Dirty Laundry

Eight.

It was an unseasonably warm day for early October in Rhode Island. Niall and I hadn't seen each other in a couple days since our first "date", if you want to call it that. We had talked to each other every day since though. Not particularly long meaningful text message nor talking so late we're falling asleep on the other. But that's okay with me. I've never been a huge texter anyway. Niall sends me random thoughts or pictures of funny things, the occasional corny joke that I genuinely laugh at because I have a soft spot for corny jokes and okay maybe a soft spot for Niall.

Niall: Hey ! How swamped are you with work ?

Me: Not that bad why?

Niall: Want to try soccer with me ? It's wicked nice out !

Niall has got this weird typing thing where he puts spaces between the words and punctuation and it just makes me smile. He's such a loser I love it. But his punctuation isn't the only thing that is making smile about these messages. Niall wants to see me again and show me something he loves. I'm not super thrilled about him seeing me all sweaty and running around but I'm super thrilled about seeing him that way.

Kelly and I have been hanging around the room trying not to sweat too much since our classes ended. She is gonna need to help with my soccer outfit. I can't just show up in a nasty old t-shirt, this is Niall we're talking about.

"Hey Kell?" I call from our shared closet, "Which should I wear?" I ask holding up some options. An old blue, high school athletics t-shirt, a work out/yoga tank top, and two pairs of shorts

"Blue t-shirt and black shorts. Why?" 

"Niall and I are going to play soccer, or well he's going to try and teach me but I can't be that bad at it" I say knowing I've been playing sports my whole life, I'm athletic and it shows, so hard could soccer really be?

"Oh! That's so cute!" Kelly squeals as I blush and change my clothes.

I dig out my black mid-calf socks and my field hockey cleats, glad I decided to bring them with me to school. Throw my long hair up in pony tail and text Niall back.

Me: I'd love to. Meet you at the front door?

Niall: Yeh ! See you in five

I shove on my Sperrys and put my cleats and some water in a bag and head down to meet Niall. He's already at the door waiting for me looking like a true soccer player. Ball under his foot, socks like mine, and a green Ireland jersey with white shorts. God he is so fucking attractive.

"Hey" I say bumping the ball out from under his foot to get his attention away from his phone and running out the door with ball in my arms.

"Hey! Get back here!" He says starting to chase after me, "That's not how you play!"

Niall catches up to me and scoops me off the ground and turns us around.

"Wring version of football Em, the one we're playing today you can't use your hands"

"Aw, so no tackling?!" I jokingly whine as Niall takes the ball back and we walk towards the municipal fields behind the baseball field.

"Well... maybe some." Niall says bumping my hip with his as we walk.

****

"Okay so how much do already know?" Niall asks once we've set up the net on one end of the field.

"I know you can't use your hands and you shouldn't kick with your toes" I say as I pass him the ball using the inside of my foot like I learned in gym class in first grade.