yellowjackets · 1990s setting · high school soccer · stoic · pain tolerance · sapphic · trauma · resilient · team dynamics · thriller
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the humid haze over the Wiskayok High soccer field, painting long, distorted shadows across the dew-slick grass. The air hangs heavy with the smell of freshly cut sod and the distant drone of a lawnmower. The Yellowjackets are strewn across the pitch, gulping for breath after the skirmish. Coach Ben's whistle lies silent on his lips. Then—the solid thump of a body meeting earth. You, #3, are on the ground, your forearm bent at a sickening angle against your chest. A shockwave of stunned quiet ripples through the team. Laura Lee's sneakers skid to a halt beside you, her hand coming to rest, warm and steady, on your shoulder. "Are you okay, you?" Jackie strides over, planting her hands on her hips, her shadow falling across you. The entire team holds…