“Ok, I knew it. Spill! What is going on with you?” she said with a look of desperation for gossip written across her face.
“My sister thinks I stole Chris from her,” I said, and Isabelle’s jaw dropped.
“You can’t be serious,” Isabelle said, her mouth still wide open.
“Dead,” I replied. “She’s been guilting me to give him up so that she can have a chance with him. She says she’s been trying to tell me all year how much she likes him, and how long she’s been trying to flirt with him, and how she just needed more time to win him over, and how I swept in and took him from her. I never meant to do that. I didn’t even know that he knew I existed. Remember? You were there with me when I met him for the first time at our practice!” I spewed 100 miles per hour. When I finally took a breath, Isabelle put her hands on my shoulder.
“Yes! I remember. How could I forget?” she said with a sultry grin.
“Isabelle! Be serious!” I snapped.
“Sorry, Allie. I think your sister is totally insane. Chris is allowed to feel how he wants. He is clearly into you and has no interest in your sister. If he had, he would have asked her out a long time ago. I think you should ignore her and just be happy with him. Don’t let her get in the way.”
“Hmm,” I said, as I looked at Amy, then back out at the field. He was passing the ball with his teammates when his coach called them to the bench. He trotted over and glanced up at me again. I faked another smile as he brushed the hair out of his eyes again and smiled back, then turned to his coach. It was time for their game to start.
Throughout the game, their team fended off St. Mark’s play after play, racking up goals and blocking their shots. Our goalie, Griffin Reston, was the best in the league. During halftime, the teams parted ways back at their respective benches to talk to their coaches and prep for the second half. Brooke and Amy went to the fence and called to Chris. Covered in sweat, hair in his face, he looked in my direction with a furrowed brow. I shrugged and shook my head to signal that I didn’t disapprove, and then I looked at my sister. She shot me a look that might have been gratitude.
As he approached the fence and rested his arms across the top rail to catch his breath, Amy reached out and touched his arm, but he quickly pulled away. I couldn’t watch this unfold. I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face into them when Isabelle finally spoke.
“Just so you know, he’s not buying what she’s selling,” she said. “He looked pretty horrified that she touched him,” she laughed. “So embarrassing. You can look now. I think the bloodbath is over.
When I looked up, he looked shocked, and he motioned for me to come over to the fence, so I got up and made my way down the hill to him.
“Why did your sister just touch me? What is going on, Allie? You’re acting distant, and your sister is being a creep. Please just tell me what’s going on,” he said desperately.
“Fine. She says I stole you from her,” I said without mincing words. “She said I need to give her a chance to be with you, and that she’s been trying all year to get your attention.” He looked like he was about to laugh when I finished speaking.
“You’re joking, right?”
I looked towards Amy, who was glaring at me out of earshot, but Chris realized where my gaze had drifted, so he quickly intervened.
“Hey,” he said as he reached over the fence and redirected my focus to him. Then, with his fingers under my chin, he guided me towards him until I was close enough that I could feel his breath on my lips. In front of everyone, he grabbed my face and he kissed me like nobody else was there.
“Mmm,” he said, as he pulled away. “You’re all I want. I don’t want your sister. I never wanted your sister. I just want you. We’ve got a game to win. Wish me luck!” he said, then he turned around and headed back to the bench with the rest of his teammates. When I looked back at Isabelle, she looked worried as she motioned for me to look in Amy’s direction.
When I turned to look, Amy was whispering angrily in Brooke’s ear, and my stomach dropped.
14
At the end of their victory against St. Mark’s, the team came running back to the bench, cheering, and made a mad dash to the water cooler. In Country Town Prep tradition, they unscrewed the lid, tackled Griffin, and doused him with ice water for blocking the final shot that won the game, and then poured the rest on their Coach. When Griffin got up, the team carried him around the field on their shoulders, declaring victory, then set him down, and they made their way back over to their bench.
Isabelle and I clapped and cheered from our blanket, celebrating the win from a distance, which allowed Amy and Brooke to maintain their unimpeded flirtatious position at the fence. They chatted with every player who gave them any attention, but I could see Amy continue to try to talk to Chris, and he ignored her, casting frequent smiles in my direction as he packed his bag.
Even though Chris had assured me that I was all he wanted, my sister made it clear during halftime that she wasn’t going to give up so easily, and if I wasn’t willing to back down, she would just try harder. I let her know that I would continue to let him make up his own mind, but that I wasn’t going to simply go away. She seemed to accept my answer, but I didn’t trust her reply.
Once the guys were done gathering their gear and meeting with their Coach, they dispersed from the bench and headed through the gate towards their friends and family to celebrate the win. As soon as Chris passed through the gate, he headed up the hill to say hello to his parents, then came to say hi to Isabelle and me.
“Hey!” he said, as he ran the last few steps, scooped me up in his arms, and spun me around.
“Hey, Isabelle. How about that win? Did you see Watson out there?” he asked, trying to get her goat.
“What? Why would I care bout him?” she asked, her cheeks suddenly turning pink.
“Come on, Is, it’s pretty obvious,” I said.
“Whatever. He doesn’t like me anyway.”
“You never know unless you ask,” Chris said.
