Comfy Closets - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

“Babe- I don’t- I don’t think we should do- do this here,” I tried to mumble out as a pair of soft pink lips kept on interrupting me.
“Shh,” was the only response I received before our ministrations were resumed.
I didn’t exactly want to stop what we were doing but kissing in the empty school hallways minutes before my game, where anyone could walk in and see, wasn’t really what I wanted. Although I admit, this was really hot.
After a few more deep kisses and a hickey on my neck later, we finally stopped as Leah pulled back to catch her breath. I tried to pant out a sentence. “Leah babe… that was… hot and all… but I… gotta get going.”
The dirty blonde pouted slightly, almost convincing me to stay. “Alright, I just wanted to wish you good luck. And don’t score on your own team.”
I laughed, loving the teasing line she’d made a habit to say. “Let’s hope you don’t distract me too much, then.”
As I was about to give her one final peck to the lips, the door that led to the soccer field opened suddenly. Leah immediately pushed off the lockers and away from me, a startled look in her eyes.
“Aly,” I heard. Turning my head with dread, I thankfully realised it was only Olivia standing in the doorway.
I let out a breath of relief. “Hey, Liv. I was just about to go back.”
“The game is starting soon,” was her blank response, before she turned around and headed back outside.
Confusion clouded my mind at her curtness. I turned to see what Leah thought and found her with a contemplative expression as she gazed on from where my teammate was.
She drew her eyes back to me moments later, a tight smile on her lips. “Let’s go, then.”
We made our way out of the building and into the cool night. Tonight’s weather was going to have an effect on our performance, but I hoped the recent training we’ve had would lessen its significant.
My path separated from Leah’s as I stepped onto the pitch, giving her one final smile before I focused on the game ahead. This one was an important one because it was against our rivals, Maryland High, and this match would determine whether or not we would make the playoffs this season.
I approached the bench where the coach and the others were standing, already huddled into a circle. Quickening my pace, I joined them with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, guys.”
Looking to Olivia, she still had that stony expression from before, her eyes focused intently on the others. It almost felt like she didn’t want to even look at me. Since the day of the party, she hasn’t talked to me much besides the usual game talk. I had an inkling in why she was like this, but I didn’t know what to do. Should I say something? Ignore it? What the heck do I do?
I was brought back to focus when I noticed Coach giving me a look of disapproval for being late, but nonetheless continued her speech. “Alright, listen up. We all know this team is a hard one to beat, but don’t let that fact daunt you. We can’t afford to lose our concentration, so play your hardest like any other match.”
The rest of her speech was filled with tactical advice and points to be wary of. Soon, ten other players stepped onto the pitch with me, all pumped and ready for the game ahead. As we got into position, I could hear Lindsey mutter out a sentiment I agreed with entirely.
“Let’s kick their asses.”
_________________
Seventy-five minutes into the game and both teams were still scoreless.
“Come on,” I muttered under my breath as I raced towards our end of the field. The game so far has been rough, with two yellow cards received for our team and one for theirs. The players were getting frustrated, but no one was willing to give up control.
“Here!” I yelled as one of our defenders got possession of the ball. Davidson sent a beautiful ball over to me, and once I had the ball on the ground and in my control, off I went.
The sound of cheering from the crowd was drowned out by the panting of my breath in my ears. Nothing else was on my mind besides the task I set to get past these three defenders in front of me.
Two steps to the side and a small spin, I was passed one. A meg through the legs, I was passed another. Now near-post and in the box, I took a quick glance about and found my target. Crossing the ball to Hayley, it sailed through the air and over the last defender, to land right into the back of the net with the help of the ginger’s head.
“F*ck yes!” I screamed as I ran to Hayley, jumping onto her and wrapping my legs around her waist as she held me in a hug.
A large grin was spread across my face, and when I got back down, we were bombarded by a group hug from the rest of our teammates as they came to celebrate with us.
After that, our team kept up with the momentum, keeping possession of the ball through the remaining minutes of the game.
When the final whistle blew, I felt my shoulders drop in relief. I went to hug the nearest player to me, which happened to be Olivia.
“Good game, you really impressed the scouts tonight,” Liv mumbled. Pulling back, I saw her smile at me, brown eyes lingering in mine. Gulping slightly, I was the first to pull away completely, managing an awkward smile.
“You too.”
I quickly moved onto the next teammate, congratulating them on their performance and shaking the occasional hand of a dejected opponent. I was proud of us tonight, especially because this was a tough competition we just beat.
Looking to the sidelines, I saw my group of friends standing there, gesturing for me to come over with enthusiastic grins. I quickly jogged over with a grin of my own, jumping over the barrier to be tackled by hugs from my friends.
“That was so f*cking cool! You went past all those players like it was nothing!” Gia screamed with awe.
Pride bloomed in my chest at the compliment. “Nah, it just seemed to work perfectly, that’s all,” I said, trying to be modest.
Just then, I felt a tapping on my shoulder, and I turned around to see my beautiful hazel-eyed girl. She stepped forward to give me a tight hug as I buried my head into the crook of her neck, her scent of lavender and musk overpowering my senses. “Congrats, Lyssa. You were so good,” she mumbled.
I pulled away and smiled softly, my heart warming at her words. “Thanks, babe.”
“Come on, let’s go celebrate!” Ashton yelled as he prompted us to start moving.
“Wait, I gotta grab my bags first.”
I quickly dashed to the locker room, patting a few of my teammates' backs as I walked by. I really was proud of them, they did good tonight.
“Aly, party tonight?” Lindsey asked.
I shook my head as I quickly changed and hefted the strap of my duffle onto my shoulder. “Nah, just gonna hang with my buds. Chill night tonight for me.”
“Aww, alright then. See you after the winter break” she smiled.
I gave her a short hug. “See you after.”
This was the last game of the semester, and so I was going to miss playing with these girls over the break.
“Bye guys! Good job tonight!” I announced to the whole room, receiving cheers and well wishes before I left to meet with the others. I think the plan was just to hang at Ashton's and have a couple of drinks, just be with each other before the break started in a couple of days. The chill vibe of a small gathering was much preferred to me over a blasting party if I was being honest. Especially with what happened last time... I think I’ll stay away from parties for now.
Walking out of the room, I leisurely made my way back to the others, a little tired on my feet after all that running.
“Okay, let’s go people! I need some food in me,” I announced.
“Pizza's gonna be at mines in twenty. Got you covered, bro,” Ash said as he flung an arm around my shoulders.
“Don’t bro me, bro.”
“Fine, sis.”
That wasn't much better, but ah well. We soon started moving in the direction of the parking lot, with me now next to Leah and Riley as they chatted about the highlights of the game.
Suddenly, I felt a tight grip on my wrist as Gia started dragging me ahead, her fast pace leaving our perplexed group behind.
“Gia, what are you doing?” I asked, tugging my hand slightly in an attempt to escape her grip.
She distractedly kept looking back as her pace quickened even further. “Just keep moving. Don’t look back, and I mean it.”
Curiosity now bloomed within me as the temptation to do so became overwhelming. “Why not-”
“Al!”
My heart dropped. It was a voice I could easily recognise from a crowd, it’s familiarity filling me with both shock and dread.
By now, my steps had come to a halt, despite Gia's insistent pulling to keep me going. There was no way I could ignore that voice, not after two years of its absence from my life.
I slowly turned around, the pit in my stomach ready to drop at any moment as I held my breath.
That was when I saw her.
Those black locks that I used to play with. Her creamy skin that I used to admire. And those green eyes that had captivated me since day one. It was all there. She was here.
The girl stopped a few metres from me, looking like she had jogged to get to us. My friends were still behind her, slowly making their way to us, unaware.
“Al,” the girl breathed out.
I didn’t know what to say to her. What do you say to the girl who broke your heart two years ago?”
“What are you doing here?” was the first thing I managed to say.
She ran a hand through her locks, a nervous gesture I recognised of hers. “I go to Maryland now. Came to support my friend,” she said simply.
“No, Izzie, what are you doing here, talking to me.”
Her nickname rolled off my tongue like second nature. It almost felt like it hasn’t been years since I last used it, but I knew better. I knew better than to let it affect me.
“Al,” she whispered, almost pleadingly, “I just wanna talk.”
Gia chose to step in then. “Okay, enough. You don’t deserve the chance to talk to her. Stay away from Alyssa,” the red-head warned, her stance protective as she stood by me.
The girl in front of us opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by my group of friends that had caught up.
“What’s going on?” Ashton asked as he sensed the hostility emanating from Gia, only to have his question answered when he saw who was stood there. His eyes hardened into a steely glare. “You. Get the f*ck out. Aly doesn’t want to see you.”
With all my friends surrounding her and two very intimidating figures standing in her way, she decided to back off, parting us with a final plea. “I just wanna talk, Al. Please call me.”
And with that, she slipped through my group and left.
Zach, Riley and Leah all looked confused as to what just happened, but I didn’t feel like explaining now, so I turned around and continued on my way to the parking lot, not looking back.
My mood was soured after that encounter, and all I wanted now was to forget it ever happened. Why did she want to talk? After two years of no contact? The nerve she had to come up to me was unbelievable.
Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of those thoughts. I can't think about it now, and I don't want to.
I got to Gia's car and waited beside it impatiently. She soon arrived with the others, all of them cautious of my mood as they silently got into their cars, Zach and Leah joining us for the ride.
The car ride was quiet, except for the soft acoustic music Zach put on to fill the tense air. It wasn’t until five minutes into the ride, when I’ve calmed down a bit, that Leah chose to speak to me.
“Lyssa... who was that?”
I only replied with one word. “Isabelle.”
For a while, she didn’t say anything. All I could feel was her gaze against the side of my face, but I didn’t dare to look her way. I was scared of what I would see.
Then, I felt her take my hand in hers, her comforting warmth releasing the pressure I unconsciously held inside of me. She didn’t say anything, just held my hand in silent support and comfort, and that was all I really needed for now.
I looked up in front to see the other two softly smiling as they looked on at our interaction through the rear-view mirror. I was glad those two had made up and was now closer than before. It was nice to see that my actions had helped them in some way.
We soon arrived at Ash's house, with the boy leading us to his decked out basement where I always loved to hang out. His parents were out of town visiting relatives, so this was an appropriate time to bring out the good stuff. And by good stuff, I meant not beer.
“Pizza will be here in a few. Just make yourself comfortable, use the PS4 or play pool if you want. Just don’t break anything,” Ashton warned as he brought out his hidden stash of alcohol that his older brother got for him.
I went straight to the table holding liquor, taking a glass and pouring myself a drink. I immediately shot it back, wincing slightly at the burn but ignoring it to pour myself another.
“Hey...” Leah said as she approached me, placing a hand on my lower back, “you sure you wanna be going that quick?”
“Yep.” I got her a glass and filled up both of ours to the brim. “Come on, drink with me.”
Her hazel eyes looked to me with uncertainty and concern, but her hand nonetheless took the shot glass from me. We threw it back together, with me not wincing this time as she handled hers like a pro.
Ashton came down the stairs with the boxes of pizza, placing it on the table beside us. “Shots? Hell yes! Come on, Aly, let’s do a round.”
“I think she should slow down for a bit. She's already had two,” Leah voiced out.
“Babe, it’s fine. I don’t feel anything,” I reassured.
She looked to me with even more concern than before, taking my hand and pulling me to the side. “Lys, is this about what happened just-”
“No, of course not!” She gave me a pointed stare. “Okay, fine, maybe a bit. But I just want to forget it ever happened. Let me have fun tonight. We're here to celebrate, right?”
She knew this was out of character for me, which was why she was concerned. But as I pleaded with her, giving her my puppy dog eyes, she reluctantly gave in. “Alright, just don’t go too fast.”
Grinning goofily, I pecked her on the cheek. “Of course. Come on! Let’s take that shot and eat some pizza.”
By the fourth shot, I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, my mind feeling a little woozy from time to time. I noticed I got gigglier as time passed, with me laughing at the most random things like at the way Zach ate his pizza or at Riley swearing every time she got killed in the game.
The rest of my friends were also getting tipsy, but not as much as me, which made me sad because they needed to get to my level so that they could be crazy with me.
I lost count of how many karaoke songs I sang, but by the time I stopped, I was out of breath and exhausted. I felt the sofa dip next to me, to see my beautiful girlfriend there smiling with that gorgeous smile.
“Heyyyy my beautiful girlfriend, you having fun, babe?”
The dirty blonde lazily grinned as she tucked a few of my brunette strands behind my ear. “Mhmm.”
I inched closer to her and threw my arms around her neck. “You look sooooo pretty, my bubba. How are you so prettyyy?”
“You’re the pretty one, Lys,” she softly murmured as her eyes roamed the planes of my face. “So pretty.”
I grinned widely and moved closer to her, letting our lips meet. It didn’t even register in my mind that we were in a room with other people. It was just me and her, passionately making out on the sofa as her hands pulled my body close and my ones dug into her silky soft hair.
I moaned into her mouth as she bit onto my bottom lip, our kiss getting so frenzied and lost that I didn’t even know where we were anymore.
In the blurry and fuzzy background, I thought I could hear cheering going on and was that... Ashton yelling something? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care at all at the moment.
After that kiss, I couldn’t remember anything else.