"What!''
"Five extra points–!!''
Coach Connor shouted like a raging animal when in fact he was no less little defenseless than a lamb in feeling afraid. He could no longer stomach the possiblity of the other team beating his team for the cup today. The game was seeming as he'd feared from the start.
Running as he was, Kai, shot his eyes toward the coach's side of the field; a quick glance at the frustrated Shortie caused him to behold how crazy he was becoming. From the look on that man's face, he was pretty pissed off and Kai got to see him pull at his skull cap so viciously, raking out the unseen hair on his head with his claws as nails.
Seeing the man in that state prompted Kai to hiss also because he was not in a better mood himself. It was still painful getting to accept how the opponents were rubbishing his team's hours of practice in the mud. It was too much torture.
Nothing much to say but with a score ratio of 255: 45; and with his team being the ones on the losing side, Kai decided to agree in his head that maybe he was never so good at the Rugby sport anyway. His team players were doing their best. But was he?
No. He'd rather stick to the thought that Jake's teamplayers were more of monsters.
Brutal beasts!
Their pride was what irritated Kai the most especially how they shrugged off their every win like it was always expected.
This thought made him sick. There was no way he was gonna accept that Jake's team was the 'real deal!'
Never!
Still Kai knew there was denying that Jake was as much a reason for his team's victory.
Why was he so good at the sport anyway?
Just in time, the Refree blew on his whistle to signify the end of "Half-time".
It was a break Kai knew he needed even as he bent low his head and slapped on his thighs. Panting hard. He hated the feeling of losing and virtually everyone could see that.
With everyone clearing out of the Pitch in time for the break, Kai did not appreciate Zev jogging along to meet up with him.
He did not want any form of 'chit-chat.'
"Hey man," Zev spanked him lightly on his bent back. "Everything alright with you, buddy?"
Kai pulled his head back up to look at the boy with a burning gaze.
Did he really mean good by that question?
"What in the world could ever make you ask me that at a time like this, huh!??"
Zev pulled backward a bit from observing the angry look on his face. "Woah, take it easy buddy. I'm not the enemy though."
"Take it easy, you said?" Kai retorted back. His tone was harsh and his eyes were flaming. "Should I be fricken thankful then that we're doing so well in getting beat up by those f-!" He stopped. "You know what I don't wanna talk. Wanna go meet with coach and the others."
Zev squinted his sight by now because of the scorching sun beating on them.
"Look Kai.." He began to say, "There's every reason for you to be upset. I mean even I am upset. I can't imagine what the coach would do to us back in the 'Recess quarters' but I feel the major flop is on you. You could have done better, no?"
"Better!???" Kai snapped at him. "How fricken better?"
"Are you asking me this?" Zev raised his voice at him and then settled to say, "Look. I don't know but something in me thinks the reason we're losing is cause your head is not in the right place and you know I'm right."
"What does that even mean?"
As his final remark, Zev squeezed tightly on Kai's shoulders and spoke in a lowly voice. "I don't know your beef with that boy from the other team but it's clearly affecting with your mood. Fix it, bro."
'Fix it???'
Before Kai could chew on Zev for his comment just now, he'd quickly dashed off.
So did Kai.
~~~
When the team returned for the second half of the match, Connor's words had goaded them into thinking only about winning. There was still a chance. A fricken chance! The man had torn his lungs apart while emphasizing this to them.
The Untaggables were definitely in for a surprise.
As the game kicked off, the match got tougher and even the opponents felt the heat from the Velcron players.
The match was different. The boards began to produce results for Kai's team.
"Yes-!!"
Kai's coach screamed loudly in the distance because his team had just scored him a goal. A brilliant win. Even the Commentators didn't know what mojo had gotten into those boys.
"And another golden win for the Velcrons!!!!!" The moderator remarked with his microphone as Kai's team celebrated another win.
"Now this is a match! A fricken good match! These boys are back to turnt our asses off our seats n I'm loving it. Just the content we freakin wanna see." The man scored his words into his mouthpiece. His voice revealing how giddy he is. This was becoming a good game to watch.
As Keisha and her cheer girls danced their special dance for the team, Kai slammed the ball into the in-goal area to celebrate yet another win.
The crowd went wild with excitement.
Is it real? Could the Untaggables easily be defeated after all?
"And it's another fricken fantastic goal point! Just what did these boys eat back in recess?"
His partner replied. "We don't care for that, Tom. But this is a fricken great match right here."
The tension in the square heightened up by now and Jake felt thick blocks of sweat crashland his face. His team players had that angry sneer about their faces now.
Losing is not even allowed to be a freakin option; Jake slapped the sweat off his face, gritted his teeth and sprinted some more.
~~~
Kai continued to push forward, ball in hand, eyes upfront as he meandered through the angry faces set to dribble him down. He jumped over the human obstacles earning him a happy cheer from the crowd.
Just how high could he jump!
He trusted his team to ward off the likely remaining attackers building behind him as he breezed towards the goal side. He was running breathlessly and his lungs was getting inflamed from too much action. But he did not care.
"Bullseye!"
His own words flew into his ears as he jubilated over his win for the team. Yet another great win but instead of the usual applause, the watchful crowd bronx-cheered at him and then the yard got strangely quiet.
The frick! Why'd they be booing at him for?
Keisha and her girls cut off their dancing routine.
Startled from moping about the crowd and getting to see the distress painted on everyone's faces, Kai got even bothered when the Watchers began to jump off their seats placing their hands on their lips.
What were they looking at? Because something was certainly not right.
As Kai steered his eyes towards the scene that was upsetting everyone so much, his smile watched off his own face the minute he saw him… The boy. He wasn't moving, his face was badly bruised and covered in his own blood.
Who could have gotten so heartless?
Kai mused deeply as his hands tightened into a fist, nails digging painfully into his palm.
He was gonna kill whoever had done this to him.. Who had done this to Jake?