Chapter 2: Chapter 2

“Enough already, Marcus, quit being such a bully and do everyone a favor and shut up already!” interfered Marissa, who had had just about enough of Marcus’s showoff attitude.

“Why do you care? Go play with your pom-poms or something!” said Marcus, who became somewhat annoyed by her deliberate interferences into his matters.

“I’ll have you know cheerleading is not just playing with our pom-poms… it takes great skill, practice, intense hard work, and immense effort! Oh, and please do us a favor, go bully someone else somewhere else!” blasted Marissa, who wanted Marcus to go elsewhere and let everyone get back to whatever they were doing.

“Yeah, well…” but before Marcus could finish, the team coach interrupted him telling him to go and get back to playing football.

“That’s enough from all of you! Shane, Kevin, and Marcus get back to training, and you girls get back to your cheerleading team. Everyone back to your stations!” said the coach.

Subsequently, the boys went back to their football practice with the girls walking back towards their cheerleading practice.

“Ugh, he makes me so mad! What a creep he is!” groaned Marissa complaining about Marcus to Sam.

“Cheer up, dude, you did your best. Don’t pay attention to what he says, just go out there and give it everything you got!” said Kevin with a pat on Shane’s arm, giving him a consoling pep talk.

“Thanks…uh…let’s just play football now,” said Shane nervously, quickly wanting to change the topic as he headed back to practice on his saves from the penalty area.

Shane did his best and gave it everything he had in him while playing football. He trained and practiced tirelessly, yet when comparisons were to be made between him and Marcus, Marcus was the clear favorite to be the first choice goalkeeper for Aberdeen High.

This always disheartened Shane, that no matter how hard he tried, he was still to play second fiddle to Marcus. It would hurt Shane even more than Marcus used always to be chosen over him, considering Marcus’s rude, mean, and boastful nature. As a result, it leads to Shane becoming even more docile and passive than he already was and in front of Marcus’s presence even more. To Shane, Marcus was an ugly barrier to achieving his dreams standing right in front of him. He could never get any playing time as long as Marcus’s presence was there in front of him.

The friendship

That day as Shane and Kevin began walking back home from training, they had only taken a few steps forward when they heard a familiar voice calling them from behind “Hey, you two, wait up!”

They looked back and saw that it was Marissa and Sam right behind them. They had called out to Shane and Kevin.

“Yeah, what up?” asked Kevin because he knew Shane was too shy to take the initiative.

“We just wanted to know if you two were okay. Back then and there what Marcus said, don’t take it personally; he’s a jerk!” said Marissa, who wanted to know of their well being.

“Huh? Oh never mind that, we’re fine,” assured Kevin

“She’s been talking about your well being ever since that incident” explained Sam

“Sam!” snapped Marissa embarrassed

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m glad someone out there cares about us, and don’t worry, we know what a jerk Marcus is!” assured Kevin that they didn’t take Marcus’s words to heart.

“Phew! That’s a relief!” said Marissa relieved.

Just then she asked Shane how he was “And how are you holding up Shane? I hope Marcus didn’t get to your head!”

It was at this point that Shane knew that he had to overcome his shyness and finally speak up for what he was directly addressed to. “I …uh..um.”

Just then, Kevin gave Shane a slight slap across his back and whispered into his ear, “Dude speak up already!”

Shane took a deep breath, and with all the courage he could muster up within finally spoke: “I’m fine, I know I shouldn’t pay any attention at all to Marcus’s words and that I should hold my chin up and try to do my best on the football pitch.”

“Attaboy!” said Kevin slapping Shane’s back and then patting his arm, trying to display a sense of achievement within his friend and also trying to build up his worth in front of Marissa and Sam.

“Well, that’s good to hear! I’m glad things turned out that way,” said Marissa relieved by the turn of events.

Just then, Kevin had an idea.

“Hey do you two girls wanna walk with Shane and I back home?” asked Kevin

“Sure, I’m fine with that,” said Marissa responding to Kevin’s invitation.

“Fine by me as well.” agreed Sam.

“Great, then let’s all go together then!” said Shane agreeing to his friend’s idea, slowly mustering up confidence within himself.

Kevin looked at Shane and smiled. He was pleased with the amount of confidence that was slowly building up in his friend.

The four walked off into the sunset, slowly starting to get to know each other. While they had almost made their way to the intersection where the girls would go their separate ways, and Shane and Kevin were to go theirs, Marissa suddenly popped up the college question as to where everyone was headed after Aberdeen High.

“And what are your college plans? You guys thought of where you’re going after the school year draws to a close?” asked Marissa.

“I haven’t thought that far, probably just stay in the same city and state where I am currently, just like Sam,” said Kevin

“Okay, great,” said Marissa with a smile.

Then suddenly, Sam took a closer look at those two and asked: “Just how did you know I was staying here locally and not going anywhere abroad or in a different state for college?”

After listening to this, Marissa jolted and started looking closely at what those two would have to say. “Just how did those two find out?” she thought.

Shane and Kevin looked at each other nervously as to how they were going to get out of this sticky situation without letting the girls know they were eavesdropping on them.

Shane put on a sheepish smile and put one arm behind his back and courageously and quickly answered: “Ahem Ahem, what Kevin means to say is, is that Sam must be going somewhere local since we don’t know where any of us are really headed, so it’s all just an assumption nothing more!”

Marissa and Sam looked at each other, suspiciously about the whole situation that was unfolding. Nonetheless, Marissa put on a smile and said giddily, “I’m going to Manchester University, that’s where I’m heading. Thankfully I’ve got the grades for it, but I just wish someone from Aberdeen High would accompany me there.”

“Wow Manchester University sounds great, even if you go there all by yourself, you’ll have a great time anyway,” said Shane, who by now had conquered his shyness to a great extent.

Marissa continued, “Let’s hope so!”

Then she suddenly asked Shane, “And where are you going, Shane?”

Kevin looked into Shane’s eyes strongly just when Shane looked straight into his when he couldn’t come up with anything to say. Kevin, through his eyes and facial gestures, was able to signal to Shane to go for it and be confident and don’t say anything stupid.

Shane slowly and in a low voice said, “I haven’t looked much into it, and I’m hoping to get into the best college possible, and let’s just see where I end up. Fortunately, my grades are good, which would allow me to get into a top college. Let’s hope where I end up is the best for me.”

“Well, that’s also great, I guess,” said Marissa, supportive of him.

Just then, Sam spoke up, “Hey, you know Shane, there’s a college scout from Manchester University who’s going to be on the lookout for potential young talent from next round onwards in the Inter-State High School Tournament. If he likes the performances you guys display on the pitch, he might just reward you with a scholarship to Manchester University!”

“Wow, that sounds neat! Let’s hope I’m able to get some playing time, and then maybe we’ll see,” said Shane trying to act surprised after he had been hearing it for the second time, this time from Sam. He didn’t expect much of a scholarship from the whole tournament, as was evident by the lack of playing time he expected was to be given to him.

“Let’s just hope everyone ends up at the college that’s best for them,” said Marissa putting an end to the topic as she could read Shane’s facial expression that he didn’t expect much at all from the whole tournament at hand.

The girls waved goodbye to Shane and Kevin after the intersection came where they would walk their separate ways.

“The boys seemed cute, and Shane’s a good looker, don’t you agree?” said Sam to Marissa with a snicker.

“Yeah, Shane does have a certain charm about him…. First, he just wouldn’t utter a single word, now I’m glad he’s finally started opening up about himself,” said Marissa acknowledging Shane’s physical attributes as well as his characteristics.

“You think he likes you?” asked Sam pulling Marissa’s leg

“Nooo, stop it,” said Marissa waving her hand with a blushed face and a giggle. She looked up into the sunset and smiled. It seemed that Shane had managed to make a sweet impression on her after all!

Meanwhile, after they were at a distance from Marissa and Sam. Shane jumped up, clenching his fist and started shouting at the top of his voice “That was Epic, that was fantastical and magical and awesome and the best time ever!!!”

“Careful, dude! They might hear you!” cautioned Kevin, who was now smiling at the progress Shane had made and how his shyness was slowly turning into a thing of the past.

“Don’t worry, they won’t hear us! We’re a good distance from them!” said Shane in excitement.

“Go get her later, Romeo!” said Kevin, who was pleased with seeing the joy and childish behavior displayed by Shane.

“I’m in love, love, love, looovveee!” said Shane jumping onto a streetlamp, looking into the sunset with hope.

The two waved to each other as they walked off to their respective homes after coming to the intersection where they would have to split up.

That day as Shane went home, still bursting with joy within after finally getting to talk and become friends with Marissa Walker, he began to think of ways of getting into Manchester University. He fantasized about spending the next four college years with Marissa and then eventually marrying her and then starting a family and so on. While in bed, he thought of her long beautiful blonde hair and her beautiful blue eyes and her million-dollar smile. She was all he thought about that night.

The opportunity to Shine

The following day, in school, Marissa and Shane started sitting next to each other in class with Sam and Kevin seated by each other’s side. Their friendship grew, and they started becoming good friends slowly and steadily. Throughout the week, they tried to spend as much time with each other and would walk home every single day after Shane and Kevin got done with their football practice and after Marissa and Sam got done with their cheerleading practice. Marissa and Shane kept on growing fonder of each other with Kevin, and Sam grew fond of each other as well.

They ignored Marcus’s boastful attitude and tried staying positive throughout. The entire week went well for all four teenagers.

Then came match-day that Saturday night, when it was Aberdeen High up against Wellington High. The match was played in a stadium with lots of supporters from Wellington High as well as from Aberdeen High.

Marissa and Sam were up on the cheerleaders stand cheering Aberdeen High on while Shane and Kevin were as usual on the bench watching their fellow teammates play the game.

It was the round of thirty-two with the winners to progress into the next round of sixteen. The losing team was to be eliminated from the tournament.

What added importance to the match was the fact that there was a scout out there from Manchester University to give a scholarship to a deserving individual based on their outstanding performance on the pitch.

Everyone who knew about it wanted to give it their all on the pitch.

“And we are live here folks with Aberdeen High to take on Wellington High for what promises to be a thrilling encounter for all to witness here tonight!” said the same commentator from the previous game. He was the commentator for all of Aberdeen High’s games and for all of the games the tournament had to offer for that matter.

The teams could see the college scout from Manchester University who was up there in the supporters stands wearing a brown leather coat and a brown hat and had a slightly pointy nose. He would carefully assess the performance of all players on the pitch for all the matches of the tournament to see who was most deserving of a scholarship to Manchester University.

The match was going well in favor of Aberdeen High with a goal scored from Oliver Peabody, their team captain. He managed to head the ball from a corner kick and make it one-nil to Aberdeen High.

“And the score has gone in favor of Aberdeen High folks, with their Captain Oliver Peabody heading home from the corner. Advantage Aberdeen High with one-nil in their favor!” said the commentator calling the match.

Then only a few minutes later, Aberdeen High had managed to double their lead as they won a free-kick from thirty yards out on a reckless challenge on Oliver. He shot the free-kick towards goal, but it hit the crossbar and came back towards the Wellington High players. One of their defenders with the name Edward on the back of his jersey tried clearing the ball and sending it for a corner, but unfortunately for himself and his team only managed to gift an own-goal to Aberdeen High as his shot instead of having been cleared, actually managed to hit the roof of the net towards the top right corner. The score was two-nil to Aberdeen High’s favor!

“And it looks like luck is favoring Aberdeen High here ladies and gentlemen as they have just been gifted an own-goal in their favor! One must wonder as to what Wellington High must do to make a potential comeback!” said the commentator up in the stands as he watched the Aberdeen High football team getting together to celebrate the significant bit of luck they had just received.

Aberdeen High became ecstatic after the significant bit of luck they had received. This affected the team’s performance and morale as they were to dominate possession and control for the rest of the first half to keep the score two-nil and to make sure they did not concede any first-half goals.

Meanwhile, the Wellington High players were a bit distraught at their performance, especially after the own-goal they had just conceded. They could only not find a way to get themselves back into the game, especially after the way Aberdeen High was dominating them.

The referee soon blew the whistle for half-time, with both teams heading into the dressing rooms. The Aberdeen High players kept their chins up and walked confidently into the dressing rooms, whereas the Wellington High team looked nervous and in need of a morale boost to lift their spirits and raise their confidence.

“And the referee blows the whistle for half time folks! It looks like Aberdeen High can give themselves a good pat on the back for their display in the first half while Wellington High needs to find a moral boost up for their performance in the second half. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back after a short interval!” said the commentator thrilled with the opening forty-five minutes of the first half.

“Oh, boy, I’m so happy! We’re two-nil up at halftime!” said Marissa, giddily raising her arms and pom-poms into the air.

“Let’s hope the team can maintain their lead and win this match,” said Sam cautiously.

“I’m sure they will!” said Marissa displaying full confidence in her High School team.

Meanwhile, in the dressing rooms, “Oh boy, the way we’re playing, we’ll be into the round of sixteen in no time! And no doubt I’ll keep a clean sheet in this match!” said Marcus displaying tremendous confidence in himself and his team’s capabilities.

“Don’t get so overconfident Marcus, there’s still the second half left to play, and Wellington High are going to be giving it their all in the second period. It’s crucial to keep our feet on the ground and not get overconfident for the second-half!” warned Oliver Peabody, their captain.

“Pfft, like we’re gonna let this one get out of our hands!” said Marcus getting overconfident.

“And don’t be too sure about keeping a clean-sheet, anything can happen in the second half!” warned Oliver.

“We’ll see about that!” said Marcus, who wasn’t too pleased to be hearing about being warned of his performances on the pitch.

“And it looks like both teams are making their way to the pitch with Wellington High facing a seemingly daunting and uphill task ahead of them. They’ll have to work very hard to get back into this one!” said the commentator as both teams were making their way to the football pitch.

“Oh boy, I can’t wait for the second half!” said Marissa, excited.

“I hope they can maintain the same form they did from the first half,” said Sam cautiously.

“Don’t worry, they will!” said Marissa confidently.

As the Wellington High players were about to kick-off, their captain Tom Brody said to his players confidently, “We’ll get them now!”

“Right!” said his teammates.

And they were right, for as soon as kick-off had gone underway, there seemed to be a resurgence within the Wellington High team. They seemed to dominate possession and were playing with great determination to level the score.

During the forty-ninth minute only had they managed to pull one back for their team. Their captain Tom Brody charged down the left flank dribbling past the Aberdeen High defense unleashing a powerful cross that seemed to find his teammate Jamie Drinkwater who appeared to head the ball in with a lot of force beating Marcus to his near post. The score was two-one to Aberdeen High’s favor!

“Rats!” said Marcus after having just conceded.

“Whoa!” said Kevin as he and Shane observed from the bench.

“Oh my!” said Marissa as she and Sam couldn’t believe the spectacle they had just witnessed.

“And it looks like the score is now two-one folks as Wellington High have put one past Aberdeen High’s defense and one past their outstanding goalkeeper Marcus, who seemed to stand no chance at all of saving that one! It looks like the game is back on ladies and gentleman with Wellington High still having to score one more goal to tie level with Aberdeen High, while Aberdeen High have to work on their defense if they’re to win this one. Whatever you do folks, just don’t go anywhere for this one’s about to get real exciting very soon!” said the commentator as he saw Wellington High pull one back for their team. And he was right because what was to unfold later on would make the match even more exciting!

“Let this serve as a lesson not to get overconfident and keep fighting till the end!” said Oliver rallying his team as they got ready to start their team’s kick-off and try and maintain their lead. His team got behind him and again got their act together to give it all on the pitch.

But it would not prove to be enough as now Wellington High was playing with even more determination now. The way they were playing displayed their belief that they could come back and win this one! They would not lose possession quickly and would maintain it with everything they had in them. They would continue charging forward and adding pressure on Aberdeen High. Till finally, their hard work paid off as on the sixty-third minute they had received a corner from a deflected shot that Marcus had managed to skillfully save; the corner was taken from the right-hand side and Wellington High’s captain Tom Brody had managed to control the ball in mid-air with his chest as it was coming down, he balanced the ball with his knee and struck a powerful volley straight into the back of the net on the left-hand side of the post. He wasn’t even properly marked by the Aberdeen High football team defense!

The score was all square at two-all!

“And it looks like the game is level now folks as Wellington High has made a tremendous comeback into this one to make it two-all! Aberdeen High just can’t seem to get themselves back in this one! Their performance has fallen in the second half as they look nothing like the side that dominated the first-half!” said the commentator as he was now calling a much more exciting and entertaining football match.

“Oh, man! There goes my clean-sheet and man of the match awards!” said Marcus as he felt frustrated at having conceded two goals in succession.

“Care more about the performance of the rest of the team and whether we’re gonna win this one or not, rather than your stupid man of the match award or your clean-sheet!” said Oliver crossly confronting Marcus’s selfish attitude.

“Hmpf!” said Marcus folding his arms as he didn’t want to give Oliver’s words much thought.

“Oh man, are we even gonna progress to the next round?” observed Kevin cautiously.

“I sure hope so; otherwise, it’s goodbye tournament and goodbye football practice and hello only academics for the rest of the school year!” said Shane, who desperately wanted Aberdeen High to advance to the next round.

“Oh no, we might not win this one!” said Marissa nervously, putting her hands to her mouth, observing the match.

“Well, it’s not over until the final whistle blows, Aberdeen High could still get back into this one!” said Sam calming Marissa down.

“I sure hope they can score one and win the match at least; otherwise, it’s out of the tournament for all of us!” said Marissa.

Aberdeen High, after having conceded their second goal of the match, began to press forward up the pitch towards the Wellington High goal. They started playing with more rigor and determination. They began giving it their absolute all just like their opponents Wellington High, who were not going to go down without a fight.

“And it looks like both teams are not willing to go home tonight without a fight!” said the commentator who was judging the remarkable performances displayed by both teams on the pitch.

“Hey, I know!” said Marissa, suddenly having a brilliant idea!

“What?” asked Sam

“Let’s give Aberdeen High a special cheer to motivate their team performance!”

“That does sound like a brilliant idea!” said Sam in agreement.

“Give me a G

Give me an O

Give me an A

Give me a B

Give me an E

Give me an R

Give me a D

Give me an E

Give me another E

Give me an N

Give me an H

Give me an I

Give me a G

Give me an H

GO Aberdeen High!” said Marissa leading the cheer for her cheerleading team.

“And it looks like these girls are cheering their team on so they can try and win this one!” said the commentator noticing their recent performance.

The Aberdeen High football team had taken notice of this and were so motivated that they just kept on working hard and pressing up the pitch in the attack.

“Wow, Marissa is something else!” said Shane to Kevin as they observed from the bench.

Then afterward, with a stroke of luck and a lot of hard work, on the seventy-third minute, Aberdeen High won a corner kick due to a shot that Oliver had taken inside the box and which the Wellington High goalkeeper Peter Reid had managed to save. The corner kick was taken quickly, and Oliver had struck a powerful header which was punched out by the Wellington High goalkeeper who managed to keep it out but not for so long as it hit the chest of an Aberdeen High teammate Benjamin Cross who balanced the ball with his right knee and volleyed the ball straight into the back of the net. The score was three-two to Aberdeen High’s favor!

The Aberdeen High supporters were thrilled and ecstatic in their stands as they couldn’t believe that they, after having been drawn level with at two-all and were again leading at three-two!

“Yay, we’re winning again! It looks like our cheer worked!” said Marissa, thrilled by the goal Aberdeen High just scored.

“Let’s hope the team maintains it throughout the rest of the match!” repeated Sam, acting cautiously.

“Yeah, let’s hope so too!” said Marissa, who was now hoping that Aberdeen High just don’t concede again.

“And it looks like Aberdeen High lead again! It is a thrilling game of football here, ladies and gentlemen with Aberdeen High finally being rewarded for their hard work and efforts as they bring the score three-two for their team!” said the commentator who was quite enjoying himself while calling and viewing this thrilling and entertaining fixture.

“Yes, we lead again!” said Kevin, getting excited with Shane.

“Let’s hope they’re able to maintain this lead and secure progression to the next round,” said Shane, who was carefully observing the match.

Both team supporters were now cheering their respective teams onto a ferocious level with the expectation of progressing to the next round from the Aberdeen High supporters and the hope of again drawing level from the Wellington High supporters.

The match was fiercely contested with both teams giving it their absolute all on the pitch. Even Marcus began to look nervous after he managed to pull off a string of excellent saves from multiple shots that came his way.