room 207 | shyland ✓

three

ryland's pov

"do we have to go? we're missing all the good tv programmes." morgan whined loudly as the four of us piled into the car, my dad settling into the drivers seat whilst my mother rode shotgun.

my mom rolled her eyes and i sharply inhaled as she spoke. "yes, morgan. we're going to cheer on your brother and that is final. it's the first football game of the season!"

my heart was jumping around my rib cage because it wasn't only austin we'd be watching play. shane would be dressed in the school colours, all blue with the yellow trim on the sleeves of his shirt, that stupidly big smile on his face as he chased after the ball. for all of sophomore year (their junior year) i'd not missed a single game, claiming that i was adamant on supporting my brother when in reality i just wanted a glimpse of shane's auburn hair underneath his helmet.

within twenty minutes we were climbing out the land rover, morgan trailing behind whilst playing a game on her ipad. students and their parents were milling the school grounds, boxes of popcorn and corn dogs firmly in hand, chatting excitedly with the players last names falling off their lips.

since austin was the star player and (aside from shane) the coach's favourite, we were seated front row for the game and i couldn't help but grin. we'd never been this close before and the fact that i'd have a perfect view of them playing filled me with a mixture of dread and excitement that i couldn't quite comprehend.

since we arrived slightly late, the cheerleaders danced onto the field a few minutes after we had sat down, screaming chants of our school name as they performed their routine. we were playing against the rivalling team, stonehold high, but since this was a home game the majority of the support in the stands landed on our side. one by one, the players began to filter onto the pitch, their numbers clearly emblazoned in bright white across their chests.

my eyes frantically searched the field until i landed on number six, shane's tall figure sprinting across the field and the grin on his face just slightly noticeable from behind the guard of his helmet. i saw him scan the bleachers, full of hope, finally landing his vision on the empty seats a few rows behind us. turning around, i followed his line of sight and noticed that, yet again, his mother hadn't showed. a pang shot through my heart and i suppressed any emotion from showing as i saw his smile falter, flickering a little.

seemingly, he was shocked out of his reverie by my brother finally running onto the field, slapping his shoulder in encouragement. the bright number one displayed across his chest shone brightly under the warm september sun, his dark hair reckless and poking out from underneath his helmet as he noticed us and threw a thumbs up into the air. my brother murmured in shane's ear and pointed at us, in what i could only assume was austin's way of making up for the fact that his mom hadn't appeared for what was going to be the biggest game of the season. a little smile appeared on his face as he saw us, waving before taking his position on the field.

the sharp ring of the whistle bounced off the crowd and the bleachers erupted in screams of support as brad thompson, another player from our team, seized control of the ball and i could barely keep up as it flew from player to player.

by half time, my brother had scored two touch downs, majorly helped by shane, who seemed to be letting austin take all credibility for any scores made. my parents began making their way to the side of the pitch to see austin, who was currently chatting to kate, his girlfriend, whilst i stayed leant against the railings sipping my diet coke. i'd been haphazardly observing the different players run to the side of the field to talk to their parents, girlfriends and friends, wondering where on earth shane had gotten to. normally he would go speak to my mom and dad with austin, but clearly he had other plans as my eyes landed on him talking next to the coach, helmet still firmly on unlike the rest of the players. the elder man patted his back and gave him a sympathetic smile before heading off, and before i knew it, the whistle was shrieking again and signalling the start of the second half and everyone had returned to their seats.

this half of the game was faster, both teams quickly racking up points with yells of frustration and excitement echoing throughout the stands. with two minutes left, the two schools were neck and neck, both holding the same amount of points as they fought frantically for the ball. every time either team would get close to scoring a touch down, it would be blocked or intercepted by the opposing players, and the bleachers were growing wild.

finally, though, with thirty seconds left, a player with our school colours – he was moving so fast i couldn't even read the name or number on his shirt – grabbed the ball and began running. he ran and ran and ran, dodging all other players and smacking the ball onto the ground, skidding across the field as the crowd erupted in cheers and screams.

the boy ripped off his helmet and held onto the air, and holy shit i fell even more in love at that moment. the flash of auburn hair made my heart jump as the rest of our school's players ran towards him and lifted him into the air, carrying him on their shoulders as the bell for the end of the game sounded with a final ring. shane was grinning so big, running a hand through the mess a top of his head before looking directly at me, holding eye contact and throwing his fist into the air. he didn't break our gaze from the moment the ball hit the ground, and i couldn't help but break into a huge smile because fuck, the way he'd smiled at me just wouldn't leave my mind. the look upon his face resembled that on austin's whenever he scored and met eyes with kate, but perhaps my mind was just playing tricks on me and infatuation was succumbing my brain.

shaking my head from the unrealistic thought, i lapped up my surroundings gleefully. we had won the first game of the season, and i don't think i'd ever seen anyone happier. everyone, including myself, were on their feet, cheering and screaming in congratulations as the commentator yelled out the winning scores.

shane soon jumped down from his teammates grip and jogged over to the side of the bleachers, directly towards us. my heart clutched and i tried to distract myself from the short breathed feeling that was growing in my stomach. the seats were raised so he had to tilt his head up slightly, and i jumped out my chair to the edge of the railings to be met with his slightly reddened face and sweaty hair.

he looked gorgeous. absolutely, unbelievably, near to impossible gorgeous.

"holy shit!" he excitedly exclaimed, looking up at me with blue eyes, bright and wide. rubbing his face in shock, he tossed his helmet to the floor and ran a hand through the mess atop of his head. "holy shit, what just happened?"

our eyes captivated each other and i didn't even know what to say or do, except smile. and smile. and smile. "you were amazing out there. there was no way anyone could've stopped you from scoring that touch down. you did great." i honestly told him, feeling a blush creep upon my cheeks as shane burst into an even bigger grin.

"i thought i'd score one just for you."