Chapter two- Flash Point prt 1 (not finished)

Willow Heights Park was a good place to hold a soccer game. The field was nice. It had good grass, no hidden holes to twist ankles in and the white painted lines where re-done often enough to be clearly defined despite being the end of the season. The neighborhood was quiet with lots of trees, willows no doubt. Grey Goose lake was a scenic 15 minute walk away and there was an interesting playground near the parking lot.1

Kat and Tally found themselves on the swing set while they waited for the rest of the Eshers Extremes to arrive. Kat shifted uncomfortably in her swing. She'd found them almost painful ever since she was 12 and her hips had started to grow. The black plastic seat squeezed against her and she wondered how she'd ever fit into them.2

Tally twisted back and forth in her swing while she rambled on about hair dye and the Parading Zebras concert coming up in September. Kat drew pictures in the sand with her bare feet as she pondered the guy from Apple Cider. She was listing everyone she knew and their siblings, but no names were the right ones. Every now and then she looked up at Tally to make sure she wasn't asking questions or telling her something important then went back to her mystery.3

He sort of looked like someone Tally might hang out with... 4

The image of his face flashed in front of her eyes. Kat gripped the grimy feeling chains to keep herself from falling backwards out of the swing. Tally looked over at her friend.5

"Kat, you ok?I didn't mean to talk about Jacob so much- I know you don't like him..."6

"No no, its not that," she interrupted. "It's a flashback... sort of. Except its just a picture- not a whole memory. It's also not mine I don't think."7

Katerina had told Tally about her previous flashbacks . Today they just seemed worse and Kat didn't really want to admit that she hadn't heard a word her friend had just said either.8

"Well, you remember the guy from the café right? Well I was just thinking about who he might be, and then a picture of his face showed up really fast and I thought I was going to fall over it hit me so hard. I've already had one flashback today, about my mother. That one made me cry. I think there's something wrong with me," she complained.9

Kat kicked a small pile of sand and hopped out of her swing. Tally looked at her sympathetically. She didn't really think that there was anything wrong with having flashbacks. Sure, it wasn't exactly normal but it wasn't the end of the world. Maybe it was a good thing; a temporary thing.10

"I still think the flashbacks are kind of cool," Tally said.11

"Not when today is the semi-final game and all I can think about is a boy I've never met!" Kat said exasperated. "I really need to focus today. The other team is pretty good. They'll put up a decent fight so my team needs people who are actually paying attention."12

"Oh Kat, calm down. You know what you need to do out there. Just take some time and think about it. You could also try getting dressed." Tally replied.13

Kat stopped pacing in front of her swing and looked over at her bag sitting in the grass. She sighed and reluctantly went over to it, slung it over her shoulder, and began walking over to the washroom building.For the moment she decided to get into game mode and push Mystery Boy to the back of her head, but not before promising herself to figure it out later that night.14

15

Tally walked herself backwards then let her feet go, swinging forward quickly. After a couple swings back and forth her stomach started to disagree. She had never been one for swing sets. She hopped off the swing, landing hard on her ankles and stood up. Brushing the sand of her jean shorts, she noticed that cars were starting to arrive with girls dressed in blue jerseys. The parents would be back later to watch the actual game. The girls were showing up early to warm up and practice before the other team arrived and claimed their half of the field. Some cars showed up with early-bird spectators like herself but she still felt uncomfortable wandering around a playground by herself. She hoped Kat would be ready soon.16

17

In the washroom, Kat stared at herself in the mirror for a while. The reflected image was no different than usual. There were no new visible imperfections but Kat just felt flawed. It was all related to being distracted and anxious. Anxious for the game to start and worried that the flashbacks would return. 18

Katerina sat on the counter as she pulled the long blue socks over her shin pads. When the door opened with an awful squeak she hopped off and tried to look composed. Britney Smith walked in, her cleats making clacking noises on the floor. She smiled excitedly.19

"Hey Kat! You pumped? I'm so ready for this. "20

21


to be continued...22