Page 7 of Teasing the Winger

I move my head up and down as I read the rules. It’s pretty much all the normal stuff for mascots, like rules that prohibit talking, removing the head, or breaking character in front of crowds, but there is also a mandatory grade average I’ll have to keep, which won’t be a problem for me.

“None of this will be a problem for me,” I promise her. “Does that mean I got the job?”

She chuckles and shrugs. “I don’t see why not. The first month will be extremely intense for you as you’ll have to learn all of the group routines with the cheer squad, as well as creating a few original solo routines. You’ll also be shadowed for the first couple of weeks to make sure you’re a good fit for the job. Does that all sound okay for you?”

“Absolutely,” I respond quickly. “I know I can do this.”

She smiles then reaches across her desk. “Welcome to the team.”

I shake her hand, thanking her for the opportunity before taking the contract home with me to more thoroughly go over before I sign it.

When this school year started, I had no idea I was going to be a koala mascot, but here we are. Let’s just pray I don’t fuck this up.

CHAPTER FOUR

RIO

Sweat drips down my back causing my jersey to stick to my torso as I dribble the ball across the pitch, passing to a team mate as soon as they’re open. Once the ball is in their possession, they fire it at the net and earn us another point.

Cheerleaders and our giant koala mascot, Kerrington, get the crowd going with a chant as our team gets back into position. I’m subbed out for a couple of minutes to get a drink and to calm my racing heart.

“Is that a new mascot?” I ask BooBoo, who’s sitting on the bench with me.

Whoever is in the mascot costume today seems more energetic than they normally are, but maybe they had more energy drinks today.

“I think so. Brent got arrested last week, and they needed to replace him. Evangeline is here and she only hangs around when newbies are being trained,” he points out, and I lean forward to get a better look at the mascot and cheer squad.

Just like BooBoo said, Evangeline is standing with the cheer coach watching the Koala intently.

“Any word on who the rookie is?” I ask.

“Nope and I didn’t see them getting ready either,” he informs me.

The mascots have their own changing area since a few of the people are girls and it wouldn’t be right for them to have to share our locker room. While the identity of who is inside Kerrington the Koala isn’t general public knowledge, all the athletes at GSU are usually friendly with the mascot team.

I return my attention to the pitch just in time to witness our team score again. I stand up and cheer before glancing back at the sidelines to see the Koala do a backflip in celebration. We don’t always have the mascot at our games like the football team does, but when we do, it’s always entertaining. Whoever the new mascot member is, they are a ball of energy.

Coach signals that it’s my turn to get back in the game and like I always do, I put all my focus on the task at hand.

With a giant smile on my face, I get into position. I love soccer so much that it almost sucks this is my last season playing at a level like this. Nothing ever brought me the kind of joy soccer does. I was worried about losing my passion once I graduate, but thankfully, I have teaching to look forward to now.

I move my body weight from foot to foot, scanning the pitch, waiting for the ball to get in motion and for the play to start. The outside world, the cheers from the crowd, looming graduation, where I’m going to live, and everything that has been taking up space in my brain begins to fade away, and all I see is the here and now on this field. Nothing else matters at this moment.

Once the ball is moving, I spring into motion while my teammate steals the ball and dribbles it down the pitch toward our opponent’s net. I stay close, trying to make sure no one steals the ball.

It doesn’t take long for an opponent to steal the ball, but I’m ready for him, pumping my legs as hard as they will go. The smell of sweat and turf fills my nostrils as I breathe in deeply. A cocky smirk spreads across my lips as I run straight toward my opponent and, at the last second, twist and kick the ball through his feet before racing around him to dribble the ball back in the direction we were heading moments ago.

With my focus so intently on the game, I didn’t notice the clock ticking down, and when the crowd starts counting down, I know it’s now or never to score the last goal of the game. Even though I’m not as close as I’d like to be, I have a clear path to the net, so I draw my leg back, using all my power to send the ball sailing. I keep my eyes on the ball, holding my breath until it lands in the net. At the goal I throw my hands up, celebrating the perfect shot. The crowd roars loudly; it’s almost deafening, but it has me grinning from ear to ear.

“What a fucking shot!” BooBoo shouts, bumping his shoulder into mine.

I shoot him a cocky smile, but my attention is quickly pulled from my friend to the overly energetic Koala, who is now on the main field celebrating our win with the cheerleaders and the rest of the team. After a few backflips, the mascot makes his way over to me, lifting my arm like I won a wrestling match or something. My natural instinct is to pull away, but the fans begin to cheer even louder, obviously loving the interaction, so I play along, throwing my other arm up too.

“Don’t steal all the glory, hotshot. It was a team effort,” Whiley teases, and I wrap my free arm around his shoulder.

“Aww, is someone feeling left out?” I joke back, laughing when he sticks his tongue out at me.

Kerrington eventually drops my arm, going back to join the cheerleaders for another dance routine. I wonder who is under the mask. The mysterious new mascot seems to be holding the crowd's attention much better than normal. I can’t help but stare at him, but I have no idea why. I’ve never paid much attention to the giant koala before, so why is it holding my attention today?

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