Disclaimer: We do not own Cirque du Freak or it's characters.

This is a co-written fic. The characters are in high school and on a football team. Darren and Steve try out. Eventual Darren and Larten.

Darren and Steve walked in step with each other carrying football helmets in their hands, trying to create the perfect impression on the team. Debbie Hemlock waved at Darren she was trying out for cheerleading. They were in the same biology class and he hoped to ask her to Homecoming when he got up the nerve. They reached the coach Vanez Blaine. "Hi, I'm Darren Shan and this is Steve Lep- I mean Leonard."

Vanez examined the pair then looked them in the eyes and said "Alright, show us what ya got!"

They threw the ball around a bit. Suddenly a green blur flew between the pair, caught the ball in mid-air and stood between Darren and Steve. "So you two are trying out?" Darren blushed and nodded. Gosh was this guy intimidating. He knew that from last year's games that this was the quarterback therefore the team captain. Darren needed to impress him somehow.

Steve saw this opportunity to buddy his way up the food chain and took it. "Yep, we're trying out and we're gonna make the team, too." He added a grin after that.

"Well, hopefully you guys can get in, we need more players, and good ones, too" With that he ran to the field where the rest of the team was practicing.

"That was nice." Darren said to Steve. Then a girl in football gear with long black hair tied into a ponytail was walking over to the coach. "Is that one of the cheerleaders?" Darren asked a little too loud.

The girl whipped around glared at them and stomped over. "Oh shit it heard you!" Steve hissed at Darren and snickered.

"A cheerleader?! Gimme that!" She took the ball and kicked it all the way across the field "You think a cheerleader could to that? No, I'm the team's kicker." She angrily whipped around and made her way to the team.

Steve was on the ground holding his stomach and laughing. Darren ran to go get the ball with shaky knees. While running to get the ball he collided with a broad player, which knocked Darren down. The broad player had messy brown hair and dark circles under his eyes. He knelt down and offered Darren a hand.

"Oh, sorry about that." He said. Darren nodded still shaken up with his encounter with the girl. He worried if the team would automatically hate him for insulting her. Or maybe they would think it was funny. Gavner pulled him up on his feet.

"I saw your little show-down with Arra, she has a sharp tongue, happens to all of us every once in awhile! The name's Gavner Purl, I'm the widereceiver." He slapped Darren's back making him lurch forward a bit.

"Darren Shan." He felt a little bit more relaxed about what happened. "Um, you wouldn't happen to see where my ball went by any chance, would you?" Darren added a nervous laugh after that to make it seem like he was less nervous even though he wasn't.

"Um," Gavner spun in a circle looking around for the ball. "Oh, it's right over there by Larten, he's the guy with the orange hair. Hey Crepsley! Toss me that ball by your feet!"

Larten was lanky and that made his shoulder pads looked too a little too big for him. He picked up the ball and threw it. Unfortunately it passed Gavner's arms and hit Darren in the head with a 'WHAP' He thought he heard Gavner swear but everything went fuzzy.

Darren woke up in a bright room the first thing he hear was "Nice going ginger!" from what sounded like the quarterback.

Darren moaned weakly from the shout, it made his head throb. He rubbed his head and blinked. "It is not my fault Gavner is incapable of catching a ball." An unfamiliar voice grumbled.

Darren sat up and felt the blood rush down from his head. The coach and Steve were right beside Darren the rest of the team was across the room. "You okay? You took a real wham to the head," The coach said he looked around the room. His eyes stopped on an orange haired player. "Larten, you owe him a bit of an apology." He said to him.

He slugged over from the group of players. "I am sorry I accidently threw the ball at your head."

Darren, still groggy from passing out responded with: "S'okay, but wh-why is the room spinning? D-did I make the team yet?"

Vanez looked surprised. "Oh right, the results are in!" He looked at his clipboard then at the two young boys. "Darren…..You made it!" Steve looked at the coach with excitement and nodded at him. The coach slowly turned his head to Steve with a glum expression. "Sorry Leonard, you didn't make it. Maybe next year."

Steve frowned. "What?" His face twitched the way it does when he is about to throw a tantrum. "What?!" Steve screeched, scowled, the whole room was looking at him. They all looked genuinely scared of what Steve would do. But he did what they least expected. He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all." The quarterback broke the silence.

Arra folded her arms. "What a wuss! He'd be a terrible addition to the team anyway."

Larten rolled his eyes. He felt bad for the kid. But that was only because he would be left out while his friend was out having fun. Next to him Darren stuttered. "Wh-what's a girl doing in the guy's locker room?" Larten tried his hardest not to laugh. The kid had some guts considering he had already made Arra angry today. Getting on her bad side twice? Most people don't live to do it a second time.

Her face went ablaze. She darted over to Darren and picked him up by the collar. "YOU REALLY DESERVE TO GET YOUR ASS KIC-"

The coach jumped between the two. "Woah, woah, woah, Arra. Do I really need to remind you and everyone else in the room how you need to simmer down? Count to ten then-"

Arra growled and dropped Darren. "Does anyone ELSE need a good knock in the head?!"

Larten sighed and put his arm over his girlfriend "Oh Arra, you really do scare people sometimes."

Darren was over in the corner shaking "S-sorry…" he whispered. Arra just ignored him.

"Hey Creplsey!" The coach shouted. "Since you put the kid through so much why don't you show him the rules of the game."

He let go of Arra, helped Darren up off the ground and let him out of the locker room. The boy was still shaken. "Do not worry about her. The more you get to know her the less it fell like you are walking through a landmine."

Two players ran out of the locker room in front of Darren and Larten. It was the quarterback and Gavner. "Haha! I'd say you were pretty much strangled back there! You know this already probably, I'm the team captain, Vancha March!" He slapped Gavner's butt. "And this here is Gavvy, he's a sweetheart ain't he?" Gavner laughed and playfully pushed Vancha. "Hey knock it off!" He wrapped his arm around Gavner. Darren was a little shocked and wondered if that was just normal behavior for them. Larten just rolled his eyes.