The Guardian

Chapter Two

I heard my doorbell ring as I threw Niall’s jersey over my head. “Shit,” I thought to myself, running late as always.

“Coming!” I yelled from my room, praying that Ella would hear me.

Ella was my best friend, besides Niall of course – I needed someone to do girly things with every once in a while. Niall could get me to watch football games with him whenever he wanted me too, but I couldn’t take him shopping if his life depended on it.

The thing about Ella was that we are total opposites. I’m short and brunette, she’s tall and blond. She’s a complete perfectionist when it comes to her appearance, while I’m not afraid to go to school in a pair of Niall’s sweats that I stole. I’m somewhat careless and carefree, but she’s always organized and precise – and right now is a perfect example. I told her to pick me up at 6:30, and what time does she ring my doorbell? 6:30 on the dot.

I quickly put a brush to my hair, not caring that it was no longer pin-straight from this morning since it was supposed to rain tonight. I slipped on my white converse and my skinny jeans, tucking in the oversized jersey in the front so it didn’t look like a dress on me. I grabbed my bag and bolted down the stairs, opening the door to find Ella looking at her watch.

“6:32,” she said with a smirk.

“Oh shut up,” I said, grabbing a sweatshirt out of the coat closet beside my front door.

 “You got everything?” she asked, aware of my forgetfulness. “I’m not turning the car around once we get halfway to the field.”

I quickly fumbled through my bag, mumbling my mental checklist as I looked. “Phone, phone charger, wallet, keys—SNAPBACK!” I turned around and bolted up the stairs, grabbing the green hat off my dresser and putting it on my head. Niall’s lucky snapback. I’ve worn it to every game since he was a freshman.

Ella rolled her eyes as I bolted down the stairs yet again. She crossed her arms and looked at me as I put my hand on the doorknob, about to walk out onto the front porch.

“El I have everything, I swear,” I said with a laugh.

“Okay, just checking. Usually you run back up the stairs a second time – on a good day.”

“I hate you,” I said, exiting my house and running to her car. “Lock the door behind you!” I yelled, sitting in the passenger seat.

A few seconds later, she hopped into the driver’s seat, putting the car in drive. “First game of the season!” she squeaked, pulling out of my driveway and heading to the school. Her boyfriend, Michael, played football also, but this was his first Varsity game, so she was excited. Niall’s been on Varsity since he got pulled up halfway through his freshman season – so it was nothing new to me.

We pulled into the already packed parking lot, finally finding a spot that felt like miles away from the field. Thank god Maura and Bobby saved seats for us. Maura waved to us from the bleachers and we quickly took our seats next to Niall’s family, just in time for the announcer to come on.

Good evening, Mullingar! Who’s ready for the first game of the season?! The voice boomed through the speakers as the crowd cheered. Tonight, we have the Mullingar Rams, led by Captain Niall Horan, and the Longford Comets, led by Captain Sean McDermott! The two teams ran out onto the field and we got up on our feet, cheering for our team. Football was kind of a big thing around here. Niall took his place in the goal and looked up in our direction. He locked eyes with me and I pointed to the lucky snapback; he flashed me a smile before preparing for the game to start. The referee’s hand shot up in the air, holding up the number three. He put his whistle in his mouth as his fingers counted down to zero, blowing the whistle once his hand was in a fist; the game had begun.