Strike (Sphere of Irony 2)

“Kate!”

Crap!

I look up from my daydreaming to find the doors open and my team running onto the pitch without me. Coach is staring curiously, disappointment clear in his dark eyes.

“I’m here, Coach. One hundred percent.” I manage to project confidence while on the inside I’m wilting into a useless mess.

He pulls a face but says nothing else. I take advantage of Coach’s silence and trot out the path that leads to the pitch.

Madness.

That’s the only way to describe the scene at the stadium. Utter madness. It almost feels as if I’ve stepped onto the set of an action film. The noise alone is enough to make me want to cover my ears.

“What’s going on?” I yell into a group of my teammates.

“Not sure,” Brittany shouts back. “Some kind of commotion in the stands.” I follow her pointing finger to a section of seats. She’s right. A mob of people is surging in one area, whatever is at the center causing a near panic amongst the spectators.

“Reckon David Beckham stopped by to watch us?” I joke.

Brittany giggles, but Coach shoots me a perturbed frown.

Properly chastised, we turn our backs to the chaos as the referees start the match. Somehow, I manage to block out everything—the horrors of the tabloids, Dax blowing me off last night, the caterwauling that is still going on in the stands—and play without a single misstep.

As for the rest of my team… I can only say they aren’t doing as well ignoring the noise. Players continually lose focus, making amateur mistake after amateur mistake. Fortunately, the other team is having the same problem, letting the distraction in the stadium break their concentration.

Coach motions for me to sub out and take a rest. I shake my head, not wanting to lose my momentum or break my good fortune. The uncharacteristic anger on his features sends a shiver down my spine, pooling like ice in my veins. I head for the sidelines only to notice that the screaming gets louder. That’s when I realize they’re screaming at me.

“You whore!”

“Ugly bitch!”

“You’re not good enough for Dax!”

I blanch, the blood in my body rushes to my feet. Jenna must notice me sagging, because she rushes over, shoving her shoulder under my arm and her hand around my waist to keep me from hitting the ground. She lowers me onto the bench and I can feel the eyes of the entire stadium burning into my back. Even my teammates are staring, hell… everyone from the other team is staring as well. Coach can’t stop mid-game or else he’d certainly be staring at me too.

“Do you have anything to say about your affair with Dax Davies, Kate?”

“Kate! A quote?”

“Kate! Kate! Did you know Dax was already seeing someone?”

“Is Dax here to see you play?”

“What about Lila Griffin? Do you feel bad for stealing her boyfriend?”

Shit! I forgot the band was coming to watch the game. How stupid am I to not think about how recognizable they would be! That’s what’s going on in the stands!

Naturally, the paparazzi are here for me as well, making everything ten times worse. They jostle the spectators and shove at the haters that are lined up along the edge of the pitch to hurl insults at me.

“Kate,” our assistant coach, a former player named Paige, crouches down in front of me. “You can go get showered up.”

“What?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “You…you want me to go? Miss the game? I’m the only one playing out there!”

Paige gives me a look so sad it could break hearts, and it does, I can feel mine shattering in my chest. “Kate, right now you’re too much of a distraction. This…” she waves at the psychotic group of girls that are still screaming at me, “is too much. We can’t play like this and neither can the other team. They’ve asked to have you removed and Coach agreed.”

“That’s not fair!” I protest. “None of this is my fault.” I swipe at a stray tear.

“I know. We all know that. But we’re here to play and we can’t do that with all this goin