5. time out

"Kitt! Missy Frow, of the XOU Tribune. Do you have a minute?" A girl approached Kitt and Josie while they shared a large order of French fries and  Cokes at the pub on campus.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Kitt looked at Josie, who waved a fry in her direction to encourage her to accept.

""I'm doing a piece on the women's athletics at XOU, I mean after you guys kicked ass on Saturday, the swim team came home with gold and the Ringette team is in first place over all. Someone should notice!" The girl pulled up a chair and looked so wide-eyed and eager, Kitt liked her immediately.

"Is that a question? I definitely think the  women athletes at XOU deserve recognition." Kitt nodded.

"Do you mind if I record?" Missy asked, pulling out her phone.

"Not at all." Kitt shrugged.

"Awesome, thanks!" Missy put her phone in front of them and took a deep breath.

"You have been getting a lot of attention since dominating the scoreboard at the exhibition game on Saturday against the XOU men's team. Did you expect to win, and by what kind of margin?" Missy's voice changed. It became more serious and professional as she asked the question.

"Well, to be honest, I never expect a win, I always hope we win, but if you expect it, you'll become complacent, lazy, and cocky. I hate to say that the men's team could have beaten us had they viewed us as actual opponents rather than an easy win, but they seemed to think that our vaginas make us poor hockey players? Maybe that we are just little girls pretending to like hockey to get boyfriends? Or like that their big tough man shoulders would intimate us? I don't know, but they wrote us off early and completely." Kitt realized she still felt bitter about the treatment of the women's team.

"What makes you believe they don't see you as equals?" Missy asked in her professional voice.

"The men's team were given preferential treatment by the Athletics Department. They were allowed additional practices and ice time that interfered with our schedules. The women had to practice at 5am to have equal ice time, and while they are able to attend school on scholarships, which allow for players to focus, the women on our team are working, going to school and trying to represent our school with dignity and pride by playing under their name." Kitt said spilling her thoughts out so quickly she hoped she was making sense.

"How many athletic scholarships are awarded to women at XOU?" Missy asked, sounding more curious than interested in an actual answer.

"I can't say overall, but I know that XOU has twenty hockey scholarships. One was given to a female player. Me." Kitt snipped out.

"You have the ONLY scholarship given to female hockey players?" Missy asked, sounding surprised.

"Yep, and after the change in administration a few years ago, the  women's team is required to fundraise for their equipment and travel while the men's team, has an allocation in the athletic budget." Kitt shared.

"Do you think there will ever be a time that the teams will be seen as equals?" Missy tapped her pen on the table.

"In the past, the Athletics Department strived for equality. Now it feels like there has been a backwards slide of ideology. Not only do the men's team get better practice and game times, more ice time, scholarships, budget allocation, and additional administrative support; the women's team has a better record -we are currently sixteen and one, while the men are nine and eight- and we are ranked first in our division." Kitt said with pride.

"How do your teammates feel about all the attention you have been getting?" Missy asked.

"We feel fucking fantastic! Kitt is the right person to blow the lid off this shit, you know? She won't pussy foot around and pretend to be a all weak and pathetic, saying things like 'I just wanted everyone to have fun' no! Fuck that! She knows we kick ass and she will tell you we KICK ASS!" Josie chimed in. Making the other two girls at the table look at her with open mouths.

"I'm going to have to edit that." Missy said in shock of Josie's use of profanity.

"As you do." Josie just nodded and stuffed another fry in her mouth.

"I am not the spokesperson for the team, I am just one player who believes we ALL deserve better." Kitt said.

"Better in what way?" Missy prodded.

"Equality." Kitt said mater-of-factly.

"Who do you think needs to change policy and practices to create that equality?" Missy prodded again.

"Director Thomas." Kitt said directly.

"Are you saying Director Thomas is directly to blame for the inequalities between the teams?" Missy leaned in.

"To blame? Yes. The cause? Also yes. Sexist? Absolutely." Kitt said brazenly.

"How does the new name and uniform play into your demand for equal treatment?" Missy looked like she was having the time of her life. Most people didn't speak to reporters on the record like Kitt was.

"The uniforms show that we are taking back the name PRINCESS. Why is it used as an insult? Princesses can be strong and smart and talented and incredibly brave. We are taking back our femininity. We can like hockey AND the colour pink! Sparkles don't stop us from scoring goals. We don't have to pretend to be men to enjoy a sport men have claimed as their own. We can be beautiful, feminine, intelligent, talented, AND athletes." Kitt was getting all riled up.

"What would you want people to know?" Missy extended to open question as a way to get Kitt to keep talking.

"We are done putting up with this ... stuff. We got more attention being powerful women, being our completely authentic selves, than and of the men's teams going back fifty years. I am glad people have noticed us because we have found the spotlight and we are here to stay." Kitt said firmly.

"Why do you think this game got so much attention?" Missy asked leaning onto the table almost blocking Josie from Kitt's view.

"Because it is the only time our families can tune in to watch us play. Unless they are able to travel to games, they only hear how we did second hand. The men's team are predominantly featured, their games broadcast weekly.  Our families sacrificed and supported us for years to get us here, just like theirs, but unlike the men's team, we are still fighting to be seen." Kitt said leaning back.

"Yeah! Fucking right! That, that shit is why Kitt deserves the spotlight. She isn't going to beat around the bush and she doesn't give two flying shits who hears it!" Josie said with a grin.

Missy turned off the recording app on her phone.

"Thank you. You have no idea!" Missy smiled.

"It's just my thoughts on things." Kitt shrugged.

"I will send you the finished piece when it is published." Missy loaded her blank notebook, phone and pen into her purse before practically skipping away.

"You read that to filth!" Josie held her drink up.

"Maybe a little too much? I'm just still so annoyed." Kitt lifted her drink to clink glasses with her best friend.

Kitt reached down to grab a fry.

"Hey!" She looked up at her friend with the now empty basket in her hand.

"What? You were busy talking." Josie grinned.

***

Kitt was starting to regret unloading on Missy. All of her personal opinions were now public record. Depending what the reporter decided to do with them, Kitt could have a lot more questions to answer.

Kitt was a little nauseous. She was frustrated with the Athletics Department, but maybe voicing her concerns publicly wasn't the best choice.

As she ran through the paths of Sherwood forest she realized that it was very likely no one would ever see her interview. She was basically a nobody who went to school for sports medicine. She wasn't important enough for anyone to actually care. With that her stomach settled.

She shivered when the late March wind blew around her in the shade of the trees. The sun was shining hight in the cloudless sky, but even the bare trees were able to block any real warmth from reaching her skin.

"Hey!" A voice interupted her thoughts.

She looked around, startled. She thought she was alone.

"Stalking is illegal." She said when her gaze landed on the face of her intruder.

"But running into a fellow student on a campus where you both live, study and play is to be expected." Leo grinned. He followed her down the path towards her dorm.

"Isn't there someone else you can attempt to intimidate?" She asked rolling her eyes.

"No intimidation! Interested maybe." He eyed her with his head cocked to one side.

"Interested in what?" She turned to confront him, not wanting to show him where she lived.

"I find you intriguing." He admitted.

"And I find you chauvinistic." She grinned dryly. She turned back around and started walking towards the student commons and cafeteria.

"Ok, so you have to admit that if you weren't... YOU. Then I would argue, I was actually quiet charming." He argued following her.

"It's a free world." She shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He laughed.

"You are free to have your own opinion, no matter how skewed or wrong or asinine." She pulled open the heavy door, not caring if he followed or not. She didn't hold the door for him.

"So, what exactly is kinesiology?" He asked remaining over her shoulder.

"*Stalker*" She pretended to cough.

"Ok so maybe I 'investigated' my opponent a little." He gave her a big boyish grin.

"We were opponents for two hours five days ago. Now we are..." She waved her hand in the air searching for the proper term.

"... friends?" He asked hopefully.

"Is 'colleague' the right term for students of the same institution?" She asked leading him into the cafeteria.

"Come on, we are more than that!" He feigned exasperation.

"Ok, um, aquintance? School mates?" She offered selecting a large chef salad from the cold bar.

"I'm voting 'friends'." He dropped an arm around her shoulders and grabbed a giant sandwich from the fridge shelf.

"Aww, I don't think you are old enough to vote." She gave him her best 'so sorry' face.

He grabbed two large bottles of water and guided her to check out where he paid for their lunch.

"I have money." She snatched her food and one of the bottles of water and marched over to a small table by the window.

"So now I can't buy my friend lunch? Because...?" He joined her at the table.

Kitt opened her salad to add far too much dressing before replacing the lid and shaking the life out of it. She ignored his question.

"Seriously, why can't we be friends?" He asked unwrapping his sandwich.

"It's not a good idea." She said, finally opening her salad.

"Because...?" He prompted through a mouth full of turkey bacon ranch sandwich.

"Because you, or I should say your kind, is the enemy." She shrugged looking at her fork. She couldn't help but wonder what his angle was in wanting to be friends. He probably had a million friends.

"My kind?" She could hear the smirk that was more than evident in his voice. She didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling at her again.

"Male athletes. You guys have the world handed to you. Scholarships, ice time, special privileges, collective adoration. I'm the opposite, female athlete that isn't pretty or delicate or sexy, I play hockey. So I get called names by association, assumptions are made about my sexuality  my body type, my mental health!" She sighed and practically slammed her plastic fork down on the table. She was done holding her tongue. She had held her opinions to herself for so long and she was done with it, and if the people around her didn't like it they didn't have to stick around.

"Ok, I get what you are saying, but what if I told you that you are very much stereotyping me the way you claim others do to you? Yeah it sucks, but who gave all those nobody's permission to make any judgment that matters? No one. It only matters if you let it." He shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich.

"Ok but my point that our lives don't mesh well is still valid." She said shaking her head.

"Maybe not number seventy-three and number twenty-nine, but I would argue Leo and Kitt would make great friends. I hear they have quite a lot in common." He smiled looking her in the eye.

"How do you figure? Leo doesn't even know what kinesiology is." Kitt laughed.