“…Stuff,” I finally say.
Colten raises an eyebrow.
“...Important stuff,” I clarify.
Colten rolls his eyes before looking back at Nico, who’s attempting to bounce the ball on his foot again.
Irritated, I ask Nico, as nicely as possible, “Want to see how a real soccer player does that?”
Colten slaps my shoulder in reprimand, but Nico just grins, kicking the ball over.
I flick the ball up with my foot and start juggling.
Left foot, right foot, thigh, shoulder.
Then I pop it up with a spin to it for an around-the-world, circling my foot over the ball before catching it on the tip of my cleats.
Nico whistles. “That was sick.”
“Thanks.” I glance at Colten. He isn’t watching. Instead, he’s looking over at Nico again, a faint glow still outlining his body.
I frown. What is so great about Nico? Colten is making a mistake if he’s thinking about dating that guy.
I need to distract him better and show Colten he needs to have higher standards. If his boyfriend can’t beat his best friend, me, then he doesn’t deserve Colten.
Time to escalate.
I flick the ball up again, higher this time, and perform a hop-the-world. My other foot loops around the ball mid-air before catching it.
“Try that,” I tell Nico, grinning victoriously.
He laughs. “No way! I only made the team today!”
I look at Colten again, who is still looking at Nico??
I bite my lip as hot irritation curls in my stomach.
“Colten, watch this,” I say loudly, trying to force him to pay attention to me.
I pop the ball up again and move into a crossover juggle, kicking one leg over the other while keeping the ball in motion. Then I do it again with the other leg, smoothly transitioning between each crossover as I continue to juggle the ball.
Even some of the other guys nearby cheer, but Colten is now physically turning away.
This is gettingridiculous. We do tricks together all the time, and at the very least, he would give me a critique. But not even watching at all?
So I go for the hardest trick I know, one I probably shouldn’t attempt while slightly buzzed.
With both feet, I do a rainbow flick to launch the ball up high from behind me, planning to do a full-body scorpion kick, which is basically a handstand.
It requires perfect balance and perfect timing.
And not being distracted by your best friend glowing at another guy.
My hand slips on the grass as I prepare for the scorpion kick, and I lose all traction when I push my legs in the air.
I crash onto my stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of me.
And when I look up, the ball hits my face. Hard.
