Coldmess

25 to 31

{Cason's Pov}

"Hey Stafford, keep your dribbling in check and be sure to give a pass to Waters," the coach advised me as I pulled on the varsity uniform.

"Yes coach, I will."

"Boys!! Crush em!! Good luck," the coach cheered before swaggering out of the locker room.

"It's alright bro, we'll kill 'em," Kyle said putting an arm around me and Noah as I sighed. Today was the state finals and luckily it was near to our town. I was feeling nervous by the pressure of being a captain. But it wasn't anything new, I'd got used to it by now. I cracked my knuckles as I gave a nod to Daniel before we to stepped out.

The moment we stepped into the field, I was blinded by the stadium lights as the faint noises turned to screams of the crowd. I've always hated being in the spotlight but now, after tasting the drug of popularity, I couldn't help but feel restless without it. It was like though I hated it, I had become addicted to it.

I shook the conflict off from my mind as I concentrated on the game. I glanced at the crowd with searching eyes as I saw the bleachers.

"Cason, we'll be fine," Matthew whispered to me more in a way to assure himself before taking his position in the back.

I signalled Daniel to play by our decided stratagem to which he gave me a brief nod.

And with the whistle, the game begun after which it was all a blur until half time.

We'd managed to be ahead with 5 points and the score was 16 to 11. Everyone clapped and roared with every goal that I or Daniel managed to score and though it was delightful, I couldn't help but scan the crowd.

Stacey was waving to me as my gaze fell on her but I conveniently ignored her as my eyes kept moving from row to row. Finally my eyes fell upon Josephine who gave me a bright smile as our gaze met.

I smiled back at her and the curly haired guy beside her.

But frowned instantly when I put on my specs as the coach called us to give us some tips. I realised that it wasn't the curly haired boy I was expecting to see beside her. Instead it was another friend of hers from her school.

I couldn't help but remember the video tape and the pics the preacher lady had shown me. I clenched my jaw as all the events in past few days flashed back around me and could help but not pay attention to the coach who was telling us something about the quarterback from the opposite team.

I went inside the small chapel with my mother as she sauntered in to pray for her distant cousin who was suffering from the malacious disease of cancer.

I sat behind her as she stood in front of the statue of Jesus hanging on the cross. I still couldn't digest how someone who so many people called god had ended up this way. As I pondered over the mythical demise of Jesus, a lady who I assumed to be some kind of a nun or something sat beside me. She looked hound with her dirty blonder hair pulled up in a neat bun and her angular features strangely seeming familiar.

"Hello...you... You must be Cason," she said as her eyes met mine. I gave her a small smile shaking her outstretched hand.

"Yes I am... Err do I know you?" I asked with a hint of suprise as the woman gave me a toothy grin.

"No dear... But I do know you. I'm Meridith, Stacey's older sister." She said with a smile and the moment the words left her mouth, the resemblance struck me between the sisters. I grimaced not wanting to have to do anything with her anymore and remembered all the humiliation I had put her through.