There are some flashbacks in this chapter, they're all in italics so you shouldn't miss them.
Word Count: 1788
It felt like it had been cold forever, so when the nights began to get slightly warmer it was a huge relief. This was just one of the many things different from the first time Millie had been sitting on the bleachers watching a football game this year.
She'd swapped her thick warm coat for a long sleeve shirt; the night breeze warmer and thicker than it had originally been. Sadie, however, still sported a beanie due to her low tolerance for the cold.
It felt odd for it to only be the two of them watching, but that didn't detract from the glee Millie was feeling over Finn being back on the team. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she watched him warm up, and Millie was now able to understand why Sadie would get so excited every week when she watched Caleb play – pride.
And the fact that Millie had something to do with Finn getting back on the team (although she truly believed it had been all him and she was just a push in the right direction) made it even better.
The sound of a whistle blowing dragged Millie out of her thoughts and her already beaming smile grew when Finn turned to look for her, hand shielding his eyes from the blaring lights that were focused on the field. His face lit up when his eyes landed on her as he waved; Millie giving him thumbs up and mouthing, you'll do great, although she was adamant he wasn't actually able to understand.
Millie wasn't really one for sports, but knowing and caring for someone in the team shed a whole new light on it; she felt herself feel nervous when the opposing team approached their goal and she jumped up with excitement when anyone on Finn's team scored. God, she thought, I am an annoying girlfriend. But it was okay because they – particularly Finn, had worked hard to get here and there was no way she wasn't going to acknowledge that.
The past year had been a rollercoaster (for a lack of a better word) and as cliche, as it sounded, Millie couldn't be happier with the result. Rewind to the start of the year and she never would've guessed that she'd be here.
Sitting on the bleachers beside her best friend and watching her boyfriend's football game, Millie couldn't help but feel full and fuzzy; things were being put in perspective.
After a lengthy meeting with the guidance counselor today, Millie's options were further discussed and it looked as though her future was steering towards going to college and becoming a teacher. In all honesty, Millie wasn't sure this was exactly what she wanted to be but having the option there was comforting and the support from her friends, family, and Finn was more than enough.
Even after the game had finished, Millie's contentment was reaffirmed when Finn ran up to her and engulfed her in a sweaty and smelly hug (which felt like home nonetheless), "I played!" He grinned as he pulled away from the hug, face red and panting from the game, "I mean, we lost. But I played!"
Millie giggled as he rambled on about how great it felt to be back on the field and repetitively asked if she saw him playing, "yes, Finn. You saw me before you started playing, remember?" Finn's eyes were wide and he was overall ecstatic to have been back on the team. Millie didn't think she'd seen someone so happy to have played the sport.
"Right, right." He shook his head, wiping sweat from his forehead. Finn's head turned to glance at the people calling his name, "they want to go get food, um, did you want to come... or?" Finn trailed off, reaching for Millie's hands to hold in his own as he awaited a reply. They'd planned to hang out after his game but Millie didn't want to intrude on their team bonding; it was Finn's time to hang out with his guy friends and after all the time she spent with him she wasn't going to be a girlfriend who took that away from him.
