IR Day 17 - Duel

Karin’s fired up. You might have hoped that she didn’t pick up on your plan, but she obviously has. She’s back in the midfield as the game resumes, making a point to get the ball, but Pink Team knows she’s dangerous. Sun’s all over her, forcing her to give it up, but she knocks Sun down and follows her own pass up the field to get it back. She’s ****. You feel a sense of triumph as she takes a head-on shot that doesn’t have a prayer of getting past Viti.

Viti smacks it down toward Lili. Karin has power; Viti’s hands probably hurt, but it doesn’t matter.

Lili launches the ball, apparently with Hana and Lara in mind. It’s four feet off the ground and moving fast. Karin’s there, but anyone would get out of the way in this situation.

Effortlessly and with no sign of flinching, even though the soccer ball is like a bullet, she performs a high kick from the ground. It’s nothing that you have ever seen in soccer before. It’s something out of a martial arts movie. It’s like baseball almost.

Viti doesn’t know what just happened. She looks blankly at the ball behind her.

Karin’s still there with her leg in the air. Gracefully, like a dancer, she lowers it to turn around and walk back toward the team, which is now rushing her just like they did with you a few minutes ago.

You’re as shell-shocked as Viti is. Karin just shot, then took the ricochet and shot again in less than two seconds. It’s, somehow, even spicier than you doing a very convincing Pele.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you mutter.

Zofia’s sunglasses hide her eyes, but her eyebrows are up high.

You thought you could put Karin on the back foot, but you’ve done the opposite. You’ve challenged her vanity and her desire to show off. She’s not great at being a soccer captain, but even you have to grudgingly admit that she is incredibly good at being beautiful and fabulous.

That’s what she’s doing now. Her haughty smirk is back in place, and she’s not shy about looking in your direction, one hand on her hip as the other tosses back her golden ringlets.

Your teeth grind.

You want to punch her. Except now you know that… you would lose a fight with her. Badly. Powerless and angry, flinch as the whistle blows. That’s the half. You take deep breaths and clench your fists.

It’s not over.