Something Gained (USC Series Book #1)

chapter two

SOMETHING GAINED
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AIDAN

Tonight couldn't get much worse. My mom called to let me know that something happened with my father and he ended up being admitted to the hospital again. Not that I cared much at all. This isn't the first time that it's happened and it certainly won't be the last.

Miller's is not the place I wanna be right now but my teammates insisted I go out for a drink to celebrate our win.

Tonight we versed North Carolina. The game was gruelling and all my muscles ached from pushing myself so hard. Hopefully, all this pain comes with some reward. From what Coach told me, there were a few scouts travelling to watch our game tonight and knowing that, I tried my hardest to impress them on the field.

Being drafted has been my dream for as long as I could remember. I knew from my first soccer game at the age of 6, that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

The distant sound of the music drifting through the bar entered my ears. I've got no idea who picked this song, but they have the shittiest music taste ever. It sounds like an elderly woman picked it.

The bathroom door swung as I pushed it open. My feet lightly scraped against the linoleum flooring of the small hallway at the back of Miller's. My gaze was stuck to my feet, taking one step at a time.

I had left my friends in an attempt to go to the bathroom and smoke a joint. If I wasn't leaving the bar for a while, I at least needed something to get me through tonight. What better to do the job than weed?

Completely unaware of my surroundings, I bumped into someone. Actually, more like I ran into someone.

On instinct, my arms wrapped around the small figure, balancing them back on their own two feet. The sweet smell of coconut and a hint of jasmine floods my nostrils from her long, brunette hair.

I backed away, releasing my arms from around her. I looked down to apologise and when I did I was met with a look of disgust.

That isn't something I see very often.

The girl, who I've yet to learn her name and probably won't ever learn it, ran off before I could catch a glance at her face, leaving me standing in the small hallway of Miller's with a look of confusion. I shook it off and began walking back towards my teammates, who all managed to squeeze into a booth at the back of Miller's.

"Dude, what took you so long," Tyson asks, noticeably slurring his words. We've only been here for 20 minutes and the guy has already managed to get drunk off his ass.

"Oh nothing, I just ran into an old friend from high school," I explain, trying to hide my lie the best I could.

"Who wants to get wasted tonight?" Tyson announces to the rest of our teammates, standing up from his seat in the booth.

In my peripheral vision, I noticed some of my teammates crane their necks up to look up at Tyson. I didn't feel the need to give him any attention because this is pretty much a ritual for Tyson to do after every game, whether we win or not.

"Dude, if Coach catches word of this, we are completely fucked," Camron Edwards, our goalie states, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and truthfully it was.