𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙆𝙀𝘿 𝙊𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐 ━━━ 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐱 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤 ✓

23. 𝑸𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌

"𝑰'𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏' 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏',
𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓?"

General POV:

*TIMESKIP - A few weeks later*

It had been exactly 2 weeks since Blake's day and it had been a few days since Bridget and Hook's lovely date. Now, they were on their third week of December and Christmas was arriving soon. This month was surely flying by and it was sure to be one hell of a fast year for them. Bridget's birthday was coming up soon so Hook had that all planned out for tomorrow. But today was going to be a little special because Hook agreed to attending a football game with Bridget.

"Come on, it'll be fun! It'll be a good story for the grand kids when you talk about your high school experience!" Bridget said, walking around the living room. She was trying to convince Hook that going to the game would be beneficial for him but he wasn't having any of it. He just looked at her, throwing his sweet wrapper into the bin as he shook his head.

"Oh come on, princess. It's just a footy match, what's so good about it? And the players are probably shit-" Hook said, but he was abruptly cut off at the sight of Bridget's frowny face and her hands placed on her hips.

"Language... and also, please. Please, please, please, come with me! Trust me, it will be fun to see!" Bridget said, clasping her hands together as she practically got on her knees on the floor for him, pleading with him urgently. 

Of course, Hook couldn't resist her cute face when she was pleading with him so he said, "Alright then, but if it's crap, we're leaving alright?"

"Okay! Let's go then 'cause I'm all ready!" Bridget giggled, rushing over to the door. She turned the door handle and the door swung open.

"Well, I'm clearly not! Let me get dressed first, alright Princess?" Hook said, before he ran off into his vast wardrobe of nothing but velvet and white and black clothing. He surely had a sense of style. Bridget giggled, awaiting for the night to occur.

*TIMESKIP - At the football match*

The stadium buzzed with the energy of the crowd, flags waving, fans chanting as the players warmed up on the field. Blake turned to Isabel, his face lit up with excitement. She was laughing at something he'd said, her eyes bright under the stadium lights. Without warning, Blake leaned in, pressing a quick but charged kiss to her lips. Isabel laughed again, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Hook caught sight of them from the stands, the kiss sending a twist of surprise through his chest, though he quickly shrugged it off.

"It was just a kiss,"  Hook told himself. "They're free to do as they like, they're together now. Come on, mate. Pull yourself together, you weren't mad before, why you mad now, eh?" But he found his eyes lingering a second longer than he meant to.

Bridget, seated beside him, didn't miss the way his shoulders tensed. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, noticing as he was oddly quiet.

"You alright?" She asked softly, searching his face. She was certain now that something was wrong as when she placed her hand on his arm, it was all tensed up.

Hook forced a small smile, though he could tell it didn't entirely reach his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. Just somet' caught me off guard, I guess."

Bridget's hand lingered, her fingers curling slightly against his sleeve. She could see the flicker of something—a twinge of old jealousy, maybe. It was hard not to feel a pang of her own. For a moment, she worried that his feelings for Isabel hadn't entirely faded, but she pushed the thought away. Hook turned to her, his face softening.

"Honestly," Hook said, his voice barely audible over the cheers around them, "I'm over her. It just surprised me to see them all public about it, is all."

Bridget nodded, her own smile tentative. She squeezed his arm in understanding. "I know," she said, and she believed him. A warmth spread through her as she watched him turn back to the game, the tension in his shoulders easing. For the rest of the night, his hand found hers more than once, grounding them both as they let go of the ghosts of their past.

As the whistle blew and the game began, she felt him relax beside her, and they cheered together, fully present in the moment.  As the first half of the match unfolded, Blake and Isabel's laughter seemed to grow in volume, cutting through the noise of the match. Bridget could feel the tension radiating from Hook, but every time she glanced at him throughout the game, he only shrugged, trying to appear unbothered. She reached out and slipped her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and his fingers tightened around hers. It was a symbol of assurance during a time like this, she needed the reassurance that he wasn't bothered about Isabel. Surely, he wasn't. 

Bridget felt a hint of sadness but gave him a small, understanding nod. She'd been holding on to her own doubts, worried that Isabel still held some part of Hook's heart, but his tone and the way he looked at her seemed to ease her worries, if only a little. Hell, they never even got together unlike herself and Hook, who did get together. Surely, she had to have meant more than Isabel who was just a girl he hooked up with whenever he wanted to. She glanced back at Blake and Isabel, still laughing as though nothing in the world could rattle them.

The game drew to a close, and the crowd erupted in cheers as the home team secured a last-minute goal. Fans jumped up, and the stadium exploded into song. Hook pulled Bridget to her feet, and they joined the crowd, cheering until their voices strained. For a moment, the thrill of the game washed everything else away. 

Blake shouted to the crowd and yelled out, "Fuck yeah!", causing the teachers to go over to him and tell him off for swearing. But he didn't give a shit - he just stuck his middle finger up at them and roared back to the loud crowd, who were cheering him on as if his life depended on it. Hook, Morgie, Ella and Bridget walked over to where Blake and Isabel were and they all hugged each other tightly, as if they were a tight-knit friend group. They hoped to be that, someday. Also, Hook's opinions on Blake had changed now. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all, maybe he just misjudged him or maybe Hook felt threatened by Blake. Either way, he didn't hate him anymore and that just made Bridget all the more happy.

Guess everyone was right, being the quarterback was surely one hell of a thing and it definitely meant that popularity was to follow Blake onto to the next day. He got the girl he wanted and got the whole school, even his now ex- enemies like Hook, to like him. But tomorrow, was going to be exciting as hell. Bridget's first ever birthday with the kids at Merlin was going to be amazing and especially now that she has her first ever boyfriend, Hook.