by Nicole Shay
Karen noticed Maeve and Elaine walk out of the bathroom and threw her head back coming to sudden realization.
“They didn’t say anything to you? did they?” Karen asked ready to defend her friend if need be.
Ornella turned to where her friend was looking to see her girlfriend and Maeve walking side by side back to their table.
She shook her head “No, nothing happened..really guys, I’m okay!” Ornella insisted.
“Say ‘I’m okay’ one more time and I really won’t believe you” Lilith said seeing through her friend yet not wanting to prod the discussion anymore.
Elaine waited for Maeve to finish her business, staring blankly at her nails. She was trying to calm herself down. Maeve doesn’t suspect anything, she thought to herself firmly. You have to be more careful. At least no one saw it.
“Why are you still here?” Maeve asked, bumping Elaine playfully aside so she can wash her hands.
The taller girl managed a smile. “I’m a nice person sometimes.”
Maeve rolled her eyes, but a grin was on her face. “Right. Okay Strongman.” She washed her hands and a moment of silence passed between them until Maeve grabbed a paper towel and said. “I don’t really like that short girl very much.”
Immediately, Elaine jumped to Ornella’s defense, but attempted to play it cool. “She’s not worth hating, Maeve. Let it go.”
“Fine,” Maeve groaned.
“Why are you so eager to start something, anyway?”
Maeve shrugged. “Settle things for once.”
Elaine rolled her eyes. “Whatever, come on, let’s go back out to dinner.”
CHAPTER 3
Imogen parked her car across from a green jeep not knowing that the owner was actually Olivia. She let out a sigh as she walked into the local sports store. She hated shopping, but she figured she should get some new indoor soccer shoes since finding the indoor gym. She didn’t even think about where she was headed since she knew the store’s layout like the back of her hand. She scanned the rows and rows of shoes of varying style and size. She made her way over to the section she needed and immediately spotted the two shoes she was most interested in. She grabbed them down from the shelf and began to inspect both. There were advantages to either but she couldn’t decide which would be better for her. She tried one on her right foot and the other on her left foot. She began to walk down the aisle to get a feel for them but stopped in her tracks as the raspy voice she had grown to hate filled her ears.
“Indoor soccer shoe shopping I see?” The rival striker piped up. She’d been watching the girl for the past few minutes and was pretty impressed on the shoes Imogen had narrowed her options down to. She’d been there to visit a friend on her work shift, but when she noticed Imogen walking in, she couldn’t help herself. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with Imogen anymore. She hadn’t been since the indoor soccer gym. She looked at Imogen curiously, wondering what was going through her mind.
Shocked that Olivia hadn’t taken a jab at her, Imogen just stared at the girl until she finally said
“Yeah...any suggestions?” even surprising herself.
Olivia quirked an eyebrow at her. It’d be a lie to say she wasn’t surprised that Imogen hadn’t given her a snarky remark in return. She shrugged, slowly walking over to her. “Well, I mean they’re both pretty good choices - both as cleats and indoors as well,” she began, looking down at the two different options at Imogen’s feet. “That one,” she said, pointing at the one on her right foot. “Is great for speed and definitely lighter. It literally feels like you don’t even have a shoe on.” Then she pointed to the one on Imogen’s left. “This one gives you better ball control. It’s not as light as the others, but still pretty lightweight anyway.” She chewed her bottom lip, trying to figure out which one Imogen would benefit from more. She’d seen the girl play multiple times, and at this point knew how she liked to handle the ball. “Personally, I think you’d be better off with those,” she pointed to the ones on her left again. “Because you like doing those tricks all over the field, so you definitely need a shoe that helps with ball control.”
Imogen took a moment to take in all the information she just received. It was the most that Olivia had ever spoken to her in a civil manner. It honestly made her uncomfortable, especially the last part in which Olivia seemed to suggest that she knew Imogen so well that she knew which shoe would suit her best.
She let out a small ‘huh’ as she shifted her weight from left to right still testing both.
She decided she liked the ones on the left better, the shoe that Olivia suggested, but she didn’t want to the girl to know she had done her a favor of any sort.
“Eh I’m definitely feeling the one on my right foot” she said confidently as if it was the most obvious fit. “Thanks though” She added half heartedly not even bothering to look Olivia in the eyes.
“Okay…” Olivia said. “If you say so.” She knew for a fact the one on Imogen’s left would benefit her more, but she bit her tongue. If Imogen didn’t want her help then so be it. “I guess I’ll see you around Sloane,” she sighed, then left the midfielder to her shoe shopping.
Imogen heard the tension in Olivia’s voice but decided that ignoring her and not saying anything was best. She was thankful for the advice but she didn’t know how to express that to a girl she supposedly hated and was supposed to hate.
She sat back down to take off both shoes, she untied the laces slowly until she saw Olivia walk away from the shoe department. She found the original box for the shoes Olivia suggested and put the left boot in it with the right. She carefully looked around the store as she made her way to the checkout.
“Oh nice choice!” the store clerk said as she rung Imogen up.
“Oh thanks” Imogen said softly as if someone like Olivia would hear her and know that she actually bought the shoes she suggested.
Imogen walked out of the store feeling weirder than ever.
Why is she being nice to me? she thought as she started her car.
Olivia found herself at the indoor gym that same afternoon. Julio wasn’t on shift so this time she could actually focus, and she hadn’t seen Imogen around so that was another distraction she didn’t have to worry about. The conversation with Imogen that morning had bothered her. She knew she was supposed to hate the girl but why? Why did she have to hate someone who she knew pretty well on the field, but was a complete and total stranger off of it? There was a reason the rivalry existed, but how long until a rivalry wore out? She began to juggle the ball as the thoughts filled her mind.
Once the ball dropped to the ground as she looked up as someone passing by. The reason she did was because she noticed the boots they were wearing. They were the same type she was trying to tell Imogen to get that morning. Weird coincidence, she thought before looking up to see who they belonged to. She was in utter shock to find that it was actually Imogen wearing those boots. See, I was right she thought to herself before calling out, “Nice indoors!”
Imogen decided that the chances of seeing Olivia again at the gym were slim so she took the chance to go try out her new shoes. As soon as her feet touched the ball she knew that she, and well, Olivia, had made the right decision. She was enjoying the lightness in her feet until she heard that voice again. This time a little more snark making its way in the tone of her voice.
She instantly turned a little red at the comment, knowing that Olivia obviously knew that she had chosen the ones she suggested. Imogen swallowed hard, her pride and her embarrassment going down with it.
“I bought them both, to try out...read some reviews, said they were both worth a shot.” Imogen said trying to play it cool.
This received a skeptical look from Olivia. “Right….” she drawled out, not very convinced at all. She had to hide the smirk on her face because she was pretty sure Imogen wasn’t some idiot who decided to buy both when she wanted only one pair.
In any normal situation Imogen would have taken Olivia�
�s comment as a sarcastic yet playful comment but knowing the girl’s hatred for her she took it as a very snippy one instead.
She returned the favor with what she thought was an equally ‘smart-ass’ reply “You think I bought these because of you don’t you?” she said with a mocking laugh. “Well you got another thing coming..” she said with another scoff.
If Olivia was taken aback by Imogen’s sudden snarkiness, it didn’t show at all. Instead she replied, “That’s funny, Sloane. You’re just mad because I’m right. You hate me so much you can’t even admit that you bought them because they were obviously the better option for you.” She raised an eyebrow accusingly at her, crossing her arms.
Imogen was growing increasingly mad. Mad at Olivia for being right, and mad at herself for not being able to admit it. She knew how stupid it would be to try and convince Olivia that she didn’t have anything to do with her buying those certain shoes so she tried something else.
“You know...I am mad because you’re right, I’m mad because I can’t admit you’re right, and you know something else? I really don’t like you, and I could honestly care less that I’m wearing these shoes, the ones you thought I should buy. Just leave me alone already” Imogen spat unsure of how much she actually just hurt the girl’s feelings. She cared but she didn’t care enough to not say it.
As Imogen unleashed her words, Olivia just stared at her for a moment, contemplating what she was saying. Finally when Imogen was done, she just sighed as if she was exhausted. “Why are we doing this Imogen?”
Imogen clenched her jaw as she started to walk away from the girl. She turned to look at her as her response finally reached her ears. She peered at the girl’s light blue eyes that had a genuine look of ‘why?’ written all over them. She shook her head “I don’t get you” she said with a hard look and an even sterner voice.
Olivia’s eyes and voice didn’t waver at all as Imogen still showed hostility towards her. “And I don’t get you. Look Imogen, we’re rivals by default. We’ve learned to hate each other from everyone who took us in when we made varsity. But really, what reason do I have to hate you besides the fact that you go to my rival school and you’re actually really good at soccer?” She undid her ponytail, then started doing it again. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Imogen was really thrown off at the casualness of Olivia. It was as if her words filled with hate and dislike had no effect on the girl anymore. She just seemed tired and Imogen had no idea how to react.
“It’s not like we can be anything more than rivals .. we’re the captains of two teams whose rivalry goes back before either of us were even alive. We have a duty on and off the field..the sooner you get that, the better it’ll be” Imogen stated confidently yet was really unsure of it all. Olivia was right yet again.. but Imogen wasn’t so willing to accept that fact. She had to be careful she figured as she looked at the girl. It could all be a trick she thought to herself as she wouldn’t let her guard down at all in front of Olivia, not now anyways.
Imogen did have a point. Olivia could admit that much. And she could also sense Imogen’s walls surrounding her. It was indeed strange that they were still even talking in normal voices when it should’ve been screaming and fighting. The only thing she could think of to say was, “What if it isn’t better? Look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you’re not tired of this. You’re not tired of having to see each other in public and tense up. Or to already be angry before the game because we already know who’s on that field.? Are you sure you’re okay with doing this for the rest of our high school lives?”
Imogen took Olivia’s words in but she didn’t want to. Years of being forced and taught to hate the girl and her school were causing her to tense up and block out what she was saying. It was sad for it was everything that Olivia was saying. It was true, Imogen was exhausted. She couldn’t bring herself to admit it though.
“I-” She took a long pause before finishing “What do you want from me Olivia? Really? Tell me now so you can stop bullshitting me.” she said wanting to end the conversation.
Olivia groaned at Imogen’s response. “This is exactly what I’m talking about Imogen! We can’t even talk about this being over without one of us thinking there’s a punch line! There’s no damn catch. I just want this to be over. I’m not saying that we have to be best friends and make our team do the same. I’m just saying that we should just stop being such bitches to each other because of this rivalry we’ve grown up with. We’re both tired of it and you know it. All I want is to be able to see you and not have to think ‘wow I hate her and her team’.” She was starting to give up hope that Imogen would ever listen to her. The rivalry had been going on too long and she wasn’t in it to waste energy hating someone she could probably get along with if given the chance. “I’m just asking for both of us to stop fighting. Whatever happened that first day we ran into each other was something I actually liked. We weren’t hostile or rude. We were just...talking.”
Imogen wished she didn’t but she couldn’t help but think Olivia had ulterior motives of some sort. She must, right? she thought as she tried to think of something to say.
“Olivia...just stop..you don’t even know me. And you want ‘this’ to be over? What is ‘this’ anyways? All I’ve ever known is this damn rivalry..” She said feeling almost out of breath.
“This!” Olivia cried, motioning between her and Imogen. “I don’t even know you and I’m supposed to hate you? Call me crazy, but I think that’s just a bit messed up. We’ve said things to each other that we’ve never said to actual people we have a reason to hate because it’s what we’re built on. You just said so yourself: this rivalry is all you’ve ever known. Don’t you want to know something else besides it?” She was frustrated that Imogen couldn’t see it the way she did. What was the point anymore? If that first encounter showed a glimpse of something, why not actually do something about it? There were things she’d said to Imogen over the past few years that she hadn’t even said to a person she had a valid reason to hate. She knew nothing about this girl except that she could play soccer. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to know more about the midfielder.
Olivia’s words hit Imogen hard and deeply. The girl felt an overwhelming sense of emotion overcome her and without any control she felt tears start to well up in her eyes. She didn’t want to hate Olivia or anyone for that matter. Imogen thought hating Olivia was something that everyone expected of her but in actuality no one ever told her to hate the girl, no one ever pushed her to look down on the rival captain. It was something she had grown around and the simple excuse of ‘I didn’t know any better’ wasn’t enough anymore. Imogen turned away from Olivia because she was embarrassed and now was not the time to look weak or broken. “I-I’m sorry” was all she could muster to say.
The striker had sucked in her breath, expecting Imogen to spit venom words at her once again, but when nothing came she was confused. Imogen turned away from her and Olivia’s eyebrows furrowed together, her mind wondering what was going through the other girl’s. When she heard the crack in her voice, Olivia’s features immediately softened. It was a sincere apology - both of them knew it. Olivia bit her lip for a second, hesitating. After a quick internal debate, she walked over to Imogen, pulling her into a gentle embrace. It was awkward, but it was what the girl needed at the moment. “I’m sorry too,” she whispered.
She meant it. She was sorry for everything between them because there was really no reason for any of it to happen. She was done playing games or living up to standards she believed were there. It was time to set a new bar now.
Imogen let out an inaudible gasp as she felt Olivia’s loose yet strong hold around her. She didn’t know what to think or feel anymore. She didn’t resist the girl, it was in fact a hug much needed. She just didn’t know how much she needed it until it actually happened. She heard Olivia’s apology which came out quietly but the weight of it was more like a shout or a roar. Imogen gently pulled away from
Olivia’s embrace. She looked at the girl through tear stained eyes confused and knowingly. “I got to go” she stated quietly as she turned to run towards the exit.
Olivia wasn’t sure what to do when she saw tears on Imogen’s cheeks. She never thought she’d see the day her supposed rival was in tears for something other than losing. Before she could think of anything else to say, Imogen pulled away and excused herself. “Imogen,” she called out. The girl didn’t stop, but she kept talking anyway. “I’m here if you need anything.”
Olivia’s words still hadn’t left Imogen as she laced up for practice the next day.
“Yo Imogen nice cleats!” Ornella said as she sat down next to her as she admired the new boots.
“Ah thanks, got them yesterday” Imogen said clearly distracted.
“What’s up with you?” Ornella asked obviously noticing the strange mood her captain was in.
Imogen thought about it for a moment before saying “I’m just tired, exhausted really..”
It was true, Imogen was tired. She was tired of hating Olivia. She was tired of the rivalry but she wasn’t ready to let everyone know that just yet.
Before Ornella could respond to Imogen’s weirdness, Chloe burst through the locker room door.
“Oh my god! I’ve had it up to here with those jerks!” Chloe said fuming as she sat down in front of her locker.
“What happened?” Imogen asked sure she knew the reason for the fit but figured she would ask anyways.
“I was at the mall the other day and I ran into Hailey, you know the girl with the hair....all I was doing was being friendly to her! That Thenard chick butted in….I almost got into fist fight with her for crying out loud!” Chloe heatedly shouted.
“Alright Chloe slow down, slow down.” Lilith calmly said as she patted her friend’s back.
