Trouble In Paradise?

Chapter Seventeen

I was walking past the school oval, a huge oval of grass that was used for P.E. Girls sat in huge groups in circles, probably summoning Satan. Only kidding, of course. No one does that in their spare time...

Anyway, boys use it to play soccer and other sports, making it easy to get hit in the head and face the humiliation. That's happened to everyone, let's be honest.

Anyway, I noticed that the four boys were there. Blake and Ethan were up against Xavier and Jordan in an intense soccer match that had the girls around them swooning.

I didn't know who was winning, but it looked pretty fair. All four of them were obviously athletically skilled, maneuvering the ball around the small field that they had created with two soccer nets. A couple people watched as the match went on, but most just went on with their normal lives.

I had nothing else to do so I decided to go over and watch the game. I had always liked soccer, I used to play it for hours everyday after school when I was younger. I had little mini soccer nets in our backyard, which I would use to practice. I played in a little team, but due to circumstances I obviously had to quit.

But now, watching the game, I ached to join in and get my legs moving. I missed playing a sport. I wasn't as good as these guys but I vowed to myself that I would take up soccer again, or I would at least get back into the sport. Maybe I could find my old soccer ball and use it in the backyard at home for a bit after school. That sounds like a good idea.

I had been so distracted with my plans that I hadn't been focused on the game. Xavier had just scored a goal, making the small crowd let out a couple of cheers. I didn't want to admit it, but he looked pretty damn good.

Then, Jordan noticed me sitting down and watching the game. He grinned and beckoned me over there. The crowd watched me curiosity as I raised an eyebrow but got up anyway, watching right into the middle of their game. Xavier and Ethan looked unimpressed that the game had been interrupted but didn't say anything about it.

"Yes, Lord Jordan?" I mocked him.

He rolled his eyes. "You looked like you were yearning to join in, so wanna have a go?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Okay, but I'm not very good," I said.

"It's alright, we'll do one-on-one first," he said. Ethan and Xavier stepped off the field, walking away without another word. If they wanna be like that, then fine. I was way too excited anyway, excited about actually getting to play. The memories of playing when I was younger were coming back now. The mud on the field, the grass stains on my soccer jersey and shorts. The small cheer from the crowd of parents that watched their kids play as we scored goals.

Blake stood off to the side, a smirk on his face. He thinks I'll lose. Lets prove him wrong.

Jordan grinned, challengingly. "You can start with the ball." He kicked it to me, my foot swiftly stopping it. The corners of my mouth quirked up.

Then, my instincts kicked into gear. I started dribbling the ball across the field, doing zig zags and not losing control of the ball. Jordan was looming up in front of me, so it was his turn to attack and my turn to dodge.

He came after the ball, but I did my best to keep it out of his reach. I was a little rusty, I'll admit that.

Eventually, he got distracted for one second and I maneuvered the ball around him, running faster with the ball just a little in front of me. I kept lightly kicking it, heading straight for the goals. Jordan was coming up behind me fast, but I had already kicked it by the time he caught up.