HEARING DAMAGE
TEEN NOLA - CHAPTER ONE !

            ADRENALINE FLOODED THROUGH HER veins. The faint sounds of cheering could be heard over the blood that pumped loudly in her ears, her body limber and feet light, bouncing on the tip of her toes like a spring. Her gaze remained locked on to the ball as it glided across the field, waiting and watching for an opportunity to grab the ball.

            That very opportunity arose when she noticed that she could receive the ball from her teammate, best friend and secret girlfriend, who was weaving around the field to avoid the incoming opponents that all desperately wanted the ball for themselves.

            "Shauna!" Nola cried across the field, the sheer volume of her voice grabbing the Shipman girl's attention. The two made brief eye contact as Nola eagerly swung up her arms, beckoning for the ball. "I'm open, pass it!"

            The ball spun in her direction. Blades of grass began to kick up under feet as she ran with the ball, her cleats digging into the earth and pulling it free from the ground. The muscles in her legs burned as they stretched, aching as she sprinted through the field. Her body spun to avoid members from the opposing team from stealing the ball as a blast of cold air brushed against her flustered and hot cheeks.

            Nola's breath quicken in pace as the call of her coach echoed in her ears. "Let's go, Rilke!"

            "Nola! Nola!" Her eyes glanced up quickly, darting back and forth between the ball and her other best friend, Jackie, who waved her arms in the air as she jumped to catch Nola's attention. The score was tied 3-3. Jackie was the closest open teammate to the goalpost. This was their opportunity. They had this.

            "Heads up!" The Rilke girl yelled out as she swung back her leg before bringing it forward causing her foot to collide against the ball extremely hard.

            The ball flew high in the air, bouncing off of Jackie's forehead and into the back of the net. For a singular moment, everything seemed to slow down for the brunette, her hearing becoming muffled as she watched the ball made of synthetic leather crash into the nylon net.

            Then just as quick as it started, the slow motion disappeared and the sound of the crowd cheering for them as they won the game pierced through the metaphorical film that wrapped around her ears.

            "Oh my god! Jackie!" Nola ecstatically bellowed as she ran downfield to the girl, falling to her with such force that they both almost tipped to the grassy ground branch them. "You did it! You did it!"

            Their fellow Yellowjackets surrounded them in seconds, everyone joining in on the group hug. Screams of joy could be heard from every single girl as they swarmed round each other, jumping up and down on their toes, doling out high-fives while cheering their successful win. They had done it. This was the moment the Yellowjackets qualified for Nationals!

            One by one until every Yellowjacket chanted in unison, they shouted their war-cry of, "Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz—"

            "We're going to nationals!"

          That continued to echo in Nola Rilke's ears as she arrived home a couple hours later, courtesy of Shauna who, after they all celebrated as a team, dropped her off on her own way home. As the car pulled up outside the Rilke residence, the wheels slowly coming to a halt and the rumbling of the engine seizing, Nola turned her head to glance over at the Shipman girl.

            "You sure you don't want to come in?" She inquired as she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned back against the passenger seat headrest. "My parents won't be home, you know."

            That bit of information seemed to capture Shauna's attention, though she tried and failed to hide it from her girlfriend. Nola fought back a grin at how adorable Shauna looked as she tried to appear uninterested. "Shauna, please. I'll make it worth your while." Her voice lowered slightly, her attempt to seduce the brunette

            Her attempt to seduce Shauna worked as within only a couple of seconds, the Shipman girl caved with a sigh. "Fine, fine. But just for a little while. I have to get home before curfew." She bit down hard on her bottom lip while unbuckling her seatbelt, trying desperately to hide the excitement she felt at the chance to spend some time alone with Nola.

            No parents and no Jackie. Just them, alone. Free to do whatever they please.

           Nola smiled over at Shauna as she reached for her hand. "Scouts honour. Come on, Shipman." She promised before squeezing tightly on her hand and then letting go.

            The two exited the vehicle, each weakly containing their happiness. It was rare that the two was able to spend time together alone. Any time they were at each others house, their parents were always nearby. Mothers that could walk in at any moment, leaving them unable to express themselves as freely as they wished they could.

         "Mom? Dad?" She called out in the seemingly empty house. The place was eerily silent as she made her way about the living room and kitchen. "I'm home."

          "Anyone?" Nola knew her yells were futile. Having parents that prioritised their careers over their daughter was such a huge fucking let down. Even though, she was happy she could be alone with Shauna, just once, once, the brunette wished her parents would be there for her. "We won the game. We're going to Nationals."

          When still no reply came, Nola rolled her eyes as she sighed in annoyance. "Before we go up, you want anything to eat?" She inquired curiously, glancing over at Shauna who stood near the bottom of the staircase.

            Shauna shook her head with a smile. "I'm good."

            Nola took a few teasing steps forward. "You sure? Wouldn't want you passing out on me." A fun little grin grew on her lips at the rouge tint that began to bloom on Shauna's cheeks.

            Ignoring the warmth that spread up her neck, Shauna attempted to appear aloof and unaffected by the Rilke girl's teasing. "Nola, either we head upstairs and make out or I go home. Your choice."

            Nola held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. God, you're so bossy. I like that in a woman." She muttered before leaning forward and placing a gentle peck upon Shauna's now maroon coloured cheek.

            "Come on." Nola reached out and grabbed hold of Shauna's hand, tugging the Shipman girl up the stairs with the gentlest of pulls. It's not as if she truly needed to. Shauna's legs moved eagerly on their own.

            The door to Nola's room swung open revealing the slight mess she had left behind that morning as she had rushed to get ready for school. With the smallest of turns of the lighting dial, the room with filled with the dim golden hue from the overhead lightbulb. Just outside the window, the sky had begun to darken and the moon had begun making its appearance.

            The Rilke girl was quick to lay down on her bed with Shauna following, allowing herself to fall into Nola's arms. Her own wrapped around Nola's torso while her face burrowed into her shoulder.

            "I can't wait to get out of here. Escape this fucking town and move somewhere new." Nola spoke honestly. She truly meant this. Never had she wanted something more. Her hold on Shauna tightened as she then said, "Of course, I'd take you with me. Where would you wanna go?"

            "Anywhere." Shauna simply replied with a slight shrug before tightening her grip. She didn't wish to discuss this, to be honest. Shauna knew of Nola's plan to attend Berkeley after graduation whereas she was to head off to Rutgers with Jackie. (Even though she truly wanted to attend Brown.)

            Her reply confused Nola. Ever since the two were kids, Shauna had always dreamed of leaving New Jersey and travelling the world. Now she suddenly had nowhere in particular she wanted to go? "You have nowhere in particular you'd like to go? Not even Italy or Australia?"

            "Anywhere." Shauna stressed as she shifted on the bed, placing her chin upon Nola's chest and staring up at her lovingly. "As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter where we go."

        "Smooth, Shipman. Very smooth." Nola was impressed by Shauna's works. Usually it was her that uttered words to flutter Shauna's heart so for it to happen to her was a welcomed surprise. She immediately leaned down and kissed Shauna upon the forehead while professing, "I love you."

          And though the two had every intention of making out when they had climbed the stairs, the comfort of being in each others arms with no interruptions was simply to amazing to pass up on.

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            MUSIC FROM SHAUNA'S TAPE deck played in the background, the volume sitting at an appropriate level for the morning time. Nola Rilke sat in the passenger seat, clutching onto a bunch of different paint swatches that she had snagged from the hardware store the evening prior as Shauna scribbled away in her journal and muttered along to the songs.

            Last night, after a few hours of just laying together, Shauna finally had to head home before her parents worried about her. Now, the two girls sat in wait of their other best friend, Jackie Taylor. Team Captain of the WHS Yellowjackets and all-around nice girl, who was being a huge pain in Nola's ass as she took absolutely forever to get ready.

          Her eyes scanned over every single swatch, trying to decide on the best fit for her upcoming class project, that had to be perfect. She grabbed hold of a specific shade of green, Forest Green to be exact, and brandished it out in front of Shauna. "Hey, you think this is a good colour?"

          The two had refrained from giving each other pet names, so no matter how much Nola wished to call Shauna something cute that would ultimately end up with the Shipman girls cheeks rosy, she had to fight back the urge to avoid accidentally uttering it in front of anyone else.

          The girl beside her glanced up from her journal and dropped her pen in her lap. With a shrug she replied, "I guess. What's this for anyway?"

        "I'm doing this project for Home EC with Taissa. She put me in charge of designing the board." Nola informed the Shipman girl as she glanced back down at the swatches. "Apparently, I don't do enough research. Whatever that means."

          Truthfully, Nola couldn't give a fuck about Home Ec or this project but when Taissa Turner, her fellow Yellowjacket and sometimes friend, had chastised her for not giving a shit about her projects, Nola had been outraged. So, she wasn't perfect at Home Ec. She excelled at literally every other class that she did care about, so who was Taissa to judge her?

            A crease appeared between the Shipman girl's brows as she looked over at her girlfriend. "Didn't you get a D on your last assignment?"

        "Yeah, so?" The young Rilke girl replied with a shrug of the shoulders. She'd gotten a D grade solely because she had been so focused on their previous soccer game. "I've literally never given a damn about Home Ec."

            "Why do you two clash so much?" Shauna questioned. She never under the strange dynamic that existed between the Rilke and Turner girls.

             Nola's grip on the swatches loosened for a bit as she attempted to come up with a reasonable answer to Shauna's question. A slight sigh fell past her lips because try as she might, she didn't know exactly why they weren't friends. "That's just who we are. Some people are destined to be friends forever whereas Tai and I are destined to be bitches to one another."

            With that, the two returned to their own activities, Shauna to her journal and Nola to her swatches. Minutes passed by before Nola lifted her head up again in frustration. Waiting for Jackie was seriously getting on her nerves. She loved her but Jackie took forever to get ready. Her head turned towards the Taylor family residence just in time to see the window to Jackie's bedroom sliding open and a body shoving itself through the gap.

            She'd recognise that body anywhere. Suddenly, Jackie taking forever was making more and more sense.

            "Oh god, is that Jeff?" Nola had to hold back a laugh at how pathetic he looked as he ran across Jackie's yard. For the life of her, the girl couldn't see what the appeal was about him. Or any boy for that reason. They were just so...dull. No, Nola was happy as a lover of women, especially the one in the seat next to her.

            Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she returned her gaze once again to the paint swatches in her lap. "What does she see in him? He's so bland."

            "He's...alright." Shauna lowly muttered in reply, watching as the boy skulked off in the direction of his own home. She didn't want Nola to think she suddenly was attracted to the Sadecki boy and so she quickly looked away.

          She had once crushed on the boy, doted over him. Even jotted his name down in her childhood diary, but once Jackie and Jeff began to date, all of that went away. All of it.

            "Agree to disagree." Nola replied as she fixed a playful glare upon the now arriving Jackie, who looked as well put-together as always. "You're late."

          "Looking this good takes time." Jackie jokingly retorted gesturing to her outfit before stuffing her into the back seat of Shauna's car. Her response caused a round of laughter to fill the vehicle as they began to roll towards the high school.

            Jackie darted her eyes back and forth between her friends, observing them as they did their own thing. She began to grow bored with the silence and so shifted herself further up her seat, reached between the two front seats of the car and switched off the tape that was playing, changing it to play whatever song had been playing on the radio.

            She giggled at the offended look upon Shauna's face. "Were you listening to that?"

          "No, it fell into the tape deck and I accidentally pressed play." The Shipman girl rolled her eyes at her best friends playful nature. The mood seemed to grow slightly tense as Shauna then admitted. "We saw Jeff."

          Nola looked back at her friend in the backseat through the rearview mirror. "Yeah, Jackie. What happened to no distractions before nationals?"

         "Ripping off the bandaid' and all that?" Shauna continued the line of questioning.

        "I decided that showing up to college a virgin is a mistake. No offence." Jackie responded, flashing the two girls a pitiful look. Shrugging her shoulders, the Taylor girl them explained, "We've been together for so long that if we're each other's first, then we'll be linked forever. It's more poetic that way."

          The blonde then excitedly spoke up once again. "Oh, that reminds me. I decided on a colour palette for our room at Rutgers next year. Pink and green. It's like class preppy meets Palm Beach. It's very Lilly. P." Her words were aimed at Shauna.

          A pout appeared upon Jackie's lips as she reached out a hand and grabbed onto the Rilke girls shoulders. "Are you sure you don't want to ditch Berkeley and come to Rutkers with us?"

          Nola turned her body and smiled over at her friend as she took hold of her hand. "Jackie. You know how much I love you guys but my mom would kill me if I didn't attend Berkeley. You know she's been obsessed with me going there since before I was even born."

          If there was one thing Virginia Rilke was absolutely determined to do, it was to send her daughter to the University of Berkeley. It was the only reason the woman ever really paid attention to Nola. That goddamn school appeared to be have been her only motivator to have a child in the first place.

        "Yeah, yeah. Her alma mater, whatever. Your mom's no fun." Jackie huffed and puffed as she threw herself back into her seat. Nola nodded her head in agreement at Jackie's insult towards her mother.

         "Wait, Jeff's a virgin?" Shauna questioned in confusion, bringing the conversation back to their previous discussion of Jackie and Jeff's relationship.

            "Well, we've been together since freshman year."

            Shauna continued to glance back and forth between Jackie and the road ahead. "Yeah, I know. It's just...you guys have broken up like ten thousand times."

          "Never long enough to count." The young Taylor girl brushed off Shauna's comment. Her attention was quickly grabbed by a huge sign that sat just outside of the diner they had begun to pass by. "The hell is this bullshit?"

            "What?" The two girls turned back to stare at her in confusion.

            Jackie gestured towards the big sign above the diner that displayed support for the boy's baseball team. "These assholes were under .500 all season. Shauna, honk at that thing."

            Shauna's head shook as she laughed. "No, they're just gonna think we're saluting mediocre baseball."

            For the briefest of moments, as Jackie shifted in her seat while preparing the yell at the top of her lungs, Nola allowed herself to sneak a passing glance over at Shauna. The way in which her face lit up as she giggled had Nola's little heart soaring.

            Jackie rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "Try undefeated, bitches!" Her voice rose in volume as she cried out support for the girl's soccer team. "We're going to motherfucking nationals!"

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          THE YELLOWJACKETS SPENT THEIR time preparing for the upcoming pep rally. Everyone had already gotten changed and now were simply fixing up their appearances, brushing their hair or apply face paint to show team pride.

            Nola found herself standing before the mirror, gently running a small paint brush over her cheek next to Jackie, who was helping out a fellow teammate with her very own painting. Singing from the girls in the locker room traveled into the bathroom causing a smile to appear upon the Rilke girl's lips.

          "Allie? You alright?" Jackie asked the young girl, staring at her in concern. She attempted to comfort Allie by saying, "It's just a pep rally. Honestly I think the whole point is to give freshmen's something to jerk off to later."

          "Jackie." Called out a voice before Allie could reply. Everyone turned to glance at the door just as their teammate, Lottie Matthews swung herself into the bathroom, holding to the doorframe. "Coach wants to see you in his office."

            "I'm not nervous." Allie stated to Jackie, who simply smiled at her before walking away.

           "I'm the only freshmen who got asked, you know." Allie then explained to Van Palmer, goalkeeper for the team, as she took over painting the small bee upon the girls cheek from Jackie.

            Van nodded her head. She comfortingly muttered a soft, "I know."

        "It's so unfair. My dress was gonna be amazing." Nola backed up from the mirror, now completely finished with her painting. She rolled her eyes at Allie's complaining. If she didn't want to be there and play for the team, then why be on the team at all?

            "Well, hey, at least you can wear it next year."

            "You don't get it, Van, cause nobody asked you." Allie replied, a slight snarl to her lips as she spoke quite rudely to Van, who had been nothing but nice to her.

            "Okay, you're done." Van uttered as she bit her tongue to keep from saying something she'd regret.

          Nola reached out and grabbed hold of Allie by the shoulders, holding back from digging in her nails, and began to manoeuvre the girl to the exit of the bathroom. "Take a hike, Allie."

          They watched as the freshmen disappeared down the hallway, in the direction of the locker room. Finally, after she was long gone, Lottie then exclaimed, "Jesus Christ." as her eyes widened in disbelief.

          The Rilke girl stepped forward just as another person walked into the bathroom. The two stopped themselves before their bodies had a chance to collide. Her head tilted up, revealing the figure of Taissa Turner. The girl nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Nola."

           "Taissa." The brunette responded as she backed away, allowing for Taissa to enter the bathroom.

          The Turner girl stepped in front of the mirror, staring at her appearance as Lottie, who stood beside her, remarked, "Does someone wanna tell Kelly Kapowski to maybe worry less about prom and more about not fucking up nationals?"

        "Oh, come on." Van complained as she twirled about the length of her ponytail. She grabbed a chunk of hair and held it in front of her nose as though it was a moustache.

            Lottie quickly replied with a warning. "If she plays like she did at States—"

         "Don't worry. That's not gonna happen." The Turner girl, somewhat mysteriously, confirmed for the girls before taking her leave. She vacated the bathroom before anyone could question what she meant.

         Nola slinked into the spot where Taissa once stood, staring over at the Palmer girls reflection the mirror. "You're far too kind, Van. Allie is such a bitch."

            When all she received was a half smile and shrug of the shoulders in return, Nola left the bathroom and began to make her way towards the locker room. Mere moments before she could open the locker room door, she was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and dragged round the corner.

            "Hey." Nola glanced up at the voice to identify her perpetrator only to see that it was Taissa Turner. This girl was slowly becoming the bane of Nola's very existence.

            The grip on her wrist was really began to hurt as a slight sharp pain spread through the muscle below the fingers that dug in deep. The young brunette was quick to shake her wrist free of the hold. "Pinch much?"

            Taissa stared down at the wrist she once held firmly in her grasp, registering the slight reddish hues that began to develop which stood out against the alabaster, almost sickly looking skin of Nola Rilke. For the briefest of moments, the girl felt bad for how harshly she had grabbed her.

            That feeling dissipated just as fast as it developed. "Look, we need to discuss some things."

            "Such as?" Nola drew out her words as she attempted to draw out an answer. She truthfully didn't wish to spend any more time than necessary with the girl before her.

            She wasn't entirely sure what it was about Taissa that she didn't like. The two girls just never seemed to get along. Despite their similarities, both having head strong personalities that refused to let someone walk over them, they butted heads at almost every turn.

          Jackie always joked that it was a good thing neither of them were the captain, otherwise nothing would ever be accomplished.

            "We need to drop some dead weight from the team." The Turner girl lowly admitted, dropping her voice to a whisper as she stepped closer to the brunette before her.

            First she needed to get everyone on side. Taissa didn't wish for her plans to be overheard by anyone that could potentially foil them before they could even be put into fruition. Speaking low and standing close was the only solution to this issue.

            "You're talking about Allie, right?" Nola folded her arms across her chest, subconsciously placing distance between her and Taissa. At the sight of Taissa's nod, Nola sighed. "She is pretty shit, I can't deny that. But Tai, she is only a freshmen. She could get better."

            "You see her getting better before nationals? And be fucking honest, Nola." Taissa harshly whispered. She was begging for the truth at this point. She knew Nola better then either realised and so, she knew that deep down the Rilke girl agreed with her.

            Nola stared up at the brown eyed girl before her as the veil of silence fell over them. She contemplated answering before realising that if she didn't, it would most likely drive a wedge further between her and the young Turner girl.

            "No, I don't. But what are we gonna do? Get her cut from the team?" She probed at Taissa's potential plan. Whatever they did, it had to be concrete enough that it wouldn't backfire.

          "We'll think of something." Taissa muttered, brushing off the concern that she heard in Nola's voice. "But if it's needed, do I have your support?"

            A somewhat intense stare became fixed upon her causing the young Rilke girl to start perspiring. Taissa was certainly a forced to be reckoned with. Nola sighed in defeat. "I guess so, yeah."

            Minutes later, after the two girls parted ways, everyone gathered up outside the gymnasium, listening to the school's principal prattle on and waiting for the moment they were to enter.

             "Now our next act needs no introduction. So let's make some noise for your New Jersey State girls soccer champions." The principal then called out, his words sparking a roar of cheer to emanate from the stands.

            All of the girls jogged into the gym with smiles on their faces, all enjoying the praise they received for their success on the field. They all quickly fell into a line.

            The teams equipment manager, Misty Quigley began to chant, "Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz." which garnered the attention of many who all started to join in, cheering on the Yellowjackets who in that moment, were ready to kick ass at nationals.

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jamielee's thoughts.
chapter one. not proofread.
this chapter had officially been reworked to fit my new version of the plot. somethings will stay the same but expect some big changes as well. anyway hope you enjoyed :)