Juliana Woodland and Nate Jacobs have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
They are now in their junior year and East Highland High School and things are starting to get complicated.
*Had this story up on my old account and it got del...
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A couple weeks had passed since the carnival, and things with Juliana and Nate were pretty much back to normal.
Nate's heart was heavy and his and Juliana's encounter behind the trailer at the carnival was constantly replaying in his mind. But he had to remind himself that she made it clear she didn't want what he did, and settle for their friendship.
Juliana often snuck looks at Nate when she thought he wasn't looking, wondering how things might have played out differently if she hadn't been so high at the carnival that she forced herself on him. She was happy they were as close as ever, but she couldn't help but wonder what could have been.
It was the first big football game of the season and the air grew electric as the cheerleading squad made their way to the field.
The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the green turf. The crowd was already filling in, a mix of students, parents, and townspeople.
Across the field, Nate took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him, especially since he was appointed team captain this year and this was his first game in his new role.
He gazed at Juliana as she talked to the other girls on the cheer team, admiring how she looked in her blue and black uniform, her long wavy hair in a high ponytail.
The football team huddled around their coach, a burly man whose speech was a mix of passion and strategy. Nate could feel the tension and anticipation in the air.
He glanced over at the cheerleaders one last time, his eyes locking with Juliana's for a heartbeat as she gave him a sweet smile of encouragement and blew him a kiss.
The whistle blew, and the game began. Nate took his position on the field, the pads heavy on his shoulders, the helmet a shield around his thoughts.
The opposing team's quarterback called out the play, and his muscles tensed, ready to spring into action.
The cheerleaders began their routine, their voices ringing out in unison, but the only one he could hear was Juliana's. The crowd's cheers grew louder, a wave of sound that seemed to lift the players off their feet.
Nate felt his heart pound in his chest, the rhythm of the cheer melding with the thunder of his own pulse. He took a few steps back, waiting for the perfect moment to make his move.
The ball was thrown, a perfect spiral arcing through the air. Time seemed to slow as Nate watched it, his eyes tracking its trajectory. He knew this play, had seen it a hundred times before.
His instincts took over, and he bolted forward, his legs eating up the ground between him and the receiver. The crowd's roar grew deafening, a wall of sound that pushed him closer and closer to the prize.
As the ball reached the receiver, Nate's hand shot out, knocking it away with a satisfying crack. The crowd erupted, and he could see the shock on the other team's faces as the football bounced off the turf.
