10 Years Ago
10 YEARS AGO
A high-pitched whistle pierces the hubbub of the crowded gymnasium
I watch transfixed as sneakers skid across a polished floor. The team in red jerseys converge on the left side of the court, their gazes locked on their tallest teammate. He stands at the free-throw line, arms extended halfway over his head.
Concentration warps his brow as he completes some kind of mental calculation. Cheerleaders are guiding a rhythmic chant, the kind of battle cry even my side of the stands can’t help but mouth along.
“HedLUND, HedLUND, HedLUND!”
If the player can hear the audience, he doesn’t show it. I watch him breathe in deep, letting out a breath that hollows his cheeks. A charge enters the room—the kind of electricity that means something big is about to happen. The player bends his knees, extending his arms until the basketball flies into the air, completing a perfect arc before swishing through the hoop.
The crowd goes wild.
I’m pulled up from my seat, every body beside mine already in motion. Cheers echo around the gymnasium, rivaling the jeers coming from the seats around me. It’s the biggest game of the season, against our school’s biggest rival. And, according to the scoreboard hanging from the ceiling, they have just annihilated us.
My eyes flicker back to the boy who made the free-throw. His golden-brown hair has nearly disappeared within the huddle his teammates have formed around him. They’re yelling, too.
“HED-LUND! HED-LUND! HED-LUND!”
The game isn’t over, but anyone can tell who’s won.
The brunette beside me grabs hold of my hand, using it to point at our rival team. “Holy SHIT did you see that? I think he blew my panties straight off! I’m not kidding, Ayla—they’re fuckin’ gone.”
I roll my eyes, disentangling my hand from Rose’s. She yanked me out of bed two hours ago on the grounds that she simply couldn’t attend this game without me. I won’t say it to her face, but I am glad she wouldn’t let up. Tonight was electric. And not because of our shitty home team.
Because of him .
The boy I never thought I would see again.
The one who has been guest-starring in all of my daydreams.
He’s as gorgeous as I remembered. All tanned skin and lithe muscle. Wearing a heartbreaking smile that rivals his sparkling eyes.
I want to call out to him, ask if he remembers me. Ask if he realizes we would be perfect together.
Almost like he can sense the weight of my gaze, he starts to turn in my direction. I stand straighter, rising on tiptoes to see above the crowd. And then—just like magic—his eyes meet mine. Sparks shoot up my spine as that uneven, perfect smile is turned on me.
I lift a hand, giving him a tentative wave. And if my heart wasn’t thundering before, it starts the second he waves back.
“Oh, my god—is he…is he looking at you?” Rose whisper-shouts in my ear.
I grin wider, wondering whether I should start to make my way down the stands. Before I can move, the boy begins walking over. I watch slack-jawed as he jogs across the gym, pausing before the steps.
“Hey,” he calls out, “what are you doing over here?”
Rose starts to vibrate as I wet my lips. “Hi,” I start to call back, “I just was—”
“BABY!” A girl’s squeal overtakes my voice.
A blur of blonde hair rushes past me as a cheerleader throws herself into the boy’s arms.
“Oh fuuckk,” Rose groans.
Heat floods my cheeks as I watch him spin her around. “Why were you up in the Ravens’ seats, babe?” I hear him ask. “I was looking for you everywhere!”
“I was trying to get the best shot of you!” She shows him her phone screen, giggling at whatever he sees. “You look so hot in this uniform.”
I sink back into my seat, hoping the bodies around me will swallow my shame from view. He was waving behind me, not at me. Obviously. What the hell was I thinking? I met him—Hedlund—once. Barely. There’s no way he remembers I exist.
“Hot damn, I really thought he was coming over to whisk you away.” Rose plops down beside me, nudging her shoulder against mine. “That would’ve been so crazy. I mean, you don’t even know that guy, do you?”
“No, I don’t,” I whisper.
But one day, I hope I get the chance to tell him what he means to me.