A Not-So Cinderella

Chapter 5

“AVERY, after school, we have soccer practice. You have to come too.” Jace said.

“I can’t. I have to clean.” Avery said, keeping her voice low. She felt like Lucas’s group was listening, even though they wasn’t looking at them.

“You can clean later. This isn’t an option.” Jayden snapped.

“Fine.” Avery said tiredly.

After the last class of the day, she rushed to the twins’ class. She had memorized their schedule.

“Meet us at the soccer field.” Jace ordered while they dumped their books on her. She nodded, and they stalked off.

She put their book away, then went to her own locker. She had just dumped her books inside when Lucas appeared. He threw her a glance and turned to his locker. Avery turned to go, but then realized—she didn’t know where the soccer field was.

She turned around slowly, facing Lucas. He would surely know where it was, given the twins had been asking  him about soccer practice. “Um, Lucas, where’s the soccer field?” She asked softly.

He looked at her curiously. “Why?” He asked, while shutting the door of his locker. She shrugged.

“I have to be there.” He studied her for a moment, then nodded.

“Follow me.” He turned around, and Avery walked beside him, matching his brisk pace.

They’d just reached a door when he turned to her. “Your cousins are Jayden, Jace and Jamie Clark?”

Avery was taken aback. “Um...how do you know that?”

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out.” He replied, not looking at her.

Of course it wasn’t.

“Why?” She asked. He ignored her question, replying instead with one of his own.

 “Did they tell you to come?” Avery nodded, wondering why he suddenly sounded so irritated. “Well, we’re here.” He said, throwing open the door.

They walked out, and Avery gasped softly. It was…déjà -vu. Kind of. The whole scene reminded her of Zach and their team gathered on the soccer field. But here there were around twenty boys, in two groups.

“There can’t be these many people on the team.” She said.

Lucas shook his head. “There aren’t. Team practice is after this. This is just for all the people who want to play.”

Avery frowned. “Why aren’t there any girls?”

Lucas bit his lower lip. “There is a girl’s team, but…they don’t get much funding. Apparently it’s because they don’t win anything, but how can they do that without proper equipment?”

Avery twisted her lips. “That’s not fair.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Lucas said bitterly, like he was somehow personally affected by this blatant s****m.

Avery eyed his sour face and decided to change the subject. “Are you on the team?” She asked. Then she figured that he must’ve been, because the boys had been asking him about tryouts.

Lucas glanced down at her, a shade of amusement in his dark eyes. “I’m the captain.”

 ”Oh.” Avery mumbled, her stomach twisting. Zach had been captain. Without another word, Lucas strode towards the field. Avery blinked and followed him. He went to one of the groups of boys, while Avery saw her cousins in the other, surrounded by six other boys. Avery realized that they were the boys from the pool.

“Hey, the chick!” One of them said. Avery rolled her eyes. He was the same one who’d made the ‘chick’ comment yesterday too.

Her cousins turned to face her. “Good, you’re here.” Jace said. Avery said nothing, just staring at them, waiting for their order.

“Go sit there, and bring us water in breaks.” Jayden said, pointing at the bleachers behind them. Avery nodded and turned to go, walking to the bleachers. She recognized her cousins’ backpacks and sat next to them.

In a moment, practice started. Avery sat up straight, eager to watch. It soon became clear to her who was in the team and who wasn’t. Lucas’s group of boys were obviously the team. They played amazingly well.

And especially Lucas. His passes, his shots, the way he ran...it was all perfect. Avery was reminded of her brother instantly. She wondered what it would have been like to see him and Lucas play on opposite teams—or even better, on the same team, though Zach would’ve been better than Lucas. Still, they’d have made a wonderful team together. Unbeatable, given the way they both played.

When she looked at her cousins, Avery had to try not to laugh. Some boys from their group were relatively okay, but her cousins were all show and no actual talent. Long story short, they played terribly. Well, to be fair, they were decent—but terrible compared to Lucas’s group. No wonder they hadn’t ever made it onto the team. Jamie, especially, seemed like he had no interest in being there.

Finally the boys stopped, taking a break, and Avery grabbed all three water bottles, sprinting towards them. “Here.” She said, not very winded, handing them the bottles. They each took a long gulp, then exchanged a mischievous glance.

Uh oh. Avery took a step back, unsure of what their plan was. Jace threw his bottle at her, with the cap off. She gasped as the cold water splattered her, but managed to catch it before too much spilled.

But while she was catching Jace’s, Jayden threw his too. It hit her, and water burst out. A few droplets of water were on her shirt, and her jeans below her knees were soaked. Avery grabbed the bottles and threw her cousins a glare.

“Take your shirt and jeans off.” One of the boys suggested, grinning, and the others burst out laughing. Avery felt a hot wave over her neck and gave them a death glare. Without another word, she turned around and stalked back off to the bleachers.

“Break’s over!” She heard Lucas shout as she walked away, and she thanked him internally for cutting off their laughter. She sat down uncomfortably, the clothes sticking to her skin. 

Now she had to wait here in wet clothes.