Girls Like Athletes (Chapter 5)

Lizzie woke up on one of the benches with her friends and Warren surrounding her. Warren pressed a Ziplock bag of ice on her forehead while she was unconscious and coming to.

Madeline leaned over Lizzie. "Lizzie, are you okay?" she asked.

Lizzie groaned. "Is this real life?"

"I don't know how to respond to that," admitted Skye.

Lizzie sat up. Warren took off the bag of ice. "What happened?" she asked.

Andrea responded with, "You got knocked the--"

"Andrea, language," Madeline stopped her.

"You fell down," Andrea said instead.

"Oh, yes, I remember," Lizzie touched her cold forehead.

"Take deep breaths," ordered Debra. "It will help you gain consciousness."

"She's already conscious," said Skye.

"Debbie knows best," Debra said after a chuckle.

"Um, not to be rude, can I speak with Lizzie alone?" asked Warren.

"Yeah, sure," answered Madeline.

"You so good-looking," Andrea remarked.

Madeline interlocked her arm with Andrea's and led her away from the two. Debra and Skye followed so Lizzie can be sort of alone with Warren.

"Hi," Lizzie said.

"Hi," Warren replied.

"I'm really embarrassed."

"Don't be. People knock themselves out all the time."

"I guess that's true."

"But why did you put yourself in danger like that?"

"'Cause I wanted you to notice me."

"Well, it worked. But why?"

Lizzie sighed. "I have a little crush on you. And I heard that you don't date girls who don't play sports. So I tried to prove to you that I play sports but I don't. I'm terrible at sports."

"So you tried to pretend to be someone you're not?"

"No, I was all me. The only thing that was pretend was the athletic part."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, you probably still don't like me anyway. Now I look like a big, lying creep."

"Hey, I don't think you're a creep."

"So you think I'm big and lying?"

"No, I didn't say that. Lizzie, you seem like a nice girl--"

"A nice girl who doesn't play sports. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know; I get the picture. I'm just sorry for... being a creep."

"Lizzie. I-- I don't see many beautiful girls like you. In fact, I don't meet many girls who are as bubbly and funny like you. Girls like you are rare and if I don't like you, that would be my loss."

Lizzie looked up to think. "So... I should tell you to screw off?"

"No, I mean that... I'm asking you out."

Lizzie opened her eyes more wide. "Really? What's with the change of heart or mind?"

"I just know that I'm not a fool and I would like to get to know you more."

"Oh, jolly day! Wait, do people say 'jolly day'?"

Warren grabbed Lizzie's neck softly and pecked his lips on her forehead. "They do now."

Lizzie grinned. "I think I'm gonna pass out again."

Girls Like Athletes (Chapter 4)

So far, Lizzie attended all of her desired tryouts and did not get into any single one. Since she tried to get in all of the school sports for girls, she decided to take a break from even thinking about sports. Plus, she focused on her position in cheerleading. A couple of days after her failed attempts, she attended cheerleading practice once again in the football field in which the football team practiced as well. After Pamela told all the girls to take a break, Lizzie sat in the bleachers with her best friends, who decided to visit her before going home. As they chatted, Lizzie couldn't keep her eyes off of Warren who was playing with his teammates from afar.

"You shouldn't change yourself for a man," said Madeline.

"I know," responded Lizzie, "but I was going to play only one sport."

"Lizzie, if you're bad at one sport, that means you're probably bad at all sports," commented Skye. "And you are."

"Don't be harsh, Skye," said Debra.

"No, it's true," said Lizzie. "I was terrible at all of them. I should've stopped at volleyball."

"Yeah," agreed Madeline. "But look at the bright side: if you played sports, you would have had scratches on your face. And your face is too beautiful to be scratched."

"Thanks, I've been told. Not to sound conceited. I didn't know until a bunch of people said that to me so I know... not to brag. Or am I bragging? I--"

"Lizzie, you know there's a thing called 'stop talking'?" asked Skye.

"Hey, no visitors!" yelled Pamela from below.

"Suck it, Pam!" responded Andrea.

Pamela rolled her eyes then walked off to Mauricia.

"Don't worry, Lizzie," said Debra. "Maybe Warren's not the one."

Lizzie paused, still staring at Warren. "I need another chance."

She got up and scooched pass Andrea and Skye then down the steps.

"Where are you going, Liz'?" asked Madeline.

Lizzie exit the fence in front of the bleachers and ran towards the field of football players, confusing the cheerleaders. Lizzie approached Warren who was standing around and didn't move when he saw Lizzie.

"Hey, Warren," she greeted kindly.

"Hey, Lizzie," Warren smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm a cheerleader, obviously. A very athletic cheerleader."

"Yeah, I know but what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I thought maybe I can help your teammates play football."

"Um, okay."

Lizzie turned around. "Hey, guys, I'm gonna help you play!"

A few of the teammates wolf-whistled and cat-called.

An African-American boy walked up to Lizzie. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You're a girl."

"But a very athletic girl," said Lizzie.

"Okay, just keep tossing the ball, guys," declared Warren.

The boys continued to threw the football to each other while some of them chased and blocked one another. Lizzie didn't move around so much but tried to stay near Warren.

Once she saw a boy getting blocked by another as he cradled the ball, Lizzie waved her arms and shouted, "Hey, over here!"

The boy shrugged and threw the ball over the other boy's shoulder. The ball flew over several guys' head but came down very fast. Fast enough to strike Lizzie on the top of her head with lots of force and knock her down unconscious, almost flat on her back.

"I don't want to sound a bad person," started Skye to her shocked friends, "but I told her so."

Girls Like Athletes (Chapter 3)

The week after, Lizzie signed up for multiple tryouts for various types of sports at her school from softball to swimming. First, she attended a tryout for volleyball as they started on Wednesday right after school. Before going, she put on clothes meant for exercising just like the other girls had to. She waited on the front bench of the bleachers in the gymnasium with the other participants. They waited for half an hour until the head volleyball player stepped up to them.

"Welcome, ladies," she announced. "I appreciate you all for coming. But let's cut the chitchat because I only have time for good athletes." She looked at her clipboard. "Alright, I want Abigail Pinewood, Lizzie Duvall and DeeDee Kerosene to come up."

Lizzie stood up along with the other two girls. They joined the players that stood around the volleyball net. The three connected themselves to the smaller team divided from the bigger team due to the net. The captain joined the bigger team and stood at the edge of them.

"You guys ready?" she asked.

"I know I'm ready," replied Lizzie while hopping. "I'm so ready."

The captain's teammate handed her the ball by tossing it to her. She held out the ball and hit it with her other hand. Each team hit it back and forth until one girl in front of the net struck it hard enough for Lizzie to get instantly hit in the face. She immediately fell down and covered her face with the palms of her hands.

"Ahh!" she uttered in a muffled tone. "Oh, my golly God, that hurt! Aw, it burns! Oh, my God, I haven't felt pain like that in a really long time. Ah! Oh, my God! It hurts! It hurts so much. Ah, somebody help me! It feels like I'm dying! Aw, oh, my God! Ah, ah!"

"Is she out?" asked one of the girls on the captain's team.

"Yeah, she's out," answered the captain.


The next day, Lizzie attended her tryout for girls' basketball right after school. She was so terrible that the basketball captain had to kick her out. She tried to push Lizzie out of the gym's door but Lizzie tried not to budge.

"Get out!" ordered the captain. "Go!"

"Please, give me one more chance!" Lizzie pleaded.

"No!"

"Come on! I can learn how to play!"

"The point of trying out is because you already know how to play."

"I didn't think about that."

"No, you had your chance. Just go!"

The captain gave her a shove, powerful enough to scoot Lizzie a distance from the door. The captain quickly closed the door and locked it. Lizzie pulled on the unmoveable door and banged on it.

"Come on!" she shouted. "Can't a girl just win the man of her affections?"

"Go away!" yelled the captain from the inside.

"Please!" Lizzie leaned against the door. "I'll make you cookies!"

Girls Like Athletes (Chapter 2)

Few days later, after school, Lizzie participated in cheerleading practice nearby the football field as a game was coming up. The cheerleaders practiced a choreography together with Pamela walking back and forth looking at the squad for flaws. Once the squad were done dancing, Pamela certainly had something to say.

"That was good," she announced. "But I don't want good; I want perfect. So keep practicing and maybe you'll be better than Beyonce which is highly impossible but I want to see you try."

"Pamela, can we have a break?" asked one of the cheerleaders.

"No."

"But some of us are tired."

"Some as in you?"

"Yeah, I'm tired."

"Well, did Moses get tired? No, he kept pushing the red sea so that the followers can cross."

"I don't think he exactly pushed the sea apart," said another cheerleader.

"I will kick you out of this squad, Janie. Remember that."

"I agree with Pamela," said Mauricia, Pamela's fellow Cow Belle. "We don't need a break."

"Thanks, sister."

"You're welcome, sister."

"They're like Siamese twins," muttered Kari, the red head, to a fellow teammate.

"What did you say, Kari?" asked Pamela.

"I said my Siamese cat had twins," Kari spoke up.

"Huh, that's what I thought you said."

"Oh, I love cat babies!" commented Lizzie.

"No one cares what you love," said Mauricia.

"Yeah, no one," Pamela agreed. "Alright, girls, let's take a break."

The cheerleaders made confused faces but shook them off. Pamela and Mauricia walked out together through the open fence while the other cheerleaders sat down on the nearby benches. Lizzie noticed the boys from afar playing football. When she looked even closer, she spotted Warren who she met a couple of days ago. Once he kept still, Lizzie waved with her pom-pom to catch his attention. Eventually, his attention was caught and he happily waved.

"Are you flirting with Warren Kerr?" asked Kari.
"No, I'm just waving," Lizzie responded. "I mean waving can be mistaken for flirting so I guess I am flirting with him. Wait, does that mean I've been flirting with my friends?"

Kari looked away. "How do you know him?"

"I met him a while ago. He's so cute; I think I might ask him out."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Why?"

"I don't think you're his type."

"What are you talking about? I'm everybody's type... someone said to me. I didn't know until someone told me so I kind of accepted it... not to brag. Or am I bragging? I don't even know anymore."

"Warren only dates girls who play sports."

"How do you know?"

"Because I had a friend who thought she had a great connection with him. But when she asked him out, he refused to go with her because he said he likes girls who were on sports team and my friend was in math club."

"But cheerleading is a sport. Plus, being very good at math takes skill so that's like a sport as well."

"Cheerleading is not a sport... well, not to the guys. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. All I have to do is play one sport; it's no big deal."

"Are you seriously thinking about joining a sports team?"

"Kari, Warren is cherry pie and I need to get myself a slice. Know what I'm saying?"

"Okay, you got to stop talking to me like that."

 

Girls Like Athletes (Chapter 1)

One day, at the end of school hours, Lizzie opened her locker and took out her backpack. She dumped all of her books inside and shook the bag so the books can slide all the way down. She closed the locker and picked up the backpack from the bottom. Instantly when she did so, a boy bumped right into her and made her backpack almost slip between her hands. When she tried to catch it, she gripped the bottom, making all of the books fall out.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the boy.

"It's okay," responded Lizzie. She turned to look at the boy and almost immediately, she was mesmerized. He was Caucasian with brown, thick hair and stubble tracing his jawline. He held a Blackberry cellphone that reflected in his chocolate-colored eyes.

He crouched down and picked up Lizzie's book. Lizzie held her backpack by the top strap. The boy inserted the books into the backpack.

"Sorry, I was texting my mom," he said.

"Oh, you're a mama's boy," Lizzie perceived.

The boy let out a subtle chuckle.

"Sorry, that wasn't meant to offend you."

"No, it's okay. I love my mama."

Lizzie grinned instead of giggle.

The boy shifted his attention to the backpack and zipped it closed. "There you go. Now the books can't fall out."

"Yeah, unless there's a secret hole under my bag."

"Is there?"

"No."

"Okay, let's pray for that."

"Okay. Wait, you mean right now?"

The boy chuckled. "You're so cute."

Lizzie's eyes widened.

"I mean you're... not ugly."

"It's okay. I've been told 'cute' before. Enough times to accept it. Not that I think I'm cute... or ugly. I just know now I'm cute not to brag. Or am I bragging? I don't even know."

The boy chuckled.

"I think I made it awkward so we're even?"

"I guess so. Now, so I don't appear as some odd stranger, my name is Warren to break the ice."

"I'm Lizzie and is breaking ice your job?"

"I'm very good at it."

"Oh, you make ice sculptures?"

Warren laughed. "You're funny."

"That was a joke?"

"I would like to resume speaking to you but I have to continue having a conversation with my mother through my phone."

"Sure, I get it."

"See you around."

"Around I'll see you."

"Bye," he chuckled.

He turned around and walked off as Lizzie put on her backpack. Almost at the same time, Lizzie's girlfriends arrived and sided her.

"Hey, Liz', what's new?" asked Andrea.

"I think I just found my Channing Tatum," answered Lizzie. She walked forward, making the other girls follow.

"You know someone who looks like Channing Tatum here?" Madeline questioned with interest.