Fortuitous || Jack Steele [1]

fifty eight

(Captain of the Ship deserves some appreciation^^❤️)

Steeley's POV.

My back falls against the clubroom wall with a content sigh. I bring the Gatorade to my lips before sinking into a comfortable position on the floor.

We made it. We've achieved the very thing we aimed for since the start of the season. Now we're met with a new challenge in making our mark in finals. These are exciting times and all the boys can feel it.

My eyes scan the room and take in everything.

Ro has the biggest and best smile on his face, Hilly laughs naturally at something Butts said and Hanners bumps Hunts' shoulder playfully. It's some pretty nice scenes down here.

We spend a few more minutes soaking it all in before we're called for a meeting. Most of it is praise and the other half is a motivational speech about hunger for more and determination in making this next step. After that we hop on the bus to Noosa.

There's no fatigue on the ride back. There's constant chatter throughout the whole trip as the group is excited to celebrate with drinks. It's going to be quite a wild rest of the night.

It's after 12 when we arrive but that doesn't matter. The boys are quick to throw their bags in their rooms before then filling glasses with alcohol kindly provided by the resort. I grab myself a beer bottle and walk outside to join some of my teammates by the pool.

Who would've thought we'd make finals this season?

After Round 1 we were left questioning our abilities, even more so when we lost to Freo. It brought us down but the two wins in Adelaide really set us up for success and got us going.

We left making finals to the very last minute but we made our statement and we're in.

Now it's time to just win a final.

"What are you thinking about, Steeley?" Gears asks when joining my side.

"Just still in shock that we made it, you know? It's a really good feeling," I tell my captain honestly.

"It sure is. Definitely one of the best feelings you get out of footy." He looks at the other boys who drink their beers. "Who do you reckon will be off their head first?"

"Oh Lones for sure. He's a lightweight," I chuckle and watch as the smallest Jack swallows the last drop of his first drink. Gears snickers.

As the night goes on, the boys get more and more drunk and more and more loud. They're laughing obnoxiously now and are a little sloppy with their words and actions. Who thought that this was a good idea?

I've limited my alcohol consumption to two drinks and that's it. You could say I'm the boring type at parties but I just feel responsible over my teammates. Seb and Gears also feel the same way. At this point Gears is playing lifeguard as the boys act stupid around the pool. Water and alcohol are not a good mix.

Instinctively, my eyes drift to Madelyn. She's starting to look heavily impacted by the effects of alcohol as she sways on her feet quite a bit. How many drinks has she had?

I find myself watching over her carefully. I feel protective and I don't want anything to happen to her. I don't want her to get hurt no matter what she may think of me right now.

Deep down my care for Madelyn is bigger than anything I could've imagined. When she's this intoxicated I know she needs me. She may not know that but I do. I refuse to let anything happen to her.

Some of the boys are a little drunk and tipsy, but Madelyn... she's a wreck. You know that she's drunk when she constantly giggles at anything and everything. She also can't seem to focus properly, or walk for that matter.