[Arceli Salinas]

‘Come on! Ring already!’ Arceli thought to herself as she tapped the eraser end of her pencil against the top of her desk, eyes glued to the clock that read only mere seconds before class was over and the kids could go home or whatever it was that they did on Thursday afternoons. Finally, the bell sounded and everyone scurried to get their belongings and made for the door. Arceli, however, waited till everyone had pushed and shoved their way through the door before trailing behind the crowd. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she waved to the teacher before heading downstairs to her locker. Exchanging the books currently in her book bag for the ones she would be needing for homework, she shut the thin, metallic door and left the school building, heading for the gymnasium to get her duffle bag and soccer cleats. Reaching the gym, Arceli made her way to the girls’ locker room, dropped her backpack on the ground and headed towards her locker.

Opening the little compartment, she pulled out her practice jersey and shorts, and duffle bag. Tossing her home and away jerseys on top of the bag, she removed her sweater and jeans and switched them for her practice attire, and stuffed the remaining articles of clothing in the black Nike bag. Tapping her chin, she looked around her locker for her socks, ‘Where the hell did I put ‘em?’ She thought to herself as she rummaged around the tiny space that held all her gym clothes. Grumbling and mumbling, the brunette pulled out everything that was being stored in the locker, finally finding the pair of knee-high socks tucked in the back corner. Quickly pulling the white socks over her feet, she slipped her petite feet into the cleats, grabbed both of her bags and exited the locker via the back way. The coaches always yelled at both the girls and boys soccer team for walking across the hardwood floor with cleats on, threatening them that it would be fifty more suicides and a hundred more up-downs if they ever caught anyone walking across the gym in cleats again.

The Tottori High School senior dropped her bags around her ankles as she looked at the empty pitch. There was a cool breeze blowing, but that just made practicing all the better. Bending down and pulling out her warm-up sweater, she pulled it on and moved away from her bags, and started stretching. She was sure of herself that she would make the team again this year, and hopefully captain. Captain was what she had been eyeing since she joined the girls team three years ago. Plucking the soccer ball out of her duffle bag, she placed it on the ground, kicked it gently and began running the entire length of the soccer field.

Arceli Salinas had big dreams of becoming a professional soccer player one day, but before she could get there, she had to leave this place. When she made it big, she would buy her mother a nice sized home and a car. She would also make sure her mother never had to worry about paying bills again -- all her thoughts and dreams revolved around her mother, her mother always came first. That was the only family she had, so why not, right? By the time she had figured out with what she would do with the money she earned as a professional soccer player, she moved onto other things, such as what she would do for herself. Being so caught up in her thoughts about what she would spend her money on, she had nearly forgotten she was running around and was mid-way done with her second lap.

A figure was standing near her things when she looked at the goal opposite of where she was. Dark brown orbs stayed locked on the figure a moment, trying to figure out if it was a guy or a girl, and if it was one of her friends from the soccer team or one of her study-buddies. Arceli looked down at the ball, then back at the figure, taking three steps back and three steps to her left, she kicked the ball, sending it flying in the figures direction. If she had kicked it right, the ball would have landed either directly in front of the person, or hitting them. She began jogging shortly after kicking the ball towards the pitch’s unknown occupant.

[Gareth Davies]

Gareth hated Thursday afternoons. Thursday afternoons where when other sports kidnapped what he had come to know as his soccer field at Darcy. If Gareth wanted to practice, he had to find somewhere else. And he had to practice. Soccer was the reason Gareth had made it to Darcy, and he wasn't about to give that up. Quickly changing in his dorm into a pair of black shorts, a plain white T-shirt, and an old pair of trainers, he threw his cleats over his shoulder, and tucked a soccer ball into his arm, making his way to the public high school. After all, public meant for everyone, right? And as far as he knew, he would be the only public using it today.

He was surprised to find that not quite true, although he really shouldn't have been. There were a lot of people that went to this high school, and one of them was bound to practice soccer. Someone was doing laps around the field with a soccer ball of their own. He looked over to what he assumed was their bag, and Gareth dropped his own ball behind it, sitting down to change his shoes. He be damned if he'd come all this way to not practice. Quickly lacing his cleats, he stood back up to realize the other person had noticed him.

He hadn't counted on this other person kicking the ball at him. They were either very violent or very friendly. The ball landed quietly between his feet, where he kicked it up into his hands. The person responsible for kicking it was jogging quickly towards him, and he fought the unexpected urge to run. He had as much right to be here as anyone else. Gareth quickly noted that said person was, in fact, a girl, and a pretty one at that. "I, uh...think you lost something," he said awkwardly as she slowed down near him. He held the ball out to her, unsure what else to say or do.

[Arceli Salinas]

As she got closer, Arceli slowed her pace until she was but a foot away from the new person on the field. She smiled reaching out and taking the silver colored ball, placing it against the slight curve of her hip. "Thanks." Chocolate browns orbs studied the figure in front of her, not recognizing him from the boys soccer team, or the school. "Are you new here?" A thin eyebrow rose, "You don't look familiar." She added, placing the ball between her ankles and pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

The guy in front of her was good looking, if he said no he wasn't new to the school, then she would have absolutely died on the spot. A cute guy like him, and she hadn't notice him until now? She was more oblivious to the male sex than she thought! And if he said yes he was, well, at least they would have gotten off with a good start (and she could brag to her friends that she saw him first) - a shared interest, soccer. Who didn't like soccer, really? Well, aside from the girly-girls, Arceli knew close to no one who didn't enjoy watching, or participating, in the sport.