Dark Moves Of Love ~ Neymar Jr

Chapter 98

17

"AND SALT LAKE FC ARE THE NEW STATE CHAMPIONS!" The announcer yelled into his microphone as the referee blew the whistle. The players had immediately formed a pile of bodies on the grass as those from the bench quickly joined them. It was the first time our team won state in its history! Everyone in the bleachers sang and cheered loudly for what seemed like an eternity.

We started navigating the crowded bleachers to exit to the parking lot and wait for Mike and James to come out. James's family was there too and Jean ran towards me and hugged me when she saw me.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! And my brother scored the winning goal! Did you see that?"

"I saw it. He was amazing." I told her as her parents approached us. I had met them a few weeks after that first dinner with my parents and since then I went there regularly and we even had a few barbeques with both our families.

After a while both James and Mike came out, laughing. They seemed different. Like all the awkwardness of the past year was behind them. Like they were best friends again. James gave me a knowing smile before I hugged him. "You were wonderful." I said to him.

"Hey sis, what about me?" Mike asked me.

"You were too!" I said, hugging him.

It might have taken a state championship, but finally all was well.

~*~

"James! James! Please talk to me! Don't leave! James!" I yelled after him, trying to keep up. "Please!"

He finally stopped walking.

"Baby what happened?" I asked when I reached him. His eyes were red. I was taken aback. We were dating for more than a year and this was the first time I ever saw him cry.

"It's over."

"What's over?" I asked him.

"They withdrew their offer."

"What?" I asked and my heart fell. "How— how is that possible? It was a done deal! What happened?"

"We hadn't signed a contract yet Liv." He said, irritably.

"But why? You're the best they could have!"

James opened his mouth but closed it again. "I guess..."He started saying. "I guess they went in a different direction."

"Okay... But there will be other teams, for sure." I said, trying not to let my complete astonishment and sorrow show.

"It's too late. As of now, I am unsigned."

~*~

"This might be good, you never know." I told James as we were sitting in his car.

"Bullshit. I was about to sign with a first league team. My contract was hundreds of dollars' worth! How is this better Liv?"

"You would have had to leave so far away..." I said.

"So what? In a year you graduate, you'd have joined me." He cut me.

"Look at it this way, you'd be on the bench a lot there. Now you get to play every game, you'd be their star player! Even bigger teams will take notice!"

"Yeah because scouts come watch bottom ranking amateur college teams all the time."

"They will. Mike will be there and Demis and you'll do for this team what you did for Salt Lake. You've won a state championship James. You'll do it again. I believe in you. Remember, if I could only ever believe in one thing... It's you. It's always you."