Heated Rivals by Anastacia
Girls Do It Too by Anastacia
Chapter 1 – Girls Do It Too

"Can't you be a normal girl for one time in your life, Riana?" Teagan groaned with distaste as she sat down on the nearby football bench, overlooking the freshly mown football field. The fresh scent of grass flittered through the Floridian air, mixing with the ocean spray from a beach nearby. She flicked a piece of her short brown locks away from her black-rimmed glasses that complimented her blue-gray eyes. She hated watching her best friend suite up for Tartan Senior High School Football Season. Teagan had hoped for the longest time that her best friend of sixteen years, Oriana Riley, would grow out of her desire to become one of the boys. Alas, her prayers were never answered and Teagan had to accept that they were stepping into the beginning of the Senior Year of high school and there was no turning back.

Oriana seemed less than pleased with her friend's outrageous comment as she stood in a ready position, charged for the game. She glared down from her stance before pulling on all the protective equipment she would need for her Offensive lineman position. "Define normal, Teagan," Oriana challenged.

"A girl who doesn't play football for starters!"

"I like football," Oriana groaned, reaching for the scrunchie Teagan had tried to steal away. Oriana quickly reached behind her head to gather her long layered honey blonde curls into a high ponytail to hide beneath her helmet. She didn't want the boys on the opposing team to realize she was female, because it would only start the chaos yet again. She turned her lithe frame for a moment to glance out on the field, realizing none of the other players had made it to the field yet. It was their opening game against their biggest rival school - William's Senior High School.

"It's okay to like football! But to play football with the Varsity team is another. Why can't you just be in choir and stuff without the helmets and pads and bashing into other guys? You're lucky that no one lately has found out you're a girl. Remember what happened when the Harding coach found that out?" Teagan replied with impatience. No matter how many times she talked to Oriana about giving up her role on the team, she would just shrug it off with 'I like football!'

"Teagan, get off your high horse, okay?" Oriana groaned as she attached her bite guard to her helmet. She loved Teagan more than life itself, but loathed how Teagan always expected Oriana to follow behind her. Oriana understood that since Teagan was gorgeous and wild she would always grasp the title of the most popular girl in the school, recognized as the prettiest, received all the looks from the boys, and excelled within the social stature. But Oriana was completely different from Teagan. Oriana was more subdued within the confines of the school because she was naturally shy amongst strangers. She was popular and floated around between clicks. Everyone knew that Oriana was the one to run to when they had troubles with assignments or needed to talk about a problem.

Oriana wasn't recognized as a school beauty because of her complete lack of style, though she was a diamond in the rough. She was naturally lean and physically toned from her constant participation in various sports, adding to the appeal of her curving and maturing body. Her lustrous honey curls were thick and hinting with natural strawberry highlights. She had beautiful blue-green eyes that seemed to burn with an intense heat of mystery. Yet, Oriana hid behind her jeans, sweatpants, and t-shirts. She hinted to her appealing figure only when she wore tank tops and shorts. She didn't care though. Oriana had always roughed around with the boys, she received no phone calls for dates because all the boys considered her one of their own. Sometimes she wished to trade places with Teagan, but when she was out on the field, she was her own person.

"Teag, I'm normal, okay?" Oriana tried for one final time.

"I know you're normal in a lot of ways, and I'm not on any horse! I just meant that football like this isn't meant for girls," Teagan groaned, pulling off her glasses and placing sunglasses in their place as the sun shone brightly, tanning the girls’ skin even more. She just wanted Oriana to be more like a girl and finally go on dates and eventually have a boyfriend. Even though Oriana objected to that all the time, saying she was just one of the guys to them, Teagan knew her best friend wouldn't mind getting attention from the opposite sex that didn't involve them saying 'Nice block!' and giving her a swat on the butt in congratulations. Teagan was glad in some sense, since they were both in choir and involved with the musicals at the school.

While they had that in common, Teagan was also the drum major for marching band and helped out with the color guards routines. While she was known as the popular girl, she didn't always dress like one. She did have her Abercrombie & Fitch days, but when she was in one of her moods, Teagan always dove for her Hot Topic clothes. It didn't seem to matter to anyone, and she liked it that way. She loved sports as much as Oriana, but was involved with basketball instead.

"In a perfect world, nothing is meant for girls," Oriana philosophized, leaning down to securely lace her cleats to prevent any mishaps. She focused her ocean blue-green eyes on her friend for a moment to see Teagan roll her eyes with annoyance. "C'mon, Teag. Football is great and I don't get hurt. I'm one of the best Offensives; I got MVP all three years. Plus, I do other stuff that's normal to you. I'm in the choir, I'm usually designs backgrounds for all the musicals and singing in the background, I take all types of dance during the week which you consider feminine, and I always make time to head down to the center to teach dance and basketball to the kids. Just lay off me, okay? I love football and I'm not going to stop, just like I'd never ask you to stop being the Drum Major and teaching the color guard because it's demeaning to wear those slinky outfits."

Teagan sighed heavily, knowing that Oriana was right. "Okay, okay. I won't bother you about football anymore. Just be careful, okay? This is the big game against William's, and the games with them are fierce as hell."

"I've played before---" Oriana stopped mid-sentence when Teagan glared toward her. Oriana quickly shrugged her shoulders with her impish smile. Teagan tried to suppress a smile to maintain her scowl, but it was hard. Oriana held a natural bright energy that heightened anyone's spirits. The best feature of Oriana's personality was her humor. Those who took the chance to know her better would find the deepest levels of a fiery personality. "I'll be careful. They say that the one dude, number twenty four, is hardcore. Name's Bryant...Brandon...no...um...Brian! There we go. I just know number twenty-four is going to be staring up at the sky for most of the game."

"Brian... that name sounds familiar... Hell, everyone over there has the same name. It's ridiculous. Take a name, spell it 5 different times and you have half of the school population," Teagan replied. "I guess this number twenty-four is going to be meeting his match today."

"The rival isn't getting passed me today. The boys might take away my nickname if that happens," Oriana laughed with agreement, watching members of the marching band and color guard start to filter in through the stands. She focused for a moment on a dark haired boy with a trumpet who hurried down the steps with a group of girls, laughing. Something deep inside her drawn her toward the boy with renewed energy that she couldn’t explain. She squinted her eyes for a moment, struggling to understand why. For the life of her, Oriana couldn't figure out the boy's name.

"Who are you looking at?" Teagan asked curiously, looking in the same direction as Oriana.

”No one really," Oriana blurted quickly, not wanting to be caught by Teagan’s frenzied nature. Teagan always had a way of squeezing emotional details from Oriana's usual docile state. Wanting to change the subject, she snapped her gaze back to the field, noticing some of the players arriving. She sighed with relief as they eagerly waved toward her, wanting her to join their warm up. She motioned for them to give her a minute. "Before I forget, what are you doing next weekend? You don't have a date or a shopping entourage, do you?"

"For once, I don't. I have a small marching band practice on Saturday morning, but other than that I'm free. Why?" she replied, glancing back to her friend with question.

"I can't believe you asked why," Oriana laughed. "Am I not your best friend of sixteen years?"

"Well of course you are, and I should know better to ask why. But tell me anyways!" Teagan laughed as well.

"That's just your way of making an excuse for not knowing," Oriana corrected, hiding her hurt. Teagan seemed completely clueless to the fact that Oriana would turn seventeen that Saturday. Oriana quickly decided not to blame Teagan for the obvious lacking in their friendship. Teagan was always busy with other friends, band practices, and boyfriends. Oriana knew her schedule was filled, just like her own, but refused to start a petty fight.

Teagan's eyes grew wide and she smacked her forehead. "Oh my GOD! Your birthday! Riana, I'm sorry! You know how bad I am remembering any birthdays!"

"Don't worry," Oriana immediately commented as a firm blush settled against her golden tanned cheeks. "Momma's planning on the regular pool party, music, pizza, chaos. Pretty much the entire school is invited to show. Definitely my boys on the team and you. But..."

"But what?"

"She's inviting her boyfriend and his two boys," Oriana murmured with distaste, kicking at the grass with her worn cleats. She was obviously disappointed with her mother's decision.

Teagan sighed softly, already knowing the annoyance building in her friend's heart. Oriana's biological father had left her mother before Oriana was barely a month old. He couldn't take the pressure of being a father and Oriana hadn't heard from him since. Teagan sometimes found Oriana referring to her real father as being dead.
Though most families would crumble under the pressure, Oriana's mother, Cassandra, remained strong. She continued her family practice as a physician and raised her daughter on her own. Though her husband had left, Cassandra did her best to assure that Oriana had a firm interaction with men so she didn't miss out on a piece of her childhood. Since then, Oriana always rough-housed with the neighborhood boys and never looked back. Someone could possibly blame Cassandra for Oriana's tomboyish behavior, but none did because Oriana was an intelligent girl with a bright future. The only sour seed of deception was that Oriana held a firm disliking for any type of male role model, assuming that once she allowed him to hold her heart that he would run away or physically hurt her.

"But that won't be so bad... he seems to be treating your mom really good, unlike some of the other boyfriends she's had," Teagan tried to reason with Oriana. She had met Mr. Richardson once and he was really nice. She hadn't seen his sons, nor knew their names, but heard they went to William's.

"I guess," Oriana sighed, exhaling deeply. She hated the idea of her mother being so attached to another man. All the men she ever dated just ended up hurting both of them. "She gets all funny about this dude. Says he's the best man in the world, runs around the house humming love songs. I've met him a couple times when he's at the house, but they're always running out to have fun. She acts like she's ready to marry him or something. She also insists that I'm going to love his boys and we're going to be best friends. They're older than me she says... I don't really care though, I'll be hanging around with my boys. They’re going to be a riot, because the baby is finally turning seventeen."

"Well, your mom was never like this with any of those other boyfriends. Maybe this one is different. You should at least give him and his sons a chance... even if they go to William's." Teagan didn't know what it was like to be in Oriana's place in that sense. Her mother, Marie, was a single mother before Teagan was even born. Working hard and getting a job at Cassandra's clinic, she raised her daughter the best she could and got her into everything that involved music. Getting a new boyfriend or husband was not on Marie's mind at all; just her job and Teagan.

"Give him a chance to run out on us you mean?" Oriana corrected with a disgusted glare.

"Riana, not everyone is like that."

"Yes, they---"

"ORI! GET YOUR CUTE ASS OVER HERE NOW! WE GOT TO WARM UP! WE CAN'T AFFORD TO PUT YOU ON THE INJURED LIST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON!" one of the players barked, refusing to wait any longer.

"Alright, Matt," Oriana sighed, tossing her helmet over toward the pack of boys. "Do a good job with the fans today, okay? Make them proud of their drum major, Teag."

"Yes ma'am!" Teagan saluted her with drumsticks in hand. "You kick some William's ass out there!"

"Wait, you're actually cheering me on?" Oriana gasped with a mock look of horror.

"I always cheer you on, dork!"

"Y="5"e just upset that the boys said I have a cute ass," Oriana teased, knowing that Teagan had pretty much dated all the football players and was moving into the basketball line up.

“Haha, funny. Just go and warm up!" Teagan gave a playful glare as she hopped off the bench and headed towards her band.

Teagan rolled her eyes yet again as she started up the bleachers, praying Oriana wouldn't hurt herself. Unable to fight her whims, she glanced back for a moment to see Oriana do a back-flip toward her fellow players before getting tackled into a large dog pile. Teagan knew it was typical Oriana behavior as she started to mentally prepare a list of what to get Oriana for her seventeenth birthday. She seemed completely preoccupied till a fellow band mate tapped her on her bare shoulder. Teagan glanced up quickly with a wry smile, expecting to be asked for her phone number. She immediately approved of the boy with the trumpet in his hands. He had smoldering brown eyes and unruly, short, dark curls that lay against his tanned forehead. His smile was absolutely amazing, complimenting his handsome face and chiseled body. Teagan immediately ran her fingers against her brunette, blue streaked locks, offering a flirty smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Oriana---"

"What about her?"

"Does she happen to go..." the boy faltered for a brief moment. "She going to lead our team to another State Championship over William's this year?"

Teagan smiled proudly, looking back at Oriana for a second. "Yep, just like the last three years. Why? You think she's cute?" she replied, teasing her band mate.

"No," the boy groaned, "I think she's an awesome player. One of the boys."

"Mm-hmm," she clicked her tongue with another smile. "What's your name?"

"Howie Dorough," he replied carefully, offering a bizarre look.

"Teagan Eavens," she replied, sticking out her hand. "I'm sure you know I'm the drum major. You're first trumpet, right?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't connected my name with anything," he laughed.

"OH! You're in choir, too! And you're always in the musicals with me," she blushed a little. "Sorry, my mind's a little off today."

"Yeah, not to mention I hang out in the same crowd as you and tend to be in all your classes," Howie joked lightheartedly.

"I may be brunette, but I swear I'm more blonde than anything," Teagan laughed. "Catch me on any other day and I would not have acted like the idiot I am at this moment. I'm so sorry about not remembering who you are, Howie. This game has really been putting me through a loop, since it's against William's. Everyone's counting on me to get the fans into everything."

"You've always done fine in that department. You're a natural leader," Howie enthused, waving to a set of girls as they passed, causing them to giggle. He rolled his eyes with a tender smile, glancing back to Teagan for a moment. "I'd like to call you on that blonde comment, but I can't. Oriana's a natural blonde and there's no way in Hell that I could compete with her grades. She's extremely intelligent and there's no way in Hell that I could survive those Enriched classes she takes. So, we'll let that slide."

"Well, thanks for the save there," Teagan replied with a smile as the whole band finally arrived. The bleachers will quickly filling up with students, family and fans. "Ah! We gotta start playing! Tell everyone we're starting out with the school song."

"Deal," Howie approved, starting to turn, but froze for a moment. He glanced back with an award-winning smile. "Tell Oriana I said congratulations...since we already know she's going to put a whooping on Williams."

"I will, Dorough. Now get your Latin butt up there!" Teagan replied with a grin as she rushed to get the band's attention.

*~*~*

"The guys were saying that the top Offensive Lineman at Tartan is number Seventeen. They say he has a small frame, but puts every ounce of energy into the tackle. You'll need to watch out for him," Alex Richardson warned his older brother, Brian Richardson. Alex noticed Brian wave off the information with a roll of his light blue eyes, tossing the rest of his football gear into the brand new Toyota Prius their father had bought them for their senior year of high school.

Unlike most teenagers, Brian was sour on the idea of driving a brand new vehicle, knowing it was simply their father's way of bribing them. They were being forced to attend their father's girlfriend's daughter's seventeenth birthday party. Their father continued to boast about how wonderful this girl was, but Brian had zoned out between weeks. He refused to pay attention to any details regarding the women that would ruin his life. He didn't even know the girl's name. He could only bet that she was a dorky teenage girl who barely had any friends so she needed her mother to push people into attending.

"Bri! Hey! Bri! Dude, if you're zoning again I'm so driving the car to the football field. Can't risk damaging my sax!"

"And if you drive, we won't only have to worry about damage to your sax. I'd be worrying about you killing us," Brian replied with another roll of his eyes as he started the engine and sped towards Tartan's football field, which was about fifteen minutes away. "So, what number am I supposed to 'watch out for'? Not that he'll be able to catch me anyway."

"Seventeen," Alex stressed, observing the crowds already growing in the stands of Tartan's cheering section. Rival games always made Alex's blood pulsate with renewed energy. He was just slightly disappointed that his father wouldn't be there to observe Brian in the game or him in the band. Instead, their father was spending the day with his new sweetheart, since it was her day off from her Family Medical Practice. "They say that he's really fierce. One of the best in the entire state. The one that's taken Tartan to State Championships for three years. We've been grounded by them every year and I'm starting to think it might be because our team has the same big-headed attitude as you!"

"Maybe it's because our fans can't get into it because of big-headed band geeks like you that think they can raise the school spirit," Brian shot back as he grabbed his duffel bag. "The team does not have a big-headed attitude and neither do I! Number Seventeen just better watch his back, because I'll be right there."

"Laying on the ground staring up at him," Alex muttered, reaching into the back for his saxophone case.

"Just go and join the bank geeks. I'll see you after the game!" Brian replied as he ran to the field where his team was gathering.

"Why? Because you can't hold a conversation with your younger brother?" Alex scowled, actually wanting to talk to his brother.

Making a point to talk to Brian after their team almost definitely got their butts kicked, Alex gripped the handle of his saxophone case tightly and headed to the William's bleachers. The band was there and almost ready to start playing. "About time you got here, Richardson! We almost started without you!" Devon, the drum major, called with a grin.

"Not my fault that I have a dumb jock for a brother who always insists on driving the car that Dad bought for both of us," Alex gritted, trying his best not to slam the case against the metal bleachers. He stretched his extremely lithe body for a moment, shielding his dark brown eyes to view the Tartan Marching Band. Sure enough, they were already motioning their growing crowds to roars of victory. The Floridian sun was already scorching the field, causing the traces of silver lining in the Tartan's marching outfits to spark with an expensive glitter. Alex suppressed another scowl as he turned to the field, searching Tartan's team for Seventeen. Sure enough, the star player was encircled with a group of his probable lackeys, joking around and tackling one another. Alex's eyebrows arched with confusion as he watched seventeen do a back-flip in all the required gear, causing the fans to roar. "Dev, he wouldn't even listen to me about seventeen."

"Then he'll learn his mistake the hard way," Devon shrugged his shoulders. "It's his problem, man. You just concentrate on helping me get everyone cheering for us, aight?"

"Cheering for us on Tartan turf?" Alex asked skeptically, freeing his sax from its velvet bed. He carefully adjusted the top of his bright red uniform, wanting to look his very best. He had always held an issue for looking perfect, only because he was always looking up to his brother. Brian was the perfect son - perfect grades, perfect looks, perfect friends, perfect life, and perfect everything. Not that Alex thought he was a horrid son; he just wasn't set to Brian's standards. Brian was captain of the football team with sandy blond curls, light blue eyes, strong body type, and overall handsome. It was hard for Alex to match for his overly skinny frame, dark raven spikes, and brown eyes. He had girlfriends and dates, but he wasn't a golden boy.

"OUR fans cheering for US. You know what I mean," Devon groaned, tugging on his dark curls as he looked over to see Tartan's drum major get their fans cheering again. "Tartan's drum major is a killer along with number Seventeen, I swear. No wonder we always lose this big game very year."

"Their drum major is gorgeous, Dev. It's easier to get lost in the music with her leading, compared to an overly sexed, eighteen year old---"

"Hey, watch it, Bone!"

"I'm just saying she's gorgeous," Alex laughed, holding his hands up in defense. "Isn't her name... Shit, never can keep the exotic names straight in that stupid school. Every chick is named after a jewel, stone, or…box of Wheaties… She hangs out at the one dance club with this blonde girl... Tanya? No…Tammy... No, Teagan!"

"Well, whatever her name is, she's a killer drum major and way better than I am--"

"No denying that," Alex snickered.

"You're funny. REAL funny. Just get ready and tell everyone we're about to start," Devon pushed on Alex's shoulder as they put plumes on their marching hats before pulling them on their heads. "Maybe this time we can actually be close to winning."

"Or fall on our asses trying."


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