“What are you doing? The balls go on the other side of the pitch.” Coach Spears frowns, eyebrows burrowed together. He briefly signals on the complete opposite end of the pitch before briskly walking off, barking commands at some other poor soul. I let out a loud groan and drop the bag to the floor, letting it land with a thump.
My hand wraps around the handle and I spin around on my heel, heading back in the direction I’ve just come from. It’s Wednesday evening and my new job as assistant means I have to be the football teams modern day slave for a solid six hours.
Yay me.
I let out another groan, dragging the bag of balls behind me slowly. The football pitch is empty beside from Coach Spears and a few other volunteers. All of the football team are in the changing rooms, prepping for the big game ahead. I’ve never taken an interest in football and don’t really want to start now.
I drop the balls to the floor and kick them softly, mumbling unhappy thoughts under my breath. My thoughts turn towards Brody who I seen briefly entering the changing rooms a while ago. I feel my stomach somersault a few times at the thought of him. I haven’t seen him for a few days beside from the odd glances to one another in lessons or the school corridors. Beatrice has backed off a little but I’m often aware of her scrutinising gaze on me.
“Excuse me! Have you filled the water bottles yet?” Coach Spears barks down my ear causing me to literally jump out of my skin.
“Jheez,” I mutter, my eyes widening as I turn to face him. He’s frowning at me once again, his eyes permanently set in a glare.
“Over there,” I tell him bluntly, motioning at the stack of freshly filled bottles waiting to be devoured by the boys. Coach Spears briefly nods without so much as a thank you before storming off, his whistle swinging around his neck as he goes.
I roll my eyes, watching as he disappears before letting out a deep sigh and glancing at my watch. The game is due to start in forty five minutes, which means the crowds will be arriving in half an hour. I drop to the floor, sitting cross legged on the soft grass and place my chin in my palms.
I can’t help but think of all the great movies on Netflix I’m missing out on. Six hours is a long time to be away from my soul mate. My hands involuntarily run through the grass and I pull it upwards.
“If you carry on doing that, we won’t have a pitch to play on.”
I glance up and meet eyes with a football player I’ve briefly seen in school. He’s standing a few feet away from me, looking down with an amused expression on his face.
“Hi,” I respond quietly, glancing around to make sure he’s actually talking to me. Yep, there’s no-one else around.
“I’m Dylan,” he smiles, his lips turning up into a cute grin. Dylan is tall with broad shoulders and a round face. His long dirty blonde hair is skilfully swept back and reminds me of a surfer’s hairdo. His blue almond shape eyes are friendly and he’s still smiling at me, waiting for me to respond.
“I’m B-Bella,” I murmur quietly, dropping the strands of grass to the floor. I watch as Dylan walks over to me before sitting down beside me, a few inches away. My heart begins racing against my chest and I feel a lump appear in my throat.
“You’re the new assistant, aren’t you?” Dylan asks me casually, his laid back tone causing me to relax. I nod, playing with the strands in my ponytail whilst keeping my eyes trained on the floor.
“Yeah, lucky me.” I joke, my eyes widening in surprise as Dylan let out a small laugh at my overly enthusiastic reply. He’s the first person beside Brody to laugh at my jokes.
“I just hope I get out of here alive,” I add, grinning a little as I feel my confidence increase slightly. Dylan continues to chuckle, his chest vibrating as he laughs.
“Hey, we’re not that bad,” Dylan smirks, running a hand through his hair. I let out a groan, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly in nerves. Other people blush only when they’re embarrassed . . . but me? I blush when I’m embarrassed and nervous.
It’s a gift God chose to give me, unfortunately.
“Please, the last assistant ran off the pitch crying before the game even started.” I hit back, my eyebrows raising. Dylan stops laughing and chokes slightly, his own eyebrows raising with surprise.
“How do you know that?” He questions, an amused smile on his face. I roll my eyes, running the soft strands of my hair through my fingers.
“The whole school knows, you guys are known for being jerks.” I joke, biting the inside of my lip nervously. Dylan let out another laugh, louder this time.
“Something tells me you’re going to survive here Bella.” He replies, pushing himself up off the pitch. Before he jogs away, he gives me another cute lopsided smile and waves. I find myself automatically waving back and I’m surprised at myself for having a conversation with another human being and not freaking out.
Huh . . . progress can happen. “What did he want?”
I turn my head and see Brody walking towards me, a towel in one hand and his football trainers in the other. He’s wearing his football kit and my eyes linger around the area on his arms where his shirt is clinging to it. Brody barely notices me checking him out as he glances warily at Dylan, watching as he walks off.
“Hi,” I say to him quietly, feeling my stomach flutter with butterflies as Brody approaches me. My greeting finally snaps Brody out of his little trance and he turns back towards me, a small smile on his face.
“Hey Bella,” he smiles, dropping down in front of me. A whiff of his scent instantly hits my nose and I feel my head grow light headed, as usual. I fiddle with my hands nervously, unsure on what to say to him. We haven’t spoken properly for a few days and the last time we did, Brody kissed me.
“So what did he want?” Brody repeats casually, lacing up his trainers.
“Huh?” I frown, feeling confused. Brody pauses before glancing up at me from under his dark eyelashes. The green in his eyes intensifies and I feel myself stare at him for a few seconds —
“Dylan? What did he want?” He repeats, an amused expression on his face. I finally nod as I understand what he’s asking of me —
“Oh, nothing really. He just came to say hello.”
“Do you know him?” Brody asks almost immediately, sitting up straighter. I shake my head, feeling my ponytail swing from side to side.
“Never seen him before actually,” I respond quietly, watching Brody’s fingers work quickly on his laces. He’s hunched over on the grass, dark hair falling beautifully into his eyes. The urge to reach forward and run my hands through it is causing my fingers to twitch. So instead I quickly shove them under my crossed legs, trapping them. Brody notices and he raises his head, one eyebrow raised at my actions.
“Do you do that a lot?” He questions, his lips turning up into a smirk. I bite down on my lower lip before shaking my head.
“Just with you.”
Brody’s head snaps up at my response and I feel the blush on my cheeks reddening quickly, darkening up. I immediately bite down on the inside of my cheek hard.
My eyes are trained on the floor and I don’t dare breathe as moments of silence pass between Brody and I. He eventually lets out a small chuckle, causing me to look up and lock eyes with him.
The green of his eyes are shining brightly, his mouth turned up into a small grin. The dimple on his right cheek is showing and I can’t refrain myself from blushing further from his handsome appearance.
“You look like a tomato Bella.” Brody laughs, the skin around his eyes creasing. His words only cause me to blush further and I groan, slapping my hands over my face.
“Stop teasing me Brody.” I mutter. Seconds later I felt warm hands wrap around mine and Brody gently pries them apart.
“You’re too adorable Bella Winters,” he chuckles, dropping my hands back down to my sides. I let out a little nervous squeak at his response but thankfully Brody doesn’t hear it.
“So are you watching me play?” He askes, running a hand through his hair and pushing the dark strands backwards.
“Of course I am.” I respond, giving him my best supportive smile. I hold out two thumbs at him —
“Break a leg! If that’s what the saying is . . . ” I mutter, my words drifting off into a whisper. Brody simply laughs before standing to his feet, holding out a hand towards me. I gratefully take hold of it and feel myself being effortlessly lifted to my feet.
Brody gently pulls me towards him closely and I stumble a little before regaining my balance. I’m standing right in front of him and can feel his chest move as he breathes. His hand is still wrapped around mine tightly and I glance up, my eyes wide with nerves. My throat has completely dried out and I swallow the lump in my throat, meeting eyes with Brody’s piercing green ones.
He’s looking at me intensely, with the same look he has when he wants to kiss me. The nerves in my stomach intensify and I shiver as I think of his lips on mine. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the feeling of his kiss. I subconsciously inch closer towards him, my eyes focused on his lips. He licks them slowly before tilting his head down, dark hair falling over into his eyes.
We’re suddenly cut off by a screaming banshee down our ears. . . AKA Coach Spears.
“Warm up Baxter!” He yells at Brody, causing me to jump, yet again. I curse under my breath and take a step back, giving Brody a small smile. He closes his eyes and sighs, looking annoyed at being interrupted. I realise that was way too close. . . Anyone could have seen our almost kiss.
“Yes Coach,” he replies in monotone, his jaw clenched tightly. He gives me an apologetic look before dropping my hand and jogging off to the centre of the pitch. I sigh and walk over to the sidelines, taking a seat next to the stack of water bottles.
Let the game begin.