Library love

"Mr number 23 is so into you."

"If we've missed even a second of the game, I will genuinely never speak to you again," I grumbled, as Kate and I walked at a pace faster than normal to get to the football field.

"Hey, I had to look my best. We have front row seats. There's no way we don't show up on camera."

"Exactly. We have front row seats. Do you know how many people would kill to have that, and yet here we are, late!" I reminded her. She let out a laugh at my dramatics.

"When has a game ever started on time. Besides, we're here now. Do you want anything to eat or drink?" She asked me, glancing over to the stall.

"Yeah. Popcorn and a coke, please," I sighed. "Alright. Go grab the seats. I'll get us the snacks." Kate gently pushed me towards the crowded bleachers.

"What? No. I'm not going over there alone." I stared at her, horrified. "Jesus, woman. Okay, then wait here. We can go together." I shot her a sheepish grin as she rolled her eyes at my antics, before walking over to the food stall.

I stood awkwardly, as I glanced around the field. Football was a big thing around here, and the turnout was insane.

Finally, Kate returned with our drinks and popcorn in her hands. "Grab these before I drop it," she said, nodding towards the popcorn buckets. I chuckled, but did as she said, and we finally made our way to our seats.

"Holy shit, this is so cool," Kate whispered, as we slid into our adjacent seats. "I know. Why are you whispering?" I whispered back. "I don't know how I'm meant to behave when I sit in the front row." "Okay, but I'm not whispering for the entirety of the game," I raised my voice slightly.

"Yeah, neither am I. When does it start?" She asked me in her normal voice, taking a sip from her can of coke.

"Why do you expect me to know. Where are the players?" I said, staring out at the field, where the cheerleaders, and the opposing team's players, were visible, but our own team's players- not so much.

"Are you looking for a player in particular?" Kate wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"No. I want the game to start," I retorted bluntly. Not even a second later, one by one, the players of the football team appeared, from what I'm assuming is the locker room. It was impossible to tell one apart from another, since they all wore helmets.

"Oh my god, they're so hot," Kate sighed, as she ogled the players on the field. I had to strain my ears to hear her over the sound of the roaring crowd, which had suddenly burst into cheers at the sight of the players,

"You literally can't see anything," I raised an eyebrow, questioningly. "But I just know they're hot. They're football players. Football players are always hot."

"Anyone in particular?" I winked. "Never do that again. And don't worry. I'm not interested in Alex," she replied in a sickly sweet tone.

"Shut up and watch the game," I muttered, directing my attention to the field. "Gladly."

After about 5 more minutes of waiting, the game finally began. The opposing team was apparently one of the best, so all in all, the front row seats were worth it, despite the fact that neither of us knew anything about football, and were mostly here so we could tell people we sat front row for a huge football game.

The bench for the players who weren't on the field wasn't too far from us, and Kate was constantly calling out to them, mid-game, so she could ask them questions about what was going on. I was surprised they hadn't told her to shut up yet- I would have.

Just as Kate was in the middle of asking one of the players, a guy named Malcolm, how a touchdown worked, a loud cheer erupted from the crown. The first touchdown of the game. The score was now at 6-0, with us in the lead. I grinned excitedly, more so because of the ambiance.

By half time, I was certain Kate had spoken to majority of the team. Each time a player was switched, she would call them over, and ask them the most useless questions, that even I could have answered.

As we were sitting, waiting for halftime to end, a familiar voice called my name.

"Hazel! How kind of you to come and cheer me on!" Alex, with his helmet in his hand, was sauntering towards the us.

I winced at how loudly he had made his announcement, and was certain the entire stadium had gone quiet. In all probability, it was only Kate who had truly gone quiet. She had stopped conversing with whichever football player she had called over, and was now darting her eyes between Alex and me, grinning in amusement.

I sighed, hoping she wouldn't say something stupid. "Technically, I came because I had front row tickets," I finally replied.

"And I gave you those front row tickets, so, if you think about it, you've practically come for me. And I appreciate it." I scowled in response, as Kate coughed, in an attempt to choke back a laugh. "Don't say it," I glared at her. "I wasn't going to," she smiled coyly. She was definitely about to make a 'that's what she said joke.'

"You're the one she made me use my second front row ticket on, I presume?" Alex turned to Kate, whose eyes lit up mischievously. "Yeah. I've heard a lot about you from Hazel over here. She seems to be quite the fan.""Okay, that's just not true-" I began, but I was cut off by the whistle.

"Well, I gotta get back onto the field, but I hope to see you two at the after party. And it's great to hear that you talk about me," Alex tipped his imaginary hat, before racing off, before I could protest.

"Mr number 23 is so into you," Kate chuckled. "Mr number 23 barely knows me."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. So, we're going to the after party then, aren't we?" Kate looked at me eagerly. "No. We aren't. You're welcome to go."

"Oh come on! I was only invited because he wanted you to be there. It was out of sheer politeness."

"It's an after party for a football game. I'm sure you'd be allowed in even if you went without an invitation." I replied dryly.

"Hazel."

"Kate."

"We're going."

"No."

Yet, an hour and a half later, after our team had won by a large margin, I found myself getting ready alongside Kate for the after party. God, I couldn't wait for Aaron to come back.

•••
omg aaron??!!

anyways, i have no idea how football is played, nor what happens at games (im not American), so if anything i've written doesn't correlate to what happens irl, you have my deepest apologies