Before you read you should know that I don't have much idea about American football as I don't live in America. My sincere apologies in advance in case I didn't get the things right.
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Derek passes the ball to Emery, who is on the other side of the field. Emery catches it in a swift move and runs toward the end zone. The defense team surrounds him from all sides. Seeing the situation getting tough, he passes the ball to one of the Garrett twins, who passes it back to Derek. The defense team tries to tackle him.
But he moves through them fast and advances the ball into the end zone.
"And it's another six points for the falcons!" The commentator says. "And the Falcon wins!"
"We won!" Grace and I shout at the same time as our side of the bleacher howls. Everyone starts running towards the field. It's the first match of the season and we won!
Behind me, I hear someone grunting. I turn around. "You were saying?"
Ashton throws popcorn on me. I didn't even mind.
Because we won! With 43.6 points.
I've never been more proud of Derek. Except for the time when he won that free twenty pizza coupons for me.
Next to Ashton, Miles, and Asher look as bored as him. The only reason they came today to watch the match is because of Owen and Nyako, who are still in the field.
Even though we were able to stop Ashton and Miles' sick-same-clothes and attached-to-the-hip things after all that work, they still hang out with each other, including their other friends this time.
And after Monday, Ashton invited Asher to their group. Owen and Nyako also came around from their 'possessive best friend' attitudes after a long talk with Ashton.
Now Miles and Asher have officially joined Ashton's trio, I came up with a new name for them: the pento. Even though they hate it when I call them that.
Ashton insisted on calling them quintet at least because that's what a group of five people is supposed to be called by, but I refused to use that word. I'm not a human dictionary now, am I?
Moreover, pento sounds much cooler than quintet.
"First-timers luck," Ashton mutters finally.
Grace and I ignore the grumpies behind us and join our team's celebration on the field. The match was held in our school so almost most of the audience is from ours. They all are congratulating the boys for winning the match. The players are surrounded by cheerleaders.
Seriously, guys, it's just u'19 intrastate match, not NFL.
I make our way among the students. Grace takes a few photos and goes to interview the players. When I finally reach the center, Derek is already walking towards the locker room.
"Derek!" I call and he turns around. At first, he looks a little irritated, but then when he sees who it was, his face breaks into a grin. He cuts his way through the crowd and wraps his arms around me.
"It was about time I started wondering if you were ditching me," his voice muffles in my hair.
I smile and look up at him. "What to do? It's not like things are like before now. You're the star player now. Fans merely let me come within a five-meter radius around you."
He winks and kisses my cheek. "Too bad I have my eyes only on one."
I blush and break out of his arms.
"That's still debatable," Derek raises a brow. "Go and shower, you're stinking."
"But you love me."
"Not when you're showering in sweat," I tease him. "It had been a long match. Take a shower, seriously."
"Okay, okay, I was about to go anyway," Derek takes my hand in his. "Wait for me outside?"
I nod. Derek let my hand go and jogs to his best friend Emery and the twins and together they disappear in the locker room.
Derek had been off since he was selected as captain. Though he apologized for his absence, even when I told him he didn't have to. It's a huge duty, being the captain and highlight of the team. Still, he said he'll make up for it.
Derek told me he'll take me on a date tomorrow. The coach said he'll give them a day off after the match. And for tonight, we'll spend the evening in my place. I'm really looking forward to finally spending some alone time with him.
I wait for him outside the locker room.
It takes him forever to come out. When he does, he still has Emery and the twins following his toes.
Derek nervously rubs his nape when he sees me. I get up from the fence and walk up to him.
"Hey," he says when I'm in front of him.
"Hey," I chuckle. "Ready to go?"
"About that-" he looks back at his friends and they nod. He turns back to me. "There's a party in one of our teammate's house."
I snort. "Since when isn't there one?"
"Yes true," Derek nervously laughs. "But you see, they're throwing it on the honor of our winning today."
Well, it can't be that bad. Maybe I'll even like it. After all, I've already broken so many of the rules. One more can't hurt much.
But before I can open my mouth, Derek cuts me. "It's okay, you don't have to say it. I know you don't like parties. And I don't want to leave you either but don't you think I should go? It's in my honor after all."
Startled, I nod. Derek's face broke into a grin. "I knew you would understand. I should probably go now. I'm sorry we have to cancel our plans tonight, but tomorrow's still standing. I mean if you still want to."
I nod again, unable to trust my voice. Derek kisses the corner of my mouth and leaves with his friends. I watch them going to the parking lot.
He didn't even listen to what I wanted to say. Like he doesn't even care.
With a twinge of disappointment in my heart, I turn around and find Ashton standing behind me with his arms crossed. My heart flinches at the proximity.
"And that's how she gets her first heartbreak," Ashton smirks.
I push him out of my way. "Not funny Fellan."
Aston follows after me. "Wasn't trying to be, White."
"Then leave me alone, I'm not in the mood."
"Who said I am?" Ashton snorts. "I left you alone for twenty minutes and you managed to get your heart broken."
"My heart is working just fine," I tell him. "It wasn't a big deal anyway."
"Sure, ditching your girlfriend for a damn party isn't a big deal at all."
When I don't object, he continues, "And let's just not start on how she cheered for him like a mad fangirl two hours straight or the fact that she has been looking forward to spending some alone time with him for weeks."
Before I can acknowledge what I'm doing, I spin around and jab him in his ribs. "What's up with you Ashton?"
Ashton takes a step back and shrugs. "I don't know. But if I loved a girl enough, I would've always wanted her to be my first, last, and only priority."
There he goes, raining on my parade. Derek and I might be dating for two years now, but we never exchanged that 'love' word. At least Derek didn't.
And Ashton seems to read my mind too. He slings an arm around my shoulder. "It's okay, boys will come, boys will go. But a friend always stays. And that's why I won't let my younger sister ever date until she's forty."
I smile a little. "How's your sister? You haven't talked about her forever."
"She's fine. I told her about you and now she can't wait to meet you."
"I would love to meet her," I say.
"One of these days," he mutters.
The bleacher is almost empty. We walk side to side. Silence follows until Ashton says, "Look, Kiara, I didn't want to say this to you before but Derek isn't good for you."
I freeze. One minute we're talking fine and then he has to bring it up again.
I lift his arm off my shoulder.
"You know what your problem is Ashton?" I say. "You think all the guys are bad out there where the only bad guy I see here is you."
Ashton's eyes go wide, for a moment I thought I saw a flash of hurt in them. But it was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by irritation. "You think you know everything about me?"
"Enough to know you're no better than any guy out there."
"At least better than your so-called-goody-two-shoe boyfriend."
And that did it. Ashton realizes his mistake a little too late. "Snow, I-"
"At least he doesn't walk around breaking girls' hearts," I tell him, aware of where it would hit him exactly. "How much do you know about a girl's feelings when you're the one leaving them like trash every other weekend? So don't try to pretend you're the nice one here."
"He might not have broken a random girl's heart every weekend, but all I know is he broke yours. He's breaking it for a while. Admit it or not."
My eyes widened. Tears start filling up in my eyes. I look away.
Ashton realizes his mistake a little too late. His eyes go wide. "Hey, I'm-"
He takes a step towards me but I push him away. "Go away!"
Because inside, I know he is right. Derek has been pushing me away a lot lately. And lately, I'm the captain now sounds like an excuse only.
I mean, he makes it sounds like captains don't have a personal life. Or a life of anything other than football.
But no one noticed it. No one except for Ashton.
"You're right," I say. "I am stupid."
"I never said that!" Ashton exclaims.
"But you meant it. And the worst, your right. But you think I didn't notice it until after you told me? Just because I don't complain doesn't mean I'm delusional."
"I know you're not," he mumbles. "That's what makes me even more angry at you."
I ignore him. "The only reason I don't complain about it twenty-four by seven is I don't get into boy drama. At least not till I graduate."
Ashton nods. "Don't get into boy drama."
"What?"
"Rule Nine: Don't get into boy dramas. Do not have sex before you're getting somewhere with your life. Better dump your boyfriend if he forces on you. It's one of the rules in your survival theory."
Sometimes I think he took a photo of my theory and memorized them at home.
"So?" Ashton raises a brow.
I sigh with a nod. "Yes, that and because I've already broken so many rules, I just can't risk another," I confess. "But you won't understand that."
"I understand enough to know you don't have to follow your rules. They are just a set of words. Believing in them is like believing in Zodiac and myths."
"That's where you're wrong," I tell him. "They are not rubbish. They helped me for almost three years."
"Yes, they seem like they are helping you where you're the only one who's helping yourself. It's like making a daily routine and trying to follow it. I bet there isn't one person who tried but didn't fail to follow it."
"But my survival theory is different!"
"And how's that?" he says calmly. "You think I didn't notice that four-leaf clover of yours? People believe it's for good luck. But Kiara, I never pegged you as a person who believes in fate."
"I don't," I say.
"You're telling that to yourself, but ask your mind if it truly believes it or not. All these rules, these clovers, and God-knows-what-else-good-luck-charms, they don't deserve the credit of all the things you achieved in the last three years. All the credits only belong to you only. You can't make anything possible unless your mind's set on getting it."
I give out a nasty laugh. "So you're saying it's your mind that sets you to fuck all those girls?"
"It's not about me," he says.
"It's not also about me," I tell him. "You're the one saying I should follow my instincts? Well hear me out Ashton fuckin Fellan, my insists are telling me to follow those rules. If they worked fine for three years, they'll work for another. And don't try to make me change my mind. I hate when people try that."
"Snow-" he tries to come closer but I stop him.
"And stay fuckin away from me. I don't want to be around me anymore. As if those stunts that those psychos are pulling aren't enough to get the school's attraction."
With that, I leave a very stunning Ashton in the middle of the hallway. I rush to the parking lot and drive home.
It's until I'm in my room I realize my eyes are puffy.
Worst of all, I'm not even sure who I should be more mad with; Derek, Ashton, or myself.
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Ps. Advanced Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak to all my Muslim friends out there!
Oh, and late happy friendship day too! I have grown up knowing it's on the first of August, but then someone told me it's actually not. So I googled it and found out that international friendship day is on 30 July. My whole life was a lie -_-
Anyway, bubye, take care of yourself and your family. Next update might take a while ð