Pretty Much the Same Now

The game was winding down and Coach dismissed the girls from the sidelines. Most everyone scattered towards their backpacks to retrieve their phones, thumbs mashing away at them as they caught up on everything they'd missed. Blossom posed in a few pictures with her squad but drifted off, gradually working her way further and further away without officially saying she was leaving. Most of the time, when possible, she just preferred to go, not unlike a cat just walking out when it was done. It saved so much awkwardness she felt.

For a little bit she helped the water boys pick up bottles and cups and then helped the trainers move their equipment back inside the field house. It smelled like all boys locker rooms, rank and sharp and musty all at once so Blossom spent as little time lingering near it as possible, not going inside. She sure didn't want to smell it any closer plus they boys were changing. That would just be wrong and super, super likely to cause trouble. And, honestly, she'd seen boys naked a few times before middle school and figured it was pretty much the same now.

When she was done Blossom headed back past the stands and out the front towards the dorms. The agonizingly close smell of salt and sand made her long to see the ocean for the first time, someone said it was really close and the humid heat and salt air made it feel like that was the truth. Maybe she could find someone who had been before and convince them to go with her.

Oooh, maybe she could make a little poster or flyer for the bulletin board! Buoyed by that idea she picked up her pace.