Chapter 24 #2
I cheered loudly with Anna when the dance team finished their routine.
Cress was waving up into the crowd as she made her way from the field, and her smile widened when she caught sight of me.
I immediately felt bad for missing her other performances in my attempts to avoid seeing Noah and vowed to always come to his games even if I hated his guts just so I could make Cress smile that way.
As the teams returned to the field, Anna nudged me with her elbow.
“What?”
She nodded toward the field, and I saw Noah making his way onto the pitch. My stomach tightened at the sight of him. He looked tired, and he must have still been feeling unwell because there were dark bags under his eyes.
“I didn’t think he was playing today,” Anna said. “I thought he was sick.”
“I guess he’s feeling better,” I replied.
“Hopefully,” Anna added. “Someone needs to turn this game around. It’s been too close for my liking so far.”
The whistle blew, and the game kicked off again.
As the second half got going, it was clear the Eagles were playing far better with Noah on the field.
The other team could barely get hold of the ball, and when they did, Noah would be the one to win it back.
Whatever illness had kept him from school, it certainly wasn’t slowing him down tonight.
He was barking orders at his teammates, and they seemed to be responding, as every one of them looked more energetic than they had in the first half.
One of the opposing players became frustrated with the Eagles’ sudden dominance.
The big, bulky guy with jet-black hair was sprinting around the pitch like a madman, desperately trying to get the ball back.
When the ball fell to Noah, I gasped as the guy flew toward him and lunged at him with both feet.
Noah didn’t flinch. He simply flicked the ball up and over the player, leaving him in a heap on the floor as he dribbled away.
The crowd rose to their feet as Noah passed the ball between two defenders and straight into Sawyer’s path.
It was just him and the goalkeeper, and he calmly curled the ball into the net.
The stadium erupted as the Eagles finally got their first goal, and the players all ran to congratulate Sawyer.
Noah remained calm, as though it was no big deal, a focused and determined look still etched on his face.
The guy with the jet-black hair wasn’t far from him, still on the ground, a furious look in his eyes.
Wes had his fingers in his mouth and was whistling loudly, and I laughed at his enthusiasm. “Stop encouraging Sawyer, or he’ll keep scoring, and I’ll be his lucky charm for life.”
He grinned at me and leaned in close to my ear so I could hear him speak over the cheers in the stadium. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want so I can cuddle you at all his games.”
I swallowed as he pulled back to look me in the eyes.
I’d seen that look before, and it certainly wasn’t friendly.
I got the feeling he wanted to kiss me again.
It was probably a good thing the referee started blowing his whistle loudly and Wes looked away; if we kissed again, the blurry line we’d crossed might disappear entirely.
“Shit,” Anna said. “What’s he doing?”
I glanced at the field and gasped as I saw two players rolling around on the ground fighting. Everyone on the field was rushing toward them, and when they pulled the two players apart, I realized Noah was one of them.
“That did not just happen.” Anna’s eyes were wide. “Tell me that didn’t just happen!”
“What’s going on?” Wes asked, his expression filled with confusion.
“I missed it too,” I said. “Why was Noah fighting?”
“I have no idea,” Anna said. “But I’m pretty sure number nine started it.”
The referee continued to blow his whistle as he tried to calm the players on both sides.
Sawyer and some of his teammates had grabbed Noah and were pulling him away from the scene while a group of players on the other team were complaining to the referee.
The guy with the jet-black hair was glaring at Noah, a smug grin on his face.
“That’s the guy he was fighting?” I asked Anna.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “He just ran right up to Noah after the goal, and suddenly they were on the ground throwing punches.”
Once things had calmed down, the referee marched up to Noah and the opposing player and showed them both red cards, ordering them off the field.
“Oh no,” Wes said. “That’s Noah out for the rest of the game.”
Noah trudged off the field, and the rest of the Weybridge team shook their heads. Some of them could barely look at him. They’d played so well since he’d arrived, but now they had to go on without him. When Noah reached the edge of the field with his head hung low, it started to rain.
Thankfully our seats were under cover, but the water fell in hard sheets, quickly soaking the players on the field. Noah didn’t seem to notice. His wet shirt gripped his skin, and his damp hair flopped against his face.
He finally looked up, but it wasn’t to focus on the game as it got back underway. Instead, his eyes went straight to the stands and directly to me. He didn’t even need to search for where I was sitting; it was like he could sense exactly where I was.
The agony in his gaze as he looked at me was hard to endure.
And it was only once he broke our stare off and disappeared behind the bleachers that I felt like I could breathe again.
He’d just been in a fight that got him kicked out of the game, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was something else behind the pain I saw in his eyes.
*
“Are you sure you don’t want to come to Toddy’s?
” Wes asked as we left the stadium. The Weybridge Eagles had held on to win the game, despite Noah getting sent off, so it seemed my time as Sawyer’s lucky charm wasn’t over.
I’d been secretly hoping the team might lose so he’d fire me from the position.
“I’m sure. I need to have a hot shower to warm up,” I said. “Besides, I’m not that hungry.”
“You aren’t hungry for a Toddy’s burger?” Wes placed a hand against my forehead like he was taking my temperature. “Something must be wrong. Are you feeling okay?”
I swatted his hand away. “Very funny.”
“Yes, I know, I’m hilarious.”
I went to blow warm air into my freezing hands only to realize the reason they were so cold was because I’d left my gloves behind. It probably served me right for taking them off to steal some of Wes’s fries.
“Shit, I’ve left my gloves back at our seats,” I said.
“I’ll go grab them for you,” Wes offered.
“Don’t be silly. You’ve got a date with a Toddy’s burger. You can’t risk being late.”
“It’s no problem,” he said, but I shooed him onward.
“It’s fine. It will take me two minutes to jog back there. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.” He bent down and brushed a kiss against my cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
As I watched him leave, following the stream of students away from the stadium, I gently touched the place where he’d kissed my skin.
He’d done it so naturally, so thoughtlessly.
Like giving each other such easy kisses was something we always did.
I frowned as I watched him walking away, wondering how I felt about the way things had been changing between us.
Our friendship had definitely been developing into something new, and I was trying to decide if I wanted it to change more still.
I walked back to the stadium, passing the few stragglers who were still making their way from the game. It seemed that everyone had left quickly tonight, which was hardly surprising given how cold it was.
I jogged up the stairs to my seat, relieved when I found my gloves waiting for me.
I picked them up and put them on before making my way back down the steps.
Although everyone had now left the stadium, the floodlights still lit the field.
I was just about back to the entrance when I noticed someone alone on the grass, kicking balls into the goal at the far end of the field.
It only took me a moment to realize it was Noah, and I stopped to watch him.
He seemed angry as he thumped ball after ball into the net as though he still needed to relieve whatever emotions or aggression had caused him to act out during the game.
I hated seeing him like this and wondered if he needed someone to talk to.
I stepped onto the field before I could stop myself and started walking across the grass toward him.
I was probably the last person he wanted to talk to, but I couldn’t just walk away and pretend I hadn’t seen him.
Noah didn’t notice me as I made my way across the field, but when he struck a ball and it cannoned off the frame of the goal, it bounced back and rolled toward me. He turned to jog after it, but he froze, and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw me.
“You shouldn’t be out here, Isobel.” He quickly regained his composure as he collected the ball and turned back toward the goal.
I tucked my hands into my pockets and came to a stop just a few meters from him. “I just wanted to check on you.”
“Well, you didn’t need to bother. I’m fine.”
People who were fine didn’t get into fights on soccer fields, but I didn’t want to say that. Not when he was already so defensive.
“Should you really be out here practicing when you’ve been out of school sick for days?” I asked.
Noah snorted as he placed the ball on the ground. “If you consider being pulled out of school by your grandfather sick, then sure.”
“Wait, you weren’t sick? But Cress said...”
“Cress covered for me. I don’t need everyone in this place knowing my business.”
I could certainly relate to that. Noah’s absence from school was the least of my concerns right now though. “Noah, what happened tonight?” He shook his head, refusing to answer.
“Look, we may not be together anymore, but you know you can talk to me, right?”
He grunted in reply, his eyes focused on the ball as he kicked it toward the goal. He booted it so hard it soared right over the top, disappearing beyond the fence behind the goal. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it from his face in clear frustration.
As his hair moved, it revealed a red mark on his forehead. I gasped when I realized it was a gash. It must have been from the fight because the area around it was still pink and swollen.
“Shit, Noah,” I said, rushing closer. When I reached him, I lifted a hand to his face and pushed his hair aside to get a better look. The cut thankfully looked shallow, but it seemed no one had tended to it because it was still slightly oozing blood.
“What are you doing?” he asked, going completely still under my touch.
I pulled my hand away, aware I might have crossed a line. I also took a step back because I was standing far too close. “That looks like it hurts,” I said, nodding at his wound.
He frowned and touched his forehead. He seemed surprised when he pulled his hand back and saw blood on his fingertips.
“Huh,” he muttered.
“You’re bleeding from your head and ‘huh’ is all you’ve got to say?”
He shrugged and wiped his hand on his shorts. “It’s just a cut. I hadn’t even noticed it.”
“Just a cut?” I couldn’t understand how he could act so blasé about the whole thing. “Noah, why did you fight that guy?”
He huffed out a laugh but didn’t answer.
“Noah...”
“He insulted my family,” he said. “And he threw the first punch.”
“So, what, you just punched him back?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Noah’s eyes flicked to mine, and I could see them burning with emotion.
“He wanted a fight just as much as I did. I’ve got my grandfather breathing down my neck, dragging me from school to try and get me in line, and my ex-girlfriend cuddling some other guy in the stands.
So, yeah, I punched him. And you know what?
I don’t regret it. Hell, with how I feel right now, I’d do it again if I could.
What I don’t need is your sympathy. And I don’t need to share my feelings with you.
I just need to get this damn ball in the damn net. ”
He emphasized his words by turning and thumping another ball toward the goal, only this one went wide of the target, and Noah swore.
“Well, I’m sorry for bothering you.” I turned to walk away before he could say anything else. I could feel his eyes on me as I left, but he didn’t try to stop me. I didn’t want him to.
I walked back to the dorms, trying my best not to think about how my conversation with Noah had left me so much colder than the chill in the air had all night. I should have just agreed to go to Toddy’s and forgotten about my gloves.