My Girl
Author: http://TheShinyLizard.tumblr.com
Recipient:Â Â http://insert-blank-wood.tumblr.com
Summary: It is the state championship, Meg Turney vs Lindsay Tuggey, one of them Ryan is dating and the other is one his team, kinda makes it hard to decide on who to cheer for.
Warnings: None
WordCount: 1,512
My Girl
It was for the championship, the state title, for all the metaphorical marbles, and once again, Rooster Teeth University, the fighting Spartans, was against Achievement City University, the Green Hunters, in the final match up. The fierce rivalry between the two schools was the stuff of legend. No matter the sport the sought to best each other every time. And the school that held the most wins against the other at the end of the year won the coveted gold tower, dubbed the Tower of Pimps by the students of both schools. Earning the gold tower was accompanied by a campus wide, unofficially sanctioned party. This year, the two schools were tied up and the next match on the line was the Tennis tournament. No one could have predicted that tennis would tip the balance.
It was Burnie Burns of Rooster Teeth versus Ryan Haywood of Achievement City. Burnie Burns was nicknamed Church for his devotion to the sport, practicing every day, skipping on parties, and sometimes his classes, all in effort better himself. Ryan Haywood was dubbed the Mad King after one photograph; it was an action shot that caught him mid smirk, quite the devious one at that, and the sun, almost picturesque, was rising behind him and it shined against his sandy locks and a jagged golden crown could almost be seen.
Not only were the boys playing, the women were too. It was Meg Turney, the Neon Cat, of Rooster Teeth playing against Lindsay Tuggey, Ruby, of Achievement City. The Neon Cat came from the rather vibrant colored clothes she wore during her matches and the cat like grace she had on the field, making soaring leaps only to land back on her feet. Lindsay Tuggey was nicknamed Ruby because of her signature deep red sneakers; she called them her lucky shoes.
“You got this, Ruby, put this kitten in her place,” Ryan patted Lindsay on the back, eyeing Meg Turney. She had on a bright pink sun visor worthy of her nickname.
“Hey!” Meg shouted, “I’ll have you know that this cat has claws. Hope the little gem can handle the court.”
“Oh, you know why these shoes are red? Because they are stained with the blood of my opponents after I wipe the court with them,” Lindsay sniped back. She stood up and leaned back, hands on her hips, waiting for the satisfying moment when her back stretched just right.
“Oh is that why? I thought you stole those off some witch’s feet after a house fell on her.”
The official came over to the group. “Ladies? Are you ready?” she asked, looking at the two girls.
Those exchanges were common before any game. Football. Softball. Baseball. Volleyball. Whenever the teams squared off against each other there was always a volley of taunts and insults, nothing serious, always taken in stride.
Two yeps and a handshake later they were on the court, facing each other, Meg was the first one up to serve. She bounced the ball on the court and gave quick glance to Ryan out of the corner of her eye. He nodded at her and gave her a small smile, mouthing the words “good luck”.
“How’s Allison doing, Church?”
Allison was the best tennis player in the country, bar none. She went to Rooster Teeth University for a few years but left mid-season to join the pro circuit. That year Rooster Teeth had been projected to win the Tower but when Allison left, so did their hopes of stealing the tower.
Burnie snorted. “A lot better than Grif, at least her name is on the cover for winning championships and not for drunk and disorderlys.”
Geoff Ramsey, great tennis player, could probably go pro someday, that is if he managed to stay sober for longer than an hour. There was speculation that he played his best when drunk. He often paired with Jack Pattillo, The Beard (that one should really be self-explanatory) for doubles matches and two were consistently in the finals. The chemistry they had on the court could only be fueled by the history that the two had together, growing up and playing together since they were kids. There were three other players on the time that were quickly rising through the ranks, the Brit, Gavin Free, the man with power shot, Mr. Anger himself, Michael Jones, and the newest member, a short but built man, Jeremy Dooley, noted for his wicked trick shots he called Monster shots.
“Oh? And is the cheese master really that much better?”
Before Burnie could reply with a little snark of his own, Lindsay missed a low ball, and Meg won the game.
“Oh! That was close Lindsay! You got this!”
“Show her what you’re made of Meg!”
There were still several games to go for the first set.
As the girls volleyed on the court, the guys shared little snide comments and insults under the breath, ensuring that only the other could hear. No fan needed to know how far the rivalry between the schools went.
Really though, who should he cheer for. On the one hand, there was his school loyalty which was for Lindsay but his girlfriend was playing and well… he really enjoyed watching her play. Thank god being a tennis player meant that his face wasn’t plastered all over the school’s posters, if he had been a football player then he might’ve had a hard time going to watch her matches. He would wear her school colors and cheer her on.
“Aww, Meg! So, close there, so close.”
Ryan jerked his head up, glancing to Burnie. “Huh? What happened?”
“Man, if you wanna know, you gotta watch your girl play,” Burnie teased.
“Yeah, my girl,” Ryan groaned, dropping his head in his hands.
Which one of them was his girl? That was the issue. He couldn’t be seen publicly cheering Meg on, even though he hoped she’d win, school loyalty and all that. At any other match he could always claim that he was watching Meg to get a read on their school’s competition. Now- well he couldn’t really cheer her on. Not without some serious questions.
The whole secrecy surrounding their relationship was really starting to eat at him. It kept him from enjoying watching the game as he deliberated over who to cheer for. Whenever Meg made a great shot Ryan wanted to hoot and holler for her and when Lindsay scored Ryan was elated and ready for cheer. It was a close game and it had Ryan’s stomach in knots watching the two play against each other. For every power shot that Lindsay threw at her, Meg would hit back with another, her back hand had improved.
In the end though, the both played a good game but Meg’s was better. She won the state title and Ryan couldn’t be prouder for her. He was beaming at her as they passed, giving her a hearty handshake, nearly pulling her in to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Congratulations, Meg, you played well today,” he said, resisting that urge.
“Thanks, Ryan, good luck against Burnie, but you know, the best player is gonna win.” She winked.
For all the insults the schools threw at each other, they were also their staunchest defenders and ready to accept that the other school had won.
Now it was his turn to play. Ryan stretched and practiced with a few warm up swings. Burnie across from him, on the opposite side of the court was doing the same.
The official gave them the go ahead and Ryan nodded.
It was time.
Ryan bounced the ball on the ground, eyeing Burnie up. He threw the ball in the air, eyes locked on the target, arm swinging. All the struggles and dilemmas that had plagued him during the women’s match left his mind. It was just him and the ball. And this- this was his court. This was where he reigned.
Whack
-
A few days after the tournament, on a short break at his parent’s house for the weekend, Ryan went to the local tennis courts for some easy practice. He started close to the back wall and just rhythmically smacked the ball against the wall, a simple one two one two, wall, racket, wall, racket. Once he was warmed up he moved back and started going at it harder.
“So how does it feel playing against a champion?” Meg sent the ball flying back to him.
“Well, why don’t you tell me?” He said, grinning at her, hitting the ball back to her with a gentle swing of his racket.
“Winner buys lunch today?” Meg asked, knocking the ball to the short, forcing Ryan to sprint to the net.
“You’re on.” He bopped the ball back over and it bounced and rolled.
Meg put her hands on her hips, indignant, “that one doesn’t count.”
Ryan snorted, “Alright, alright, your serve, kitty.”
“I thought I told you to call me Queen.”
“Of course, my queen, because you are my girl.”
The End












