You Think I Hate You? (Larry Stylinson AU) Stepbrothers

Chapter 9

[Harry]

One thing I noticed when it was only a few minutes into the game was that Louis was really damn amazing at football. I didn't want to admit it, but there was literally no denying it. He played like a god, dribbling past player after player until he was close enough to the goal to kick a perfect score. Well, at least it looked pretty great to me.

He wasn't always that selfish, though. Usually (more times than I expected), he passed the ball to his teammates so they could take shots as well. The players that stood out from the rest were Louis, Niall and some blonde guy I had never acknowledged before. Ed was great too, but since he was the goalie it was hard to compare him to the others.

To my surprise, I was quite into the game, which I had not expected I was going to be at all. In all honesty, though, that was most likely because it was so even. The score was 3-2 after halftime, and it honestly couldn't be more nerve-wracking. I was biting my fingernails, and it wasn't even nearing the end yet.

Liam seemed to be as into the game as I was, staring at what was unfolding in front of him with wide, concentrated eyes, following the ball's every movement. I never thought he liked football since he had never told me he did, but apparently, I was wrong about that. I had never seen him this focused on anything that didn't have to do with school before.

I wanted to question him about it but decided I was going to wait until after the game. Right now, I was more interested in watching what was unfolding in front of me. The players were currently jogging out onto the field again after a fifteen minutes break. Ed positioned himself in front of the net while the other players took their own positions.

The referee blew his whistle to signal the opponents to kick off. The first thing that happened was that Louis stole the ball from one of the other team's players and started heading towards the net with Niall running right beside him. I couldn't help but notice the way Louis' flexible legs moved when he ran, so the muscles in them popped out in the sexiest way possible, and the way he so skillfully skipped towards the other side of the field. Woah, I did not just think that, okay?

Louis dribbled past one- two defenders and was just about to aim at the net when he changed his mind and passed the ball to Niall instead, who was already swinging his leg back to kick the ball towards the net. Unfortunately, though, the goalie seemed to be able to read their minds and blocked the ball with his fist at the last second. Many people in the audience who had been ready to celebrate a score, quieted down in disappointment as Louis and Niall jogged back to their half of the field, Niall with a sad expression on his face.

Before I could acknowledge anything else, Niall flicked his gaze in the direction of the bleachers and met my eyes. My first thought was that he was going to glare at me since that was what he always did, so when a weak smile formed on his lips, I was utterly shocked. It was gone within a second, though, so when I blinked to ensure myself that I was seeing what I thought I was, it wasn't there any longer, and he had gone back to focus on the game.

Weird, I thought to myself as I continued following the ball's movements.

The second half of the game was almost as eventful as the first one. The other team was the first to score, so it was 3-3, but Louis was quick to change that when he scored a goal just a minute later. Now, the score was 4-3 with our team winning, and only two minutes remained of the game. The audience was cheering like crazy already even though nothing was set in stone yet. Anything could still happen.

As if reading my mind, a brown-haired player from the other team stole the ball from one of ours and started heading towards Ed at an incredible speed. He dribbled past the defenders and got himself ready to shoot the ball by looking up towards the net. Everyone was holding their breaths, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.