UNEDITED VERSION
To break free of the stereotypical box that high school placed her in, Charlie must team up with Liam, the new soccer player on the team her dad coaches.
----------------------------
Girls fall at Liam's feet - except Charlie. She...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Mamihlaptinatapai (noun) {Yaghan}
- the wordless look between two people who both desire something, yet are equally reluctant to initiate.
~*~
I was tense the entire drive back home. The soccer boys left the hospital a while ago so they probably reached the house before us. Caleb called an emergency assembly. It was challenging for me to leave Dad but the doctors said it'd be best for him to stay there for a few days so they could observe him. But I vowed to visit him every day after school until he was permitted to come back home.
The drive was silent. Christian clutched the steering wheel so tight I was sure he would be able to rip it off. Nolan sat with his head inclining on my shoulder, trying his hardest to not stress himself out. The other boys must've been feeling similarly, having the coach requiring to back out a week before the game. Caleb gazed out of the window from his locality in the passenger seat, unmoving.
As Christian pulled up in front of the house, I couldn't stop myself from tensing further. I didn't know what to expect to occur at this meeting. The worse that could happen was that they needed to forfeit.
Dad may have trained them hard these past few weeks but they still needed more. He devised one final plan that'd be able to throw Martelle off guard since they knew our players' strengths so well. But now he wouldn't even get to coach them.
"Let's go," Christian said, voice strained as he turned off the car and hopped out. He was speechless the entire time and I knew it was because he was trying to restrain his emotions. When he attempted to speak, he nearly drove us into a pole.
I trailed him to the front door and observed as he opened it. He gestured for me to enter, the crisp smell knocking my senses. It smelt clean. The door snapped shut and Caleb guided us through the house. No one would've been able to tell that a party took place. Everything was immaculate.
"As much as the boys are worried for Dad, it's still gonna hurt to know they have to forfeit the match," I mumbled noiselessly. "Or even risk losing because Martelle knows most of their tricks."
"Thanks for the optimism," Nolan grinned sarcastically.
The boys were dispersed around the living room. The majority were slouched on the carpet whereas others reposed on the sofas. Their expressions were grim, no doubt worried about Dad. There was no sign of the cheer squad which meant that they had to get home.
There was certainly going to be a million messages if I turned on my phone. Sabrina stood off to the side, sipping what I assumed was hot chocolate. Nolan went to her immediately but not before pressing a kiss to my head.
