Even The Playing Field Novels & Stories

I could make no promises on that. At the sound of a loud horn, we all went up to the field. It looked like just a soccer field to me, with two goals on either side of the grass. It had one long bench on the sideline, where the non-competing teams would sit and wait for a goal. "Even." Our team captain said to the referee. Another team captain also shouted 'even!', which forced the other two teams to be uneven. The referee then threw a dice into the air and watched it fall on the ground.

“She’s playing against us.” Jesse smiled faintly. “Then it’s official.” Everlyn nodded. “It’s a game.” And both sides were fully aware of each other.

he said, pointing to the field where I was going to fight Jake. I sighed. How was I going to explain it to him? “Alright, listen. The festival is comprised of five games: mountain climbing, swimming, racing, fighting, and hunting. Now if a pack wins all except the fighting and hunting, he would be on the same score as his opponent.“ I said. "Okay,” he narrowed his eyes, ” then if we, the Nexton, won the mountain climbing, racing, and swimming but not the fighting, the Viola pack would have almost the same score as us.” He asked, and I nodded.

Saturday morning had dawned with the promise of a day filled with camaraderie and the thrill of competition. As the sun stretched its golden fingers across the horizon, I found myself on the familiar football field close to my house. The grass, freshly kissed by the morning dew, provided the perfect stage for the beautiful game.

"Could you play fairly and stop giving me advantages I don't need?! Don't be too soft on me just because I'm a girl! This is a game. Don't coddle me like a weak lady who requires special treatment; treat me like an equal opponent instead." Trey didn't say a thing and only shrugged his shoulders, but that was actually point taken, so when they resumed their playing, he gave no mercy, and like Barbara wanted it to be, he played squarely and fairly and defended their court. As a result, Trey's team won, of course. As expected. But that was a lot better for Barbara than winning only because her cousin was considering her for being feminine. "We lost, alright, but that's at least a good game. I'd

Now we were playing on even ground. This wasn’t finished yet. But we were in it. All the way. And we were coming for him.

And there was meaning in the words he left unsaid, his tone heavy and lingering. An even playing field. The same starting point, she and I. Both of us with our toes on the same line, competing on the same track, and this time there’d be no fancy outfits that would give Verity the upper hand, no special coaches in the wings to up her game and set her out of my league. No special treatment. No biased scholarships. No wad of cash set to raise her to a higher platform. Just us, like for like, waiting for the bell to ring. Round one!

Carson whispered and winked while relaxing back on his chair. No doubt he was a player, he also didn't believe in love like people usually say. And most girls fall at his feet because he was handsome, rich, and hot. And there was another player of the year, his best friend, who is also his partner in crime. “Hey, what do you intend to do today? There is this new girl I saw at the club. Damn! She is fucking hot.” Owen praised, while demonstrating her figure with his hand, and Carson chuckled.

“Mommy, please don’t cry. I love you. I don’t have any complaints.” We curled up in my living room, wrapped in one another on the massive couch. The TV cast flickering light across her face, bringing out the pink in her cheeks. We munched on popcorn and caught up on the previous days while watching the historical face off. The match between the Lake city Ravens and the Lake City Cowboys had already started. The tension was thick even through the screen. That wasn’t human football, but the power meeting instincts. The pure dominance that was cloaked in helmets and strategy, as the players attacked each other’s defense.

So, instead of a sweet goodbye, we had been tense with one another when we hugged farewell. As we make it further out onto the field my eyes widen a little with surprise. The battle-worn field the champions have bled all over is gone. In its place is an even black floor. The only remaining grass is roped off in the middle and looks untouched by the week-long trials. As we step on the black flooring my heel doesn't sink like I thought it would, and it doesn't echo or make a tap sound either. The material seems to be something I haven't walked on before and they were able to lay it down across the massive area in such a short time. "Would you look at those dresses. Don't they look beautiful,"