An Inconvenient Bet

Chapter Twenty One

It was game night. The most important game night of my life. I could see all the college scouts sat together like hawks watching their prey and couldn't blow this chance. I scanned the crowds for Ashley and Saf, spotting them sat together in the middle of the stands. I waved and Saf gave me a huge grin and a wave back, my heart jumping like a thirteen-year-old seeing his crush for the first time.

I shook my head away, I had to keep focused, I couldn't get distracted not tonight.

"Did my sister just wave at you?" Noah asked with a questionable look.

"I don't know man," I lied. "I doubt it," I added.

He didn't believe me, but he just nodded and walked off into position.

I had to keep my head clear, this was everything I had been working towards, especially since mum had died. I needed to get a scholarship and as much as I was a shoe in, I needed options. I needed to play like I was greatest player in the world, so all the scouts wanted me, because then I could bargain with them. I needed to be able to bargain enough so that I could bring Ashley with me. That was the plan and now I had to make it come true, otherwise I could kiss college and my future goodbye.

The whistle blew and I switched everything off around me, took a deep breath, clocked the ball and ran like I never had before.

There was five minutes left on the clock and I could feel the sweat trickling down my brow under my helmet. We were winning, but one false move and the other team could just take it. I had to make this last pass or all my hard work was over. I had played well to say the least, but we had to take the school to victory as this was the final game of the year. Nothing like winning the playoffs said you were college scholarship material.

I made the signal and I could feel and see every person in the audience stand up in apprehension. I nodded to my teammates in my eyeline and we switched last minute, using a technique we'd been practicing for months and just like that, we had confused the other time. I felt myself grinning and as they tried to keep up, the ball was already flying through the air and I heard my name being shouted as I ran. The ball made contact with my hands and I was across the line, before anybody had even had a chance of colliding with me.

The sound of the buzzer and the screams filled the air. We were officially champions and a glance at the scout box indicated that I had definitely done something right. I let out a breath I didn't realise I had been holding the entire game and I pulled my helmet off, just as my teammates charged at me.

The only person I wanted to see right now was Saf, but I couldn't see her anywhere. Every part of me wanted to kiss her here in front of everyone because I was so happy that I had won, but I knew I couldn't. That we couldn't because otherwise we would be more than what we were and I didn't know what that would mean for either of us, other than complicated.

Her hair caught my attention and then I saw her beaming at me across the field. I made my way towards her and noticed she was standing with my sister and her brother.

"Hey, amazing game," she said to me when I reached her.

"Thanks," I replied and I noticed her brother giving us both a suspicious look. "You going to reward me for how amazing I am," I added knowing my sarcastic playful joke was something Noah expected from me.

"You wish," she replied sarcastically back, but I could see the playful smile on her face.

"So, what's the plan tonight, after party at ours?" Ashley said as she gave her attention to Noah and he gave her a smile back.

Was my sister seriously flirting with Noah? Absolutely not, nope, not happening. Over my dead body, just because she didn't have dad to tell her it was a bad idea, didn't mean that I was going to let her behave badly.