“Jackie, you can be one of the captains, and hmm…” The voice of Coach Philip trailed off. “And also, Jenni over there can be the other one.”

“W-What, me!?” My voice cracked under the sheer shock of being assigned the position.

I was currently standing beside a large group of other students in the middle of the school’s gymnasium for P.E. class. We were all decked out in our generic matching grey shirts and black shorts. I had huddled close to Beth and Scott, who I was fortunate enough to have with me this year for gym class.

My luck seemed to have quickly run out, without warning, and disappeared on me. Why oh why would Coach Philip pick me to be a captain for anything, least of all for a ruthless and cutthroat activity like a high school P.E. dodgeball game. I wasn’t a leader type, much less a captain, what type of insanity had descended upon the once stalwart beacon of wisdom and reason that was Coach Jeremy Philip.

“Yes, you. Now come and stand up here with Jackie and me so we can start picking teams.” He loudly instructed me.

The man had clearly lost his mind, or I guess a more rational explanation is that the rumors and gossip about me had made me stand out more, not just with the students but also the other teachers. Before today, I thought that being picked last in gym class was the worst outcome. Today has proven me entirely wrong, though.

Unable to decline the nomination to this most prestigious of positions, I, with immense reluctance, walked out of the crowd of students I was in and made my way to stand beside Coach Philip and Jackie Batista, my once mortal enemy.

As I arrived, she was giving me a strange look that I couldn’t quite place. Was she giving me the stink eyes because I was the rival captain she would soon be having to face in a high-stakes game of dodgeball? No, it wasn’t that exactly, at least I don't think so…

“Alright then, with that out of the way, who gets the first pick?” Coach Philip asked us.

I just shrugged, not particularly caring about the outcome of this game all that much. This seemed to be the wrong reaction, though, as Coach Philip replied with a ‘tsk’ of his tongue and said. “Fine then, Jackie, you get the first pick.”

“Niki!” She said instantly, calling up one of her cronies who eagerly moved forward to stand beside her idol. Part of me felt annoyed at seeing the undeserved devotion Jackie’s minions had toward her. Still, as my mind began to wander and think about that, Coach Philip cleared his throat to try to get my attention.

“Oh, uh, Beth, I guess.” I said distractedly, but the reaction it provoked was no less as animated as the one Jackie’s had. Beth rushed forward to stand right at my side, a big smile plastered on her face, daring anyone to challenge us.

Was Beth just trying to match the energy of the other team, or was this just a natural reaction she'd had? If her response was just how she felt, and it was equivalent to Niki’s, then what did that say about my possible biased view of the dynamic between Jackie and her group of friends?

“Ahem!” Coach Philip said, clearing his throat once again.

“Gah, right, uh, Scott.” I announced without much thought. Part of me felt somewhat bad about just picking my friends first and not giving the choice much consideration, but I think most people who were made captain did the same thing anyways, or at least that’s what I told myself.

“Yes!” Scott said out loud as he raced over to join us.

He also seemed super excited to be part of our growing team. Maybe, I’m the weird one, and it was customary for everyone to be super happy to be picked for a team. Perhaps, I had been unconsciously misjudging the actions of Jackie and her friends so far, but…

“Jenni!” Coach Philip almost yelled while standing barely a foot away from me.

“Gah!” I squeaked out in surprise.

“Please, stop daydreaming in the middle of class and focus. Who you pick to be on your team will have a strong impact on the outcome of the game for your side.” Coach Philip pointedly lectured. “Good decision-making is part of what we’re trying to teach you in this class, as well as quick and prompt decision-making.”

“S-sorry…” I said softly, more than a little embarrassed to be lectured while standing out in front of this large crowd of students. Why was I picked for this job again?

Ugh, now came the hard part of picking other people who I wasn’t really close friends with. Truthfully, I couldn’t even say I knew the names of all the faces looking back at me. Was I a terrible person for not knowing everyone in my grade’s names? I mean, it was a fairly big school, but was that really an excuse to…

“Ahem” Beth cleared her throat beside me while giving me an amused but supportive look back.

Ah, frick, I really didn't have any time to think about anything at all before other people would start getting mad at me. I just had to quickly pick someone, anyone.

I quickly scanned my eyes around the crowd to see if there was anyone I recognized.

Luke was there. His name was one I knew too well. My eyes immediately passed over him to continue moving over the crowd before landing on a familiar face I had only recently learned the name of. I was a bit afraid about how she’d react to me picking her but didn’t have the time to properly consider the implications right now.

“Mira!” I announced to the impatiently waiting crowd of students.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

“Finally…” Jackie snidely said from beside me.

Beth gave her an evil glare at that, but I didn’t feel like bothering with it. Right now, I was focused on the awkwardly standing girl with her eyes and face still staring at her feet, slowly making her way toward us.

“So, you finally found her, huh?” Scott asked interestedly.

“Yeah, we’re working together on a project for English class.” I replied.

Having finally reached us, Mira came to a stop near enough for me to hear her say. “This is the first time ever I wasn’t been picked last.”

“Well, welcome to the team!” Scott happily told her.

“Yep, let’s all do our best.” Beth encouraged her.

“Uh…I guess.” Mira responded apathetically.

And so our overly stressful dodgeball draft came and went. Finally, with two entire teams of students, some eager, others bored. We moved to separate zones of the gymnasium. Once we got there, everyone's eyes turned to look at me.

Feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, I quickly looked back and forth to the people, all staring at me, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing now. What do they want me to say? Was there some rule or protocol I should be following right now?

“So, what's the game plan, Captain Jenni?” Beth helpfully asked.

“Game. plan…?” I slowly responded with a clear lack of understanding.

“Yeah, how are we going to beat the other team?” A large, slightly husky boy named Gregory asked.

“Uh…” I responded confidently.

“Just think of it like a question on a history test or something.” Scott helpfully said. “What answer would you write down if you had this question on a piece of paper in front of you?”

That was actually a constructive way of thinking about it for me. It really was fantastic to have friends nearby who understood you and provided support when you needed it. I wanted to give Scott a big hug then. Strictly a friendly hug though, definitely.

“So…” I announced more firmly this time. “Who here thinks they're pretty good at dodgeball? Who has the most experience playing this game?”

A smattering of hands went up.

“Great, you guys should be getting hold of the ball most of the time. The rest of us will focus on making sure that it gets you.” I instructed the assembled group of teens, who seemed to be listening just a bit more intently now. “Also, those who feel uncertain about throwing or catching the ball should do what they can to prevent our dedicated throwers from being hit. Yes, that means you’ll probably be hit and go out, but it's not about individual victories. It's about the team winning as a whole.”

After a series of nods of uncertain but careful agreement, the rest of the team seemed on board with my plan. Beth and Scott both seemed to have broad smiles on their faces at my impromptu performance as the captain of their dodgeball team. Mira, on the other hand, seemed utterly ambivalent to what I had just said and was busily messing with her feet, trying to twist her sneakers about to try and leave scuff marks on the waxed and polished floor.

Well, nothing I can do about it now. Hopefully, she will still be able to contribute somehow in the game.

“Okay teams, you’ve had long enough to discuss strategy.” Coach Philip loudly announced from the center of the room. “Both teams move back towards the middle, captains at the center so they can exchange handshakes.”

Oh God, it just kept getting worse and worse. Now I had to go shake hands with Jackie while everyone else watched us. What if she did something gross to her hand, like spit in it or something? No, that was more of a guy thing to do. Jackie was more someone to say something snide and backhanded when we came face to face.

I needed to be ready. The rest of the team was looking to me for leadership and for me to be strong for them, so whatever Jackie said, I had to react like they would expect me to.

Frick, why did that madmen Coach Philip ever select me for something like this.

Eventually, both amorphous groups of students made their way back to the center of the large gymnasium where the very likely insane Coach Philip was waiting for us.

Jackie was also there at the center, waiting for me, watching me with those evil, soulless eyes of hers as I walked toward her. I was clearly wrong before. This woman was so obviously evil incarnate. She must be in league with the devil. Was that actually a real possibility? Well, if it is, she clearly must be doing it.

“Okay, both captains will shake hands, then we can finally get this game started.” Coach Philip declared.

Jackie was the first to step forward, but I was quick to move forward as well. I can’t afford to seem weak in front of everyone, especially not against someone like the evil succubus Jackie.

Without waiting for any further guidance, we both put out our hands for the climactic handshake. I had started raising my hand just a fraction of a second before Jackie did. Which I decided to take as my first victory against her. The first of many no doubt.

As our hands met, and I could feel her evil and sinister flesh against my own, I made sure to maintain eye contact with her the whole time.

“Good luck.” Jackie told me, the surprise at her words evident in my eyes and expression. “You’ll need it.”

Her follow-up insult reaffirmed my classification of Jackie as a likely demon spawn or possibly a consort of the devil. I swiftly pulled my hand away but still maintained direct eye contact with her. Neither of us moved nor tried looking away while we continued to stand there.

“I’ll make you eat those words, with a side order of dodgeball to the face.” I confidently declared in front of the onlooking crowd.

“Oooh.” A few voices murmured.

Jackie just smirked back at me wickedly. “I’ll pass, I am on a strict vegan diet after all, and there’s a big fat chance of you or your team coming even slightly close to beating us.”

“Ooh-Aah,” Slightly more voices in the crowd said in response.

Frick, Jackie was much better at this verbal repartee thing than me. What do I say back? Everyone is waiting for me to come back at her with something clever…

“We won’t just beat you.” The unlikely voice of Mira declared. “We’ll murder each and everyone one of you.”

“Wooah!” Said the loud voices that moved like a wave around both crowds of students. They didn’t seem upset, more just shocked at the level this random, mostly unknown, girl took things to out of nowhere.

“Okay now, settle down, everyone.” Coach Philips said, raising his voice loud enough to be heard. “I think we’ve had quite enough time for smack talk, so it's finally time for the game to start. Teams, move away from the center so I can set out the balls in the middle.”

“What?” Mira asked, as each side started to move away and separate.

While this was happening, Coach started pulling balls out of the large bag he had with him and began placing them down in a long perpendicular line between the two sides.

Having completed his task, he moved back to the sidelines with his bag and pulled out a shiny metal whistle from his pocket.

“Okay, when I blow this whistle, you can all begin.” He loudly informed both teams.

Looking back and forth between both sides, he seemed to let time pass in order to build some tension.

Eventually, he put the small metal instrument to his lips and blew.

“Fwheeeet!!” The loud shrill whistle announced, causing an onrush of movement from both sides as the titanic clash between each team began in earnest.