Rising Shards

The game was heating up as it reached hopefully a climactic point. I could barely follow the points after a few innings, as Principal Penteldtam suggested a new scoring system he personally invented and Kitty for some reason agreed to it. It should have thrown the game out as a serious affair, because no one on the actual Rising Shards team got a say in it, Penteldtam just overrode us based on the whole principal thing. For some reason, it just made all of us more determined to win.

“Thirteen,” Kitty said after she got an out on Ms. Letoh. 

“Thirteen what?” Caya said.

“Seventeen now!” Kitty said before making a strange honking noise.

I was up again. My determination still fueling me, I got ready to kick the ball and wanted it to go better than last time. No kicking it directly to Kitty's hands. No, this time I wanted to kick it harder and better so it'd hit Kitty right in her stupid face. Kitty pitched the ball, and I gave it my best go. The ball sailed in a big arc over our opponents...and was promptly caught by Mantorvel, Penteldtam's beefy bodyguard guy who worked at Wildfire Hearts in some capacity. Was he a teacher? I wasn't sure. He didn't seem like one.

Anyways, I was immensely disappointed in myself, especially realizing I was the last out of the inning and we had to switch places.

"Mantorvel scores again!" Penteldtam cheered.

"I hate to say it because he's creepy, but he is really carrying this team," Kitty said. "A distant second place to me, obviously."

"I'd say a moderate distance behind your first place spot, but I know better than to not give you first place," Penteldtam said.

"Exactly, at least you get that," Kitty said.

"Can we stop the chatter and get on with this?" Caya asked.

I was a bit mopey as we changed spots. Not that my fiery determination to win the day was gone, I was just bummed out that I blew it. Evy gave me a supportive back pat (that I immediately wished was a bit lower, what was with me and wanting Evy to grab my ass? Just that one grab during practice awoke something in me, I guess.) and Pippi and Mahina also offered words of support.

"It's all good, we still got this," Pippi said.

"Right," Mahina said. "We just need three more runs this inning and that'll activate a triple reverse sunset maneuver, ensuring our victory."

"Is that really what's going to happen?" Evy asked.

"Maybe not, but I think if we're confident enough we can convince Penteldtam and Kitty that it was part of the rules all along."

"I like the sound of that," Evy said. "Because that would finally end this game."

"Oh come now, doctor," Mahina said. "Where's your competitive spirit?"

"It got wiped out in high school thanks to my classmates," Evy said.

"Aww," I said. I really wished I could have been in Evy's high school class, I would have been her own personal cheerleader during the sad times.

"Oooh, bummer," Mahina said. "Then I will have to be doubly as competitive to overcome all that pesky high school trauma."

The next inning started, and Mantorvel was up first. I wanted revenge for him getting me out. He punted the ball high in the air, and it headed for me in the outfield. I really thought I had it, and held my arms out. A second later, the ball smacked me directly in the face.

I wasn't knocked out or anything, but my nose was bleeding.

"Stella!" Evy's concerned shout was so precious and cute on levels I couldn't comprehend, I almost wished I did get knocked out so I wouldn't get overloaded. It probably looked like I was knocked loopy when she approached me, as I was blushing like crazy and stammering. "Here, let's get you someplace..." She led me out of the gym. It looked like she almost wanted to carry me out like she was my knight in shining armor, but with everyone around she settled for just keeping me upright and giving me a handkerchief for my nosebleed.

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