Golden

✶ chapter eight

September vanished in the blink of an eye, stealing the golden sun and warm temperatures with it, and October appeared in its place. Briarcliff University in October was a different experience: the winds were crisp, the leaves curled as they darkened, and there was no shortage of squirrels bustling around campus, wandering close to the students' boots.

October meant that the seasons changed, and that included the soccer season.

With the blistering heat nowhere in sight, practice outside became far more bearable. This was peak playing time before the snow arrived and winter brought more responsibilities: finals, projects, Christmas.

Best of all, the Briarcliff University Men's Soccer Team had formed a winning streak. What had started as a tentative couple of victories had stretched into the next month, and the team now had a reputation for itself: a formidable one.

It was all thanks to Gabriel. Last year, the team had been good, but struggled in the midfield. And if the midfield was awful, there was no one to push the ball forward to go onto the attack or to hold onto it as the forwards searched for an opening. In soccer, the midfield was a crucial space, and if that space lacked creativity or technical ability, the team fell apart. With Gabriel as the spearhead, that fragile part of the team had grown stronger, and with the new freshmen eager to prove themselves, it gave Aiden a lot of hope for how this season would turn out.

Even he had become better. He wasn't one to brag about his accomplishments—even though he acknowledged that he'd worked hard, and that dedication showed itself on the pitch—but he had seen an improvement in his form this season. Aiden didn't like to admit that Coach was right, but he was starting to believe that Coach was right: he and Gabriel had been born to play together. They made each other better.

Aiden knew where Gabriel would pass, and Gabriel trusted Aiden to get there. Aiden knew that if he was patient, Gabriel would find the opener they needed, and Gabriel trusted that Aiden would not waste the opportunity.

Aiden had no idea when he had started looking for Gabriel on the field, but that happened now. It was like a magnet forced their eyes together, and Aiden felt at ease at the sight of Gabriel right behind him on the field. He could no longer remember what it had felt like to play without him.

But whatever excitement the team felt over their continuous victories was overshadowed by this weekend's game looming over the horizon.

It was against Penhallow University—Gabriel's former college.

Although everyone was subdued, basking in the calm before the storm, Gabriel was another case entirely. He'd called Aiden three times this week to go on runs, had pushed himself harder in practice, and had arrived every day with a frown. It was an unsettling sight.

Aiden no longer knew what it was like to play without Gabriel, but Gabriel in poor form would be no better. If you were shaky on the field, it was all too easy to lose the ball, fail the passes, send poor crosses into the box. And while every position on the pitch was important, Gabriel was the center, and if the center fell apart, so did the edges.

Every time Aiden tried pulling Gabriel aside, the younger player had brushed him off. He'd pushed himself into a state of mind where Aiden couldn't follow, and even Coach had mentioned his concerns.

"Keep an eye on him," he'd said. Aiden had. But if Gabriel was unwilling to accept his help, there was nothing to be done.

It had gotten to the point where Aiden had wanted to get the game over with. Since it was his last year, his last season, he savored every match, especially the minutes leading up to it. Not this time. He wanted the days to pass quicker, if only so it would be over. If they lost their streak, fine. What he really wanted was for Gabriel to stop walking around like a ghost.