//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Overdrive // by Crimson Mist //------------------------------// “So, how did the tryouts go, honey?” my mom asked as soon as I got home. “Fine,” I muttered, not wanting to discuss it further. Mom placed her hands on her hips. “I may not be around much, but I do know when you’re upset about something. Let me guess, you didn’t make it?” “Nope.” “Oh, that’s too bad. I’m really sorry to hear that. So, are you going to try out for any other sports?” “I dunno.” I walked over to the fridge, pushing stray cardboard boxes that hadn’t yet been unpacked from the move over to the side. Opening the door, I grabbed a can of Diet Coke and cracked it open. Chugging it down, I let it wash away the frustrated emotions that had been boiling up inside me. “Don’t worry about it too much, honey. I’m sure you’ll think of something that’ll take volleyball’s place as your number one go-to sport. Anyways, I have to get back to work now. My clients won’t be pleased if I’m late.” I watched as Mom adjusted her purse, tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and slipped on her polished black high-heeled boots before opening the front door and closing it gently behind her. She and Dad hardly got any time off work, so I was mostly on my own for hours on end. We rarely had family meals, and when we did, they came straight out of a pizza box. The house itself was surprisingly organized, but that was more due to my obsessive-compulsive aunt who lived in Cloudsdale coming over on the weekends to make sure the house was still running. Things, I guess, had been messed-up for her, too, ever since we moved. My family, meaning my parents and I, used to live in Cloudsdale, which is where I attended both Middle and Elementary school. We had a nice house in a nice neighborhood that was very rarely plagued by crime or drugs, the kind of atmosphere that was perfect for growing up in. But all that changed when my dad got a job in Canterlot, making a move inevitable. Since Canterlot is a really upper-class city, my parents decided that it would be better to settle in the outskirts of Ponyville, a quiet little town with a train that ran direct to the city, meaning that travel wouldn’t be so much of an issue. My mom was a realtor, and it didn’t take much for her to get her career back on track by selling real estate in Ponyville as opposed to Cloudsdale. The house itself was rather large, and situated on a hill that overlooked a valley. It was in a private neighborhood much like the one in Cloudsdale that was devoid of nasty stuff. Since my parents worked almost nonstop, there wasn’t much done in the way of unpacking. Cardboard boxes were neatly stacked to the side, with the odd one or two scattered about around the house. All the basic necessities were taken out, but things such as Christmas decorations and our numerous family photo albums were still stashed away. Heading up to my room, I locked my door behind me and threw myself down on my soft-as-a-cloud bed. “I can’t believe it, Tank!” I moaned, venting my anger to my audience of one pet tortoise. Tank lifted his head at me as if to indicate that he was listening. “It was all Lightning Dust’s fault! Ugh, I don’t know how I put up with her on the badminton team last year. She’s such a pain, and so full of it, too! And now, the only thing I can do is play beach volleyball, a crappy rip-off version of what I’d always dreamed about! Even worse, I have to find a partner or else I can’t play! This is definitely. Not. Awesome.” I buried my head into my pillow and screamed until my lungs hurt. How in Equestria was I going to find a partner who was as awesome as I? Wait a second... Coach Spitfire said that I just needed a partner to compete... Someone... Anyone would do... It doesn’t matter if they can play or not... I’ll just do all the winning, and they don’t need to worry about a thing... In that case... I whipped out my cell phone and went straight to the text message app. Maybe I could talk one of my old Elementary or Middle school friends into playing. Desperately, I reviewed everyone who I could think of that was a possible candidate. The first person I thought of was Gilda, an old friend of mine from camp. She went to different schools than I did, until this year, when she transferred to Canterlot High. Even though she was a competitive rival of mine, I had no problem with being on the same team, if it meant that we could beat Lightning Dust. Hey Gilda, it’s RD. Heard about the beach volleyball tourney? If so wanna be a team? A few minutes later, I got a response. RD, someone already asked me. thx for the invite tho :) {Dammit!} I cursed. Oh well. The next person I thought that I might be able to convince was Fluttershy, one of my oldest friends from Cloudsdale Elementary. We were both bullying targets as kids, so I often found myself standing up for the two of us. Since I thwarted many of the mean plans that other people had for her, I figured that she owed me a few favours. Plus, she was attending Canterlot High too, qualifying us as a potential team. Fluttershy, do u have any interest in playing volleyball? I need a partner. 1st session is next Weds @ 3:30 – RD Fluttershy was pretty timid, so I doubted that she’d be willing to play a tough, competitive sport. Still, it was worth the try. She replied nearly immediately. So sorry but I’m volunteering at the local animal shelter on Weds. Plus, volleyball is a rough sport. I wouldn’t want to get hurt. Good luck with finding a partner, though! I sighed. So far, not so good. Arriving early for school the next day, I considered going to the gym to see if I could talk Coach Spitfire into changing her mind. Since that likely would never happen, I sat down in front of my locker and pondered the few other options I had. Freshmen weren’t allowed to play for the soccer team, and the softball team’s tryouts had been three days ago. My parents, although supportive of my athletic endeavours, likely wouldn’t let me play rugby or wrestle. Track, however, was still a good part of my alternative plan. Maybe I would try out for it next. Of course, volleyball was my current favourite sport, but since I wasn’t allowed on the team this year, and I couldn’t find a partner for the beach volleyball league, it looked more and more like I’d have to go to plan B. Time to focus my efforts towards the Track team. I was determined to become a Canterlot Wondercolt, and there was no way that I’d let a couple negative events turn me away from my dream. Getting up, I made my way towards the gym in order to sign up for the Track and Field tryouts. It was too early in the morning for there to be large crowds of people, so I moved through the hallways with ease. Stopping right outside the gym, I pushed the heavy door open and walked in. There were a few other kids around, since Coach Spitfire allowed anyone to come in before class to practice. It didn’t matter if they were a Wondercolt or not; in fact, I’d seen quite a few people in there that I never would’ve imagined. I spotted the tryout sign-ups on the wall outside the door that led to the coach’s office. Maneuvering my way over, I picked up the pencil that hung by a string next to the paper and pressed down, ready to sign. Until something caught my eye. Something I never would’ve expected... In the corner of the room, there was a strong-looking blonde-haired girl wearing a Stetson. She was intently bouncing a volleyball against the wall. Could it possibly be...? I wondered, dropping the pencil and striding up to her, standing slightly behind. She was so caught up in her game that she didn’t even notice me. “Hey,” I said, and she whipped around. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash,” she responded, turning her attention back onto the ball. “So, you play volleyball,” I said as casually as I could manage. “No, not officially. Ah don’t really play sports,” she corrected. “You look pretty good, though. Wanna play me?” “Sure.” She stopped bouncing the ball and tucked it under her arm as I led her to the center of the gym. Beginning with a hard serve, she sent it over the net with an amazing amount of force. Surprised, I watched it as it hit the very corner of the boundary lines, giving her the point. “Yahoo!” she cried out. “First point is fer me!” “Don’t worry, I’ll catch up,” I told her intently as she served again. This time, I was prepared, and was able to volley it back over the net. My opponent reacted with lightning speed, setting the ball lightly towards me. With all the strength I could muster, I smashed it back into her court, tying the game. We continued on like this for the next five minutes or so as a race to three points, with me eventually emerging as the victor. “Whew-ee! That was quite the match!” the blonde-haired girl said, wiping sweat off of her brow as we went to sit down. “Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m one of the best volleyball players around, but you sure gave me a run for the money! For a second there, I thought that I might actually have a slim chance of losing!” She laughed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “That was the most fun Ah’ve had in ages!” “Me too.” I thought for a moment. She was certainly a good player, maybe even good enough to be a teammate! You’re getting ahead of yourself here, I reminded myself. You don’t even know her name. Speaking of which... “Hey, what’s your name?” “Applejack,” she told me. “Applejack,” I repeated. It definitely suited her. We sat down over on one of the bleachers that was stored on the side of the gym. There was less than ten minutes until class began, but I was in no rush to go anywhere. “So, Applejack, what Elementary school did you go to?” I asked, curious to find out a little more about my new friend. “Ah never went tah Elementary school. Mah granny homeschooled me and mah siblings at our family’s farm,” she answered me. “This whole highschool thing is brand new tah me.” “Oh, that’s cool. I wish I was homeschooled, but my parents don’t have the time. What about your parents? Were they too busy, too?” “Mah parents are dead.” “Oh.” I awkwardly shifted over. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry ‘bout it. They died in a car accident when Ah was little. Ah’ve been raised by mah Granny Smith ever since.” “My grandma died of cancer when I was four,” I offered. “I never really got to know her.” “That’s terrible,” Applejack said, her eyes portraying a look of sorrow. “This is one darned awful conversation we’re havin’.” “Yeah it is. Uh, so, how did you learn to play volleyball?” I asked, quickly changing the subject. “Ah always played with mah siblings ‘round the farm. Somethin’ to do other than farmin’, ya know. Ah play soccer and baseball, too, sorta.” “That’s cool. I play pretty much any sport you throw at me, except golf. I hate golf,” I said, making a face. Applejack laughed. “What’s wrong with golf?” “It’s for really boring old people.” “Ah suppose yer right. Never liked that sport much. Course, Ah’ve never played it, but that’s beside the point.” We both laughed merrily, the depressing conversation of earlier now almost completely forgotten. I checked my watch. There was only three minutes until class started, and the warning bell was set to go off any moment now. “Listen, Applejack,” I started to say. “I have something to ask you, something very important.” “Yes?” she asked, tilting her head so that the glow of the fluorescent ceiling lights gave her blonde hair a lovely backlight. She looked so pretty that I lost my train of thought. “Uh... um...” Oh shoot. I couldn’t even remember what I was going to say. She stared at me with her deep emerald green eyes, which were widening in anticipation of my words. “Uh... well... Can I have your number?” I suddenly blurted out, instantly wanting to shove the words back in my mouth as soon as they slipped away from me. “Mah... phone number?” There was a slight blush on Applejack’s cheeks. “Um, yeah. Home or cell, I don’t care. Uh, listen, Applejack, I have something important to discuss with you, and I don’t have enough time now. Do you think I could have some contact information so I could get in touch with you to talk about this?” I said, quickly trying to save face after my embarrassing slip. “Yeah, sure. Ah’ll give ya mah home number ‘cause Ah don’t own a cell phone. Hold on just a sec...” She opened up her backpack and rummaged through until she produced a piece of scrap paper and a pen. I watched as she scribbled down her number, handing it to me when she was done. There was a blush on her face, and she looked away as I took it and put it in my pocket. “Thanks,” I said gratefully. “Don’t mention it,” she said, still refusing to make eye contact. The bell rang just then, signifying the beginning of the school day. I got up, slinging my backpack over my back. “See you later,” I said as I dashed away. Applejack waved in response before getting up and heading off in a different direction. It was only until I was halfway to my class that I let the embarrassed redness seep onto my face. She must think I’m such a loser, I thought. Why, oh why, did I have to make a fool of myself in front of the person who I hoped to convince to become my volleyball partner? I was 20% more pathetic in 10 seconds flat. Definitely not awesome.