𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 ✓

16

"Boohoo, get over it," Maddox whines teasingly as I tell him about how uncomfortable him spending his money on me makes me. I roll my eyes and throw the ball back so that it rolls to a stop at his feet.

"I'm just saying, I didn't ask for it!" I yell as he runs with the ball further away from me to line up a shot. A few other teammates kick their soccer balls at me and I miss one out of two, but in my defense, they were shot at the same time to opposite sides of the net. Who am I kidding? I'm distracted.

Maddox rears back to kick and everyone else backs off, not wanting to interfere with his shot. Our assistant captain isn't known for having the best temper.

I just barely miss his shot, it slips off the edge of my fingers when his fake has me almost diving for the wrong side of the net. He gets a high five offer from the closest freshman whom he promptly ignores, drawing a chuckle out of me as the freshman slaps his own hand with the other.

"Accept it. The more money I spend the less my dad has," He laughs and I cringe at his unhealthy way of thinking but I don't bring it up again. Money is a sensitive subject for Maddox.I don't agree with his logic, but I'm not going to argue with him about it either. I'm sure he's been lectured enough about his choices. My job is to be here for him no matter what those choices are, as long as he isn't doing damage to himself or others. His father can surely afford it.

The sun lowers in the sky as the bleachers begin to fill with a few people who've come to watch us scrimmage with a neighboring university's team. We warm up separately and I do my best to watch each player and memorize his shooting patterns while blocking the ones from my own teammates. Memorization is one of my best talents as a goalie, and my coach knows it so when he calls me and gestures with his thumb over his shoulder, I make my leave, sitting on our bench and sipping some water as I watch the opposition.

A whistle blows after a few minutes and we all huddle around our coach who gives us a short talk, mostly about which plays to run. I wait for Chase and the other team's captain to do the coin toss before he points and I make my way over to my net, claiming my territory.

I hear screaming coming from the sidelines and see a familiar red-head making her way over to the bleachers adjacent to where I stand. Her aqua eyes never leave the six-yard box and I couldn't be more flattered to have this girl's unwavering attention.

Giving Faye a little wave and a smile, I look away long enough to see Aurora joining her. The two of them are cheerleaders but Faye is the only one of the two likely to yell and cheer. Where Aurora is shy, my girl doesn't hide from the spotlight. She owns it.

"Go, Reece!" I hear and face forward as another whistle blows, my attention on the game. Mostly.

Every goal I save. Cheering.

Every time I so much as take a step forward to grab the ball. Cheering.

I can't help but laugh at Faye's enthusiasm. But to be fair, if one could cheer at dance recitals, I'd be there cheering with the rest of her admirers.

We win the scrimmage 5-1 and I'm not even disappointed in the one goal that I let in. Faye had gotten up to stretch and gave me a little wave when I turned my head to the side. Her face was priceless as she watched the goal go into my net. I didn't even notice.

"Ew you're all gross and sweaty," Faye complains as I walk over to hug her, but she melts into my embrace anyways.

"You love it, don't lie." I tease and hold her head to my chest as she squirms against me, making me laugh. I let her pull away a bit and play with her curls, twisting them around and around my index finger.

"I like it when you smell like soap. And whatever sunscreen you use." She admits and I shrug. Soap is probably a good idea for me at the moment. Soccer during the height of summer, even in the evening is hot as hell.

"Want a ride home?" I ask and she nods.

"I'll wait for you to shower," She says and I leave her side to shower off with the rest of the team in our locker rooms, doing as she says and showering off. My thoughts are distracted as my hands run over my skin, wondering what it would feel like to replace them with her smaller hands instead. The skin-soft instead of rough. I've felt her hands on me before, but not the way that I want them to. Hanging my head, I turn the water to freezing before I get a hard-on in the public locker room. My heart hurts enough without a physical reminder that it can't have what it desires.