Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

Chapter Fifteen

"Kick the bloody ball!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

It was the end of the season, Smithwick, had made it to the grand final alongside Karvel. It was their best season yet, winning seventeen matches out of twenty-two played home and away games. Then winning the qualifying, semi, and preliminary finals. Leading to this gloriously, heart attack inducing grand final game.

"GAH!" Skylar screams beside me as the ball is intercepted by a Karvel player, who is quickly making his way to their forward fifty. "Come on! Have they not been practising basic skills at training?!"

I shrug, my eyes not moving away from the ball. There was only five minutes left until the game was over but it was turning out to be the longest five minutes of my life. It was understandable why these two teams were in the grand final. The whole game the score winner kept changing. It was score for score, when our Smithwick boys scored so would Karvel. There was still no clear winner, and that's was so frustrating about this game.

"BALL!" The crowd shouts.

The Kervel player getting tackled to the ground by Carter, he had prior opportunity to get rid of the ball but didn't which should result in our free kick. The umpires, who have been useless all game, don't call it instead opting for a throw up of the ball. The ruckman's fighting it out between them for the ball.

We had regained possession of the ball. Time seemed to tick by slowly, yet pass in the blink of an eye at the same time. We had two minutes remaining. Two minutes to get it from our backline to the forward line and score while keeping Karvel scoreless and maintaining the ball possession.

Carter gets the ball and passes it forward Lucas. Between the two they play keepings off, all the while running forward. They hit the centre circle and kick it forward Stephen Jones landing the chest mark right in line for the goal. As if knowing there was limited time and not wanting to give Karver a chance to score again, he takes his time getting up his shot. Going through his routine of pulling up his sock, throwing a bit of grass up to check the wind, and then finally aligning up his shot.

I look to the clock. Only thirty seconds left. Stephen kicks the ball and I hold my breath. The red oval ball soaring through the air. I watch it fly through the two big sticks in the middle for a goal.

Smithwick up by three points with twenty seconds to play left.

The players reset, backs going to the backline and forwards going forward. The rest stay in the centre square to help the ruckman once the ball is bounced. We win the hit out, but the ball is fumbled to the ground and all I can see if a pile of arms and legs, almost like stacks on, over the ball. Ten seconds.

The umpire calls it his and throws it up again. Karvel wins the contest but before they can do anything with it the siren sounds.

"WE DID IT!" Skylar screams. She jumps to her feet screaming with pride like a maniac. Isaac getting up also, smiling like an idiot and clapping along with everyone else.

"I'm gonna go congratulate the boys, you girls coming?" Isaac doesn't wait for an answer. He jumps the fence and starts sprinting along the oval and joining the crowd of people surrounding the players.

"ZAC WAIT FOR ME!" Sky looks at me, waiting to see if I will follow, I nod and she too jumps the fence, tackling her brother as soon as she sees him.

I think I was still in shock. The game had been so intense that I needed a minute to make sure I wasn't dreaming. We had actually won! A smile crept onto my lips and wouldn't leave. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to scream and cry all at once.

I slowly make my way around the fence, opting to take the long way around to give myself more time to come to the terms of the win. I reach the club rooms and am greeted with noise so loud I can hardly hear myself think, and the smell of sweat and deodorant.

"Charlie!" I turn to see Stephen, broad grin matching everyone else's in the room.

"Hey! Congrats on kicking the winning goal!" His grin gets wider if that was even possible. It's infectious, my own smile getting wider just being in this atmosphere.

He rubs the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed.

"Yeah, thanks. So, ah, if you are looking for Luke he is over by the lockers right now."

"Uh, thanks. But we aren't together anymore. I was actually here looking for Sky and Zac, they both ditched me to tackle Carter when the siren went."

"Woah, I'm sorry Char."

"Hey don't be. It's better this way."

We both look away, things growing tense.

"So did you see where the twins and Zac went?" I ask.

"Yeah, the boys are by the equipment, and Sky I think is talking to some of the boys near the offices." I nod and move towards where the equipment is stored in search for the boys.

It takes me a while. The excitement of the win bringing more and more people into the rooms, making it hard to move around. I was also stopped by a few of the players, parents, and other people from school. It's hard not to stop and celebrate when the energy is so high.

I find myself taking a breather at the back, around the corner from the equipment. It's less crowded and I needed time to catch my breath after feeling slightly claustrophobic. I still hear murmurs of everyone chatting, but as I get closer to round the corner I stop.

I hear two voices very clearly. As if all I had to do was round the corner and be standing right next to them.

"Dude that game was awesome. But please never do that to us again. Between your sister and Charlie, I am amazed I'm still alive." I hear Isaac say.

I place a hand over my mouth to cover up my chuckle. He was right though. Skyler kept hitting him in the arm or leg and I kept squeezing his knee or arm. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a few bruises now.

I take a step forward, not wanting them to think I was spying when I freeze. Stopping short of making my presence known.

"Alright Zac, enough of the footy talk. What's going on with you and Char?"

"Nothing Greenie." There's a pause and I imagine Carter giving Zac a look. "Dude, I can't do that to her. She just got out of a relationship with Lucas."

"Yeah, but you two have been spending an awful lot of time together. And don't pull that 'we're best friends' bullshit."

"Carter, I am not going to tell Charlie that I love her okay. It wouldn't be fair. I am just trying to be there for her right now. Help her get through this, all of this. School, Lucas, Kenzie, everything."

I stumble back, unable to suppress my shock. I couldn't deal with this, not with everything else. I know this was a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear but it just added to everything all the same.

"Whatever you say man, but you aren't going to be able to hide the way you look at her forever."

I hear footsteps and rushed towards the first big cluster of people behind me. Then picked my way over to Skylar who was talking to Stephen and Billy.

"Damn girl, smile. This is a happy occasion." Sky wraps her arm around my shoulders and gives them a squeeze.

"Right. I guess it just hasn't hit me fully yet." I smile a little and play with my hair. "It was just so intense I kinda feel like I am dreaming." Little did she know that I was also talking about what I had just overheard.

A sharp pain shoots from my arm, right where Sky's hand is resting.

"Ow! Sky!"

"Sorry, but honey this proves you weren't dreaming."

Great.