he would let her crash the night once pigs could fly." He chuckled and we continued to watch the movie in silence.

I stifled a yawn once the movie was over and decided to head up to take a shower.

Kenneth bid me goodnight and headed over to his room, closing the door behind him.

My duffel bag was now in the guest room, so I went there to pick up some clothes. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, doing a little dance while doing both things. I headed back to the room once I finished, glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand. There were only a few minutes left for 8:00 PM, so I simply laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the next time I opened my eyes, there was sunlight seeping through the blinds. The red, flashing numbers of the clock read 7:26 in the morning.

My muscles were a little sore due to yesterday's training, but I smiled in satisfaction because of the feeling. I recalled Chase's clumsiness while I taught him how to throw punches, and I couldn't help chuckling. For such a tall guy, his behavior was pretty adorable. Not going to lie. Though, it kind of suited him.

I got off the bed and headed downstairs to make some breakfast. Kenneth was all dressed up, finishing off a sandwich by the kitchen island. He noticed me and lifted his left hand to ruffle my hair, but I smacked it away before he could do so. He muttered something about me being no fun, then headed out with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

I headed over to the fridge and opened it, searching for ingredients to make an omelet. Once I found them, I started mixing them and heating up the pan. It took me only about three minutes to finish making the omelet as I was soon stabbing it with a fork. Once I was done eating, I washed the dishes then headed back to the room. I noticed that thirty minutes had barely passed when I glanced at the clock again. I sighed and threw myself on the bed, draping the covers over my body.

Sleep took over me for the second time, and I gingerly accepted it. I was lucky to have yet another free day of school. There was nothing better than a good nap after eating.

* * *

The sound of someone calling my name made me halt my steps. I was currently roaming down the school halls while I waited for the lunch bell to ring. I turned around to see a boy jogging toward me. I recognized him from the small reunion with Mr. Coach back at the boys' dressing room. He stood around 5'11 (180.34cm) with dirty blonde hair. Raymond.

"I'm glad I found you. Coach Crawford was going to speak with you once your suspension was off, but I guess me telling you ahead won't hurt," he said once he reached me. His eyes roamed my body from head to toe, a sly smirk tugging at his lips.

My only response to that reaction was an old-fashioned smirk. I knew I looked fine with my off-shoulder crop top, high-waisted jeans, and biker boots.

"If it's about me joining the soccer team, I'm already aware of that." I waved off.

He looked sort of shocked, his eyebrow raising in the slightest. "How—"

"I have my ways," I cut him off. "Is there anything else you need, Raymond?"

"Well, have you thought about it? If you accept that offer, you know that the boys won't accept you easily," he pointed out. "Most of us believe that you don't even know how to play."

"Is that so?" I chuckled. "Well then, Musketeer, let's play a one on one."

"Challenging me, are we?" He smirked, his brown eyes showing amusement. "Interesting...I accept your challenge, Amelia. Meet me at the soccer field tomorrow at this very same time. We'll see if you really have skills."

The bell for lunchtime finally rang, and students started pooling the hallways. He gave me one last look before walking away. I shrugged my shoulders and headed for the lunchroom, where Danielle and Kenneth were probably headed at. I went to the beginning of the line, ignoring the glares and protests from other people, and grabbed a tray of food. Picking what I wanted to eat, I handed the cashier a ten-dollar bill and told her to keep the change.

As I walked to the back of the cafeteria, numerous soccer players started waving me over. Given their expression, it was pretty obvious that word spread like wildfire. When didn't it?

"So you're the one that Coach wants on the team to replace Greg, huh?" one random player asked, raising an amused eyebrow. "An infamous prankster who causes fights and pisses off her teachers. Amazing replacement."

"I haven't even agreed," I said then smirked. "Yet."

"Oh, so you're really thinking about it?" another guy asked.

"If it means that Gregory will be more miserable, I'll happily accept." I shrugged nonchalantly. Some of them started muttering among themselves and I could see the other two Musketeers looking somewhere else nervously. This caught my attention, and I decided to turn to see what they were staring at. At seeing who was approaching us, I smiled widely. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

"What are you doing here?" Gregory scowled and turned to his team. "Why are you even talking to her?"

"Oh, so Coach dearest hasn't spoken to you?" I asked innocently with a tilt of my head.

He looked back at me with narrowed eyes. "What is she talking about?" he asked his teammates, his eyes not leaving mine.

The table fell silent, not one of them answering his question. This angered him, making him slam a fist on the table. Most of them flinched, staring at each other to find someone brave enough to tell him.

"­I won't repeat myself a third time. What. Is. She. Talking. About?"

The one that spoke to me first scratched his head, heaving a sigh. "Crawford doesn't have good news for you..."

"Stop beating around the bush, James. Stop being a coward." Gregory scoffed.

Somebody should call a therapist, because someone here had major anger issues. Not like I was going to be of much help, anyway.

"I'll make it easier for him." I placed my tray down on the table. "Mr. Coach will be replacing your sorry ass with someone much better."

He tensed, glaring daggers at me then at James.

I gave him a smug smile, twirling a strand of loose hair around my index finger. "Oh, I forgot to mention the best part of all. Your replacement"--I stepped once, leaning forward tauntingly as he glared at me--"will be me."

The final nerve has been triggered.

I smirked at him victoriously, seeing how his face slowly turned red in anger. He grabbed the front of my crop top and pulled me towards him, pretty much making my sports bra peek through the hem. My smirk never faltered, holding the challenging gaze I gave him. He looked at James—once again—for confirmation. Once James nodded slowly, Gregory tightened his grip and leaned down to be face to face with me.

"What can a stupid, frail girl like you do?" He seethed.

I almost grimaced at the close proximity, feeling disgusted by his presence. Instead, I chuckled and grabbed his wrist, ignoring the fact that people at the cafeteria started staring at us. "Kick some balls, that's for sure," I replied simply, earning snickers from some students.

I noticed how his jaw visibly clenched and his free hand formed a fist. I stood prepared for any blow he could throw my way, relaxing my arms to block. It didn't take long for him to raise his fist, the fury clearly radiating off him. Some of the players started standing up, yelling at him not to do it. I was ready for the punch, and I quickly shielded my face when it was about to make contact.

Funnily enough, I stumbled forward.

My eyes widened when I saw Gregory landing on the floor with a shocked expression. Though, they widened, even more, when I saw the reason he fell. Everyone stared at the brown-haired boy in astonishment.

Never in my life would I have thought that a nerd would save me from a fight. Let alone, Chase.

Gregory's shock soon vanished when he landed his eyes on Chase. He was about to charge at him, but I quickly reacted and used his position on the floor as an advantage. My boot came in contact with his lower region, stopping him from getting up. He wheezed and brought his knees up to his chest, his face completely red.

"I told you I could kick some balls." I laughed, then hurried over to Chase.

Gregory only groaned and glared at me from the floor, his eyes promising a deadly encounter. I glared back at him and grabbed Chase by the wrist, hurrying out of the cafeteria with my food left forgotten. 

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[Edited: August 21st, 2020 by michh_44]

Of course, puns couldn't be left out of this book. Beware of angry Gregory, he's not good news. Chase being a hero is definitely something to admire. Man, I really love that nerd. Do you love him too? Let me know your opinion in the comments and click that star if you enjoyed the chapter!