“I didn’t realise so many people would be here.” I stared around me, at the almost full stands. Even the stands across the other side of the football pitch, where the away team fans sat, was full.
“It’s not always this busy. But this is the championship quarter-finals, and Highnam Academy are kind of our biggest rivals, I guess, so everyone wants to be here.” Imogen flashed me a grin, then turned to greet another girl who had sat down behind us.
“I see that.” Pulling out my phone, I took a couple of photos to send to Lena, then sat back, waiting for the players to make an appearance. My nerves returned, as thoughts of Carter invaded my mind.
Someone dropped into the seat next to Imogen, and I turned when I felt, rather than heard, her small gasp of surprise. Xavier had taken the empty seat, and he sprawled out in it, his long legs taking up all the space in the aisle. He and Imogen stared at one another in silence for a moment, and although I couldn’t see her face, I could see his gaze grow softer as he looked at her.
Breaking their connection, he looked around her to me. “You made it. Now for the finishing touches…” He reached down to the bag at his feet that I hadn’t noticed until that point and pulled out a bundle of fabric which he handed to me. “Put this on.”
I stared at him, confused. “Huh?”
“You want to match the rest of us or not?” He gave me a huge grin, and I unfolded the fabric to find a football shirt in the team colours.
“I have to wear this?”
“You don’t have to, but we’re all in the team colours. See?” Imogen pointed to herself, then to Anastasia, and I realised they were wearing black and green, the school team colours.
“But you’re not wearing an actual football shirt, though,” I pointed out.
“That doesn’t matter. Just put it on over your jumper. It’ll probably be really big on you,” Xavier told me. As they looked at me expectantly, I sighed.
“Okay, I’ll put—” Lifting the shirt, I noticed the huge number 7 on the back. “Hang on, this is Carter’s number, isn’t it?”
Xavier gave me a suspiciously innocent look, then shrugged. “That was all I could get hold of on short notice, sorry.”
I wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but I pulled the shirt over my head, knowing that they wouldn’t let me get away with not wearing it, and there was no way I was going to cause a scene. Xavier was right, it was huge on me. It was the team’s winter shirt as well, meaning it had long sleeves, which I could at least pull down over my cold hands. Even though I shouldn’t allow myself to hope for anything after Carter’s silence all week, I couldn’t help the nervous, excited feeling fluttering in my belly at the thought of me wearing a shirt with his number on.
And then, there he was. The music cut out and a voice was announcing the teams, and they filed onto the pitch, Carter leading the way for Alstone High, the captain’s armband on his bicep. My stomach flipped, and I couldn’t look away. He didn’t look at me, not once, and I couldn’t help my disappointment, but I reminded myself that it was only to be expected.
The pre-game stuff passed in a blur, as my whole focus shrank to Carter. I watched as the teams shook hands, and my eyes stayed on Carter, watching as he made his way down the line of players with practiced efficiency. The coin toss came next, and then suddenly, the whistle was being blown and the game was starting.
Cheers, whistles, boos, shouts—the whole stadium was a cacophony of noise. I found myself actually getting into the game, my eyes glued to the action. When Carter passed the ball to Kian, who sent it flying to Preston in a perfect arc, I held my breath. The ball seemed to hang in mid-air for a moment, before Preston booted it straight into the goal. I flew out of my seat with a scream, along with the other Alstone High students and supporters in the stands, jumping and cheering. Anastasia turned to me and actually pulled me into a hug, all breathless excitement, and I froze for a minute, then hugged her back, shocked.
At half-time, both teams disappeared, and I sat back in my seat.
“How are you enjoying your first school football game?” Imogen smiled at me as she opened a bottle of Coke.
“I’m… It’s fun. I want to do it again.” I was surprised to find that I meant it. Even though everything had gone wrong with Carter, I still wanted to come back. The atmosphere, the feel of being part of something—everyone around me all on the same side, willing our team to score a goal, all of us experiencing the highs and lows together—it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
“The players are good to look at, too. Aren’t they?” She smirked at me. “Got your eye on any one in particular?”
“No.” Both she and Anastasia laughed at my emphatic denial, clearly not believing me. Thankfully they decided to stop tormenting me, and the conversation turned to Anastasia’s upcoming birthday.
The second half was tense as Highnam Academy scored a goal almost as soon as the whistle blew, making the score 1-1. We had to win this. When did I start thinking of the team as a “we”? Guess I’d found my school spirit.
The clock seemed to count down so slowly as the game neared the end. Time slowed to a crawl. The referee blew the whistle, and the voice over the speakers announced there would be two minutes of added time. This was it. The whole ground was silent as Carter took up position on the side of the pitch for a free kick. I held my breath as he stepped back,
