“Alright, thank you everyone for being here after school hours, let’s get into it! We will read off the JV team before moving into the Varsity team. Good luck, and don’t be discouraged if you weren’t selected this year.”
Then, I swear it feels like we’re at the races. Name after name is read, and as the JV roster fills up, I glance at Mandy. Our names are called as the last two, which feels strangely personal.
Of course, we just laugh it off, and I joke that someone had to be last.
Everyone’s excited, and we spend most of the time talking about what our first year will be like. When the lights flicker on over the football field, Alysa slips her arm through mine.
“Let’s go. Dad’s parked out front.”
I smile and nod, but before we can move, people erupt in screams of excitement. We both glance back at the field to see what’s happening. It’s no surprise when the football teams—JV and Varsity—come out from under the bleachers.
We drift off to the side, our twin mindset fully in sync. Neither of us care much about the team yet, though I’m sure as time goes on we’ll find ourselves at every game, turning into die-hard fans for our school.
It feels inevitable.
Something makes me scan the crowd of players. They’re not in full gear, just in jerseys and whatever pants they wore to class. My eyes lock onto one figure, and it isn’t just my gaze that freezes—my feet do too.
He’s massive, and not just tall, but powerfully built. For a high school student, it’s almost shocking to see him towering over the others. The only person he doesn’t overshadow is the coach, who walks up and places a hand on his shoulder.
“Holy moly,” Alysa pants out. “He’s hot.”
I don’t say anything, though it’s strange how hard it is not to stare at him. He has to be popular—if the Varsity cheerleaders clustered around him are any indication.
He scoops up his curly black hair, pulling it back over his head. The hair tie clenched between his teeth does something unexpected to me. When he flashes a smile around it, it’s like a punch straight to my stomach.
The breath I draw feels tight in my chest.
“Hey, hey!” Alysa pulls away from me but doesn’t go far. “Kayla, who’s that guy?”
As the boy removes the hair tie from his mouth and twists his hair into a bun, his gaze lifts. I’m at least ten yards away, but I swear he catches me staring.
“Oh, him? That’s Keoni, Varsity linebacker. He’s a junior this year.”
His eyes narrow, and I suddenly realize I need to stop looking so intensely at him. I jerk my head down toward the girls beside me, my sister practically drooling and ogling him.
“He got a girlfriend?”
“Alysa,” I scold her.
“Boyfriend?” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“Neither. He’s shown no interest in anyone. Seems pretty focused on school and playing. He’s got a ton of college recruiters lined up like the ladies for his attention. For good reason; he’s our school’s best player next to Tyler, the quarterback.”
Biting my bottom lip, I dare to glance back at Keoni. I don’t know what delusional part of me thought he’d still be staring, but I was wrong. His attention is fully on the brunette rubbing herself under his arm.
“I can change that.” I love my sister’s confidence, and I don’t mean to laugh at her, but I can’t help it. Her delusion is stronger than mine. “Give me three months.”
“Sweetheart, you’re a freshmen. You’ll just embarrass yourself,” Kayla scoffs.
Quickly, before Alysa can be hurt by the comment, I sling my arm over her shoulder and start dragging her toward the parkinglot.
“Don’t listen to her, lefty. If you want it, go for it. I support you ten-fold.”
She giggles and wraps her arm around my back. “Thanks. See? This is why you’re my best friend.”
Before pressing my cheek to the top of her head, I glance back one more time.
It’s now I catch him watching us walk away, but he quickly looks elsewhere. Maybe it won’t be my sister who will be trying to change his relationship status.
