The crowd settled down as the ball went back into play. It was going to be a long night for Vermont if they let goals like that in all night, but it looked like getting scored against so quickly gave them a renewed fervor. They started moving faster, they tightened up their passing, and they brought it up into the Storm’s goal. A forward from the other team took a shot that Finn easily caught. He then hurled the ball across the field putting it comfortably on the other side. The Storm took possession and took a few shots on goal, hitting the posts each time.
It went on like this for the first quarter, during which the Storm managed to get one more goal. It was scored by Cardosa, one of the mid-fielders, and got the same fanfare as before. When the buzzer went off signifying the end of the first quarter, players from both teams formed small huddles near the benches. At the same time, someone from business development went out on the field and talked about one of the team’s sponsors—a local insurance company.
Miriam struggled to pay attention. As someone who worked in the office, she should have been focused on the short program they’d put together promoting the business. But the players were so close, and Silas was right there.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter where Silas was. Miriam didn’t care. She’d just gotten caught up in the excitement of the game—an easy thing to do—and had nearly forgotten the heartache golden boy had put her through.
Nearly. A mistake she wouldn’t make again.
When her phone buzzed with a text that Allie had arrived, Miriam was relieved for the excuse to leave the arena. She needed a little fresh air. A trip to the concession stand with Allie was exactly what the doctor ordered.
“I’m going to go get some nachos and a soda,” she said to Harris, who had been surprisingly quiet the entire game after their brief discussion about exes. “Want anything?”
His eyes went to the players, still in their huddle, before returning to Miriam. He shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m good.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, a little too cheerfully, before she walked out of the arena.
Once she was away from the loudspeakers, music, and fans, she could think more clearly. Miriam could see how ridiculous the pull she had felt toward Silas in the arena had been. It was the team mentality. Cheering so close to the action made fans feel like they were part of the Storm, and that made fans excited about their victories.
Then why did you only feel the pull toward Silas?
Miriam didn’t want to dwell on that thought and thankfully, Allie was already in front of the concession stand.
Her friend looked up. “You surviving?”
“If wanting to jump onto the field to kiss and punch Silas is surviving, then sure.”
“Oh, Miriam. Neither one of those says ‘I’m over him.’”
She sighed. “I know.” Miriam wasn’t over Silas. She didn’t think she’d ever completely gotten over him in the time he was gone—not that she hadn’t tried.
Allie jerked her head at the woman standing behind the counter who was waiting for them to order. “Stuffing our faces with nachos might help.”
“If I keep trying to solve this with food, I’m going to gain a hundred pounds by the end of the season.”
“In that case.” Allie turned to the woman. “We’ll take an order of nachos, a giant pretzel, and two churros.”
Miriam’s eyes were wide. That was way too much for the two of them, but Allie was already pulling out her credit card to pay. Once they got their food, Miriam started to walk back into the arena.
Allie grabbed her arm and shook her head. “Nope. You are not allowed to go back in there.”
“I have to be in there.”
Allie lifted a brow.
“Fine, my attendance isn’t actually required at the game. But I can’t just leave either. Someone has to man the Storm table at halftime.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re loyal to a fault?”
Miriam smiled. “My annoying best friend tells me all the time.”
“See?” Allie laughed. “You tell me how annoying I am all the time, and we’re still best friends. Loyal to a fault.”
Miriam shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with loyalty.”
“You’re right.” Allie shoved a chip in her mouth. “But right now, it’s holding you back. You could totally work for a bigger team—a better team—if you would get past your misguided obligation to stay with the Storm.”
Miriam shifted on her feet. “It’s not misguided. The team has been good to me.”
“Okay.” Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying you might discover there’s a bright and shiny world out there if you look past the things that are right in front of you.”
“Maybe I like the things that are in front of me.”
“Like I said, loyal to a fault.”
If Allie said loyal one more time… “So, if we’re not going back in to watch the game, what are we doing?”
Allie shrugged. “Let’s go hang out at your favorite place, the Storm table. We’ll eat our feelings. And if anyone asks, you can pretend like you were talking to crazy fans who couldn’t get enough swag.” Allie smacked Miriam’s arm. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Miriam laughed at her friend’s idea of fun, but relented. Manning a low-traffic table would be better than trying to watch Silas play with Harris on one side and Allie on the other.
She quickly sent a text to Harris letting him know that she and Allie would be watching the table for the rest of the game, dug into her nachos, and tried to carry on a conversation with Allie.
If only her attention didn’t keep going
