𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒔 𝑶𝒇 𝑨 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 | 𝑩𝑿𝑩 ✓

Chapter 7: Game ON!

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*A/N: New chapter!! I know I said I would update only once a week every Friday, but I just am so in love with the story and the characters, I couldn't help myself. Also, I felt bad about the late update, I hope you like the chapter, it's shorter than usual, but still gold! Thanks for reading!

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Tonight was the night of the game. The vibrant colors of the soccer team's jerseys clashed against the muted gray skies, the chill of the late November air biting at my cheeks as Maya and I stepped onto the field. The sounds of the crowd reverberated through the bleachers like a powerful wave crashing against the shore—cheers and shouts mingled with the sharp whistle of the referee, punctuating the air with urgency. 

Excitement bubbled within me, a strange mix of anxiety and thrill coursing through my veins. Maya was beside me, bouncing up and down excitedly as we made our way to the higher stands of the bleachers. She turned towards me with a wide grin on her face, edged closer to me, and said, "So... Were you ever going to tell me Dylan invited you to watch the soccer game?", teasingly, with her eyes gleaming mischievously, smirking my way as we sat down on the cold metal stands. 

The memory of Dylan's last words lingered in my mind: "I don't think you know how special you are, Charlie, but I am going to change that. Just wait and see." My breath hitches just thinking about it, shivers running down my spine as I fidget with my hoodie laces. The cold of the metal is oddly comforting through my jeans. "Wh-what, but how do you know that?" I say, perplexed as to how she could ever know that. For a moment, dread overcomes my body as I picture her watching my and Dylan's whole conversation in the library. 

My worries are smothered by her response: "I have my sources, and one of Dylan's soccer friends may or may not have asked me to the dance, so naturally I had to take advantage of that and drill him on you and Dylan's 'relationship'," she said pointedly, waggling her fingers in the air with a teasing flourish at the last word.

The game starts, and my hearing becomes slightly overwhelmed as the sharp cry of the referee's whistle cuts through the night air, and I hear students chanting for the school's team. Almost immediately, I see Dylan coming out from the locker rooms at the side of the field, a spring in his step as he eagerly searches the bleachers for something. 

His eyes stop when he sees me, and he sends a charming smile my way, my heart doing somersaults as he waves gently in my direction. I can feel Maya smirk right beside me and brace myself for some teasing, my cheeks turning crimson red as I nervously dodge Dylan's intense stare. "Not interested, my ass," I hear Maya grumble playfully from behind her large pink coat, which I obviously used as a shield from Dylan's gaze. She turns towards me with a knowing smirk on her face.

The sharp cry of the whistle once again startles me, and I come out of my hiding spot to watch the game commence, the excited chatter all around me an overwhelming force as I see Dylan's flourishing moves on the field. He looks at home, I think, as I watch him dodge and feint to get to the goal. Maya pulls me out of my reverie as she whispers conspiratorially in my ear, leaning close to me, her hot breath a distinct contrast against the cold air. "Imagine all that stamina when you're alone with him," she whispers. 

I do a double take as I dramatically flip my face towards her, the whirl practically breaking my neck, only to see her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and putting her hands up like an innocent bystander; she wasn't. My face must have been horrified because she just laughed at it for a long while. I joined her as I realized the ridiculousness of it all. We try our best to pull ourselves together as the game unfolds, and more than halfway through, thoughts of Dylan's smile float through my mind and I take a couple pictures of him on the field, he looks free. My vision starts to blur suddenly, and the cheering all around me grows faint as the whispers take over: "You're nothing like him. He'll never want you..." They sounded distant yet so clear, echoing my fears, suffocating me in their grip. I feel dizzy; my grip on reality is slipping. My eyes are glued to the distorted shadowy figure standing at the edge of the woods, piercing my soul.