Fortuitous || Jack Steele [1]

twenty nine

Steeley's POV.

The Port Adelaide game.

A match where a team who sits on top of the ladder and a team who recently won at Adelaide Oval butt heads. A match where St Kilda aren't expected to win but if they do then it'll be something real special. It'll be a big achievement which'll certainly turn a few heads.

The last four days have been filled with anticipation for this game. The boys know we can win. If we can do it once then we can do it again. This game is winnable, we know that and it's driving us forward. There is so much belief.

Our travel plans to Adelaide are going to be the exact same. We want to replicate what we did on Monday against the Crows and keep it as normal as possible. We leave at 11am.

I step into the bus with my bag on my back which is filled with boots and other clothes I may need. Near the back I locate Madelyn sitting by herself and looking out the window in thought. Her hair flows over her shoulders seamlessly. I throw my bag up above easily and claim the seat next to her without a second thought. She feels a presence and glances over. I send her a warm smile and she returns it.

"You decided you wanted to deal with my shit for a few hours, huh?" She asks with a smirk, nudging me with her elbow.

"You're not too bad. I have a sister after all so I had to deal with her antics as I grew up." I shrug.

"You have a sister?" Madelyn questions, turning her body to face me more.

"Yeah. Her name's Sophie and she's older," I tell her openly.

Following our late night chat I've looked at her in a different light. Her perspective and understanding is one of a kind and I've never encountered it before. The deep answer she gave cannot be disregarded. It's not often that you find someone so thoughtful.

My view on her also changed when she revealed her fear of staying trapped here for longer. We hadn't even given ourselves the title of friends but she trusted me enough to tell me that. Is it because she knows who she can trust and who she can't? Is she more aware about me than I am of myself, so much so that she can gauge that I'm trustworthy without even truly knowing me?

By no means would I tell anyone about her fear of being stuck here as that's for her to say and me to keep quiet about. So I guess in the end she is right in that she can trust me. That in itself is a good judgement and shows how aware she is of people.

Our nerf gun war also solidified a growing friendship. To have teamed up with her was a good thing to happen, it really was. It gave us both a chance to bond under a different circumstance without having to exchange many words. It created a connection of trust to have one another's backs and work as a unit, though Madelyn got a little carried away but that's her nature to act.

It was clear that I needed to have her in my team, especially after I reverted back into my quiet self before she got herself involved. I didn't expect to run into her and cause us to fall into the bush. I didn't anticipate getting that close to her. It reminded me of Taylah and how close we were all the time. It just caught me off guard and my reaction was to cower instead of confront. It didn't last long, though, because Madelyn somehow knows how to snap me out of that quietness. How?

"Ha! Older sisters rule. She probably treats you like I treat my brothers," Madelyn laughs out. The bus starts moving.

I shake my head, a light chuckle escaping my lips. "She isn't as chaotic as you but definitely makes sure to remind me that she's older."

"As she should." Madelyn grins overly proud. "So it's just you, your sister, mum and dad?"

"Yep, that's the Steele family," I confirm. "So it's just you, your mum, dad, Ben and Max?"