Alex squeezed the tiny boy’s body in between her toes as the bus pulled into the parking lot. Jake had gone limp halfway to the stadium, which had ruined Alex’s fun. “I hope he’s still alive at least” She thought, giving his limp body another squeeze. He was like a little stress toy, perfect to fidget with in between her toes.
The team began to unload from the bus and head into the locker room to prepare for the championship. Alex rarely got nervous, but this time she did have some butterflies. This was her last year playing, at least for high school, and she wanted one last award for herself at home. After getting dressed she stepped out behind the locker room where she could have some privacy and popped her shoe and sock off before shaking it upside down to get her tiny captive out. Jake’s unconscious body fell out of the sock and hit the dirt with a soft thud in between her feet. Alex bent down, her muscular body casting a shadow over him. She could see his tiny chest rise and fall, so he was still breathing at least. “Good, he can still be there for my game” She thought to herself. She gave him a few pokes, but no response. Deciding on a more drastic approach, Alex pursed her lips and let a nice blob of spit slowly descend from her lips. Once it was right above him, the spit string broke and the blob slammed into his face.
Jake shot straight up as the cold sticky liquid covered him. He gasped for air and wiped the residue off his face. He was in a new location he realized as he looked around, grass and trees on the horizon before him. Had he died and gone to heaven he wondered. Alex’s laughter rang out suddenly, nearly shattering his ear drums, his head snapped 180 degrees and he finally noticed her looming above him, he hadn’t woken up in heaven, he was still very much in hell.
“Look who finally woke up! Couldn’t handle my shoes huh?” A smile was plastered across her face. “Well, you need to toughen up squirt, its game time, and you better be awake for the whole thing cheering me on in there!”
Before he could even respond her long fingers had snatched him up again and dropped him back into the sock. The door behind her suddenly opened and her coach stepped out, Alex’s heart dropped
“Alex! What are you doing? The game starts in 5 minutes! Get your ass in here!” her coach ordered
“Sorry coach had a rock or something in my sock” She lied, quickly slipping her sock and shoe back on and heading in. Had she been a second slower she might have been caught.
Jake squirmed back under her toes, his mind racing a million miles an hour as he felt each step as Alex headed onto the field. He had decided under her toes would be the safest place to survive the match. Her heel was an obvious death sentence along with the ball of her foot, her arch would be good, but he worried about slipping out of the spot and getting crushed, which left her toes as the only remaining options. He snuggled up tightly against the big toe, his face pushed against the already sweaty flesh.
“Please God let her get benched or ejected or injured or just anything to save me from this!” He cried out for divine intervention. He wasn’t a believer but saw no harm in asking at the moment. He made out the sound of the whistle blowing to signal the start of the game despite being trapped in the shoe. Suddenly he was weightless before he slammed back into the ground, pulverizing him under the toes. This process began to repeat rapidly, drilling his skull into the meaty flesh that surrounded him.
Above, the sun beat down on the field. Alex jogged out to her place on the field, her body already pumping with adrenaline. With lightning speed, Alex sprinted forward, her legs a blur of energy and her mind solely focused on the ball. Every muscle in her body seemed to be fueled by pure determination as she weaved through the opposing team's defense. She chased the ball relentlessly, her battered cleats pounding against the perfectly manicured grass. The sweat poured down her brow, mixing with the dust and grime from the intense match. The thumping of her heart drowned out the cheers and jeers from the crowd, as if time had slowed down, leaving only the rhythm of her own breath and the pulsating adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Jake was struggling to survive in the lucky sock. Sweat had quickly began to form , gushing out against him and leaving him and the sock soaked. This made the already hostile environment even more difficult to move around in. As more and more poured down on his face he finally allowed some into his mouth, forcing himself to swallow the disgusting liquid. If he had anything left to throw up, he certainly would have. He continued to drink as much as he could, hoping to remove enough so that he could breathe comfortably. Unfortunately, though, the athlete’s feet were making much more sweat than he could even begin to handle. The heat was also baking him alive, making each breath more and more labored. It felt like it was at least 150 degrees inside his sneaker prison.
The intense motion was also a major difficulty. Every step, leap, slide, and pivot Alex made on the field sent his body flying in between her toes. His skull had been rattled at least 10 times now against the callus that adorned her big toe. He never had a moment of rest during the intense game as it continued to play out.
Alex kept on pushing, the game was nearly over now, and it was a tie score, she and her team had been moving in unison, but it had still proven impossible to get another goal. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, noticing the tiny struggles under her toes for the first time since the start of the match. The little twerp was actually still awake. She smirked and took off again with renewed determination to finish the match. The clock was nearly up when the ball was passed to Alex. She weaved her way through the enemy, making light work of the entire team. She saw her opening and drove her foot perfectly into the ball, sending it right past the goalie and into the net. The crowd went wild, cheers erupted from the stadium and her teammates as they lifted her up.
Inside the shoe Jake had continued his struggle, barley able to stay conscious at this point. The rough sole continued its onslaught against, battering him relentlessly with her grimy toes. He had sworn he felt a rib pop during one of her steps, and now his vision was biggening to blur. As Alex made her way to the final goal the last of his strength was sapped, he gave up his struggle against his bully’s disgusting foot. Overwhelmed by the stench and heat, he blacked out, never to wake up again.
The celebration following the game had been wonderful. Alex had received more praise than anyone for the win, scoring almost every point herself. She grinned with joy, completely forgetting about her tiny prisoner as she partook in the celebrations. After a proud speech from the coach, the team began to load back on the bus for the long ride home. Alex slumped over on the old leather bus seat, resting her head against the cold window. She remembered jake and gave him another squeeze with her toes, he was not as active as when he first entered the shoe she noticed. “Probably passed out” She thought to herself. Soon, she was asleep.