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 Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:23 pm
Benji left practice with his muscles singing, a fact that made him strangely content. Coach had yelled a lot today, made them run faster, push harder than he ever had. Until you hit that athlete's high, stress training could be a real pain in the a**, but it was a pain Benji relished if only because he felt as if it was weakness melting away. After the shower, he was still very alert to his surroundings, though his body protested. He would walk home today.
Usually practice ran on into nightfall, but due to the extremities they'd been put against today, the players went home at dusk. They had already started their spring lacrosse season, but it was early enough in the week where the aches would be gone by the time the next game rolled around.
Benji stretched slowly as he walked, arms over his head to work the kinks out of his sides and his triceps. There wasn't much in his head at the moment, other than dreading the next morning to come, stiff and restless as he tried to get ready for school. Benji lived approximately five miles from Meadowview High, and there was a park as well as some woods that he often took to cutting through on the way. The longer way consisted of shops and neighborhoods, so since it was still a little early to be getting home, he decided to take that path. After all, if he always took the easy path, what sort of man would that make him?
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 1:30 pm
It was almost surreal, to be back on the Meadowview side of town after a year spent in the Hillworth area. Zachary didn't particularly enjoy returning to a place that held so many bittersweet memories, but according to rumors and blogs, you could always find a senshi or two patrolling the area in the evening. Maybe it was the generall suburban area, or maybe it was the proximity to the highschool, but Zachary didn't particularly enjoy thinking about causes, either, so long as it provided the desired effect.
Curfew would have been about fifteen minutes prior, if Zachary still cared about such things, but as it was he didn't seem to have a care in the world for such regulations, walking with purpose around the shopping area with his lacrosse stick stored in a bag strapped to his back, ready for action when it happened. His eyes scanned the crowd for sparkles or rainbows or any of that other gay bullshit that was supposed to signify a senshi in the area, but so far everyone seemed content, perhaps even happy for the summer to come. All in all, if Zachary let his guard down, he supposed that he could be somewhat happy for the summer, too. He had to focus on finding happiness in the little things. There wasn't much else he could do.
Amongst the people walking home from work and school, surveying the shops and enjoying the nice weather, Zachary noticed a familiar face, beaded with sweat and worn out from a day's hard work. Or, noting the similar bag the boy had slung over his shoulder, a practice's hard work. Zachary's eyes lit up in recognition and his steps quickened as he put a name to the face, and by the time he got within earshot he was already slightly grinning, grateful for the distraction to an otherwise mundane evening. Perhaps the old acquaintance would even have some useful news for him, and that made reconnecting all the more important.
"Benji? Hey, man, what's up?" Zachary shuffled the strap on his shoulder, jogging up to be in line with the boy's pace.
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Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 10:26 am
It had been a while, and Benji wasn't one to remember a voice before a face. All he knew was that someone from the milling crowd was calling his name. Not a surprising occurrence- while many of the Meadowview students thought themselves too cool for school spirit, there was still a cluster of kids (and the occasional adult) that made his name famous amongst themselves. He had also made himself known to this community, one way or another, by occasionally going out of his way to help a stranger. That tended to pull him into small conversations as well. So when he turned his head to greet whoever it was, his face had composed itself into a polite shroud of interest, not quite knowing what he was getting into but steeled nonetheless.
"Zach Esther!" His eyebrows shot up a little with surprise as he acknowledged the young man who trotted to join him. "Good gracious, I ain't seen yew in a coon's age!" That polite smile split into a less reserved grin, and it was clear he was pleased to see his old teammate once more. The effect was not unlike that of a dog spotting a familiar playmate, simple and sincere.
"Not much goin' on here. Jest headin' on home from practice. Looks like yer doin' the same. Yer at Hillworth now, right?" Here his expression my have dwindled a little, for Benji could not help but recall the circumstances surrounding Zach's transfer. There had been some nasty rumors spread around the school at that time, and while Benji wasn't really the type to bend his ear to such talk, it was everywhere, including the team locker room. Should he be associating with Zach now? Was this right? His gut instinct said he was pleased by the other's presence now- as he recalled, Zach had been a good guy to talk with as well as a pleasure to hang out with. Zach had never done anything to Benji personally, so it helped the decision of whether he Benji did or didn't give those rumors their merit. It was something he would let stew while he talked to the other now, for it seemed as if they were bound to be walking together for a time. If nothing else, Benji would be polite.
"Yew know, we've been werkin' real hard. Come game time, I think yer gunna have quite the challenge," He dared, a little playful.
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 8:53 am
Ahhh, good old Benji. Zachary didn't care if he had no idea what a 'coon's age' was (maybe it was some redneck equivalent to the chinese zodiac?), it was refreshing to see one of his fellow teammembers out and about, and even more refreshing to see that they were still on friendly, if competitive terms. "Yeah, I'm at Hillworth," he said, shrugging his lacrosse bag on his shoulders with a subdued expression. It wasn't something he still really cared to talk about, but he was willing to admit it. After nearly a year, it was a start.
Still, he couldn't help but turn the edges of his mouth upwards at his friend's boast. "I'd hope you've been working hard," he responded, willing to play along. "I mean, it's gotta be rough, having to replace one of your star players." Truth be told, Zachary had never been a 'star player' at Meadowview. He was a decent player, sure, but he never did much in the way of making goals, and at best, he was a solid support member of the team. Nevertheless, it was fun to joke and not be so serious for once, and if Benji wanted to banter about teams, then Zachary would oblige him. After all, the big match was coming up soon.
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