Lost Souls

Part 14

'Are you going?'

Skye turned her head to look at Beth. She had become accustomed to the chirpy girl sitting behind her during lectures. She had initially tried to ignore her, trying to stay aloof, but it hadn't worked. No matter what she did, Beth simply continued to chatter away until you couldn't help but get drawn in and feel the need to answer her.

'Where?'

'The football game of course!' Seeing Skye's blank expression, Beth sighed. 'It's our boys' team against one of the other colleges. It's the match of the season.'

Skye started shaking her head. 'I'm not really a fan of football...'

'You have to come, it'll be fun.' She nudged Daren who looked up and smiled at Skye.

'Yeah, you should totally go,' he said, rolling his eyes so that Beth couldn't see him.

Skye hid a smile. 'Are you a big fan?'

Beth nodded vigorously. 'You'll be too when you see the team.'

Skye doubted it but after listening to Beth's detailed descriptions she finally agreed to go along, if only to stop Beth's lovesick narrative.

At the end of the day the three of them headed for the college playing fields laid out behind the buildings. Skye hadn't seen them yet and when she did she couldn't believe how large an area they occupied. Three football fields stretched adjacent to each other, separated by tennis and basketball courts.

'Wow! It's huge!'

'Yeah,' Beth agreed, taking a bite out of a candy bar, 'they spend a lot on the athletes.'

Skye looked at her from the corner of her eye, 'I guess they do.'

Beth looked up quickly. 'I didn't mean you,' she blurted out quickly, turning red.

Skye laughed. 'Well, I'm an athlete too.'

'I just meant...'

'Don't worry, I'm not offended or anything,' Skye smiled, and offered the girl another candy bar.

She took it automatically. 'Either way, I'm glad they do, those guys are worth every cent!'

Skye laughed shaking her head and followed her friends to the bleachers overlooking the biggest playing field, which were already crammed full of students.

Looking around her she realised that Beth wasn't the only fan. Several students wore the team's sweat shirts, or held up placards. Clearly the school team was very popular. She settled down half-way up the bleachers expectantly. Just before the teams filed out she spotted a group of people walking towards her.

'Guess who decided to come to the game?' Beth whispered.

'Who?' Skye asked, her eyes still on the group.

'The cool group,' Beth replied, 'or so they think. The Knights'

'Who?'

'Oh you know, the popular students everyone wants to be like,' Beth clarified.

'Oh.' The boys near the front of the group slid into their seats so that Skye could see the rest of the group. She looked away quickly as Kal's eyes focussed towards her. Of course he was part of that group. Hadn't the boys at the swimming pool said as much? As she thought about that day she remembered more of what they had said.

'...he was the captain of the football team, until his accident...'

She watched as he slid into his seat, a grimace on his face. He didn't look happy as he turned to speak to his friends. She was about to ask Beth about the accident he had had when the teams ran out and the bleachers erupted. Beth was on her feet yelling as loudly as anyone else. She caught Daren's eye and laughed. There was no stopping her.

The game began and she watched it, following Beth's lead when she leapt up cheering wildly or booing the referee's decision. Not a big soccer fan, she was soon flagging. The fans were still screaming wildly when she stood up and slipped away. She had known it from the start, soccer really wasn't her game.

She left the bleachers and looked for the passage that would lead her back to the campus. She walked down one passage which looked promising until it led her to a locked door. Retracing her steps she turned down another corridor. Ten minutes later after going round in circles she ended up exactly where she had started. She was just contemplating going back to her friends when a shadow shifted nearby. Instantly she froze, the corridor was deserted, and no one would hear her over the fans if she needed help.

'Lost are we?'

She relaxed, she knew this voice. 'No,' she replied, annoyed. Of all the people she could have met, why did it have to be him?

He moved into the light, sauntering towards her. 'Then are you training for some kind of marathon?' he asked innocently.

'No, why?'

'Because you have been running up and down the corridors for a while now,' he pointed out.

She glared at him. 'Ha ha very funny,' and made to brush past him.

'Where are you going?'

'Back to the bleachers.'

'Then you're going the wrong way.'

Suddenly she felt his hand on her arm, turning her around. 'This way.'

They walked together in silence until she realised she couldn't hear the students' voices any more. She stopped dead in her tracks.

'Where are we going?'

He looked down at her, a sardonic smile on his lips. 'Back to school. I didn't think you wanted to watch the rest of the game.'

She bit back the instant sarcastic reply. He was right, she didn't, but she wasn't going to admit it. She started walking again, hearing him follow her. When they finally came in sight of the school buildings she turned to him.

'Thanks,' she said, 'I can find my way back now.'

She turned and started walking only to hear him walk behind her. She stopped again.

'You really don't need to escort me,' she told him impatiently.

He quirked an eye brow at her. 'What makes you think I'm escorting you?'

She was about to reply when he brushed past her, walking towards the buildings. Stupid, stupid, an inner voice berated her, of course he wasn't escorting me he was just headed in the same direction.

'Oh, by the way...'

She looked up to see him standing looking back at her.

'I don't like that shirt any more, I've left a list of substitutes in your locker.'

'You what?!'

His cold smile frozeher even from that distance. 'Pay me back by tomorrow Diver girl,' he drawledand walked away leaving her seething.

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