A/N: So that video is basically what happens since the writing will be mostly ruby speak except of course the kicking doesn't work out, in real life Beauden Barrett is a really good kicker but where's the fun in that for the story ;)
Also you guys can just admire his skill here and see what I've been talking about.

So I didn't update it that soon, only because I'm struggling a little with this one, I'm having a bit of a block, so if you guys have any ideas, any at all no matter how big or small please let me know they will be greatly appreciated :)

Chapter 8: Number Eight

During the warm up Avi ran after the ball that Kirstie kicked through the goal posts, one after the other at every possible angle.
     The Cobra's Coach had to keep telling the boys to get back to their warms ups as they stopped to watch her every now and then. But the team warming up on the other side was awestruck, that was a girl and she was actually good, and she was actually going to play.
     As Avi passed the ball back to Kirstie after the last kick, he wished her good luck before he ran past her back into the changing room to get out of training kit and into playing kit, which basically meant the boys were going to change their shirts from black to yellow for the game.
     Kirstie took the ball passing it from hand to hand as she walked over to the bench where coach was.      She walked straight past him though and up to the actual bench. She gets up on it on her knees to reach up and hug her best friends, Marley followed by Esther.
     "How come you came out changed and they didn't?" Marley asks.
     "Because they sweat more than I do, but it's also so I don't have to worry about finding somewhere else to change. I change when they come out here first then I warm up with them then I wait while they change. It's not so bad," she shrugs.
    "But what about like the team pep talk?" Esther frowns.
     "Yeah I know that happens, Beauden always says he doesn't know what to say, and maybe he really doesn't because they always loose," she trails off as she leans back in her seat.
     "Okay, way to bring the mood down Marls," Kirstie laughs nervously.
     She shakes her head, "Sorry."
     "It's okay. But you know I didn't even think about the pep talk," she turns back to Esther, "I guess I'll just go back in there when Coach does," she smiles.
     Marley points at where Coach was, "He's gone."
      Kirstie spins around and her face falls when she notices that he is in fact gone. "Oh," she turns right around and drops down to sit on the bench with a sigh.

Soon enough the opposition team runs out on the field on their side, followed by the Cobra's team from their home tunnel. The 15 men run onto the field, Beauden first, and the reserves run over to sit with Kirstie, all to the cheering of the 2000 strong crowd. The stadium was built for twenty-thousand.   And just over half the crowd was in yellow.
     Kirstie turned her gaze away from the crowd as the ref dressed in pink blew the whistle for kick off.
     "This is actually a pretty good turnout," Esther comments as they watch the ball fly through the air from the opposition Bears territory and into Scott's hands when he was lifted by the props. But as he hits the ground the ball slips from his grasp and the other team having run with the ball catches up before a Cobra can keep it in hand.
     And now the defence is on, and Kirstie notices they're actually defending well until a Bear practically runs right over Todrick and then the try line. Kirstie drops her head into her hands, then feels a comforting hand on her back she didn't know who's but it didn't make that much of a difference.
     The Bears convert for two more points and then it time to start all over again, this time the Cobra's kick off and this Kirstie has to watch. Beauden's technique is flawed, but his aim that needs work, but only with the goal posts, he hits ground when he made this kick, and that's always a good thing.

The game is about eight minutes in when the Bears dressed in red are seven points ahead and rushed once more at the flawed Cobra line, when they throw a pass right into Kevin's back disturbing the play and leaving the ball wide open for Beauden to grab.
     He takes it and runs and no one catch him for what might as well be miles before he dots it down right under the goal post. He knows he can kick off a tee from there. With a big smile on his face he receives congratulations hugs from a couple of the Cobras who were with him on the run, Darrien and then Avi.
     But the small crowd is as loud as they can be, and Kirstie is pretty sure half the noise is from Marley alone. And when Beauden actually makes the conversion the crowd is louder, but game time looks bleaker for Kirstie.

When Beauden miss-kicks the ball, it didn't reach touch which means the Bears took it for a run and got another try, putting them ahead just before half time. The Cobra's already looked defeated, they needed a pick me up and Coach was going to have to talk to them in the 15 minute break.
     This time Kirstie sprints ahead, getting called in the right direction by Avi when she runs too far. She sheepishly stands between him and Scott in the changing room as coach talks.
     "You boys are doing really well out there, but Anderson you're sleeping, you're the last line of defence, you hang back to stop them, not to watch them run past you. You got that second try, by a lucky pass that Olusola sent you on a brilliant offload. That could have been anyone, you were there at the right time, but boy those bears are running rings around you, if you had Barrett's speed-"
     Beauden takes a step forward, "He doesn't need my speed, that spot needs my speed, put me there and put Kirstie on for the second half at 10. At 10 she doesn't get tackled half as much if you're worried about her getting hurt. Then there's I've missed four penalties, I only got the conversions because they were under the post. So bring Kirstie on," he nods once, surely before he takes a step back.
     "Fine," Coach sighs, "Maldonado on, Anderson off," he claps once, "Now get your asses back out there... Kevin I don't want to hear a word on my language so put that hand down."

With a Cobra perfected backline everyone is ready to play again.
     "What's she doing out here?" A Bear asks when Kirstie receives the ball for first kick off, the reserve number 22 on her back.
     "Playing," Scott yells back with smirk in his voice.
     "How's it fair to tackle her!?"
     "Just play like normal boys!" she calls back as she drops the ball onto her foot to send it sailing in the air

"Another side line penalty from Kirstie! How does she do it? Barrett never could, in fact you saw that earlier in the game."
     "We sure did. It's funny isn't it John, you wouldn't expect this from a girl."
     "Expect what?"
     "For her to come out playing like one of the boys, she making making and taking those tackles better than half her team. Lewis went off just moments ago for what could be a finger strain, that's a little sad if you me, back in the day you kept going with concussion let alone a finger strain John."
     "Tell me about it Greg, tell me about it. But you know what I think needs to be mentioned, this extra leg Beauden Barrett's grown, he is everywhere and has set up two more unmet tries since the first one this half, that's three Greg, three he set up for his team. Scored by Hall, Kaplan and well Kaplan again."
     "Yes Avi Kaplan, always in the right place at the right time, feeding off Barrett who now with the kicking responsibilities gone has turned into a complete and total machine, he was good before, now he is nothing short of brilliant. This team is going to go on to win, one game down, a tournament to go."

...crouch...set...bind...

Once Kirstie was sure all the noise of the boys had died down as they all slowly petered out, still grinning from the victory, going to off to celebrate in groups: she stood up from the locker room benches and walked into the showers.
    She turned the corner and stopped when she saw Avi still leant against one of the shower walls in just a towel. He gave her a smile and she gave him a nervous one back.
     "I thought you'd all left?"
     "Are you really going to include me in that bunch?" he chuckles, slowly shaking his head as he steps towards her.
     "You're a boy, you're included in the boy bunch," she smirks up at him.
     "Yeah but I'm the boy that you wouldn't slap if you caught him looking," he bites his tongue to try and stop his smirk.
     She shrugs, "You never know, I might just to keep up appearances. And besides that's why I decided to wait till they were all gone. I could talk to them while they were waiting or when they were done, celebrate with them, I wouldn't have gotten that if I'd gone back to my dorm bathroom."
     "You know the positive that I'll take out of that, the fact the guys wanted to celebrate with you, you were so worried about that, the acceptance, but I knew that after the first win you'd have them enchanted."
     She raises an eyebrow, "Enchanted?"
     "I said it, I'm sticking by it," he smiles.
     With a smirk still in place Kirstie steps aside to drop all her items on the bench next to them. "Why do you always have to go and say the nicest things to me Avi?" she asks with a hint of laughter in her voice as she turns away from him to pull her game shirt off over her head then drop her shorts. She'd already changed out of her rugby boots and long socks earlier leaving her in her flip-flops, sports bra and underwear when she turns around to face Avi again.
     She looks him up and down before she speaks again, "If you've got anything on under that towel you better change that asap."
     Unable to contain his smirk he shrugs, "This is it, just towel."
     "Good."

A/N: So that was extra-long and I hope it made sense :P

Please comment and maybe give me some ideas, like I said before, they'd be greatly appreciated :)

Love Hannah.