Chapter 9
Clarke was making her hurry. The blonde was well dressed and had makeup done. Raven thought if it was just because of a game or there's another reason, like a certain team captain…
Raven grabs the lipstick on Clarke's messy bed and puts it on. She checked herself in the mirror and she was fine. She was in jeans and a crop top and her hair was loose. Clarke's phone rang as they made their way to the car, she put it on speaker just to Octavia yell at them with noise covering her swearing. The blonde with her long hair loose and a dress, just laughed and left with the car.
The sun was settling down and the sky was getting a darker blue tone every minute as they made their way to school. They could hear the marching band already and, as they stepped closer, it got louder. The girls searched for their friends at the crowded bleachers, she saw Monty and Jasper, waving at them and walked in their direction. They had chosen a great spot with a great field view. The marching band beat was making her heart race in the music's beat. That was probably the reason for her heart speed, Raven's thought, but she was nervous. She saw Octavia wave at them, the cheerleaders jumping and stretching in a corner outside the field limits. The marching band walked slowly behind clearing the field. They kept the music and the cheerleaders ran through it. Jumping and waving.
The crowd cheers. The band started another song and the cheerleaders got in line. Octavia was beautiful with her black hair in a ponytail in the middle of the first row. The group clapped hands together and screamed a battle cry. Raven watched them move together and stop in synchrony, abruptly turning their heads to right as Gaia ran and in a jump spined several times until reaching the first line of cheerleaders, they clapped hands together again creating a rhythm.
They separated and the little groups did some stunts all together, it was extremely well choreographed. The whole group left the field and Raven frowned; it wasn't the routine she saw them train.
"They are just introducing themselves," Clarke said at Raven ear.
She didn't really pay attention to the games, she was late for most but she was always on time to see Octavia's performance.
However, this game was different somehow.
She felt nervous.
Maybe it's because it's all or nothing, the winner stays in competition and the loser would have to wait for the next championship.
She saw the house's team run through the field. They're all in the red uniform, that one she saw in Luna's room. Thinking about her, she inspected the girls. She saw Lexa wave at the crowd, and they, just as Raven and her friends, screamed excited. Both teams aligned in the field while the anthem played. The Polis girls' faces painted as a war make-up. Mostly of them had just one or two lines under their eyes but Lexa, she had her usual captain paint, her heda makeup. They walked in line greeting the adversary and went for their positions.
Raven didn't see Luna yet.
The match started and the ball rolled through the grass. Her eyes are in Lexa who's screaming something at one of the players. The crowd left a loud sigh when the Azgeda girl kicked the ball at the goal. But the Polis' goalkeeper caught it throwing herself at the ground with the ball. She kicked it hard and the ball flew to the other side of field, Echo, number 4, passed to number 2 who dribbled and passed to Niylah.
The crowd was anxious, there weren't many players on the other team to defend, but before she could pass to Lexa in the goal area, she fell. Or better, she was pushed over the floor, she seemed bruised but got up, and then everyone clapped her and got along with a song the cheerleaders started. The referee gave the Azgeda girl a yellow card and continued the match.
Fifteen minutes of a lot of tension with Azgeda's attacks later and Azgeda scored. The adversary fans celebrated their score and the team seemed tense.
Less than 10 minutes to end the first half.
The Azgeda girls were good and didn't care about bruising the Polis girls. They're playing to hurt. Lexa was mad, everyone could see it. She cleaned her sweat, and throwed the ball with her hands from the sideline. Niylah skillfully chested the ball down, she saw an opportunity and kicked hard, the ball flew to the other side of the field, number 2 was there to receive and she tried her luck even if there's two Azgeda near her, the ball passed closer but she missed. She expressed anger as the goalkeeper from Azgeda had the ball. The cheerleaders kept going with their war cries and kept the crowd excited. They scream every time Lexa dribbled, and boo everytime Azgeda got the ball or when a Azgeda bruised a Polis' player.
The referee blew the whistle. It was the end of the first half and the cheerleaders invaded the field again.
Raven was completely nervous, first: they were losing, and second: she didn't see Luna yet, where the fuck was she?
The cheerleaders started their choreography and now she saw the moves they were doing the other day. She saw girls fly in the air doing poses and some boys did amazing stunts. She was worried about Octavia but the girl didn't seem to care while she was spinning in the air falling from the top of the pyramid. They danced and performed highly dangerous stunts in the music beat, ending with a lot of clapping and excited screams. Raven clapped and screamed Octavia's name while the crew made their way back at the bleachers front, waving and jumping their way back. The captain of the cheerleaders smiled and waved harder when she spotted her friends screaming her name.
Raven watched both teams enter the field again. Polis girls seemed concentrated. She saw Lexa run with her ponytail at her spot and something grabbed Raven's attention. She watched as number 9 ran to her spot. She smiled hard and screamed excited. Making her friends look at her confused, the match hadn't started yet.
Raven blushed but ignored them, Clarke was at her side screaming Lexa's name at every 30 seconds and no one was mocking her either. The match began and the Azgeda girls seemed confident. Raven was too. She noticed how Polis' team was centred. Something the coach said made an effect.
The ball rolled and quickly Niylah stole it, the crowd went crazy. Luna's heart beats fast in her chest, she watched Lexa scream instructions at everyone and warnings like "thief" indicating that there's Azgeda near, while she ran to the opposite side from Niylah. The blond dribbled the first girl and passed the ball back at number 2, number 2 passed to Luna, who stopped the ball and scanned the field, she saw Niylah run near her and she slid the ball to her.
The girl tried to run but an Azgeda girl tried to steal the ball, in a hurry to maintain the ball with her team she passed back at Luna, who saw an opportunity. In a quick kick sent the ball high in the area. She watched as all the girls in the small area jumped trying to head the ball, her heart beating hard against her chest. Her smile widened as she saw a brunette head hit the ball right into the net.
The crowd screamed loudly, Raven and her friends vibrated and screamed jumping together, the bleachers trembling under their feet. Luna left a loud sight. Raven and Clarke were hugging each other by side while they screamed. The brunette could feel that later she wouldn't have a voice because of her screamings, but she didn't care.
Lexa ran to meet her sister at celebration, she could see the cheerleaders spinning in the air outside the field and the loud crowd overflowing her ears, she jumped into Luna while they had a smile on their faces. Soon, Echo and Niylah ran to them and threw themselves in a jump over them. Lexa looked into the crowd after they separated and smiled when she found Clarke hugging Raven and jumping, she pointed at their direction and made a sign, soon before all her others teammates run and bow down at her.
Raven didn't know what that sign meant but Clarke does. And her smile showed it. Raven looked at the field again and she felt Luna's gaze follow Lexa's hand. She smiled enthusiastically at the curly haired, she didn't know if she saw it but she didn't mind, she was still high by the emotion of the goal.
The ball was again in the middle, Azgeda girls started because they lost. The blue team tried to advance but Lexa threw her body, sliding in the grass between an Azgeda passes. She lifted herself quickly and the Polis team recovered the ball possession. Lexa ran extremely quickly but there's too much Azgeda on her, she knock to Luna, she ran and dribbled the first one, the crowd get excited, but an Azgeda went with all force on her and she was knock on the ground, she stays in the grass for a while holding her leg before getting up. Raven's eyes widened.
"NUMBER 3 GO FUCK YOURSELF YOUR PIECE OF TRASH, I'LL END YOU"
Raven watched her friends look at her amused, Clarke had her mouth opened and Jasper had a hand covering his smile. The latina just gave a shoulder nod and turned her attention back to the field. Luna was clearly bruised, she was limping in her first steps.
The game kept going and soon as she saw Azgeda advance she ran to steal the ball, Luna wasn't limping anymore, just had a lot of inner force to ignore the pain in her ankle. She marked number 10 until she could steal the ball and before losing it she passed quickly to Niylah. The blonde ran and passed to Lexa who dibbled a Azgeda but couldn't pass back at Niylah in the attack area.
The ball was out on the sideline.
Azgeda would throw. The cheerleaders started a new song, and the crowd followed their lead. The music helped the Polis players gain motivation. Less than 15 minutes to score.
Fifteen minutes and the possibility of being out of the championship.
Raven knew for sure if this game go to the penalties kicks to determine who keeps going on competition she would die right here and right now. The ball was on the floor in the middle, Luna saw Niylah trying to steal and ran at the nearest Azgeda, which probably the player with Niylah would slide by.
She was right.
Before the blue player could reach the ball Luna had it already, she ran quickly, she passed by the first player, and looked around, no one of her team had reached her, she was alone. She stepped on the ball to stop. Seven minutes. She had promised a score, she had to do it. She didn't really promise but she wanted to do it. The Azgeda came closer and Luna dribbled her leaving a confused player behind. She had just one more and then the goalkeeper, she pretended she would kick, the girl tried to stop her, but she slid the ball and passed through her. Just like the training. It was just her and the goalkeeper now, she kicked out with force. Her heart beat fast, her breath was irregular as she watched the ball slowly. The goalkeeper did not reach and the ball went right to the bottom of the goal. She saw the net move but just when the crowd screamed she realized.
She made it.
She jumped in celebration screaming, and her teammates joined her, running through the field. She ran until she got to the part she knew someone would be and waved her arms up and down in the air, and she winked.
Raven didn't know if she had seen it right but she had the widest smile. Luna's teammates that had run to join the celebration repeated her moviment, she gasped. They're all waving their arms, flapping it as wings in the middle of the field, like a bird.
She really did it. Her brain screamed enthusiastically, Luna did it!
Clarke looked happy at Raven who was astonished at her side with a hand covering her opened smile, she pushed her lightly with her shoulder smirking.
Luna turned and ran back at her position. As Azgeda left with the ball again they tried to attack but Polis' team was confident with their win. Soon they had the ball possession and moved through the Field with feet skills, the ball went from Lexa to Niylah,to Echo at the back behind the middle line, to Luna at the extreme right and then Lexa in front middle and it seemed to confuse the Azgeda team. Doing this, they easily reached the small area, Lexa slid to Luna who pretended she was scoring and then slid the ball skillfully to Niylah at her back who gently shot on target, effortless.
The referee blew the whistle. The game ended. Polis 3 x 1 Azgeda.
The cheerleaders and the marching band invaded the field. The crowd vibrated their amazing victory. The band started a celebration song and the cheerleaders jumped in the air, screamed and hugged the players. Raven lost Octavia in those several red dots in the field. Clarke nodded, signing to her to meet Lexa invading the field as well. They exit the bleachers in the hallway. This time respecting the protection stopping people from invading the field just running, besides doing its own job to protect people from falling. Clarke held Raven's hand as they got lost in the crowd, not so quickly they saw the green got closer and the party they were doing.
She lost Clarke in that mess of people. There were people with instruments everywhere which made the spot extremely noisy, she looked into a few cheerleaders looking for a specific ponytail when she felt someone touching her shoulder. She turned to see a shirtless Luna, she was sweaty and her breath was still irregular from running. Her uniform shirt rested on her shoulder and she had a beautiful wide grin.
"What I told you?" Raven said or better, yelled, because of the confusion they're in. Her smile as big as Luna's. She spent the last hour having extreme emotions but she didn't know what that one was, seeing the number 9 in front of her glowing in happiness. The brunette just smiled more.
"Did you see it?" Luna yelled back excited. Raven nodded fast.
"Now that I scored for you, you have to cheer for me" Woods had a smirk. That made Raven laugh waving her head. Before she could reply Lexa showed in their view.
"Look, aren't the Polis top scores?" Raven said to them. As incredible as it was, Lexa's makeup was still on her face, she laughed. A girl with a camera interrupted them, she talked with Lexa fast, what she couldn't hear because of the loud music. Lexa yelled Niylah for a photo for the Polis newspaper girl. Niylah left her conversation and ran at them, the siblings put their uniforms back while the photographer adjusted her equipment.
"How do I look? Good for a front page?" Luna asked Raven playful trying to fix her hair.
"Amazing as always" Raven said to Luna. Who smiled and posed with the other girls. They took a few photos,with smile, a serious one and a funny one. The girl thanked and left.
"You were amazing!" she said as she saw Octavia doing her way to them. Blake smiled wide as she received the compliment, she jumped on Raven's arms.
"Seriously, my heart almost stopped when they threw you" Niylah agreed and Raven frowned. That's weird. Blake was in the same group with Niylah without a scream. And Niylah complimented her, weird.
"You guys are coming to the post game party?" Lexa asked.
"Today?" Clarke asked, making Lexa smirk.
"Tomorrow night at my house" Niylah said. Octavia quickly confirmed her presence just as Clarke and Luna, who was now hugged by Gaia and Anya. Raven was excited, she was ready to confirm but remembered, tomorrow is saturday. Argh, why do the school people put the parties on saturdays?