Wild Love ✓

07| The Game

The following week went by pretty quickly. I filled most of my time with schoolwork, workouts, and hanging out with Sara and Ben.

Friday afternoon the football team has a game on campus. All students have been busy partying and pre-drinking since morning. I had lectures in the morning, so I couldn't go see Ben to wish him good luck before he had to prepare for the game.

"Hurry!" I say to Sara, who is busy putting on orange lines on her cheeks to match our school's colors.

"Coming, just give me a sec." She yells from her room.

I huff and check myself in the mirror. I'm wearing an old practice jersey of Ben's with his name and number eight on the back and shorts underneath.

Sara comes out of her room still putting things in her small purse.

Floods of people are making their way to the stadium. Most of the guys are wearing hats and jerseys and the girls booty shorts and tank tops. We take our seats and thanks to Sara, we didn't have time to see the boys entering the locker room.

We sit in the front row directly behind the coach and the bench of the spare players. Being the sister of the captain is really great sometimes. These seats are basically mine now, and people don't bother trying to sit in them.

Our mascot and the cheerleaders are dancing and doing cheerleaders stuff. People are chugging beer like it's water. The game hasn't even started and they are already drunk. Today's game is against another skilled team, so the stadium is fuller than usual. Almost every seat is taken.

I turn to Sara and lean close to her ear so she can hear me speak over the loud voices coming from the students and speakerphones. "Isn't Alex going to come?"

"Yes, he just texted me. He'll be here in five minutes."

After five minutes Alex comes, and behind him is Luca. I have only seen Luca a handful of times since our kiss. During those times we were with other people and I got the feeling he was avoiding me. He made minimal eye contact with me and he always stayed at least a few feet away from me. And I didn't try to initiate any conversation because I don't want people overhearing me asking if he regrets his kiss with me.

Now though, he has to sit next to me as Alex takes the seat next to Sara and leaves him the other one empty. He settles in, his thigh touching my knee. I give him a smile just before the announcer's voice booms through the speakers, announcing the names of the players as they walk on the field.

Ben is the first to walk on the field holding his helmet in his arm. He looks back in my direction and I wave like a mad girl so he notices me. When he sees me, he salutes me.

"Go, Benny! Woo hoo!" I cup my hands around my mouth and shout.

The game is intense and the nerves are kicking in. There are only three minutes left, and the score is a tie. Every one standing up and the cheers are near deafening.

All the players are giving their all to win. I peek at the big clock above the field after a while and see there are only seventeen seconds to go.

Ben gets the ball, and he throws it to another player. He keeps running with the ball tucked under his arms while expertly dodging other players, ducking and faking his next move.

The players on the other side of the field look like they're holding their breath. Same as everyone else in the stadium.

He passes the end zone and throws the ball on the ground just before the buzzer announces the end of the game.

We won!

Holy shit. That was close.

People jump and hug each other, with them, beer and popcorn flying in the air. I turn to Sara and almost choke her with my embrace.