How To Drown Colin McKinin | ON HOLD

9. we swim together, obviously

C O L I N

I dribbled the ball down the field, swerving in and out of the small red cones as my sweat drenched hair hung low down my forehead. Looking at my own feet as I passed the ball between each of my feet in an effort to keep it in control.

Running towards the goal in where the training goal keeper bent his knees, hands open ready to launch himself in an effect to catch the ball. Drawing my right foot back, I kicked the ball towards the right hand corner of the net.

I watched, hands on hips as I heaved for air. The ball soared the air, overshooting the by an embarrassing amount. The goalie watched an bemused expression before he turned to look at my red face, "What the hell was that?"

I shook my head, feeling the wetness of my hair cling to my face as I ran hand through the tangles. Running past his smug expression, I ran to retrieve the ball that had found its way on the top of the small hill.

Soren walked towards me, his hands clamped around the ball as he stared at me intently.

"You always shoot with your left foot when you want to score the goal." He tossed the ball back to me hard as making me jerk with the impact before he crossed his arms, "No point training if you're not gonna try."

"How did you even know?" Mouth ajar, I watched him with a soul expression, not failing to notice the softness within his eyes.

He smirked before stretching, "It's hard to ignore shit when it's thrown into your eyes."

"You know you can leave?" I seethed at him, the annoyance coming from the fact he was right, "I'll get one of my friends to take me home."

Soren shrugged, "You have friends?" He scoffed before, to my own surprise, he turned and started walking away, "Enjoy the walk."                                                                     
I swallowed hard as I watched his board back walk away from my heaving chest and tired bones. Turning back to the field in where the boys were training, the new squad not much different from the people who played last year.

Except Robin hadn't tried out this year, he had stopped a lot of things. He stopped coming with me on morning runs, the boy who looked identical to me had detached himself from the family — from me altogether.

I turned my back and sat down on the wet grass, sinking into it as I looked at my teammates, watching them play the drill, studying the way they moved in the ball. The sudden blunt force that hit the back on head and clipped my ear was enough to make me groan in pain.

Soren snatched the ball out of my hands and when I turned to see his expression, anger boiled.

He looked down at his own hand, "Whoops, Sorry, forgot I had my ring on."

He his apologetic glance faded into a smirk as he studied my face before he dropped the ball with ease, bouncing it between his feet and onto his knees.

I stood up as Soren danced the ball across his body. His eyes never leaving the ball as he spoke, "Unless you're drunk or high, its obvious you don't want to score a goal—"

"Of course I fucking do! I am the shooter, the forward player." My arms found their way across my chest as I watched him expertly show off, rolling my eyes.

"Well, start training like it dip-shit." He flung the ball up into the air before powerfully kicking it into the field, flying high and with strength, "Because this isn't a one man show."

"You're one to talk." I mumbled under my breath as we watch the ball role slowly and unfazed into the net on the other side of the field.

Soren McKinin had always been the best at sports out of all the brothers, easily picking up any sport within hours and mastering it better than any of us could within weeks — until the day he stopped.