Comfy Closets - Chapter 48: Chapter 48
You are reading Comfy Closets, Chapter 48: Chapter 48. Read more chapters of Comfy Closets.
Everything felt like it was in slow-motion.
Locker doors banged against their metal frames. Laughs erupted from small groups gathered in the corners of the room. Teammates were putting on their cleats as they did their pre-game rituals to ready themselves.
I noticed it all as if it were playing out slowly for me to see, hear, and experience. This was the last game I’d be playing with these girls and I found myself filled with sentimental warmth as I sat there on my metal seat.
The electric-charged air enveloped the locker room as my teammates prepared themselves for the game with nervous excitement. Music filled the place and beat through our bodies, helping us to get into the right ‘zone’ before we stepped onto the field.
The finals were here.
I felt a presence settle beside me, snapping me out of my daze as I looked to see Liv there with a small smile curling her lips.
“You okay, Aly?”
Taking out the remaining earbud that was plugged in my ear, I returned her smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Just taking it in.” I sighed. “I’m gonna miss playing with these girls.”
“Me too,” she echoed, also sighing as she took in the room.
My eyes subconsciously drifted around to spot my close friends on the team – Lindsey, Camilla, and Hayley. As seniors, this was also going to be their last game at this place, and I could tell they were also trying to make the most of it as they mingled about and goofed off with the other players. I caught Hayley’s eyes as her gaze passed over me and shared a small, genuine smile with my friend from across the room.
“Not gonna miss those two though,” Liv remarked as she eyed April and Kacey in the corner, both of them still moping about getting kicked off of the starting eleven.
I snorted out a laugh, wholeheartedly agreeing to her sentiment. Nudging the brunette slightly, I got her to look at me. “I’m going to really miss playing with you too, Liv.”
Her eyes softened as she smiled. “Me too, Aly. Me too.”
She held my gaze for a bit longer than normal, and I was starting to feel a bit awkward. The bang of a door sounded out and she quickly jerked her head away, the tips of her ears turning a light shade of pink.
“Alright, ladies! Gather ‘round,” Coach called as she stood by the door. I put away my earphones and went to join the gathering girls as they formed a rough circle around the woman, pretending not to notice Olivia shaking her head at herself from the corner of my eye.
Coach started on our pre-game talk, going over the points to be careful of, what to look out for in the other team and etcetera, etcetera. It was the usual stuff, but as she got to the end of her speech, she changed its tune.
“Girls, this is the game that really counts. It’s the one we gotta win, no matter the cost. For our school, for ourselves, and for the players that will be playing their last match with us tonight.” She met the eyes of the seniors in the group. “We’ve trained too long and too hard for this moment, so let’s make it worth it.” Ackerman let a smile slip through. “Make me proud, ladies.”
Yells and whoops echoed around the room as a determined air filled the atmosphere.
We were about to break and head off when Camilla called out. “Speech from cap!”
I feigned a groan and covered my face as everyone turned to me with their cheers of agreement, feeling my cheeks heat up at the attention. When I felt a nudge from behind, I let my hands fall and gazed at everyone’s expectant faces.
“Okay,” I started, letting out a breath. “This will be my last game with you guys, and honestly, I’m going to miss this. I’ll miss training and winning games with y’all, and I’ll even miss going through Coach’s torturous drills and suffering together.” Chuckles erupted at the reminder. “But it was worth it. I’m proud of you guys and honoured to have captained this team to the end. But guys, we’ve actually reached the end. So, like, let’s win this shit, alright?”
A resounding ‘YEAH’ went around the room as the girls yelled out their approval, barely hearing Coach call out ‘language!’ from the background. With that, we all started heading out of the changing room, some of them bouncing off the walls with excitement as others moved ahead with seriousness and determination.
I walked with the group, my breathing loud in my ears as I concentrated on my feet moving forward, one after another. Adrenaline pumped into my veins as my heart started beating against my ribcage, the anticipation of the game bringing me into that familiar zone I always entered into before every match.
Exiting the building and walking into the open air, I felt the light wind in my face as the fading light of the sun blanketed the area, leaving only tufts of pink and orange in the sky. We walked out onto the field and I registered the loud chattering noise of a big crowd.
The few people in the stands spotted us, and soon, deafening cheers erupted from the home crowd as we walked on the grass. My teammates waved at the friends and family they saw, and my eyes scanned the stands myself to spot anyone I recognised.
Immediately, right at the front and nearest to the fence, was my group of friends standing up and cheering at the top of their lungs. Gia, Ashton, Zach were all there, and Leah and Riley were sat with them too as they waved my way. A wide grin stretched my mouth as I enthusiastically waved back, so glad to see them here in the enormous crowd.
I continued my scan past them and soon came across Dad and Addy sitting further up in the stands. My little sister waved both her arms excitedly when she spotted me looking her way and I laughed, making a heart shape with my fingers for them to see.
But my heart dropped when I realised my mom really wasn’t there with them. I frowned, trying to look around with that last smidge of hope in me but came up empty-handed. Disappointment filled my chest as I arrived at the team bench, the last hope I had for my mom showing up now fading to dust.
For the whole day, I’d tried to hold on to that small chance that she’d come and support me, but as I came to the realisation that it was only wishful thinking, I finally put it down. This was what it was now. I couldn’t let this affect my game – I just had to move on.
Releasing a long breath of air, I focused back on the present and noticed Coach giving me the signal to go meet with the ref in the centre. The other team was already on the field, staring at us with crossed arms and looks of contempt on their faces as they stood by their bench.
I jogged over to the referee and the other captain stood there, the look on her face no better. She was a tall girl with dark hair and a set scowl on her face, her lips pulled into a thin line as she stared me down. I didn’t waver, meeting her eyes with the same fierce intensity as we shook hands, and the referee asked us to call it for the coin toss. He flicked the coin, and without breaking eye contact, the other girl called heads. It landed on tails, indicating my team would start, and with that, we both turned away and headed back to our benches to ready ourselves.
With long strides, I walked back to my players and announced the game’s starting situation. As the team did their final checks and all, I decided to use the little time I had left before the start of the game to greet my friends that were sat nearby.
“Hey guys,” I beamed as I jogged up to them, leaning against the metal railing and wanting to hug them all for coming out here to support us. They got up and excitedly came closer.
“Hey, you! Good luck out there!” Gia yelled with a crazy grin on her face.
“You got this,” Ashton encouraged brightly as Riley whooped in agreement.
“Go kick them asses, sis,” Zach said sassily, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. He and Gia had the school colours of navy and white painted in lines under their eyes, proudly displaying their support.
“Thanks for coming, you guys. Love y’all so much.”
“Of course, babe,” Leah smiled as she slipped past them to stand in front of me. She had the number ten, my jersey number, written in navy paint on her right cheek, making her look so damn cute. “We wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
My lips curved up fondly at her words, even if that small, disheartened ache in my chest throbbed at the reminder of the same promise my mom once said. I looked up at the stands one final time, just to check. Leah noticed the action and a look of understanding crossed her features as her smile turned sympathetic.
“You just do your best out there, okay?” She placed her hand on top of mine comfortingly, and I managed a weak, but grateful smile. She leaned in and I met her halfway without thought, kissing her softly. Her hand came up to hold my jaw in place when I tried to pull away, prolonging the kiss, and I couldn’t help but smile against her lips.
We pulled away when we heard the teasing catcalls and hollers coming from our friends, and I blushed when I noticed some people in the crowd were doing it too, realising that we actually just kissed in front of the whole school. Gia had her phone out with a stupid grin plastered on her face as she captured the moment.
I rolled my eyes, but knowing that my time was up, I gave one final peck to my girlfriend and said bye to them all before making my way back to the bench as my teammates started huddling around Coach for her final words. I slipped between Jordan and a fellow midfielder, Zoe, and joined the circle.
“Alright, play the best you’ve ever played out there. We can win this,” she said, belief clear in her words. She put her hand out into the middle and we followed her lead. “Now Falcons on three. One, two, three-”
“FALCONS!”
“Go kick some asses, ladies!”
The starting eleven jogged onto the field with me, each of us heading to our respective positions with determined expressions set on our faces. I got into place in the centre of the field with Olivia beside me and the ball at my feet.
Looking around, I met the eyes of Northfield’s captain, Whitman - as I recalled seeing on her jersey, and noticed the glare she sent straight at me. Wow, so much hostility already, I thought as I returned the glare, not backing down from the challenge she initiated. This was going to be fun.
The whistle blew, and with a pass to Liv, the game began.
Possession of the ball was a loose fifty-fifty between the two teams in the first couple of minutes, no one really doing any damage with it despite the intensity in which we fought over it.
But at the fifteen-minute mark, the tides turned when I slide-tackled their player in the middle of the park, winning the ball. I directed the ball away from the cluster of players in the middle, everyone noticing the change in pace and rushing to Northfield’s half of the pitch, but because the players had been widely spaced out, they couldn’t immediately do anything.
Lindsey, seeing the opportunity, dropped in deep to receive it, drawing in a defender to follow as she tried to press her. The left-winger made a turn, and seeing Hayley upfield, she quickly slid the ball across. Hayley received it with a lovely first touch, allowing her to open up her body and face the goal. Even with defenders left and right, she had loads of space to work with as they were caught off guard by the speed in which the play changed.
From my position, I saw the goalie off her line, and Hayley also had the presence to notice that too. So with a quick turn of her body, she curled the ball into the upper corner of the goal, the object sailing beautifully through the space created by their poor defence as I watched with bated breath and a heart beating wildly in my chest.
GOAL!
A loud roar immediately sprung from the crowd, going crazy at the sight of the magnificent goal.
That was it. One-nil for our team.
With a scream, I ran up to our striker, Lindsey already there and hugging the life out of the ginger. I joined the two and jumped on my vice-captain’s back with unrestrained jubilation.
“Holy crap! What the fuck just happened?!” I exclaimed, coming off of her and wrapping her in a crushing hug as the girl laughed wildly.
“You give Hayley an inch of space, and she’ll go and do this,” Lindsey said, chortling humorously. Our other teammates came to congratulate her too, all of us ecstatic for the early goal in the game. This was exactly what we needed for us to have our edge in this final.
The other team stood about with frustrated scowls on their faces, the captain particular pissed off with the stupid mistake they made that costed them dearly.
Whitman glared at us, and for some odd reason, I felt like she was directing most of her ire at me. I shook it off, focusing back on the game instead as we reset. We now had the lead and couldn’t afford to lose our concentration now.
Ten minutes later, we were going strong and keeping up our pace. However, Northfield managed to gain possession, driving most of the players to our side of the field and putting us in the defensive.
Jamie Davidson, our centre-back, tried to intercept a ball from being received by Whitman in the box. And although from my angle it looked like a clean tackle, Whitman however, dramatically flipped to the ground and clutched her ankle, her face twisted into one of agony.
I stared on in disbelief as I tried to process what just happened. It couldn’t have been more than just a graze from Jamie, but the way the drama queen was acting showed everyone otherwise. The referee came to check the situation, ensuring that the girl was okay, which she obviously was, then he proceeded to hold up a yellow card at our centre-back and signalled for a penalty kick.
“WHAT?!” I yelled, rushing up to the ref angrily. “She only grazed her! It was a clean tackle!” But the guy wasn’t listening. Some of the other girls came up to join me in protest but we couldn’t do anything to change his mind now.
I stalked furiously to the line, glaring at Whitman with so much hatred. These types of players were what made the game so unenjoyable sometimes. The girl was acting out a slight limp as she walked, her teammates giving her these subtle smirks as they ‘checked’ on her. I shook my head at them, feeling a vein pop out on my temple as I clenched my jaw tight.
“Overdramatic bitch,” Olivia muttered heatedly from beside me as she stared daggers into the girl’s skull.
“Damn right.”
One of their attackers stepped up to the penalty spot as Jordan, or keeper, stood on her line with a focused expression, the sweat running down her forehead the only thing giving away her nervousness. She waved her arms by her sides and got ready, but inevitably, the ball hit the back of our net as their shooter kicked it hard into the left corner and out of her reach.
“Shit,” I swore under my breath, patting Jordan on the back sympathetically before getting into position again. We lost our lead, and now we’re back on the same playing field as them.
__________________
I groaned, frustrated at myself as I accidentally headed the ball over the crossbar. I was usually so good with set pieces, my head almost always getting there in time to direct it into the back of the net, but this time, it just didn’t connect right.
We were now nearing the one-hour mark, half-time ending with the same equal score on the scoreboard. I could feel the frustration in the atmosphere from both teams, each side desperate in trying to gain the upper hand.
Olivia lofted the ball to our forwards as she tried to push the game upfield.
I saw the disaster before it was going to happen.
Hayley had gone to receive the ball in the air, just as an opposing defender the size of a giant jumped up to win it from beside her.
The collision made me flinch as I saw my friend land roughly on the dirt while the other player got knocked onto her butt.
Fear and dread flooded my mind as I sprinted to my vice-captain, sliding to a stop as I kneeled by her side. “Hayley, you alright?! Does anything hurt?”
The ginger groaned. “Ughh- I think I bumped my head.”
I felt my face grow pale at her words. “We need a nurse here!” I yelled out loud.
The referee, Coach and our school nurse came to a stop by our side a few seconds later, the rest of my teammates also gathering around to check on Hayley.
“Alright, everyone, back up! Let’s give her space,” the nurse ordered. The rest of the girls reluctantly stepped away, giving them room to work, but I stubbornly stayed by my friend’s side. They didn’t say anything about that.
They asked her a few questions to clarify what the problem was, and it seemed to be a concussion. They said it may be mild, given Hayley was conscious, but the jostle had been rough and had caused her to be a little dazed.
They brought out a stretcher to carry her away, and I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting them take her. Immediately after, I turned to the giant girl and stalked over to her with a hard glare, an inner fire blazing wildly as I tried to get a hold of my anger. But I was failing.
“You just couldn’t control yourself, could you? You just had to give her a concussion,” I growled, my shoulders rising and falling rapidly with my breath. In the very back of my mind, a tiny part of me acknowledged that it was an accident, but I was so pissed off about my friend getting hurt that I honestly didn’t care.
The girl’s face twisted into a scowl as she sized me up, ready to talk back, but Whitman suddenly appeared and stood in front of her, staring at me challengingly.
“What are you gonna do about it, dyke?”
That blazing fire turned into a raging inferno as the word registered in my mind. The smug smirk on her face only exacerbated my anger to a level I very rarely got to feel.
I made a move to approach her, ready to knock her on her ass, when I felt a hand on my shoulder holding me back. “What did you fucking say?!” The girl’s smirk only widened in response.
I recognised Olivia’s voice as she whispered frantically in my ear. “Aly, it’s not worth it. I know you’re angry. I’m pissed too, but we’ve already lost Hayley. We need you in the game to win. Don’t give them the chance to kick you off the field. Please, Aly.”
I didn’t break my stare from the girls, chest still heaving from the anger coursing rapidly through my veins. Focusing on the warmth and the weight of her hand on my shoulder, I let it ground me as I took deeper and longer breaths as each second passed until I was breathing normally again.
With one final glare at the pair, I turned around and walked back to my teammates with Olivia by my side. My other teammates who were close enough to hear now aimed disgruntled looks at Whitman, and it made me feel a little better to know that they were also angry for me.
We continued the game with a substitute called Idina taking over Hayley’s position - luckily, a decent forward and a good replacement for the striker. But now, there was this ferocious energy that seemed to fill the team – a determination that refused to lie down. It felt like the closer we drew nearer to the ninety-minute mark, the rougher, more seamless, and vigorous we became.
We were on the defence with ten minutes left in play before the final whistle would blow. The change of pace came when surprisingly, April, who subbed in at half-time, was able to hold possession and filter past their players in our defensive third. She hefted the ball ahead to Olivia who decided to drive it upfield. She engaged a defender, buying time for Zoe to come up on the wings before sliding it to her. Zoe then lofted the weighted ball across from near the corner. It sailed over the heads of their defenders and was heading for Camilla, but unfortunately, a defender in the box got there first to win it, using her head to deflect it away from the goal.
But I couldn’t believe my luck.
The rebound came right out to me just as I got to the box from my run upfield, and as I saw the ball heading right for me, I let the airborne object bounce off my chest as I controlled its passage. With another bounce off the dirt, I pulled back my foot and followed through with no hesitation, holding nothing back as I half-volleyed the ball near-post and past the goalie, who didn’t even get the chance to move.
That was it. Another goal. I couldn’t fucking believe it.
A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd, something I could barely register given my utter incredulity at what just happened. My jaw dropped as I stared at the ball sitting comfortably in the back of the net, blinking like a dumb fool just to make sure.
Out of nowhere, I felt someone’s arms being thrown around me as they squeezed me in a hug, then another pair joined them, and another. Soon, a whole mess of a group hug formed with me at its centre, and I broke into a laugh, a huge smile stretching across my face.
“Oh my god, Aly! You just rocketed that thing!” Camilla said by my face, awe clear in her expression.
I felt Liv ruffle up my hair as we broke the hug. “You should’ve seen yourself, dude. It was beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I beamed as the insanely nice feeling called pride filled me up. I looked to the stands and saw my friends cheering like mad, and I could even make out Gia’s screaming words as she said, “THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!”
Catching my girlfriend’s eyes, she blew me a kiss and I couldn’t help but pretend to catch it and press it to my heart, being all cheesy-like.
In the next couple of minutes, everything turned up a notch.
The air was filled with static, the intense atmosphere bringing down a heavy pressure on all the players. While Northfield was doing everything they could to put the ball in our net, we were pulling out every trick we knew to buy us time and run the clock, while keeping the ball safely at our feet and not theirs.
And when the final whistle blew, I couldn’t even begin to describe the utter relief and elation I felt as the sound of the crowd’s cheer surrounded us, marking the end of the soccer season with a deafening cry.
I ran to the nearest teammate around me to hug, who happened to be Lindsey, and our bodies smacked against each other in our excitement.
“Oww...” we said in unison, laughing right after as we returned back to our embrace. Soon, other players joined in our celebration, and the players on the bench ran onto the field too with open arms and grins on their faces. Even Coach came up to us to congratulate us with her rare hugs.
Thinking of Hayley, I ran to the side-lines and approached the girl who was still sat on the bench resting, her grin so bright that I wanted to squint my eyes.
“We did it,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. We wouldn’t have gotten to this point without her, and I knew I wouldn’t have survived this season without her there for me to rely on.
Hearing a sniffle, I pulled back and saw happy tears streaming down her face, the both of us sharing a throaty laugh when I started to cry too.
We worked so hard and long to get here, through our injuries and through the countless training sessions as we pushed our bodies to their limits. The sensation of finally winning was just… incredible.
Family and friends started to file onto the field and I once again ran to the crowd as I spotted my friends heading my way. With a big leap, I jumped up and wrapped my limbs around Ashton as he welcomed it, laughing loudly as his arms went to support me. “Congrats, dude!”
“Thanks, Ashy-baby,” I grinned as I dropped back down to my feet, going to hug the rest of my friends. Zach lifted me into his arms too and spun me around, and my red-headed friend squished me so tight I couldn’t breathe. I felt my heart warm, seeing them so happy for me.
When I got to Leah, seeing her beam so widely at me, I couldn’t help pulling her close and connecting those plump lips to mine. I buried my head into the crook of her neck after and sighed into the embrace, relishing this moment with her. “You did so great out there, Lys. I’m proud of you,” I heard her mutter into my ear, causing me to smile into her skin.
They were soon talking over each other about the game and their favourite moments, and I just stood there smiling like a fool as I watched them, still hardly believing that this was actually happening. We actually won the championship.
From over the crowd’s noise, I heard a particular child-like voice stand out as it called my name, and I turned around to see my little sister running to me at top speed, arms outstretched and waiting for me to catch. Quickly, I crouched and opened my arms as her little body crashed into me, lifting her up after and spinning her about.
“You won! You won, Aly!” she squealed. I chuckled as she giggled in my arms.
“I did, didn’t I? Did you enjoy the game?”
“Yeah! Especially the second goal! You kicked it so fast that I missed it when I blinked!”
My friends and I laughed at the funny seven-year-old, and I saw my dad walking over to us at a more leisurely pace.
“You’ve grown since I last saw you, munchkin!” Gia exclaimed as she took Addy from my arms. That allowed me to give my dad a side hug as he joined our little circle.
“Alyssa, you were amazing out there. One of the best games you’ve played by far,” he said, looking at me fondly as he kissed my temple. I felt like a child again in his arms, my insides becoming lighter as my pride blossomed freely at his words.
“Thanks, Dad,” I whispered, grateful to have him by my side tonight to overshadow the other presence that was meant to be there too.
My little sister suddenly spoke up with an inquisitive tone, confusion clouding her deep-blue eyes. “Aly? Why were you kissing Leah just now? Do you do that with all your friends?”
Instantly, I felt my cheeks heat up at her question and I glanced at my girlfriend to see a ‘caught in the headlights’ expression painted on her face too, which I would’ve laughed at if I wasn’t so embarrassingly mortified myself. My friends didn’t hold back though.
“Oh, I wish she did,” Gia snickered, and Leah swatted at her with a red face.
“U-um, aaahh…” I trailed off, realising that I didn’t want to have to explain this to her now, in a crowd full of people and my friends standing about. “I’ll explain it later, Addy bear.”
___________________
Walking into Ashton’s party-filled house with a medal hanging around my neck, I smiled as I walked by people congratulating me and the team. The party was in full swing when we got there, music pumping through every corner and bodies filling every room as the warm air got me to pull off my flannel and tie it around my waist.
My teammates and I wore our new accolades proudly as we entered the party thrown in our honour. We quickly split up as we did our own thing, one of my girls holding the trophy with her as we manoeuvred through the house. I hope the thing turns out okay by the end of the night.
I found my group of friends in the kitchen as they sipped from their drinks, although I noted Zach wasn’t with them. Once they saw me, they whooped and made a lot of noise as they got me a drink.
Ashton decided to make a stupid toast, holding his beer bottle up into the air. “To my best friend, my buddy, my Alyssa Naeher-wannabe,” I rolled my eyes at that, “who captained the team to a championship victory. Let’s drink to Aly!”
“TO ALY!” my friends followed, causing me to rub at my neck with a shy, embarrassed smile. I drank from my cup like the rest of them and winced when the strong liquid slid down my throat.
Gia slammed down her cup and grabbed my hand, pulling me in the direction of the dance floor with her. “Come on, cap’n! Let’s go dance!”
I quickly reached out to grab Leah’s hand and tugged her with me, a helpless expression on my face. But she was able to slip out of my grasp, waving me goodbye with a sly smirk as she watched Gia drag me away.
“Babe!” I pouted over my shoulder in a last-ditch effort to convince her, but all she did was let out a cute giggle and sip from her drink.
When we got to the makeshift dance floor filled with hot and sweaty people in Ash’s living room, Gia turned to me and started grooving to the beat. I reluctantly started moving my body to the music too, ignoring the other beings as I swayed my hips slightly, letting the music flow through me. The alcohol was quickly working through my system, and soon, I found my nerves floating away as I jumped up and down with my best friend, laughing hysterically at the ridiculous dance move the redhead pulled out. Honestly, the floss wasn’t a dance move I really wanted to see anymore.
Some of my other teammates joined us as we formed a circle, jumping around crazily with their medals bouncing about. I loved the good vibes emanating from the group, all of us just celebrating our achievement from tonight that we earned together. I swayed with Lindsey and twirled Jordan around as we laughed and enjoyed the moment.
Ashton knew me well, because I noticed he wasn’t playing any EDM, heavy bass bullshit that I hated, and no one could really dance to it anyway. It was the good alternative, pop and indie-rock stuff that played out, with a couple of throw-backs too, and I loved him for it because it allowed us to sing our hearts out as we danced crazily to the beat.
“YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I’M LIVING A TEENAGE DREAM,” I screamed out.
“THE WAY YOU TURN ME ON. I. CAN’T. SLEEP. LET’S RUN AWAY AND DON’T EVER LOOK BACK. DON’T EVER LOOK BACK!” Gia screamed back as she did these dramatic hand gestures with the lyrics, even going as far as to grind on my behind as I guffawed aloud.
I spotted a familiar dirty blonde approach us, and I stepped away from them to bring her to me. “Hey gorgeous,” I muttered as I neared, grinning from ear to ear. “Finally wanting to join?”
The girl held this sultry look in her dark eyes, pulling me close and wrapping her hands around the back of my neck. “I saw you getting wild out here and thought I should intercept,” she smirked.
“So that I could be wild with you?” I asked suggestively, to which her smirk widened.
“Exactly.”
I started swaying with Leah, cupping her hips as we moved in time, getting closer and closer to her until there was no space left between us. Her lips looked so delectably plump and kissable, and all I wanted to do was connect our lips and get lost in her touch. But as if she read my mind, she chose to twirl and keep her back to me, teasing me with the distance.
I adjusted to the new position, pulling her into me so she was pressed against my front. She leaned back and put her hands over mine, teasingly moving her hips against me slowly and sensually.
I dipped my head and kissed the spot where her shoulder and neck met, loving the way she tipped her head back in her show of clear pleasure. The heat of the room seemed to turn up a notch.
We were sadly interrupted when the song changed and my teammates started to shift over to dance, bringing a crazy Gia along with them. I reluctantly pulled away from my hot girlfriend and spun her back around, tilting my head at the disappointed expression pulling her eyebrows together.
“Baby,” she almost whined, and I leaned in to peck those lips, almost my way of signalling ‘later’.
I took this chance to look around the room, spotting a certain brunette in the far corner making out with another girl. I smirked at the sight and continued my scan, only coming to a stop when I saw Hayley sitting at a couch and chatting away with the people around her.
I temporarily excused myself from the dancing group, Gia quickly occupying Leah’s attention with her dance moves as I slipped around the bodies to get to my ginger friend.
“Hey!” I said as I squeezed next to her, interrupting her conversation as I asked with concern. “How are you now?”
“I’m good!” she said cheerfully. “It was a mild concussion, and I guess I’m supposed to be resting, but how can I miss this?” Hayley gestured at the room scattered with our teammates, and I understood. “But don’t give me that look, I’m not drinking. Just hanging around and chilling.”
“Alright,” I nodded slowly, relieved to know that my friend was fine. I stayed around to chat with her, only to have my attention soon drawn elsewhere when I saw Zach enter the room. He had a boy in tow.
“Sorry, gotta go!” I muttered quickly before getting off my seat and heading in the sandy blonde’s direction. I arrived at them just as he stopped by another couch that held Riley, Ash, Gia and Leah, the latter two probably resting from the dancing.
“Zach…” I voiced out, purposefully elongating his name. “Where’ve you been?”
“Oh, just went to pick up this guy,” he said almost too casually as he jutted a thumb behind him at the boy. I could tell by the way he was occasionally running a hand through his hair, that he was nervous.
The guy behind him had a dark, olive-skinned complexion as he stood around the same height as Zach. His hair was in a short buzz cut and I could tell he was decently lean just by looking at the way his shirt stretched against him. He had a thick set of brows, thin lips, and a cute dimple on his left cheek. But what was most notable about him were his olive-green eyes that looked so captivating, to the extent that if I wasn’t gay, I would’ve fallen for them instantly.
“So… who is this guy?” Ashton asked with curiosity and a hint of confusion in his voice.
I looked between the three guys before me and knew what was going to happen next. Zach opened his mouth, voice coming out in a stutter.
“Guys, t-this is Dante.” His grey eyes scanned over our faces briefly, then flickered to the boy with the enchanting eyes. “My b-boyfriend.”
Despite the loud music blaring through the house, we heard his words with crystal clarity. Even as I was expecting it, I couldn’t help my mouth from dropping ajar, staring at the two guys looking our way as they fidgeted slightly on their feet.
It was Gia who broke our circle’s silence, like usual. “My gosh, finally we get to meet you!”
I broke into a grin as she broke the tension, letting myself scan the two together. They did look like a cute couple.
“Yes, finally. We’ve been asking about you for so long, but Zach kept on being all secretive,” I said to Dante, glad to meet him in the flesh. He pulled out a charming grin, deepening the dimple on his cheek as he looked to Zach’s blushing face.
“You didn’t tell me they were this eager to meet me,” the guy said teasingly in a deep voice, causing our friend to redden even more.
Ashton’s voice stopped our teasing. “You’re gay?” he asked Zach with an unreadable expression. When the blonde boy nodded in confirmation, Ashton continued. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I could see Zach turning uneasy, anxiety coating his posture as his face morphed into one of seriousness.
“I didn’t tell you early because… I had a crush on you before and I didn’t know how to say this to you without that coming up. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, so I’ve just been… pushing off telling you,” he said, growing quieter towards the end.
I looked sympathetically at my friend, knowing how hard it was for him to hide that from Ash.
Riley was looking at Zach with wide eyes, surprised by all of this. Ashton, however, looked like he was thinking deeply, a frown on his face.
“And you wanted to tell me now?” he asked further, and Zach nodded timidly. He sighed, almost as if disappointed about something. “I just wish you had told me earlier. I wish you weren’t afraid to, too. I thought I was your best friend.”
Hurt laced his words, and I knew this was affecting Zach with the way his eyes turned pained.
Ashton got up from the couch and slipped past the two guys, Riley choosing to hesitantly follow as she sent a sympathetic smile Zach’s way.
There was silence in the group for a few moments. I placed a gentle hand on Zach’s shoulder, squeezing softly. “He’s not really mad, just processing. He’ll come around.”
My friend turned to me with a sad smile. “I hope you’re right.”
Gia came in for support. “She is. Now, let’s go dance. We came here to have some fun, didn’t we?” she said in an attempt to distract them, and succeeded.
Leah, Gia and I dragged the boys to the middle of the room and danced with them, albeit it took a little effort to get them into the mood of it. Internally, I was just hoping that Ashton would come to understand Zach’s actions and not make a turn in this friendship for the worse.
Locker doors banged against their metal frames. Laughs erupted from small groups gathered in the corners of the room. Teammates were putting on their cleats as they did their pre-game rituals to ready themselves.
I noticed it all as if it were playing out slowly for me to see, hear, and experience. This was the last game I’d be playing with these girls and I found myself filled with sentimental warmth as I sat there on my metal seat.
The electric-charged air enveloped the locker room as my teammates prepared themselves for the game with nervous excitement. Music filled the place and beat through our bodies, helping us to get into the right ‘zone’ before we stepped onto the field.
The finals were here.
I felt a presence settle beside me, snapping me out of my daze as I looked to see Liv there with a small smile curling her lips.
“You okay, Aly?”
Taking out the remaining earbud that was plugged in my ear, I returned her smile. “Yeah, I’m good. Just taking it in.” I sighed. “I’m gonna miss playing with these girls.”
“Me too,” she echoed, also sighing as she took in the room.
My eyes subconsciously drifted around to spot my close friends on the team – Lindsey, Camilla, and Hayley. As seniors, this was also going to be their last game at this place, and I could tell they were also trying to make the most of it as they mingled about and goofed off with the other players. I caught Hayley’s eyes as her gaze passed over me and shared a small, genuine smile with my friend from across the room.
“Not gonna miss those two though,” Liv remarked as she eyed April and Kacey in the corner, both of them still moping about getting kicked off of the starting eleven.
I snorted out a laugh, wholeheartedly agreeing to her sentiment. Nudging the brunette slightly, I got her to look at me. “I’m going to really miss playing with you too, Liv.”
Her eyes softened as she smiled. “Me too, Aly. Me too.”
She held my gaze for a bit longer than normal, and I was starting to feel a bit awkward. The bang of a door sounded out and she quickly jerked her head away, the tips of her ears turning a light shade of pink.
“Alright, ladies! Gather ‘round,” Coach called as she stood by the door. I put away my earphones and went to join the gathering girls as they formed a rough circle around the woman, pretending not to notice Olivia shaking her head at herself from the corner of my eye.
Coach started on our pre-game talk, going over the points to be careful of, what to look out for in the other team and etcetera, etcetera. It was the usual stuff, but as she got to the end of her speech, she changed its tune.
“Girls, this is the game that really counts. It’s the one we gotta win, no matter the cost. For our school, for ourselves, and for the players that will be playing their last match with us tonight.” She met the eyes of the seniors in the group. “We’ve trained too long and too hard for this moment, so let’s make it worth it.” Ackerman let a smile slip through. “Make me proud, ladies.”
Yells and whoops echoed around the room as a determined air filled the atmosphere.
We were about to break and head off when Camilla called out. “Speech from cap!”
I feigned a groan and covered my face as everyone turned to me with their cheers of agreement, feeling my cheeks heat up at the attention. When I felt a nudge from behind, I let my hands fall and gazed at everyone’s expectant faces.
“Okay,” I started, letting out a breath. “This will be my last game with you guys, and honestly, I’m going to miss this. I’ll miss training and winning games with y’all, and I’ll even miss going through Coach’s torturous drills and suffering together.” Chuckles erupted at the reminder. “But it was worth it. I’m proud of you guys and honoured to have captained this team to the end. But guys, we’ve actually reached the end. So, like, let’s win this shit, alright?”
A resounding ‘YEAH’ went around the room as the girls yelled out their approval, barely hearing Coach call out ‘language!’ from the background. With that, we all started heading out of the changing room, some of them bouncing off the walls with excitement as others moved ahead with seriousness and determination.
I walked with the group, my breathing loud in my ears as I concentrated on my feet moving forward, one after another. Adrenaline pumped into my veins as my heart started beating against my ribcage, the anticipation of the game bringing me into that familiar zone I always entered into before every match.
Exiting the building and walking into the open air, I felt the light wind in my face as the fading light of the sun blanketed the area, leaving only tufts of pink and orange in the sky. We walked out onto the field and I registered the loud chattering noise of a big crowd.
The few people in the stands spotted us, and soon, deafening cheers erupted from the home crowd as we walked on the grass. My teammates waved at the friends and family they saw, and my eyes scanned the stands myself to spot anyone I recognised.
Immediately, right at the front and nearest to the fence, was my group of friends standing up and cheering at the top of their lungs. Gia, Ashton, Zach were all there, and Leah and Riley were sat with them too as they waved my way. A wide grin stretched my mouth as I enthusiastically waved back, so glad to see them here in the enormous crowd.
I continued my scan past them and soon came across Dad and Addy sitting further up in the stands. My little sister waved both her arms excitedly when she spotted me looking her way and I laughed, making a heart shape with my fingers for them to see.
But my heart dropped when I realised my mom really wasn’t there with them. I frowned, trying to look around with that last smidge of hope in me but came up empty-handed. Disappointment filled my chest as I arrived at the team bench, the last hope I had for my mom showing up now fading to dust.
For the whole day, I’d tried to hold on to that small chance that she’d come and support me, but as I came to the realisation that it was only wishful thinking, I finally put it down. This was what it was now. I couldn’t let this affect my game – I just had to move on.
Releasing a long breath of air, I focused back on the present and noticed Coach giving me the signal to go meet with the ref in the centre. The other team was already on the field, staring at us with crossed arms and looks of contempt on their faces as they stood by their bench.
I jogged over to the referee and the other captain stood there, the look on her face no better. She was a tall girl with dark hair and a set scowl on her face, her lips pulled into a thin line as she stared me down. I didn’t waver, meeting her eyes with the same fierce intensity as we shook hands, and the referee asked us to call it for the coin toss. He flicked the coin, and without breaking eye contact, the other girl called heads. It landed on tails, indicating my team would start, and with that, we both turned away and headed back to our benches to ready ourselves.
With long strides, I walked back to my players and announced the game’s starting situation. As the team did their final checks and all, I decided to use the little time I had left before the start of the game to greet my friends that were sat nearby.
“Hey guys,” I beamed as I jogged up to them, leaning against the metal railing and wanting to hug them all for coming out here to support us. They got up and excitedly came closer.
“Hey, you! Good luck out there!” Gia yelled with a crazy grin on her face.
“You got this,” Ashton encouraged brightly as Riley whooped in agreement.
“Go kick them asses, sis,” Zach said sassily, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. He and Gia had the school colours of navy and white painted in lines under their eyes, proudly displaying their support.
“Thanks for coming, you guys. Love y’all so much.”
“Of course, babe,” Leah smiled as she slipped past them to stand in front of me. She had the number ten, my jersey number, written in navy paint on her right cheek, making her look so damn cute. “We wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
My lips curved up fondly at her words, even if that small, disheartened ache in my chest throbbed at the reminder of the same promise my mom once said. I looked up at the stands one final time, just to check. Leah noticed the action and a look of understanding crossed her features as her smile turned sympathetic.
“You just do your best out there, okay?” She placed her hand on top of mine comfortingly, and I managed a weak, but grateful smile. She leaned in and I met her halfway without thought, kissing her softly. Her hand came up to hold my jaw in place when I tried to pull away, prolonging the kiss, and I couldn’t help but smile against her lips.
We pulled away when we heard the teasing catcalls and hollers coming from our friends, and I blushed when I noticed some people in the crowd were doing it too, realising that we actually just kissed in front of the whole school. Gia had her phone out with a stupid grin plastered on her face as she captured the moment.
I rolled my eyes, but knowing that my time was up, I gave one final peck to my girlfriend and said bye to them all before making my way back to the bench as my teammates started huddling around Coach for her final words. I slipped between Jordan and a fellow midfielder, Zoe, and joined the circle.
“Alright, play the best you’ve ever played out there. We can win this,” she said, belief clear in her words. She put her hand out into the middle and we followed her lead. “Now Falcons on three. One, two, three-”
“FALCONS!”
“Go kick some asses, ladies!”
The starting eleven jogged onto the field with me, each of us heading to our respective positions with determined expressions set on our faces. I got into place in the centre of the field with Olivia beside me and the ball at my feet.
Looking around, I met the eyes of Northfield’s captain, Whitman - as I recalled seeing on her jersey, and noticed the glare she sent straight at me. Wow, so much hostility already, I thought as I returned the glare, not backing down from the challenge she initiated. This was going to be fun.
The whistle blew, and with a pass to Liv, the game began.
Possession of the ball was a loose fifty-fifty between the two teams in the first couple of minutes, no one really doing any damage with it despite the intensity in which we fought over it.
But at the fifteen-minute mark, the tides turned when I slide-tackled their player in the middle of the park, winning the ball. I directed the ball away from the cluster of players in the middle, everyone noticing the change in pace and rushing to Northfield’s half of the pitch, but because the players had been widely spaced out, they couldn’t immediately do anything.
Lindsey, seeing the opportunity, dropped in deep to receive it, drawing in a defender to follow as she tried to press her. The left-winger made a turn, and seeing Hayley upfield, she quickly slid the ball across. Hayley received it with a lovely first touch, allowing her to open up her body and face the goal. Even with defenders left and right, she had loads of space to work with as they were caught off guard by the speed in which the play changed.
From my position, I saw the goalie off her line, and Hayley also had the presence to notice that too. So with a quick turn of her body, she curled the ball into the upper corner of the goal, the object sailing beautifully through the space created by their poor defence as I watched with bated breath and a heart beating wildly in my chest.
GOAL!
A loud roar immediately sprung from the crowd, going crazy at the sight of the magnificent goal.
That was it. One-nil for our team.
With a scream, I ran up to our striker, Lindsey already there and hugging the life out of the ginger. I joined the two and jumped on my vice-captain’s back with unrestrained jubilation.
“Holy crap! What the fuck just happened?!” I exclaimed, coming off of her and wrapping her in a crushing hug as the girl laughed wildly.
“You give Hayley an inch of space, and she’ll go and do this,” Lindsey said, chortling humorously. Our other teammates came to congratulate her too, all of us ecstatic for the early goal in the game. This was exactly what we needed for us to have our edge in this final.
The other team stood about with frustrated scowls on their faces, the captain particular pissed off with the stupid mistake they made that costed them dearly.
Whitman glared at us, and for some odd reason, I felt like she was directing most of her ire at me. I shook it off, focusing back on the game instead as we reset. We now had the lead and couldn’t afford to lose our concentration now.
Ten minutes later, we were going strong and keeping up our pace. However, Northfield managed to gain possession, driving most of the players to our side of the field and putting us in the defensive.
Jamie Davidson, our centre-back, tried to intercept a ball from being received by Whitman in the box. And although from my angle it looked like a clean tackle, Whitman however, dramatically flipped to the ground and clutched her ankle, her face twisted into one of agony.
I stared on in disbelief as I tried to process what just happened. It couldn’t have been more than just a graze from Jamie, but the way the drama queen was acting showed everyone otherwise. The referee came to check the situation, ensuring that the girl was okay, which she obviously was, then he proceeded to hold up a yellow card at our centre-back and signalled for a penalty kick.
“WHAT?!” I yelled, rushing up to the ref angrily. “She only grazed her! It was a clean tackle!” But the guy wasn’t listening. Some of the other girls came up to join me in protest but we couldn’t do anything to change his mind now.
I stalked furiously to the line, glaring at Whitman with so much hatred. These types of players were what made the game so unenjoyable sometimes. The girl was acting out a slight limp as she walked, her teammates giving her these subtle smirks as they ‘checked’ on her. I shook my head at them, feeling a vein pop out on my temple as I clenched my jaw tight.
“Overdramatic bitch,” Olivia muttered heatedly from beside me as she stared daggers into the girl’s skull.
“Damn right.”
One of their attackers stepped up to the penalty spot as Jordan, or keeper, stood on her line with a focused expression, the sweat running down her forehead the only thing giving away her nervousness. She waved her arms by her sides and got ready, but inevitably, the ball hit the back of our net as their shooter kicked it hard into the left corner and out of her reach.
“Shit,” I swore under my breath, patting Jordan on the back sympathetically before getting into position again. We lost our lead, and now we’re back on the same playing field as them.
__________________
I groaned, frustrated at myself as I accidentally headed the ball over the crossbar. I was usually so good with set pieces, my head almost always getting there in time to direct it into the back of the net, but this time, it just didn’t connect right.
We were now nearing the one-hour mark, half-time ending with the same equal score on the scoreboard. I could feel the frustration in the atmosphere from both teams, each side desperate in trying to gain the upper hand.
Olivia lofted the ball to our forwards as she tried to push the game upfield.
I saw the disaster before it was going to happen.
Hayley had gone to receive the ball in the air, just as an opposing defender the size of a giant jumped up to win it from beside her.
The collision made me flinch as I saw my friend land roughly on the dirt while the other player got knocked onto her butt.
Fear and dread flooded my mind as I sprinted to my vice-captain, sliding to a stop as I kneeled by her side. “Hayley, you alright?! Does anything hurt?”
The ginger groaned. “Ughh- I think I bumped my head.”
I felt my face grow pale at her words. “We need a nurse here!” I yelled out loud.
The referee, Coach and our school nurse came to a stop by our side a few seconds later, the rest of my teammates also gathering around to check on Hayley.
“Alright, everyone, back up! Let’s give her space,” the nurse ordered. The rest of the girls reluctantly stepped away, giving them room to work, but I stubbornly stayed by my friend’s side. They didn’t say anything about that.
They asked her a few questions to clarify what the problem was, and it seemed to be a concussion. They said it may be mild, given Hayley was conscious, but the jostle had been rough and had caused her to be a little dazed.
They brought out a stretcher to carry her away, and I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting them take her. Immediately after, I turned to the giant girl and stalked over to her with a hard glare, an inner fire blazing wildly as I tried to get a hold of my anger. But I was failing.
“You just couldn’t control yourself, could you? You just had to give her a concussion,” I growled, my shoulders rising and falling rapidly with my breath. In the very back of my mind, a tiny part of me acknowledged that it was an accident, but I was so pissed off about my friend getting hurt that I honestly didn’t care.
The girl’s face twisted into a scowl as she sized me up, ready to talk back, but Whitman suddenly appeared and stood in front of her, staring at me challengingly.
“What are you gonna do about it, dyke?”
That blazing fire turned into a raging inferno as the word registered in my mind. The smug smirk on her face only exacerbated my anger to a level I very rarely got to feel.
I made a move to approach her, ready to knock her on her ass, when I felt a hand on my shoulder holding me back. “What did you fucking say?!” The girl’s smirk only widened in response.
I recognised Olivia’s voice as she whispered frantically in my ear. “Aly, it’s not worth it. I know you’re angry. I’m pissed too, but we’ve already lost Hayley. We need you in the game to win. Don’t give them the chance to kick you off the field. Please, Aly.”
I didn’t break my stare from the girls, chest still heaving from the anger coursing rapidly through my veins. Focusing on the warmth and the weight of her hand on my shoulder, I let it ground me as I took deeper and longer breaths as each second passed until I was breathing normally again.
With one final glare at the pair, I turned around and walked back to my teammates with Olivia by my side. My other teammates who were close enough to hear now aimed disgruntled looks at Whitman, and it made me feel a little better to know that they were also angry for me.
We continued the game with a substitute called Idina taking over Hayley’s position - luckily, a decent forward and a good replacement for the striker. But now, there was this ferocious energy that seemed to fill the team – a determination that refused to lie down. It felt like the closer we drew nearer to the ninety-minute mark, the rougher, more seamless, and vigorous we became.
We were on the defence with ten minutes left in play before the final whistle would blow. The change of pace came when surprisingly, April, who subbed in at half-time, was able to hold possession and filter past their players in our defensive third. She hefted the ball ahead to Olivia who decided to drive it upfield. She engaged a defender, buying time for Zoe to come up on the wings before sliding it to her. Zoe then lofted the weighted ball across from near the corner. It sailed over the heads of their defenders and was heading for Camilla, but unfortunately, a defender in the box got there first to win it, using her head to deflect it away from the goal.
But I couldn’t believe my luck.
The rebound came right out to me just as I got to the box from my run upfield, and as I saw the ball heading right for me, I let the airborne object bounce off my chest as I controlled its passage. With another bounce off the dirt, I pulled back my foot and followed through with no hesitation, holding nothing back as I half-volleyed the ball near-post and past the goalie, who didn’t even get the chance to move.
That was it. Another goal. I couldn’t fucking believe it.
A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd, something I could barely register given my utter incredulity at what just happened. My jaw dropped as I stared at the ball sitting comfortably in the back of the net, blinking like a dumb fool just to make sure.
Out of nowhere, I felt someone’s arms being thrown around me as they squeezed me in a hug, then another pair joined them, and another. Soon, a whole mess of a group hug formed with me at its centre, and I broke into a laugh, a huge smile stretching across my face.
“Oh my god, Aly! You just rocketed that thing!” Camilla said by my face, awe clear in her expression.
I felt Liv ruffle up my hair as we broke the hug. “You should’ve seen yourself, dude. It was beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I beamed as the insanely nice feeling called pride filled me up. I looked to the stands and saw my friends cheering like mad, and I could even make out Gia’s screaming words as she said, “THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!”
Catching my girlfriend’s eyes, she blew me a kiss and I couldn’t help but pretend to catch it and press it to my heart, being all cheesy-like.
In the next couple of minutes, everything turned up a notch.
The air was filled with static, the intense atmosphere bringing down a heavy pressure on all the players. While Northfield was doing everything they could to put the ball in our net, we were pulling out every trick we knew to buy us time and run the clock, while keeping the ball safely at our feet and not theirs.
And when the final whistle blew, I couldn’t even begin to describe the utter relief and elation I felt as the sound of the crowd’s cheer surrounded us, marking the end of the soccer season with a deafening cry.
I ran to the nearest teammate around me to hug, who happened to be Lindsey, and our bodies smacked against each other in our excitement.
“Oww...” we said in unison, laughing right after as we returned back to our embrace. Soon, other players joined in our celebration, and the players on the bench ran onto the field too with open arms and grins on their faces. Even Coach came up to us to congratulate us with her rare hugs.
Thinking of Hayley, I ran to the side-lines and approached the girl who was still sat on the bench resting, her grin so bright that I wanted to squint my eyes.
“We did it,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. We wouldn’t have gotten to this point without her, and I knew I wouldn’t have survived this season without her there for me to rely on.
Hearing a sniffle, I pulled back and saw happy tears streaming down her face, the both of us sharing a throaty laugh when I started to cry too.
We worked so hard and long to get here, through our injuries and through the countless training sessions as we pushed our bodies to their limits. The sensation of finally winning was just… incredible.
Family and friends started to file onto the field and I once again ran to the crowd as I spotted my friends heading my way. With a big leap, I jumped up and wrapped my limbs around Ashton as he welcomed it, laughing loudly as his arms went to support me. “Congrats, dude!”
“Thanks, Ashy-baby,” I grinned as I dropped back down to my feet, going to hug the rest of my friends. Zach lifted me into his arms too and spun me around, and my red-headed friend squished me so tight I couldn’t breathe. I felt my heart warm, seeing them so happy for me.
When I got to Leah, seeing her beam so widely at me, I couldn’t help pulling her close and connecting those plump lips to mine. I buried my head into the crook of her neck after and sighed into the embrace, relishing this moment with her. “You did so great out there, Lys. I’m proud of you,” I heard her mutter into my ear, causing me to smile into her skin.
They were soon talking over each other about the game and their favourite moments, and I just stood there smiling like a fool as I watched them, still hardly believing that this was actually happening. We actually won the championship.
From over the crowd’s noise, I heard a particular child-like voice stand out as it called my name, and I turned around to see my little sister running to me at top speed, arms outstretched and waiting for me to catch. Quickly, I crouched and opened my arms as her little body crashed into me, lifting her up after and spinning her about.
“You won! You won, Aly!” she squealed. I chuckled as she giggled in my arms.
“I did, didn’t I? Did you enjoy the game?”
“Yeah! Especially the second goal! You kicked it so fast that I missed it when I blinked!”
My friends and I laughed at the funny seven-year-old, and I saw my dad walking over to us at a more leisurely pace.
“You’ve grown since I last saw you, munchkin!” Gia exclaimed as she took Addy from my arms. That allowed me to give my dad a side hug as he joined our little circle.
“Alyssa, you were amazing out there. One of the best games you’ve played by far,” he said, looking at me fondly as he kissed my temple. I felt like a child again in his arms, my insides becoming lighter as my pride blossomed freely at his words.
“Thanks, Dad,” I whispered, grateful to have him by my side tonight to overshadow the other presence that was meant to be there too.
My little sister suddenly spoke up with an inquisitive tone, confusion clouding her deep-blue eyes. “Aly? Why were you kissing Leah just now? Do you do that with all your friends?”
Instantly, I felt my cheeks heat up at her question and I glanced at my girlfriend to see a ‘caught in the headlights’ expression painted on her face too, which I would’ve laughed at if I wasn’t so embarrassingly mortified myself. My friends didn’t hold back though.
“Oh, I wish she did,” Gia snickered, and Leah swatted at her with a red face.
“U-um, aaahh…” I trailed off, realising that I didn’t want to have to explain this to her now, in a crowd full of people and my friends standing about. “I’ll explain it later, Addy bear.”
___________________
Walking into Ashton’s party-filled house with a medal hanging around my neck, I smiled as I walked by people congratulating me and the team. The party was in full swing when we got there, music pumping through every corner and bodies filling every room as the warm air got me to pull off my flannel and tie it around my waist.
My teammates and I wore our new accolades proudly as we entered the party thrown in our honour. We quickly split up as we did our own thing, one of my girls holding the trophy with her as we manoeuvred through the house. I hope the thing turns out okay by the end of the night.
I found my group of friends in the kitchen as they sipped from their drinks, although I noted Zach wasn’t with them. Once they saw me, they whooped and made a lot of noise as they got me a drink.
Ashton decided to make a stupid toast, holding his beer bottle up into the air. “To my best friend, my buddy, my Alyssa Naeher-wannabe,” I rolled my eyes at that, “who captained the team to a championship victory. Let’s drink to Aly!”
“TO ALY!” my friends followed, causing me to rub at my neck with a shy, embarrassed smile. I drank from my cup like the rest of them and winced when the strong liquid slid down my throat.
Gia slammed down her cup and grabbed my hand, pulling me in the direction of the dance floor with her. “Come on, cap’n! Let’s go dance!”
I quickly reached out to grab Leah’s hand and tugged her with me, a helpless expression on my face. But she was able to slip out of my grasp, waving me goodbye with a sly smirk as she watched Gia drag me away.
“Babe!” I pouted over my shoulder in a last-ditch effort to convince her, but all she did was let out a cute giggle and sip from her drink.
When we got to the makeshift dance floor filled with hot and sweaty people in Ash’s living room, Gia turned to me and started grooving to the beat. I reluctantly started moving my body to the music too, ignoring the other beings as I swayed my hips slightly, letting the music flow through me. The alcohol was quickly working through my system, and soon, I found my nerves floating away as I jumped up and down with my best friend, laughing hysterically at the ridiculous dance move the redhead pulled out. Honestly, the floss wasn’t a dance move I really wanted to see anymore.
Some of my other teammates joined us as we formed a circle, jumping around crazily with their medals bouncing about. I loved the good vibes emanating from the group, all of us just celebrating our achievement from tonight that we earned together. I swayed with Lindsey and twirled Jordan around as we laughed and enjoyed the moment.
Ashton knew me well, because I noticed he wasn’t playing any EDM, heavy bass bullshit that I hated, and no one could really dance to it anyway. It was the good alternative, pop and indie-rock stuff that played out, with a couple of throw-backs too, and I loved him for it because it allowed us to sing our hearts out as we danced crazily to the beat.
“YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I’M LIVING A TEENAGE DREAM,” I screamed out.
“THE WAY YOU TURN ME ON. I. CAN’T. SLEEP. LET’S RUN AWAY AND DON’T EVER LOOK BACK. DON’T EVER LOOK BACK!” Gia screamed back as she did these dramatic hand gestures with the lyrics, even going as far as to grind on my behind as I guffawed aloud.
I spotted a familiar dirty blonde approach us, and I stepped away from them to bring her to me. “Hey gorgeous,” I muttered as I neared, grinning from ear to ear. “Finally wanting to join?”
The girl held this sultry look in her dark eyes, pulling me close and wrapping her hands around the back of my neck. “I saw you getting wild out here and thought I should intercept,” she smirked.
“So that I could be wild with you?” I asked suggestively, to which her smirk widened.
“Exactly.”
I started swaying with Leah, cupping her hips as we moved in time, getting closer and closer to her until there was no space left between us. Her lips looked so delectably plump and kissable, and all I wanted to do was connect our lips and get lost in her touch. But as if she read my mind, she chose to twirl and keep her back to me, teasing me with the distance.
I adjusted to the new position, pulling her into me so she was pressed against my front. She leaned back and put her hands over mine, teasingly moving her hips against me slowly and sensually.
I dipped my head and kissed the spot where her shoulder and neck met, loving the way she tipped her head back in her show of clear pleasure. The heat of the room seemed to turn up a notch.
We were sadly interrupted when the song changed and my teammates started to shift over to dance, bringing a crazy Gia along with them. I reluctantly pulled away from my hot girlfriend and spun her back around, tilting my head at the disappointed expression pulling her eyebrows together.
“Baby,” she almost whined, and I leaned in to peck those lips, almost my way of signalling ‘later’.
I took this chance to look around the room, spotting a certain brunette in the far corner making out with another girl. I smirked at the sight and continued my scan, only coming to a stop when I saw Hayley sitting at a couch and chatting away with the people around her.
I temporarily excused myself from the dancing group, Gia quickly occupying Leah’s attention with her dance moves as I slipped around the bodies to get to my ginger friend.
“Hey!” I said as I squeezed next to her, interrupting her conversation as I asked with concern. “How are you now?”
“I’m good!” she said cheerfully. “It was a mild concussion, and I guess I’m supposed to be resting, but how can I miss this?” Hayley gestured at the room scattered with our teammates, and I understood. “But don’t give me that look, I’m not drinking. Just hanging around and chilling.”
“Alright,” I nodded slowly, relieved to know that my friend was fine. I stayed around to chat with her, only to have my attention soon drawn elsewhere when I saw Zach enter the room. He had a boy in tow.
“Sorry, gotta go!” I muttered quickly before getting off my seat and heading in the sandy blonde’s direction. I arrived at them just as he stopped by another couch that held Riley, Ash, Gia and Leah, the latter two probably resting from the dancing.
“Zach…” I voiced out, purposefully elongating his name. “Where’ve you been?”
“Oh, just went to pick up this guy,” he said almost too casually as he jutted a thumb behind him at the boy. I could tell by the way he was occasionally running a hand through his hair, that he was nervous.
The guy behind him had a dark, olive-skinned complexion as he stood around the same height as Zach. His hair was in a short buzz cut and I could tell he was decently lean just by looking at the way his shirt stretched against him. He had a thick set of brows, thin lips, and a cute dimple on his left cheek. But what was most notable about him were his olive-green eyes that looked so captivating, to the extent that if I wasn’t gay, I would’ve fallen for them instantly.
“So… who is this guy?” Ashton asked with curiosity and a hint of confusion in his voice.
I looked between the three guys before me and knew what was going to happen next. Zach opened his mouth, voice coming out in a stutter.
“Guys, t-this is Dante.” His grey eyes scanned over our faces briefly, then flickered to the boy with the enchanting eyes. “My b-boyfriend.”
Despite the loud music blaring through the house, we heard his words with crystal clarity. Even as I was expecting it, I couldn’t help my mouth from dropping ajar, staring at the two guys looking our way as they fidgeted slightly on their feet.
It was Gia who broke our circle’s silence, like usual. “My gosh, finally we get to meet you!”
I broke into a grin as she broke the tension, letting myself scan the two together. They did look like a cute couple.
“Yes, finally. We’ve been asking about you for so long, but Zach kept on being all secretive,” I said to Dante, glad to meet him in the flesh. He pulled out a charming grin, deepening the dimple on his cheek as he looked to Zach’s blushing face.
“You didn’t tell me they were this eager to meet me,” the guy said teasingly in a deep voice, causing our friend to redden even more.
Ashton’s voice stopped our teasing. “You’re gay?” he asked Zach with an unreadable expression. When the blonde boy nodded in confirmation, Ashton continued. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I could see Zach turning uneasy, anxiety coating his posture as his face morphed into one of seriousness.
“I didn’t tell you early because… I had a crush on you before and I didn’t know how to say this to you without that coming up. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, so I’ve just been… pushing off telling you,” he said, growing quieter towards the end.
I looked sympathetically at my friend, knowing how hard it was for him to hide that from Ash.
Riley was looking at Zach with wide eyes, surprised by all of this. Ashton, however, looked like he was thinking deeply, a frown on his face.
“And you wanted to tell me now?” he asked further, and Zach nodded timidly. He sighed, almost as if disappointed about something. “I just wish you had told me earlier. I wish you weren’t afraid to, too. I thought I was your best friend.”
Hurt laced his words, and I knew this was affecting Zach with the way his eyes turned pained.
Ashton got up from the couch and slipped past the two guys, Riley choosing to hesitantly follow as she sent a sympathetic smile Zach’s way.
There was silence in the group for a few moments. I placed a gentle hand on Zach’s shoulder, squeezing softly. “He’s not really mad, just processing. He’ll come around.”
My friend turned to me with a sad smile. “I hope you’re right.”
Gia came in for support. “She is. Now, let’s go dance. We came here to have some fun, didn’t we?” she said in an attempt to distract them, and succeeded.
Leah, Gia and I dragged the boys to the middle of the room and danced with them, albeit it took a little effort to get them into the mood of it. Internally, I was just hoping that Ashton would come to understand Zach’s actions and not make a turn in this friendship for the worse.
End of Comfy Closets Chapter 48. Continue reading Chapter 49 or return to Comfy Closets book page.