Backup
#5 of Team Players
Backup Team Players #5
"Set!"
Kelsey munched her sandwich and watched as a toned senior lowered herself under the descending volleyball and, with an almost gentle motion, tapped it upwards again - from where its next motion was hardly gentle as a tall leopard launched herself up and hammered it with a powerful overhand smash. Two defending players across the net went up to try and block the drive, but the ball pushed between them and smacked to the floor just in front of a frantic dig attempt from a back-liner.
"Nice hit, Shannon! Good job on the defense too, girls, that just had too much on it."
From her perch in the top seats of the gym bleachers, her favourite spot for lunch - not many people bothered her up there, and the general sportiness from various intramural and club team practices felt familiar to the husky - Kelsey watched as the coach brought out a white board and started going through positioning notes with the school's varsity team. It was an amusing sight - a dozen girls of various species, all of them closing in on six feet tall, circled around a five-foot puffball of a Pomeranian. Kelsey smiled to herself as she finished her lunch and carefully packed everything back into her bag.
Practice was breaking up as she made her way down out of the bleachers. A couple of the girls who she shared classes with smiled and gave Kelsey a nod. She was nearly out the door when someone touched her elbow lightly.
"Hey, Kelsey, got a minute?"
Surprised, the husky turned to find the Pomeranian looking up at her. "Yes, Mrs. Milligan?"
"I just wanted to say hi, and thanks for coming out to practice." The other canine smiled brightly. "Yeah, you're not here specifically to watch us, but the girls always work just a bit harder when there's an audience."
Kelsey chuckled. "Glad to help, even inadvertently."
"Say, we haven't chatted for a while... I seem to recall last time we talked I wondered if you'd be interested in getting into volleyball a bit." Mrs. Milligan poked lightly at one of the husky's well-muscled arms where the bicep peeked out from under her T-shirt arm. "I bet you could knock a ball pretty hard if you wanted to."
"Oh... Well, it's not that I don't want to, but I'm pretty busy already outside of school..." Kelsey shrugged as her tail flicked back and forth lightly. "It looks like fun, I just don't know if my schedule would allow for it."
The pomeranian flopped a fluffy ear back and regarded the taller canine for a moment, then smiled and reached up to pat a shoulder. "Tell you what. You've got second block open this afternoon, if I recall correctly... come by my office, we'll see if we can find something that fits your schedule."
Kelsey blinked at the teacher's impressive memory and nodded. "Er, okay. I'll come by at 2 or so?"
"Sounds good. Oops, almost bell time - better get to class!" Milligan grinned. "I'm a counsellor - if I'm late I don't get sent down to talk to me."
The big husky chuckled at the joke as she made her way towards her afternoon class.
French was as mind-numbing as it usually was for Kelsey, but with it gone and her free block upon her, she made her way through the hallway back into the athletics department's area near the gym.
Mrs. Milligan's office door was open, and the pomeranian looked up as Kelsey peeked in. "Oh, hi, Kelsey, come on in!" She waved at the seat across her desk, which Kelsey settled into. "I hope you don't mind me inviting you by like this, but I just wanted to have a chat with you someplace more private. Oh, just a sec."
The canine stood and leaned out the door, knocking on the wall next to it. "Caroline, I'm in conference, can you keep an ear out please?" At an affirmative call from the office next door, Milligan eased the door nearly closed, then sat down again. "Stupid rules about being in here with one student... anyhow. How've you been doing?"
Kelsey flicked an ear lightly and shrugged. "I'm okay. Classes are all right, I'm getting my work done..."
"What about outside of class? I never see you with other furs. Do you have any girls you like to spend time with?"
"Uh... well, my hockey makes it hard for me to spend a lot of time with anyone around here - I have to go across the river a couple of nights a week for practice, and the weekends..." The husky shifted in her chair, adjusting her arched tail to slide through the gap in the chair designed for just such a use, and frowned. "So yeah, I don't have a lot of time. But I mean, I spend time with other people outside of school for hockey and stuff..."
Milligan nodded to herself and tapped a pen on her chin as she regarded the young canine across from her. "I'm sure you do. But I really have noticed you mostly eating solo, up in the benches or sometimes outside. That's why I asked if you'd be interested in getting into some sports here."
"It's not that I don't want to do sports, or anything, Mrs. Milligan..."
"Call me Milly, Kelsey. All the girls do." She smiled. "I'm sure your hockey friends all have their nicknames, right?"
"Uh... yeah. Milly. Sure... anyhow, I'd like to try some other stuff, I just have to fit it into my schedule, and that's tough."
Milly grinned. "Well, now, that's the kind of job I'm good at, is organizing stuff to fit schedules. Listen. What if we got you into the intramural junior league? I know you've played a little volleyball but not near enough to get into the varsity. The IM league is pretty good for beginners. And even better - it's flexible, because we've got lots of players already."
Kelsey scratched her chin. "When does that happen?"
"You've seen it a few times over lunch. And there's a couple of after-school practices and games, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Does that give you some times that would fit?"
"Yeah," Kelsey said after a moment's thought. "I've got hockey Wednesday and Friday, a workout Thursday, and games on the weekend. I could probably stick around later on Tuesday." She paused. "Are you sure the others wouldn't mind me dropping in on their team? I mean, it's not like I'm very good at volleyball."
Millie grinned. "Neither are most of the other intramural players. I pick the best of them and push them up to the next level."
"So it's kind of like scouting for you, then?"
The Pomeranian nodded. "It's a lot better than just holding tryouts once a year. I can see who's playing casually and encourage them to get into the varsity teams."
"Huh. Well... okay. I can try it, at least, and see if it works." Kelsey smiled. "It's probably good for me to hang out with some other girls now and again."
"That's the spirit!" Millie handed Kelsey a sheet of paper. "Here's the intramural times. I'm going to fit you onto..." She pondered a moment, then made a note. "...team four. They play on Monday and Thursday at noon, and Tuesday after school."
Kelsey picked up a pen and ticked off those times on the schedule. "Okay. I'll come out on Monday at noon, and see how it goes."
"Good stuff. Now, don't let me hold you up any longer - I'm sure you've got studying to do." Millie waved a paw towards the door. "I'll see you Monday."
There were a few curious glances in the gym on Monday as intramural players gathered around their coach with one extra player among them. Kelsey slipped diffidently into the group as Millie clapped her paws and drew them together.
"All right, folks, let's get going! We've got a couple of new players today, so welcome Kelsey and Sam." The little Pomeranian pointed to each of the girls, Sam turning out to be a hyena who Kelsey had noticed in the halls once or twice. Regular players nodded a greeting to them. "They've both played a little but be gentle with them. I'm going to split you up into four teams, with a couple of extras, and we'll play some games to 11. Everyone ready?"
At the general agreement, Millie started moving girls into groups of six or seven. At a motion from her, Kelsey moved over to join a team, looking at the other girls waiting there. One, a slim spotted skunk a little shorter than her, smiled. "Hey... Kelsey, right? I'm Jess. We're in English together."
Kelsey thought a moment, then nodded and flashed a quick grin. "Oh, right, you were the one who confused our sub two weeks ago with that question about Lawrence's love life."
The skunk giggled, as did a couple of the other girls, who quickly stepped in to introduce themselves. "So you've played volleyball a bit?"
"Yeah, not much... I'm a hockey player."
"Wow!" A short, stocky mixed-breed canine named Tracy looked at Kelsey wide-eyed. "Hockey's a tough sport."
Kelsey chuckled. "I've seen some pretty hard landings in volleyball too. It's not so bad."
"Okay, ladies, let's get some games going!"
Kelsey looked at the other girls. "Uh, how are we going to rotate?"
"We just usually pick a spot and cycle around with each change of serve... we don't do the fancy stuff like moving around all the time like the varsity players do," Tracy said as the six furs walked out to take a court. "When I'm up front, we don't do a lot of hard spiking..." - she motioned to her rather round frame - "...obviously."
Kelsey laughed, her worry about blending in easing as the other girls bantered with one another across the net. She took a spot in the back row to start, and watched as a slim ferret hit an underhand serve towards their opponents. It was dug out neatly and bumped back across, where Jess the skunk fielded it with a quick hop to tap it back over and down towards the floor in the front row. An impressive sprawl from a feline across the net pushed the ball back up just enough for it to be bumped back over, straight at Kelsey. She clenched her paws and prepared herself, and barely managed to catch it on the side of an arm. Tracy got a paw under it and popped it back up for someone to nudge back over as Kelsey blushed, and a miscommunication earned their team the first point.
"Nice hit, Kelsey," came a voice from the sidelines; she turned to see Millie watching with a smile. "For your first touch, at least. Eye on the ball, and breathe, it's just a game."
The husky nodded as the ball was served again, this time into the net. "Whoops," the ferret grumbled as they rotated, with Kelsey moving to the front row as the other team prepared to serve. A lanky wolf batted the ball overhand, and Tracy tracked it down, bumping it up. Kelsey saw the girls on the other side watching the ball across the court from her and recalled some of the plays she'd seen in the varsity games with a quick grin. "Set!" she said, watching as one of the other girls got herself under the descending ball. She nodded and batted it towards the husky, who leaped up and swatted it across the net - right into two pairs of paws outstretched and ready for it. The ball bounced back and off of her nose before dribbling down the net onto the floor.
Kelsey blinked and rubbed her nose, looking down at the ball with a frown. "Okay, so that didn't work..."
Jess giggled and swatted the husky on a shoulder. "Right idea, though! I thought you said you didn't play volleyball."
"I've watched a lot. Probably too much, to try that."
"Keep doing it!" one of the other girls said as they readied for the next ball.
As the game progressed and her team kept pace with their opponents, Kelsey found her confidence increasing and her rusty volleyball skills returning. The camaraderie built quickly too, both among her teammates and the girls across the net, some of whom she recognized from classes and who struck up conversations as they waited between serves.
It had been an awfully long time since she had spent that much time with other youth outside of hockey. It was rather nice, she decided as Millie blew a whistle and called an end to the session. Her teams had won one game and lost another, and Kelsey had made a couple of good plays.
As the players drifted apart and headed for the locker rooms, Jess joined her and smiled. "Hey, a few of us get together on Wednesdays at lunch time to study - would you like to join us? We have a couple of really good math geeks, if you need help there."
Kelsey chuckled. "Math is my worst subject. I could use the help. Sure."
"Awesome. It's in room 205. See you in English later!" The skunk waved as she walked off. Kelsey smiled to herself. If Millie's intent was to make her socialize more, it was working just fine.
-bleep-
hey! whatsup, K?
hey lucas, not much, out with some of the girls
you have girls?? this is new!!!
oh shut it, bunny boy - gotta go, talk soon
hey hey, you busy thursday night, wanna hang?
oops, cant this week, got a vball tournament
whoa, u got a life outside of hockey, fainting now
ima check you into the boards this weekend, lucas - ttyl
Kelsey stowed her phone and turned her attention back to the table around her. The other girls had politely kept up their conversation - something about a new episode of American Idol, or something; she had no idea what they were talking about but they didn't seem to mind - but now that the phone was down three faces turned to her inquisitively.
"Sooooo... someone important?" Tracy blinked ingenuously as she leaned on her clasped paws and looked over the table at Kelsey. Jess sipped a milkshake and giggled a bit as she let the mixed-breed canine lead the questioning; their third, a fox named Haylie, chuckled at the question and lifted an eyebrow at the husky.
"Uh... just a friend..." the husky stammered over her Coke, blushing.
Jess nudged Haylie in the ribs and winked. "Just a friend, she says. Look at the colour of her ears!"
"Yeah, she's definitely keeping something from us..." The fox smirked as Kelsey hunkered down behind her glass, her ears slicking back slightly. "Come on, spill!"
"No, really, we're just friends!" Kelsey protested as the other girls giggled. Tracy leaned over and gave the husky an amiable hug around the shoulders.
"We're just messing with ya, Kels," she said. "We won't pry. ... so, have you slept with him?"
The look on Kelsey's face set off the other girls into peals of laughter, which the husky slowly joined in on as she recognized they were fooling with her. "Jeez, guys... what would you do if I asked you that?!"
"Say yes," Jess giggled. "Hey, we're friends, friends can share this stuff, right?"
Kelsey shook her head. "I need to get used to having friends like you guys, obviously."
"Come on, let's give her a break. She's not used to people who don't hit her into a board." Tracy smiled and passed Kelsey a plate of appetizers. "Anyhow, we need to keep her happy for the tournament tomorrow night!"
"Good point," Jess nodded, sipping her drink. "You're gonna be there, right, Kelsey?"
The husky nodded. "Yep, I'm looking forward to it - it should be fun."
"We don't get to play against other schools very often," said Haylie. "We've been playing pretty good together, so hopefully we get a chance to show off... unless they screw up and send the varsity team instead."
"If they do, Kelsey can hit them into the boards!"
"I think that's a loss of serve, actually..."
The four girls laughed amongst themselves as their dinners arrived.
"Back row!"
"Set!"
"DIG DIG DIG!"
"Aw, MAN..."
The gym was a cacophony of voices and the thud of volleyballs meeting paws as a dozen teams of girls circulated around the various courts. Kelsey's squad had been fairly successful, winning two matches and losing one against a strong team of visitors from down the road in Mission.
"That was a good hit in that last round, Kelsey." Jess handed her friend a towel, the skunk sitting down and reaching back to tug free the strap that held her broad tail tucked against her back. "That six-foot monster moose in the middle of the court must have pissed off the varsity coach or something..."
"No kidding." Leaning back against the wall, Kelsey stretched out a leg. "Gah, got a kink in my thigh... We've got a break now, right?"
Tracy picked up the schedule and perused it. "Yeah, we're off for 45 minutes, then we've got two more games after that."
"Okay. I'm gonna go walk this kink out, maybe grab a bite." The husky stood and slipped into her hoodie. "I'll be back in a half hour."
Haylie looked up from digging a sandwich out of her bag. "Want company? I'm not totally in love with peanut butter."
"Nah, that's okay, Haylie, thanks. I'll be back."
"Careful out there, there's a soccer tournament tonight too - the guys are all out there, I guess."
"They should be in here watching us, shouldn't they?" Tracy blinked at Haylie. "Or do they give soccer players boobs now?"
"No, I think... Tracy, we need to have a talk."
Kelsey slipped out of the busy gym and took a deep breath free of the crowds. Night was slowly closing in, the school's outside lights flickering on, but there were fewer people outside and that was her preference. Sure, she was used to playing hockey in an arena with hundreds of people looking on, but this was different somehow... the crowds were closer, the games were busier, and for someone used to having her own space most of the time it took some getting used to.
The husky shook her head and did a quick stretch to release the tension from her thigh, then cut around a corner of the building. A rumble in her belly suggested that a quick visit to a convenience store a couple blocks away that she knew had some interesting ethnic snacks available would be a good idea, and she knew exactly how to get there - it was one of the recognized shortcuts around the school.
Lights from the outside fields were visible over the top of the school, but Kelsey didn't expect to come across any traffic, so it came as a surprise when she heard voices ahead between two buildings.
"You wanna go through, you gotta pay, rattie."
"I'll just go the other way. Sorry to... hey!"
"I said you gotta pay, bitch."
Kelsey rolled her eyes and peeked around the corner into the gap between the portable buildings. Sure enough, two good-sized males had another, much smaller, by the arm. She sniffed, and groaned at the scent of weed drifting on the air, then recognized the bigger of the two, a rottweiler with a reputation for being on more chemicals than lab class. The husky didn't recognize his associate, but the feline looked to be pretty toasted as well, the way he was using the wall to keep upright.
"I don't need this," she thought to herself, turning away, but something was bothering her, and a moment later, she got it as she listened to the smaller fur's slightly panicked voice.
"Look, I don't have any money, just let go, okay? Jeez..."
That voice was definitely familiar. She turned and looked again, and blinked. Mouse, familiar voice, soccer gear... "Oh, for the love of... It's Corey!" she realized with a blink of surprise. Lucas had mentioned that he was a soccer player, come to think...
"Sure you don't, rat boy," the rottweiler grumbled, shaking the mouse back and forth. "What were you gonna buy food with, huh? Sex?"
"Maybe he likes that!" the wobbling cat giggled, grabbing their prey's other arm. "Come on, just give us a few bucks, huh?"
"I told you, I don't..." Corey's voice broke off as he was shaken again.
"Yeah, and... whu?" The dog stopped and turned around as someone tapped on his shoulder.
"Hi! Why don't you let him go?" Kelsey smiled brightly at the canine, who frowned.
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
Kelsey shrugged. "Just passing through, and figured you two might take a suggestion to grow up a bit."
The canine looked at his cat friend, and both snickered, their original target left to himself to goggle in surprise at the newcomer. "Hey, Dave, this girl thinks we're not grown up. We should show her how grown up we are. You wanna unzip first or should I?"
"Really, guys? You're bullying a smaller fur, and you want me to think you don't have micropenises?" Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Let him go, willya?"
"Micro... hey!" Striding forward, the feline reached out and shoved Kelsey's shoulder. "Who you callin' a microdick, you fuckin' butch bitch? You wanna fuckin' go?"
"Not really. That's why I asked you assholes to let him go."
The rottweiler chuckled. "Must be her boyfriend, huh, Dave? Maybe we should fuck him up so she goes for real guys."
"Fuck that, she called me a microdick! I'm gonna fuck HER up!" The cat reached out and shoved her again. "You want that, huh, bitch? You wanna..."
His eyes went wide as Kelsey's hands came up and wrapped around his forearm, giving him a hard yank towards her. Off balance already, he stumbled; the trip placed his chin in just the right position to meet a perfectly placed shoulder check. His teeth clicked together and he slumped down to his rump in the gravel, looking confused.
Kelsey and the rottweiler both looked down at the cat, then back at each other. She smiled brightly and, the mouse forgotten, the dog growled and stepped towards her.
A foot - wearing a solidly-built soccer cleat - thumped hard between the dog's thighs. His eyes bulged as his muzzle opened wide in surprise and pain, and he slowly sagged, soundlessly, to his knees before toppling over. Kelsey blinked past him at Corey, who stared at her. "It IS you! What..."
"Nice kick. You must be a good player." She looked at the two assailants whimpering on the ground. "Can I make a suggestion before the conversation gets really weird?"
Corey tilted his head, confused. "What's that?"
"Let's get the fuck out of here before these two get up."
"Yeah, good idea."
The two furs beat a hasty retreat, Kelsey motioning the way towards the friendly lights of the convenience store. Corey kept casting sidelong glances at her as they got further away from the school. She waited patiently, knowing he'd eventually get the courage up to...
"So, uhm... you're a girl, then?"
That might not have been the introduction to the subject Kelsey had been expecting, but it worked as a starting point. "Yes, Corey, I'm a girl. They aren't much, I know, but they're boobs nonetheless."
"Huh." Silence returned, and Corey stayed quiet as they bought a quick snack and walked out to sit at a picnic table outside the store. Finally he spoke again. "So, um... how many people on the team know?"
Kelsey sipped her drink and shrugged. "Just Lucas and you, now. And Coach, of course. I hope you're not..."
"Upset? Scandalized? Mad?" Corey shrugged as well. "Hey, you're a better defenseman... uh, woman... than anyone else in the league, from what I've seen."
"Thanks, Corey, I appreciate that." She paused. "You know if anyone official found out I'd get tossed out, and they'd probably get rid of Coach too, and a bunch of other people in the league, right?"
Corey swallowed a bite of burrito. "I kind of figured someone in the office had to know about it... pretty dangerous to do that kind of thing, isn't it?"
"Yeah. But they wanted me to play house hockey with the rest of the girls, and I wanted to play someplace with some more competition."
"Suits me fine, long as you keep feeding me those long breakout passes you always do so well." The mouse smiled. "Secret's safe with me, Kelsey."
Releasing a deep relieved breath, the husky smiled back, her tail wagging. "Thanks, Corey. Just ... keep it quiet, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. So... you and Lucas, huh?"
"What?" She blinked. "We're just friends, if that's what..."
"Heh, sorry... just noticed you guys spend a lot of time together. I figured something was up. I'm pretty close with him too, you know."
"Oh, yeah, he mentioned you guys get together a fair bit." She finished her drink and stood. "I need to get back, I've got some more games to play. You?"
Corey blinked, and nodded. "Oh, yeah, I've got one more. I think I'll take the long way around the field to get there, though..."
"Let's walk back along this side of the road, then in the front doors and I'll let you out through the gym."
"That works." Corey glanced up at the bigger husky, his tail twitching lightly as they walked. "Uh, they're nice, by the way. You make a great girl."
Kelsey blushed. "Thanks."
-bleep-
Yo, Lucas, you still up?
hey K hows the vball?
good, had fun and won a few, but damn you won't believe what happened
oooh, do tell?
well, put it this way: we got one more team member who knows ive got boobs...
ohshit!!!
"Backup" - Team Players 5 (c) 2011 Tony Greyfox. All rights reserved. Do not repost without permission of the author. http://www.furaffinity.net/user/tgreyfox