vulnerable

6.

November 25, 2022
Gio's P.O.V
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The locker room was buzzing with excitement. All the boys were either listening to music, trying to get pumped for the game, or chit-chatting about the possible outcomes. The dark brunette sat on the bench with his leg shaking. He had his headphones stuffed over his ears, trying to envision some plays.

"Reyna!" He heard faintly. Gio quickly turned off the rap music, looking at the body in front of him.

"Captain my captain." He grinned pleasantly. "What's up?"

"You looked like you were going to murder someone." Tyler joked, sitting beside his friend and teammate. He was dressed in the same uniform as Gio, but had the captain band on his arm. He always had a grin on his face and stayed positive no matter the situation.

"I was zoned out." Gio chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tyler nudged Gio's elbow.

Gio let out a sigh. His eyebrows furrowed together in tension. The forward rubbed his hands nervously, trying to figure out how to explain the mess in his mind. "You can't tell Chris."

Tyler raised a brow, nodding slowly. "Let me guess... this is about Stella?"

Gio rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bead of sweat trickle against his palm. "You guessed it."

Tyler licked his bottom lip, glancing over his shoulder before speaking in a hushed voice. "Are you guys... you know?"

"What?" Gio gasped, his cheeks turning bright red. "No, no, no."

Tyler chuckled, slapping Gio's thigh. "Get your head out of the gutter. I meant are you guys dating?"

Gio shook his head, his honey eyes turning towards the poster on the wall. "No, not that either."

He felt his stomach turning in nerves. He shouldn't of said anything, the whole team would know soon. Gio clenched his jaw. "It's nothing. Just forget it."

"Oh c'mon." Tyler crossed his arms, leaning back against the lockers. "You know she likes you man? We all can tell. And yet you haven't asked her out?"

Gio glanced at him with confusion written all over his face. "What do you mean?"

Tyler groaned, rubbing his temple. "G, just tell her how you feel. You clearly like her too. And she's a great girl... if you don't ask her out, I will."

Gio punched his arm playfully. "I'll kill you."

"I know." Tyler rolled his eyes. "So ask her out! Are you worried about Christian?"

"I'm not worried." Gio shrugged off the emotions, trying to change the subject. "It'll be fine. I'll think about it."

"Don't think." Tyler noted with a smirk. "Just feel your feelings."

"That hasn't really helped me lately." Gio got quieter, looking down at the floor. "Coach said-"

"Hey." Tyler rubbed his back. "We had a hiccup in the road, but we want you here, G."

"I don't think Coach does." Gio sighed. "Was I that bad?"

Tyler coughed awkwardly. "Not the best..."

"I just wanna play." Gio tried to explain his past behavior before the Cup. "I want to show everyone that I'm a good player."

"Everyone knows." Tyler nodded. "You're a great player. Coach just has an image in his head. You'll play soon enough. I know you will. And you'll figure this all out with Stella."