Between Hello and Goodbye

Chapter 7: Red Shirt Crowd

Hey guys here's chapter 7, let's see what happens ;). Also this song plays in my head during Asher's scene.

"...I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showy displays of feeling—to manifestations of mutual kindliness. He'll love and hate, equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again..."

    Lockwood's description of Heathcliff sat with me as I stared at the page where his introduction resided. He seemed confused, considering he had just met the master of the house, Heathcliff coming off as mysterious yet, in a way, strange. He felt some sort of connection to the man that he could not explain, and narrowed it down to something so simple as 'instinct'. I looked up from the novel, seeing that the bleachers were much more lively than they usually were, students sitting in small groups watching different sports teams go about their practices.

    My eyes traveled to the field before me, taking in the mass of bodies that were the soccer team and football team, the roar of students flooding my senses as I came back to reality. The sounds of whistles and chatter surrounded me from every direction, the students on the bleachers cheering on their friends, significant others or siblings that had inhabited the field in front of us. I had never seen so many students take an unexpected interest in sports, they seemed to be there like they were waiting for something to happen at that moment. It seemed strange like Lockwood's 'instinct' when it came to his reception of Heathcliff, they were under the assumption that something was not what it seemed. They were drawn to it like sharks to blood in the water. It was a frenzy of bodies, some watching the soccer team practice while the majority of the others kept a close eye on the football team.

    Out of the corner of my peripherals I noticed a flash of strawberry blonde hair, I looked out into the field once more, seeing Gage traverse about the field keeping the ball from his teammates. His teammates had furrowed brows as they concentrated on taking the ball from their captain, a mischievous smile filling Gage's face. His skin glowed underneath the light of the sun above us, an almost olive sheen covering his exposed skin to the masses. Many students seemed fixated on him like I was, their eyes watching his every move, following every movement of his muscles, his every decision. I smirked at their intrigue, my eyes following the adonis that was my 'best friend'—that term now used loosely as I was still figuring out my feelings towards him.

    Gage looked towards the bleachers, many students cheering him on or catcalling him about his skills, his eyes searching the rows of students. His eyes immediately locked with mine, my body stiffening at the sight of his warm gaze coming into contact with mine. I squirmed in my seat under the weight of his stare, a soft smile flashing across his features making my heart flutter in my chest, my body feeling light yet tethered to my spot on the bleachers. It was frustrating that even with my conflicted feelings towards him, he still had the effect that he did on my body and soul; I felt bewitched.

    Was this love?

    Was I a fool for loving him even though he didn't acknowledge his feelings, or mine for that matter?

    Lastly, what was going to be our endgame?

    These questions flooded my head like a stampede of horses, a smile adorning my face towards him as his face lit up with the joy of my acknowledgment of him. With his newfound joy, he swiftly eluded his teammates making his way down the field towards the goal. In the moments of his last stride, his leg pulled back before quickly swinging it forward towards the ball. The soccer ball launched from his cleated foot, barely grazing the glove of the goalie suspended in midair as the ball crashed into the net in the uppermost corner of the goal.