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The girls' team lunch table was filled with blue and white jerseys the next day when Sami walked up, bleached hair shaggy as per usual. He hesitated a few paces away, computer in hand, and let out a low whistle.

    "Lookin' good, ladies!" he said, and Rosalie and Ray were certain half the table swooned a little. Alyssa turned a pink before remembering how bitter she was about not being in the lineup. She looked away with a scowl. "Oof. Rough day?"

    "Don't mind her," Rosalie insisted, patting the table across from her. With Ray on her right, and Joanna on her left, that gave Sami only one other option.

    "Everyone's been pissy. I'm convinced it's because we're all PMSing," Joanna said.

    Sami hesitated, half in his seat half out.

    "Blood can do that to a woman," Joanna added.

    Rosalie threw her hands up in annoyance. "Sami, you've practically been living with me for seventeen years. Don't bail now!"

    "Well, I was just thinking..." he said, lowering his laptop down slowly. "You were angsty last night. I just want to know my chances of survival."

    "Zero percent. Everyone dies," Joanna said.

    "You are not helping one bit," Rosalie said. They stared each other down, glaring, before Rosalie turned back to Sami and said, "How'd the pictures turn out?"

    Instantly he was back in motion, dropping down and turning the computer around for her to see. "I think they turned out well! Let me know which ones you like most. I narrowed it down to these ones."

    Rosalie leaned forward over her tray of food and pushed her drink aside for the sake of her own roiling anxiety. Ray leaned in, eyes alight with excitement.

    The photo was one of Rosalie at her window, tying her hair up. She had her prewrap loop between her teeth, profile haloed by the fading sun. The lighting was rich and golden, and carried through all of them. The warmth turned dramatic when put up against her brick wall of plants, Rosalie in her desk chair, pulling off her socks.

    Her favorite, by far, was the portrait. It was head-on, vertical, and she knew that whatever she chose would be the format with which Sami continued the remainder of his shoots. She had her jersey off, tucked in her hands to obstruct the Knights logo. Her old sports bra was tattered on the hem, and the noticeable marks of her chewed-up hangnails made her smile. This was what Sami was looking for.

    "This one," she said, and Sami beamed. "I also really liked the one of me by the window."

    "I liked that one too! Gosh, you know me so well," he said, giddy.

    "What are you doing with these?" Joanna asked, and Ray snickered.

    "Why, you want one?" she said, and Rosalie jabbed Ray in the boob for it. "Ow! Hey!"

    "It's for my AP Art portfolio," Sami explained. "I'm painting portraits of all my friends. Which... Ray..."

    "What? Me?" Ray squeaked, and instantly shook her head. "No way. I'm not a model."

    "You don't have to be a model," Sami said with a roll of his eyes.

    "Rosalie's a model though. You've set the standard," Joanna said, and Rosalie put her head to the table to hide her flushed cheeks.

    "Joanna," she groaned, and she just knew Joanna was grinning. She slammed her fist down on Joanna's thigh, and Joanna immediately shrieked and slapped her away.

    "Gentle, woman," Joanna said, smirk deadly. "It's how I like it."

    "Oh my God," Sami said with a startled laugh, and Rosalie was teetering dangerously close to murder.

    Just then, a familiar, smiley face headed in their direction from the boys soccer table. He was dressed in a white jersey for their home game that night. Rosalie's heart stuttered, and she stared at Jamie-Lee Berry as he rounded the table and shoved Joanna by the shoulder to wedge himself between them. Joanna's glare could have hired a hitman to slaughter Jamie-Lee in the dead of the night—no witnesses.

    "I hear Griffin took sexy pictures of you. I wanna see," he said.

    "I- What? Where did you hear that?"

    "Oh, I texted him," Ray said, and Rosalie twisted around to stare at her. Joanna leaned back to raise an eyebrow at her from around Jamie-Lee.

    "You know, Jamie," Sami said, just as bitter about him from Day One. Jamie clasped his hands on the table, and raised his eyebrows eagerly. "I'm just gonna say it. Just about everyone in the grade thinks you and Dylan are gay for each other. And I wish that was the case."

    "Oh, do you?" Jamie-Lee said, grinning. "Do you really wish that was the case?"

    "Yes, I do, because you've crossed the line. You were salsa-dancing on it for a little while there, but now it's settled. You've pirouetted over it," Sami declared, snapping his laptop shut.

    "I can assure you that I am not gay—" Jamie said, with the full attention of the table on him, "—but, I am a little fruity. And I think that's better."

    Across the table, Rosalie witnessed Alyssa slap a hand over her face, muttering, "Jesus fuck..." under her breath.

    "Now show me the porn!" Jamie cried, reaching for Sami's laptop. As he reached, Joanna wedged her hand under his arm and twisted his nipple. Jamie screeched like a newborn baby straight out of the womb, and it was perhaps the most bizarre noise Rosalie had ever witnessed in her seventeen years of life.

    "Out, Berry, before I jam your testicles through the copy machine," Joanna threatened, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.

    "What, so you can have a pair?" Jamie said, and realized that he just signed his death certificate. "Yeah, alright, I'll leave. But this isn't over, Griffin."

    "I'm sure it isn't," Sami said with a stiff smile. It turned into a scowl as he watched Jamie saunter back to the boys table. "If Berry goes missing tomorrow, know that it wasn't me."

    "Sami..." Rosalie sighed. Joanna scooted back over, hip bumping into Rosalie's.

    "I'm serious. I don't care if Lennie's given his blessing—Jamie will burn before this semester's over. I have people," he said, sliding his laptop back into his backpack. He pulled out his lunch bag and set it on the table.

    "I can't believe you forgave that douche," Joanna said, perching her chin up on her hand. She tossed a potato chip into her mouth.

    "I wouldn't say I forgave him. We're just... coexisting now," Rosalie explained. "And I'm fine with that."

    "Alright, Mason, but just know that I will give that boy a shiner if need be. I didn't take twenty years of self-defense for nothin'," Joanna said, and went on eating despite the curious looks they all gave her.

    "No one at this table is over eighteen," Ray said.

    "I like to think my time in Hell before birth was spent in vigorous combat training," Joanna said. She shrugged, setting her jaw tight as she looked off over the lunch room. "My previous team attributed my ungodly hand-eye coordination to that. Well, either that, or selling my soul to The Devil."

    "I like the latter option," Rosalie confessed. "But it doesn't make sense because you're already The Devil."

    "I like the way you think, Rosie," she said, and tipped her water bottle against Rosalie's before drinking to it.

    After lunch, Ray linked arms with Rosalie as a safeguard between her and the soccer guys. They were all terrified of Ray's deadly glare. Rosalie rolled with it, though it didn't stop the football guys from approaching them. Ashton Hartwood straight-up tackled Joanna in a headlock, ruffling her already tangled ginger curls.

    "Nice jersey, Spencer! How's it feel bein' a Twinkle Toes?"

    "Like a dream, you fucking tub of lard—get off of me," Joanna seethed, scratching at his arms until she was hoisted in the air by Dylan swinging in to the rescue. She squeaked, and threw her head back laughing. "You beefy assholes!"

    "Aw, that's not a nice way to describe my asshole," Dylan said, laughing. He waved innocently to Rosalie and Ray before putting his hand on his hip. "Hey Mason, Hartley."

    "Sup Cock," Ray said, and Rosalie sputtered.

    While Dylan Cox recovered from the wound, Ashton gave Rosalie a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck at Highland, ladies."

    "Uh... Thanks, Ashton," Ray said to fill in the silence of Rosalie's shock. Ashton saluted them with a wink before heading off down the hall. He grabbed Dylan by the collar of his shirt and coaxed him along, leaving Joanna to straighten her jersey and push her glasses up with a huff.

    "Savages," she muttered. "I don't know why I'm friends with them. Or even in their group chat."

    "You're in the football team's group chat?" Alyssa's voice started from behind them. She cruised up beside Joanna, looking amazed. "Since when?"

    "Since first day of school," she said. "I renamed their group Tubs Of Lard. That's basically been my only contribution to it."

    Ray clapped her hands together and cackled. Rosalie opened her mouth to say something, perhaps disagree with it, but she was just too impressed. "That is... actually incredible," she confessed.

    "Thanks Rosie. Bet I could come up with more pet names if you'd DM me," Joanna said, and broke away from them with a peace sign over her mouth. She stuck her tongue out before spinning away, and leaving Rosalie in the hall to combust with Alyssa and Ray as her witnesses.

***

    The bus to Taft Memorial High School was waiting out at the bottom of the Bradshaw steps half an hour before the final bell. The halls were empty as Rosalie slung her duffle over her shoulder and followed after Juliana and Ray to the foyer where the team was gathering. Rosalie hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, either from excitement or aggravation, she wasn't sure. Still, her enthusiasm for the game outweighed her overwhelming urge to collapse on the floor and fall asleep.

    Maguire counted them all off before tucking her notebook under one arm and clapping her hands.

    "Alright! This is the first game that means something. I know the Highlanders don't seem like a challenge, but I don't want you all to go easy on them because of that. Rip them to shreds—I know you can."

    They all hollered and it echoed across the halls.

    "And—" Maguire started, hesitated. She looked at the ceiling and sighed before meeting their gazes again to say, "—I've been told crude chants about bath tubs will warrant consequences."

    "What? Are you kidding? That's the only thing I was looking forward to," Alyssa whined. Distantly, Brynn turned with her arms up, as if to bail on the entire ordeal.

    "If any of you wind up in detention for singing 'High landed in the tub for the last time' to the tune of Good Riddance by Greenday, just know that I will be sorely disappointed and kick you from the next lineup," Maguire said, but she couldn't keep the grin off her face as the team all giggled and sighed in unison. "Alright. Let's roll out!"

    They team hurried down the steps and raced to the open door of the bus. They all greeted and thanked the driver as they climbed on, and Rosalie landed in one of the seats closer to the front. Ray was quick to slide in after her, and Juliana claimed the spot across from them, legs kicked out. Joanna walked by without a second glance, and Rosalie's eyes trailed after her as she headed for the far back of the bus with Alyssa nearby. Brynn chased after them, and collapsed in the seat across from Joanna with her arm slung over the back. Her bright white hair was now dyed royal blue for the game, and when she smiled at Rosalie from over the seats, Rosalie couldn't help but smile back.

    Rosalie dug around in her bag and pulled out her polaroid camera. She snapped a photo of Juliana all stretched out in her bench with Jade quietly leaning over the top, poking her finger at Juliana's freckled cheek. Juliana slapped Jade's hand away with a laugh. As the photo colored in Ray's fingers, Rosalie got up onto her knees and took a picture of all the smiling faces behind her, readying chants for the Knights' spirit.

    As the bus pulled away, an empty one pulled up for spectator students to follow along. They filed out ten minutes before the end bell, and filled the bus with blue, silver, and white. By that point, the girls' team was nearly at the Taft Memorial High gates, chanting the Knights theme song. Rosalie caught sight of Joanna, lying flat on her bench with one arm in the air, lazily swinging it to the theme.

***

    Taft Memorial Highlanders weren't a dangerous team, by any means, and if anything, Rosalie was certain that they were the ones pissing their pants about this meet. The girls' team was so-so, and the boys team was only a hair above so-so. Rosalie couldn't even remember the last time Taft made it to State.

    The Knights stepped out of their bus with all the determination and poise of a private school full of resolute soldiers. They walked in pairs through Taft Memorial and out the back door to the fields. Students lingering in the halls turned to stare, but after so many lectures before leaving every bus for a game, all the girls learned to keep their eyes forward, and steps in sync.

    Rosalie had her arm hooked with Ray as captains of the team, and led the line out across the grass to the main field. Were it not for Maguire's adamant semi-militant facade training, Rosalie would have been vibrating in her place, bouncing off the walls, doing anything just to get her excitement out of her system. Instead, she joined the girls on the field and stretched out her legs just as solemnly as the rest.

    Their routine was made in unison with minimal talking. Rosalie lifted her whistle up and blew it for every switch through the warmup routine. They had it down to a T after spending the end of summer doing just this, and the first week of school acclimating Joanna Spencer, Kim Simons, and Jordan Sakamoto to the cycle. Rosalie stretched her arm up and folded it back behind her head, pulling on her elbow. As she counted down in her head, she looked across the circle to Joanna, whose cat eyes were focused on Rosalie.

    They stared at one another before Rosalie blew the whistle and they all switched arms.

    The team ran suicides across the width of the court before taking a slow jog around the perimeter. They ran in pairs, and after a swift maneuver on Joanna's part, Rosalie wound up running alongside her, panting from the conditioning drill, and wishing it were Ray at her side.

    "You've been acting weird," Joanna commented.

    "Well, you've really only known me for a week so..." Rosalie said under her breath. She shook her head and sighed.

    "Do you always get this nervous before games?"

    "What? I am not nervous," Rosalie said with a scoff.

    They passed Coach and fell silent before rounding the corner and slowing at their goal. Joanna laughed under her breath, hands on her hips. "Then do you have a problem with me?" she asked, and Rosalie set her jaw tight. Joanna's hard stare was difficult to look at without feeling guilty. "If you have a problem with me, I want to know about it. Unless... you want to break off our deal."

    Rosalie huffed, glancing over to where Ray was sending her worried looks from the edge of the penalty box.

    "No. I don't want to break off the deal," Rosalie said. "I'm just... frustrated—"

    Joanna grinned. "Sexually?"

    "No, you idiot," Rosalie snapped, shoving her arm. "I just realized that... the team I want to play for in university would likely be more interested in you than me. They need a goalie."

    Joanna's grin faded. She furrowed her eyebrows as if she wasn't quite understanding Rosalie right. In the end, she laughed, a hand to her hair. "Oh. Okay, that makes a little more sense. Well, what do you want me to do? Be good but not that good?"

    "No, I want you to be good. I want you to do what you do best because... anything less than that just wouldn't do you or the team justice," she said, rambling whilst keeping her voice low. "And I'm just overreacting about it because you aren't even playing this game and—"

    "Aw, Rosie, stop worrying about it," Joanna said, and surprised Rosalie by wrapping her arms around Rosalie's neck. Rosalie was too startled to do anything but what instincts told her—hug Joanna back. Joanna pushed her cheek against Rosalie's, rubbing it like a cat. Rosalie giggled, shoulders bunching up.

    Rosalie pushed her away before she could start laughing uncontrollably. The giddy feeling swelled over all the past aggravation from having worried over this all night. Joanna gave her a firm pat on the head.

    "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going to university after this," Joanna said, and Rosalie tipped her head in confusion. "I'm joining the air force."

    "You're what?!" Brynn shrieked, having overheard most of their conversation from the other side of the goal. Rosalie jumped with a start, and twisted around to look at Brynn, and then a very shocked Lu. "The military?"

    "Isn't your dad in the military?" Rosalie asked, and Joanna saluted her with a smirk..

    "Lieutenant Colonel Spencer, at your service," she said. "In case you weren't aware, the majority of the population isn't actually rich enough to afford schooling immediately out of high school. After a few years I'll be back at it. Still undecided, but back at it."

    "That's how capitalism does it. Make college too expensive to afford, but make it affordable after signing a contract with the military," Ray said, and Joanna winked at her as if to say she hit the nail on the head. "That's bullshit."

    "Then why are you going to Bradshaw in the first place?" Alyssa asked, bored. She picked at her nails and raised an eyebrow at Joanna. "Not exactly a #1 destination for poor military kids."

    "News flash: Middle-class families can't even afford uni in this shitty country, bitch," Joanna said, and Brynn slapped her knee, cackling. "If I didn't have such a bad breakup with Germany, I'd book it back there to avoid this bullshit."

    Brynn walked up and threw her arm around Joanna's shoulders. Joanna's short height made it easy for just about anyone to do the same, and so Rosalie leaned in to follow suit. "Germany and I aren't on speaking terms," she added, and Rosalie gave her a soft pat on the head.

    She hesitated near Joanna's glasses, furrowing her brow. "Wait—don't you have to have 20/20 vision to be in the air force?" she asked.

    Joanna squinted at her, and then blinked in surprise. Her grin spread wide as Rosalie got a closer look at her glasses. She couldn't see a glare at all, and after hooking her finger around the frame, she realized that Joanna's glasses were fake all along. Brynn stared in amazement.

    "They're fake," Brynn said, and Juliana was the first to fall on the ground laughing. Rosalie calmly walked away, went to the goal post, and thumped her forehead against it.

    All that lost sleep.

    For nothing.