Frozen Tiff on the Island of Bones

I had said it, the words I didn't want to say. After years of practice with the team, I finally lost my cool. I felt a chill run down my spine as I let out a scream that would put even the most steadfast of parents to shame. The paramedics on scene nearly took cover behind the ambulance as they saw me jump off the bench and storm away from the locker room.

I wasn't in any state to be tackled by anyone, least of all by one of my own teammates. I was all for team bonding, but not if it meant being paired up with a player who I could barely stand on the field.

"You're a coward!" He screamed at me between bouts of sobbing, "We need everyone if we're gonna win this year's Underwater Derby!"

I stopped dead in my tracks at his statement. We hadn't won an Underwater Derby in over 50 years. If we couldn't win now, when would we ever? It was our defining moment! Our chance to shine! Our chance to show our rivals that their reign of terror was coming to an end! And what do they have that we don't? Their athleticism? Their speed? Their strength?

None of that matters. What matters is that they are fish and we are skeletons. They swim around in water and we play football on land. We will beat them on dry land or we will beat them underwater, but either way, we'll beat them because fish can't do anything right!

"No you're the coward!!" He insisted again while reaching out towards me with his lanky arms. My fingers instinctively wrapped around his forearm and I squeezed tightly until he began to squeal in pain, "You can't face our arch rivals without even pretending to try!"

"Oh yeah?" I replied through gritted teeth as my fingers tightened even more, squeezing every last drop of blood from his arm as he crumpled onto the ground, "What about you?"

His eyes grew wide as he saw how far things had gotten out of hand. He didn't understand how he had gotten himself into this mess...he didn't know how long it would take him to get back out of it...but he knew where the blame lay: On me! He couldn't fault his teammates for letting him down; they were just doing what they could do best: being skeletons! But he could fault me! The only person who could fault him was someone else who was just like him: someone who went against type and let their emotions get the better of them during a time when clear heads were needed most! That's why he blamed me! That's why he resented me for keeping us from winning the Underwater Derby! That's why he wanted me out of here before any real damage was done!

* * *

It was hard for both of us to say exactly how long it had been since either of us spoke a word to each other. We had gone our separate ways after our fight earlier today, and now neither one of us could bear looking into each other's eyes anymore. He didn't want to see my face; it reminded him too much of what happened between us yesterday...and I didn't want to see his face either; it would only remind me why I never wanted to speak with him in the first place.

* * *

The stadium was filled with people; they were all here for tonight's event: The Underwater Derby (or UWD)! There weren't many events held at this stadium anymore (it hadn't been used in years), so everyone wanted to make sure they got their tickets ahead of time so they wouldn't miss out on what promised to be an action-packed night! There were rowdy teenagers shouting obscenities throughout the front rows...smiling families were enjoying each other's company at their reserved tables near midfield...and there were dozens upon dozens of people dressed in their favorite uniforms cheering on their teams from wherever they sat in the stands!

* * *

The lights dimmed suddenly as an announcer took to the microphone standing at center field, "Ladies and gentlemen..." He began speaking calmly into his mouthpiece as he gestured towards the teams taking their positions on opposite ends of a massive elevated platform where a colossal metal shield stood proudly between them all, "...welcome everybody!! Welcome everybody!!"