To make things more interesting, Allendale was playing their biggest rival, Oceanside. I recognized more than a few faces on the field. Just after halftime, Allendale was down by one and the energy of the crowd grew more antsy by the minute. A few spectators near the field shouted at the referee.
“What are they so mad about?” I asked.
“Oceanside should be winning by a much bigger score,” Jackson said from my left. His leg was pressed against mine, his hand on my thigh. Oliver sat on the other side but held my freezing hand beneath the blanket. It was nearly impossible to get cold near these two. “But Hayden is killing it out there. Go Hayden! Keep it up!”
I’d never been a huge soccer fan, but up in those bleachers there was no way to keep my eyes off of Hayden. He played goalie; something I only vaguely understood meant keeping the ball out of the goal. He occupied the goal with physical dominance; his body the perfect mixture of height, size, and agility. Oceanside’s forwards pummeled him with shots, over and over, and he stopped each and every one.
“He’s really good, isn’t he?” I asked, watching him fly through the air, catch a fast-moving ball and land hard on the ground.
“Amazing,” Oliver said. “Everyone thought he was going to stick with football but he’s just too good. Scouts have been coming to games for a while.”
Hayden shouted to his teammates, taking command of the field. He pulled his arm back and hurled the ball down the sideline, channeling it directly to our forward, Garrett, who made a break toward the opposite end of the field. Garret expertly handled the ball, crossing it over to the other forward, Parker Haynes, who tapped it in the goal like it was the easiest thing ever.
“Goooooooooaaaaaaallllllll!” Both Oliver and Jackson stood up, yanking me with them to cheer for the team. I’m embraced in celebratory hugs, wondering why I never came to these games before. Oh wait, I didn’t have two amazing guys to keep me warm, that’s why.
“I can’t believe Anderson is missing this,” Oliver said.
“Where is he?” I asked without thinking. Jackson’s annoyed look was all I needed to know. He wasn’t here because of me. “Oh right.”
“Babe, please understand this is not about you. It’s about him and his stubborn, pain-in-the-ass self. He’s being an idiot.”
“But he should be here for his friend.”
Oliver shook his head. “Trust me, Hayden would much rather you be here than Anderson.” I doubted that but I asked why anyway. “Look, Hayden is an amazing player. Like I said, scouts have been following him around for months, but this?” he said pointing to the field. “He’s not performing like an Olympic gold medalist for the scouts. That’s all for you.”
My eyes darted to the field where Hayden stood at the end of the field, completely in control. “Me?”
“He’s a fucking show-off,” Jackson laughed, squeezing my leg under the blanket.
“And you’re definitely good luck,” Oliver agreed. They both have an eye on the field and forget me once the ball is back in play. Oceanside gets a breakaway; one forward barreling down on the field with the ball. There’s nothing between him and Hayden, all of the defenders chasing him down but there’s no way, not a chance they’ll catch him.
Hayden shifted, bending his knees to get in position, eyes narrowed in full concentration. If he heard the crowd screaming, cheering, panicking, I’d never know it. He waited…knee bouncing, hands raised until the forward shot the ball with lightning speed at the net. Hayden moved in time, diving to the ball. I covered my mouth, there was no way he could stop it. Too low, too fast, too accurate. Jackson gripped my leg so hard I thought it would bruise and I watched, fascinated when Hayden twisted his body an inch and elongated his fingers, making contact with the bare edge of the ball.
That was all he needed—all it took—to nudge the ball off course. It spun, careening off the field and Hayden slid across the field, through the mud and crashing into the goal post.
“Oh my god,” I shouted, unable to keep my eyes off of him. He didn’t move. Oliver and Jackson stopped breathing. His teammates ran over, falling to their knees. It took everything I had in me not to run over, too.
A second passed. Then another, and just when I thought I’d crawl out of my skin, Hayden sat up, face covered in dirt, and smiled in our direction, both thumbs up. The crowd reacted like animals, screaming and stomping on the bleachers.
“That was amazing,” I said, my voice dwarfed by the crowd.
“That,” Oliver said, tugging me into a hug, “was Hayden Perkins. And the only thing you ever need to know is to never, ever underestimate him.”
*
As an introvert, I never dreamed my life could change this much. I took one risk, helping a friend with a stupid favor, and although it turned my life upside down in some shitty ways, it also opened me up to so much more. I no longer sat alone at lunch. I had people to talk to in the hall. A ride to school. Invited to parties, and now I stood on the bleachers cheering on the school’s best athlete surrounded by two amazing guys.
After his amazing save and terrifying fall, Hayden got back up and the team managed to pull a devastating upset, scoring in the last minute to win the game. My eyes bulged watching him run down the field, stripping off his shirt and piling on his teammates to celebrate their victory. The lines of his body were god-like; muscular and lean. My heart skipped a beat when he turned and looked up at us, taking off at a run up the stadium steps before attacking his best friends. I stood awkwardly on the side, hands shoved in my big coat, watching with a smile. They were adorable.
And Hayden? Absolutely gorgeous.
If I thought I’d be left out of the excitement I was wrong, because a moment later, Hayden released Jackson and lunged for me.
“Congratulations,” I told him, feeling the pounding of his bare chest. His skin was still overheated and he smelled like sweat, dirt, and victory. I inhaled, intoxicated.
“Thanks for coming,” he said with a quiet smile. “It means a lot.”
The statement was surreal. There was a full stadium of fans there just to watch Hayde