Offside

Penalty kick.

I watched one of the players come up and recognized him immediately. I didn’t know his name, but I knew his face and his number—ten. He’d taken one penalty shot against me last year, kicking to my left. I watched his legs as he walked up, noticing he definitely favored the right, though I remembered him kicking with the left the year before.

The ref shoved a few players back behind the line and walked over to one side of the box. Number ten tapped the ball with his foot, and then took a few steps back. He was kicking with his right foot, no doubt. I guess he didn’t favor his chances as well this time.

I crouched, tensed my fingers, and kept my eyes on his legs as the whistle blew, and he ran up to kick. He was going for the left again—but top corner, not low. His toe was pointed up at too great an angle for a low shot.

Before he actually made contact with the ball, I was already jumping for the left corner, hands out. I felt the impact as the ball bounced off my gloves and dropped to the ground. I jumped on it and curled it into my chest as the screams erupted around me.

We won the game, 2-0.

As soon as the team started to walk out of the locker room, all the usual girls crowded around us. Jeremy was leaning against the rail to the bleachers, smiling at Rachel Becker and waggling his eyebrows at her. Mika had made his way up to Heather as soon as he saw her, and I heard someone say she had ended up asking him to the dance next weekend. Thank God. Maybe she’d leave me the hell alone now. Lisa was there as well, along with a girl I hadn’t seen before. Apparently, she was Lisa’s cousin from Portland and had come along for the game and was spending the weekend with Lisa. The way they both looked at me definitely gave me pause and gave my cock a reason to stand up and take notice.

Lisa’s cousin’s name was Lucy, and I was all about a double pair of Ls and was about to start talking to them about maybe heading to the beach for a while when I looked over Lisa’s shoulder.

Shit.

Dad’s eyes were narrowed, and he was heading straight for me.

“Sorry ladies,” I said with a smile. “Duty calls.”

I walked away from them a little disappointed, but there was always later. Dad was walking with one of the men that had been sitting with him in the stands—a big burly guy with a beard and a black rain jacket.

“Thomas! Fantastic game!” Dad called out. He came right up and put up his hand for a high-five. I smiled and smacked his hand.

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied. “The team played really well. Seth’s cross was perfect, and giving us the two-point lead so soon in the second half really clinched the rest of it for us.”

“No doubt!” he agreed with a big smile and a nod. “But you didn’t let a single one past—not even the PK! Nice work!”

“I thought that last play was going to get through you,” the man with him remarked. “It was the perfect opportunity to round the keeper, but your timing was spot-on.”

“Thanks,” I said. “He was quick but unbalanced on his left.”

“Definitely,” Dad’s companion said. He stuck his hand out and introduced himself as Nahuel Ruiz, scout for the Seattle Sounders. Next thing I knew, I was heading to dinner with Dad and the scout. As we walked toward Dad’s car, I saw Rumple getting into her Hyundai. We made brief eye contact, and I almost called out to her but not with Dad there. I didn’t need him suspicious and couldn’t exactly use the biology project as an excuse, or I’d be out of that class as well.

It was my only class with her, and I wasn’t going to take the chance, so I didn’t even wave. I could see her eyes narrow a little as she pulled herself up into that ugly car and drive off.

“It would be nice to have him stay on the west coast,” Dad was saying, “and the Sounders have certainly proven themselves as such a young team.”

“Schmidt’s been a major asset,” Nahuel said. “Thomas is not going to find a better coach in the States.”

“That may be true,” Dad said with a nod.

Always the politician.

I did a lot of smiling and nodding and rewinding inside my brain so I could answer questions. Mostly Dad and Nahuel talked though. Nahuel ordered some import beer, which Dad politely declined. My mind wandered.

Rumplestiltskye.

I wondered if she went home or if she went to one of the post-game parties, like I would have preferred myself. I wondered if she went to one of the parties out at the beach, because now that I was thinking about it, her car did sound a little rough when she started it. She could get stranded out there.

I tapped my fingers against the table until a sharp look from Dad got me to stop.

Dad set up a visit for me to go and fly up and train with the Sounders for a day next month, which seemed to make both of them pretty happy. I was mostly glad to be getting out of there because I wanted to make sure Rumple got home all right.

Dad dropped me off at the deserted school so I could get my car. I told him I needed to go to the locker room for a bit, but as soon as he drove off, I got in my car and headed for Rumplestiltskye’s house.

Her car was in the drive, thankfully, because there was no way Dad wouldn’t notice if I ended up spending another couple hours looking for her. I did slow down a little as I drove by. Well, actually, I slowed to a stop and looked up at her window. I could see her hair piled up on top of her head and her face illuminated by a computer monitor. I started wondering if she used any kind of instant messaging system and if I could manage to find her that way.