My Boyfriend's Best Friend

Chapter Eight

Aidan 

I stood in the middle of the soccer fields with my bright orange Nike cleats on and my soccerball at my feet. I wasn’t wearing my long socks or shin pads but I figured I wouldn’t need them. The only reason I wore the cleats was because I thought I could practice a few moves while waiting for Connor to turn up. I wasn’t sure how this meeting would go down but I made a promise to myself to hear him out first before beating the living daylights out of him.

Taking the ball into a dribble, I sprinted down towards the goal. As I crossed the eighteen yard box, I flicked the ball up behind me and tried to execute a rainbow. It failed and instead of the ball coming over in front of me, it went flying behind. Damn.

I could do a rainbow from a standing still position but actually achieving one whilst moving was a challenge. It was a fancy move and I wouldn’t get many opportunities to use it when playing a game but it looked really cool. It would impress everyone watching; even more so if I was able to do it while running but so far I could only do it from a standing still position. I turned to see where the ball had landed and saw Connor standing at the sidelines with the ball at his feet.

He started dribbling towards me and I grinned, stepping into the goal box to act as the goalie. There was no way he would get it passed me. I waited as he increased his speed and as he got to the eighteen yard box, I sprinted towards him. I had always been the better player and I was sure I would be able to take him. Just as I got to him, Connor executed a perfect rainbow. I couldn’t help but be amazed as the ball soared over both our heads, landing just behind me. I spun around to kick it but Connor beat me to it and slammed the ball into the goals. Wow, he had gotten better. A lot better. And he wasn’t even wearing cleats; just a pair of Vans.

“Nice,” I commented as I jogged to grab my ball. I saw Connor shrug.

“I have a friend in London whose cousin plays for Arsenal. He taught us a few tricks.”

I whistled. Damn, that was impressive. “Which player?”

“Wilshere,” he said casually as if training with a Premier League player was no big deal.

I was so jealous right now. My dream was to play professionally but sadly Australia didn’t have the huge soccer craze that other countries around the world did. I still played state for Queensland but it wasn’t the same. I hoped to make the Australian team one day.

“Neat,” I said, walking over to Connor with the ball under my arms. We stood face to face and I couldn’t help but smirk when I realised I was still a few centimetres taller. Connor had the stockier build but he wasn’t what I would call huge.

“Are you gonna try out for the school team?” I asked. Having Connor on my team would be a huge asset. We were a pretty good team already but there was always room for improvement and as much as I hated to say it, we could definitely use Connor. With him on the team, we might even be able to win the interschool competition instead of getting second like we have for the past few years. That being said, we had to be able to put our differences to the side and only focus on soccer while on the field and not a particular girl.

“I guess so. When are tryouts?” I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice but he was trying to downplay it. I guess he thought I wouldn’t let him on the team but I was serious about soccer and crazy competitive.

“Tuesday after school. The team will be posted Wednesday morning but from what I’ve seen, count on your name being on the list.”

Connor nodded and grinned. “I’ll be there.” A comfortable silence fell between us as we stared at the other, weighing him up. I sighed as I realised that it was time to face the real reason for coming out here.

“So…” I said, dropping the soccer ball and doing a few step overs.  

Connor sighed. “I still like Rylie.”

I felt every muscle in me tense and I forced myself to relax. Deep breaths, Aidan. You suspected that already. All he did was confirm it.

“And I want her back.”

Okay, I was not cool with that at all but at least it was out in the open. I took a moment to turn and shoot the ball into the net as hard as I could, exerting all my rage into that kick. The ball slammed into the top corner with an audible swish.

“She’s with me,” I said, trying to keep calm.

“I know. And that’s why I’ve decided to put my feelings aside. For now.” His words surprised me but I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at the last part.

“What do you mean, ‘for now’?”

“It means that I’m not going to try anything with her, but if she comes after me, I’m not going to back away.”

I thought about it while I jogged over to my ball. All things considered, it was the best I could ask for. Like, it would’ve been better if he agreed not to talk to her but I had to be realistic. And I knew there was no way Rylie would come on to Connor while she was with me. I returned to Connor and looked him in the eye. “Okay, deal.”

“But that’s not going to stop me from hanging out with her, got it?”

The predatory part in me growled at that. “Fine, but not alone.” He gave me a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. “After eight,” I conceded.

I could see Connor’s blue eyes contemplating this. “Except if it’s an emergency or she needs me,” he added. Okay I could work with that. I mean, I doubted either of those things would happen any time soon.

“Okay, I can live with that. So we have a deal?” I felt kind of guilty talking about my girlfriend like she was some object but hey, we needed to lay down some ground rules.

“Deal,” grinned Connor. I went to shake his hand but Connor stuck his leg forward, grabbing the ball from beneath me. He did a really cool flick up where he jumped over the ball while it hung in the air with the other leg hitting it from behind. He caught it with his foot before juggling the ball a few times. I recognised the move as a wiper eclipse. Damn, Connor was good. He juggled the ball high and he headed it. The ball came directly at me and I hit it with my head before letting it roll down my back and catching it with my foot. I was going to have to work hard to keep my spot as captain of the soccer team. Connor was definitely going to give me a run for my money.

Connor and I played together in a friendly competition for the best part of an hour. It was quite incredible how well we could get along when Rylie wasn’t in the picture. I had a feeling that we might be able to resume our friendship after all; just as long as he kept his word about Rylie.

It didn’t take long for us to realise that playing soccer at midday in February wasn’t the smartest idea. When we finally called it a day, both of us were red faced and sweating like pigs.

“Wanna come back to mine for a swim?” offered Connor.

As tempting as the offer was, I had to decline. “Sorry, bro. I gotta meet with this girl from school. We’re doing a History project together.”

Connor shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He passed the ball to me and went over to the trees on the side of the soccer field. I saw him pick up his bike and felt bad about the prospect of him having to ride home in this heat.

“I’ll give you a lift to yours,” I called out.  

I saw him shake his head. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks though.” And with that, he got on his bike and pedalled off. I waited until he was out of sight before I started practicing rainbows again. We might have come to an agreement, but there was no way I was going to let him show me up.

Author's Note

I know the official name of soccer is football but I've always called it soccer and then anything with the pointy egg shaped ball football. If it makes you sleep better at night, just change soccer to football in your head. On the side is a video of a rainbow if anyone is interested. Just watch the first 20 seconds and you'll get the gist of it. And if you want to see the wiper eclipse, just Youtube it. Love ya's!