Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:36:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nate House <extreamlucky14@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Silent Cellist 16-17:  A Dream Realized

  Hello everyone! I do hope you liked the last chapter. This is by far the
longest chapter of the series. I debated with splitting it into two parts,
but I think that will take away from the events that take place. Once
again, I'd like to thank everyone who wrote in with their comments. I hope
you like this installment of "The Silent Cellist".

*********************************************

Chapter Sixteen: Diary Entry of a Sane Mad-Girl

October 21, 2154

Dearest Illitor,

    How have you been my dear friend? It's been a couple of weeks since we
last spoke, but I must confess that these last few weeks have been among
the best days of my life. Second only to mine and Sarah's wedding of
course. Brittany is such a lovely young lady. And I mean she is a true
lady. Her heart, her soul her very existence is seething with love and
affection. Not to mention she is so warm and wonderful just to be around. I
do believe Sarah could not have picked for me a better friend... if not
girlfriend. I can't believe I actually confessed that to her just two
nights past.
    Brittany invited me to go out with her on a date... I guess one could
call it that. I really don't know any other word to describe it. I must
admit that I did feel a bit out of place, but as I mentioned before, she is
a true lady. A true lady is always there for the comfort of her guest, as
she referred to me. It was a small get-together with her team. They
recently won both of their last two tournaments making their record at four
wins for the season. I still don't quite follow the game, but for Brittany
I'm willing to give it a chance. Their junior varsity team didn't fair so
well in those same tournaments. They managed to finish in the "final four"
but only as second and third (respectively), but they are still in first
place for the season. Damn, even I'm getting into Brittany's enthusiasm for
this sport. The get-together was more geared towards the celebration of
them going to World Cup in three days.
    Brittany's group of friends, who idolize her like I've never seen
before, are very reasonable and understanding. To be honest, I was
expecting people more like that she-devil Kayla: immature bastard sons of
Satan who are so preoccupied with themselves to even give their own
reflection a second glance. But not these kids. They tried to bring me in
on the conversations throughout the night. Although I couldn't follow what
they were talking about (something about a dynasty and some bushwhackers),
it was still a nice gesture on their part. Brian, who I found out is the
team's captain, is a very nice young man as he actually sat me down, with
paper and pencil in-hand, and tried to explain the basics of this thing
called X-Ball. Most of them, although Brian did most of the talking, would
not shut up about how good Brittany is at this game. I guess they failed to
notice the fact that I was there watching her play.
     I am so glad that Brittany decided to walk by the bookstore all those
weeks ago. She is a very lovely young lady with a great group of
friends. However, I think her mother deserves most of the credit. She
raised her daughter by herself during her most strenuous years and did it
well. I can't help but love that woman. Hell, she even invited me to come
along with her down to Florida to watch "our girl" play in the "biggest
event of the year", as everyone keeps calling it. To think, if Sarah hadn't
led her down to the bookstore that day I still may be looking for someone
that could equal her as a person.
    God Illitor, I finally remember what it feels like to be this happy
once again. My life could end tomorrow and I could rest in peace. I haven't
felt this level of elation since my wedding day. Brittany has this way with
people that make them love her, and I am no exception. However, the kind of
love I'm feeling for her goes deeper than a typical friendship. I think she
feels it too. I could tell in the way she kissed me tonight. Oh yes,
Illitor, we shared our first kiss tonight! I can't be certain who made the
first move, but in all honesty I couldn't care less.
    Brittany drove us back to the bookstore, right at the time she told
Roger to be expecting us I might add, after our get-together ended. We sat
in the car for a few minutes, but to me I think time stood still. I looked
over at her as she looked at me. I swear, my old friend, that she and Sarah
have identical eyes. I could spend the rest of time lost in her gaze. I
don't know what it was that made us move. Maybe it was the heat of the
moment, or perhaps it was the only way to break the ice between us. I'd
like to think it was Sarah's way of telling me it was O.K. to let her
go. Whatever it was, we inched closer to each other until our lips touched
with the lightest bit of pressure. Then out mouths collapse into each
other. I felt her fingers caressing my flared cheeks, sending goosebumps
and tingles throughout my body. I don't know how long we held our kiss, but
it ended far sooner than either of us wanted it to. She looked at me once
more with those beautiful eyes of
 hers and smiled. I could feel the happiness and joy flowing out her. I'm
sure she could feel it flow from me as well.
    Like the true lady that she is, she escorted me up to the front door of
the store. We both exited the vehicle with smiles across our lips. Brittany
took my arm into hers and led me up to Roger's front door. Once we arrived
I could tell she didn't want to let my arm go. In fact, her grip only grew
tighter. I looked at her once again and she looked back at me. Yet again I
could feel the sensual tension rising between us. In that moment, I didn't
care who saw us or what they would think, but I was overwhelmed with
affection for this girl to the point of my knees getting weak. Brittany
moved her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her in our second
kiss. However, unlike our first, this kiss was much more passionate than
passive. I felt the pressure of her strong arms around my neck as she rose
on her toes to meet me once more. Surprised by her sudden display of
affection? yes, but I resist? hell no! I accepted her brazen display and
let her do as she wished with me. I
 swear, Illitor, she could make me melt with a simple look.
    Neither one of us cared who saw us in our moment, but yet again, it
ended before we wanted it to. Brittany took a step back and smiled the most
bashful, innocent smile I've ever seen in my life. I could tell by the look
on her face that she was at a loss for words. The sensual heat coming out
of her told me that she wanted to jump me right then, but her good sense
told her not to... and she listened to the latter.
    She looked back at me (my gaze hadn't moved an inch from her lovely
face) and said, "Well, Amanda, I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm glad you got
to meet my friends. They've been wanting to meet you all week. Will I see
you down in Florida?"
    To this I could only nod. I wanted to tell her everything that I felt
for her, but sadly I could not.
    "Great!" she exclaimed. "Well, I guess I should be getting home and
packing. Good night, Amanda."
    I moved my lips to the tune of a reciprocation of her words, but once
again I could not. Illitor, I don't know how to tell you the kind of hurt I
felt in that moment. This girl, who I have grown to love so much, will
never hear me say the words. I want to tell her those famous three words. I
want to make her feel secure with my voice, like I made Sarah all those
years ago. But to my eternal disgrace I cannot. I think she saw the hurt in
my eyes as my gaze finally drifted towards the ground. She lightly brought
my chin up and pulled me into a loving embrace. I felt her lips against my
cheek and, like the true lady she is, she whispered, "You don't have to say
the words to make them true."
    What does one do when told that? Honestly, I have no idea. All I did
was lay my cheek against her head and held her there. After short while, we
separated. I kissed her hands and went inside. I didn't look back. I didn't
want her to see the hurt and pain on my face, it would have killed her
mood. Even though my back was to her the whole way to the stairwell door, I
could feel those eyes of hers piercing right into my heart and soul and
that was a feeling I could get used to.
    Well, my dear friend, the hour is growing late and I have to up early
tomorrow. I'm glad to see that you and Inikye are happy for me. I don't
want you two to feel that I'm betraying Sarah either. Hell, it took her
words to my face for me to believe that I wasn't. Thank you my dear friend.

Love, Amanda

************************************

Chapter Seventeen: A Week in the Florida Heat


    Brittany couldn't help but float on air. Ever since her trip to the
asylum she's been a completely different person. Brian could see that her
entire nature had changed back to the baby sister that he adores. Brittany
had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a
long time. Hell, the last time he's seen her even close to this happy was
when they won the national championship last year. The entire school was
buzzing about the way she seemed to float from one class to the other, but
only a select few of the student body knew why. Her teachers and coaches
were pleased to see one of their star pupils with such an upbeat attitude
once again.
    "So Brit," Tina said as they were loading the equipment into the bus
that Wednesday, "is it true what Brian and Frank are saying? Are you and
that Amanda girl really going out?" Her tone was spirited, but there was a
hint of fear in her words.
    "Yes!" she said, beaming. "We haven't had a real date yet, but she did
come over to Brian's house after our last tournament to hang out with us
for a while. Tina, I can't remember when I was this happy!"
    "That's great, hon," Tina said in the same half-hearted tone. Brittany
could tell what was bothering her, but debated on whether or not to break
into such territory.
    "What's the matter babe?" she asked, her concern finally winning
out. Brittany knew damn well what was on her mind, but needed Tina to say
the words out loud. "You seem so down and out right now. You should be
happy. We're undefeated in our league and now we're getting a free trip to
Orlando! Why would you be sad?"
    "Why do you think?" Tina answered with a bit of a hiss. "Damn it
Brittany, we've gone over this once before and it hurts. Alright! I'm glad
you're happy, I really am, but I'd appreciate it if you left me alone right
now."
    "No!" Brittany answered back, insulted to high hell. By now some of the
other team members were keeping an ear out for more details. Brittany took
a breath before continuing. "Yes we have discussed this already and I
thought we were clear about where we stand. I'm not about to have one my
best players getting all pissed off because she can't have it her
way. You're one of my best friends, Tina, not to mention one of the best
back players I've ever met. I would back you up any day of the week and
twice on Sunday so don't start acting like an immature little brat,
especially when you ask me in the first place. Now I'm sorry that I hurt
you, I really am, but I've got this personal quirk: I don't like dating
within the team. It leads to nothing but problems. As your captain, and as
your friend, I'm telling you to drop it."
    Tina was in shambles by the time Brittany was done with her little
speech. As pissed off and angry and hurt that she was, Tina couldn't find
any words to come back with. Oh, how she wanted to punch her in the face,
but at the same time she also wanted to kiss and hold her. That was the
Brittany that everyone loves. She had a way with people and being able to
put them in their place, but do it in a way that was hard to argue
with. Tina said nothing. She turned her attention back to getting the
gearbags accounted for and under the bus. Brittany went back to packing up
the team's repair kits and tech equipment. She could hear some of her
teammates already talking about the argument.
    "Is there anything you want to tell me before we get on the road?"
Coach Wilson asked of his star player. He heard her little speech, but
didn't want to intervene; he wanted to see how she would handle herself
about a personal matter against a friend. He was impressed by her candor
and choice of words.
    "No sir," Brittany said, not wanting to think about it. "Tina and I
understand each other completely."
    "That's not exactly what I had in mind," he answered sighing. "What was
it that got Tina so upset in the first place?"
    Brittany took a deep breath, not liking the tone of this conversation
but was compelled to tell her coach what she knew. "A while back she told
me she was in love with me. Now that I've found someone, and she knows
exactly who it is, she can't handle it. She thought the two of us would be
together by this time, I guess. I thought I told her back then that I was
looking at someone else, but either she misunderstood me or thought I was
just blowing her off. But I'm happy and it's not with her so she got a
little pissed. So I made sure she understood me completely this time."
    "I see," the coach said, taking in every word. He spoke evenly, but
with great concern. Too often he's seen teams fall apart because of
inter-team fighting. "Do you want me to switch her off your line with
someone else, say like Mark or Adam?"
    "With all due respect sir," Brittany said with a lift to her voice, "I
think that would be a bit premature. I know she's pissed off right now, but
that would only infuriate her more. Personally I think we should make that
decision after we walk the fields. By then she should have cooled off
enough."
    "Well, Brittany, you're her captain so I'll support your decision," her
coach answered, his voice still even. "I trust you enough to make this kind
of call, so I'll go talk to her about it and let her know your
decision. Now, once you get everything packed up here go out to the bus and
tell Brian to double check that all of our gear is order. Draxxus is giving
us our paint when we get there."
    "O.K. coach," Brittany answered, smiling from ear to ear. It always
made her happy to know that her coach has such confidence in her, even
though she's only a junior. Brittany did as she was told. Once Brian had
the list in order and roll taken, the team boarded the bus and they took
off on the nine hundred mile trip to Orlando.
    Mostly everyone just chatted like a typical bunch of high schoolers for
the first leg of the trip. They discussed who all was going to be there and
who there favorite teams are. What celebrity was dating who, who at the
school was going out and what-not. Brittany got grilled about who her new
girlfriend is and she answered with the perkiness of a cheerleader. She
omitted the parts of her being a state certified nut-job, but spoke highly
of her affection and her abilities with a cello. Several of her teammates
knew who she was referring to once that part got out, but it didn't slow
down the questions any.
     The coaches kept to themselves from their front seat positions. They
talked about everything from the team, to their families to their past jobs
and playing experiences. As the day began to change into evening, Coach
Wilson picked out a video for his kids to watch and get settled down. Brian
and Brittany made some social commentary about how lame the movie
was. Everyone, the coaches included, heard themselves laughing at the
captains' comments. About halfway into the movie, the bus stopped for gas
and the kids were told to get out and stretch their legs for a while.
     Brittany got off the bus and saw the caravan behind them pull into the
various parking places. She immediately ran over to her mom's van to see
her Amanda. Even though she just saw her a few hours ago, one would've
though she was gone for years. Brittany immediately saw that Amanda was
wearing a pair of her mother's sunglasses. This made her laugh a little,
but thought it was for the better; besides, they looked good on her. Amanda
was just as giddy when Brittany was around. They walked into the travel
stop to go to the bathroom and get some snacks. It was still another three
hours before they were going to stop for a real meal. Some of Brittany's
friends looked at her and started talking amongst themselves about who
person is, and where they've seen her before.
    They were back on the bus in less than twenty minutes. Brian called
roll and the bus started back for the highway. The movie started right back
from where they left off and so did the questions towards Brittany. She
answered them as best, and as carefully, as she could. Ashley, Tony, Johnny
and a couple of the others complimented Brittany on picking a looker and
how cute they looked together. She blushed at those comments, but couldn't
help but notice that Tina kept silent about the whole topic.
    After dinner and few more hours on the road, the bus finally arrived at
their hotel. Coach Wilson, along with over half of his team, had to be
jogged awake by the driver. He flipped the lights on to a wave of moaning
and groaning. Even Coach Wilson had to take a minute before he was thrown
into coach mode.
    "Everyone off the bus and get the shit unloaded," he called out over
the intercom, making sure everyone was awake.
    Brian led the team out to the undercarriage and carried out their
orders. All of the guns and tech equipment was brought up to the team's
main meeting area. All of the kids were given their room assignments for
the week once everything was organized. After the coaches dismissed them
they were to bring their personal gear into their rooms and get settled
in. Brittany couldn't help but giggle at the thought of spending the next
five days in the same room, once again, with Tina and Ashley.
    None of the three girls said a word to each other the entire time they
hauled in their gear. Brittany didn't want to start any more tension and
just let Tina have her space. Tina, on the other hand, was dying inside for
her captain to say something... anything. She hated herself for the way she
acted back in Kennview. Her sister, on the other hand, simply couldn't form
any words. She was just too overjoyed to be here.
    Despite it being three in the morning, no one could get any sleep. They
were due at the complex to walk the fields in just four hours and their
thoughts couldn't slow down. Ashley, Johnny and even the ones that have
played here before couldn't force themselves to sleep. Brittany lie under
her blankets staring up at the ceiling with every thought she's ever had
running through her head. She drifted from her nervousness that she gets
before every event, to her worry about the rest of the team, to her new
relationship with Amanda; who was sharing a room with Mrs. Williams and a
couple of the other moms. She never moved, she never even blinked. Brittany
could hear the two sisters talking quietly to each other on the other bed,
but couldn't make out what they were saying. Either way it was of little
consequence, the "wake up call" was scheduled to ring in about two hours.
    "What do you think Brit?" Brittany heard Ashley call out from across
the room, snapping her out of her thoughts.
    "Huh?" she answered, looking in the direction of the voice's owner.
    "I was just asking Tina how she thought we'll do this weekend, but now
I'm asking you."
    "I dunno," Brittany responded, returning her gaze back to the
ceiling. "I guess we'll see after Thursday."
    "Come one, Brit," Ashley pleaded, "drop the captain bit for a sec. What
do you think?"
    "Ashley," Brittany sighed, "from where I sit, I have no real basis for
any kind of opinion. We're playing Division One this weekend. The teams
we've been playing all year so far are about Division Three, maybe a couple
of Division Two teams. You and your fellow JV team have never experienced
an upper echelon D-1 team, aside from us of course. Because you play
against us all the time, you can predict our moves but the teams we're
playing this weekend have never seen us before. I think we'll do well, of
course, but I also know it's not going to be the cake-walk we're used
to. Remember, this is World- fucking-Cup... everyone here is itching for
that crown. And they want it bad. So no I will not drop the captain bit
until we're standing on that podium, holding that Cup over our heads on
Sunday."
    Ashley flopped over onto her back. She felt a little deflated but once
again, she asked Brittany to speak her mind and that's just what she
got. "A simple good or bad would have sufficed," she sighed.
    "Hey you asked," Brittany retorted with a bit of a laugh in her
voice. Then words she never intended to speak left her mouth. "How about
you, Tina."
    Brittany heard the bed next to her stir as Tina sat up. Given that the
window was on the far side of the room, Brittany could see her silhouette
moving a little. "I think we'll do just fine," she said evenly, happy with
the knowledge that her friend, and idol, was again speaking to her. "We've
been training hard and we've got people that have been here before on our
side, both players and coaches."
    Brittany was relieved that Tina was back on speaking terms with her as
well. "Nothing like turning up the pressure," she answered with a little
giggle. She knew that it was her attitude that dictated how the people
around her play, a burden she's endured since her days on the Redz
Soldiers, but that didn't make it any easier. Knowing that the entire
team's performance rested on your shoulders is a feeling that is beyond
description. However, Brittany's way of coping with it all was to turn
nervousness and apprehension into rage and aggression as she's shown time
and time again.
    She thought back to her very first World Cup victory. Not the overall
crown, but her first victory in the preliminary round. She can still see
the happiness and joy on her father's and brother's faces. They were right
there, running with her to hang the flag for the final point of the match,
a point that won them the game. She waved and twirled it over head,
shouting out to her teammates and fans. That was a level of emotion she
felt only three days later when she relived that moment to win her team the
World Cup. Her father gathered her into his arms and whispered his pride
and love... that is before the rest of the team mobbed out of the pit areas
to join the celebration. Brittany felt a tear trickle down her face at that
memory and could only hope that she will get to share that moment with her
new team. Not to mention doing it while her old teammates watched.
    The wake up call rang Brittany out of her glorious flashback. She
picked up the phone, and without a second thought, threw it down. This part
of these trips never got any easier. The lack of sleep, the crack-of-dawn
wake up calls and then the mental and physical fatigue of the day--most of
the spectators have no idea how much processing the brain goes through in
every point of this game. Brittany dragged herself out of bed and got
dressed for a day of walking and planning, plus getting out amongst the
people she used to play with... and against. Tina and Ashley followed suit
at about the same ass-dragging pace their captain did.
    The team arrived at the field complex right on time. The fields were
completely inflated and a couple other teams were there doing the same
thing. Coach Wilson split the team into separate groups with a different
coach. each walking a different field. Coach Wilson took Brian to the
captain's meeting while the team carried out their orders. Little did the
rest of the team know that these teams will challenge every fiber in their
being.
    Brittany, with Tina and Ashley in tow of course, took her group around
the complex in a casual pace. They had all day to walk the fields and plan
for this thing so in a rush they were not. She got to explain a little bit
about how she got into the game and how many times she's been here. Some of
the JV kids who didn't get to speak to her very much kept up the questions
when they were in between fields. While they were on a field, they put in
their two cents just like any other time, but would shut their mouths as
soon as Brittany opened hers. And just like every other event, they all
took notes on how the other teams read the layouts and what they were doing
for their breakouts and first bumps.
    As they were leaving Center Court, Brittany noticed a camera crew
making their rounds. Brittany and her entourage thought it nothing more
than one of the film companies doing what they do best, so they exited
without giving it much thought. That is until Brittany heard a strange
voice call out her name.
    "Brittany Williams," the stranger said again, once she had the girl's
attention.
    "Yes," she answered confused, but not for long. As her eyes drifted
from the woman's face to the camera, she quickly felt a smile creep across
her face. Written in plain sight on both sides of the camera, and on the
t-shirts of the crew, were the letters "ESPN".
    "How does it feel to be back at this event with a new team?" the still
strange woman said, pointing the mic into her face.
    "Well, this isn't a new team," she answered happily, "I've been playing
with them for a couple years now. You know, it feels great to be back here
at this complex, getting ready to play in the biggest tournament of the
year."
    "Well, Brittany, you're the youngest girl to ever win a World Cup
crown. You're the only girl to ever do it two years in a row, with two
separate teams at that. How do you keep pace in a sport that still male
dominated and, as your history shows, do it so damn well?"
    "First and foremost, I'm not a whiny little bitch," she said point
blank, almost in defiance of the woman's insinuation. "I work my ass off to
'keep pace' just like the rest of the guys do. I don't bitch when I get
passed over for roster spots and I don't whine when I get shot or unfairly
called out... as we all know that happens way too often anyway." Brittany
took a minute to laugh at that last thought and how many times in her
career that's happened. "To all the aspiring girl players out there, if you
want to be the best then you have to think of yourself as the best and play
with the best. I've played with the Assassins, Dynasty, the
Bushwhackers... all the while I never once thought of myself as beneath
them. If you go into a game and think to yourself, 'Oh my God I'm playing
against Avalanche' or 'I'm playing against Dynasty' you will never win. I
play every point like it's my last and more often than not, I'm the one
running the points to the dead box."  Most of
 the gathered crowd got a bit of a laugh at her last comment.
     "Well, Brittany that was quite a little speech there," the woman said
with obvious shock on her face. "Tell me what goes through your mind when
you're out there."
    "The same thing that goes through everyone else's mind," Brittany said
in a "duh" tone. "There is so much stuff going on; it's not as simple as we
make it look. Not only is there that thundering sound of your bunker
getting the shit shot out it, but you have to process, and relay, all of
the information coming to you. Stuff like who is where on both teams; who's
shooting what lane; who's running what lane; where all of that heat is
coming from; what the dead count is; what the kill count is; how much time
is left on the penalty clock; knowing when to change lanes to adapt the
game plan; what everyone's part in the game plan is and what the back up
plan is; knowing when to make your bumps and when to stay put; keeping
yourself tight but loose enough to actually shoot someone; how much paint
do you have left? and how much your teammates have... all the while you're
filtering out the 'dead noise', as we call it."
    "What's 'dead noise'?"
    "False information; the sound of the spectators; the sound of your guns
shooting... stuff like that. Just ask anyone here, you have to fall back on
having faith in your team to do their jobs and the coaches to tell you
what's going on in the best way possible. I know that if I don't trust Tina
here to do her part, then I will second guess what I'm doing everytime; and
so will she on my part." Brittany winked at her friend before continuing,
"You have to be in good shape to make your runs and keep yourself up. This
game is very physically demanding. All those hours of training will pay off
at the end of the day if you can keep yourself in the game and not fall
apart when the shit goes down."
    "Well Brittany, thank you for spending some time with us and good luck
this weekend." The woman sounded sincere in her tone, but Brittany could
see she is a rookie reporter in this sport. The look she had on her face as
Brittany told her about the thinking process and her obvious distaste for
being thought of as "just a girl" was priceless. Brittany and her group
couldn't help but laugh at her expense.
    "Thank you," she answered with a smile, "keep and eye out for me on
Sunday." She couldn't resist that set-up. Her self-promoting arrogance is
what made her such a force off the field. She can go to any event and
people will recognize her for that flamboyance she carries about
herself. Even some of the gatherers laughed, knowing damn well that was no
idle statement.
    Back at the hotel that afternoon, Coach Wilson gathered everyone in the
common room. He went over their schedule for both days of preliminary games
and who he is expecting to meet on Sunday. He went reviewed everyone's game
plans at lunch and came up with the overall strategies for each field. With
the blown-up pictures her made before the trip, he went over
point-by-point, field-by-field what of what was expected. However, just
like every other event, these plans can go right out the window as soon as
the first game is played.
    After the meeting broke, the kids were free to have the rest of the day
to themselves. This would be their only true "free time" so the coaches
told--or rather ordered--them to live it up, but be back in their rooms by
no later than ten o'clock. Some of the kids stayed in and played computer
and video games. Others went out on the town to do some touristy
stuff. Brittany and her clique stayed in and made sure all the guns were
set to legal settings and all of the equipment had fresh batteries. They
also went about their traditional inner-team scrutinizing and who they
think will be their best opponents. Seeing as they were one of only sixteen
teams in their division, this list was fairly short.
     Brittany was out like a light once her head hit the pillow. She, like
most of her teammates, had been awake for nearly two days straight. Not to
mention that this weekend will be their third tournament in three
weeks. She was instantly whisked away into a dreamless sleep. No thoughts
had enough energy to stand out. Her brain needed the relaxation and that's
just what she got. Brittany was so far gone in this restful state that she
scarcely heard the alarm going off.
    After a small breakfast, the team made it's way to the field. Some
people were excited and jumping around, while others kept their emotions
safe from being known. Brittany was among the latter. She's been here
before and knows what it takes to win this thing, but didn't want to dampen
the spirits of her inexperienced teammates. Brian too has been here; he was
sharing a boat with Brittany. He kept his thoughts to himself and got his
emotions ready to be unleashed when they stepped onto the field.
    The bus arrived along side of a half-dozen others. The driver pulled
into a space and turned off the motor. This is when Brittany felt her
anger, wrath, whatever you care to call it, bottling up to the breaking
point. Just like every other she's ever played, once her eyes see the
fields on the day of they take on a life that drives her to the point of
rage. And rage is what one needs to make a stand on this arena, at this
level. Everyone who looked at her as they trod off the carriage saw her
eyes with alight with fire; suddenly they felt the same rage building
within themselves.
    This over-sized venue was absolutely littered with vendor tents and
people already mingling about. Not only were the six fields spread out over
an area of more than seventy acres and the "Player's Village" set-up near
the main through fare, but the vendor's area filled in nearly all the
gaps. "Vendor Village", as it's aptly named, was a massive tent and trailer
city of more than one hundred canopies and over thirty large
tractor-trailer displays. The league's season sponsors, and sponsors who
save their money for this one particular event, had their tent-shops and
trailers demonstrating and selling off whatever goods they had on
them. Angel Sports was showcasing the very same Angels Kennview had in
their gearbags; Crossfire debuted a new kind of regulator for their already
famous air systems; Monkey With A Gun Productions were featuring all of
their latest videos and discussing their future projects. Redz unveiled
their new clothing line due to come out next season
 (some of which Brittany and some of the others were to wear on the field
this weekend). There was even a V.I.P. area set-up for the leagues
investors and executives to mingle and watch the event on closed circuit
television. Coach Wilson looked at that and scoffed, "Damn politicians".
    Kennview wasn't scheduled to go on until 9:30 that morning, so they had
plenty of time to get their guns set-up and even do a little
shopping. Brian gathered some of the others to get the paint from the
Draxxus tent and the new gear from the Redz tent while Brittany, Frank and
Curtis took a handful of the younger team to go and watch some of the games
already in progress. Those who remained looked over the game plans and/or
got their pads and other gear ready to go. Before anyone left to do
anything, Coach told them to be back at their staging tent no later than
nine.
    Brittany led them to watch who would be their first opponent, the Palm
Beach Vipers. They've been a team that's bounced between Division One and
Semi-Pro for as long as anyone can remember. They had a problem with
funding such an inconsistent program so it seemed like whenever they would
finally go pro, they would place near dead last that season. Frustrating
for them, but just as equally frustrating for their opponents since they
never knew how they would play. Brittany and her crew watched as they were
getting absolutely smashed by their opponents, who ironically would be
Kennview's last match of the preliminaries. Aftermath II. They were the "B"
team of the now pro team, San Fernando Aftermath, and they were also in
first place of the season standings. As the game continued Frank, Curtis
and the others could see why. Of the six events prior to this one,
Aftermath II has won four of them and they putting a beatdown on the much
weaker Vipers. By game's end, Aftermath
 II had a commanding score of 12 to 4, and they were only playing 30 minute
games as opposed to the 40 minute games Kennview was used to. The group of
highs schooler gave them their due applause and left the grand stands.
    By the time they got back to their staging area, Brain and his crew
were already back with all of their paint and had most of the pods
filled. He handed Brittany her new pants, pack and gloves and got back to
work. Brittany dressed herself in her new gear while discussing what they
observed about their first (and last) opponent. Coach Wilson and his staff
wrote down everything the teenager told them. He looked at his blown-up
field layouts with a curious expression on his face. As if his instincts
guided his hand, he changed the game plan to fit what his star player just
told him. After discussing what everyone was to do, he went over the line
order. Shortly thereafter, the team loaded up their wagon and headed off to
their first match of the weekend.
    The were standing outside the nets waiting for the game on their field
to end. It was a clash of the lower echelon Division Three teams. With
nothing else to do until they were inside the pit area, the team watched;
not so much to see the outcome, but to get a better idea of how the field
was being played. Brittany noticed something about one of primary bunkers
she failed to notice before, and it was obvious that the person she was
watching didn't notice either. She smiled a wicked smile as the final horn
blew. The team she was watching lost the game by only a single point, but
if he played that thing right, according to Brittany that is, his team
would of pulled it into overtime at least.
    The kids from Kennview entered the pits as the other team was
leaving. They exchanged a few words of 'good luck' and 'good job' to each
other as they passed. The coaching staff and pit crew, who was cut in half
from what their used to since this was an entirely different league, got
all of the tanks aired up while the lines went about getting their bodies
stretched out. Brian looked up in time to see their 0 and 1 opponents
entering their pit. He tried to be a sportsman and wish them luck, but
those guys would have none of it. Apparently, he thought, they were still
bitter about the ass raping Aftermath put them through. he chuckled to
himself at how much they about to get a second dose of that.
     Brittany's was the first line to play this game. She stood up from
that stupor she's known to go into before a game and exhaled a strong
breath. She bobbed her head side to side, cracking her neck. The girl put
her mask over her forehead while walking out onto the field. Her line
followed her out onto the field, feeling neither joy or fear. As she's
trained them to think, they felt noting. They showed their opponents no
emotion. 'Ice is harder to break when the breaker is cold' she remembered
her father telling her.
    Since Kennview lost the coin toss, they had to start the first four
points looking right into the sun. This was what Brittany was counting on,
since that was the side she noticed her plethora of hidden shots and
running lanes. As the two teams split away from the center X, she looked up
to the stands. Her mother had an eager looking Amanda attached to her
hip. They were sitting amongst a rather large crowd for this early in the
day. That in and of itself struck her as odd, but whatever... they were
sitting on "their" side of the bleachers which meant they were their
fans. Brittany gave her mom and girlfriend and wave, but the entire crowd
erupted at her gesture. They began cheering and chanting her name. This not
only filled the girl with pride, but it filled the entire Vipers' line-up
with dread.
    The star got her team to gather around her to start one o their
signature chants. "ALRIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS! GET IT UP! I DON'T WANT ANY
BULLSHIT TO COME FROM ANYONE! I WANT YOU TO GO OUT THEIR AND SHOW THEM THE
MEANING OF PAIN! WE ARE WINNERS! THEY'VE ALREADY SHOWED THAT THEY'RE
LOSERS! NOW WE'RE GOING TO SHOW THEM HOW TO FUCKING PLAY THIS GAME THE
RIGHT WAY!" She paused just long enough for the rest of them to start
chanting. "GET OUT THERE AND RAM IT UP THEIR FUCKING ASSES! LET ME HEAR IT
MOTHERFUCKERS!"
    She could hear the crowd getting behind them as they broke out of the
huddle. Everyone felt their hearts racing and their palms sweating. Heat
from the Florida sun was already making them sweat, but it was what they
didn't feel is what told them the story. They felt no energy coming from
the other team. No energy meant no game, in their world. Then the horn blew
to start the game. Brittany shot her way into her primary bunker, taking
out the Viper's back player that was supposed to be covering her. Then she
began her systematic decimation of their entire team. Using those shots she
found earlier, she was able to take out anyone trying to run up the center
of the field, and locked down that entire diagonal. This gave Thomas the
opportunity to make his way down the opposite tapeline and shoot the
remaining players in the back. Brittany ran the flag in for their first
point of the match.
    Brittany told Brian and the other players about that spot and the all
the glory it beheld. Coach Wilson could see that the Vipers didn't notice
what they were doing since they never once made a valiant effort to counter
their strategy. The entire game passed by with every point going to the
kids from Kennview. Brittany could hear her mom's voice over everyone
else. She turned towards the stands and pumped her fist in the air. As they
began chanting her name once more, she threw her mask off and took a
courtly bow. Brian and the others damn near tackled her amidst the
celebration, even though it was only their first of six games. Since they
would return to this field at the end of the day, they made a special note
to remember how every bunker played out, especially their new "God Bunker".
    Kennview struggled in their next two games. Coach Wilson was reminded
of the difference in skill level from the teams they were used to and the
teams here. Not to mention they all have that drive that the World Cup
tournament brings out in everyone. They were forced into overtime when the
went up against the Queen City Killaz from Charlotte, North Carolina who,
at one point offered a Brian a spot on their roster. Even though he turned
down the offer he never held them in any disrespect. They were a team to be
reckoned with; if you didn't play a near-perfect game, then these guys will
destroy you. Even though Kennview won the match, they would only get one
point, as opposed to two if they'd beaten them outright. In an act of
sportsmanship, Brian and Brittany were even given a hug from everyone on
the team after the last horn blew.
    The second game after the Vipers slaughter was against Tippmann
Factory.  This was yet another team that rose and fell within the ranks of
the crazy world that is tournament paintball. The one time Pros found
themselves playing at the Division Three level within two years. They had
to scratch and fight their way back to the Division One level and that road
was not easy. Money wasn't the problem, it was keeping the players in their
stable; many pros here today have a Tippmann Factory jersey on their wall,
just like the one in the Williams' basement. However, this was a group of
guys that were on their way back to the top. They played every game like
they had something to prove to themselves and everyone watching. Reckless
abandon was the plan of every point. This is a strategy that is very hard
to counter. But that's why you run all those drills in practice. Kennview
managed to beat them in regulation, but it was a bloodbath to the end. A
low scoring match indeed but
 still a lot of fun to watch. Brittany was once again congratulated by the
entire roster giving her a hug, but even more so from those who remember
when her dad played with them.
    Kennview managed to secure a second place overall ranking. The were
bested only by Aftermath II who won all three of their games in regulation,
but that did nothing to hold back the kids from living it up. After the
Tippmann Factory game, they celebrated like they just won the whole fucking
thing. For them to come into an event like this, with the people they have
and walk away with three wins at all was nothing short of a miracle.
    Not only were they ecstatic about the way they've been playing, but
about all of the attention as well. All throughout the day, they were
catching glances at video cameras and professional photographers on their
fields. Brian and Coach were interviewed several times with some of the
local news stations and paintball-specific video crews. Brittany already
told them about her interview with ESPN and that just heightened their mood
further. The team could look at the stands and see "their" crowd growing
with every game they played.
    Back at the hotel room after dinner, the kids almost immediately
crashed. Even though they were still riding the emotional high from the
day's games, their bodies could take no more. They needed to rest. Brittany
stood in shower with a strange little smile on her face. She and Amanda
shared a kiss for the entire team to see during dinner. That in itself
wasn't the unusual part-- some of the guys kissed their girlfriends (if
they came along) as well, but it was the awe the mute girl inspired in them
afterward. After their lips broke the embrace, Amanda went out to her mom's
van and brought Inikye into the restaurant. She played the most triumphant
song humanly imaginable. Brittany and everyone listening melted from the
inside out. Neither pride or happiness could describe or compare to what
that song made everyone feel. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire
restaurant by the time Amanda finished playing. She didn't know it, but all
of time in that buffet stood still and
 the emotion that flowed from Inikye's strings was felt by all who bore
witness. In front of the entire mass of witnesses, Brittany pulled her
girlfriend into another lip-lock.
    Brittany didn't realize it, but she'd been standing in the shower for
nearly an hour as she relived that beautiful memory. What brought her out
of her trance was Ashley banging on the door, eager for a shower
herself. Brittany blinked a few times before remembering where exactly she
was. She had done little by means of bathing, but the hot water had her
muscles relaxed and the stench of sweat and paint out of her skin.
    She joined Tina in the main room, wrapped in her own terry robe. Tina
was lying on her back with her eyes closed, but she wasn't
sleeping. Brittany turned on the television for some background noise as
she got ready for bed. She pulled the robe off her shoulders, exposing her
nude form without a hint of modesty. She casually walked over to her
gearbag and pulled out a set of relaxing underwear. As soon as she had her
panties and bra in place, she heard Tina stirring in the bed. Brittany
immediately looked over at her friend to find her lying on her side facing
her and with a quirky smile across her lips.
    "You know you shouldn't tease like that," she sheepishly said to her
captain.
    "Hey, it's just us girls in here," Brittany retorted, not caring for
what her friend just said. "Besides it's not like you never tried to see me
like this before. Did you enjoy your show?"
    "Why yes, thank you," Tina answered still holding that flirtatious grin
on her lips.
    Things went silent between the two of them for a few minutes. The
passing minutes were not tense, but they could easily be mistaken as
such. Brittany could feel Tina's eyes on her the whole time she went about
getting ready for bed. Instead of feeling bothered or annoyed by that
feeling, she decided that it made her feel attractive. The longer she felt
those bright blue eyes of Tina's on her, the more she indulged in her
flattery. Ashley came bouncing out of the bathroom a short time later. As
soon as she was done readying herself for bed, the captain called "lights
out". Brittany fell asleep quickly and was soon off in a world of happiness
and love with the girl who so bewitched her heart and soul.

    Kennview was scheduled to be the first game of the day. They were due
at Canter Court against Static at 7:30. This gave the kids little time to
get warmed-up and stretched, but that's they way shit goes sometimes. Coach
Wilson went over the line-up order for the game as they went about filling
their pods and tanks. Brian's line was to go on first, followed by
Curtis's. Brittany was to go over to the other side and coach her teammates
from there until it was time for her line to hit the field.
    Right out of the gate, the kids from Kennview knew this would be a hard
fought battle. While Aftermath II was busy winning all of the tournaments,
Static had a habit of being right on their heels every time. In fact, if
Aftermath didn't win the tournament, Static did. If nothing else, then this
match would be a good precursor for what to expect from the division
leaders. The first couple of points went to Static, but Kennview managed to
make their enemy earn them. Those two points ate up nearly half of the
first half clock alone. Kennview bounced back with a couple of points of
their own, but they were trailing at the half. What brightened the moods of
Brittany's team was the look of respect and hatred Static kept giving them;
they were certainly not expecting this hard of a match from a team that's
never before played a national event.
    Brittany led her line back out to the field at the start of the second
half. She did her best to keep them thinking ho much these guys truly
disrespect them with her yelling and screaming, but it was obvious that
they needed more. All she heard from them during halftime was their
bitching about how tough these guys are, but Brittany would hear none of
it. Despite her best efforts, her line lost all but one of their point
series. This left them at a deficit of 6 to 3, an uphill climb against one
of the toughest D-1 teams ever assembled. Brian's line managed to close the
gap, but Static would not let up their onslaught. The horn blew with the
final score of 8 to 6, Static.
    This was the first time in over a year that the varsity kids knew the
taste of defeat. Even though they were still a long way away from being
knocked out of a semi-final appearance, it was deflating
nonetheless. Brittany didn't seem at all defeated by the loss. She's played
against these guys before and it's always been an uphill battle with
them. However, convincing a bunch of teenagers that haven't lost a single
game in nearly two years that it wasn't such a bad thing is nearly
impossible. So she did it the only way she knew how, by getting in their
faces and screaming it!
    They had a break for rest of the morning. This gave them a chance to
get re-energized and watch some of the other games. Most went on to watch
the NXL games. Their hometown pros were facing off against the Seattle
Naughty Dogs. This guaranteed to be a great game. It was the first Pro game
of the weekend and everyone in that bracket was watching. Brittany sat with
the majority of her team around her watching the game, but they were also
studying how they were playing the field and their habits when put in
certain situations. Watching them play on the field they were about to play
on renewed their resolve.
    Everyone met back in the staging area a short time later. The Assassins
put the Naughty Dogs through a severe pounding, which only elated the team
even more. William from the Assassins came up to Kennview's table while
Coach Wilson was going over some last minute pep talking. His appearance
was a welcomed sight. He went over some of the things about their opponents
that Coach missed and about the angles some of the bunkers provided at
certain stages of the game. Not only was he there prepping them, but also
told them he was going to be "coaching" them from the spectator's side.
    The kids were to go up against Vicious for this game. These guys had a
bad habit of starting out strong but running flat as the tournament dragged
on. In fact, they were technically tied with Kennview after yesterday but
the point spread from their first game provided a sizable tie-breaker. Both
of these two teams were coming off of losses, which meant they were both
desperate for a win to stay alive in the standings. With the way the math
worked out, the winner of this game clinched one of the four semi-final
spots while the loser will need to a win and some serious help to advance.
    Brittany's line was the first to take the field. Once again she could
hear her fans chanting her name as she marched from behind the net. She
couldn't help but think that the loss from last game only elevated their
love for her. Her entire line looked up to the stands and saw that there
were a lot more people here today than yesterday. Brittany could only see
her mom and Amanda sitting hip to hip. She heard their voices mixed into
those calling her name. That is until she put her mask over her face, then
all she saw was her team and the insects they were about to crush. All she
could hear was her own voice bellowing out to her teammates.
    "THIS IS IT MOTHERFUCKERS! WE WIN HERE AND NOW WE GO ON TO PLAY IN THE
FUCKING SEMIS! THIS AIN'T NO BULLSHIT! WE'RE HERE TO WIN THIS FUCKING
THING... TO BEAT THESE FUCKING BITCHES DOWN! WE LOST LAST GAME BUT SO DID
THEY! NOW GO OUT THERE AND SHOVE IT IN THEIR FUCKING FACES! THEY ARE NOT
WINNERS, THEY ARE NOT EVEN HUMAN! GET IT UP MOTHERFUCKERS! MAKE'EM HEAR IT!
MAKE'EM HATE OUR FUCKING GUTS!" To which her team returned with, "AND SPILL
THEIRS!"
    The head ref readied his crew to get ready for what was sure to be a
great game. Th refs know who is desperate and who is calm. All through the
week they see the raw emotion and anger that comes from these teams... not
to mention putting up with their shit. The clock-keeper blew the horn to
start the game and all hell broke loose.
    Brittany deployed her tried and true tactic of an opening
run-through. She ran the entire length of the field, taking paint from all
directions and hearing the shots whiz past her head. She even took a couple
bounces to her body. The girl would not stop until she made three of her
opponents leave the field. While everyone concentrated fire on her, Thomas
followed suit and shot the two remaining players in the back while Tina ran
the flag in for the first point of the game. Almost immediately the crowd
went absolutely nuts about what they just witnessed. Not only did they just
see one of the hardest moves in the world to pull off actually work, but it
was done in concert with another person in a very calculated manner.
    That one play set the tone for the rest of the match as Vicious
couldn't get their heads into the game. They had a nagging fear of seeing
that girl running past them again, blazing her Angel in their faces. Every
breakout, Brittany couldn't help but tease them with that fear. She would
run only up to the 50 yardline, then stop. This allowed time and time again
for Thomas or Tina the opportunity to advance further. All game, Kennview
kept up this "leap frog" strategy without fail. Even if they managed to
lose someone off the break, they were still able to pull off the
maneuver. This was the kind of game was the sort of thing Coach Wilson
prays for, a team too scared to make a move against his kids and if they
did they somehow they would draw a penalty every time.
    Brittany readied her line for would be the last point of the
game. Since Vicious had two guys in the penalty box, she knew they would
just lockdown their lanes and run the clock out. This would only serve to
work to her advantage. With that evil grin she's known for wearing when
she's ready to kill, she took off down the center of the field, but didn't
stop this time. She shot out the two guys on her right, then spun around
and shot out the guy on her left as he shot her as well. The Vicious player
walked back to his pit area with his head down. Brittany, on the other
hand, ran along side of the spectator's net cheering and pumping her fist
in the air. She ran over to where William was standing and exchanged a few
words and high-fives. She threw her mask off and yelled out to her fans,
all the while Thomas ran the flag in for the point she earned them just
seconds ago.
     Back in the pits, Coach Wilson went ballistic. With this win, his team
was guaranteed to be moving on no matter what happened against
Aftermath. His team was going to make a podium finish at World Cup! He led
the bum-rush out onto the field to join Brittany in her celebration. Brian
ran along side the net, pointing out to the crowd. As he ran the length of
the net, he initiated a "wave" from his fans. Mrs. Williams and Amanda had
been in tears since they saw their Brittany shoot out all three of her
enemies. Words could not describe what was running through her heart to see
her daughter on the world's biggest stage doing what she loves to do. Then
to have this many people cheering for her and chanting her name in the same
admiration they hold for celebrities... that kind of feeling is beyond
compare.
    "Alright everyone, settle down," Coach Wilson said as they re-entered
their staging tent some time later. "We're in the semis but we still have
another game to play today. We're going up against Aftermath II, as you're
well aware, and these guys are also going to semis. All this game is for,
by now anyway, is to see who we play tomorrow. If we win, by my
calculations, then we are going up against Detroit Sinister. If we lose,
then guess who we get to play tomorrow... fucking Aftermath. I don't know
about you, but I'd rather be playing them for the crown! In fact, they're
almost done with their game so let's head on over to their field and see
what's up."
    The entire team followed their coach out of the "Player's Village". As
they walked, they couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves. Brittany
heard her name brought up several times, but didn't bother to address
it. All she wanted right now was to find her mom and Amanda and hug the
life out of them. She already knows what Aftermath brings to the table so
their game was the last thing on her mind. She knows they're a tough team,
but she has also played and beaten them on several occasions.
    The team found it hard to find a bench large enough to accommodate all
of their asses since the division leader was putting on a free clinic. The
score told the story of what was happening, but Coach and everyone else
were expecting nothing less. There was only four minutes left on the clock,
but it was enough time to get a feel of how they liked to turn up the
pressure, then back off, then turn it up again. It was a nearly identical
tactic that Kennview just used against Vicious. Coach Wilson had the kids
study how they liked to break out on every ensuing point and how they like
to move down the field. William from the Assassins found them watching the
game and decided to partake in the discussion. It was obvious that William
didn't like the Aftermath program ("bunch of whiny little bitches", as he
referred to them several times) so he was all the more inclined to help his
hometown D-1 team, and biggest fans, any way he could.
     After the game ended, Brittany was the first one to leave the
group. She knew they still had another two hours before their match with
them, so she went for a little window shopping. Some of the others were
quick to join her and get away from all the strategy talk that Coach Wilson
couldn't shut up about for a little while. He suddenly stopped when he
realized his team had all but disappeared. Coach Peterson was about to say
something to them, but Coach Wilson stopped him by saying 'giv'em a break
for an hour; they've earned it'.
    The star of Kennview was not alone in her walk through the Vendor
Village. It seemed no matter where she went, some aspiring female player
wanted her autograph of chat with her about their own experiences. She was
always delighted to meet her fans, but there were only two people she
wanted to see right now and neither one could be found.
    Brittany eventually made her way to the Angel tent. She saw a couple of
posters that she posed for last year and one from earlier this year. She
looked around for a few minutes before she was spotted by one of
employees. All of a sudden she was greeted and treated like a high ranking
executive. James Stateton (or Jack as he prefers), the CEO of the company,
personally escorted her back to their V.I.P. area and away from all the
hustle and bustle. She saw her mother and Amanda already there, sipping
some tea and watching Brittany's last game on the closed circuit television
"re-run tape". 'No wonder I couldn't find them' she though to
herself. Brittany instantly had a smile run across her lips and she threw
herself against her women, scaring the hell out of them both. She hugged
and squeezed the life out of them, while the Angel execs laughed at the
little girl she was known to keep locked inside.
    "Congratulations Brittany," her mother said with a tear in her
eye. "I'm so proud of you."
    "Thanks mom," she answered sharing that tear. After a couple of
minutes, she looked over at Amanda and gave her girl her own hug. Amanda
was quick to return the embrace and kissed her on the cheek.
    The executives sat down with their favorite girl and chatted away for
awhile. They discussed how she's been playing this event and how much
they've seen her grow up and develop as a person and player. Try as they
might, they couldn't keep business out of the conversation. She still
hadn't replied to her letter about working for them once she graduates and
here was the best time to answer that question. She had everyone in one
location at the same time (a near impossibility) so her and her mother
decided to negotiate the terms of the contract. It was obvious that they
wanted her to not only play the game with their products, but work for them
as well.
    "I'll do it," the teenager said with a glee in her eye. "But I still
have another year before I graduate so I hope you can wait that long."
    "Not a problem, Brit," Jack said with a smile on his face. "In fact we
were just discussing about we should be giving you more than that."
    "What's that mean?" Brittany asked concerned. "You're already offering
me a hell of a salary and job most people can only dream of. What more is
there?"
    "Well, Brittany, we've been sponsoring you nearly your entire career
and you've given us so much in all these years. Hell, it's practically
because of you that we even have a women's line of gear, not to mention all
the letters and emails we receive with your name on them. Most of us in the
corner offices think of you as our own daughter. We were thinking of giving
you your own private label within the company. You're own signature marker,
playing and casual apparel, the works. Consider that as a bonus for
accepting our initial offer."
    "Sure," Brittany answered, completely dumbfounded; no other words came
to her brain. The way Jack said all of this made it seem like they've been
discussing this for a long time and waited for the perfect opportunity to
spring it on her. She looked over at her mother and saw her own expression
on her face as well. Amanda too was struck dumb by the offer. She may not
know everything about this sport, but knows you have to be good to get that
kind of offer.
    "One more thing," Jack said still holding that smile of happiness on
his face, "They guys on Dynasty told me yesterday that you have an open
invitation to come out for their team. Not Entourage. San Diego Dynasty. I
told Steven that I'd let you know and that you'd get back with him."
    "Brittany," her mom said, surprisingly calmed somewhat, "this is the
chance of a lifetime... your dream."
    Brittany didn't answer. She was beyond excited. A teenager that's still
in high school is having her life's dream handed to her on a silver
platter. There was but one option, and the girl shouted it. "FUCK YEAH!"
which was followed by her grabbing the exec around the neck and giving him
a million thank yous. People shopping on the other side of the curtain
heard her scream; the employees just smiled and went about their work.
    Brittany gave her new boss one last hug before she left to regroup with
her team--she still had a game to play. Her mother and girlfriend followed
her as far as they were allowed. The event security could only allow
Brittany pass into the Player's Village, but that didn't bring her down her
emotional high she was riding. She gave her mom and Amanda a three-way hug
and received a kiss on either cheek. Her mom wished her luck and took off
to find a seat before the crowd started gathering.
    The teenager met up with her team, but neglected to tell the good news;
she didn't want to take their heads out of the game. The team loaded up the
gear and headed out to the field. People around the event were already
calling it a "preview of the finals". All this distinguished title did was
make each team want it even more. In the pits, Brian and his team could
hear the guys from California start the hate-filled trash-talk. This wasn't
just your average trash, it was flat-out asshole-ish. The way they spoke of
So-Cal teams and how much better they than everyone else made him want to
bunch them in the face, but Brian put on a smile. 'William was right, these
guys are little bitches' he thought as he grinned at them. He volunteered
his line to be the first go out, if nothing else to get his first stab at
their collective egos.
    As the teams took to the field, they couldn't help but notice how
organized the fans had separated themselves. One half belonged to
Aftermath, the other to Kennview.  Even those who weren't sitting picked a
side and wouldn't cross the centerfield net brace. This thought brought a
chuckle out of him, especially since he noticed that the numbers were just
about even. They were going up against the team was almost mathematically
guaranteed to win the Division One season title and yet they shared an
equal number of fans. Brian walked down to his team's start station and
pumped his fist at his fans, getting them riled up even more. Several
moments later, the game was on.
    Everyone who was watching, either it be live, on CCTV or from the
comfort of their own homes, wanted to see these two teams at each other's
throats. This game was soon turned into a battle. Whatever one team threw
at the other, they countered just as quickly and with more anger. Bodies
were walking off the field completely covered in orange and green, points
went back and forth and both teams didn't give into the other. At the
half's end, the score was tied at 4 all.
    Curtis was given the dubious honor of leading his line out for the
start of the second half. By now, there were even more people gathered
around, he assumed it was because the last of the NXL games ended. Curtis
saw Steven from Dynasty and William from the Assassins chatting and
pointing at them. He knew exactly what that meant, they have a new set of
coaches on their team. He gathered his team around him for one of
Kennview's signature chants, which by now the crowd was starting to
learn. When he finished, the crowd answered with the rest of the
team. Aftermath was not the least bit concerned by their enemy having a
pair of pro coaches or that the crowd got into their chants. They have an
entire pro team helping them along the way. It was this very attitude that
Curtis and his line prepared for.
    Out of the gate, Curtis made it his personal mission to run that ego of
theirs into the dirt. He wanted to see them whine and bitch about anything
and everything, just so he can keep their heads out of the game and thus
get trampled by Brittany's line. He heard them talking down to Brittany,
Tina and Ashley at every opportunity and now he was going to make them pay
for it; his line shared that contempt. By the time his line was finished
with their series of points, Curtis walked off the field yelling at Coach
Wilson, "Mission accomplished!"
    Brittany felt her anger and hatred run through her veins. She looked
over at her fellow females and saw the same look in their eyes. For this
reason if nothing else, she told Coach Wilson that Ashley will be playing
on her line for the remainder of the game. He was almost too eager to allow
his star to make that call. Ever since he got into this line of work, he's
always hated people that go around with a heart of prejudice. He told all
three of his girls 'do your thing' as they left the pit. It took all of her
will power to not turn and punch those bastards square in the face for
their sexist comments that they continued to dish out.
    "I DON'T GIVE A FUCKING RAT'S ASS IF WE LOSE THIS GAME ANYMORE! I WANT
THOSE FUCKING LITTLE BITCHES TO FEEL THE WRATH OF A GIRL! I WANT THEM TO
CRY FOR THEIR FUCKING WHORE MOMMIES! MAKE THOSE FUCKING COCKSUCKERS WISH
THEY WERE SWALLOWED! NOW IS THE TIME MOTHERFUCKERS! GET IT UP AND..." her
line and their fans replied "IN THEIR FUCKING FACES!"
    With their collective rage put into it's proper place, Brittany, Tina,
Ashley and even the two guys out there with them got ready to dish out the
"wrath of a girl", even though the guys smiled at that thought. And dinner
was served. Brittany opened up the flood gates of pain and let it flow. She
repeated her earlier move of running the length of the field and shooting
most of those little bastards out. She would've had them all in one move if
their coach didn't alert the last guy at the last moment that she was still
alive, but Ashley followed her captain and blasted the hell out of the
guy. That earned her a stay in the penalty box, but felt it was well worth
it. Even from there she joined in with the chanting and cheering between
points. The game ended with Tina bunkering out the last two guys and
hanging the flag. Then it hit Coach that Aftermath didn't score but one
point the entire second half, and that was because they were playing a
person short for two minutes.
 This was one of the biggest losses the Aftermath program has suffered, 12
to 5.
    All of the girls couldn't help but take stabs at their opponents'
egos. They forsook all notions of sportsmanship just to add insult to
injury. Not only did they get beat by a "newbie team" but it was a team led
by a girl. Even though most of those guys were old enough to legally vote
and drink, they couldn't stand the thought of being beaten by a girl, let
alone three of them who were still in high school.
    "Alright everyone," Coach Wilson said once they were back in their
meeting room at the hotel. "I'm proud of you. Your parents are all proud of
you. Your sponsors are all proud of you and your new fans appreciated the
show you put on tonight. I just got off the phone with several companies
about interviews with a select few of you after this thing is over. We
still have one more day before this thing is over. Tomorrow we go up
against Detroit Sinister and if all goes to plan then we face off against
the winner of the Aftermath-RNT All-Stars match.
    Since the team wasn't scheduled for their semi-final match until mid
morning, much later than their preliminary starts, the team was allowed to
sleep in for an extra hour. Coach Wilson told his staff that he too needed
some extra sleep, it was his brain that was being picked at every waking
moment. No one on the team wanted to get up that morning. They played the
hardest they've every played in their entire lives and now their bodies
were paying for it. They haven't felt this level of fatigue and pain since
Hell Week. Then again, that's what Hell Week was all about, getting them
acquainted with this level of bodily stress. The only thing that drove them
out of bed was the fact that they were only two games away from winning the
World Cup, something no first year team has ever done at this level of the
game.
    There were no pep-talks, there were no speeches. At this point they
were a waste of words and oxygen. Coach Wilson knew that his kids knew what
needed to be done and he let them do get themselves ready for it. All
morning he didn't say a single word. He didn't want them to go around
filled with words of hope and "maybes" on their brains. He wanted them to
relax and get ready to play some goddamn paintball. Before their game with
Sinister, all that was spoke was the game plan variations and few words of
input from the other coaches. Through the separating net of the pit area,
they could hear their opponents chanting and hollering, while they kept
their mouths shut.
    The two teams took the field as soon as the Aftermath--RNT All-Stars
game ended. It seemed that the division leader would need some help to keep
their title since they lost to the All-Stars. They will need to win their
finals game and the winner of this game will need to win the crown for
Aftermath to win the season title. Kennview had no qualms about obliging
that request. Detroit Sinister had been keeping a close eye on Kennview
ever since their game against the Vipers. Every time they took the field
they had this kind of spirit and life about their collective soul. This was
the kind of attitude and nature one would expect from teams playing in the
"Sunday Club" and thus kept everything on an even keel. But the lack of
emotion and words Kennview was showing at this moment was more unsettling
than anyone could have predicted. Whenever they made eye contact, Sinister
was at a loss to read what was going through their heads. Coach Wilson
taught every team he coached the
 phrase: "A cold silence is more fearful than heated words". This head-game
tactic worked without fail.
    Brian lined his team up, pointing at seemingly random locations
throughout the field. He could hear the Sinister coached calling out their
most likely plan of attack. In fact his whole team listened intently to
what the were saying, thinking to themselves "Oh, how wrong you are!". When
the horn blew for the first point, no one went where they were "suppose
to". Brian and his four other players ran straight up the middle while
Sinister wasted their break-out paint on empty locations. They patiently
waited for that brief, "postbreak-out" pause before they sprung into
action. Before most of the Sinister players could reload their hoppers,
Kennview's front four were in their faces, shooting the shit out of them
all. Sinister's dark blue jerseys were instantaneously changed to
orange. Adam brought the flag in for the point in front of a very
enthusiastic crowd and a very stunned Sinister pit. Brian looked over at
one of the two guys he shot out and couldn't hold himself
 back, "You liked that one, huh?"
    Fortunately the guy had a sense of humor about the whole thing and just
laughed at the comment as he walked back to his team.
    After that point, things went back to normal for this division of World
Cup. Now that Sinister knew what Kennview could throw at them, they could
formulate a decent enough counter to keep that little event from happening
again. The teams began trading point-for-point until the end of the
half. Tina was by herself, struggling from her back corner position against
two of the Sinister players to keep them from scoring the last point of the
half. She managed to shoot out the guy closest to her in a fan-friendly
shot over the top of her bunker (which kissed him right in the lips), but
decided it best to sacrifice herself in a trade-off with the last
guy. Coach Wilson went ballistic when he saw her make that move, but in a
stroke of luck, as she took off for him he decided to reload. This forced
him to put his gun down for those precious two seconds that allowed her
come from his blind side and triple tap his back. Tina grabbed the flag and
sprinted for the deadbox. She
 managed to get the hang with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. The time
keeper ended the half anyway after the point was awarded since that would
be pointless to play that out. Even though they had a two point lead over
Sinister, Kennview knew these guys will not just sit back and let them ruin
their chances for World Cup gold.
    Curtis led his line out for the start of the second half. He glanced up
at the scoreboard and put on the biggest smile of his life. The illuminated
red numbers under the words "Home" and "Away" made his already elated state
soar even higher. He felt a rush flow through his veins the more he looked
upon it. As the team gathered at the start station, he began to chant his
life away. The crowd got behind the "underdog favorite" of the event. This
elevated that rush to another dimension.
    The second half horn blew mere moments later. Curtis began going
through his mental checklist like he does at start of every point. 'Where
did they go? How many went left? How many went right? How many are shooting
tape? Who is shooting at my front man?'... As he asked himself these
questions, he was getting all of the information and passing it along, all
the while keeping his lane burning with orange paint. He checked off to his
left, just in time for him to shoot out a sacrifice run-through player,
then spun around and, with incredible skill (or dumb luck) shot out the guy
who was supposed to do the most damage. During his spin-move and shooting
out both guys, and despite losing two of his front players, he got a chance
to see the entire field firsthand. Armed with this knowledge, he took off
down the center of the field, shooting out the guy in the snake and making
it to the X. From there he managed to successfully lock down the last two
bad guys while his remaining
 two players to come in and shot them out for the point.
    Coach Wilson opted to play the match much more conservatively after
that. He wanted Sinister to not only feel the clock working against them,
but to know that it was. He's deployed this mind game many times in his
career with great amount of success. It puts the pressure on the enemy and
will more often than not drive them into making mistake after
mistake. Today was no exception. Sinister managed to score two more points
during the half, but all the minutes wasted gun-battling proved
costly. Kennview scored a point for themselves during that time and put the
game out of reach for their opponents.
    When the final horn blew, Brian was fending off Sinister's final
desperate attempt at a comeback. He was so into holding them off that a
referee had to yell at him to stop shooting. He growled at the poor guy,
but them saw his team rushing out onto the field. Only them did he throw
his mask off in celebration. He ran up to every one of his teammates and
coaches shouting at the top of his lungs. Everybody was crying out, but
some were crying. Tina and Ashley had tears flowing down their cheeks as
they cheered out to their captain. Coach Wilson let his kids get that out
of their systems before he calmed them down.
    "Alright everyone shut up!" he said with a great amount of force to be
heard in the first place. "We haven't won shit, so get your asses ready for
real game. RNT watched this game and they've been winning just as much as
we have so, knock off the bullshit and get ready to go."
    The team felt a little disheartened that he never once congratulated
them on making it to the finals. Curtis himself was expecting to at least
hear a simple 'good job' or the like, but nothing like that. Brian, after
calming himself down, went about his orders. The last time he was here,
this was as far as he got; he was ecstatic to just be moving onto the final
round, just like everyone else. Brittany, the only one to have every won a
World Cup, decided that Coach was saving his energy for the real game, but
at the same time would have liked to hear some sort of encouraging words to
come from him.
    They had an hour before their game was supposed to be played. The game
was to be played on Center Court, so they didn't have any equipment to move
around. The Ultimate Referee allowed them to keep the pit they were in, but
they still had to get it cleaned up. Frank rounded up a posse to get the
next game's paint supply while the rest of the team threw out the empty
paint boxes, broken pods, dead batteries and empty water bottles. The
referee crew went to work cleaning the paint off of the bunkers like
they've done between every game this weekend.
    The two teams met out at the center X for the National Anthem and coin
toss. Kennview won the toss and chose their starting side. The two teams
parted back to their pits after exchanging words of luck and
encouragement. Brittany looked up to the stands to see that her mom had a
death grip on Amanda's arms. Both of them were beaming. Brian's mom and dad
had a spot next to the single mother, telling her something that was making
her tear up. Brittany smiled brightly at them before she disappeared behind
the nets. No sooner had the drape fallen to the ground that she became the
fearful player everyone knows her to be.
    During her ranting and raving she volunteered he line to be the first
to go out. What she didn't see was the RNT guys immediately start cringing
when they saw her suiting up; they were all familiar with the the stories
of Brittany Williams. She had her mask resting on her forehead and her
Angel tightly gripped in her hand as she made her entrance back onto the
field of glory. Her and her entire line were greeted to their fans holding
signs and screaming their name. When she saw those taped up, old paint
boxes painted with the words "Brittany Owns" and "Kennview Rules" she
couldn't but laugh. The goofy guys playing the cardboard guitars didn't
help any.
    Brittany threw her mask over her face and immediately went into
"Captain Mode". She started hitting her line on their backs, getting them
pumped up about this game... though she really didn't need to. "THIS IS IT
MOTHERFUCKERS! THIS IS WHAT WE TRAIN FOR! THEY ARE NOT WINNERS... THEY ARE
FUCK-UPS WHO GOT LUCKY! WE ARE WINNERS! WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND
SHOVE DOWN THEIR FUCKING THROATS! DON'T STOP UNTIL THEY CHOKE ON IT! LET ME
HERE IT MOTHERFUCKERS!"
    The entire line chanted along side of their captain. They were
hollering, jumping up and down within the huddle, barking out choice
phrases of their own, all the while feeling the crowd's fervor driving into
their very souls. All five of their hearts were afire with adrenalin, their
veins flowing with a bloodlust they've never felt before. They separated
into their respective starting positions and prepared for the battle of
their lives. Brittany looked across the field to see her enemy was equally
pumped to be playing in this game, but they were lacking that deep emotion
you need in order to win here; she knows what to look for more than anyone
here. This knowledge forced an evil smile to her lips that refused to
fade. The horn blew and the paint started flying.
    Brittany took off towards her break-out bunker, shooting out one of RNT
guys along the way. She heard Tina's voice coming behind her, giving her
all the information she required, "RIGHT TAPE DOWN!". Those three words
were all she needed to hear. After a quick glance across the field, she
took off to the snake but didn't stop until she was on their half of the
field. The Head Ref called her 'clean' after she dove under the cover the
bunker provided. Tina had her back from her corner position and shot out
the guy coming in to eliminate her friend. Brittany stayed low and let her
enemies focus their efforts on her while Adam methodically made his way
down the other side of the field. After getting the confirmation that her
heat had cooled, she popped up and blasted the last two guys in a hurricane
of orange with that evil grin still intact. Ashley grabbed the flag and
waved it over her head as she ran in the first point of the match.
    The entire first half showed the crowd all they needed to see. It was
obvious from the get-go that Kennview wanted it more. RNT has always been a
team that will intentionally lose the first couple of points just so they
could observe how the team functions. Armed with this intelligence, they
would find every hole and flaw in their opponent's structure and strategy
and make their game a living hell. However, they failed to find any such
flaws in Kennview's plans. The way they would storm the field one point,
then play a more methodical point the next, and in a random pattern at
that, kept the players and coaches guessing. RNT did manage to score twice,
but by the time the horn blew to end the half, they had a serious hill to
climb. They were losing 6 to 2 against the toughest opponent they faced all
year.
    Coach Wilson let an entire line of his JV kids start off the second
half. Even though it was a risky move to let the more inexperienced players
play the lead-off point, he figured they've earned it. They've all fought
and bled just like everyone else and, besides, they had a four point lead
so he could afford the sacrifice in exchange of his kids getting some field
time. Ashley led her line out onto the field. It made her proud that she
was chosen as the line's captain, even if it was for this one point, and
even more was she could feel Brittany's inspiring presence flowing through
her body. Then she felt it. That rush of adrenalin ran through her veins
and filled her heart with the bloodlust. She wanted to win and she made
damn sure that her line knew that. Just like her idol, she shouted and
chanted with that anger seething from her voice.
    The horn resounded throughout the arena; the half of the teenagers'
lives was on. Ashley and her line fought with all of their hearts and souls
to fend off the more experienced RNT squad, who was playing like they had
something to prove. Coach Wilson's ulterior motive was for these five to
waste as much clock as possible, just like he did last game; he wasn't
expecting them to win the point. He watched his JV squad play at their
enemy's level for the better part of six minutes and could remember
thinking that this has got to be the most boring point in World Cup
history. With neither team gaining an advantage over the other, and no one
on either side wanted to be the one to fuck up their chances with a stupid
move this point seemed to last forever. Most of them were filling their
loaders with their last pod before someone on the RNT All-Stars broke the
game open. He ran down the snake tape and shot out two of the four
remaining Kennview players before getting shot out
 himself. Ashley retreated to the back corner to get in better position to
make a stand, but the point ended forty seconds later in favor of the RNT
team.
    As Ashley started walking back to the pits, she took her last tube of
paint and threw it down while cussing herself for losing the point. Her
coaching staff, and entire crowd, watched this vulgar display of
emotion. Since the point was over, the refs couldn't assess a penalty,
fortunately enough. Ashely's blatant show of emotion proved to be the most
interesting part of the point, and sparked a new fire in her team's
collective gut. In that simple but powerful gesture, she showed her entire
team how much this match truly meant to her. Even Coach Wilson was inspired
by his girl's frustration. Rather than reprimand her for disrespecting, and
breaking, her equipment he decided to let her lead that same line back onto
the field for the next point.
    The entire team felt that rush flowing through them. As Ashley lined up
her squad for this point, Brittany and Brian were busy in the pits keeping
that energy flowing. Ashley's line came out firing on all cylinders. They
didn't play the conservative game like last time, but took the fight to the
enemy. The animosity pouring from every shot they took was easily felt by
the unlucky bastard who was hit. For every shot that eliminated a player,
there was at least five more coming his way. Even though the point was
significantly shorter than the last, it still ate more than two-and-a-half
minutes off the clock.
    Brian lead his line out for the next series of points. He could tell
that his opponents were not the same people he faced the last point he
played. They looked tired, deflated and demoralized, especially after they
learned that the line they just played was the "B" squad of the team. Brian
and Frank dawned smiles that could melt an iceberg. Brian made sure his
line added insult to injury as they continued to pound the All-Stars into
the ground. Again and again and again his line came out swinging and didn't
stop until the coach called for the line change. Brian happily turned the
field over to Brittany's line to close out the match.
    The star player from Kennview was greeted to her, by now, usual
ovation. She saw her mother wearing a dire expression on her face, but
figure she was just thinking the same thing that was on her mind. The girl
threw her mask over her face and got herself ready to finish this
thing. There was still three minutes on the clock and she knows that
anything can happen. The girl's evil grin gave way to a solemn
expression. This was the same face she wore the last time she was here, in
this same situation. Her team is leading by a considerable margin and just
minutes away from taking home the World Cup crown. Her heart was thumping
and the sweat on her hands saturated through her gloves. She absentmindedly
started tapping her fingers against the side of the trigger, just waiting
for that horn to sound off again. Those ten seconds took forever to tick
away... then she heard it.
    In the blink of an eye, she went from her semi-crouched position with
her gun below her waist to running and shooting her way upfield. The girl's
four teammates scattered out to their assigned break-out spots while
calling out the enemy. Brittany was standing at the X in less than eight
seconds, chopping down half the field with her blazing firepower. Even
though she was soon shot out of her spot, the entire left side of the field
was opened up for her teammates to do as they pleased. Brittany felt that
rush coming to her as she walked back to the deadbox. She pumped her fists
at her sides then pointed up to the crowd. Tina ran down the field,
high-fiving her captain along the way, and posted their first point of the
series.
    After everyone got their pods and tanks refilled and went over their
assignments, they head out for what would be the last point of the
tournament. Kennview managed to eat up almost ninety seconds during that
last point, so know that was all that stood between them and total
victory. RNT could make this a fifteen second point and it would make
little difference; they had to finish out the clock to call it
over. Brittany gathered her line around her one last time as they waited
those agonizing ten seconds for the horn to blow. The referee at their
start station gave them an early 'congratulations' while they waited. This
made the entire team smile and giggle. Tina was about to thank him, but
that sound bellowed out over the field.
    The entire line simply dropped to one knee and put paint through the
most likely running lanes. They knew that RNT will try an all-out blitz to
make the score look that much more respectable. It it almost customary to
do so if you're down by this many points, go out swinging. But instead of
swinging, they were getting chopped up. Yet again, RNT fell before the
overwhelming firepower of the kids from Kennview. All five ran the length
of the field and all five were shot out before they could make it passed
the X. Even though they managed to shoot Ashley and Adam, it was all for
nothing. Kennview had just pulled off a miracle.
    No one could believe their eyes. The defeated RNT guys slowly started
walking off the field and the entire Kennview team started running down the
length of the field. Brittany and her remaining teammates started hugging
each other while moving towards their enemy's deadbox. They had to wait for
the clock to expire before it was officially over, but that didn't
matter. Brittany picked up the flag from the stand and started twirling it
over her head. She turned to her fans and pumped the token at them, as if
asking for their permission to hang it one last time. After getting their
approval, she turned to her pit crew and did it again. She saw them smiling
and crying, but pointed towards the RNT All-Stars' deadbox. Brittany looked
over at Tina and Johnny who were still calling out to their family and
fans, she called for them to come to her. The three of them each grabbed
part of the flag and started to walk towards the other endzone. In front of
the entire venue, the
 three of them watched the clock to tick down to one second before they
touched it to the netting.
    Once it was touched and the Head Referee checked them over, the pits
emptied. All of them came swarming onto the field. No one could control the
celebratory chaos that followed. Brian pickup up his "little sister" and
spun her around while the rest of the team jumped into a huddle/pile of
emotion. Brittany managed to escape Brian's grasp and ran over to the
fan-side netting. She was given her due ovation. She took her mask off and
hurled it over the twenty foot netting into the waiting crowd. A smile came
across her lips as people went clamoring for it, but she continued to peel
off her uniform parts. The girl pulled her jersey over the top of her head
and waved it around like a flag of victory, running up and down the length
of the field pointing towards her supporters. She took off her gloves and
pads and threw them over the netting as well. Brian, Curtis and Frank
quickly followed suit with their own gear. Brittany laughed at her brothers
stripping of their gear, but
 felt an air of nostalgia wash over her heart. The raven-haired girl looked
up to see her mother hunched over in her seat, with her face in her
hands. Amanda had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She was trying to
comfort her, but Brittany knew exactly why she was crying the way she was;
it wasn't just motherly pride. Brittany was snapped out of her memory by
Brian, Frank and Curtis, who gang tackled her to the ground. Tina and
Ashley came running over to them.
    Meanwhile, Coach Wilson went over to the Head Ref and asked for the
game flag, which he was given without question. Everyone gathered around
their head coach a few moments later. He presented the flag to his team
with a tear in his eye, "This is going to be framed and hung in my office
with the score and everyone's name on it. I'm so proud of you kids,
everyone take hold of this thing!" And everyone did. They raised it over
their heads in a display of their love for each other and their
victory. Some went so far as to extend their index fingers while their
hands were above their heads, telling everyone who really was "Number
One". In what has become their own little tradition, the team lines
themselves up on the tapeline facing the bleachers. They held hands and
took a collective bow before their fans. Even with their eyes closed, they
could still see the flashes of the scores of cameras capturing this moment.
    After a short while, everyone began to calm down and get ready to
depart the field so the Pros could play their final game. They loaded up
their gear and made their way through the crowd. Brittany was pulled aside
for an interview once again with that same woman from ESPN.
    She looked right at the camera with the microphone up to her mouth. She
put her arm around the teenager before she started speaking. "I'm here with
Brittany Williams of the Kennview Kids. She's just led her team to their
first World Cup title against the RNT All-Stars." She turned to the girl
and asked, "Tell me what it feels like to win an event like this."
    Brittany spoke from the heart, without thinking. "Words can't describe
what it feels like to win a World Cup title. But to think that I was the
leader behind it all is a grave mistake. We fielded over twenty different
people in this event and they were not led by me alone. We have over five
different leaders on this team and everyone one them pulled more than his
or her own weight. To win here, everyone has to play more than one
hundred-fifty percent and then some. We just have a great group of players
with more heart and drive than I've ever seen.
    "A perfect example of our heart and chemistry was the first point of
the second half. You saw Ashley throw down that tube of paint at at the
start of the second half and heard her screaming, but what you didn't see
and what you didn't hear was the conversation we all had in the pits. She
demanded that her line be allowed to play the next point... she wanted, or
rather needed, a chance to redeem herself as a leader. Any less of a coach
would have punished her for what she did on the field, but not ours. He saw
that display through her eyes and gave her the chance. You know happened
after that." Brittany finished her answer with a shit-eating smile.
    "Well, that was quite a speech there," the woman said as turned back to
the camera. "I hear that you yourself have some good personal news. Care to
comment on that?"
    That was a question Brittany was not prepared to answer. She didn't
know if she should say something and give her new employer some on-camera
mention, or go the moral route and deliver the news to her teammates in
person. She took a breath before giving her answer. "Yes, after our first
day I walked to the Angel Sports tent and met with Jack to discuss a few
things. As everyone knows, I've been sponsored and supported by Angel since
my first tournament. Let me just say thank you to all the guys at Angel and
the rest of our sponsors, Redz, Nissan, JT Sports, Custom Sports Gear,
Draxxus... we really appreciate your support. In this meeting, Jack and I
discussed a few terms and agreed on a new contract that will go into effect
next year. I am not at liberty to discuss the terms of our agreement, but
stay posted to the magazines and Angel's website for the updates. This
opportunity would not have been made possible if I didn't have a strong
supporting cast and great
 coaches. Everyone around me, my coaches, teammates, family, friends and
fans, want me to succeed... and I like to please." Once again, Brittany
felt a smile come across her lips at her last comment.
    "Well thank you for your time Brittany," the woman said after blinking
a few times. She wasn't used to seeing teenagers with this level of
maturity and respect, let alone interviewing one. "I'm glad you told me the
other day to keep an eye out for you today. Always glad to see a player
back-up what they say."
    Brittany grinned broadly at that one. "Hey, I like to think I don't
lie!"
    With that, Brittany took off to find the rest of her team. She looked
back over her shoulder to find that they captured Coach Wilson into the
grips of an interview, and he was smiling and laughing at whatever it was
she said. Brittany found her team in their staging tent putting the gear
away. She ran up behind Tina and grabbed her around the waist, scaring the
shit out of her. This earned her a slap to the shoulder and a laugh from
the rest of the team. Everyone came over to give their star player a warm
reception before getting back to work. As if on queue, Brian and the
coaching staff came walking into the tent right as the last of the gear was
stowed away.
    Everyone broke into applause when their coach made his appearance. He
put his hands up and smiled. "Hey, there's no need for speeches. We came
here to win and we did. We showed the entire world that any team can walk
into this event and win. You don't need to be some high profile team like
those Aftermath bastards, or even Static. All you need is a lot of heart,
some good gear and some damn fine coaches." Everyone laughed at their coach
and mentor cracked the one joke he was famous for. "Alright, let's get the
bus loaded up and then we're due back at Center Court for the awards
ceremony after the NXL Finals."
    The entire team was feeling the burn of the event. Their muscles ached
beyond pain, their throats and voices were hoarse and they still had a
long-ass ride ahead of them tonight. They did as they were told to do, but
they did it at their own pace. Brian led the group back to the fields to
watch the final few minutes of the game between Sand Diego Dynasty and the
New England Hurricanes. Their beloved Assassins lost their semi-final match
to the Hurricanes and were forced to play for third, but that really didn't
matter. Since Dynasty made it to the finals, they were guaranteed the
season title, beating out the Assassins by two series points. The game was
much closer than the Division One game. It looked like it might go into
overtime, but one of the Hurricanes made a move down the snake-side tape
and blew the game wide open. Brian laughed at himself as he watched Dynasty
fall right into their trap. Once the Hurricanes hung the point, everyone
knew who was going to win it all.
    The awards ceremony started as soon as they got the stage and podium
set up. The finals teams were waiting in the pit areas for their Division
to be called, and almost everyone who watched this tournament was in the
stands cheering for the winning teams. they started off with Division Three
so Kennview had a little bit of a wait. Thomas Ferneaux, the president of
the league, had to give his congratulatory speeches to all the teams and
the media had to get pictures. It was only ten minutes, but felt like
forever until they heard "Division One" announce over the speakers.
    Everyone in the Kennview ranks held hands as they walked onto the field
for the last time today. Brittany saw her mom and Amanda huddled in the
middle of the rest of the parental convoy. Brian's parents once again
flanked Mrs. Williams. Brittany was the first one to take a spot on the
center riser. She helped the rest of the team climb up and then they had to
wait some more. As usual, they started off with fourth place and moved on
up to the winner, then crowned the season champions.
    As soon as Thomas read the name Kennview Kids, the entire team took
another bow to the people watching. The president came over to the podium
and handed the Cup to the winning team. Brian shot the fourteen pound
trophy over his head and yelled out to the audience. He kissed the silver
monument and passed it down the line so everyone could do the same. When it
got Frank, he put his tongue against the side and licked it all the way to
the rim. They handed it off to their coach and shook hands with the rest of
their divisional winners. RNT All-Stars were great sportsmen about the
whole thing and reciprocated. Aftermath, although they smiled and nodded
back to the victors, they were happy for another reason. Since Kennview
beat the RNT All-Stars, and Static was beaten to a pulp, that meant that
there was a fifth award to be presented to this group. Aftermath II was
presented with an additional plaque and trophy of the Division's
Champions. Kennview naturally congratulated
 them on that accomplishment, that doesn't necessitate that they actually
wanted to.  The kids exited the field and immediately headed for the bus.
They didn't wait to hear who won the Semi-Pro and NXL titles. The only
things on their young minds was this fourteen hour bus ride and sleep.

    Brittany took a seat in the back of her mom's van. She managed to talk
the coach into letting her ride home with her mom, as he did with the rest
of those who had parents here this week. Amanda held her against her
shoulder and stroked her hair. She knew that her Brittany was worn out
beyond belief, but she still wanted to congratulate her in her own special
way. All weekend she's watched her play her heart out. All weekend she
watched her win and lose. She saw with her own eyes the kind of love and
dedication she has to her beloved sport and know she has a job waiting for
her once she graduates. Not only that, but her girlfriend also has a
guaranteed spot on a pro roster, the one thing she's wanted since she was a
little girl. Amanda just closed her eyes and felt the wave of happiness and
contentment wash over her soul.
    Mrs. Williams congratulated her daughter for her hard fought victory in
every way a mother could. She even offered to allow Amanda to stay the
night for the next few days if she wanted to. But right now, all Brittany
wanted was a week in a hot tub and just as long of a nap, and in the van,
she could get part of that wish. Within moments of Amanda lovingly stroking
her matted and sweat-dried hair she was out cold. The mother at the wheel
felt her own content smile wash over her face. Her daughter just lived her
dream and she shared it with the women she loves most. She looked in the
rear-view mirror after about an hour to find that Amanda too had fallen
asleep. Mrs. Williams couldn't be more happy for her little girl.
    Amanda woke up only thirty minutes later to find Brittany's head still
resting in her lap. She mumbled her girlfriend's name during the course of
her nap from time to time. This brought an even warmer feeling to the
mute's heart. Amanda felt wash of emotion over her soul at the thought of
this becoming a regular occurrence.