It's a Journey Not a Destination Ch. 06

"Hey! You must be Dillon? My name's Isabel." She put her hand out for a handshake and Dillon graciously accepted. "Good luck Dillon!" She nodded her head and returned to her side of the court. She couldn't help but notice that the young man looked very serious. Probably terrified about the possibility of losing to a girl she thought.

Dillon won the coin toss and quickly played a forehand serve to Isabel's backhand, and she instinctively drove it right back at him and he clearly wasn't expecting that, and it struck the frame around the head of his racket and went out of bounds.

Isabel was up 3 nothing before she lost her serve and Dillon was able to claw himself back into a tie. Quite frankly the contest itself was even and Isabel was starting to enjoy the game she once loved. With an overhead smash she put the birdie right along the sideline for the game winning shot, 11-8. She allowed herself a celebration and gave a little fist pump. She caught Jason doing the cabbage patch from the side and that made her laugh.

The second game was just like the first game and Dillon was really starting to key in. He had Isabel lunging and jumping as she struggled to return his fury. She hung in until the end and lost the match 11-9 when she backhanded into the net. She wasn't sure, but it looked like her opponent said a little prayer of thank you at the end. Dillon wasted no time and set up for his serve and like her opponent on her first serve of the match she crashed the net in surprise and smashed right into his body. She took no pleasure in it but her competitive spirit was coming out big time. She was aggressive and the poor guy didn't have an answer for smash after smash that was blowing past him. With the score 10-4, Isabel placed a very good short serve causing Dillon to pop it up higher than he wanted. As Isabel moved under for yet another smash, Dillon dropped back as far as he could trying to guess where she was going to place it. In the blink of an eye, Isabel halted her smash to propel the birdie with just enough gas to topple over the net for match point.

Isabel turned to where Jason was standing and got a very enthusiastic thumbs up and... was that supposed to be the running man? What a dork she thought. Albeit a cute one! She walked over to her towel and after wiping herself down she turned around to thank Dillon for the good games. 11-8, 9-11 and 11-4. She looked around to find him sitting on the bench with his head in his hands and made her way towards him.

"Those were really good games Dillon." She said as she sat beside him. He looked up and saw she had her hand out, so he reciprocated.

"Thanks Isabel. I couldn't keep up with you that last game." He was saying all the right things, but Isabel could tell he was off about something.

"Dillon? Are you ok? I mean it's just a game... right?" He nodded his head a few times and just looked straight ahead. Isabel followed his eyes, and she could see Veronica smiling back at him. She quickly put two and two together. "Dillon? Did you make some kind of bet with Veronica?" He turned his head quickly to look into her eyes. "I mean it's none of my business, but I know how she operates and right now she looks like the cat who ate the canary."

Looking straight ahead again he let out a big sigh. "Yeah. She convinced me I would win but it turns out you're better than she let on."

"Well, my first match was rusty for sure, but I did feel a lot better this time round. I'm sorry if I wrecked your plans." She offered her condolences.

"Not the first time I've lost to her." He chuckled despite himself. "Normally this wouldn't be a big deal... but she thought I would win so she upped the anti, and I went for broke."

"I'm pretty sure I know what the usual deal is... she keeps trying to get me to take it, but what does up the anti include?"

"See the big black guy standing beside her?" They both looked towards her just as Veronica placed one hand on the mans package and used her other hand to gesture a cocksucking motion while her tongue poked the inside of her cheek.

Isabel looked back at the young man. "Nooooo. You're not serious?" She was mortified.

Again, Dillon sighed, "Ya... apparently while she does my rearend, he gets to fill the other hole." He turned red and looked skyward.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS DILLON!" Isabel was angry and adamant. "She can't make you do something you don't want to! Just say no, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I heard the last person who reneged on a bet suffered a lot of public shame as she basically told everyone it happened. I heard it got so bad, the guy quit and left Epicaste. At least if you go through with it, she keeps it private, and you can live with the shame in peace."

Isabel thought about what he said, and she knew there was truth in his words. It was kind of like choosing the best of two evils.

"I made the bet... I knew the risks... it's on me." Dillon finished the sentence in a whisper.

"I know it's too late, but I wish you would've told me this before our game, I would have lost on purpose Dillon." She gave a remorseful smile.

"Not exactly a pre-game discussion with someone you never met." He laughed. "Excuse me. I know we don't know each other but I bet this hot chick that if I won, I could fuck her ass, but if I lose, she's going fuck mine while I suck off her big black friend. Any chance you could let me win?" The ridiculousness of his statement made them both laugh. "Thanks Isabel, but I'll be ok. Good luck with the rest of your games." And on that note, he got up and walked towards one of the exits.

Isabel looked for Jason and his eye contact was inquisitive to what that conversation was about. She then looked for Veronica and made a beeline towards the girl.

"Hey girl! Heard you won a match!" Veronica was in full venom mode.

"You are the sickest fucking human being I've ever met... do you know that? Fuck, sometimes I don't even think you are human!"

"Hey easy there, baby girl!" Nathan decided to chime in.

"Oh, shut the fuck up! You're just as bad as demented barbie here! You can both go to hell!" Too angry to trust herself to stick around she turned and headed straight for the exit with Jason calling her name in hot pursuit.

As soon as Isabel got outside, she stopped, realizing she had no idea where to go or what to do. She let out a muffled roar trying to release some her pent-up anger.

"Isabel... are you ok? What happened in there?" Jason quickly came up from behind her and positioned himself directly in front of the girl. "What the hell just happened? I thought you were going to punch Vern right in the face!" He tried to catch Isabel's eyes, but she was squinting and rolling her head back and forth on top of her shoulders. "Seriously... are you ok?" He gave her a few minutes to either calm down or find her words... or maybe it was both, and it took a few more minutes before she could look him in the face.

"Look... I really want to tell you the details but some of it isn't mine to share. All I can say is that... GIRL, has a truly demented mind or a sick sense of humor. With her, it's hard to tell the difference!"

"Does this have something to do with that Dillon guy? I mean I saw you talking to him after the match and the next thing I know you were charging at her."

"Yes, it does involve him buy please don't ask for details... I don't want to be that kind of person and air other people's private affairs." Her face softened to convince him of her sincerity.

"No... of course, I respect that. I've known Veronica long enough to know she can be rather evil sometimes. I don't even know if she's aware of it to be honest." He shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not seriously going to sit here and defend that bitch to me, are you?" She glared at him.

"I wouldn't classify it as defending... it's more of an observation. Look Isabel, I've seen people at their absolute worst only to see them do something thoughtful or selfless the next day. I know I used the word evil, but I honestly think deep down she's hurting from something in her life. It doesn't excuse what she did or has done, but I have also witnessed her go out of her way to help people. She just doesn't like others to know that about her, and before you ask... I don't know why." He had more to say but felt it would dilute what he was trying to get across and for now, anyway, he could see the creases coming out of Isabel's forehead.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jason suggested they walk across the parking area to the edge of one of the many parks. At first the conversation was minimal but as the fresh air got into Isabel's lungs and mind, she thanked him for following her and giving her some food for thought. For most of her life she's been able to refrain from passing judgement on others, even when it seemed justified, and she's been here not quite a week and has already prejudged Leticia and now Veronica. There are ALWAYS two sides to a story and her dad was adamant that she remembers that. Truth was she knew very little about the beautiful tyrant and even less about Dillon. Maybe he's not really a victim here. He's a young adult... he even stated that he knew what he was bargaining. Would he have taken that bet if it was something he was totally against? It's not uncommon for people to have deeper fantasy's that they, themselves may not even be aware of. You'd think somewhere deep down he had to be, at least, a little ok with what could happen. Her thoughts went immediately to the situation she experienced with Gavin and what a roller coaster that was.

Knowing she had to get back to the hanger, she stopped and grabbed Jason's hand forcing him to stop too. As he turned to face her, she stepped in and gave him a big hug. "Thanks Jason. I feel much better now." He gave her a tight squeeze to say your welcome and it made her squeak. "Now that was a hug!" She exclaimed.

As she pulled away Jason bent his back knee and gave a formal bow. "Anytime milady! Doth just have to ask, and thy will be done!"

"Whatever! How about I just treat you to dinner one night." She giggled.

"Oh... I see where this is going! Wine me... dine me..." He made a circle with his left hand using his finger and thumb and proceeded to jab his index finger from his right through it a few times, "Take advantage of my cute runner's butt! I had no idea Ms. Piteranni!" He loved watching her laugh.

"Hey now! A girl can dream you know. Not my fault you got a cute butt!" She slipped her hands to her waist for a more authoritative stance.

"Yeah... well right back at ya missy!" He retorted.

They took their leave back to the hanger and the conversation was laced with jovial teasing and it wasn't lost on Isabel how good she felt around Jason.

An hour later, Isabel found herself on another court and was pressing for the match in what could only be described as lopsided in her favor. Whether it was the prior games or the talk with Jason, she had really found her groove, accenting it with an ace on her final serve for a two-game sweep. She briefly made eye contact with Veronica as she left the court and thought about going to apologize but the other girl quickly shunned her and went off somewhere. She felt a pang of guilt, but it quickly disappeared when Jason came up from behind and slapped her ass.

"Hey! Did I give you permission to man handle my goodies?" She faux complained.

"My apologies... but it was tough to pass up the opportunity!" He smiled and Isabel was really starting to like that smile. "So, it looks like you're in the semi's against some guy named Bart... I kid you not, that's his name. If you win, you play the winner of Veronica and Whitney for the championship."

"I don't know if I can face Veronica again today. Do you think she'll win?" She looked hopefully to Jason for a no, but he was nodding yes. "Ugh... maybe I'll lose this one on purpose. Would that be bad?" Again, she was looking to Jason for a supportive answer.

"It's your call... but... I don't know you all that well, however you strike me as someone who would have a hard time living with yourself knowing someone got the better of you."

Isabel looked him in the eyes, then popped her right hip out with her hand on it. "Should've known better than to ask you that one!" She was trying to sound mad, but it came off more as a pout. "Well maybe this guy, Bart will beat me fair and square." She walked to her court and noticed there were bleacher seats along the sidelines and amazingly they were quite a few spectators made up of eliminated participants and curious students. She even saw Leticia in the crowd and wondered why she would be here on a Saturday, when she caught her eyes and saw the large magical smile, she was instantly happy she was there indeed!

Bart turned out to be a very worthy opponent and after splitting the first two games he was up 8-5 in the third game. Isabel had committed several unforced errors this game, and they were starting to catch up to her. When she got the serve back, she walked to the back of the court and saw Jason trying to start the wave with two other guys. He's such a dork! She smiled to herself. As she was getting set, she happened a glance towards Leticia, who popped two thumbs up and another sexy ass smile.

"Get your head in the game Izzy!" She scolded herself out loud.

It wasn't much of a self pep talk, but it seemed to have worked as she rattled off 5 straight points and ended up serving for the game and match. She strategized her approach... she had noticed that he favoured his smashes to his strong side, and she thought she could use this to her advantage, if he took the bait. She popped up a sky-high serve to his deep back court and he stepped underneath it, timing a perfect smash straight down the line, but her anticipation of the shot placed her perfectly in line and she did a slow cut backhand that not only took the birdie to the far side, but it literally dropped as soon as it went over the net. The small crowd watching cheered and even she had to admit that it was the perfect return. She ran to the net and shook hands with her formidable opponent and smiled at Letica as she went to find Jason.

"Holy shit! That was really exciting! I never thought I'd get so excited about badminton but that was a quite the match!"

Isabel beamed at Jason's excitement and gave him a high five. "Any word about the other match?"

He put his hands on his hips. "Yeah. She won in straight sets, not even close." He could see the disappointment in her face but there was no easy way to tell her.

Blowing the air out of her lungs, Isabel excused herself and went to the bathroom to pee and splash some water on her face.

Jason couldn't help but watch her leave as the view was spectacular. He was only brought back to the present by what sounded like a forced cough.

*cough* *cough*

"Looks like Jay's found himself another woman to worship." Veronica stated in a factual tone. "She's got a great body and a spectacular ass; too bad she thinks she's better than everyone else."

"Hello Veronica. First off, we're just friends and secondly, I don't think that's a fair assessment." He defended his friend.

"You seriously don't think she's hot as fuck?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Nice try. You know what I meant. In fairness you're not exactly the easiest person to read Vern. You make your take charge, dominant personality known to everyone, but only a select few know the other side too. She's not seen that side yet and I was just trying to tell her to give you a chance."

"I don't need your help or your sympathy Jay. She doesn't have to like me... I have lots of people in my life that like me for who I am!" Jason tried to interject and clarify what he meant but she spun off in a huff.

"Well, that could've gone better." He said out loud to no one.

Isabel left the washroom and saw Veronica and decided now was as a good time as any to try and bury the hatchet before their game. She called out her name twice before she acknowledged her voice and stopped. She picked up her pace and jogged so she wouldn't keep her waiting.

"Hey... thanks for stopping. I just wanted to say that I'm s...." But before she could finish her sentence Veronica cut her off in a huff.

"Save it new girl! You think no one's ever called me names before? If I had a fucking quarter for every asshole and bitch that figured they knew me well enough to define me in such a derogatory way... well, I'd be a fucking millionaire! I don't care what you think of me. I know you think I somehow manipulate innocent people into unspeakable acts but no one's fucking innocent girl! I force no one! You don't have to play the game but stop acting like my game is fucking evil! If you'd stop judging everyone long enough to get your ass off your fucking high horse... you might actually enjoy life instead of being a sexually confused stuck up bitch!"

Isabel was in shock. She knew she hurt the girl's feelings, but she was getting verbally pummeled right now and her inner fighter pushed aside her compassionate side. "I'm the problem? You're fucking kidding, right? Maybe you should try to introduce yourself as regular person and not some sort of anal Dom!"

"Name calling now! What is this? High school? I'm an open book girl! You... you on the other hand come in here and drop judgement like you ain't done shit things in your life! Do you really think you're perfect?" Veronica was now standing breast to breast with Isabel in a complete old western style stare down.

"Stop saying that! I never once said I was perfect, but when I see wrong, I say something!" Isabel growled back.

"I've been here 2 and half years and not one person has ever complained to me or filed a complaint. In fact, I have many friends I've met through my so-called perversion, and we're friends long after the fact!" She continued.

"What about that guy last year who had to leave the school after rumours floated around?" Isabel knew it was a dirty shot, but she was losing her cool and Veronica stared at her with a stunned face.

"Trust me when I say you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about." Veronica dropped her voice considerably, but the tone was fierce.

"Whatever! Let's play so I can kick your sorry ass!" Anger primed her competitiveness and Isabel wanted to destroy her opponent.

"Kick... my... ass... REALLY?" Veronica shot her hand out. "Wanna make a bet?"

Isabel looked down and grabbed her hand forcefully with no regard of the potential outcome. "YA! I'll take that bet!" Veronica pulled out her sexy, evil, predatory smile.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle... for the first minute anyway, and I'm not talking about the match! Prepare to be embarrassed in front of all these people!" With that last comment Veronica let go of her hand and sauntered to her side of the court.

Veronica watched her walk away and she was finally able to calm down a little bit until she realized what she just bet. "Oh, for fuck sakes! I need to learn to shut my mouth!" She admonished herself as she took her position.

The main court was surrounded by spectators as the two girls made their way to the playing surface. Unlike the last time they played there was a coin toss and Veronica won first serve. Veronica played like a woman possessed and despite the spectacular lunges and returns, Isabel found herself down 5-0 before she got the serve back. Anticipating the over aggressiveness of her opponent, Isabel served a high deep one that Veronica smashed just outside the line, putting her on the board. The rest of the first game went back and forth with each girl gaining a point here and there. As Veronica served for game point, she tried to sneak a weak backhander right at the foul line, Isabel lunged and snapped her wrist to the right and it was the perfect return, accept it slid across the top of the net just a little too far causing the birdie to drop out of bounds. Veronica gave herself a solid fist pump after winning the game 11-8.