Chapter 82 Rivals clash and insults
Chapter 082
DARIUS
We were all assembled at the school stadium the following morning, the entire team gathered in the bleachers whilst waiting for Coach Bonn to explain why he had called this emergency meeting.
Bonn finally arrived carrying a clipboard and looking more serious than usual.
"The usual gathering of schools for the upcoming tournament is happening today," he announced without any preamble. "We will be receiving representatives from the other competing schools here at our stadium. It will be like a meeting where the directors from each institution can put their heads together to discuss how the tournament structure will work and finalize all the details."
A ripple of excitement moved through the team. This was real. The tournament was actually happening.
"I need all of you to dress in your official team wear," Bonn continued firmly. "You are representing Midnight Academy today. That means you will be on your absolute best behaviour. Do I make myself clear?"
We all nodded and murmured our agreement before dispersing to go change into our uniforms.
When we reconvened at the stadium about an hour later, most of the team was already gathered and waiting.
I was talking to some of the other players when Ravenna appeared, and my attention immediately locked onto her despite my best efforts to remain indifferent.
She was dressed in the white team uniform that all the players wore, but instead of wearing the pullover properly like everyone else, she had tied it around her waist.
The white trousers fit her perfectly, and she wore clean white trainers that matched the rest of her outfit.
But what really caught my attention was the fancy white muffy cat hair accessory she had put in her red hair. It was a girly thing.
She walked straight past me and went directly to Dorian, who stood up immediately to greet her with a warm hug.
Then she kissed his cheek whilst laughing at something he whispered to her.
Atlas snarled viciously inside my head, the jealousy rising up hot and fierce. "Stop that right now. She is ours. Tell Dorian to keep his hands off her."
"Be quiet," I hissed back internally. "You are being ridiculous."
Ravenna joined us in the seating area, dropping down into the space beside Dorian.
I could not stop myself from reaching over and removing that fancy sparkly thing from her hair without asking permission.
"This is not a fashion show, Ravenna," I pointed out whilst holding the accessory in my hand. "You should put on your pullover properly and make yourself look presentable like everyone else."
She grinned at me with that infuriating expression that always made my heart race. "Make me then."
Something in me snapped at the challenge.
I pulled her closer towards me, untied the pullover from around her waist, and started trying to put it on her properly myself.
She gasped in surprise and snatched the pullover back from my hands. "You are such a psychopath. What is wrong with you?"
My eyebrows shot up at the new insult. "Another nickname already? I did not realize we were going to move so fast from calling me a dick."
Dorian burst out laughing beside us. "You two are honestly something else. I have never seen anyone argue as much as you do."
Before either of us could respond, Bonn appeared and immediately spotted us in our current position, with Ravenna pulled close to me and both of us glaring at each other whilst Dorian laughed.
His expression shifted to one of tired exasperation.
He walked over quickly and addressed us in a low, warning tone. "I am begging you both to please behave yourselves today. Can you promise me that?"
"We promise," Ravenna and I replied at the same time, though neither of us looked away from each other.
Bonn sighed deeply but seemed to accept our word. He moved away to prepare for the arrival of the other schools.
Teams began arriving over the next hour, filing into the stadium in their various coloured uniforms representing different academies from across the region.
Soon all ten competing schools were present, filling the space with noise and energy as players sized each other up and tried to assess the competition.
Bonn stood at the centre of the field and called for everyone's attention. "We are gathered here today to discuss the tournament which will be starting early next year. The directors will be meeting separately to finalize rules and schedules. In the meantime, you are all welcome to move around and get to know each other if you wish."
The directors disappeared into a private meeting room, leaving all the students alone in the stadium.
Different teams began mingling, some friendly and others clearly viewing everyone else as threats to be eliminated.
Suddenly, one of the rival team captains stepped forward and clapped his hands together loudly, demanding everyone's attention.
His name was Martins, I remembered from previous encounters, and he was known for being an arrogant prick who loved hearing himself talk.
He pointed directly at Ravenna with an exaggerated gesture. "The Midnight Academy male team must be incredibly weak if they have to allow a female to join them. What happened? Did you run out of actual talented male players?"
Several people from his team laughed whilst Martins continued his public humiliation. "She is going to be your liability. You are going to fail in this tournament because of her dragging you down. Honestly, what were you thinking?"
Anger exploded through me so fast and hot that I was stepping forward before I could think about what I was doing.
"Ravenna is not like some of the untalented assholes standing in this stadium right now who only made their teams because of their family connections."
The entire space had gone quiet, everyone watching this confrontation play out.
"Ravenna earned her spot on this team fairly," I continued, my voice carrying across the silent stadium.
"She is really good. More skilled than even some of the male players I have seen, which is exactly why we kept her. We could not afford to lose her talent to another team."
I looked directly at Martins with all the authority and confidence my position as Alpha heir gave me.
"So you had better practice hard, because Ravenna is an absolute machine on the ice. And I promise you right now that we are going to crush your team completely and win that tournament cup."