Nights Watch Series

Keeper

Jon fell hard.  His landing was on his shoulder, the green grass cushioned his fall as the ball landed right in between his fingers.  He heard their lead striker, Pypar, groan with annoyance.  Jon has been blocking Pypar’s penalty kicks all day.  

 

“Come on man!  Your doing better than you normally do! I normally at least get three in.”  Pypar yelled.  Jon punted the ball down over the halfway mark to the rookie training side. Arya watched her best goalie and her best striker with careful eyes.  She knew something was off with him.  Something was definitely up with Jon.   

 

“Pypar!  Hit the showers, its ten past five, you're done for the day.  I need your foot iced before the game against those sissy boys from Kings Landing tomorrow.”  She said walking onto the field.  Jon caught Arya’s eyes and his own flashed down to her left hand rather quickly. Knowing that she still didn’t like wearing the damn thing, but the diamond still sparkled away.  His frown somehow got deeper and he sighed in frustration.  Jon went to move past Arya as she put her hand on his chest and pushed him back.

 

“Sit down Snow.”  Jon fell back on his ass as he just kept his eyes on cleats.  

“Now, I have no idea what the hell is wrong with you.  But you bet your ass I’m going find out.”  Arya said as she stared at her player and one of her best friends.  Jon in this moment reminded her of a lost puppy.    

 

“Nothin’s wrong.”  Jon said as he picked at the grass a little.  A childish habit most of the players have.  Ayra recognized this, because she use to do it all the time when her coach would scold her or tell her she could do something better.    

 

“Bull shit.  Since you have come out on this field you’ve let maybe one or two goals in.  Now usually when you save that many goals in a practice you're all smiles, but now.  I’ll be damned if I don’t see anything bigger than a straight line.  What the fuck is wrong with you Jon?”  Arya asked, getting frustrated with her player.  

 

“Sansa decided-… Sansa and I decided to end things.”  He said, throwing the piece of grass he held as hard as he could.  Arya’s mouth dropped slightly as she looked upon the man she considers a older brother.  

 

“What?  Why?”  She asked, her voice not hiding her shock.  Jon didn’t answer her, he just stood up.  “Jon?”  She asked again, her voice softer and less loud.  Concern was the only thing in her voice know.  “When?”  

 

“About a month ago.”  He answered.  His tone was almost like he was asking about the god damn weather, but his eyes and facial expression said differently.  

 

“A month?”  She said very surprised, her mouth gaped.  “But, we had dinner with you and Sansa last week!”  Her voice was in disbelief like she was trying to tell herself that it couldn’t be possible.    

 

“She didn’t tell you?”  Jon asked puzzled. “That was your family get together, to announce your engagement.”   He thought the first person she would tell would have been Arya.  Or at least Gilly who would have told Sam, who than in turn would have told Robb and Arya.