forever yours • adam banks

chapter sixteen

ella

Showdown week. The most important week of the year.

This is what everyone sees before we go to playoffs. This is the last regular season game. Everything comes down to this game: our final record, who we face for the first round of playoffs, a look at who the team will add next year once the seniors graduate, everything.

Our practice schedule for this week is actual insanity. School gets out at two, and we have to be on the field by two-fifteen. Our practice runs from two-fifteen to five-thirty, and each practice consists of a one mile jog to warm up, an offensive drill followed by a defensive drill, sprints, an hour scrimmage, and more sprints to end practice. To say Tavia, our athletic trainer, will be swamped is a complete understatement.

My ankle hasn't bothered me too much since it's healed, but I'm being extra careful with it. I can't seriously injure it before the holidays and the ski trip.

By Wednesday, we are absolutely dead. I don't know what Hofmann is trying to do, but he is working us insanely hard.

At lunch, I'm talking to Tatum and Aaliyah about the showdown when I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Adam standing over me, so I look up at him with a confused expression. Why isn't he with his team?

"Hi A, what's up?"

He swallows quickly. "Do you want to go to Rick's party with me?"

I look back at my team, specifically Aaliyah and Tatum, who's mouths are open in shock.

"Yeah, of course!" I respond, smiling at him.

"Okay great, I'll text you details." He gives me a relieved smile in return before walking away and sitting at his table.

"Ooooh, someone's got a date this weekend!" Aaliyah says in a high pitched voice, wiggling her eyebrows up and down at me.

"Let's not start this again." I groan. "We're not even dating."

"Not dating my ass!" Tatum laughs. "That boy is in love with you El, I don't know how you don't see it."

I swallow the lump in my throat. Adam and I both know that he loves me, and I'm pretty sure we both know that I love him back. He just doesn't want to act on it.

"Tate, if he loved me, he would've asked me out by now."

"Ella, come on!" she argues. "We all see it, you see it, everyone sees it! Let this weekend serve as a prime example. He just asked you to one of the biggest parties of the year, and he's coming to the showdown just to watch you. I promise you, he will show you how much you mean to him."

"Okay fine." I'm not in the mood to talk about me and Adam anymore. Every time someone mentions him loving me, it just makes me more and more confused. He shows me affection, but never acts on it.

The rest of Wednesday goes by pretty quickly. After practice, I came home and ate half of my pantry. Oreos, Goldfish, chips, you name it. I don't even care that I ate so much, I'll work it off and I deserve a cheat day.

On Thursday after science, I grab Adam's arm to get his attention once we are out in the hallway.

"What's up El?"

"Hey, I just wanted to tell you I'm going to be late to Rick's."

He furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Why? The party starts at ten."

"Yeah I know, but I'm going to Tatum's beforehand. Her boyfriend broke up with her this morning and we're all going to her house after practice tomorrow to check on her. Then I have to come home, shower, and get ready."