Chapter 23: Competitive

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The first football game of the season was held on a Friday evening, late August.

The August air was fresh in their veins. It was a different type of fresh. The kind of crisp that one would take pleasure in on an eventful day, like the air in the morning of a field trip.

Mikasa, Marco, Armin, Annie and Y/n were seated on the crowded bleachers with a good view of the players on the track and field below.

The cheerleaders warmed up, and Historia looked as happy as ever with a pompom in her hands. She waved up at her friends and then over to the band kids.

Connie, Sasha, and the rest of the band warmed up with some scales. Once the timer on the home screen hit zero, the two football teams went onto the field, and there was a big flourish of brass and woodwind.

It was a face off between the Devils of Paradis and their arch rival, the Marley Titans.

The football was tossed, and the game began. The band crescendoed with every score, and they played crowd pleasers to get more of a roar from the people.

"The band sounds good," Marco said as he looked at Connie hitting down on his snare drum with focused precision. The band had stood up to sway as they played, and Marco saw Sasha playing her saxophone with the same amount of energy she used when eating.

"Then you should join," Annie said, monotone. Whenever she spoke like that, Marco didn't really know if she was joking or not.

In the next few moments, the band transitioned into a new song, and they delivered a rendition of Hollaback Girl.

"Oh my God, no way!" Y/n laughed and Marco definitely did not want to join the band now.

"I think I'm good."

A score was made against Paradis, and the crowd booed. Everything simmered down for a while, with the people in the stands beginning to lose morale.

It was as quiet as a football game would get, and Armin took the chance to bring something up.

He nudged Y/n on the shoulder and spoke low to her, in a slightly hesitant voice.

"So...I invited Hitch to come. Is that ok?"

Y/n felt a slight pang in her chest as she paused for a moment, slightly caught off guard with the question. She wanted to scream out "no" desperately, but she crushed down her childish thoughts and smiled weakly at Armin.

"Uhh...yeah. Dude, you don't have to ask me for permission. If Hitch is your friend then of course she's welcome to come!"

She put on a mask and smiled reassuringly at Armin, who thanked her genuinely.

In the next couple of minutes, Hitch made her presence known.

A couple of kids wolf-whistled at her, and she rolled her eyes at them.

"Why don't you come sit with us over here, Hitch? We saved you a spot."

She laughed carefree as she descended the bleachers. "No, not today, Tommy, thanks. Some other time!" She called out to a disappointed boy and then whipped her hair back, keeping her eyes on the prize.

Armin heard her name and looked up, smiling as he waved to Hitch.

The girl came in bustling, keeping her eyes on the blonde's charming smile.

She greeted the others uninterestedly.

"Hey, guys."

Mikasa, Marco and Annie looked blankly at the girl, with confusion apparent in each and every one of their eyes. They waved awkwardly, politely.

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