• Already, I could feel a cramp coming on as i walked up the long stairs with James and the heavy equipment chest. I always found it highly unnecessary to bring the entire equipment when it came to practice.Most of the items it contained belonged to other sports like volleyball, softball, and soccer. What angered me the most is that we didn’t even need any equipment, just the padding that is always kept in the area we practice. Coach although disagreed with us when we protested, calling us whiners and threatening to call the “wambulance”, saying a little heavy lifting wouldn’t hurt us. I would have been able to handle his idea, but the never ending stair ride i had to endure every time i had to fetch the equipment stopped me.
    I looked up from the stairs, where my teammates waited and looked over us along with coach Glen.
    " About time, hurry up" a voice called. I identified this voice as Angelo, the team clown. The typical kid with the witty remarks up his sleeve. He hardly ever failed to make anyone laugh, making it a habit to laugh with anything he said whether it was witty or not. My strategy for blocking his smart mouth was the simple “shut up” or “bite me.” This time however, i didn’t have the strength to speak until i reached the top.
    “Bite me” i said to Angelo as James and me set down the equipment. Before Angelo could back fire, Coach Glen spoke.
    " Lets begin to stretch now, make 3 roles of 5 right here—" he said pointing to the spot.
    With a lag, we did as told so. Even with the sun setting, the hot weather refused to leave. This gave everyone a hard time causing a failure to count the seconds of our stretches out loud. Coach looked impatient, and i knew what come of this.
    " Ladies, step it up! Give me an extra 40 seconds in your stretches. Let me hear them to!" he shouted.
    Calling us “ladies” was something the team never took as an insult. It was coach Glens way of “pumping us up” as if preparing for a battle. He even sometimes called us by the girl version of our names.In our case, it was the least of an taunt we deserved. The schools flag football team wasn’t exactly the best in the nation——not even within a 3 mile radius. We had won before, yet not against the team we where aiming for. The team that really mattered that we defeat.
    The thought of that team tensed my muscles up, not allowing to let me stretch properly. I came up five seconds earlier then the given time. James noticed this and mouthed the words " stretch more or push-ups" to me. Before i could process what he meant, i heard the sharp voice of coach Glen barking at me.
    " Brandy! Drop and give me 50!"
    I sighed and moaned as i dropped to my knees and begin my push-ups. I took a quick glance at my team mates who knew better then to laugh at my mistake while coach was mad. They would have joined me surely, if they had did so.
    What they probably realized was that after that day, i was sore as never before. Especially sense i didn’t stretch properly.
    ****************************

    During class the next day, coach Glen came to homeroom to give an announcement to all the flag football boys. I shifted uneasily in my seat as coach spoke.
    " I would like to inform the boys in flag football that i have a special surprise for them during practice. Practice will be 30 minutes longer today so inform your parents or who ever picks you up. Thank you and i’ll see you boys at practice" with a grin in his face, coach left the room. His grin made my skin jump, coach was never the “surprise” type.

    *******************************
    I eagerly awaited practice that whole day, but when it came time for practice, i begin to panic. I walked outside after changing into uniform and went straight to the volleyball courts where practice always began. Standing there with the rest of the team, was couch Glen smiling as he turned to face us. “Your all aware that its that time of the month that we all yearly anticipate, right?” A couple of chuckles arose at the “time of the month” part. As teenage boys, anything having to do with puberty was either gross or funny. When the small laughs died, it came to us of what coach meant. Every year, somewhere during the last few five months of school we have left, we have The Game. Known as The Game due to its intense importance, we battle our most notorious rivals. The night ‘n’ gales. A wave of silence came over us, we knew what this signified for us.
    It had been a tradition of some sort to hate the night ‘n’ gales. No one could pin point when or how it started but it seemed as if it has always been there. I remember rumors circulating about a fist fight with the night ‘n’ gale principal and our principal when i was younger. But i knew that couldn’t have been it, it must have been something more deeper and stronger then i could ever understand. A sort of grudge maybe? Who knew.
    For a couple more moments, no one spoke a word, looks and expressions were exchanged but nothing more. Then, we all heard a loud thump which broke the silence.
    I looked around for the source of the thump, it was James. Laying on the floor, he was motionless with a pale look on his face. Immediately coach Glen took action and rushed to James who was surrounded by my team mates.
    “Give him air, step back!” Coach informed.
    Slowly, James regained consciousness, and ran to the nearest trash can to throw up. With coaches’ help, James sat down on the bench and tried to drown out the taste of vomit from his mouth.
    “James what happened? Are you ok?” coach asked.
    James was silent, he began to splash water on his face and drink the remains. I began to walked over to James when i felt a hand land on my shoulder.
    " Captain, They’re here" my team mate Leonard said. I looked over my shoulder to the streets, there, in the distance i could see 3 mini vans lined up behind each other. On the side of the vans was the night ‘n’ gale logo.I let out a large gust of air as they parked in the front of the gates (the school parking lot). Quickly, the doors slid open unveiling the team. I counted 17 players, the usual since i joined the team in 6th grade. Some old faces, yet some new. Following after them, the coach appeared, dark glasses and everything.
    “Lets get ready to rumblllllllle, ladies” i heard Angelo say.
    Coach looked up as the night ‘n’ gale coach signaled us that they would meet as the park. Our school was pretty small, but our advantage i guess was that our school was right next to the community park. We liked to think of it as ours, being proud owners of an amazing large area. Many of our home games were played in this park, where the grass was soft and groomed.
    I watched as the nigh ‘n’ gale boys walked in a straight line toward the park and my team mates reached for their gym bags. I grabbed a hold of my gym bag and waited for coach, who was still tending to James. He saw the anticipation in my eyes and helped James stand up.
    " I think you should sit out for this one James. Try to relax." coach recommended.
    “I’m fine” James assured coach. With consideration of James’ slow pace, i walked slowly to the gate. Coach opened it and we headed toward the park.
    Their, we all watched as the other team stretched one last time.
    “Look at them Ballerinas, do they know this is a man’s sport?” Angelo noted, placing his gym bag on the bench. I held my laugh in and smiled instead.
    " Alright boys, get into your positions" coach Glen ordered. We obeyed and tied our belts with the flags. All except James, who stayed in the shade pressing a wet napkin against his forehead. “The only way we were to win this, is with luck” i said to myself.
    At this point, the other team was finished stretching and tied their belts around there waists. That was our signal to begin.