Off the Field

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hi guys. I couldn't believe it'd been more than 2 weeks when I checked how long it'd been since I've updated. It feels like 2 days and yet these past weeks have been SO. LONG. But finally it's Easter break, yay!! It's Holy Thursday night so I'm not sure if I should be writing, but I needed to, so here's the next chapter. I think it might be the second to last. Maybe third to last. But anyway, Happy Easter if I don't upload before then (doubtful tbh) and I hope you all have a blessed holiday even if you don't celebrate it! Please shoot me a comment and vote :)

Gracias! <3 vb123321

Chapter Twenty-Three

Semis didn’t take place in a huge stadium or anything, but it was at one of the biggest high schools in the area, so the field was made of turf cut to perfection with glittering goal posts and decent bleachers. I’d never before felt as conspicuous as I did as Davis and I made our way around the field to our team’s side.

Most of the guys were warming up, tying cleats and adjusting shin guards, or discussing final plays, but they all looked around as I approached, calling out greetings and expressing relief that I was okay. I spotted my dad talking with some officials on the other end of the field; his head turned to look at me, but for the moment he stayed where he was.

“Coop!” Ray deserted the field and ran to my side, grinning widely. “You’re alive!”

“Yeah…” I accepted his knuckle-bump a little guiltily. “Hey, man, I’m sorry I didn’t answer any of your texts –”

“It’s cool.” Nothing could faze Ray on game day; his adrenaline spiked up his dark hair and gave electricity to his whole body as he danced from foot to foot. “I figured you weren’t supposed to be looking at your phone or something – I forget concussion rules.”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” I said in a low voice as we trooped over to the bench, Davis trailing behind us. As Ray glanced back at him, I added, “And thanks for getting my dad to let me be here. I don’t know how you did it, but I owe you a big one.”

He clapped Davis on the shoulder. “It was all him, man, trust me. He offered to drive and everything.” Glancing over my head as I gave Davis an awkward thank-you nod, Ray raised his eyebrows and said, “I better get back to warming up – I don’t really want to witness this.”

“Witness what?”

“Danny!”

As Ray jogged back onto the field, laughing, I turned to see Mal flying toward me from the bleachers, her face lit up with relief. She threw her arms around me as she crashed into me, nearly knocking me over, and I groaned as she hugged me tightly.

“Mal, let go, you’re killing me.”

Davis stiffened at my side; he’d been putting on his cleats on the bench but now looked up as Mal arrived. The air snapped awkwardly as Mal released me and refused to look at him, her cheeks blushing pink. Instead, she glared at me and demanded, “Why wouldn’t you answer my texts?”

“I was sleeping, okay –”

She cut me off, her hands on her hips. “Everyone was saying that something had happened – I don’t even know how they found out – and you wouldn’t respond to me, so I had no idea what was going on. I had to hear about it from Jack!”