ARCANE

010

On Friday night, the rain beats against the ground, freezing Cara to the bone. She shivers underneath her black jacket, thankful that she always checks the forecast and did not bring her peacoat. The lights overhead shine through the rain, illuminating the crowd in front of her. The sky practically sparkles.

All of the people around her stand up, cheering and jumping in the stands. Though she is significantly less excited, she forces herself to stand so that she can get a better view of Eden, who is tearing down the field.

Cara wishes that she hadn't felt compelled to see him. With shoulders as broad as his, she almost guaranteed he was a football player, and she was right. She had tried to convince herself that it was to make sure he was concussion free, but it wasn't. Now, watching him across the field, she hopes that seeing him engage in acts of violence will get his shining eyes out of her mind.

God, she feels hopeless.

She watches Eden tear down the field. His head is in the game, and his heart is pounding in his ears. The only thing good about football (aside from the fact that it isn't gay, apparently) is the adrenaline rush that fills Eden's body every time he sprints. Right now, he feels like he is on top of the world, even more than usual.

The feeling makes him feel guilty. How can he feel excitement when Thea is dead?

Eden feels his face collide with the ground.

From her point above, Cara watches another boy trip him. Without a seconds thought, she scooches her way past the fans who have all paused in a collective gasp. Through the rain, she runs on to the field, ignoring the football players who dart by.

"Get off the field!" The referee screeches at her.

Cara stops on her feet, swinging her head around. Only now does she realize that she has interrupted the entire football game. Her cheeks turn red.

Eden pulls himself off the ground, limping over towards her. At first, he can't make out who she is. The girl looks like the ghost of someone he once knew. The feeling doesn't go away when he sees Cara under the bright stadium lights. Thea slips from his mind and he imagines all the times on campus that Cara and Eden must have bumped arms before to give him this feeling of familiarity.

He puts his hand on the referee's shoulder. With his back turned to Cara, he whispers to the man. "She's my physiotherapist. Don't worry."

Eden leaves the man, walking over to Cara. While they make their way off the field, back towards Eden's coach, Eden tries not to put too much weight on her delicate frame. He wonders if she notices.

She does.

"You okay, Connor?" His coach asks, approaching the pair. He looks from Eden and then back to Cara, and then winks.

Cara's blush intensifies. Internally, she curses the coach for his uncomfortable demeanour and herself for her own stupidity.

"I'll be fine," Eden says, but winces at the end of the sentence.

The coach shakes his head back and forth.

"Ed can't run with a twisted ankle," Eden hears Liam call from behind him. He bites his bottom lip, his eyes scanning Cara. Suddenly, a smile erupts on his face. Eden wishes he had the courage to tuck the girl behind him and to say something back. Instead, he falls silent. "How about you two hit the showers, huh?"

Eden says nothing, he only nods. Cara can feel herself physically dying of embarrassment. She looks up at Eden, who turns away from the group, heading back to the locker rooms. This feeling of embarrassment only adds to the horror of the last few minutes, so she chases after Eden. Once she catches up to him, she fits herself beneath his arm and tries to support his weight.