Only Her

“I can only assume you aren’t jealous he’s already with another woman,” Luka replied implying that she had already had sex with him so why would she be.

Skylar tipped her sunglasses down to the end of her nose and gazed at him over them. “I’m not dignifying that with a response.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“Why Kay?” She pushed her glasses back in place. “A woman who has a daughter the exact age as Ava. Plays soccer with her. Isaac told me when I came back yesterday from Ramona’s that they had been warned to ticket me if I was one mile over the speed limit.”

He looked back across the field. The woman he was with was not Skylar but she was attractive enough. She was wearing jeans and a shirt not unlike what Skylar was wearing. Her hair was cut bob-length and was bleach blonde. She laughed at something Tag said. “Is she somebody we went to high school with?” He asked.

“Boy, your memory is bad,” Skylar teased him.

“Why is that?” He asked. He glanced back at the woman now clutching Tag’s arm possessively then at Skylar waiting for her to respond.

“She was a year younger than you. You took her to basketball homecoming right before you started seeing me.”

“That is Kay Allen?” He clearly did not remember her.

“Kay Samson now,” Skylar replied.

“Wow, she has changed.”

Skylar just laughed. “She hasn’t changed that much Luka.”

They were walking towards the field now where Ava was warming up with her team. Amber was keeping the ball from her whenever possible until their coach hollered at her to stop it.

“She and Kyle had Amber at the same time I had Ava, got married. Had two more kids and got divorced two years ago. Kyle was cheating on Kay,” Skylar explained.

“Do you think Tag suggested that she do that?” Luka asked referring to Amber messing with Ava on the field.

“No, I think Kay did. His groupies were always jealous of me being with him.” She had seen the sly looks she was getting from Kay. She would look at Tag then at Skylar ensuring that she saw who had Tag now. Funny thing was Skylar didn’t give a rat’s ass about Kay having Tag Richardson. She tried to focus on the field and not Kay and Tag.

Brett moved in beside Skylar with Ramona on his other side. “You know they are still watching you.”

“I don’t care,” Skylar replied. Sky crossed her arms over her middle and watched the game as it was starting. There were subtle pushes at first. They looked innocent enough. Skylar could see Luka getting tense beside her. She knew he was seeing what she was. At halftime, the coach pulled Amber aside and was talking to her. She just nodded. Sky noticed Amber look across at her mother and Tag.

Amber was somewhat of a bully anyway. Ava had experiences with the girl at school so this was nothing new and Ava was small so she was picked on more frequently than most kids by Amber among others.

When halftime was over Ava and Amber went back onto the field with the team. The first part of the quarter nothing else happened. Then it started again. Pushes that were so slight you wouldn’t notice them unless you were looking for them. They were usually done when both girls were in the middle of the pack. Amber was good at hiding her dirty tricks. “I’ve about had enough of this shit,” Luka growled.

Skylar reached out and tucked her arm inside his crossed arms. “You need to calm yourself. Ava is pretty scrappy,” she whispered. Luka glanced down at her, scowling.

Amber tripped Ava and she went sprawling face first into the dirt. “Skylar,” Luka said her name warning her he was going to say something if she didn’t.

“Let her handle this,” Skylar said.

If anyone knew what it was like to be small, it was Skylar. She knew her daughter had to stand up for herself or she would get stomped on her whole life. Brett had taught her to defend herself. She had used his moves on more than one occasion. Ava might be small but she was nobody’s doormat. “She’s a head shorter than Amber,” Luka argued.

“You’re more than a foot taller than me. Have I hurt you before?” Sky asked him.

He shook his head remembering all the times she had put him in his place when he needed it. He turned his focus back onto the field. The other team called a timeout. The coach was shouting at Amber now. They were too far away to hear what he was saying. Skylar glanced down at Kay and Tag. His eyes met hers and he smirked at her. Skylar just shook her head. What an ass, using children out of pettiness to get back at her.

They went back into the game. Ava’s team was winning by one goal. Ava was moving the ball down the field. She might be short but she was fast. She shot the ball at the goal and scored. Skylar was jumping up and down on the sidelines. Brett and Luka were laughing at her while her other uncles were whistling between their fingers.

Ava got back into position for the kickoff. Skylar could see that every opportunity Amber kicked Ava’s legs even if she wasn’t pushing her or elbowing her. Her own teammate. At the end of the game, Ava’s team won by two goals. Both teams ran through the bridge the parents had created with their hands clasped together in two opposite rows.

Luna, Ramona and Sky went out on the field to help form the bridge while Luka and his brothers stayed on the sidelines. They felt it was in his best interest to stay put since Tag and Kay were part of the parents’ bridge. Sky started to walk away then she heard the loud gasp. She turned and saw Amber lying on the ground holding her bleeding nose.

“Bully me again during a game Amber and the next time I’ll do worse,” Ava told her. Kay was making her way towards Ava and Amber. Skylar and Ramona were closer so they cut her off. Skylar stepped in front of Ava.