BAD BOY SAVED (male pov)

Sometimes foes are friends.

L: Liv, please talk to me. Don't avoid my calls.

L: Your roommate has a serious issue with me, she won't tell me where you are!

L: It's been three days and I've not heard from you. We need to talk about this.

L: Please call me Liv.

L: It's the first game of the season tomorrow, will I see you there?

L: Liv, its game day. Please come, we need to talk.

I scrolled through all of the messages I've bombarded Olivia with over the past week, each one going unanswered. I skipped out on the team huddle and instead stood in the doorway of the locker room scanning the stands for her face but I knew she wasn't there and she probably wasn't coming.

I felt like I was that boy again, the young boy who dropped hundreds of hints to his mom about his first game and when she didn't show my heart sagged with disappointment. But no matter what dumb fight we were in I thought she would be here.

I thought she would always be here.

Music amplified through the speakers and my team lined up at the door. I found my spot in line ready to lose myself in the match, the most important match of the season. The one that sets the bar for all of the others.

You've been disappointed before Liam. You can handle it again, even if it hurts more this time.

The team marched out onto the pitch in synchronized steps and then fanned out vertically across the pitch lining up against the opposing team. The tension was thick in the air from both teams, we all wanted to bag this win and everything felt more heightened than the high school games we played.

I faced my opponent, eyeing up every detail of his face and locking it into memory. Dark curly hair bounced on his head but oddly didn't move out of place. His olive skin was dressed in freckles and dark eyes narrowed at me in a failed attempt to intimidate me. I looked him up and down, turning my nose up at the blue and white uniform.

"Blue and white isn't your colour." I deadpanned in disgust.

His eyes narrowed further as he searched my body for an insult.

My eyebrows raised, waiting for it.

"Red and black was so last year." He spat out, I scoffed at his pathetic attempt.

The coach blew the whistle and everyone outstretched their hands to shake with their opponent. I noticed that our handshake was a little tighter than it needed to be.

"May the best team win." I offered.

"Oh and they will." He said cockily.

I shook my head at his comment and took my position on the pitch allowing myself one last lingering look around the stadium. It was packed out but I knew Reece was sitting behind our goal and she waved frantically at me but I didn't bother waving back. Olivia was nowhere in sight.

The whistle blew again signalling kick off and I watched as the black and white ball floated around the pitch with ease getting passed from player to player. Their defense was good and so was their goalie. I dribbled the ball down the whole pitch but three of my goals got blocked at the last hurdle by their goalkeeper.

I had the ball again, heavily guarded from all areas. Swiftly I looked around the pitch desperately trying to find someone to pass the ball to before it was tackled off me. The enemy player smiled cunningly at me knowing I was cornered and in a rapid motion he pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead. I narrowed my eyes at him and shot him a scowl because I knew he was telling me to pass the ball to him.

Instead I saw an opening once John had got free so I kicked the ball towards him. He dribbled the ball down the pitch and I followed hot on his trail. Once we got to the bottom he passed the ball back to me and I scored the first goal. The crowd went wild and I looked around one more time.

Get her out of your mind Liam, she's not here.

The game continued and remained a close knit score. Every time we scored, they scored. It was refreshing to have some sort of competition and it kept my head focused on the game. Everything was so intense. The scoreboard read 2-2 and both teams came excruciatingly close to scoring several times.

The final whistle blew and the crowd sighed, it was going to penalties.

Both teams lined up and took turns shooting into the net.

Reds - 5

Blues - 4

There were two players left on each team. I looked at my opponents, they bounced up and down on the spot trying to warm themselves up. The sweat from our intense game was doing a good job at cooling us down, I could feel the chill on my own body.

The blue player was up. He was short and before he took his shot I made the assumption that he wouldn't make the goal because his legs didn't have enough strength to get it past the goalie, unless he had some fancy tricks up his sleeve.

The whistle blew and the player charged at the ball, just as I predicted the kick didn't have enough power behind it so our goal keeper was able to stop it from hitting the back of the net with ease. The scores remained the same.

Luke took his place on the line, I blew some warm air into the palm of my hands and rubbed them together trying to cling onto some warmth. The whistle blew again and Luke pelted the ball with his foot, it was a good shot but their goalkeeper was on the ball and knocked it out of the net with his two hands.

I looked over at my last remaining opponent, his dark eyes were watching me closely with a knowing smirk. He threw me the one fingered salute and then took his place on the line and waited for the whistle to blow. My heart knew he would make this shot.

The whistle blew and his foot collided with the ball causing a sharp thud that flew directly into the back of the net with complete ease. The crowd cheered loudly and the smug bastard turned to me and raised his eyebrows in the air.

Our scores were even and I needed to score this last goal to win.

I exhaled deeply, letting all of the pressure release itself from my body and then I took my position on the line. My eyes floated across the stadium again, taking in the blur of crowded faces one last time.

And there she was.

She pulled her eyes away from me and looked down as soon as she spotted me looking at her but my heart did somersaults that she showed up. Surely that meant something.

The whistle blew for the last time and I rotated my hips to the left, darted my eyes right and shot the ball directly over the goalies head. He didn't see it coming, he was confused with how my body went one way and my eyes went the other but the ball went neither. It slipped into the back of the net and the crowd erupted.

Prepare to be touched Liam.

Heavy weights pummeled on top of me, rubbing my hair and clinging from every square inch of my body and right in the center of the red and black was one blue and white. He jumped on my back, licked my cheek and tousled my hair up leaving both teams and the crowds completely confused as to why this enemy player was celebrating our win.

I wrapped my arms around him in the most unmanly, tightest squeeze hug ever but I didn't care and neither did he.

"Jesus, it's so good to see you Jordan." I said smiling from ear to ear for the first time this week.

"Right back atcha bro." He replied.