The Goal

𝟷𝟻| 𝙿𝚘𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚝

Poignant (adjective)

- affecting or moving the emotions.

~*~


"Would you mind explaining to me why your brothers left without you this morning?"


My hair was an outright mess atop my head and I was pretty sure the clothes I was wearing didn't even match. I wore crinkled denim shorts and an oversized band tee I'd stolen from Caleb a while ago. Everything about me seemed chaotic and I had no one but myself to blame.

After I forgot to set my alarm last night, I'd awakened a half an hour later than usual. I was up late last night studying for the business test today that I had no idea about. Liam – who had received my phone number from Sabrina - who got it from Nolan – had called and notified me that while we were skipping school yesterday, Mr Delany had scheduled a class test.

Approximately three hours were killed with me striving to cram everything concerning Human Resources and their policies inside my brain. One hour into my hastened study session, Liam disengaged from the call and announced he was going to bed. I, however, refused to give up because Business was always the one subject that brought my GPA down and I refused to let that happen this year.

I'd fallen unconscious around four in the morning and was stirred awake by my delayed alarm at 7:30 am. School started at 8:00 am and I hurried down the stairs to tell my brothers to wait for me but by the time I approached the front door with drool on my face and a rat's cradle on my head – Christian was reversing out of the driveway with somewhat of a sympathetic look on his stoic face whilst Caleb waved at me with a smile.

Profaning powerfully, I slammed the door shut and plodded to my room. Having Dad drop me at school was out of the question because he was a member of the staff and had to be there at 6:00 am. With a scowl cemented on my face the entire time, I got dressed carelessly and texted Nolan to come and get me.

Once I was kind of content with my outfit, I seized my toiletry bag, gallivanted into Caleb's room and stuck pads all over his mirror. The guy was too narcissistic and could go without gawking at himself for a few days.

It was 7:50 am when I was done and Nolan pulled up outside my house five minutes later, and I locked up before climbing into his car – which brought us to the current moment.

"Because they're assholes, that's why," I whined, arms traversed as I sagged against the window, immersing myself with gazing at the scenery instead of stressing about the Business test. "I don't doubt that once Caleb saw I was still sleeping, he rushed Chris out of the door just so that I could get left behind."

Nolan sniggered, making a right turn before saying, "sounds like Caleb. And I'm guessing you got back at him?" I nodded with a shrewd smile, pondering about the shock my brother would get when going to make his periodic trip to the mirror to ogle at himself. Pun intended. "I don't even wanna know."

I extinguished a laugh and reclined back in the passenger seat, fiddling with the seatbelt. My eyes roamed across my best friend's frame and I beamed, regarding the smile he was suppressing the closer we got to school. "Someone looks excited to see Sabrina." 

He gagged on air and choked; attempting to keep his perplexed eyes on the road as I tipped forward, squeezing my hand through the space of the seat and him - and caressed his back.

Once he had pacified himself, a blush attacked his face and he made it his aspiration to evade my gaze. "Maybe I am." Peeping momentarily at me and seeing the bewildered grimace on my face, he appended, "we've got a secret spot at school where we have lunch together so Jillian and her piranhas can't see us. We tried it for the first time yesterday but you wouldn't know because you weren't there."

There was no resentment in his tone, only merriment as he pitched me a tantalising look. I couldn't help but crimson under his scrutinising gaze as he parked the car, patiently waiting for my rejoinder. "Liam and I went to the park."

Every time I thought about Liam, my thoughts drifted off to that guy Martin and the advice he gave me. On the way home yesterday (because we didn't end up going back to school) Liam revealed that Martin was an old friend of his whom he cut ties with. I wanted to ask him the reason for them cutting ties because there was clearly some resentment on Martin's side – but I didn't.

"Did you now?" Nolan asked, shutting down the car and unbuckling his seatbelt as I did the same. "Do you like him or something?" he challenged once the two of us climbed out just as the warning bell for the first period went. I drew my hair into a messy bun and started strolling towards the entry doors, Nolan flanking me.

Shoving open the wide doors, I rolled my eyes. "Or something. I'm allowed to hang out with a guy without having romantic feelings for him." Nolan sent me an accusatory wink and I grimaced as my doc martins squealed on the hallway floors. "Okay, fine. I think he's a great soccer player and he's got a great body but that's it."

"Sure," Nolan chuckled, the vibration causing me to roll my eyes again as we entered class, mentally preparing ourselves for the test we were about to receive.